Up the Hill

Spiky purple pine cone flower-thingy

Does anyone know what this is? The leaves on the plant are very spiky and the purple is actually quite vibrant. Since it is darker earlier in the day I didn't have very good lighting when I was taking pictures the other evening while I took the dogs up the hill behind our place.

Autumn in the Bay Area is nice: everything greens up once we have some rain and respite from the hot summer. The hill is sprouting tons of new grass, which Mac and Ayla love to eat.

Bits of green

The weather is a little cooler, which means the dogs run around like wild banshees when they are outside now. Mac is a fast little bugger and chases Ayla all over. He's probably faster than she is, but she has more staying power. Mac's more of a sprinter.

And they're off!

Ayla always looks so happy when she's running around. And she's got such a pretty white smile too. Even though I've managed to put a few pounds on her, you can see she's still skinny. Yes, those are her ribs. I'll feed her treats all day in addition to her kibble, and she gets our food mixed into that kibble, and she's still a slim little lady. Must be nice to have such a metabolism.

Hamming it up

I finished up my Voodoo Wristwarmers (size M) over the weekend. These were an easy and fast knit. I used about two-thirds of a skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Fuchsia (I think; I've lost the band). I learned how to knit small-diameter in the round on two circulars with this project, which was much easier than it seemed at first. I made the thumb holes with an 8-stitch button hole instead of the recommended 6-stitch... I must have freakishly large thumbs? This first picture is fairly true to the actual color - they're hot pink.

Wristwarmers with bonus possessed dog in the background

This shot isn't as fuzzy, but the color is off. (See my favorite Fat Bastard Wine shirt?!) These should keep me a little warmer walking the dogs in the cooler weather, and at an upcoming outdoor concert I'll be playing in.

Wristwarmers with bonus dog torso

Music is keeping me quite busy lately. This past Sunday I had a concert with Pleasanton Community Concert Band. We played music geared toward children, accompanied by narrators and picture slides: Carnival of the Animals, Pictures at an Exhibition, Peter and the Wolf, and Star Wars. It was an eclectic combination, but I think it went over well and I had a good time.

I had my usual Wednesday afternoon performance with the USS Hornet Band today at the senior center. On our break I chatted with a 90-year-old man who told me about his days in the Navy during WWII, his experience being the only Mexican on a cruiser of all white men, and boxing. Fascinating! Tomorrow night is PCCB practice (our holiday concert is Dec. 14). Friday night I've got a gig with the Hornet Band playing at a Lion's Club dinner. The following Friday we're playing at a city tree-lighting ceremony. I was given some flute music to play too, and since I haven't played flute since college I'll need to practice a bit so I don't pass out trying to play the thing. It takes a lot more air than other instruments it seems. Busy busy!