I admit that I’m weird and I admit that I’m an animal lover. When you put those two things together, you get a person who comes up with names for the animals that frequent their backyard. (I feel that I know you all well enough to admit that.) The Cardinal Pair that have lived in our backyard for 6-7 years are Fred and Ethel. (Fred had to be the name of the Cardinal. If you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan, you will totally understand that.) The duck pair are Gus and Mary. Now we have two cute chipmunks. I named the first one Charlie, and then Knitting Daughter came home for the summer and told me that there are two chipmunks, not one, and she named the other one “Chip”.  (Apparently this naming-thing is hereditary.) I guess Charlie is going to be short for Charlene, which happens to be my mother-in-law’s name. It’s a good name.

The interesting thing about Chip and Charlie, is that they have taken full advantage of the fact that our trees need to be pruned. They now climb the huge bush outside the corner of our screen porch, and get themselves onto the “squirrel-proof” birdfeeders. These feeders close up when the weight of a squirrel gets on them. Chipmunks aren’t that heavy. (Although both Chip and Charlie ARE going to be that heavy pretty soon, if we don’t get that bush trimmed up.) They sit there and feast and feast and feast. They have also learned that our cats, Gracie and Zoe, won’t bother them. Well, Zoe (the smaller cat, looking at the camera) would take them out in a second if she could get at them, but since they’re outside and she’s not, she appears to be a safe bet from the chipmunks point of view. Most afternoons and early evenings, the cats can be found sitting right there, watching the excitement unfold beneath their noses. This is their favorite time of year, when it’s cool enough for them to be out on the porch, watching the birds and the ducks.

Zoe’s other favorite place to be is curled up on my lap, whenever I sit down to knit. You’d think that having a lap of cat and a lap of Alpaca would be too hot, but so far it has been very tolerable. For those of you without cats (or lap dogs), this probably looks like a cumbersome way to knit. But you get used to it, if you’re an animal person. This is the Girasole that I’m working on – more news about that in Wednesday’s post.

Sheri goodSneakUpwentuptonight-didyouseeit?

There’s a better crowd under the birdfeeders now. I am happy to say that I haven’t seen the possum pair since I took that photo. That makes me very very happy. We’re back to the duck pair and the regular rabbits and chipmunks scrounging under the birdfeeders. (Just noticed I had typed in “rabbis” instead of “rabbits”. Glad I caught that. We have no rabbis scrounging birdseed at the moment. Just rabbits.) I have to say, Jessica’s comment made me laugh out loud:

“Aww, don’t be so hard on the possums! We had one on our front porch when I was young… my mom picked it up one night… she was outside to get the cat and hadn’t bothered to turn on the porch light… I’m not sure who was more startled, but no one was bitten and the thing actually became sort of an outdoor pet.”

I’m just trying to imagine that. I’m pretty sure I would’ve shrieked and thrown it across the porch without even thinking. And I’m pretty sure the entire neighborhood would’ve heard me.

Check out the Elf Mugs in the Loopy kitchen. I had them done with all of our names on them, and then WH built the handy-dandy mug rack for me. We like having our own mugs! These are made by Twisted River Clayworks, my favorite pottery people over on etsy. I have ordered from them several times and they get the orders out quickly and package them up really well. It’s a pleasure to do business with them. (You might remember me talking about them in this post. They made my very favorite mug!) And here’s another fun etsy seller that I like – MudHutt Studio. I think this memo pad is made to swap out the clay ornament part if you want. I like her whimsical designs.

Sneak Up is up for the week – come see. We’ve added a lot!

Sheri hopingtoworkonGirasoletonight.Anyoneelsemakingonerightnow?

Here in the St. Louis area, if you want acres between your house and the next, you drive about an hour west of the city, or you spend several million dollars. Instead (because we don’t want to drive an hour, and we don’t have a million dollars), we live in a neighborhood with lots of other houses along the block. People walk their dogs, kids ride their bikes, joggers run by with their ipods attached to their heads, and the sound of lawn mowers can be heard from early Spring through late Fall. Typical suburbia. It was interesting enough when we had a raccoon living under our screen porch last spring. (Really, in the middle of a very populated neighborhood? No woods nearby?) I thought he was kind of cute and the cats were enthralled with this interesting creature, but WH pointed the hose under the porch and the raccoon shot out of there like a bandit on the run. We haven’t seen him back. (It’s a good thing. He brought fleas into the yard and shared them with the dog. FPS.)

This spring, we were again surprised to see a pair of mallard ducks in our yard. There is a neighborhood pond about 3 blocks from our house, so I suppose they get their water fix there. But they continue to walk around our yard and waddle under the big bush by the bird feeders almost every morning and night. I know that some of you were guessing that we’d have baby ducks when I mentioned something in Monday’s post. So far, no babies. However, the wildlife IS increasing in our backyard (in the middle of suburbia). Monday morning I looked out and saw these two possums eating birdseed under the bird feeders. POSSUMS. Those snarly, hissy, not-at-all-nice animals. They’re not cute (like the raccoon) and they’re not fun to watch and listen to (like the ducks), and I don’t want them in the backyard!  I took the photo of the two of them and then raised the window to see if I could get a closeup. One ambled under the screen porch when the window went up, but the other one just sat there with his teeth bared. I haven’t seen them since, and I hope not to. (What were they doing out in the morning, anyway? I thought possums were night animals?) It appears that it is time to board up the space under the porch, don’t you think?

This month is birthday month at our house. Yesterday was Web Guy’s birthday (Happy Birthday again, Danny!) and Monday was my mom’s birthday (Happy Birthday again, Mom!). We celebrated Web Guy’s birthday in Terre Haute on Sunday (along with celebrating Mother’s Day with them). It was really fun to see both of our kids and spend a couple of hours with them. Totally worth the 3 hour drive each way to get there. I’m so glad that they were up for it! On Monday night, we went out for dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday. See that Creme Brulee she has? It was divine.

Sheri whothinksasheep(orthree)inthebackyardmightjustfitinafterall

The movers are busily moving all of our yarn and shelves to the new Loopy home today. We spent the weekend packing up the yarn and trying to move around all of the boxes and bags that kept accumulating in the dining room, hallway, and basement. I think the whole house will give a sigh of relief when the new place has taken all of this in! Here is a picture of where we’re going. Never fear, we will soon have the whole doggone place turned “Loopy” by the end of the week. Right now it just looks boring. In typical moving-day-Murphy’s-Law, it’s supposed to rain all day. So far, so good, but it’s getting cloudy. Good thing the yarn is bagged and protected.

In order to make my week a bit more complicated (and I seem to be good at that), we got a new kitten over the weekend. (Honestly, WH looked at me as if I might have lost a few marbles when I talked to him about it. Why would I do that during a week that is sure to be our most packed and overwhelming week in a long time? Um …. because we took one look at her and fell in love with her? Because I want Zoe to have a buddy to hang around with, now that I’ll be gone during the day? Because we needed a second cat? Because I like to stir things up? I can come up with a whole list of reasons. He knows this about me. He gave up and said yes.) So here she is – sweet little Gracie. Is she not just the cutest thing? She is soft and fluffy and extremely affectionate. She’s residing in the guest room until it’s time for her to meet Zoe. However, they have been playing “pawsie” under the door and meowing at each other, so I think it will go well. When you see a photo of the two of them together in the blog, you will know we have succeeded.

Onward with the move. I hope you all have a great week!

Sheri doingmybesttobegoodandnotaddanyothercomplicationstotheweekforWH’ssake

(Loopy guest edits the blog today to talk about his fabulous summer vacation.)

Oh the places I’ve seen! I was a bit hesitant when the Loopy people sent me out to vacation around the world over the past few months. Things are pretty nice and cozy in The Loopy Room, so I wasn’t sure how I’d like having a summer off to relax and play. I’ve decided that I like it a lot. I went so many places and met so many people.

First the people. Of course my favorite part was just vacationing with all of YOU. No wonder the Loopy People like you all so much. You’re fun! I met famous TV stars (here I am with Marlo Thomas and my friend Rosemary. I don’t think Marlo is a knitter, but she did a good job as “That Girl”, so I think she could be a knitter if she tried it. I think she thought I was cute. And of course I am.) I also met a lot of radio personalities (they may have talked about me on the radio. Or they may have talked about those of you who ran up and shoved me into their hands for a picture, like a crazy person. I’m not sure.) I also met many famous knitters. I like knitter’s a lot. I especially like sock knitters, so it was nice to meet Cat Bordhi in person. They call her “Cat” but she’s really a person. I couldn’t quite figure that out, but I guess you know who I mean. She was teaching a class at the TNNA Show this summer. I listened to a “Harlot” talk (which I thought was going to be a little scarey. Turns out she hates squirrels and I do, too, so I guess she’s ok after all.) I also golfed with Sergio at the US Open. He may not have known I was golfing with him necessarily, but I totally was. I’m a good golfer, as I can use all four feet when necessary. And what’s not to like about a game that is played on all of that delicious green grass? After we were done golfing, I went to collect my trophy.

I got to meet some of the cutest dang babies you have ever seen this summer. Most of the time I caught them sleeping, which I’m told is a very good thing. Sometimes maybe they’re not quite so dang cute? At least that’s what I have heard. I also met a lot of very nice, friendly family members on picnics, in parks, at baseball games, and all over the place. My buddy Hunter took me to his first day of school, and that was one of my favorite things. I had never been to school before. I’m not sure I need to go back. But I liked Hunter a lot. There were also a lot of other cute kids. One girl let me color with her. Or else she colored on me. I can’t remember. This girl wished that I had pretty blue eyes just like her, and I kinda wish I did, too. I was kept high and dry by this new friend, and rescued from the jaws of death by these buddies.

Some of you tried to give me a bit of culture. I visited the Sydney Opera House (which everyone needs to see at least once.) Dr. Jackie and James took me to hear the St. Louis Symphony. That started out good, but then they stuffed me into a bag for the concert and everything sounded a bit muffled. Next time I hope they buy me a front row seat. I also visited Wordsworth’s Grave (and had a moment of respectful silence there). I floated on a big boat in Sicily with Theresa, had a walk down Penny Lane in Liverpool, visited a sheep station in Australia, participated in an Irish wedding, took a peak peek at Denali, played in Kellie’s stash in New Zealand (she has a lot, but I’m sworn to secrecy), and even visited The White House. (Do you see George up there on the balcony? He was waiting for me to come in for dinner.) I particularly enjoyed catching Hamlet and Wicked – I love plays. And did you see that I was on hand for the unveiling of the last Harry Potter book? They had all of the books boxed and hidden under cover, but I pulled back a corner with my teeth, just so that I could say I saw it first. I haven’t read it yet. I’m afraid they might use “fleece” in some of their potions and I just don’t want to know. I also got to see a lot of yarn shops. I know I live in a yarn shop, but it’s always fun to visit someone else’s house shop. Mostly I had to hide in purses and knitting bags when we were in there. But I peeked.

There were a few scarey times. I went biking with Karen and her husband and I thought I’d pose on someone’s bike - just for the blog, you know – and I almost got tarred and feathered. Apparently it’s SO not cool to sit on someone else’s bike. But it felt cool. Getting past the scarey looking bouncer at the bar was a piece of cake after that. (Don’t let this photo fool you – he was as nice as could be and I think he is probably wearing handknit socks, although he wouldn’t admit it.) I loved the beach, but had another frightening encounter with this grumpy crab. He thought he might like to eat me, but then he decided I tasted like cardboard and left me alone on the sand. Whew. I was also a little scared of a cat named Sophie, until I remembered how much I like my own cat Zoe. I figured Sophie is probably just as nice underneath. I think I met a few cousins at some of the fiber festivals I went to.

I did manage to check in with some doctors during the summer. It’s always good to stay on top of your health. So I had an MRI to check out my spine (and they said it looked marvelous, even with all of the standing around I do all day long), I had all my teeth cleaned at the dentist, and I visited a mammogram machine just so that I could tell you to be sure to have your annual checkup. (As soon as this photo was done, I got the heck out of there. I’ve heard about that machine, and I want no part of it, let me tell you.) After all of those medical appointments, I needed some down time so I went tubing with Meg and her family in Michigan. They put me in a ziploc bag so that I wouldn’t get my fleece wet. Then I headed up to the cabin with Valerie in Canada. (Beautiful place up there. I particularly liked the cool weather, because the Loopy People kept complaining about the heat and humidity back in St. Louis all summer long.)

So as you can see, it was a summer FULL of a lot of fun. You can go over to my photo gallery to see all 140+ photos, because I did so many more cool things. The Loopy Lady says that I’ve talked about myself for long enough now, so I’ll end this. After you check out all of my photos, you can leave a comment and vote for:

- best “far away” place that I visited
- most interesting famous person that I met
- most unusual place that I visited
- most creative photo that I was in

Or you can leave a comment and just say hi.

The Loopy Lady says she’ll give prizes to the winners, and she’s going to draw an extra random winner from all of the submissions. She’s glad you all had fun with me (and I’m glad, too.) She also said that I can go again next summer – so where are we going next year??

Love, Loopy theworldwidetravelextraordinaire.Andohsohumble,too.

You probably noticed some Loopy postcards that were in some of the photos from the weekend. Here’s the one I took of my friend Janice, to prove that he went with us to Ohio. We have a special “Take Loopy on Vacation” contest that will go from now until September 1st. Here’s what the back of the postcard says:

“Loopy wants to see the world and meet new people this summer. Take him on vacation, or show him the sights in your hometown, or let him in on your family barbecue! Pose with this Loopy postcard in front of fun places and/or with interesting people, and then submit your photos to the “Loopy’s Summer Vacation” photo gallery at www.theloopyewe.com. On September 1st, we’ll award Loopy Gift Certificates for “farthest destination”, “most famous person that Loopy met” and a few other fun categories (as well as general drawings from all submission.) We can’t wait to see where you take Loopy this summer and we hope you have fun with him!”

We will include a Loopy postcard with orders starting this week, in case you’d like to participate in the summer fun! You can pose with the postcard, or set him up somewhere by himself. Let your kids in on the picture, or prop him up by your dog. (He loves dogs and cats. He has to.) I’m hoping that Loopy gets to all 50 states and all of the countries that we have shipped to. He ought to be well-traveled by summer’s end. (I only wish I could come with him as part of the deal.) As you can see from the gallery, so far he has been to the TNNA Market in Columbus and already found some pretty fun people to pose with! Where will he be found next?

Sheri I’mtakingLoopytoColoradoinafewweeksIhopehelikesthemountains!