signs of life

Because it was warm enough to walk around outside in a sweatshirt today, I did!  I put on my red mucky boots (because it's still kind of muddy after the snow melted.)  

And I walked all around the yard - front and back!  I touched all the trees, stood under the pines, and counted the black walnut trees again (20!)  This is the view from the front of the house - I'm not sure I've ever shown this.  It's corn fields across the street and it better always be.  I suppose there's a possibility that someday the farmer will sell the land and then I don't know what horrors could happen - I don't want to think about it!

Along the driveway is a little bed with an annoyingly rust colored light post.  Handy, but not very pretty.  it can be painted one of these days.  In the bed, however, I found a few signs of life!  I kind of have my heart set on planting red geraniums here, but after I pulled out some grass and leaves, I see that it's already home to some daffodils, ajuga, and maybe some daisies (not sure on those, but that's the fun of seeing what comes up!)  There are some other mystery woody things that might be little bushes, or might be miserable woody weeds - have to wait and see on those too!

Here you can see the daffodils and ajuga (the purple ground cover stuff)

Then in the back of the house I found some irises coming up!

And here!  There are also a couple straggly looking roses next to these.

I know I'm not supposed to be creating unmanageable amount of landscaping because it'll just become the same pain in my keester that the beds were at the old house, but spring, and seeing little stuff coming up, certainly gets me wanting to!  I do have an oak leaf hydrangea back at the old house that's my favorite bush ever - I actually brought it from my first house!  i noticed that there are some little shoots coming up and I'm definitely digging them up to bring here - planting bushes isn't like making elaborate beds that have to be weeded!  it's ok!

How do you know when you've killed it?

I started making this Ishbel before we moved - when I was waiting around to heard about the closing.  I used some mystery cone of something - there was an unattached label inside the cone that said it (assuming "it" is the cone this label corresponded with) was nylon and acrylic.  it's sparkly and blue.  that's all I know for sure.  I finished it last week, but dropped a stitch or two during the bind off and kind of made a mess of it.  I fixed it enough and blocked it today.  Assuming it was acrylic, I figured I'd kill it with steam so I pinned it out on the bed, put a damp sheet over it and turned the iron to steam and ironed the heck out of it.  So my question is, how do you know when you've actually killed it?  I  know it's supposed to get shiny and drapey.  I'm not sure this is shiny-er than it already was, or drapey-er than it was.  it's flatter, but that's because I ironed it.  I suppose I'll know if I wash it and it holds this shape.  Considering that I don't actually know what the yarn really is, I'm quite sure I won't be throwing it in the wash.  I suppose at the very least, whatever it is, has been steam blocked!  And it's pretty!  

Ignore the stupid look on my face here.  Believe it or not, this is the least stupid of the 50, or so, pictures I took!  geez.