Double Dipping

I'm just gonna come right out and say it:  I'm shamelessly trying hard to win the Gold Hill Lorna's Laces in Sandy's contest. Sandy, if I win, I want the GOLD HILL Lorna's Laces, Okay?  Sandy? Did you hear me? If I win, I want the GOLD HILLLLLLLLL Lorna's. Oh, I'm bad. Yes, I am. To the core.

Here's my sky from about 6:30 tonight. Or last night, or some night, depending when you read this. Mmmmm, it made me happy. All gold and you can see HILLS in the background if you look real hard. Well, if you can't see them, trust me, they're there. And pretty decent-sized ones, too: The Adirondacks. (Margene calls them bumps.)

Here's the sky, Sandy. Sandy? Here's the sky.

  Gold. With a gratuitous tree and a lake (Stephanie calls it a pond) off in the distance thrown in. Gold Hill. 

And so, continuing with the golden-hues theme, I have a new best friend. I acquired him today and I am in love with my guy. Here is his picture:

He's almost six feet tall, and don't you just LOVE the burnished red-and-goldenness of him? And his hair? Awesome. His hair is wet right now, so it doesn't show as much as it does when it's dry, plus -- well, it's sort of cut off in the photo. But it flows in the breeze like you wouldn't believe. He's already setting down roots, as I wasted no time putting him in the ground as soon as I got home from the nursery. He looks so wonderful. My garden needed a tall guy in it. It needs more tall guys, too. And more ornamental grasses. (for the curious, it is Miscanthus sinensis purpurascens) Those ornamental grasses are investments, though. Pricey.

I got more plants -- it was a two-for-one sale at one of my favorite nurseries, and it just happened to be on the route to and from my job yesterday. So.... I needed more things to plant like I needed a hole in the head.

I can't even finish that thought. It seems like there should be a "but" clause following, but....I just don't have one. Not one justification can I come up with.

I love how, in that picture, you can see my neighbors' yards. Trust me when I say my yard is the odd one out in our neighborhood. They're all manicured and chemicaled, and I'm all...NOT.

And I planted some of the masses of bulbs yesterday afternoon. Of course I bought masses MORE the other day at Costco.  I needed those like I needed...Gold Hill Lorna's Laces a hole in the head.) I squeezed out three hours of gardening time from my busy schedule, after a deposition and before transcripts late at night. I also squeezed in time for smoked salmon and a tomato and fresh parsley from the garden on a piece of Ezekiel bread (toasted) for dinner. This is essential information for those who think I'm not taking care of myself. Clearly I am.

And one of the wonderful things about autumn (there are many) are New England Asters. They are a purpley surprise this time of year, and the bees and the Monarch butterflies adore them. I do, too. Later on in the fall - probably in the next week or two - my asters will be LOADED with Monarchs. I'll come home from work some afternoon and find that I have Monarch bushes in my yard. 

Hot damn. That color is in the Gold Hill colorway, if I'm not mistaken. Hmm. Interesting.

But my asters are looking like shit pretty scruffy on the bottoms. I absolutely MUST divide them late this fall, after they finish flowering. Will you please remind me? You can remember, because it will be after Rhinebeck and before Thanksgiving, and the busiest time of the year for me. That's how you'll remember. It will be utterly IMPOSSIBLE for me to dig-and-divide them then, but please remind me anyway.

And the route to and from my job yesterday also required a short ferry ride, during which I cast on for one of these, using the pale grey Lopi yarn that  Chelsea sent me. She said, "Make something for Dulaan with it." So I am. I may run out of this yarn before the vest is completed. If so, I will be making a plea to you all asking if you have some Lopi bulky leftovers. Just a little bit is all that will be required. It can be any color.

And to make my day complete in the "I really need this like I need a hole in the head" theme, this was the icing on the cake and the cherry on top: I was having a hard time deciding, without seeing these things with my own eyes, what color will best complement the Ginger Felted Tweed for that Salen sweater. So I got online and ordered one ball in almost every color.

I know you will all approve. Thank you. I think my work here is done.

Sandy, are you still reading?  Gold Hill. 

Comments

[Jan]

Norma, I saw one of those weird hummingbird-mothy-things at my butterfly bush the other day. I would have had a heart attack if i hadn't been forewarned by your recent post. I ran in and grabbed the camera, but the photo turned out like one of those flying saucer/bigfoot/lochness shots...all out of focus and only suggestive of the horror.
Don't forget to divide those asters. ;-)

[Lauren]

Shameless.
There were some other choice comments I had but I'm censoring them for reasons you can possibly guess.

[Donna]

Hey! You cheeky woman! That's as clean as I can get. But 's ok, I want the other colour Sandy's offering ;)

[Rabbitch]

Trollop. Shameless trollop. And clearly the Gold Hill should be mine.

[sandy]

You are really GOLDEN, aren't you? :) And I love ya! Love your sky! Love your golden yard.
(oops, I typed YARN, instead of yard)
Trollop? Cheeky? Maybe, but I think I'll keep ya!

[Lee Ann]

You can't go into a manicured yard and pick a remedy for wykkyd bad PMS, you know... :-)

[JoVE]

I have a bit of blue Lopi left over from a felting project. I'll stick it in the mail to you anyway, because if you don't need it for this project, you'll find a way to incorporate it into a future one.

Nice ornamental grass.

[Teresa C]

Oh good, you take the gold, I like the other. We're all set.

[margene]

You are a shameless hussy.

[stephanie]

Sandy? I'm not sure, but I think that Norma would like the Gold hill Lorna's and is too shy to tell you.

[naomi]

I've got some bluish green lopi, should you need it.

[adelaide]

I'm learning lots about gardening, Norma. Thanks. I need to know as much as I can, and this is a painless and pleasant way to do it.

[Kim]

Now Norma......I knit a lovely pair of "Making Waves" socks last year in LL in the Goldenhill colorway....and promptly left them behind at Rhinebeck. I would sooooo love to make another pair as I desparetly miss them.......so I will venture outside this evening for a picture..

Hmmm .. your asters look like mine right now. Will dividing them and replanting help with the scruffies?

[Kim]

Now Norma......I knit a lovely pair of "Making Waves" socks last year in LL in the Goldenhill colorway....and promptly left them behind at Rhinebeck. I would sooooo love to make another pair as I desparetly miss them.......so I will venture outside this evening for a picture..

Hmmm .. your asters look like mine right now. Will dividing them and replanting help with the scruffies?

[Cara]

I'm so laughing about the neighbor's yard. I saw it and thought, oh my god, Norma lives in SUBURBIA! Who'd a thunk?

[Laurie]

Let's catalog these comments:
1. shameless
2. hussy
3. trollop
4. cheeky
I can't do better than that.

The grass works for me. The colors are pretty amazing. And if I can't remember to do my own big divisions, how can I possibly remind YOU?

[Vicki]

You know, you'll need to divide that grass someday -- if you think daisies want to take over the world, well... And you'll need a good, sharp axe to do it. But it's awfully pretty, and gold... in them thar hills.

[Tish]

I have lots of bulki lopi leftovers and just ordered more (gjestal naturgarn on sale at Elann- wonderful to knit with, great for felting, hats, mittens, and quick warm vests) so send me your address if you want some oddballs (wait, did that come out right?!). I think I have some black, gold, navy blue and red right now (stripey vest?). Does your local HS do a Holiday Bazaar? Maybe the Nat'l Honor Society kids or other service group, sports team, chorus, etc would come out for an afternoon of yard work in exchange for your plant leftovers to sell at their bazaar. My kids' former HS PTSC made a killing in their plant sale booth.

[Carole]

I was going to call you shameless and stuff but it's been done so, I won't. Heading your way this weekend. I'll be sure and mention your name in the chocolate shop. And the yarn shops, too. Maybe they'll have Gold Hill Lorna's Laces. I'll bet that would make you back away from the bulbs and come play with me!

[The Knitting Kit]

*giggles* I can't say anything, my brain is also making muffled cries of "Yarn!" and I'm telling it to hush and be grateful that after Rogue is done, there will still somehow and most magically be two full skeins of Cascade 220 left (how on EARTH did that happen?).

Besides, I never do win at these games, so here's hoping that you do win.

[Stalker Angie]

Ya know, I had the wittiest comment for you this morning. I even challenged you to the winning of the Gold Hill. There might have been some name calling involved, I honestly don't remember now *whistles innocently*. Then your little TypeArse program went stupid and wouldn't let me post. It's a conspiracy.

[Marcia]

Norma, you have to put the price of the ornamental grasses into perspective. They are just about the perfect plant. They are tall where you need tall. They are stately. They are well-behaved, for the most part. They sing...how many plants sing, for Pete's sake?! They turn, uh, GOLDEN, in the fall. They rustle deliciously. They get FEATHERS on them! They don't need that much attention. They hardly ever need dividing. So, once a year they get a haircut....big deal. Pricey? I think not.

[Libby]

Calm down girls...I can settle this argument. I'll take the Lorna's Laces :)

Oh, and Norma, I don't know what Lopi is, (I know, don't laugh, I'm knitting retarded) but if you tell me, I'll look in my stash. If it is what I think it is, I may have a lovely sage green somewhere...

[cari]

Psst! Norma! I'll let you in on a little secret. There are these very special places in the world where you can actually BUY Gold Hill Lorna's Laces. If you ask really nicely, I'll tip you off. And believe me, I'm not just bluffing here. I have two skeins of Gold Hill in my stash to prove it.

;P

(yarny covetousness) MWAH!

[Elaine]

This is the weekend for the annual Plant Amnesty sale in Seattle - I am so taking a picture of MSP with me. I need someone tall and bold for my front corner, someone who will stand a flamboyant guard over my bowl of a yard. Too perfect that it is the exact color of the japanese maple I covet but can not afford.

[sandy]

Have you left yet? Are you driving to Cari's house to pilfer her gold hill? Just wondering....
:)

[joan]

Wake me up when I'm done dreaming about ordering one ball of almost every color....not before!

Yard looks absolutely lovely. Good sky, too. You do that?

[rams]

Don't you sneer "manicured" in my hearing -- that sure looks like a cocoa bean mulch to me. All things are relative.

[Em]

You know, one could make the argument that you have enough Gold and Hill in your immediate surroundings, for which you have provided more than enough visual proof...I'm just sayin'.

I love an unmanicured lawn.

[Laura J]

One of the qualifications for finding this place was "I don't want the neighbors to car if I..." many things. "...don't rake the leaves," and "...put a car up on blocks." Maybe you'll inspire them. If nothing else, you may show them there are other ways to live.