SQUUUUEEEE 3!!!

Like I said before, all good things come in threes, and then all hell breaks lose.

So some goodies before I tell you about the crap (or one more reason this small piece of what used to be my paradise won't be home for long).

First real harvest, 100% organic and totally natural:

• *one zucchini (there are more, still itty bitty);

*two yellow tomatoes (yes, that's the variety; can't wait to try them at supper time);

• *plums (there are lots but I need a chair or ladder to get more); and

*a single peach (only took 5 [*&#%$!] years for the tree to produce!!); it was fabulously juicy and delicious. I made hubby taste it. I was so proud. I am not bitter at all that this will be the one and only peach I will ever consume off that particular tree. I mean, what's five years? I can plant another tree.... (NO, not bitter at all!)

You want to see what came in the mail today? From my magnificent friend Alison I received that gorgeous card (she must know how much I love yellow) and those oh, so adorable earrings!! I squealed when I opened the envelope! I kid you not! Ask hubby. Happy! I am so happy! I love you Alison. You are the bestest in the whole wide world! I definitely needed this bit of happy.

Look at that: a washcloth. No pattern, first time for this type for me. The diagonal thing, that is. Usually I just cast on 40 sts and knit each row until it looks square. I think this was actually faster and probably used less yarn. Hmmm. I know I goofed in a couple spots and it's not fancy or anything, but it's a washcloth for crying out loud.

And you all know that I can't stick to one project if my life depended on it. Yup, I started something new. Got the idea from a Patons Cool Weather Accessories booklet. They call it a "chill chaser vest" but I cast on with what I had on hand which was Bernat Felting instead of Patons Shetland Ragg. Naturally I spent time ripping because the gauge was off. No kidding, eh? I adjusted the cast on amount again and now am almost finished the back, and on my third ball. Fast, pleasant knit. Hubby calls it urban camo.

* * *

So we're getting kind of close to when the buyers are supposed to meet their conditions. Last week an appraiser went through the house and property, presumably because the buyers are trying to secure alternate financing in case they don't sell their house quickly enough. Hubby is driving himself crazy with worry. I have been trying not to think about it, but now even I am getting anxious. Yes, during the past several months I have not felt the love for this land like I once did. I feel isolated and not in a good way. We have been feeling the pressures of a small, closed community that this area is since we moved here, but all this time we held out hope that eventually people, the locals, would open up and make us feel like we belong. It hasn't happened. It will not happen. I know this now. Astonishingly, I lived in denial for nearly six years.

Let me tell you an abbreviated version of the eye opening event. Couple weeks ago, hubby did a sawing job for a neighbour. I've seen this neighbour in passing, but knew nothing about him. Turns out he's quite a famous artist. After the job was done, hubby and I were invited for "refreshments". The three of us spent hours talking and "refreshing" ourselves. Turns out this particular neighbour is not only a talented artist, but educated and well-read, and an exceptional conversationalist. Did I mention he has an amazing book collection? The following weekend I was invited over for a visit, and we spent many hours chatting about every conceivable topic, and eventually I went home with a borrowed book. I hadn't dreamed I'd find anyone whose company I'd enjoy so much in this rural area. (Unemployment abounds here; education is not a priority.) I had finally found someone to talk to. Seemed so simple. Until my hubby got a call from an anonymous woman: "You better watch your wife. I seen them together..." I don't think I've ever felt such a white hot fury. So that's the end of that.

Back to the dungeon for me.

Oh, I can't wait to leave this place.