Summer Is Sizzlin'!!

Good morning!  I am all caught up with my laundry now.  Ironing is another story.  It is too hot!!!  I have been ironing one dress shirt at a time for Geeps!!!   We are already nearly midway through July, and as expected, the mercury has risen!  We were at 106 yesterday.  It was a very ugly, humid day!  I only went outside to hang clothes on the line and tend to the chickens and garden.
This morning we are totally socked in with clouds, and at 9:00 a.m., it was already miserable outside.  I feel for those who live in the humid areas!  I couldn't take it!!

When we got home from our trip, I gathered eggs from the coop, and there was this one teeny tiny egg.  It was about the size of a quail egg.  A darker brown than the usual egg shell color from my brown layers.  I was curious about it, and googled it.  There can be two causes.  1, that the hen is young, and just beginning to lay.  2, that the hen has had her routine interrupted in some way to cause stress.  Which has to be the reason.  I had someone taking care of them, but it wasn't what they were used to.  I opened the egg last night.  It was all white, no yolk.  When I googled it, they call these fairy eggs, or witch eggs.  I prefer the term fairy eggs myself. 
You can see the fairy egg there on top of the other eggs.
My garden is a little bit stressed right now in this heat. Everything except the tomatoes!   They are coming in like crazy.  Bright red, plump and juicy.  We are enjoying them on everything!!!

I picked my first eggplant yesterday too. But the cucumbers had to be mostly harvested, as they had some sort of bug infestation.  I tried to water spray them off, but they had already done their damage.  They also attacked the cantaloupe, but not nearly as badly.  But it will give me much less yield in fruit. 
At my last Knitty Biddy meeting, a few of the ladies were making these beautiful lacy knitted scarves.  I had not ever seen this strange yarn before.  Part lace, part yarn, with little doodads on it.  My friend Viki gave me a skein to give it a try.  I watched them doing it, but then after a couple weeks time, I needed some refreshing for my memory.  I googled it, and found that there are a dozen or more ways to make these.  It is a bit fiddly, as it is different that working with regular yarn.  But I am loving the soft cascading fall of this yummy scarf!

It is very light weight, and airy.  The perfect summer time accessory.  I am making mine in a yummy coral and blue with bits of soft gray and lavender.  In a ball, it looks like this.

But you actually pull the yarn apart to expose the lacy edging.  It is into the outer lace that you knit.  Which forms a sort of soft twirling cascade of color and yumminess.

I discovered that while holding it the way I am used to, with yarn in my right hand, was much too cumbersome.  I switched and held the yarn in my left hand, even though I am right handed, and this enables me to open the lace using my left hand fingers and knit into the top pieces holding the needle in my right hand.   While still holding the needle in  my left hand, but it made it much easier to open up the lace.
I am using Rozetti Spectra yarn, which my friend Viki purchased online for 10 dollars a skein, with no shipping for a minimum order.

My friend Jen was making hers with a Patons Pirouette yarn, and I believe she found it at Michael's or Joann's, where you can use a coupon and buy it for roughly 6.00 a skein.

I think these will make beautiful gifts, and I see myself making a bunch of them!

I should finish this today.  I will show you the finished scarf tomorrow.  It is so ugly outside that I plan to stay in and clean and knit.  Tomorrow my Knitty Biddies are coming here for lunch and knitting/crochet.
Hopefully the sun will come back out soon, and we can get back out to the pool to enjoy our Relaxation Station.

Boy do we love this thing!!!!!!!   SO comfortable!!!   Nice with the foot and half of water in the bottom that comes in through the netting.  Drink holders for my tea.  Ahhhh...wonderful!!!

I had dinner with Jae last night, and she said don't be surprised if you find me out there in your pool tomorrow!!!!   She is feeling good by the way.  And goes to the Dr. tomorrow to schedule her upper GI series.
This morning on my walkabout, the only thing in the yards that doesn't look too terribly stressed are my potted petunias on the covered back patio.

Everything else looks as though it is gasping for water!!!!!  UGH!!!!!
Stay cool!  Drink lots of water!  And I hope these heat waves pass soon!!!!!
XO  Kris