As it gets closer to Christmas, time seems to speed up. I mailed off all my packages to my family the first week of December, Pat and I put up our minimalist decorations and I have attended almost all of the Christmas parties and potlucks. Now it’s time to relax, enjoy the warm (?????) Arizona weather and wait for Santa. I might be on the “Naughty” list, Pat is definitely on the “Nice” list (he still does all the shopping, cooking AND cleaning at our house) and Duffy has high hopes up for a BIG bag of treats. We shall see………
So, my gift to you is a sunrise in Kentucky. May your days be bright.
Merry Christmas from Sandy, Pat and Duffy at My Yellow Swing
Pat also made friends with Jewel. These horses weight 2,000 pounds each and were super gentle.
Debbie, and her husband John, had them ready for a wagon ride.
Soon we were ready to go.
Yes, it was a little chilly, but the wagon ride was worth it!
Afterwards, we were treated to a great dinner and then live music and singing around a campfire. It was a wonderful evening!
This is one of the happiest days of my life! And after thirty years……yes, thirty, it just keeps getting better. Today I am in Kentucky with my family and Pat is in Arizona with Duffy, but our hearts are together. I will be home soon, Sweetie!
I found a really neat project bag pattern. 
Duffy keeps an eye on me. He commandeers the Ikea chair when the sun hits it.
So, no worries. There will be more up to date stuff at My Yellow Swing. I promise!
I must be doing something right, look at all these beautiful flowers. Actually, Pat has been taking very good care of our yard. And a little monsoon rain helps!
Everything was going great. Pat took an amazing photo of a dragonfly. 
The total hike was over two and a half miles on a rocky and steep trail. About 100 yards from the car…….Ooooooppppps! The soles of my 10 year old boots just fell apart! Go figure.
Weaving and knitting has taken a time out. I need to sort out my stash and focus on some long term weaving projects.
Back home, it is time for “Tour de Fleece”, a nod to the Tour de France cycling race, but with spinning wheels instead of bicycle wheels. I carded hand dyed indigo wool with white to spin. It will be used for rug weaving.
A scarf came off the rigid heddle loom. The yarn was from the stash of a departed Yarn Babe, Kathy. At our next knitting retreat, I will put it in the Door Prize collection for a lucky Yarn Babe to take home.
And it has not been all weaving. I have this urge to knit really silly hats. My sister, Terry, the beekeeper, will be the getting these for National Honey Bee Day, August 19. Happy Bee-Day! Watch out, Kay. You are next.
And for you dog lovers, here’s your “Duffy Fix”. 
See ya, Sandy at My Yellow Swing
The next day we took a trip to the Albuquerque Biopark which has an aquarium, botanical gardens and zoo. I LOVE aquariums and even though this one is small, it had some very nice tank displays, and I especially liked the one where you walk through a tunnel in the large salt water tank.
I didn’t get any pictures of the Botanical Gardens, but Pat took several of the zoo. Here’s one special picture for my niece, Liz.
And to finish up this post, Happy Mothers Day to my mom, my sisters and all mothers everywhere. 
See ya,
A warm sunny day is also a reason to bring out the solar oven. Pat makes a wonderful meal with fingerling potatoes, bell peppers, carrots,onions and pork chops in the solar oven. There is no kitchen in our house during the summer.
There is some weaving going on. I am still intrigued by Saori weaving, a free form style that you can try different yarns and colors. I will be cutting this to make a vest. (Yeah, right. I say that now.)
Take care and see ya,
The next shawl was woven with Yarn Bee Soft Secret in spring colors that my mom picked. 
Tapestry weaving has been on the small scale lately. I used my Hokett loom for these miniature hangings. I added turquoise beads on the blue weaving.
The kids at the after school knitting class tried out my small looms. They had a good time playing with different yarns and colors. Here’s one of the kits I made. The craft stick worked well for weaving but I couldn’t make the hole for the yarn any bigger without splitting the wood. I devised a threader from 20 gauge wire and a macrame bead. It works!
See ya,
The sad part was a ceremony honoring my father. He was inducted posthumously into the Kentucky Cattlemen Hall of Fame. We were so proud of his recognition and so proud of my mother receiving the award. 
Yes, we had to do the “Wise Monkeys”. Mom doesn’t like it, but she loves us and puts up with it. Hers was not the only strange looks we got.
My Yellow Swing 