Let the Good Times Roll

2010 seems like it is going to be a great year for Pasquali Rumpus. Business in the Tie Dye department has been picking up and receiving photos from our customers has turned out to be one of the most enjoyable things.

Look at this sweet little man below, his name is Jack. He is just 8 months old and he is already modeling.The Rainbow Onesie his Mama bought from us looks fantastic on him. Just look at those thighs... I love 'em.
We had the pleasure of making two matching Tie Dyed Mardi Gras Onesies for a pair of twins who will be sporting them in a Parade in Mobile Alabama.
Meet Savannah and Grayson...


OH my...
they are too cute, way too cute!



Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

Distraction

The last few weeks I have been crocheting my son an afghan. I have titled it "Candy Stripe".

He wanted me to make it colorful, no problem there.

I started to get bored a few days ago due to the endless "single crochet" stitch I chose...so I made a few of these
Patriotic Granny's...

St. Patty's Granny Squares...

Ohhh maybe pinks...Valentine's?

After making Granny's for awhile I started this...I don't know what it is yet... with a pattern new to me,"Shells and Lace". I have been having so much fun with it!
Sorry Candy Stripe, I'll get back to you soon...maybe ;-)

A Walk in Wonderland

After several days and nights of this...

my neighbors roof looks like this.
My backyard looks like this.

and the view from my sewing machine looks like this.

When the sun came out my hubby and I decided to take advantage of the break in the weather and take a walk to the Post Office, Bank and Market.

When we were leaving the house I discovered my front door looked like this.

The parking lot looked like this...

and this...
Here is the roof of another neighboring building. I love how the snow stayed up on those chimney caps like dollops of whipped cream.

In the foreground is the roof of our garage.

I shot this photo on our walk, that little blower is trying so hard to get the snow up over that huge snowbank.

Here is another example of how much we love our bears.

Mama Bear is having a rough one, but we had wonderful walk through our Winter Wonderland.

Spring has Sprung?

There is a break in the storm and I can almost see blue sky. However, another storm is rollin' in as I write this and this next one is supposed to be the big one! The top of our Mountain has received 63 inches of new snow since this series started. I think we got 3 or 4 feet here.

My little house is warm and cozy and believe it or not Spring has sprung. Well... sort of. You see for us to have gorgeous homegrown tomatoes and peppers that look like this in August...






we have to start here, inside... in the winter.

Last year I bought plants in March on my birthday and by the time September came around I had 6 foot plants with many tomatoes still green. So this year I am starting seeds in January and I will probably be living in a jungle in a couple months. Once the days are warm enough I start moving the plants outside during the day and back in at night. It is a bit of a chore but it's so worth it.


This sprout is a cabbage, a first for me.

I finished the Love Pillow this morning and so I am going to start a new crochet project even though I have a big afghan on my hook as we speak. I got lots of hooks.;-)
Yep that's me... I always have a dozen projects in various stages of doneness.

She's Holdin' it

She is not amused...

she needs to go out but... she changed her mind.

You see...it isn't easy to do your duty when it's a frozen tundra outside.
I've been trying to tell her she's a snow dog, I think she forgot.

Beary Cold...

Update: January 24th at 2:00pm pacific time Animal Planet will be showing "The Bear Whisperer" again, just in case you missed it or maybe you just want to see it again. :-) I sure do.

We have a couple feet of fresh snow and it keeps on comin'. The weather report is calling for a couple more feet tonight and tomorrow and the wind is really picking up. Gratefully, I am nice and snug in my little home with my sweet old dogs watching all the devastation in Haiti and now in Southern California. Tornadoes, flooding and the expected mudslides are starting in So. Cal. and Haiti has just had a 6 point plus aftershock. I am so sad for those people. I'll have to stop watching the news soon before I get too depressed.

Hope you all are staying warm.

Here we go again

We have yet another stream of storms coming our way. Here is the forcast...

"THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF WINTER STORMS WILL REACH THE SIERRA AS EARLY AS LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVELS WILL INITIALLY START AT 5500 TO 6000 FEET THEN DROP TO AROUND 5000 FEET MONDAY EVENING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WITH THIS SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO OCCUR SUNDAY EVENING...MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY EVENING. A BREAK IN THE SNOW IS LIKELY LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL INCREASE WINDS WITH SIERRA RIDGE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH POSSIBLE...WITH LOWER ELEVATION GUSTS OF 40 MPH OR MORE
ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE SIERRA THROUGH NEXT WEEK. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BRING STRONG WINDS AND PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW...WITH SEVERAL FEET OF ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS."

Sounds like our little home, which is at 7200 feet, is going to get buried. We have up to 30 inches of snow predicted just in the next two days,so the boys are waxing up their snowboards and I am working on two of the cutest pillows. I am going to put these ones up for sale in my shop.

Here is a little taste of 'em...

I pieced together the tops/fronts of the pillows and now I am going to quilt them. I am pondering the idea of adding buttons or maybe some embroidery. These pillows are going to have that striped ruffle too!

A closer look.

Don't you just adore this fabric.

It is a print called "Cherie" by ? for Clothworks. I can't make out the full name.
Have a cozy warm day.

Chillin' like a Coyote

We had a visitor in our neighborhood the other day. At first we thought it was a mountain lion and began to call our Wildlife Specialist Steve, then we realized it was a coyote. He just laid there like he needed a rest,must have been chilly I think.

He got a bit nervous when I got closer and he ran off.

Gotta keep your little dogs and kitties in around here. If you'd like to read about another Coyote encounter go here.

Have a great day! Stay warm, it's freezing here.

Morning After

Here is a look outside my door this morning. We had a beautiful blustery little storm last night and today it is fresh and bright. There is something reassuring about waking to the sound of a Howitzer blasting the potential avalanche areas. Boom!!! .... rumble....rumble... rumble, it's the sound of safety for us and has been the sound of war for others. We are expecting a day or two of sun before the next round of storms move in. On Saturday a week long stream of systems will be dumping many inches... no... feet of snow on us. This is a very good thing, we need the water and my hubby needs the powder!

Whispering to Bears

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of watching a two hour show on Animal Planet which showcased my hometown and our beloved bears. The show is called "The Bear Whisperer" and as soon as I figure out when it is airing again I will post it. Here are a couple of photos of our bears. The bear in the photo above, we think may have been shot by a tourist this last summer (2009). So sad and totally unnecessary.
Our neighbor and friend Steve Searles has spent a number of years working with our bears patiently teaching them that humans are scary and they need to stay in the woods and forage for natural food. It sounds insane I know, but it is working. Steve uses non lethal methods to take care of our bear problems and most of us are very grateful for his dedication and service to our town.

The show is fantastic. Animal Planet spent a year (2008) following Steve filming his day to day interactions with Mammoth's local wildlife. They didn't make Steve out to be more than he is, which is a hunter with a caring heart. The bears are the stars of the show, they are precious creatures who are just trying to survive like the rest of us. If we humans just kept or trash and feeders locked up the bears wouldn't be such a nuisance. We had a second homeowner feeding the bears 40 pounds of dog food a day. She was actually attracting them to her vacation home!

I have written a bit in the past about our bears and what they have done in my garden such as taking bathes in my pond and as much as I dislike the fact that I really can't have bird feeders out, it doesn't detract from my love of the bears. They are adorable. Just keep your distance.

Well... it is dumping snow outside right now and I need to go shovel the deck. If you get Animal Planet try to catch Steve "The Bear Whisperer" it is so worth your time.

Have a great day.