Did the Flying Monkeys Go By?

Does the title give you any hints? We heard experienced the wind hitting rocking the house last night. When I first heard it, I said something to the husband and he blew (get it? wind/blew?) it off as the neighbor rolling their plastic garbage tote to the curb side.

I thought, "Okay, maybe it is."
Then, we heard it again, and we only have one neighbor who wheels their tote out that late at night and besides, there is no way we could have heard the other neighbor if she did take her garbage out. (She is an older woman and the neighbor on her other side adds her trash to his. . . didn't want you all to think we had a hoarder in our midst.)

When we went to bed, I was glad our house had a good foundation or we might have ended up in Oz with Dorothy and Toto too.

One of the gusts was totally different. The husband couldn't identify the sound it reminded me of, but I knew exactly what it sounded like . . . Have you EVER heard the sound trains make when an engine backs the cars of the train up to switch a car? That was the sound I heard . . . and, being the daughter of a railroad switch man, I have heard those sounds from the time I was born until now. But there are no freight trains on our tracks at that time of night AND they have never backed up on the trellis the tracks are on.

I am SUCH a train person. I'm not one to hang out at a train station or drive miles to hear/see a certain train pass, but I love to hear the sound of a train rumbling over the tracks when I am in bed.

Growing up, I lived 1  block from a rail line. Shoot, the house I grew up in had sat by that rail line as the house the railroaders would stay at when they had to lay over. Grandpa Winegardner had it moved to it's present location when he bought the railroad's warehouses for his business. So by growing up in a railroad house, physically, and having a father who worked in the PRR yards and a grandpa who was a PRR conductor . . . it  must be a genetic thing.

Now, what have I been up to. This week, I am trying to finish up three dog and three cat Christmas stockings. I think they are so adorable, I hope  that others think the same. I would love to have some of them sell in my Etsy shop. Then, whatever is left, I will give them to the my family members with dogs and/or cats. I know they will like them as much as I do.

Wish this picture had come out clearer. These are just SO CUTE!

These were the original stockings. Then, I found some Caron yarn with a gold thread through it that I had bought before we moved here, in 2006. I thought it might work out nice into these stockings, so I started. I have 6 fronts done. I spent this morning working on the pads and toes for them. It amazes me how long it takes . . must have been working over 2 hours and only had 3 socks completed and the other three had the large pad attached. Guess I won't get them finished today. I need to finish the toes on three socks and then make three bones and two fish to attach . . one of them already has a fish for the cat done.

I have the beginnings of my familial Christmas gifts in the washing machine. I decided I would get them washed/dried and then would get them wrapped and in the box ready to be mailed home. Then, I will know where I stand handmade gift wise.

Will post pix of these. One is a hat and scarf that I am VERY proud of. Again, it was one of those where I could mentally see what I wanted and was pleased with the results. Not 100% what I wanted, but the hat comes SO CLOSE !

Must go. The mouth is dry and I forgot and took the glass to the kitchen and know, I am craving something to drink . . . just with I had some Canadian Club to put in it.


I saw their ad at the hockey game the other night and all of a sudden I want a CC and coke . . . might have to do a liquor store run this week.

Later, gators!