Busman's Holiday

Tomorrow evening I shall be off to the parents' for a week. In my mind, I've been going "vacation! holiday!" But in thinking about packing list and scheduling stuff, I came to the conclusion that what I really have coming is a busman's holiday - a holiday where you do pretty much the same thing you do all the time. No lounging on the porch and reading for me! And while I'll try to get to the computer once a day, I have my doubts on that score.

All the berries are weeks ahead of schedule. Apparently the blackberries were reddening last week. So there will be, no doubt, berries to pick and freeze. The snow peas may be at a stage to pick and freeze also. Depending on the bugs, things may need to be sprayed. Plants will need watering and the chicks will need feeding. So will the dog, the cats, and Dad and I. That's all going to be on my to-do list.

Then I have 'my' stuff. Fiber stuff. There's a pile of dyeing to do to bring to Twist, and wherever else I'm selling yarn and fiber in the next few months. Probably a day's worth of mordanting, and 2-3 days' worth of dyeing, including gathering dyeplants. One of those days has to be co-ordinated with a neighbor, who wants to learn, so I have to find out when is good for her and whether she wants to try anything in particular. Tour de Fleece starts Friday, so I have a pile of things set for that too. A garbage bag, actually. Probably significantly overestimating the amount of spinning I'll get done, but I'd hate to run out! And if I get a chance, I'd like to finish picking and washing the llama fleece I've got before the two from my cousins show up.

Add a little knitting to the pile, and then hopefully a visit to some friends. I haven't seen them since last summer, which is very sad, because they live all of 20 min from my parents. I just seem to spend most of my visits home getting stuff done, and time goes too danged fast. So it'll be nice to catch up, and see how their daughter's grown - she's 2 now - and how their gardening and renovations progress.

Now, however, it's back to work. The freezer is being thawed, and I'd like to get another skein's worth of the wool I'm spinning picked today. That should be enough, once spun, to do the dyeing for the baby sweater it's earmarked for.