Heat index, polka dots, and knitting

The heat index is ridiculous. I almost wish they wouldn't tell us so we wouldn't anticipate how hot it is going to get. Sometimes being ignorant of that kind of information helps to keep you cooler, even if only in your mind. Thinking that an egg might fry on the sidewalk is not as bad as knowing that it would.

I now have polka dots on my face, or will have in a day or two. Went to the dermatologist and he found 4 precancerous spots which he froze. On the positive side, it's too hot to go running around town so the number of people who will be exposed to my polka dotted persona is limited. It should look really lovely in another week after the blisters have formed. Something to look forward to as we approach the dog days of summer.

Speaking of dog days, my dogs do not care to go out in this heat either. They have each claimed a floor fan and there they plant themselves. The positive side of this is that all the dog hair gets blown into 2 piles. My dust bunnies are majestic in stature!

I am currently knitting a baby blanket for Josh and Tanya's baby which is due in Dec. What possessed me to make up my own pattern I really don't know. That sort of thing is always slower than if I just follow a pattern someone else has worked the kinks out of already. I am knitting the 3rd panel. The middle panel is a yellow ombre of Peaches and Creme cotton done in a seed stitch. The panel on one side of that is a solid golden yellow done in a basket weave of K4,P4 and the current panel on the other side is done in a lace pattern. A very simple lace pattern.

It's fun to knit with the various patterns and it will be interesting to see how it develops.

Well, I am off to enjoy wonderful, cooling, fabulous sweettea. That was not a typo. In this part of the world, sweettea is one word and don't even think about trying to tell me that you can add sugar to unsweetened tea. It is NOT the same thing at all.

Garden doings

What a treat this morning. I was in the garden weeding, my least favorite job, when I spied 8 caterpillars on the fennel. I just felt like it was a special gift as I have been working on developing a butterfly garden this past year.
These look like the catepillar of the black swallowtail. I guess only time will prove my guess as right or wrong. The fennel doesn't look too well but the caterpillars are very well rounded. Finding them certainly gave a lift to the weeding job. Well, ok, I had to stop weeding so I could get the camera and take a picture of the newest visitors. Then I had to come in and upload the pictures so I wouldn't forget. Now, darn it, it's getting too hot to weed any more today. Bless you caterpillars! I think I'll plant more fennel.