I popped into Camas Creek today and picked up the Mountain Colors yarn for a scarf. I like the stitch pattern I chose a lot, especially because it's a stitch pattern I morphed from another one. I always worry—when designing simple shapes with simple stitch patterns—that I am going to do something that someone has already done. I think this is unique enough that I will avoid that problem. I'll get started on this tonight and hopefully have it done in a couple of days.

I've also got an idea for an afghan, based on some of the swatching I did the other night, but Melanie has to order the yarn for me.

It's good to be knitting again.

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I said to the husband the other day that I hoped I would have at least one garter snake take up residence in the herb garden. I think the garden always does better with a reptile living there. This morning I walked out to see how things looked, and lo and behold!—a garter snake slithered right past me and went under the oregano bush. Yay! I leaned down and warned him not to wander over to the chicken coop or he'd get pecked to death.

The husband asked me if the snake had a name. We have this conversation every year. I think he doesn't remember. The garter snake in the garden always gets named Whistler, because there was always a garter snake in my Aunt Lil's garden and it was always named Whistler. I'm not sure what I will do if I discover more than one garter snake in the garden. We may have to go to a different naming system: Whistler I, Whistler II, etc.

Obviously, snakes do not bother me. They bother my mother, who was not happy with me when I brought one in from the woods and accidentally let it fall between the slats on the porch. Oops. Then there was the time I stuck a praying mantis in my closet and it had babies . . . .

There is a reason I have a degree in biology. And really, I think it's too bad that black rat snakes aren't native to Montana, because I would so put one down in the basement to eat mice.

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Here is a picture for you, courtesy of one of my students. From left to right: Jamie (one of my test knitters) me, and Jane, who sent me the picture (thanks, Jane!). I always feel like such an Amazon, even though I am only 5'7" tall. Much of the world is shorter than me, though.

This was at The Mannings Handweaving Studio, where I taught on June 18. It was a great class.

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The transcription job search continues apace, and I think it's going well. There is one company I am currently testing with, and I hope they offer me a job. A lot of the transcription jobs require you to commit to a set schedule or working 1st, 2nd, or 3rd shift five days a week (Tues-Sat or Sun-Thurs). I could do that, but it's not ideal. The company I want to work for simply requires that you transcribe a certain quota during each pay period, and how and when you get that done is up to you. That kind of flexibility is perfect for me. I've done well on the tests so far, so I am hoping this pans out. I want to be able to honor my knitting teaching commitments (and to keep teaching), and in order to do that I need some wiggle room.

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In other miscellany, I stopped using shampoo on my hair. I decided to do this when I was in Maryland, because I hate frizz, and my hair totally frizzes during the summer. A while back I switched to a shampoo without sodium lauryl sulfate (Burt's Bees) and it helped, but I decided it was time to cut the cord altogether. I've gotten through the two-week greasy period and now my hair is soft and smooth and not frizzy. I don't even have to use the flatiron on it anymore. This is Very Cool.

The husband asked me if the girls have started walking 15 feet behind me because I embarrass them too much. I told him they've been doing that for some time now. DD#2 was horrified that I wore my Vibrams to church Sunday (with a skirt, no less).

Isn't it the job of the parents to embarrass the kids? Otherwise, they might not want to move out.