Yeah, I'm still here. I have been deep in the throes of getting my classwork done. I am pleased to report that I am really close. I have about four more 8-hour days and then it will be all over except the final (which I can schedule at my leisure). I've even managed to sneak in a little bit of knitting here and there.

TEACHING: I've also got some news on the knitting class front. Here are the summer 2011 dates for those of you who are keeping track:

May 20-22: Des Moines, IA knitting guild.

June 12-13: Big Sky Fiber Festival, Hamilton, MT (class details on their website).

June 18th: The Mannings Handweaving Studio, East Berlin, PA. I'll be teaching the 6-hour version of the Cables and Beyond class—great fun!

June 25th: Woolstock in Butler, MD, classes TBA.

It's quite possible I may also have one or two more classes in Maryland, but those are still in process. I will announce them as soon as they are finalized.

Looking ahead, I will also be in Sheridan, WY on September 16-18 and in Beaverton, OR (the Tigard Knitting Guild) on October 14-16.

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Spring is so slow in coming to Montana . . . today is absolutely gorgeous—about 65 and sunny—but the weatherman warned us not to rush out to our gardens because it is supposed to get cold and rainy again. The biggest worry right now is flooding. Virtually all of this winter's snowpack is still up in the mountains. If we get a year like 1964 again—when there was a cold spring followed by a sudden warmup and freak storm from the Gulf of Mexico—it is not inconceivable that we could be cut off from Kalispell for a period of time. We're not in danger of being flooded out, but our access roads are.

We are hoping for a gradual warmup and associated slow runoff. Wish us luck.

And now, I leave you with a picture of our rooster, who is quite sure he is the handsomest rooster in all of Montana. He also likes to hear himself crow. A lot.