Re-Finished

I finished my first scarf, wore it, and decided I wanted to make it longer. I thought I would want to wrap it around multiple times in the SD winter. On Friday I was finally able to go to the yarn shop in Sioux Falls to get the seafoam color to add to the ends. So I finished it again, much to the disappointment of Kavi and Roscoe, who thought it was a comfy perch. It's about 8 feet long. The yarn is Lamb's Pride (from Nebraska sheep) bulky weight, which has wool and mohair.


I learned Continental style, which is much faster, and easier on the hands. I cast on a new scarf right away, this one in "cafe au lait," "sand dollar," and "blue magic" worsted weight Lamb's Pride with smaller needles. This is step two in the knitters' evil plan to get me to knit socks against my will.

-吴碧芙

Fire Dragon Fruit

My parents are on tour. Coming back from Texas, they took a turn over to my place, bringing me a "fruit truck." The most wonderful and exotic fruits, which they remembered I liked from when they visited me in China. I have lots of pomelos now. I have a yali pear and fragrant pears.

One of the most exciting was the fire dragon fruit. In China the meat was white with little black seeds, but the taste is the same. Last Easter, I tried to use the bright skin to dye Easter eggs, but they turned out light grey and ugly.


I was squealing as I cut open one of them for breakfast this morning. The birds probably thought I was crazy, but that wouldn't be anything new for them.

-吴碧芙

Blow, blow thou, Winter Wind!

Xue le! (It snowed!)


Western SD got a lot of snow this week. We got this much, but I'm not complaining. This is the first snow I've seen since Jan. 2007. The wind is cold, and I haven't finished my scarf yet. I can't start my hat until I finish my scarf, but today I thought I better just give up and buy one. The wind blew into my ears and felt like a knife. At times the wind was so strong while I was walking home that I couldn't bare to face it, and it was difficult to stand straight. It's very very cold!

-吴碧芙

在 南大口塔 有 柚子!! (South Dakota has pomelos!!)

红色的 柚子!! (Red pomelos!!) I went to HyVee to get some Election Day food (read: beer...just kidding). I usually check for pomelos, not really expecting, but hoping, to see some. Today I saw some! I wanted to buy out the store, but I just bought two.


For those who are pomelo newbies: The first time I had a pomelo in China, I was visiting a colleague who had some students visiting her. They handed me a section of pomelo, and I ate it as it was. I pleasantly said how good it was, when in fact, I thought it was terribly tough and like eating leather. The problem was that I didn't open the white "skin" that covers each section. On the picture, you can see one portion which is pink and shiny, while the other portion is white and veiny. You want to eat sections from which the white veiny part has been peeled off. With my colleague and students, I was relieved when I watched someone else eat a section, peeling off the skin. I started eating a few sections at every meal, and pomelos became my favorite fruit. I thought it would be quite some time before I could eat one again, but SD went beyond my expectations.

-吴碧芙