Happy Spring! 3/20/26

 Good Morning My Friends!

Spring has arrived!!  (Or it will a little later at 10:46 a.m.)  Although still chilly outside this week, the sun is stronger.  We just need a series of sunny days so that flowers will begin to pop a bit.

Today is also my Mom's birthday.  If she were still alive, she would be 107!  Here is one of my (and my siblings) favorite photos of my Mom.  It was taken probably in the early 1930's.  We call it "The Gunslinger" - LOL

Such a skinny girl!  Here's a later picture of her with my Dad.  I took this shot at Hawk Mountain in the mid 1970's.  Both my parents were avid hikers.

I sure do miss my Mom's laughter, silliness, and all the fun we had together over the years.

Yesterday I had a most wonderful massage in the afternoon.  Pure bliss.  I followed that with a Yin Yoga class last night.  Today I have another Yin Yoga class at Noon and then a Restorative Yoga class tonight.  So much yoga!  But between the classes and regular massages, I think my back and shoulders are doing better.  I'm still conscious of (all) the arthritis I have, but some days movement has improved.

Today I plan to venture out to Trader Joe's this morning for a few things (including flowers!).  A stop at my doctor's office is also in order to pick up a prescription for a mammogram (ugh but necessary) and there are a couple of books ready for me to pick up at the library.

I'll leave you with a fun wine label.  You know I often buy wine for the label and I could not resist this one.  It is a cab from CA and though not outstanding it's ok and pretty drinkable!

Let's get the first Spring weekend started!

Unraveled Wednesday 3/18/26

 Hi Everyone,

Still chilly here in Eastern PA and I guess we will remain that way for a bit.  You may thank me for taking off the flannel sheets the other week.  Despite below freezing temps, I refuse to bring them back out!

Meanwhile it's Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about what we are making and what we are reading.  I confess to a bit more unraveling this week.  Nothing major - just the yarn that I kept insisting should be a cowl when it was clearly telling me something else.  After four (yes, 4) attempts, I gave up (sometimes it takes me a little time to get a message or learn a lesson).

But, all is not lost.  The yarn is now happily becoming a sock.

This is the first of what will be a pair of "gold panning" socks.  The yarn is mostly blues and some white with flecks of yellow (gold) throughout.  So, kind of like a cool mountain stream where one might find bits of gold.  I think of my Mom when I work with this yarn since she really did pan for gold when she and her friend Jennie rode their bikes from Vermont to California.

I also managed a couple of rows on Semplice, but it still looks like a lump of purple, so I'll spare you another picture of that (for now).

It was a very good week for reading.  I listened to both the 6th and 7th volumes of "The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion" by Beth Brower and I've downloaded (but not yet started) Volume 8 which (sadly) is the last one (so far) available.  I've read on line that the author is planning 24-25 volumes in total which seems amazing or impossible to me.

At the suggestion of my friend Leslie, I requested and got from my library Go as a River by Shelley Read.  Leslie's book club was reading it and she thought I might like it.  I found it good - a bit predictable and an easy read, but still good.

I also finished The Resistance Man by Martin Walker - another Bruno Chief of Police novel which I enjoyed very much.  I'm disappointed that my library does not appear to have the next book in the series.  It has later ones, but not the next.

Fletch and I are continuing to listen after dinner to Blaze Me a Sun by Christoffer Carlsson.  It's not quite as compelling as we had hoped and we both tend to doze off while listening - lol.  TBD whether we finish it or go with something else.

What are you making and reading this week?  

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/17/26

 Hey-Hey and Good Morning!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  How are you?  After a rather rainy but balmy day, the cold temps have returned along with lots and lots of strong winds.  In fact, there were tornado warnings for yesterday afternoon.  Fletch had heard that winds could gust up to 85 mph!  We have a buoy bell hanging from our shed at the edge of our woods and I woke to hearing that clanging this morning.

Our weekend was good including lunch at C&M's on Sunday which was a St. Patrick's Day meal:  corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, Irish soda bread and a chocolate Guinness cake.  Oh my!  It was delicious.  I was back over there yesterday to watch Iris and had such a nice day.

Now it is Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  Look who has appeared:  Adam!!!

Yet another strange face.  The beginning of the left side of the Garden has also appeared by his feet.  Of course, his body needs some flesh, but that will come.  Here's a shot of the overall piece:

Still more greenery and more creatures to be stitched, but this is coming along nicely.  I started this piece on May 31, 2025 and I'm hoping to finish before May 31, 2026.  But, time will tell.  There is still much to be put on the fabric.  Thank God I'm still enjoying this!

I know some of you read The Narrowboat Summer which I found to be a fun read.  Well, Fletch discovered a show on TV (I think he said he found it on Tubi TV) which is a documentary on narrow boats!  He has been enjoying it.  There was one boat where a father and son live and have a pizza business - they float down the water, stop and then make pizzas for whoever wants them.  Another guy has a bicycle repair shop on his boat.  One boat is 75' long which seems amazing to me.

Today will be a somewhat busy day.  We will grocery shop this morning (once again in dire need of fresh produce and a few other things) and I will be going back to our accountant's office in the afternoon to drop off signature pages so that our taxes will be e-filed.  I've watered the houseplants and one load of wash has been started.  From the look of things on my desk, I can see that there are some bills that need to be paid.  It doesn't end!

Whatever is on your schedule today, I hope there are some nice things.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of you tonight for our RWU book discussion.

Unraveled Wednesday 3/11/26

 Good Morning!

Yesterday was simply gorgeous!  And warm - it actually hit 80 here in Eastern PA.  For the first time since last Fall, Fletch and I sat out on the patio with beverages before dinner.  A butterfly flew by!  Earlier I had said to Fletch that I'd like to see a bluebird and then we spotted a pair of bluebirds along the garden fence.  They were checking out the bluebird house.  It was a fun afternoon.

Now it's Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.  Not much knitting was accomplished in the last week.  There was, unfortunately, a bit of unraveling.  First I unraveled the cowl I had started back in December and then neglected for two months or so.  I was off by a stitch and when I tried to fix it I ended up dropping a stitch or two.  So, the whole thing came out.  I hadn't really done that much - maybe 15 rows or so.

Yesterday morning I unraveled the Hitch on the Move that I started in February of 2024!

There were many times I almost unraveled this project over the past year, but I never did.  But, I realized that every time I picked it up to work on it I hadn't liked what I saw.  I was using fingering weight yarn and I think this really needs to be knit in DK weight.  So, back to the drawing board.  I really like these two yarns together, so I may look for another pattern to use them together.  (The yarns are "Wish You Were Beer" and "Weathervane" and are by Emma's Yarn.  Both are Superwash Merino, Cashmere and Nylon.)

It was a good week for reading though!  I finished both the 5th and 6th volumes of "The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion."  These books are just plain fun!  

Fletch and I finished listening to One Wild Bird at a Time by Bernd Heinrich and have started a new audio book for after dinner - Blaze Me A Sun by Christoffer Carlsson.  We are both enjoying this one and once again we have lucked out with good narration!

Finally, with my eyes, I read Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.  I enjoyed this book, though it began to drag for me a bit towards the last third or so.  Plus, way too much about the mouse plague!  LOL

Now it's time for me to get ready to head over to spend the day with Iris.  I hope your week is going well.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/10/26

 Hello and Good Morning,

Well, last night's sleep was better.  However, I was woken early by Mabel coughing up a hairball in the bedroom.  This, of course, necessitated getting up earlier than I wanted and turning on a light so that I could avoid stepping in anything.  Mabel is thoughtful and avoids (usually) puking on a rug.  Instead she usually pukes on the wooden floor which is certainly easier to clean up.  Not the best way to wake up.

Iris was good yesterday.  She is almost always good.  She had not slept well Sunday night and ended up taking a 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon.  Though I don't sleep when she naps, at least I can close my eyes and rest some.

I'm happy to report that the socks for Iris fit!  Though they may be a little loose.  Colin and Iris were out for a stroller walk when I arrived yesterday morning.  When they came in it was minus one sock.  Iris had kicked off her blanket and, though Colin didn't notice it at the time, she had also kicked off one of her new socks and it exited the stroller.  While Iris napped Colin took a break from work and walked in the neighborhood where they had walked in the morning.  Luckily he found the abandoned sock!

Now it's Tuesday morning and time for a TNT update on Appil.  The cat now has a coat of fur and the ground on the bottom right of the sampler has been fully stitched.

An amusing cat for sure.  I'll be starting the left bottom side next!  Dare I say closing in on finishing this piece?

Today's plans include a trip to the library (a requested book is ready for pick up), some laundry (again) and grocery shopping.  It's supposed to be another gorgeous day with temps in the 70's, so I'm planning a light dinner:  shrimp salad on croissants.  Yum!!  I think a little salad to go with that will be nice.  And, Fletch left one of his socks for me to see a hole in the toe...I've already found the yarn with which to darn the hole, so I will do that too.  Finally I need to review all the papers for tax season - my appointment to meet with our accountant is this Friday.

Whatever your Tuesday holds for you, here's hoping it is something good!

Weekending 3/9/26

 Good Morning!

We are back to dark mornings with the switch to Daylight Savings Time.  But, the temperature is mild!!  I washed sheets this weekend and retired the flannel sheets until next Fall/Winter.  I figured that was a sure way to have another cold snap, but so far we are good.  And, it felt great to get into a bed with crisp sheets and to have the window open for fresh air.

How was your weekend?  Ours was very nice and I failed to take any pictures!  The one picture I have I took this morning.  A blooming Christmas Cactus:

So pretty, and there are more buds.  This one did bloom around Christmas and now it is blooming again.

Anyway, as I said, our weekend was nice.  We had dinner with the kids on Saturday.  Burgers, crispy potatoes and coleslaw.  I made a blueberry gateau for dessert.  The family socks were well received and appreciated.  I hope they fit - no one tried them on.  It was mild enough that we had a fire outside after dinner.

Last night I made mushroom bourguignon for dinner.  It was wonderful!  And, plenty of leftovers for another meal.  Definitely a dish I will be fixing again.

I'm missing that hour of sleep that I lost Saturday night.  Hopefully I'll have an easy day with iris today.  Here's hoping your Monday is off to a great start.

Unraveled Wednesday 3/4/26

 Hello All,

Another bleak looking day here.  Yesterday it rained pretty much all day.  At times quite hard.  When I sit on the couch in Colin's living room with Iris asleep in my lap (such bliss), I can look out through the sun room and see one of the many rain chains that are hanging.  The water was pouring over it!  Luckily by the time I left to come home it had eased up a bit.  Also luckily it was rain and not snow or sleet!  It is already a bit warmer today (37), but the dampness hurts my joints.  Oh well, on the positive side, I can feel the hurt!  LOL

Well, it's Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for the first Unraveled Wednesday of March!  Did anyone hear the Hallelujah Chorus over the weekend?  No?  Well, yours truly was singing it.  The Family Socks are all completed!  Woo-Hoo. Here is a pic of Colin's finished pair and then the whole family:

And there you have them.  Family Socks or maybe Goldilocks Socks (Baby, Mama and Papa).  I am so pleased with how they turned out and also so pleased to (finally) have them finished.  I started with Mailing's in mid October with the thought of making them Family Birthday Socks.  That thought turned to Family Christmas Socks.  Mailing's second sock was finished just after New Year's.  Iris' were started immediately and finished by mid-January.  So, my thought turned to Family Valentine Socks.  However, Colin's took from mid January to the very last day of February!

There was a feeling of playing a bit of yarn chicken when making Colin's.  The blue skein was fairly large and both Mailing's and Iris' socks are short, but still...I ended up with just 2 grams of blue left and only 3 grams of gold left.  There are still 6 grams of turquoise and 18 grams of purple, so those will be used for something.

We will be over at C&M's for dinner on Saturday (warm weather forecast, so grilling!!) and I think I will take them over then.  Here's hoping they like them AND here's hoping they fit.

Meanwhile, Semplice is back in rotation!  Last night I pulled it out and found where my "issue" was (one extra stitch).  I was able to correct that and knit a couple of rows.

I'm so close to the end of this shawl and I'd really like to finish it up.  I think I have about 24 rows left in the final pattern section and then 20 rows of garter stitch to wrap it all up.   But, there are about 342 stitches on the needle and an additional 4 stitches are added every other row.  Obviously the rows are long and take a bit of time to knit.  Being garter stitch, the last 20 should be fairly quick (fingers crossed).  Anyway, it's good to be working on this again at long last.

Reading continues to be a good thing!  I finished the 4th volume of  The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion  by Beth Brower and now am nearing the end of Volume 5.  I do not want these books to end!!  They are such fun and the narration is simply perfect.

Over the weekend I finished Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.  This is our RWU selection which we will be discussing on March 17th.  I can't say I loved the book.  As I mentioned last week I found it to be a bit laborious to read.  The writing is good - no doubt about that - it's just not a book you can storm your way through.  I would call it a meditation on life, faith and family, but for me parts of it just dragged on and on.  Thank God it is a short book!  LOL

Fletch and I are continuing to enjoy Bernd Heinrich's One Wild Bird at a Time, listening after dinner.  We have just about a half hour left, so most likely 2 more nights.  I need to find the next thing for us to read together.

And that's a wrap for moi.  I hope your week is going well and I hope you will take the time to check out Kat's blog as well as the links to Unraveled posts - I'm betting you will be entertained and inspired.  Enjoy!