Weekending 3/30/26

 Hello Everyone and Good Morning!

How are you this morning and how was your weekend?  Mine was good, though filled.  Lots of errand running and lots of back and forth to C&M's to feed Talbot (and clean the litter boxes...).  The kids are back home again safely and they had a lovely time in Virginia.

After errand running Friday morning, I baked a strawberry crostata.  YUM!!

It was like a taste of summer!  Half of it ended up in C&M's refrigerator for them to enjoy.

Then on Saturday I made a new-to-me recipe for chicken and garbanzo bean soup,  I used dried chick peas (soaking them overnight).  The soup had chicken thigh meat, carrots, onions, fennel, celery and spinach.  It is a recipe my sister-in-law shared with me.  I didn't much care for the scent while it was cooking, but the soup was actually very good.

I also made Morning Glory muffins which have shredded carrots and shredded apples in them along with applesauce, white & whole wheat flour.  (I think I remember the recipe from long ago - the "hippie days" of eating brown rice and veggies for dinner - LOL). A large container of soup and half the muffins migrated over to C&M's on Sunday morning.  I wanted to be sure they had something to eat when they got home from their travels.

Despite all the errand running and back and forth to C&M's, time was found for some knitting, a little stitching and some reading as well.  All-in-all, a lovely weekend.  I even managed to do some chores (laundry - of course - as well as vacuuming and dusting).

Even though it cooled down over the weekend, I think temps are back on the rise.  And then a bit of rain is forecast over the next few days.  My expected yarn never showed up over the weekend, but it should arrive today!  I'm back to watching Iris today and I cannot wait to see her again!

Here's hoping your Monday is a good one.

Unraveled Wednesday 3/25/26

 Good Morning My Friends,

I hope this Wednesday finds you doing something fun and enjoyable.  Me?  I'll be with Iris again which is always enjoyable.  Mailing is in Richmond (VA) for work, and Colin and Iris will be joining her there tomorrow.  They plan to meet up with a few members of Fletcher's family.  Even though I won'[t be watching Iris for the balance of the week, I'll be heading over to their house twice a day to feed Talbot.  No rest for the weary and all that.  Honestly, though, I'm happy to do that.  Talbot is a sweet cat and they don't live that far away.  I also plan to do a little baking and leave some treats for the kids to find when they get back home Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday.  There is not a lot of knitting to share.  It seems I spent more time stitching than knitting, but sometimes that's how it goes.  My "panning for gold" sock has gotten a little longer.

I managed another 15 rows or so.  Quite a bit more to do.  I've yet to swatch for the sweater I want to make (Shakerag), but perhaps I will get to that this weekend.

More yarn is on the way from The Farmer's Daughter (should be here by Friday I think) and not like I need even more yarn,  but a sale is going on at Fibernymph Dye Works so I naturally ordered some.  Oy!  I will share a picture once it arrives.  I'm excited because one of the skeins I ordered is Lisa's Pollinator Pi Self-Striping yarn.  Colin has long expressed an interest in raising bees and C&M have ordered some pollinator flowers for their yard.  I'm thinking the skein will be perfect for a pair of socks for Colin!

Meanwhile, on to the reading.  Fletch and I started listening to a new book after dinner.  The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson is a book that we read out loud after dinner many, many moons ago.  It is an epic adventure and a wonderful tale.  It is also quite long so we will be listening for some time.  I'm listening to the balance of the other book we had started (that Fletch became tired of):  Blaze Me a Sun by Christoffer Carlsson which is ok...a bit longish at times, but I'd like to finish it.

With my eyes, I read Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.  How appropriate that I finished this book on the very last day of Winter 2026.  I found the book enjoyable, but it did not quite live up to my hopes.  At times I found it to be bogged down and a bit off course.  Still a worthwhile read.

Thanks to Kat, I requested and got a book from my library:  Bright Scythe: Selected Poems by Tomas Tranströmer translated by Patty Crane.  These poems were just wonderful and I highly recommend reading some of his work.

Lastly I read Ursula K. LeGuin's Book of Cats.  What a fun book!  Colin had seen this and ordered it for me the other week.  It is a bunch of stuff:  poems, musings, sketches (including Cat Tai Chi - LOL), meditations, etc.  A quick book that was just a delight.

You all know that when it rains it pours.  I received an email the other day that there are five books waiting for me at the library!  I definitely need more hours in each day.  Oh well, it's certainly not a real problem to have a wealth of books.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/24/26

 Hello and Good Morning!

How are you on this next-to-the-last Tuesday in March?  And how is it possible that we are just about a quarter of the way through 2026?  Yikes - time is flying.  

Yesterday was such a nice day (despite the weather) with Iris.  Something happened that has never happened before.  We were sitting on the couch and I was reading to Iris.  I realized she had gotten a bit still and when I looked over at her I saw that her eyes were closed and her head was bobbing.  She was sound asleep!  This was earlier than she usually naps - around 11:30 or so.  Colin was wrapping up a meeting and then they were going to have lunch together, but Iris ended up sleeping for an hour!  And then she took a two hour nap in the late afternoon!

Traffic was light coming home later than usual from C&M's which meant that Fletch and I were still able to sit down to dinner by 6 p.m. which was nice.  Then we listened to our audio book for a little bit.

And now it's Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  A bit of stitching was completed in the last week.  Modest Adam now has his fig leaf (leaves) filled in and a bit more of the ground beneath his feet has been stitched (including some kind of leaves sticking out of the grass).  Another creature (bug) has been placed upon the Evil Serpent's back.

And here's an overall shot of how things are looking at the moment.

Slowly but surely...more ground to the left and also some larger creatures!!  And one more flowering plant.  Adam needs his flesh as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of you tonight for our postponed RWU book discussion.  Till then, have a wonderful Tuesday!

Blooms! 3/23/26

 Good Morning,

It is a rainy Monday here.  Heavy rain.  Maybe the stereotypical April Showers are starting early?  

Finally we have some blooms!  I spied these crocus just outside our front door:

So pretty!  And, on the north side of our house (where I often don't go), there are daffodils planted.  They were there when we bought the house and they continue to perform.  It always surprises me when they are the first to bloom (because...north side...), but perhaps it is because they are snug up against the house.  There are five clumps of them and here is one.

I cut a bunch and have one vase on the buffet and a small vase on one of the kitchen windowsills.  They always cheer me up.

I hope your weekend was a good one.  I spent much time reading and stitching and in-between doing some laundry and cooking.  Last night we had dinner at Colin & Mailing's (ham, green beans, pineapple stuffing and an amazing lemon tart for dessert).  It was mild enough that windows were open and once Iris was in bed, we had a fire outside.  Around 8:30 or 9:00 it started sprinkling a bit, so we called it a night and came home.

Time for me to get moving.  I was late getting up and I have a longish day ahead of me watching Iris - longish because Colin let me know he has a meeting from 4-4:30 (usually I leave around 4).  Whatever your plans are, I hope your Monday has some bright spots.

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.