Weekending 11/9/26

 Good Morning Friends!

We had a gorgeous weekend here.  A little on the cool side - especially thanks to some wind, but the sun was strong.  

Most leaves are gone from the trees these days, but there are still some holding on and we saw some yesterday during a drive to Southern Chester County to see family.  We met up at my nephew's home in Landenberg which is near Chadds Ford and Kennett Square.  Ed (my nephew) and his wife Deanna have a little farmette and they have a couple of goats!

Looks a little blurry due to taking the picture through a screen.  Iris loved the goats!  Colin & Mailing had driven down the night before to see Ed & Deanna and spend the night.  On Sunday we drove down for brunch and my brother and sister-in-law from Delaware drove up to join us.  A mini family reunion!  Unfortunately Deanna couldn't join us - she has an interior design business and owns two shops in Kennett Square...holiday shopping has begun and she needed to be at the shops.  In case anyone is interested, the two shops are Marche and Lieu - she carries GORGEOUS things.

Earlier in the weekend I managed to do chores - scrubbing the kitchen floor which desperately needed it, cleaning the bathrooms (ditto on the desperate need), dusting and vacuuming upstairs, etc., etc.  And then...more purging!  I gathered up my courage and filled a very large garbage bag with fabric to donate.  Most of that is upholstery and other heavy fabrics that I had bought with the intention of making a jacket or two.  Ha!  That didn't happen and the fabrics have been sitting for a decade or more.

There are also some lighter weight (cotton) fabrics that I will be eliminating from my stash.  If anyone is interested in any of these, let me know - I will send out happily!

I've always been drawn to fabrics with birds and also pieces with embroidery.  I also came across some lace and some trims.

It's hard to let these things go, but if I'm not using them, what's the point of keeping them?  I have saved some pieces - a few large ones that I will use to make some new tablecloths and a few smaller pieces that I can't bear to part with yet!  Some Liberty of London prints, a piece of embroidered linen my Mom brought me from Europe, etc.

Next I moved on to a mass of letters and other things.  Lots and lots of notes and cards from Colin when he was in grade school (one of them signed with love from your little critter!  LOL).  Letters from old boy friends.  Letters from my Dad when I was going through a rough time!  A copy of a paper my Dad wrote and presented at a conference in Tel Aviv decades ago!  I have no idea how I ended up with two items - a receipt for the dining room furniture my parents bought just before I was born and that I now have in my kitchen and a receipt for a car that they bought in 1951.  The prices are enough to make you vomit over our prices today!  Anyway, a rabbit hole of sorts and definitely a trip down memory lane.

In between all of that I did find time to knit on my Mardi Gras sock a bit and the shawl and also do some reading.  Overall it was a weekend filled to the brim with good things.  I hope your weekend was as well.

Unraveled Wednesday 11/4/26

 Hello My Friends,

It is looking to be another fine Fall day here in Eastern PA.  I've got lots to do - catching up on stuff while not spending a day with Iris.  I'll miss her, but I'm grateful to have time to do some laundry and some grocery shopping.  Also grateful that Fletch wants to grill tonight.  YUM!!

Before I catch up on miscellaneous things, it is time to link up with Kat and her Band of Merry Unravelers to talk making and reading.  I had finished the leg of my first Mardi Gras sock and while Iris napped yesterday afternoon I managed to knit the heel flap (Eye of the Partridge) and complete the heel turn.  At the final heel turn stitch Iris woke up, so perfect timing.

The rather surprising and happy news is about my Pimpelliese shawl!  On Monday I mentioned that I had messed it up and would be unraveling it.  Well, instead I let it sit for 24 hours or so.  Yesterday morning I pulled it out of the bag and took a look.  Then I gently took it off the needle and unraveled just 3 rows.  The surprising part is that I was able to get it back on the needle and re-knit what I had unraveled and it worked!!

My patience paid off.  The plan was to do another section last night, but instead I ended up reading some.  I was a little tired and did not want to chance messing it up again!  It feels good to be back on track with this.

This past week saw only one book finished.  Another Bruno, Chief of Police mystery by Martin Walker.  A Taste for Vengeance did not disappoint.  I love the way the Bruno books focus not only on a mystery (usually some murder), but also on food and wine.  It's always fun to read what Bruno is cooking and to find out who is coming to dinner.

Fletch and I are plodding along with "Under Land" by Robert McFarlane.  Not our favorite by this author, but still interesting.  I also used up my Audible credits and will be ending my membership.  I managed to snag "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard and for Fletch and me I got "One Man's Meat" (our paperback of this book is falling apart) and "Here, There, Elsewhere: Stories from the Road" by William Least Heat Moon.  Years ago we enjoyed "Blue Highways" and this one looks to be good.

I also noticed that my wait in the queue for "Partita" has jumped way down!  YAY. Looking forward to getting that one soon.

Here's hoping this Wednesday finds you doing something fun - enjoy!

Weekending 11/2/26

 Good Morning!

And just like that, October is over and now we are in November.  It's a little after 6 a.m. and still dark outside, but looking out my office window I can tell that the sky is lightening up.  But gosh! yesterday it was dark, dark, dark when we sat down for dinner.  Luckily we enjoy dining by candlelight.

How was Halloween?  We did not go over to C&M's, but Colin sent a picture of Iris as a Princess.  She was wearing a dress that Bonnie had brought back from one of her (many) trips to China.  Fancy and lacy and long.  We did not have a single child come to our door!  I had picked up a bag of Milky Ways just in case, so now I have those to consume (Fletch doesn't like them).  I specifically bought that candy because so many children are allergic to peanuts.  Oh well.

Even though the nights have been chilly (and even a touch of frost now and then), our snap dragons are thriving!  Our Mums are not doing as well...

My weekend was filled with various things:  paying bills that had piled up, picking figs (!!), planting bulbs, and dropping off our mail-in ballots at one of the local drop boxes.  That was a busy place!  There was a guy ahead of us on a bicycle dropping off his ballot and then another guy came up behind us with his ballot.  Everyone just in the nick of time!

There was also found time for baking cookies for Iris (and us).  These are toffee pecan cookies but the plate at the back has no nuts - those are for Iris.

I think there is some unraveling in my future...yup - I managed to mess up the Pimpelliese shawl I had started.  I knit and tinked back several times but have not been able to fix it.  At this point it will probably be easier to just rip it back and start over.  TBD

The other thing I did was open the drawers that have fabric in them.  I really want to get rid of some of it but when I opened the drawers I fell in love with the fabric all over again...even though I'm not sewing these days...I'm going to need some strength to do this!

Time for me to dry my hair and get the day started.  I'm with Iris today and tomorrow.  I plan to be back here on Wednesday with my Pimpelliese tale of woe.

Unraveled Wednesday 10/28/26

 Good Morning Everyone!

How are you?  I am feeling a little chilly (I should go get a shawl to wrap around my shoulders), but gosh! our streak of glorious weather is continuing.  Our days are filled with strong sunshine and temperatures that warm up nicely, but not too hot.  Nights are cool and good for sleeping with windows cracked a bit - gotta let the fresh air in.

My week with Iris, though long and tiring, is a good one so far.  She is becoming more and more vocal all the time and the other week she said Grandma of the first time!  Granted, it came out more like Gamma, but I'm okay with being a gamma ray if necessary.

Yesterday was a little longer for me because when I left Iris I needed to go to CVS (of course) for prescriptions.  Traffic was heavy.  Then, when I got home I set to making a pear/cranberry cobbler for dessert.  YUM!!  I forgot to take a picture, but it is a tried and true recipe that always turns out well.  Luckily I had put ingredients for a chicken and chick pea soup in the crockpot in the morning, so once the cobbler was in the oven I tossed some escarole into the crockpot and once it had wilted dinner was on!

And now here we are at Wednesday and it is time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday.  Let's talk knitting!  I have two new projects to share with you!!

First up is my Pimpelliese shawl.  Araignee brought this free pattern to my attention - she is making one using some of her handspun yarn.  I am using some yarn from deep in my stash:  Mad Tosh in the color way "Danger Will Robinson."

A little sparkly thanks to some stellina.  I don't think it shows up (even clicking to enlarge the photo), but every so often a little bit of copper shows up among the blue.  I'm loving the yarn!

The second new project is - naturally - socks.  Just plain vanilla because the yarn itself is way too wild to be knit into a pattern.

Clicking to enlarge will give you a better sense of the color explosion.  The yarn is from Mineville Wool Project and the color way is Mardi Gras.  I try to knit on the socks while Iris is napping, but my eyes usually start to cross or close!  LOL. Yesterday I stopped after 10 rows and 2 dropped stitches.  But, no rush.  These may be for me or they may be for a friend.  I've yet to decide.

As for reading, I only finished one book lately:  Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.  For me, this book was just okay.  It seems like people either really love this book or can't stand it, but I was in the middle.  I could appreciate the story, but at times (a lot of times) it was just too saccharine.  I wondered if I would even finish the book, but I did persevere.  Now I'm firmly ensconced in yet another Bruno, Chief of Police mystery.  Fletch and I are still reading the Robert Macfarlane book "Underland" and are enjoying it (though not as much as some of his prior books).

So tell me, what are you making and reading this week?

Monday Comes Round Again 10/26/26

 

Hello My Friends,

Here we are back at another Monday!  Time keeps marching (or racing) by.  We had a wonderful week with Damon (Fletcher's brother) visiting.  Gosh!  He did SO MUCH - so many things that Fletch is no longer able to do (and that certainly I cannot or do not do!).

The weather gods looked down upon us and gave us the best weather.  Sunny days with blue skies where the temps rose to a comfortable point (60's) and coolish nights (down into the 30's).  Perfect for getting outdoor chores done.  

I cooked a lot - chili and nachos and chicken and BBQ shrimp.  We ate well.  I also pulled together more stuff to donate.  Yes, the purging is continuing!  I managed to squeak in a little knitting, but no stitching.  Mabel had her annual check up at the vet's - all is well and she is a healthy cat.

Our figs are coming in slowly.  That's a good thing.  Once they ripen, they do not last all that long, so coming in 3 or 4 every few days is manageable.  

The weekend was spent catching up - laundry and groceries, etc.  Fletch commented that it feels like we are empty-nesters again after having Damon visit for a week!  Now I'm poised for a busy week.  Mailing's Mom is traveling again, so I'm watching Iris every day this week and then Monday and Tuesday of next week too.  Long and busy, but wonderful days.

I'll be getting back to blogging (and reading blogs) slowly but surely.  Here's hoping that your last week in October is a wonderful one.  Enjoy!

Friday Stuff - Mostly Food! 10/16/26

 Hello Again My Friends,

I'm running a bit late today.  Since retiring over two years ago, I no longer use an alarm - I pretty much am up every day between 5 and 6 a.m.  Sometimes earlier (if I'm unlucky).  But today?  Nope - I did not wake up till Mabel jumped up on the bed at 6:45.  So I'm bathed, coffee is made and a lunch pulled together (ramen noodle soup, raw veggies and an orange) for taking over when I go see Iris.

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment (cleaning) in the morning.  I met the new dentist - our "old" dentist retired a few months ago (turns out he is 83!!) - and the new one is very nice.  I probably need a crown or two, but that can wait.  Then I ran to CVS to pick up more prescriptions (I had found expired ones in our medicine cabinet and wanted to replenish).

In the afternoon I made a batch of chunky oatmeal cookies from a recipe that Jane shared a year or two ago.  Mine have dried cherries, craisins, dried blueberries, and some chopped up dried apricots.  The first batch is for Iris (no nuts), but then I added pistachios to the mix and have some to share with C&M.

Later I walked out to the garden and discovered that FINALLY!! the figs are beginning to ripen.  I picked the first two and promptly dropped them to a location that I could not reach.  Bummer.  Then I managed to find two more.

We each had one with dinner and they are scrumptious!  Very sweet.  I'm excited to get more.

The last food item is Chinese Long Beans.  I've had these at Mailing's parents home and this year they are growing them and Bonnie left some with Colin for me!

I plan to "blister" them and then throw in garlic, ginger, some sesame oil and a bit of soy sauce.  We will have them tonight.

Meanwhile the bathrooms have not yet been cleaned (there is always tomorrow morning) and I need to vacuum the guest room and get things ready for Damon's arrival tomorrow late afternoon.  Here's hoping the morning will be productive!  I'm planning a big pot of chili for tomorrow night as it should be much colder and that is something that is easy to keep on the stove (not sure exactly when Damon will arrive).

I'm thinking I will blog next week, but I may end up being too busy - time will tell.  At any rate, I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday 10/14/26

 Good Morning My Friends,

First of all I successfully dropped off ALL the donation bags yesterday without ever second guessing what I was doing.  I would not look in the bags again for anything and now they are gone!  Freeing.  Also I was able to check a few chores off my list - dropping books at the library, going to CVS, getting wine.  All the important things.  There is still cleaning to be done obviously.  But I have Thursday for that.

Today is Wednesday and usually we all link up with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday, but Kat is taking a bit of a break, so no link today.  Instead, I do have finished Iris socks to show you!

I actually finished these last Friday and gave them to Iris on Saturday when we were there for dinner.  She loves them!  And they fit - even with a bit of room for growing (which she seems to be doing constantly).

After finishing the socks I couldn't figure out what to knit next and didn't feel like going through the stash.  Lo and behold:  Semplice came out of hibernation!  It had been some time.  I was able to knit about 8 rows (and they are getting longer and longer).  

But, you know what?  I actually don't care for this now.  The pattern is ok, but I dislike the color of yarn I chose.  The whole thing was almost ripped out on Saturday when I made a tiny mistake (later fixed), but I decided I'm close enough to the end I will finish it, block it and then if I still don't like it, it will be donated.  Someone may appreciate it!

Reading has been steady.  I finished The Amateur by Chris Behjalian and found it to be ok.  Admittedly, he is not a favorite author of mine.  To me, the book was less about golf (which is fine as I don't really care for it) and more about bad or unsavory relationships.   I found a lot of it tedious and boring and actually fell asleep several times while reading the last section (trial).  I did like the ending and did not see that coming, so that's good.  Otherwise for me the book was really just meh.

Also read was a very good interview with Barbara Kingsolver in The New Yorker.  It's in the September 28th issue if anyone is interested.  I don't subscribe and can't share it with you (Colin subscribes and passes the magazines on to us).

Fletch and I are enjoying our latest Robert Macfarlane book - Underland: A Deep Time Journey and I also picked up Theo of Golden at the library and have started reading that.

Around here, leaves are finally really beginning to turn and be brilliant.  This is a tree I pass on my way to Colin's.

How are you on this mid-October Wednesday?  Tell me, what are you making and reading?