Unraveled Wednesday 8/19/26

 Good Morning All,

How are you this morning?  I am doing ok though I wish I had slept a bit better.  It feels as though I woke up every single hour!  But, the coffee is almost ready to pour, so let's get on with it!

Here we are back again at Unraveled Wednesday.  Time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about what we are making and reading.  Though I did not get as far as I had thought I would, knitting has been good.  The first shortie sock was finished and the second one was cast on.

The heel flap on the second sock is about a third of the way knit.  Maybe I will finish that and turn the heel while Iris naps today.

As for reading, I am so happy to tell you that last night I finished The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett.  I even finished it in time to return it to the library before they closed (it was due back yesterday).  Whew - what a long, long book.  Stockett is a good story teller and this was a good one.  It just could have/should have been shorter (my opinion).  About half way through the book I got bored.  It felt bogged down.  After another hundred pages or so I just got annoyed!  But, I persevered and I am glad I finished it.  There were a lot of different story lines going on and not all of them were wrapped up (again, my opinion), but there were so many laugh out loud parts in the story and I loved Meg's character.

Last night I started Country People by Daniel Mason.  I'm only 20 or so pages in, so no review yet.  I am looking forward to this particularly since both my parents were from Vermont and I spent so much time in Vermont growing up.  Someone wrote that Mason does an excellent job of portraying the quirkiness of Vermonters (and they sure can be quirky!).

Thanks to enabling from Kat, I also have two new (to me) Ted Kooser books:  Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps and The Wheeling Year: A Poet's Field Book.  Neither of these are volumes of poetry, but rather snippets that Kooser has written about the area of the country where he lives (Southeastern Nebraska).  I started looking at The Wheeling Year and was immediately drawn into it.  I forced myself to put it down and get back to The Calamity Club.  Now I'm looking forward to delving into these two books.

Time to sit back and enjoy my first cup of coffee.  I hope today finds you with a good book and a fun project!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 8/18/26

 Hello and Good Foggy Morning,

Oh my!  It is close and very, very humid out there.  We had 1.5" of rain Sunday and Sunday night and everything is dripping.  I'm late to ask, but how was your weekend?  Mine was good.  No pictures.  A delicious meal at C&M's (the flourless chocolate cake and homemade ice cream were wonderful!!).

The X-ray results of my knee show that my bones and joints are all normal (not even any sign of arthritis!).  So, who knows what's been going on?  I will say that things have improved a lot - whether it's just time or my exercises or something else, I don't know.  I'm just happy to not be in constant pain.  And happy to be able to walk somewhat normally!

Meanwhile, it is Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  Once again a bit of progress was made on my aqua marine sampler.

Two sets of numbers completed and the third line is complete.  The large space in the middle will have a bit of "something" coming up from below once I get started on it.  The beginning of a typical Quaker motif has also been started on the left side.  Things are moving along.

I've already poached some chicken breasts which will turn into a chicken salad for dinner.  I'm thinking a nice cold carrot salad and maybe some cucumbers with radishes to go with that.  It's hard to think of anything hot in this steamy weather.  Yesterday I heard my first cicada of the season (Fletch says he's been hearing them for weeks, but I have not noticed) and I guess the dog days of summer are upon us.

Stay cool and don't do too much in this weather!

Friday's Fast Post 8/14/26

 Hi All,

I actually overslept this morning!  I was up at 5 to let Mabel out and then went back to bed and fell sound asleep with some very strange dreams.  HA!

The knee X-ray was quick yesterday.  I arrived at the facility around 8:30 when registration opens...went in...registered...went upstairs for the X-ray and was out of there around 8:50!  My doctor should have the results by sometime Monday.

Look who showed up the other day!

Two sweet fawns.  One resting and the other nosing around looking for apples.  The mother doe was also there - just not in the picture.  As soon as she started moving into our neighbor's yard, the resting fawn got up and trotted after her.

I tried a new recipe for cookies.  No flour, no eggs, no white or brown sugar!  They are chickpea peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips.

Just one can of drained and rinsed chickpeas smooshed up in the food processor.  Then you add 1 cup of peanut butter, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of vanilla.  Mix all then fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.  The dough is very wet and sticky.  I used an ice cream scoop to get them onto the baking sheet.  They only need about 10 minutes at 350.  They don't look like much, but I think they taste good.  Fletch says they could be sweeter (naturally) and he would like them crispy.  So, this batch is going over to Colin & Mailing today.  Hopefully Iris will enjoy them!

Any big plans for the weekend?  None for me other than dinner at C&M's on Sunday.  I'll be taking homemade vanilla ice cream to go with the flourless chocolate cake Colin is baking!  YUM.

Unraveled Wednesday 8/12/26

 Hello My Friends,

The weeks keep zipping by, don't they?  It's hard to believe that soon the school busses (or, as my brother calls them, the little yellow prison wagons) will be on the road again.  And, the bottom of my street (which is a narrow road) will be clogged with cars waiting for the school bus (apparently the kids can't walk down to the end of the street and wait...they must be driven).

The doctor's office was successfully found yesterday and I had a great visit with my primary care physician.  All of my "numbers" have improved which is great news.  I am going tomorrow for an X-ray of my knee.  My doctor is sure it is simply arthritis (which is more than enough) and not some other issue with the knee...but an X-ray will be done for confirmation purposes.  Meanwhile, I've started doing some exercises specifically for arthritic knees and this morning things already feel better!

I'm continuing with my arm exercises with baby weights (3 lbs) and doing that has completely eliminated the shoulder pain I was having (again arthritis).  And I've started incorporating some other movements that I used to do on a regular basis.  I believe that movement is key.

Meanwhile, enough of the aches and pains of aging.  It's Wednesday and time for linking up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk about making and reading.  I don't have a whole lot to talk about, but let's jump right in!

First up is the almost finished first Honky Tonk shorty sock.

I was positive this would have been finished by today, but life got in the way.  I've about 10 rows left on the foot until the toe decrease.  With any luck, I will finish this today whilst Iris naps.  Then it will be time to start (and finish quickly) shortie #2.  My August yarn from the Farmer's Daughter arrived and Fletch really likes it, so I will be making a pair of socks for him.  And, of course, there are still many more skeins waiting to be knit up for various people.  Iris has said she would like another pair of socks (I'm sure the ones I last made for her no longer fit...she is growing so much!).

The Farmer's Daughter's August yarn:  "Harvest Lantern" - the little mini skein has a bit of loden green in it and the two skeins together are so pretty.

On the reading side of things, I'm still reading The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett.  I'm past the halfway mark, but my reading has slowed.  I'm actually getting a little tired or bored with this.  The book seems way longer than necessary...but that's just my opinion and I may have a change of heart once I finish it.  There are so many different stories going on and of course various bits of ugliness (1933 Oxford, MS).

Fletch and I are continuing to really enjoy Robert Mcfarlane's The Wild Places.  We have enjoyed all of the McFarlane books we have listened to, but perhaps this one may be the best so far!

Not started yet, but I decided to go ahead and download from Audible John of John by Douglas Stuart.  The queue at my library for the book is still pretty long and I'd like to have read it before our RWU book club meeting in September.

And that's a wrap for one.  I'll be with Iris again today and am looking forward to that time.  I hope your Wednesday brings you something delightful to enjoy!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 8/11/26

 Good Morning!

It's Tuesday and we seem to have survived another most humid day...more in store of us I'm afraid.  We had a few sprinkles and some distant thunder, but nothing significant.  We need a good, strong summer thunderstorm to clear the air (and water the garden).  However, it did cool down enough last evening that I did not even have to use the AC in the bedroom!!  That was wonderful.

Well, time for a TNT update.  I managed to finish the second row in the sampler.

Quite wrinkly, but there it is.  Next up some numbers.

I've a busy morning ahead of me.  My 9 a.m. appointment with my primary care doctor will be at an office I need to find!  Last week I got a phone call from the doctor's office telling me that a pipe had burst in their building and that upcoming appointments would be at another office.  It's not that much further away, but I need to locate it which means leaving the house a little earlier than normal.

Grocery shopping may be skipped.  We have so many (so many!!) leftovers in the fridge that it is crammed to overflowing.  I really want to use stuff up and then scrub the fridge.  Tonight I'm planning to make a quiche with asparagus and some left over ham.  I'll probably add mushrooms and onions because they are plentiful!

Here's hoping that this Tuesday finds you enjoying life!  Have some fun.

Weekending 8/10/26

 Good Monday Morning!

How are you and how was your weekend.  Mine was good.  I found time for a little bit of everything.  Some chores (bathrooms, laundry, kitchen floor) were done.  There was time for stitching and knitting as well as a bit of reading.  And baking and cooking.

A huge yellow bean casserole was made - like Thanksgiving huge.  Lots of onions and mushrooms sautéed up to go with the beans.  Actually I mixed yellow and green beans for the dish.  We've had it twice and there is still at least another serving!  And those beans keep coming in.  I won't bore you with yet another picture, but trust me when I say that Saturday I picked another two servings (at least).  And one of the large tomatoes finally ripened to where it could be picked.

A peach-blueberry cake was baked.  Good, but very sweet and rich.  Most of it will be going over to C&M today.

When I ventured out to the garden on Saturday I noticed that our hibiscus has opened a few of its buds!

The plant is loaded with clusters of buds - often 3 or 4 together.  It should be amazing when more open.

Figgy is doing well - still figs on it, but they do not seem to be getting larger or ripening.  Fingers crossed we get some.  And our apple tree is loaded with fruit.  The apples are all on the small side, but some look to be in very good condition - I may be able to make some applesauce!  So far the deer are sticking with consuming the fruit that has fallen - no standing on hind legs and reaching for branches (yet).

I hope your weekend brought some good things to you and I trust that the week ahead will be a good one!

Thursday Doings 8/6/26

 Bonjour!

We had some strong thunderstorms yesterday evening - just when we settled in to watch the first episode of the new season of Ted Lasso.  Fortunately the power stayed on.  We were gifted another inch of rain.

What you see above is perhaps the final glad blossom (there may be one more stalk that has not yet opened) along with a couple of zinnia, a couple of snap dragons and one marigold.  I do love fresh flowers in the house.

Yesterday was busy, but my mile long list was almost fully accomplished.  The only remaining thing that wasn't done was grocery shopping and we will take care of that this morning.  I've been wanting to cut the dead stalks from the Iris as well as the Glads and that was done.  More beans were picked and then blanched and quickly frozen.  Not having a chest or second freezer, my space is limited, but a few bags of summer beans are now in the freezer for cooler days.  There are still plenty in the fridge that I will be using in a day or two.  I also picked more cherry tomatoes, a cucumber, and noticed that FINALLY the bigger tomatoes are beginning to ripen.  There are not that many - maybe four on the plant, but any garden tomato will be so welcome.

There was a bit of running around - a trip to the post office to mail off a birthday gift for Leslie and (of course) a trip to CVS.  Another trip to CVS will be made today or tomorrow.  I'd also like to get to Trader Joe's - either today or (most likely) tomorrow.

Domestic chores (laundry, cleaning) were deliberately left off my list!  HA!  But really, towels should be washed and bathrooms cleaned.  Time will tell.

What are you up to as we wind down the first week of August?