How was your weekend? Mine was filled with a variety of different things which was nice. I managed to get out for a walk after lunch on Friday and it was the perfect time to go. I walked along the towpath between the canal and the Schuylkill River in Phoenixville. The trail was pretty empty - just a few people here and there. Plenty of BIG turtles were out sunning themselves.
I also saw the Evil Serpent
A good reason to NOT go paddle boarding here!
Best of all, I saw the Blue Heron
These birds are so majestic looking. I never tire of seeing them.
Friday night I made the mushroom tacos that Vicki blogged about in mid-April. Oh my! I could eat these every single night. The creamy slaw was delicious and the fried shallots are to die for!!
That night I mixed up some "artisan bread" that Minerva blogged about the other week. Easy Peasy. Four ingredients you can leave overnight and then bake in the morning. No kneading required.
A bit lop-sided, but tasty! We had it Saturday night with some grilled hot & sweet Italian sausage.
Saturday afternoon I went back to Oaks to walk along the Perkiomen Creek. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the trail was mobbed! I have never seen so many cars parked there and I had to wait for walkers, joggers and bikers to pass before I could even get onto the trail. Way too many people, but I did manager to walk for over an hour which was nice.
The wisteria is beginning to open now and is so fragrant. Our iris are budded and should open this week (right on time - they always bloom the first week of May). The lilac is still not fully open, but I could see that some clusters are slowly opening.
I had a zip lock bag filled with ends of embroidery thread and yarn, so I spread that out on the fire pit for birds to take.
I think most of it blew away before any takers came. We do have a pair of wrens fixing a nest in our apple tree (in a bird house hanging from a branch). I think there is a nest (robin??) in one of the bushes at the front of our house - every time I walk by I hear something/someone chirping at me.
Sunday afternoon I rearranged my sewing and knitting books. They were in a jumble and not readily accessible. I needed more space/another bookcase! So, I put some of Colin's books into two boxes and grabbed the bookcase those were in to use for my stuff! Of course I spent some time flipping through books I had not looked at in years. An enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Today or tomorrow I will go into the office for an hour or so. I have things I need to print on what we call "big boy paper" - 11x17 - (easier on the eyes for some things) and my printer at home doesn't accommodate that size paper. If nothing else, it will be nice to take a little drive through Valley Forge Park. I did gas up the car the other day - first time since March 15th!! And wow has the price of gas dropped.
It feels like Spring is finally here to stay and the days are getting warmer, so it's time to put away the winter woolens and drag out the capri pants and summer tops. I may try to do that at some point this week. No rush as I wear the same thing every day - lol. Leggings and tee shirts or jeans and a tee shirt.
There was some knitting and crocheting over the weekend too. Another granny square was made and a second one started. The leg of tutti-fruitty sock #2 is progressing (about a third of the way finished). More on those things another day.
Wishing you all a wonderful week - enjoy!
The news people talked about the onslaught of walkers over the weekend here as well. My outside work included some much needed weeding and phone calls with my kids (way better than weeding!) :)
ReplyDeleteI love to see those turtle photos and the blue heron is just lovely. We went to several NJ parks last weekend, trying to find a place that wasn't crowded, but they were all mobbed. I wouldn't be surprised if our governor closed the parks again due to people's behavior. But I can walk wherever, and will maybe stick to the less-crowded county parks. I am going to try this bread; thanks for passing it along!
ReplyDeleteI miss seeing the wildlife on my trail walk. There is a little place with sheep and alpaca that I see on my neighborhood walk.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great spot for walking, Vera! I love all the creatures you spot along the way. (Well. Maybe not the sea serpent. . . ) On my neighborhood walk this weekend I saw geese, swans, a hawk, and a big ol' woodchuck (and immediately thought of your Steve. . . ). Sometimes I leave thread or yarn bits out for the birds, but there are never any takers! The birds DO love dog hair, though! Lucky thing . . . because we have plenty! XO
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you get to be outside pleasurable again! The bookcase clean out is a good way to spend an afternoon! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteYou were so incredibly productive! I always feel like a slacker when I read your blog. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe went to the lakehouse for the weekend and were finally blessed with gorgeous weather. Sunday especially was golden, and we spent much of it after our walk sitting on the dock sharing a bottle of wine and waving at boaters. The birdwatching was terrific: Baltimore oriole, Eastern bluebird, catbird, sandpiper, wren, peewees, cardinal, redheaded mergansers, mallards, Canada geese, cormorant, along with the usual suspects like robins, bluejays, starlings, hawks, seagulls, and vultures. The blue heron was nowhere this weekend although we have seen him other weekends with regularity.
Thank heavens, no water snakes...yet!
I'm glad you liked those tacos!! Hm. It might be their turn in the rotation again soon... you're absolutely right about the shallots!
ReplyDeleteWe had a lovely weekend, though quite windy. We have a recreational trail within view (until the trees leaf out) and it's quite busy lately. Normally, we have deer in the ravine from time to time, but I think there's too much activity for them right now!
what a nice weekend and all of the nature you took in! Thanks for sharing with me :) I love turtles, when we lived in Michigan many years ago there was a cemetery we would walk that had numerous ponds filled with turtles :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness turtles! So nice to see them!
ReplyDeleteI did the big bookcase clean out on Friday. It was nice to spend some time with all those books I haven't looked at in years. I keep saying I'm going to pick a pattern from one of them but then I always end up on Ravelry.
ReplyDeleteLast week was deliciously warm, but this week it will be chilly and rainy. I can deal with rain, but I’m tired of the white, fluffy stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a good weekend with some fun walks in too. That snake! Ick! I need to go through my pattern books and get rid of a lot of them. I'll never use them so why have them take up space? Someone else might find something they love.
ReplyDeleteWe had such nice weather last week but it was cold and rainy at the lake all of Saturday and Sunday. We sat inside the trailer with the furnace on but still enjoyed ourselves.
Blessings,
Betsy
Hello, your walk sounds nice, I like all your wildlife sightings too. Especially the heron and turtles, the snake not so much. I hope the birds were able to use your yarn, we used to put out our dog's hair. She used to shed a lot, the birds loved using her hair in their nest. It is a beautiful day today, we just got back from a walk. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteLove those turtles! I spotted a yellow finch this morning! Such a cheering sight!
ReplyDeleteHow nice to put all the colorful thread out for the birds ... and enjoy those walks. Like Dee says, I think this bit of lovely weather is gonna be short-lived!
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing your bread, I've already made a loaf for my family. I can't believe how easy it was, and everyone enjoyed!
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