Monday, January 3, 2022

Weekending

 Good Morning!

Whew!  I can't believe it is 8:40 a.m. and I just got up!  I can't remember the last time I slept till after 8 a.m.  Happy New Year!  How are you?  How was your weekend?

Our weekend was filled with rain.  I did manage to stay up till midnight on New Year's Eve.  I went upstairs to bed at 11:30 and then sat up and read till midnight.  Colin tells me that counts!  Ha!  There were not as many fireworks as usual, which is fine with me (not a fan).  And the weekend was a soggy one - misty rain both days and mild temps.  Today is colder...I think the forecast high is only 30 (yesterday it was above 60).  I even saw the snow symbol on the weather map for today, but so far nothing.

Anyway, I didn't do much other than lay around, knit, stitch and read.  Just what I wanted to do.  Oh, and napped and cooked.  That is enough.  Last night I watched 3 hours of TV which is unheard of for moi.  First we watched the start of "Around the World in 80 Days" on Masterpiece Theatre.  This is a book (by Jules Verne) that Fletch and I had read after dinner.  The program was good.  Then we watched the James Taylor/Carole King concert on CNN.  Oh my!  The songs - so many, many memories wrapped up in those songs.  I remember first hearing James Taylor in the summer of 1970.  I was hanging around my brother's apartment in Ithaca (feeling so grown up) and then heading to Vermont to see my new boyfriend.  My friend Leslie and I played "Tapestry" over and over again - it's a wonder we didn't wear out the vinyl.

One thing I did do this weekend was look through the book where I keep a record of what I read and what I made.  Both kind of surprised me this year.  On the reading end of things I read a total of 71 books (and 44 of those I rated 4 stars or above!!).  Way up from my reading slump year(s) (in 2020 I read 30 books and in 2019 I read 26 books).  Fletch and I read 7 of them together after dinner.

  • 5 stars:        9
  • 4.5 stars:    4
  • 4 stars:        31
  • 3.5 stars:    15
  • 3 stars:        10
  • 2.5 stars:        2

We haven't read together after dinner for some time now.  I'd like to get back to that, but the last couple of books we picked have not been good and we kind of fell out of the practice.

Stitching-wise, I finished 6 pieces.

Knitting-wise I knit 17 items!

  • One Hat (a gift)
  • 7 socks (5 were gifts)
  • 2 cowls (1 gift)
  • One scarf (gift)
  • 1 pair of fingerless mitts (gift)
  • 3 dish cloths
  • One French Market Bag (really too small though)
  • One swatch (gift - my friend Carol wanted a swatch she would put things on to photograph for her Etsy shop

I don't make goals for any of these things, but I do enjoy looking back at what I have done in a year.

In other big news, Mabel is now going outside on her own!!  Woo-Hoo!  She is loving it and so are we.  She is calmer and not bouncing off the walls now.  She comes in and takes a long nap - LOL.  Pretty much she is sticking on the patio.  She watches the birds and explores all the crap stuff that someone has on the patio.  We have some boats hanging from the ceiling (a kayak and two guideboats) and she has had fun getting into them and looking around (and coming out covered in cobwebs!).  Now we just need to get her to give up her litter box!

OK, time for another cup of Joe and to wake up.  Thankfully today is a work holiday for me.  Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

PS  Forgot to mention that my brother and his family in Colorado are all safe.  Phil and Lynnette did not have to evacuate.  Vera & Kabir and family did evacuate, but their house was spared and they went home after one night away.  Now they have a foot of snow on the ground!  Thank you all for the good wishes for them.  So many were not as fortunate as they were.


14 comments:

  1. You had a great year in reading, stitching, and knitting! Not that goals or numbers matter at all, but it sounds like you enjoyed it all. That's what counts! It sounds like you are doing well with Mabel and I hope that continues. I'm also glad that your brother and family are safe. With 1,000 homes lost, the devastation is brutal.

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  2. Glad to hear that getting out for a bit = a calmer Mabel.

    Also glad to read that your family made out okay.

    Here's to EVERYONE having a calmer and better 2022.

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  3. Isn’t it fun to look back an see all that you accomplished without setting specific goals? And happy to hear that your family is safe from the fires. That was a horrific thing to see.

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  4. Wow, you did a lot in 2021! I'm so glad Mabel is settling into her essential Mabel-ness!

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  5. It is fun to look back. I haven't done it in a few years and I enjoyed combing through all my old photos of the things I did last year.

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  6. I started keeping track of my goals and projects in 2021 but somewhere in the move it all got forgotten. I have started afresh for this year.
    I'm glad Mabel is enjoying outside time and still remembers where home is. Such a good girl.
    Wonderful family news. We know one family who were church friends years ago before we both moved to different areas and kind of lost touch. They lost everything. House, cars, camper and all belongings. She says the worst is medications and photos. So sad.
    Enjoy your day off Vera.
    Blessings and hugs,
    Betsy

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  7. Good new all around! I'm glad the new year was enjoyable and relaxing and that everyone in Colorado is safe. Also glad to hear that Mabel is getting more comfortable outside; with any luck, she'll get into mischief out there and leave everything inside alone.

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  8. I’m thrilled that you had a leisurely morning and a relaxing weekend, and especially pleased that your Colorado family is safe after a harrowing weekend. Your sweet Mabel is growing up.

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  9. So happy your Co. fami1y is fine. That was so frightening. You are a great knitter. 7 pairs of socks. Hmmmmmmm....friends of Dee....hee hee

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  10. I am breathing a sigh of relief that your family is all okay in CO, but yes... seeing photos of the devastation on the news has just been stunning. Mind-boggling almost.

    And YAY for Mabel! That is wonderful news!

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  11. Whew! I am glad to read your family in CO is safe and sound. This must have been the day for sleeping in. I did the same thing. I blame it on the cold here. We had a weekend of bitter temps. You had an interesting reading and making year.

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  12. Well you were clearly busy with your reading and knitting last year!

    I'm so glad your family members are safe, that's the best news of all.

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  13. I can't wait to watch Around the World in 80 Days! I just love that story. We read the novel (en Français) in my high school French class and it was so much fun. I have great memories . . . :-) And I'm also eager to watch the Carole King and James Taylor concert! Like you, I nearly wore my copy of Tapestry out. So glad your relatives are safe and whole. XO

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  14. Minus a few ripples, you had a very good year!!!

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