Unraveled Wednesday June 29, 2022

 Good Morning All,

Here we are mid-week already and end-of-month.  As everyone is saying, June has rushed by.

Yesterday was a beautiful day here.  Delightfully cooler and less humid.  The bathrooms were cleaned and jam was made prior to lunch!  And that even included an unexpected trip to the grocery store for more canning jars, sugar and blueberries.  No blueberries to be found, so some raspberries were subbed.

The only thing is, it does not appear that the jam "set."  When I tilt a jar it is a bit runny.  I had hoped they would firm up over night, but nope.  But, as I said to Fletch, if it is too runny to put on toast or a bagel, it will most likely be delicious spooned over vanilla ice cream.  Now I need to make some ice cream - maybe in time for the 4th of July!!

The lack of setting is a bit perplexing as I used a recipe I have made in the past with success.  The right amount of sugar, the right amount of pectin, the correct amount of fruit and water.  A mystery.

Meanwhile, it's time to link up with Kat and the other Merry Unravelers to talk making and reading.  If you read my post yesterday, you know that a lot of my time in the past week or so was spent on the Adam & Eve sampler.  Still, I managed to do a little bit of knitting.

First up, Nai Nai's Favorite dishcloth knit in KnitPicks CotLin yarn (a blend of cotton and linen):

The color is Conch and is gorgeous.  And, this has already been put to use and pronounced "wonderful" by Fletch!  It is much lighter than the cloths I've made from Sugar and Cream - easier to grasp and wring out.  Bonus:  it did not bother my hands to knit with this yarn.

Next up, some things in progress:

Fletcher's first Cafe Au Lait sock is through the heel flap and ready for the magical heel turn.  And, a second dishcloth has been started - this one in scrubby yarn in tropical colors.  Scrubby yarn dishcloths may be nice for washing dishes, but the yarn is definitely hard on my hands.  I will not be buying more of this yarn!

Reading has been a bit slow the past week or two.  I did finish Copper River by William Kent Krueger and it was ok...not my favorite in the series (or maybe I'm just tired of the series?).  Likewise, I am now about 100 pages to the finish of "Necessary as Blood" by Deborah Crombie - part of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series.  I will finish it, but will hold off on picking up more in this series.

Has anyone read Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson?  I had read reviews which looked good and borrowed it from the library, but just can't seem to get into it.  I may just return it today.  There are a couple of books that came in for me yesterday, so I will stop and pick them up.

I've a busy morning ahead of me.  I'm running into the office for a brief visit - I have some things I'd like to print in color for myself and I should check the mail.  I'll make a run to Trader Joe's from the office...and pick up wine...then to the library and home.

Be sure to check out Kat's blog to get inspired by what everyone is making and reading.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday June 28, 2022

 Good Morning!

How are you this Tuesday morning?  The air here is cooler (thankfully) this morning - yesterday was sticky all day long.  If you just sat doing nothing, it was ok, but the moment you moved to do anything, prickly heat would set in.  I opted for not doing much other than chopping vegetables and then making a stir fry for dinner.  That was enough!

As hinted at yesterday, Adam & Eve finally showed up!  And, in fact, the Adam and Eve sampler is now finished.  Woo-Hoo!

And here's a close up of the couple:

I don't really care for their "cover-ups," but I am very glad to have this piece finished!  First Adam showed up and stood to close to the tree.  I had to remove him and re-stitch.  The whole bottom section where A&E are standing was fiddly (and annoying) to stitch.

This has now been tucked away in the drawer of finishes and a new start happened on Sunday!  I decided to stitch "Simply Live" by the Primitive Needle.  I like the sentiment on this one ("Live Simply That Others May Simply Live") and thought it appropriate for this day and age.  Here's a snap of the cover photo of the chart:

And here is my start on it:

I am using 40 count porcelain linen and a mixture of DMC and Gentle Arts threads (using one strand of thread going over two linen threads).  The 40 count is much easier than I had thought it would be.  The variety of colors in this piece is particularly appealing to me after the (mostly) red and green of the A&E sampler.

Naturally I have picked out a second sampler to work on, but have not yet started that so will wait to share.  And, by the time I decide to start a second piece I may change my mind and pick a different one anyway!

I've a busy day ahead of me.  Today is our "cool" day per the forecast.  It should not get out of the 70's, so I plan to make a batch of bluebarb jam today.  I also have to clean the bathrooms, wash towels and bathrugs, etc.  The domestic chores never seem to end.  Hopefully work will not be crazy.

I'm Back

 Good Morning Everyone,

How are you?  I'm doing well and believe my little break was just what the doctor ordered.  I slept a lot.  Like several nights for 9 hours with 2 hour naps in the afternoon.  I sneezed so much and felt like I should take out stock in Puffs or Kleenix.  Poor Mabel was also sneezing up a storm!  And, she often was as lazy as me.

Feeling much better by last Thursday and Friday, I did meet up with Dee for our usual therapy session on Saturday and that felt so good!  I read a few blogs, but not all and did not comment.  It was so nice to have a computer break (work was thankfully light).  I will be *trying* to catch up on blogs today.  And I did some knitting and stitching and a little reading - more about that later in the week.

Last night we did catch Episode 2 of Season 8 of Endeavour (Fletch watched the first episode last Sunday, but I was unable to keep my eyes open!).  Anyone else watching?  I can't believe they are filming Season 9 which will be the final season.  Such a good show!

Today will be spent catching up, doing some laundry and, of course, work.  I believe our temps should moderate a bit by tomorrow (rain today), so I plan to make some bluebarb (blueberry & rhubarb) jam then.  Making jam can be hot business, so I'm tryng to choose the "coolest" day to do so.

Meanwhile, this morning has been crazy buzy work-wise which does not bode well for the week ahead.  I'd best hop to it!  I'll be back tomorrow with a TNT update (hint - A&E showed up!!!).

A Little Break

 Good Morning,

Just popping in to say I'm taking a little break.  All is well...simply battling a nasty cold/allergies that has zapped my energy.  I'll be back in a bit.

One thing I did want to share.  A few weeks back, the lemon on our tree (house plant) dropped off when I was watering plants.  It was still rather hard, so I stuck it on the platter of fruit we have on the buffet and let it sit.  The other night when I was fixing salmon I decided to use it.  Yum!  It was wonderful!!  Tart and juicy.

Friday Felines

Good Morning,

Advice from a cat:  Sometimes the only thing to do is sprawl out on the pavement!

As I've mentioned, Mabel loves to be around us when we are sitting on the patio and she will usually plop down where either my feet or Fletcher's will be.  Yesterday I had gotten up to walk out to the apple tree - I pinched off the flower on a coleus, and then Mabel wandered out.  I showed her (again) the catnip plant and rubbed the leaves on my hands and her face.  Finally she got interested and started chewing on the plant.  Funny, she does not seem interested in it unless I show it to her and rub the leaves.

At one point a beautiful, young deer joined us in the yard.  He/she did not seem all that afraid - of either us or Mabel and Mabel, after staring intently at the deer, went back to munching on the catnip.  The deer wandered off after a bit.

I have two conference calls this morning - one at 8:30 and one at 11.  They should both go fairly quickly.  And I remembered yesterday that Monday is a holiday for me - Juneteenth!  Woo-Hoo, a long weekend with plenty of time to stitch and knit and read.  I have plans to meet Dee tomorrow which will be nice.  Our weather continues it's roller coaster ride.  Yesterday was fairly pleasant.  Today will be warmer but then Saturday the high is only forecast for the 60's.  

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a lovely weekend - have some fun!

What's for Dinner?

 Good Morning,

It is the wee hours here in Eastern PA...not yet 6 a.m.  I woke to strong thunderstorms around 4:30 and by 5:15 I was up and washed and coming downstairs to put the coffee on.  It helps that I slept much better last night.

I mentioned that while Colin was here we grilled some portobello mushroom caps for dinner one night.  Wow!  I love stuffed portobellos, but these grilled "burgers" were simply the best, so I thought I would share the recipe.  They were super easy and super fast.

Marinated Portobello Mushroom Burgers

• 2 TBS EVOO
• 2 TBS Soy Sauce
• 1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• freshly cracked pepper
• 2 Portobello Mushroom Caps

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and scrape out the gills (you can leave the gills if you like, but they kind of creep me out - lol).  Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl.  (We were grilling 4 large caps, so I doubled the marinade ingredients.)

Place the mushroom caps in a shallow dish and pour some of the marinade on them.  Flip and repeat.  Let them marinate for roughly 30 minutes.

Get your grill going and then grill the caps for about 7 minutes per side.  You want them to be soft and to have released most of their liquid.

Serve on buns with your favorite burger toppings.  We had garden lettuce, red onion slices, tomato slices and some avocado.  I used a little BBQ sauce on mine, but Fletch and Colin had theirs without.

DELICIOUS!!

There was one left that Fletch had for lunch a couple of days later and he said it was still yummy.

Looks like we will be having more rain very soon.  I'd best get to work running my Thursday reports before we have a chance of losing power!  Have a great Thursday.

Unraveled Wednesday June 15, 2022

 Good Morning,

Mid-week and mid-June.  It doesn't seem possible.  Yesterday ended up being very nice after the early morning sprinkles and thunder.  But, I stayed in and did some domestic chores (dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing the kitchen floor) - not as fun as getting out for a walk, but necessary evils.  There are times I think the house is dustier in the winter with the heat on and then there are days like yesterday and I swear it is so dusty due to windows being open.  There is still an awful lot of pollen out there.

I've mentioned before that most days around 4 p.m. you can find Fletch and me sitting on the patio.  We watch and listen to the birds, play with Mabel and chat a bit.  Lately our senses have been overwhelmed with the scent of honeysuckle.

There is quite a bit of it around the (dead) clothesline tree and in our hedge at the side yard.  Yesterday we noticed that our 7 Sisters Rose has opened as well.

This rose is one that was growing at Nanno's (Fletcher's grandmother) house in Suffolk, VA.  Fletcher's Mom took cuttings and had it growing in her yard in Norfolk.  Then she gave us cuttings and now we have it growing here.  The roses are small and not fragrant, but they sure are pretty.

It's going to be pretty warm today.  I had thought about going into the office (check mail, etc.), but I can't get motivated to do that.  LOL  I think I will wait till next week.

And here we are at Wednesday.  Specifically Unraveled Wednesday where like minded folks link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Kat is actually taking a bit of a break this week, so I'm not linking per se, but I do have two new starts to show!!  Woo-Hoo.

First up is a new dishcloth...at the halfway mark.

The pattern is Nai Nai's Favorite (Nai Nai is Chinese for Grandmother) and I really like it.  The pattern is free on Ravelry.  I'm using KnitPick's Cotlin (a cotton/linen blend) which is knitting up so nicely.  Not as rough on my hands like Sugar and Cream can be.  This particular color is Conch (it looks a bit washed out in the photo).

I have also started a new pair of socks for Fletch.

Just starting the leg.  Using the free pattern Hermione's Everyday Socks.  The yarn is some I picked up at a Festival - either Allentown or New Jersey.  It is Youghiogheny Highlands Festival - a 2 ply tweed yarn that is 85% superwash Merino and 15% NEP.  What is NEP?  I have no clue.  But, the yarn is very nice to knit with and this particular colorway is Cafe Au Lait.  I love the blips of blue, pink and yellow that appear.  More importantly, Fletch likes the yarn!  I don't think the pattern will really show with this yarn, but it's a pattern that feels good on the leg.

On the reading side of things, I finished two books.  First up is Island of the Blue Dolphins.  After finishing this I'm pretty sure I never read it as a kid.  Fletch and I read it after dinner and we both enjoyed it - reminded us of Hatchet by Gary Paulsen in some ways.

The second finish was Meet Me At The Museum by Anne Youngson.  She wrote "The Narrowboat Summer" which a number of us read last year.  Meet Me At The Museum is written as a series of letters between two people and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was a good, light read (especially nice after Mungo!!).

I decided to pick up on some of the mystery series I started reading last year, so I just started "Copper River" by William Kent Krueger.  This is in the Cork O'Connor series which I enjoyed a lot last year.  Copper River is taking me a little longer to get into, but the writing is good.

That's it for this Wednesday.  Work emails are flying in as I type this, so it's time for me to pour another cup of coffee and get to work.  Hope this finds everyone doing well.

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 Good Morning!

How are you this morning?  I'm still a bit on the lazy side, not fully awake, sipping coffee.  The sky was very rosy about half an hour ago when I first looked out the bedroom window.  I have not yet looked at the weather app on my phone, but the blurb at the bottom of my computer screen says "rain off and on" so I guess it will be that kind of a day.

Fletch has an appointment for one of our cars to go in for inspection.  We've driven so little, I'm hoping we can avoid the emissions inspection and save a little $$.  He will be gone most of the morning.  I may do some laundry.  I may do some cleaning.  I know I have some work to do, and there are a couple of bills that came in yesterday to be paid.  Maybe I'll just sit and knit.  Or stitch.

Speaking of such, it is TNT or Tiny Needle Tuesday.  I really thought by now the tree would be complete and Adam & Eve would have shown up.  But nope!  An All Points Bulletin may be issued for the missing A&E before too long.

You can see (click to enlarge) that the upper part of the tree has been filled in and there are more apples just hanging around in the air - like a juggler threw them up and they have yet to come down.  There is still much to be filled in here:  the lower part of the tree and the evil serpent; the missing A&E; and then there is a whole bottom section.  I am still enjoying stitching this and (obviously) feel no rush.  But, it sure is taking longer than I thought it would!

I need some more coffee to help me wake up.  Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Weekending

 Good Morning!

It is grey and wet here...we had rain yesterday and again last night.  I think it is supposed to stop soon, but it matches my feeling which is very, very lazy.

Friday ended up being a much longer work day than I had anticipated or hoped for - long as in I was still doing some work at 8 p.m.  Not good!  But Saturday we got up, met Colin & Mailing and drove into the city for Dim Sum at Ocean Harbor which was both fun and tasty.  We arrived early (the restaurant doesn't open till 10 a.m.), so we walked around Chinatown a bit.  It had been a long time - years - since I had been in the city.

We were pretty worn out when we got home.  Both Fletch and I took naps in the afternoon and we both ended up sleeping 9 hours Saturday night!  It felt great.  I even had a 2 hour nap Sunday afternoon.  I just felt out of it all day and couldn't wake up.

The weekend provided a little opportunity for knitting and stitching.  I picked out yarns to make some dishcloths.

I'm in need of some - several of the ones I had been using ended up in my "rag bag" for scrubbing floors.  Hopefully I will get to start one today.

The kids are back in Texas now.  Their flight home last night was delayed, but Colin texted me around 12:30 that they had just landed in Austin.  They are looking forward to a few months with no weddings!  LOL  We won't see them again till they come up in October for a local wedding.

Here's to the week ahead.  Mine feels as though it is off to a slow start, but it should pick up some.  How was your weekend?

Catching Up on a Friday Morning

 Hello and Good Morning!  TGIF!!!

Well, yesterday certainly got away from me...and was much busier in so many ways than I expected or wanted.  Such is life.

I did not sleep well Wednesday night.  Not at all.  Just one of "those" nights.  We had storms and the rain sounded nice.  The thunder was in the distance and it was a bit windy.  None of that really bothered me (I love hearing rain as I fall asleep), but I was just restless.  In the morning I first saw this visitor:

Sorry for the crap picture, but it was the best I could get before he ran off (assuming he is a he).  He was in our driveway and when I opened the door to our patio for Mabel to come in he came around to the back by the picnic table.  He has a very large head and reminds me of a feral cat we had on our property years ago.  That feral and his sister I named Cheech and Chong (LOL).  Cheech was never that friendly, but she did give birth (in our cellar window well) to 3 gorgeous kitties - one of which was Maestro, our calico.  Chong, however, was a love bug.  When the ferals disappeared, I missed them.  I'm curious to see if this guy above comes back and curious to find out if he has a home in the neighborhood (hoping).

The other thing I saw when I opened the patio door for Mabel was this:

Looking straight back (my target for archery is in the back).  And, looking from the back towards the neighbor's house:

A big chunk of our dead tree came down - thankfully in our yard and not the neighbor's.  This is the tree that my clothesline is tied to.  It has been dead for a number of years.  The greenery is all the massive trumpet vines encircling the tree (we joke that the vines are what are holding the tree upright).  Fletcher ended up having a different day than he thought he would have.  It took some time to cut up the limbs and cart stuff out to our woods.

All of this (the visitor and spotting the fallen tree limbs) was at 5 a.m.  By 5:30 I had poured a cup of coffee and was busy working on my Thursday financial reports for work.  I had to leave the house by 7:45 for a doctor's appointment and wanted to get the reports finished and emailed before I left.  success!!  And a good doctor's visit (my 6 month check up with the dermatologist - no spots of bother - yay!!).

The balance of the day was spent working (busy again) and fixing another vegan meal as Colin was coming for dinner.  Mailing was busy with her work-mates again.  It was very windy all day and still a little windy after dinner, but we managed to have another fire.

I was also surprisingly chilly - I wore a sweatshirt all evening!  Mabel of course was around and ran up the apple tree.  Once again the wrens were so busy scolding her and she talked right back to them!  Here she is as she started to come down the tree.  Such a pretty girl!

When we came inside, I saw this pretty moth on the kitchen wall.

I have no idea what kind it is, but the markings are so pretty.  He/She is still in the same spot on the kitchen wall this morning.

This ended up being a long-winded post.  I am so ready for the weekend (and Dim Sum tomorrow!!).  First I need to get through 2 conference calls (one at 10 and one at 12), then my weekend can begin.  Here's wishing everyone a lovely weekend - enjoy!!

Unraveled Wednesday 6/8/22

 Hello and Good Morning!

Yesterday's work BBQ turned out to be a lovely event!  Longer than I expected, but very nice.  The food was excellent:  a raw bar, some shrimp cocktail, little cheesesteak eggrolls, jalapeno poppers, bowls of fresh fruit and then set up outside the usual BBQ fare:  Caesar salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, Mexican street corn, hot dogs, burgers, ribs, chicken, black bean burgers and all the fixings to go on top.  Dessert was make your own sundaes with Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  The tables were beautifully decorated with black and white checked tablecloths and each table had a centerpiece:

Gorgeous flowers!  Everyone received a spot bonus and in addition, I won a $200 gift card in a raffle!  I'd say it was a good day - LOL

Bobby said in no unclear terms that he has no intention of bringing everyone back to the office full time.  YAY!!  The whole "working at home" thing is working out perfectly.  He will probably bring us together quarterly for these "events" which would be nice.  We are stuck with our lease until 2024, but after that they will most likely downsize considerably and move to a smaller location (I don't plan to be working by then anyway).

And that, my friends, brings us to Wednesday morning and Unraveled Wednesday where we link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Much to my surprise and delight, I have a finish to share!!

My Guernsey Wrap is finished.  Not blocked yet (obviously), but bound off and ends woven in.  I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to block it!  Right now it measures about 14.5" by 65" and the instructions are to block to roughly 18.5" by 85" which is pretty large!  The bind off was a new one to me.  I did the recommended Sewn bind off which was easy, fast and reminded me of the Kitchener stitch.

I absolutely love this piece.  Knit in Wool of the Andes yarn by KnitPicks (colorway is Mink Heather), it is so soft around my neck.  I know this will be in use constantly come winter - perfect for wrapping around my shoulders in my home office.

I also finished a book!  Surprise, surprise.  I read Olympus Texas by Stacey Swann.  This novel takes place over a span of several days - maybe a week? and the lives of everyone are upended and torn apart.  The book was entertaining, though at times I felt like I was reading Peyton Place - LOL.  There were places where it dragged a bit for me, but overall it was a quick read...a good summer book.

After that I started The Brother Gardeners wihch I was really looking forward to...but it was way too dry for me and I returned it to the library.  The other night I started Meet Me At The Museum and am enjoying it (only 40 pages or so in at this point).  This is by Anne Youngson who wrote "The Narrowboat Summer" which I enjoyed last year.

Well, that's a wrap for Unraveled Wednesday.  I've a bunch of chores and errands I need/want to do today in addition to the normal work stuff.  Our weather keeps shifting from sunny to cloudy - I need to see if rain is expected or not.  I'd love to get a walk in if I can.  Hope this mid-week post finds you all doing well and having a good week!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 6/7/22

 Good Morning!

A little warmer today - upper 50's this a.m..  But I don't think it will get out of the 70's today and there is a slight chance of rain later in the afternoon.  I'll be heading to the office in a bit - Mike and Kevin are both in for budget meetings...Lisa's meeting is later in the week and Bruce had his last week because he flew to Ireland yesterday!  And, there is a BBQ at work today.  Our office building has a rather large lobby area with patio space outside.  I'm not sure who is catering this picnic, but it's sure to be good.

We had the nicest evening yesterday.  Colin came over for dinner (corn & black bean salad and grilled portobello mushrooms which were fantastic!!) and stayed until after 10 p.m.  It was the perfect evening for a fire (we even had light jackets on!!).  Mabel kept us company.  For awhile she was in the apple tree and the wrens who are attempting to raise young were scolding her.  Sweet Mabel was talking right back to those wrens - LOL.  Then she was on the ground by the garden in her sphinx position - guarding her domain.  A fox ran by, but she paid no attention and fortunately did not give chase!  I failed to take any pictures, I was just so intent on soaking up every moment with young son!

I have a very small update on the Adam & Eve sampler.  A&E have still not made an appearance.  There is only the very beginning of the apple tree - a bit of trunk, a small branch or two and some apples - at least one of which appears to just be hanging in the air!

Hopefully there will be more progress this week.  I realized that an entire week went by with no stitching or knitting for me.  Unbelievable and unacceptable - LOL.  I was just so busy with work that I didn't have the time or energy to do very much in the evenings.  I'm planning to remedy that this afternoon and evening and again tomorrow.  C&M have plans for tonight and tomorrow night with friends.  Colin will be back for dinner on Thursday (Mailing has work plans that night).  Saturday we are all (us, C&M, Mailing's sister and parents) going in town for Dim Sum.  I'm excited - I love Dim Sum and we have not had that in a couple of years!  And then the kids fly back to TX on Sunday.

Time to pour another cup of coffee and try to wake up some.  

Weekending 6/6/22

 Good Morning!

Hard to believe, but it is in the low 50's here this morning.  It actually feels chilly when I open the patio door.  The weekend was just lovely and not filled with many chores at all.

Friday I managed to get a walk in right after lunch.  I headed over to the canal trail and did the length (just around 3.3 miles up and back).  My back bothered me a little bit on the way back, so I need to pay attention and maybe take a day off from walking after 2 good walks.  We'll see.  A lovely blue heron flew up just as I crossed over the bridge about halfway down the trail.  It was headed to the Schuylkill River and I watched it as it turned to fly up over the river.  So graceful.

I noticed this sign on my way back:

And then a few minutes later this guy hopped over my foot (and, yes, I did jump!!).

Must be a good year for toads!

Saturday morning I met up with Dee at the local Farmers' Market.  After getting some produce we headed towards the local coffee shop (Backyard Beans), but apparently there was some festival going on and it was very crowded.  So, we headed to a Starbucks near my house...and the cafe was closed.  The drive through was open, but you could not sit inside.  We finally headed to yet a third place where we were able to go in, have some coffee and sit and knit and chat.

Sunday was filled with some errands.  But, the best news is that Colin and Mailing flew up from Austin yesterday!  They are here for a whole week.  They're both working and have plans to see friends, etc., and they have a wedding to attend Friday night, but we will get to see them some.  Last night we did see Colin briefly and dropped off one of our cars for him to use this week.  They have a rental car, but Mailing will be using that to get to her office.  Tonight Mailing has plans with work buddies and Colin will be over for dinner.  I already have a vegan meal planned!!

This little girl has been underfoot all weekend.  She can't seem to get close enough to us at times.  Last night after dinner I saw her stretched out by the bathtub upstairs - one of her favorite hangouts.

Well, time to pour another cup of coffee and get motivated for the work day.  I have a conference call at 10 and I think that's all I have going on today.  My plan is to walk after lunch and (hopefully) clean the bathrooms this morning.  Here's hoping you have a good start to your week!

TGIF

 Good Morning,

Just popping in briefly to say Happy Weekend!  Whew but it has been a week.  There have been work issues with which to deal, but thankfully I stayed away from the office all week!

I did get out to walk yesterday after lunch, but it was not such a pleasant time.  I drove to the River Trail in Valley Forge Park which is usually a favorite of mine.  However, there was an awful lot of standing water alongside...and even in...the trail.  And, because of the standing water it was very buggy.  It was also terribly muggy.  I walked about 3.56 miles, so 9/10 of a mile shorter than the day before and that was more than enough.  I could just abour wring out my tee shirt when I got back to my car.  The only wildlife I saw were 4 other humans, one dog, a toad I almost stepped on (it was under a leaf on the trail) and a rather large vole that ran across the trail in front of me (making me jump).

This little sweet thing (here looking for a kitty treat) needs to have another application of Front Line put on her.  We were going to do that yesterday, but strong storms rolled in during the late afternoon and we don't like to put that stuff on her if it will rain - don't want it to wash off.  So, most likely she will get it later today.

I like this shot of her mostly in the shadows, but the front of her face in the light.

Briefly I thought I might walk early this morning, but it looks a little threatening out there right now and I woke up (late) very stiff this morning.  Maybe after my coffee settles in and my joints loosen up a bit.  I do have one conference call at 11 today, so I need to be here for that.

Weekend plans include meeting up with Dee at the Lansdale Farmers Market and then heading to a local coffee shop to sip and knit (hopefully outside!!).

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a wonderful weekend - enjoy!!

What's for Dinner? 6/2/22

 Good Morning!

It's cooler this morning and damp.  Rain is on the way and will be here shortly.  The coolness is a relief, the dampness is making me feel all stiff.  Before I get into food, I want to share a bit of my walk yesterday.

I walked the trail in Oaks early (was walking before 8:30 a.m.).  It was simply lovely.  There were a number of people out and about but it was not crowded by any means.  I felt so good (both my back and my feet) that I managed to walk 4.46 miles!!!  I use the "Map My Walk" app.  I'm finally getting back to my pre-back issues distances which thrills me.  I came across this cute family:

I guess maybe two families since there are 4 adults and many babies.  So cute.  Then I saw this guy on the Perkiomen Creek.  He was really moving along fast.

The air smelled so sweet and there were a number of "weeds" in bloom,

And at one point the ground was littered with these blooms.  Not sure what they are and the only thing in the general vicinity was a tree with white blooms high up.  Does anyone recognize this?

My guess is that the weather will keep me from walking today, but I've got a busy work morning anyway.

Last night we had cold shrimp for dinner along with a salad made with fresh green beans, red onions and tomatoes dressed with EVOO, red wine vinegar and S&P.  Yum.  I also cooked the bamboo shoots.  They were AWFUL!!  LOL  I guess I need a demonstration from Bonnie on how to cook them properly.  I did what she said (par-boiled then stir-fried in oil with garlic and ginger).  I'll be seeing her in another week and maybe can figure out what I did wrong.

Meanwhile I made a new-to-us salad over the weekend that we absolutely loved.  It was so fresh, refreshing, crisp, etc.

Chimichurri Chickpea Salad

Chimichurri

• ·         ½ C chopped fresh parsley
• ·         ¼ C chopped fresh cilantro
• ·         ¼ C olive oil
• ·         2 TBS red wine vinegar
• ·         1 clove garlic, minced
• ·         ½ tsp dried oregano
• ·         ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ·         1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• ·         ¼ tsp salt

 Add everything together and stir to combine.

 Notes: 

·         I thought I had fresh parsley, but couldn’t locate it in the frig…used dried…found the fresh parsley 2 days later – LOL

·         I used fresh oregano (thank you Rob – our neighbor)

 Salad

• ·         2 15 oz cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
• ·         1 pint grape tomatoes

 First of all, I roughly halved the recipe (there are only two of us here).

Slice the grape tomatoes in half (I quartered them because honestly, some of them are HUGE).  Put chickpeas and tomatoes in large bowl.  Add the chimichurri and stir to combine.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat (up to 4 days).

 The original recipe calls for 2 oz of feta crumbled in with the tomatoes and chickpeas.  However, I’m probably the only person on the planet who does not like Feta.  At all.  I don’t like cheese in my salads.  I don’t like cheese on my meat.  I know…it’s ok if you disagree with me…just don’t make me eat the cheese – LOL

 Meanwhile, this salad was really delicious and very refreshing.  I will be definitely making it again.

I think that's a wrap for me today.  I just heard thunder and I need to get working on my Thursday reports before the really heavy storms roll in.  Wishing you a great Thursday!

June Has Arrived!

 Good Morning!

Thanks so much for all the nice anniversary wishes.  We had a quiet day which is fine with us.  It was hot.  And muggy.  I had a lot of work to do, so I never managed to get out and walk.  Maybe early today.

So, May flew by and here is June.  My guess is that soon I will be waving goodbye to June as well.  Time seems to be zooming.  It's Wednesday and time for linking up with Kat and friends for Unraveled Wednesday where we all talk about making and reading.  But, my knitting looks the same as last week and my reading is pretty much the same as last week too, so I am skipping an Unraveled post.  Instead there will be a miscellaneous mish-mash of things at Chez Threaded Lane today.

As we have been getting older, both Fletch and I are slower to bend over and pick up things or do things.  He recently came up with a great idea for his gardening hobby.  He had an auger and bought an extension to it...hooked the extension up to a power drill and voila!  He can stand (or sit on a stool) put the tip of the auger in the dirt and turn the drill on.  The next thing you know, he has a neat hole for planting a flower, or herb or vegetable or whatever!

The man with his tool.  He loves it and he's been planting a lot!!

One thing planted the other day was some catnip under the apple tree.

At first Mabel was not that interested, but I rubbed the leaves on my fingers and then let her smell my hand and the next thing we knew she was nosing around the plant and enjoying it.  My aunt used to grow catnip in her garden.  She had a wooden box with a screen in place of the bottom.  She would place that over her catnip and her cats would lounge on top of the screen and have catnip dreams all day long.  LOL

Speaking of Mabel...yesterday afternoon I looked out and she was on the patio playing with a snake...AGAIN.  That makes 4 this year so far.  I was not amused or pleased.  I managed to get Fletch out there and he took the snake out to our woods.  He did say it was barely alive which I feel badly about...but I also don't want snakes on my patio.  It's too warm to be wearing my wellies all the time!

I wrote about getting new sneakers over the weekend and both pairs have ended up being great!  Since the canal path was so crowded on Sunday, I opted to walk in Oaks on Monday.  There were a number of folks out and about, but it was not as busy/crazy as the canal path had been.  My feet felt so great and my back was wonderful - I walked further than I have since the back issue began.  On the way back to the car I spotted a blue heron (and a Canadian goose) at the edge of the dam.

That particular blue heron was a youngster I think.  (I saw a HUGE one on Sunday as it flew over the water.)

Originally I thought I would go to the office today, but I'm pretty much done with work at the moment (yesterday was a bear!).  Instead I think I will go for a walk early - maybe 7:30-ish or so - before the heat of the day.  I may need to go in tomorrow, but I will figure that out later.  I know that next week I will be going in Monday for a meeting and Tuesday we are having a "Welcome Summer BBQ" on the patio at work.

Don't forget to head over to Kat's to see what others are up to making and reading.  I'll be back next weekend with knitting and reading updates.