Weekending

 Hello Friends!

How are you?  Once again I find myself in ithe land of grogginess.  Here is is 8:40 a.m. and I've only had a couple sips of coffee.  In fact, I have not even been up for an hour!  Who am I?  I've always gotten up by 6 a.m. if not earlier, but recently...not so much.  I woke up at 5:30 this morning, but rolled over to "just rest" for a few minutes.  Those few minutes turned into 2.5 hours!  Oh well, I guess I needed it.

My computer says it is 44 out, but it seems milder to me.  Other than heat in the bathroom for my shower, I have not turned on any heat.  Fletch is just getting out of the shower, so I'll have to notice if he puts on heat downstairs or not.  It's another sunny day, so I am hoping to get outside a bit at some point.

The weekend was lovely...only a few work emails - nothing like the prior week or two.  I met up with Dee for a few hours Saturday morning.  As always, we laughed and laughed and did a little knitting.  Saturday was a beautiful day, so Fletch and I had a fire that night.

It was a perfect night for a fire.  A little chilly on the back side - I told Fletch I needed to be put on a spit so that I could easily rotate - LOL.  There were more visible stars than usual and it was just lovely.

We were a little worried about Mabel.  She had gotten sick Friday night - piles of puke in two places.  Got that cleaned up and she spent most of Saturday curled up in a chair sleeping on Saturday.  Then we noticed she was limping a little bit and keeping one of her hind legs off the floor when standing.  Once I told her that we would need to take her to the vet she seemed to improve.  Now she is back to running around (no limping) and consuming her usual amount (rather large quantity) of food.

Sunday was a perfectly slow and easy day.  I cleaned the bathrooms (Karyn who comes to clean our house had taken a birthday break), washed the towels and bath rugs and also the shower curtain liner and rubber mat for the tub.  Fletch grilled wings for dinner and I made biscuits and coleslaw to go with those.  I also made a yummy apple/cranberry crisp.  A taste of heaven!

I had to run out in the afternoon to pick up a prescription and on my way to CVS is a house that has a Halloween scene outside:

Fishing skeletons with an Alien between them!  Hahahaha

Happy Halloween everyone!  I need to go pour another cup of coffee!

Lemons and a Cat

 Good Morning my Friends,

October is winding down.  Yesterday was extremely windy and many of the crepe myrtle leaves are now on the ground.  Also the leaves of the red bud.

Funny about the crepe myrtle.  Fletch walked around it in the morning trying to get a good picture and noticed that on the street side (northern exposure) the leaves appeared golden (which is how I remember it from prior years).  This year, however, the side facing the house is the brilliant red - the side that gets more sun.

In the same vein I was commenting yesterday that our wisteria vine is still very green.  I thought I remembered it turning a coppery gold in the Fall.  Looking out our back bedroom window, I noticed that the top of the wisteria is brillian red!  Again, that is the patch that gets the Eastern sun.

Meanwhile, I want to show you that we now have two lemons growing on our lemon tree!  What excitement!!  

Obviously very small still, but fun.  Remember the other year we had one growing.  It fell off before ripening, but I put it on the buffet with other fruit and it gradually ripened and we used it (if I remember correctly, I used it on some salmon) and it was really good.  So, now I'm hoping for two that will mature and ripen.

And, just because it's Friday, here is a picture of Mabel this morning.  She had come in to have some breakfast and then I didn't see her.  She was curled up on one of the kitchen chairs...yawning and dozing away.  Now she is back out romping in the yard with the visiting deer!

My 10 a.m. conference call has been cancelled.  I have a call at 1 and another at 2, but I'm pretty sure I'm finished with all the bonus calculations.  Thank goodness!

And with that, I will wish you all a Happy Weekend!

The View From Here

 Good Morning!

Once again it is still dark, so who knows what the day will be like...I've heard it is supposed to be sunny which would be nice.  Yesterday was foggy all day and a bit on the damp side.  I had some misty rain on the windshield driving home from the office.

The only person I saw at the office yesterday was Des - my financial analyst for Kevin's world.  She was coming in just as I was about ready to leave.  And, as I mentioned to some of you in my reply to comments yesterday, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm beginning to see it!  My major work of late has been on bonus calculations and I should have the final piece of that wrapped up later today.  I still have other projects that are screaming for my attention, but it will be wonderful to have that piece finalized!

Meanwhile, Fall is definitely here in Eastern PA.  At times yesterday while driving to the office I felt as though I was driving through a golden tunnel.  There were beautiful trees on either side of the road and some of them had branches hanging over the road.

The colors this year are funny.  Some are very muted and rather dull, but then you turn the corner and wham!  Colors are more brilliant and saturated than ever before.  Here is a picture of our crepe myrtle in our front yard.  The blooms (white) were pretty good this year, but now it looks like it is on fire!

 Sorry about the wires, but nothing I can do about them!  Fletch and I both remember this tree as turning gold in the Fall - never a red color.  Amazing!

I passed this scene on my way to work yesterday.  This is just as you enter Valley Forge Park on Route 23.

So much moisture in the air!  This house is decorated each year for Halloween.  Last year it looked like the skeletons were having a tea party.  This year it looks like they are cooking something in a giant cauldron.

The huge skeleton in front of the chiropractor's office is out all year.  In winter it has a scarf on.  I couldn't get a picture yesterday, but now it is wearing a purple cloak and has long grey hair!  It's wonderful.  Hopefully I will drive by when no one is behind me so that I can stop to get a picture.  Yesterday traffic was too heavy.

Finally, here is the view Fletch and I see when we sit on the patio in the afternoon.  We watch all the birds (so many varieties!!) and if we are lucky, Steve the Beav may run across the back.

We've had good rain - the grass is still so green, but it is not growing quickly.  It's been 2.5 weeks since we've had the lawn mowed.  I think the mower told Fletch he usually stops by mid-November, so I'm guessing one or two more cuttings and that will be it!  You can see in the picture above that it finally cleared a bit in the afternoon.  Blue skies returned.

OK!  Time to get to work.  Have yourselves a very lovely Thursday!

Unraveled Wednesday 10/26/22

 Hello My Dear Friends,

Once again Wednesday has rolled around and it is time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers.  Kat is away on vacation, but we are all meeting up together anyway.  I was thinking, though, how lovely it would be if we could all meet up with Kat in Presque Isle along the shores of Lake Erie!!!  Food for thought my friends, food for thought.

So, off to the races to talk making and reading.  Thanks to work (my broken record) not a whole lot of knitting was done, BUT I have finished the leg of Fletcher's 2nd blue sock!

So pretty handsome - I love the flecks of lighter colors that are showing up.  I put the last row of the leg in after dinner last night.  I thought I might start - and even finish (!) - the heel flap, but alas other than an hour break to watch an episode of Poirot with Fletch, I was working until 11 p.m. last night.  Yikes!

As an aside, Fletch and I watched all (we thought) of the Poirot episodes with David Suchet a number of years ago.  Now the Allentown PBS station is airing them every Tuesday at 8 p.m.  Neither of us can remember any of the episodes so far!  And, it's great fun to watch David Suchet as Poirot - what a perfect pairing of actor and character.

Anyway, on to the reading.  I did finish Other Birds and found it to be ok.  Not great literature by any means, but it was the right thing to read at that time for me.  Like all of the author's (Sarah Addison Allen) books, this one was filled with magical realism - not my most favored genre.  But again, it was ok.  I do wish we had Dellawisps around here!

Now I'm in the midst of two books.  First up and on my nightstand is Graceland, at Last by Margaret Renkl.  I'm not far into it yet having only read the introduction and the first two essays, but I am reminded of how much I enjoy Renkl's writing.  This collection of essays was written (I believe) over a period of 4 years or so.  Each are dated at the beginning.  If you read and enjoyed "Late Migrations" by Renkl, I think you would enjoy this book as well.

When I picked up Graceland at the library, I took a turn around the shelves, and this book jumped out at me.  I had not heard of Attica Locke (the author), but since the kids are currently living in Texas, I thought I'd take a turn at reading it.  So far, it is not disappointing.  I've read about 50 pages or so and would have read more but (broken record) work got in the way.  I think she has written another book with the same TX Ranger starring in it.  I may need to look for that once I finish this one.

Fletch and I have started listening to LeVar Burton Read to Us after dinner.  We are enjoying hearing his voice and the stories have been good so far.  I need to figure out how to pick up where we left off though.  LOL  We have not yet finished a full story and the next day when I click on the story to pick up where we left off, it always starts at the beginning.

Well, that's a wrap for me.  I need to wake up and clear the fog in my head as I need to head to the office shortly.  Be sure to check out Kat's blog - she is posting even though she is on vacation - for much inspiration from her and her group of Unravelers.  Happy mid-week!

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 Good Morning My Friends,

How are you?  I am terribly groggy!  Despite waking up a couple of times in the night, I slept soundly and woke up later than usual.  So far the first sips of coffee have not kicked in.  The last week was so busy-busy-busy that I doubted I would have time to do any stitching, but as I mentioned yesterday, Sunday was a very lounging day and I managed to do a little.

First up is the funny bird from Black Bird Designs (title of the pattern:  Gathering Basket).  The beginning of the green vine has been stitched and I'm loving it.

Next up is the "Praise Loudly Blame Softly" sampler from Eileen Bennett.  The large gold acorns are now fully stitched.

Well, fully stitched except that each of those acorn caps have French or Colonial Knots to be done.  I started them several times and each time ripped them out.  The old adage "Use It or Lose It" applies here.  I used to stitch French Knots ALL the time and had no issues.  but, I have not made them in quite a number of years and my lack of practice was showing.  I'll get a scrap piece of linen and practice a bit before trying to apply them here again.

Last up is Ellen Harrison by Needle Work Press.  Being a little weary of letters, I decided to start the dividing band beneath her name.  When I did that, I realized the big red E of her name was off by one single linen thread.  Yup - it was quite noticeable and had to be fixed.  So the bottom half of that red E was frogged and replaced properly.  Then, apparently I can't count, and my white dividing band was off by a thread not once, but twice.  Ouch!  More unpicking.  I think I'm back on track now.

Click to enlarge as the white thread is so hard to see.  Or, see the close up below.

 I can tell this particular piece is going to take me some time (and it is so large!!).  The entire sampler looks like this:

Well - should keep me busy all winter!  LOL

Meanwhile, yesterday was a bit of a reprieve at work.  I did have a conference call at 2 p.m. - regarding a new database we are getting for our legal documents (contracts and the like).  True confession:  I actually dozed during the call!  Yup.  Thank goodness I don't ever have my camera on for work conference calls.

But this morning found an email waiting for me that will mean another hectic/busy week.  Bonus calculations are finished (total number I worked on:  roughly 1,700 plus over 200 exceptions).  Those payouts have now been approved and they all need to go on a separate spreadsheet for our parent company's payroll department.  It's a lot!  And, unfortunately, it is not something where I can just copy and paste.

First though, more coffee is required!  Hope your week is going well!

Weekending

 Good Morning!

It's still dark outside, so I have no idea what the day will be like.  At the bottom of my monitor I see that it is 53 degrees and partly cloudy...we'll see if that's accurate in a bit.

My weekend, thankfully, was so much nicer than last weekend!  I was not slammed with work (though I did do a little bit).  After the last two weeks (including last weekend), I needed a break!

Saturday morning I met up with Dee for our usual session of knitting, chatting, sipping and just catching up.  Since we had missed a week, it felt like forever and was so nice to get together again.  We shared cookbooks and magazines and chatted away the morning.  A little knitting was accomplished.

The day was really lovely.  After running an errand, I came home and then got some stuff ready for dinner.  I made a roast, mashed potatoes and gravy and fresh beets.  YUM!  And the house smelled so good having a beef roast in the oven.  It was such a beautiful evening that we decided to have a fire.

The wok is working out very well as a fire bowl!

Sunday dawned overcast and damp.  I made some pecan waffles for breakfast (along with both sausage and bacon) and confess that I never got dressed ALL DAY LONG!  I stayed in PJ pants and a sweatshirt and it was simply delightful.  The day was relaxed and I found time to stitch, knit and read.  Perfect!

How was your weekend?

Unraveled Wednesday 10/19/22

 Good Chilly Morning!

34 degrees here this morning.  I stood up in the middle of the night to look out the back bedroom window and wow!  The moon and the stars were so bright.  It was blindingly clear and the sky was so pretty.  (Sleep was not so pretty, so there you are.)

Today is Wednesday and before I head to the office I want to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Between the craziness at work, all the emails and phone calls, I did manage to find time to knit a few rows.  And Voila!

Fletch's first blue sock has been finished and the second one started.  I think as of last night I had completed the cuff (15 rows of 2x2 ribbing) and 15 rows of the leg.  Not too shabby a start.  I have other skeins of yarn wound and I'm itching to start some other things, but I think I'd best wait and when a few moments open up, concentrate on the second sock.

Reading has been a little slow thanks to work.  I did finish Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Not really what I was expecting - not sure what that was and not sure why I did not devour this book when it was first published.  But glad I finally got to it.  I'm now about a third of the way through Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen.  This is turning out to be the perfect book for me right now.  I don't have the brain strength to really concentrate on something and this is an easy, enjoyable read.  Like the author's other books, this one is filled with magical realism.

Well, that's a wrap for today.  My head is cold, so I need to dry my hair.  Time also for a second cup of coffee.  An office visit is in the works for me today (hopefully a short one) and I've errands to run.

Wishing you all a lovely Wednesday!

Monday Rolls Around

 Good Morning,

It is Monday and it feels like there was no weekend.  Truthfully, there wasn't.  I worked ALL weekend.  

Yes, I came up for air now and then, but not much.  It's the season work-wise.  End of one fiscal year, start of another.  Bonus calculations.  Calculations that need to be reviewed and verified.  I can't tell you how many yet because I don't know.  All calculations were to be in to me by close of business on Friday.  By Friday evening (accounting for West Coast timing) I had not received half of what should have been sent to me.  More trickled in over the weekend, but not all.

So today will be more of the same.  Most likely, the week will be more of the same.

Fletch and I are booked to get flu shots today and that's the total excitement.

More later.  Hope your week is off to a great start!

What's for Dinner?

 Good Morning!

Thank you all for your kind words and suggestion of one allergy pill or another.  I always forget that!  (I don't like taking pills if I can avoid it...growing up our pediatrician was anti-drugs unless really, really necessary.)  Anyway, I remembered to take a Zyrtec around 8 p.m. last night and I slept from 10 p.m. - 7 a.m. with NO issues!  I only woke once at 3:30 when Mabel mewed to go out and I promptly fell back asleep with no problems.  Whew!  Nine hours felt wonderful and I will admit to being a bit groggy still.

My office visit was long yesterday, but extremely productive (and bonus I came home to a clean house!).  There were more folks in the office than I had seen in a long time and I caught up with some I had not seen in months.  That was nice.  What was even nicer was that I got confirmation that it is not just me!  Work is crazier than ever and going non-stop.  No one understands why.  We never got a reprieve this summer as we usually do (busy budget season in May then a slow summer and then the pace picks up again).  Instead the pace continued to increase and now we are STILL going gangbusters.  Anyway, I was glad I went to the office as I accomplished much, much more than I would have had I stayed home.  Plus we are supposed to have rain all day today so I'd rather stay in now.

Let's talk food.  One of the things I missed while on vacation was cooking.  I know...some of you are shaking your heads.  When I was talking with my friend Carol the other night I mentioned this.  Carole is someone who does not like cooking at all and will avoid it whenever she can (hello take outs and microwave meals).  She said to me "I have no comprehension of that feeling whatsoever!"  But for me, cooking can be a meditative and creative process at the same time.  I've been cooking a lot since we got home.  I've made bread and cooked dinners and thought I would share my dinner from Tuesday night with you.

We had a bag of Brussels Sprouts in the frig and a bunch of carrots, some onions and boneless chicken thighs.  First I chopped up (halved) the sprouts, cut up the carrots and onions and mixed them all together.  I added roughly 3 garlic cloves minced and then sprinked EVOO and Balsamic vinegar over them and spread them in a (foil lined) baking pan.  Sprinkled some S&P on them as well as some freshly grated nutmeg.

Next I mixed up some EVOO, Apple Cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, S&P, paprika and a bit of sage.  I whisked all that together and then dragged the chicken thighs through it.  And placed the thighs on top of the veggies in the pan.

The pan went into a 450 degree oven for about 35 minutes.  YUM - everything tasted so good and it really did not take very long.  And, because I did remember to line the pan with foil, clean up was a breeze.

I had also been hankering for an apple pie.  Instead I decided to make a rustic tart of sorts.  Using my Mom's pastry recipe, I made some dough (enough for one pie, but I should have made a full recipe for a double crust pie or two pies).  I let that rest in the frig while I cut things up.  Two Granny Smith apples and one pear.  I rolled out the dough and put it on a (parchment paper lined) baking sheet.  Half of the apples and pears went into the center and then I sprinkled fresh cranberries on top.  I had made a mixture of half a cup of sugar some ground cloves and a couple teaspoons of corn starch and sprinkled half of that over the fruit.  Then I repeated with the balance of apples and pears, some more cranberries and the last of the sugar/cloves/corn starch mixture.  Next I folded over the edges of the pastry (trying) to bring the dough up and over the fruit.  This was when I needed more pastry!  Lastly I brushed it all with a beaten egg.

Anyway, I popped that into a 400 degree oven and after 10 minutes turned it down to 375.  After 25 minutes the tart was done!

You can see how it oozed out.  The pastry was so thin (as mentioned, I needed more).  I made some whipped cream to go with this and we each had some after the chicken dinner.

It's good to be home and cooking again!

Unraveled Wednesday 10/12/22

 Good Morning!

Another more or less fitful night last night.  I'm so congested during the sleeping hours - very annoying.  I actually sat up and read some poetry (Mary Oliver) from 1:45 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.  I was still awake after that for some time.  However, and luckily, I feel rather good right now, so I will carry on!

It's Wednesday which means linking up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Not a whole lot of knitting occurred during my vacation.  I did manage to finish the 2nd Tidal Wave sock which I showed you all on Monday.  While in Dorchester, NH with no TV and no internet, I managed to cast on the first of a new pair of socks for Fletcher one evening.  Since then I've added a bit.

The leg was mostly done in New England but the heel flap, turn and beginning of the foot have been knit since we returned.  The picture makes the yarn look dark...like black...but it is really a lovely shade of blue from Three Bunny Designs called "Bunny's Got Her Blue Jeans On."  K2P2 at the cuff (15 rows) and then the leg is K6P2 all around.  The heel is Eye of the Partridge and the foot is plain.  And, for the record, I'm using 1.5 metal needles (I really prefer wood, but metal is what I pulled out when we left PA).

Like my making, reading was almost non-existent on vacation!  That was a huge surprise to me.  I took the one "real" book I'm reading (Bel Canto by Ann Patchett), but only managed a chapter.  Fletch and I listened to our audio book (The Way Home by Mark Boyle) only one night.  I never turned on my Kindle - not even once!

I've 3 chapters left in Bel Canto (I think) and I'm anxious to wrap that up as I picked up a book from the library yesterday:  Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen.  I had requested this some months ago but the wait list was long.  I thought it might come through while we were away, but it didn't until Monday.  The reviews are good and I've enjoyed one or two or her other books.

So, no real news from me - maybe more next week!  Be sure to head over to Kat's blog to see what everyone else is making and reading.  As for me, I'm heading to the office in a bit.  I've got an awful lot to do and Karyn is coming to clean the house today...I don't want to have to stop what I'm doing and vacate my home office when she is ready to clean, so better just to be out of the way!  Since I'm heading that way I will, of course, make a stop at Trader Joe's.  I want to buy a bunch of socks somewhere too - once again my office is having a "Socktober" - collecting socks for homeless folks.

Happy Mid-Week!!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 10/11/22

 Good Morning!

How are you this fine Tuesday morning?  My sleep wasn't the best last night - I was terribly congested - there has to still be a ton of pollen out there.  But, soon the sun will be up and I believe it is supposed to be a pretty day.  I'm hoping to do laundry (again) and hang things out to dry.

Before I get into TNT and my stitching, here is our sweet girl this morning:

Mabel came upstairs while I was in the shower and patiently waited for me to get out.  Then she wanted to be fed.  After consuming food, she jumped up on the couch and curled up.  Very unusual for her.  But, yesterday was her annual check up at the Vet's and she was given 3 shots!  (rabies, distemper and feline leukemia - all necessary)  I think she is feeling a little put out and a little lazy after that.  She still weighs the same - 7 lbs, 11 oz and she was given a clean bill of health.  I'm sure she will be back to her normal self before long.

On to the stitching.  I did not take either of the samplers I had been working on with me when we went on vacation.  Instead, I found a small design in my stash from Blackbird Designs - "Gathering Basket"

I do love all of the Blackbird Designs - they are cute without being overly cutesy (in my opinion).  Anyway, I started it, but did not get very far.

The bird's legs crack me up.  I'm using DMC threads and stitching on 30 count fabric (using two threads over two linen threads...so 15 stitches to the inch).  I'll continue to stitch on this as I work on the two samplers.

Meanwhile, there was some stitching completed on the two samplers since the last time I posted about them.  First up, Ellen's colorful last name has now been stitched:

There are still a bunch of words to stitch before I get to the fun motifs in the bottom part of the sampler.  And there is still a whole lot to stitch on this one...luckily it continues to be an enjoyable piece to stitch.

The "Praise Loudly Blame Softly" sampler also had some more stitches put in it.  The green on the current band is complete and the acorns are being put in.

This, too, continues to be a fun design to stitch.

Of course, work is crazy/busy, so I'm not sure what I'll be able to work on this week.  Time will tell.

I hope everyone is having a good week.  Enjoy!!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog!

 Hello My Friends!

It's been some time, huh?  Hard to believe I was away from this space for so long...but it was a wonderful break.  Now it is good to be back.  I'll share a few pictures and tell you a little bit about our vacation, but first some thank yous.

Our neighbors, Rob and Eva, took care of coming over daily to feed Mabel and let her in and out.  Thanks to the hurricane remnants, there was quite a bit of rain here and Mabel felt the need to stay in a bit.  Extra thanks to Dee and Steve who came over a number of times to hang out with Mabel, show her a little lovin' and affection and, of course, spoil her with treats!  Dee texted me pictures of Mabel which was wonderful, and we knew she was being taken care of so well.  That made our vacation all the more pleasant.

Initially we were not sure how our plans would work out.  We left on Tuesday, September 27th.  On Monday, the 26th, at around 4 p.m. I received a text and an email from AirBnB letting us know that our confirmed (and paid for) reservation for Wednesday night had been cancelled.  No reason or explanation...it was just cancelled.  We scurried around and found another AirBnB (more $$) for Wednesday, but that was not a good start to our trip.

So, where did we go?  Tuesday we were in Stanfordville, NY which is just outside of Rhinebeck.  Just shy of a few weeks for NY Sheep and Wool (which was fine by me - Rhinebeck would be crazy I'm betting!!).  That first night I managed to finish the 2nd Tidal Wave sock.  Good thing too, because by the end of the trip I had run out of socks and was wearing them!

After that we were in Southern Vermont, Northern New Hampshire, back to Southern Vermont and then finally Kingston, NY (again just outside of Rhinebeck).  We absolutely lucked out weather-wise.  We had beautifully sunny days with some cool (but not cold) temps.  Colors were at about max in New Hampshire.  We were staying in a house in Dorchester (Katie I am not sure where you are?) that the owner calls the Log Cabin.  (As Fletch says, it is a million dollar log cabin with a million dollar view!)  The owner, Keith, is the son of Lois, a friend and former client of Fletch's.  We stayed there last year as well.  Our friends, Lois and Dick were just down the road in their house.

One day we took the Mt. Washington Cog Railway to the top of Mt. Washington.  Breath-taking views.  Again we lucked out.  Mt. Washington is often in the clouds and often has nasty weather.  The day we were there was crystal clear and unusually warm (upper 40's).  Our train was in the afternoon.  Those who took the train up in the morning were able to see the Atlantic Ocean from the summit!  The sun was glittering on the water!  We could see far, but could not tell if we were seeing the ocean or not.  We were able to view Quebec, Canada as well as a number of peaks to the west in Vermont.

Back to Southern Vermont where the colors were not quite at peak, but still very beautiful.

That was the view from our AirBnB apartment in Marlboro, VT.  Our hosts were gracious enough to let us have a fire one night and even provided wood for us!

Fletch had bought this little folding grill/fire pit before we left on vacation.  Very convenient.  It folds completely flat and could be used for grilling as well as a little camp fire!  A little prosecco added a nice touch to our evening.

While in that area, we drove over to the (very pretty) cemetery where my parents' ashes are buried.  I had a little chat with them and then wandered around a bit.  In a prior visit, Fletch had discovered a gravestone and marker for a guy who had participated in the Boston Tea Party!!

Pretty cool and pretty surprising that he lived to the age of 94!

We arrived home Wednesday afternoon with enough time to unload the car and take quick showers.  Then we ran out to meet Colin & Mailing, Bonnie & Zhongren and Anna for dinner.  C&M had flown up from TX that morning for a wedding over the weekend.  We were pretty tired after our drive home, but it was so nice to see them again.

The garden is still producing:

The radishes are yummy and we will have the green beans tonight.

I spent the weekend doing laundry (no surprise there), switching out the summer quilt for the winter comforter on our bed and bringing out all my wool sweaters and putting away summer tops and dresses.  Fletch ran out yesterday and picked up a number of mums to have around the property.  Here is the yellow one by our front step along with a couple of pumpkins we had bought before we left.

I really like those bit, flatish pumpkins/gourds.

Finally, I'll leave you with a funny.  We love to find unusual and funny cards to frame and this one is the latest that we added to our collection (click to enlarge):

All in all it was a wonderful trip, but it is also very nice to be home again.  There were some places where we had no internet and no TV!  I actually enjoyed that, but Fletch felt a little out of sorts - LOL.