Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/1/25

 Good Morning and Hello July!

We had some strong thunderstorms during the night, but the humidity is still stupidly high.

The first day of July and the first TNT of July.  Somehow I managed to get a bit of stitching accomplished over the past week.

A flower was filled in and a second leaf outlined and started.  Still many, many stitches to go.  I don't even want to think about how many stitches are in this piece!  LOL. Happy to say I am still enjoying it.

This is a short little post as I have some things I need/want to do before leaving to see Iris.  Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Weekending 6/30/25

 Hello My Friends,

Here we are on the last day of June.  How is that even possible?  And what a weird month it has been weather-wise.  After a cooler weekend, I can feel that the heat and humidity are building again.  But, after all, it is summer.

How was your weekend?  Mine was good.  I took absolutely no pictures to show anything.  Friday I took a 3 hour class on Continental Knitting (which is not how I knit).  Oh my!  Good for the little grey cells as Hercule Poirot would say.  I completely ripped out what I (attempted) to knit in class.  It was pretty pathetic.  LOL. But, I will be trying to get it.  I've been practicing some.  Luckily there is a video recording of the class that I am able to access.  But, my fingers are not behaving.  My right hand keeps looking for the yarn that my left hand is holding.

The balance of the weekend was spent running errands (Saturday morning), laundry (Sunday morning), cooking (both days, but nothing fancy) and there was time each day for knitting and stitching and reading.  All in all a very nice weekend.

My "work week" this week is short.  I'm only caring for Iris Mon-Tues-Wed.  Thursday Bonnie (Mailing's Mom) will take over.  She is also "working" the entire next week!  Friday, of course, is July 4th.  I need to make a dessert on Thursday or Friday morning.  We will be going to Bonnie & Zhongren's for a cookout on Friday.

Tme for me to get ready to head over to see Iris!  Have a great Monday.

The First Week

 Good Morning All,

The temps have eased up a bit I am happy to report.  It still feels humid to me but at least it's not a heat index of 105!

When I pulled into our driveway yesterday afternoon I stopped and got out to get the mail.  Rob, our neighbor and friend from across the street, was in his garden and called me over.  He handed me this group of radishes!!

These may be a tad too big to be tasty, but we shall see.  The funny thing is that Fletch gave Rob the extra radish seeds he had.  And then our radishes never sprouted!  Even funnier is that Rob and Eva don't even like radishes! 

My first week of caring for Iris full time went very well.  Colin said he thought it went better than he expected.  It IS tiring, that's for sure.  Iris is not yet very independent.  Not walking, not even crawling. She sits well, but will topple over when tired.  And, she gets bored easily.  She also still likes to be held.  A lot.  

On Wednesday afternoon there was some nature drama going on in Colin's backyard.  A fledgling blue jay was on the ground.

You may need to click to enlarge, but the fledgling is on the 4th slate from the bottom.  The mother kept flying nearby and calling to it.  The poor thing would flutter its wings and hop around.  I did not step outside to get a better photo as I didn't want to scare the baby or alarm the mother.  We lost sight of it after some time.  Thursday morning I didn't see it, but later in the morning I saw the mother swoop to the ground right by the door from the sunroom.  I looked out and the baby was tucked in grass and ivy taller than it is.  The mother was feeding it.  Later again the fledgling was gone.  I hope it survived and learned to fly.

Our snapdragons have finally started to open.

So far only white ones, but I noticed some deep maroon buds yesterday.  Sitting on the patio yesterday before dinner, Fletch and I both commented on how much we miss seeing our bluebirds.  The babies have flown off and the nest has been abandoned.  The same with the wrens, though we still see wrens and, in fact, noticed wrens checking out two additional birdhouses we have hanging in the apple tree.

I'm excited to pretty much have today to myself!  Fletch is taking my car in this morning for inspection.  I plan to knit or stitch or both.  And then I have my continental virtual knitting class from 12-3.  Really looking forward to that.  Some books in my queue have come in for me - I may pick them up later today (if it is not too rainy out), or wait until tomorrow or Monday.  No rush - they hold them for a week which is nice.  No other real plans for the weekend other than the usual:  catching up on laundry, a couple of cleaning chores and most likely cooking (especially with cooler temps).

I hope your weekend is a good one.  Have some fun!

Unraveled Wednesday 6/25/25

 Hello My Friends,

Whew it's been hot.  Everywhere!  My brother in Colorado has been texting about the extreme heat they are having.  That blasted heat dome.  I think today temps will moderate a little and then be even cooler Thursday and Friday.  It also looks like a rainy weekend which is unfortunate as Colin and his buddies who were all in his wedding have a 3 day backpacking trip in the Laurel Highlands planned.  Oh well, at least the rain should keep their temps down a little bit.

My second "full day" of caring for Iris was again a very good one.  Once again we read books, played with her keyboard, chewed (well really gummed - no teeth yet) on a lot of things (LOL) and had fun.  She and Colin had lunch together again which gave me a little free time.  I knit a bit.  So, I've made it through half of my first week of full time care!

And now it is Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to discuss all of our making and reading.  Be sure to check out the links you will find on her blog - so inspiring (and, as I've said before, enabling!!).

The leg of my Simple Skyp Sock has been finished and during Colin & Iris' lunch time yesterday I started the heel flap.  I plan to knit the foot plain as I don't like patterns so much on the feet (particularly the sole) of my socks.  This pattern, though, is a quick knit and a fun one!  The toes will be in the contrast color used at the top cuff and I will probably add a stripe or two before the toes.

As for reading, I've finished just one book.  I've been trying to catch up on magazine and newspaper reading (we get the Wall Street Journal weekend newspaper and The Christian Science Monitor and Colin passes on his New Yorker and Economist magazines).  Last week I mentioned that I had started Writers & Lovers by Lily King.  At that point I was not really wowed by it.  However, I continued reading and found that it picked up so nicely and ended up being a 4 star read for me!  Not sure why I wasn't enthralled with it initially, but am glad it picked up.  I'm now looking forward to her book "Heart the Lover" which will be published in the Fall.

After reading Sarah's book reviews last week I requested Banyan Moon by Thao Thai.  I received notice the next day that it was ready to pick up.  I'm a little under 100 pages in, but it is a nice family saga and a good summer read.

Well, I'm off to try and catch up on a little blog reading and have some more coffee.  Stay cool!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 6/24/25

 Good Morning Everyone!

My first full day of caring for Iris went very well.  The time went faster than I expected!  We read a number of books, played with a keyboard, took a couple of naps (Iris, not me).  When Colin took a lunch break from work, he had Iris sit with him in her high chair and have a bit of food with him.  I opted then to have a little break and managed to read a chapter in my book.  And before I knew it, it was time to go home.  Hoping for more of the same today.

We are now at the final Tiny Needle Tuesday of June 2025.  Hard to believe.  Although I did not stitch as much as I thought I would, I'm pleased with what I managed to do.

The leaf has been filled in and the beginning of the outline for a flower has been stitched.  I'm looking forward to more color!

Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday.  The heat is on (here in the Northern Hemisphere)...remember to stay hydrated!!

Weekending 6/23/25

 Hello My Friends,

Well, the Summer Solstice certainly has brought the Summer heat!  Whew!  The beginning of this week is set to break some records for soaring temps.  How was your weekend?

My weekend started Thursday night/Friday morning.  I can't really call helping to care for Iris as "work," but you know what I mean.  Anyway, I had Friday off.  I did some baking in the morning and running errands (primarily restocking wine) and then taking it easy.  Fletch and I went over to Colin & Mailing's for dinner that night.  We started with some delicious mojitos topped with fresh mint sprigs from the garden.  Colin grilled hot and sweet sausage from the farm and we had that with a big salad and fresh sourdough bread.  My baking that morning was a blueberry gateau which I took over for dessert.

Topped with whipped cream, it was so yummy!  It was a gorgeous evening and we ate outside.

While C&M bathed Iris and got her ready for bed (including story time), I knit a little and Fletch dozed a bit.  Then we headed outside for a fire in the pit.  (Friday's weather was really beautiful and nice enough to enjoy a fire.). We sat out there until almost 10 p.m. watching bats and fireflies.  A gorgeous ending to a lovely day.  And a nice way to celebrate the solstice.

Saturday found me catching up on laundry (a great day for drying stuff on the lines) and doing a bit more cooking.  And Sunday I managed to clean the bathrooms before it got beastly hot.  We had a cold dinner of chicken salad, macaroni salad and pickled veggies.  I also cooked some shrimp that we will have for dinner tonight.  Sunday morning I saw the doe and her two spotted fawns in our backyard.  The little fawns reminded me of colts the way they were almost jumping and kicking up their legs - so joyful!

Today is Colin's first day back to work, so I will be off to take care of Iris earlier than usual and staying longer than usual.  Not sure the opportunity will present itself for me, but I will take my book and some knitting just in case.

Wishing you all a beautiful start to the week.  Stay cool!

Unraveled Wednesday 6/18/25

 Greetings My Friends,

Another damp, foggy, grey morning here.  Everything feels moist and my body feels achy from all the dampness.  Oh well.  What are you going to do?

Once again it is Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.  Always fun and always inspiring as well as often enabling!!

Despite spending a lot of time on my stitching during the past week, I did manage to knit some on my Simple Skyp Socks and the leg is now a bit more than halfway down to the heel flap.  I am so loving these colors and the pattern.

Such a fun pattern.  I even was able to knit a few rounds while at Colin & Mailing's yesterday.  Only because when I arrived Colin was out for a walk with Iris.  When they got back home, Iris sat on the couch next to me watching me finish up a round.  She was pretty interested, but did not try to pick up the yarn or interfere with the knitting.  I did tell her that one day I would teach her how to knit!

As for reading, I finished One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle.  I had mentioned this a week or more ago but had said I was attempting to drag it out.  His essays are just so dang good!  I've now started Writers and Lovers by Lily King.  So far it is ok, but I am finding it easy to put down.  I'm hoping it picks up some for me.

Fletch and I are still plugging away at "One Man's Meat" (E. B. White) after dinner.  I think we've passed the halfway mark, but I can't remember for sure.  No matter.  Bottom line, it's a great book.

Time for me to pour another cup of java and attempt to wake up.  These dull/grey days are hard to get going!  Remember to head over to Kat's to see what everyone is doing!!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 6/17/25

 Good Morning,

Another foggy and wet day here in Eastern PA with temps rising steadily all week.  It is supposed to hit 90 or higher by Friday!

Looks like I have an easier week this week!  I will not be caring for Iris on Friday.  Mailing is only working in the morning and then they take Iris to the doctor for her 6 month check up.  Colin told me not to bother coming over for just a couple of hours in the morning, but instead invited Fletch and I to come for dinner that night and...hopefully...a fire outside later in the evening.  Of course, it may be too warm for a fire, but it will still be nice to be with them for dinner.

Turns out my Sunday afternoon time all by myself paid off in the stitching arena!

The sun has been completed (what a face!) and the outline of a leaf on the right has been stitched.  I'm really looking forward to stitching some of the plants in this sampler.  All are pretty fantastic.  As a reminder, THIS is the sampler I am stitching.  All the different creatures crack me up and should keep the stitching interesting and fun.

Once again, the month seems to be slipping by rather quickly.  What are you up to on this Tuesday?  Whatever it is, have some fun.

Weekending Mid-June 6/16/25

 Hi All,

Well, it sure was a soggy and cool weekend here.  After the hot temps earlier in the week, the coolness was appreciated, but I was downright cold last night!

I guess it was a good weekend in that I have no pictures to document it.  We spent time on Saturday at Colin & Mailing's celebrating Iris' 6 month birthday.  None of us are sure how time has gone by so quickly.  Food was plentiful and good and Iris was in a great mood enjoying the gifts she received.  It was nice to see Bonnie and Zhongren again too.

Fletch spent Father's Day afternoon with Colin.  The two of them watched a guy movie (as Fletch said, a flick filled with testosterone).  That meant I had an entire afternoon to myself.  I did some stitching and some cooking.  It was wonderful!

This is Colin's last week of paternity leave.  His time off has flown by as well.  Next week will start much longer days for me over at their house.  Bonnie will start taking over on a day or two, but that first week she is traveling, so long days for me.

On the wildlife scene, it appears that our wrens have fledged.  Towards the end of last week it was very quiet at their house.  No activity and no chirping.  Our bluebird house is further away, but we can see the parents are still taking food into their house, so those babies have not yet fledged.  The doe continues to rest in our yard periodically.  There are several places she likes.  One morning I saw the spotted fawn.  So precious!

Time for me to pour another cup of coffee and attempt to wake up.  That is a difficult task on these gloomy Monday mornings.  

Have a wonderful day!

A Little Wine 6/13/25

 Good Morning!

Whew it got warm hot yesterday.  When I got in my car to drive home from Colin & Mailing's, my car thermometer was registering 101.  It dropped into the 90's as I drove, but still...just too warm for me.  Today is overcast which will help keep the temps down a bit and then rain (of course) later on.

You all know that I often buy wine for the label.  Usually it works out.  Case in point, my most recent try:

When I was in the "Fine Wine and Spirits" store earlier this week I came across this bottle.  Naturally I had to buy it.  The Little Sheep of France.  Love the sheepy drawings on the label.  And, bonus, the wine was not bad.  We had salmon for dinner last night and I had a glass then.  Very drinkable.  And not pricey - just $9.99 for the bottle!  

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.  We will be over at C&M's tomorrow to celebrate Iris' half birthday!  I can't believe she turned 6 months yesterday.  Time is flying.

Unraveled Wednesday 6/11/25

 Good Morning,

Wow!  Not raining!!  The sun is up, the sky is blue and the temp is (so far) pleasing.  And it's Hump Day, or as some of us prefer to say it is Unraveled Wednesday.  Time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.

Today, on my needles, is the start of a Simple SKYP Sock - the cuff is finished and the leg has been started.

The yarn is from last year's Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad and I'm loving the blue.  If you click to enlarge, you might be able to see the beginning of the pattern.  It's a fun one - easy to do and easy to memorize.

My personal reading has slowed a bit.  No books were finished this past week.  I have, however, been reading a lot of children's books.  Iris enjoys being read to, though she is still at the stage where her preferred method of consuming a book is by eating it.  LOL. Hopefully I'll have some book finishes (and a sock further along) for next Wednesday's post.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 6/10/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

Still quite soggy and wet here.  Again, I am checking for webbing between my toes and fingers.  Sometimes the rain can sound like a lullaby.  Case in point - Mabel wanted to go out at 5:15 this morning.  I went downstairs, let her out, and went back upstairs and crawled back into bed.  As soon as I was in bed the rain started again and it just was such a beautiful sound and lulled me right back to sleep!

But now I'm up and have had a good half a cup of coffee so far.  It's time to talk stitching.  After all, it is TNT day.  My Scarlet Letter sampler, And All Was For An April is underway!  I'm happy with what I was able to get stitched during the past week.

The "angry" dark swirly cloud in the upper left hand corner has been finished.  And, the outlining on the sun has been started.  It's early days, but this is a very fun stitch.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of you on Zoom tonight for our Read With Us book discussion.

Weekending 6/9/25

 Good Morning!

June 9th already and another grey and damp Monday.  Rain is in the forecast for several days.  Then a quick break.  And then more rain!  One of the pepper plants that Fletch put in the other week already has 3 peppers on it!  That's fast.

Last night as Fletch and I finished dinner, I glanced out back and "our deer" was back at rest by the tree my clothesline is tied to.

Such a sweetie.  She did not move when I stepped outside to get this picture.

Anyway...how was your weekend?  Mine was a very good mixture.  I ran some errands, took care of domestic chores and also found some "me" time for stitching and knitting.  Can't complain about that.  I also did some cooking on Saturday.  First I made one of my favorite summer salads - pasta with a ton of different veggies chopped up and everything dressed in EVOO,  S&P.  Yum!  And I made a peach crostata!

It turned out well and today I'm taking half of it over to C&M.  There is still some in the frig for Fletch to have.

Fletch discovered The Mountain Detective on PBS and it's pretty good.  I've only seen one episode so far.  The scenery is amazing.  Because it is in French with subtitles, it's not really something I can knit to.  I'm thinking some of you might enjoy this show.

Time for me to fix another cup of coffee.  Here's hoping this Monday finds you all doing very well.

Unraveled Wednesday 6/4/25

 Hello All,

Another glorious day here in Eastern Pennsylvania.  The sun is up, the sky is blue and the forecast is for temps in the 80's.  Yesterday was gorgeous as well.

It's mid-week and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about what we are making and reading.  I think this is my favorite day to post...and my favorite day for inspiration when I read what everyone is up to reading-wise and making-wise.

Once again Semplice saw no love.  I have not lost interest in it, but it has been difficult to find a stretch of interrupted time to knit on it.  Instead I cast on for a new pair of socks!

The yarn is from last year's Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad...I think July's yarn.  Only 5 rows of ribbing for the cuff completed so far, but it's a start.  I haven't fully picked a pattern yet, but I think it will be something with slipped stitches.  Perhaps Simple Skyp Socks.  At any rate, it has been awhile and it feels good to be knitting socks again.  I was fairly tired of dish cloths!  But, I did manage to (finally) finish the dish cloth I had been knitting and it has been put to good use!

I had picked up a newer book from my library (Big Chief by Jon Hickey) and read roughly 80 pages or so, but just could not get into it.  Not sure what it was, but either the time was not right or the book is just not for me.  Anyway, I am now reading One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle.  WOW!  I am purposefully making myself go slowly with this delicious book of essays.  I want to savor each and every word.  

I know many of you have already read One Long River of Song, but I was hesitant to try it.  Years ago I picked up Doyle's "Mink River" and never got into that.  It might be time to give that book another try.

Fletch and I are slowly getting through "One Man's Meat" by E. B. White (a chapter a night after dinner).  We've read this book several times already, but it is surprising how much I have forgotten about it.  Another good book to savor.

I will leave you with a picture of a peaceful and restful morning:

I saw her when I got up this morning and looked out the back bedroom window.  She stayed there for another 45 minutes or so while I fed Mabel and let her out, made coffee, etc.  

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 6/3/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

Mabel was a naughty girl and stayed out all last night.  I went to bed quite early last night (lack of sleep the night before and a long day with Iris made me very, very tired) and I told Fletch she was outside.  But, she never showed up before he went to bed.  Luckily she was by the patio door this morning when I went downstairs.  When I opened the door to let her in, I noticed two deer and a little spotted fawn in our backyard.  The adult deer must be teaching the youngster to be safe or cautious because when I opened the door, one of them chased the little fawn down a trail into our woods.  I don't appreciate them eating my plants, but I do love seeing them around.

Here we are with the first Tiny Needle Tuesday of June and I have a new project!  Keeping with the Tiny theme, my start on this (rather big) piece is rather tiny.

The chart I have chosen has been in my stash for eons!  It is And All Was For An Appil from The Scarlet Letter.  I am using 36 count Antique White Edinburgh Linen and using DMC floss.  I started out with two strands of floss, but it just looked too thick, so a single strand of floss over two linen threads.  The finished piece will be roughly 17.2" wide and 13.88" high.

Another Adam & Eve sampler which I seem drawn to.  I've stitched so many and just love doing them.

The start pictured is the upper left hand corner of the chart (one of the "angry" looking clouds).  Like PPL (A Parrot, A Leopard, A Lion) that I stitched years ago, each motif is outlined in black and then filled in with color.  A lot of stitching ahead of me!  LOL

Today promises to be another gorgeous day here in Eastern PA.  The temps are steadily rising all week and Fletch told me that Thursday is now forecast to hit 90!  All last week I was in sweatshirts and sweaters.  Now it appears I will be sweating.

Weekending 6/2/25

 Hello and Good Morning!

And hello to June!  May certainly flew by - mostly with rain and winds.  Yes, we had more rain on Friday night and into Saturday and fairly strong winds as well.  And then more rain Saturday night.

We had a delicious dinner Saturday night at Colin & Mailing's.  Colin fixed the BEST beer battered cod I have ever had!  It was almost like a tempura batter.  And home-made steak fries and coleslaw rounded out the meal.  The peach upside down cake turned out well.  THIS is the recipe I used.  My peaches were a little on the firm side, but it still came out tasty.  I think this recipe would work well with any stone fruit - plums, apricots, or even a mixture.

Sunday was filled with chores.  Laundry, cleaning bathrooms, scrubbing the kitchen floor, paying bills, dropping off a donation at the local food pantry, picking up prescriptions, etc., etc.  But, I managed to get everything done that I wanted to, so that was good.  I would have liked more time for relaxing with knitting and/or stitching, but c'est la vie.

How was your weekend?  I hope it was good.  

TGIF. 5/30/25

 Happy Weekend (almost)!

Today, 5/30/25, would be my Dad's 105th birthday!  Hard to imagine and hard to realize he has been gone for 12 years.

And tomorrow is Fletch & my 45th anniversary!  How did that happen???  The 31st is also my brother Ray and his wife Linda's anniversary.  I can't remember how many years, but over 50 for them.

We don't have any exciting plans other than going to C&M's for dinner tomorrow night.  I plan to try out a new recipe I found for dessert:  a peach upside down cake!  I'll let you know how it is.  There are a number of "chores" and laundry that need to be done this weekend, so I'll be busy with that.  Naturally I'm hoping to find time to curl up with my new stitching project and also my Semplice Shawl.  Time will tell.

Meanwhile, I need to be at C&M's earlier than usual today, so I'd best get moving.  Wishing you all a lovely weekend as we bid May goodbye.  Enjoy!

YUM!! 5/29/25

 Hello My Friends,

I checked my fingers and toes this morning - not for ticks, but rather to be sure I'm not starting to grow webbing.  Gosh it is wet!  No sense discussing, we are all just tired of it.

Yesterday I ended up making something yummy (and new for us) for dinner, so I thought I would share.  I came across a recipe for grilled salmon with strawberry jalapeño salsa (This Recipe).  We did not grill (rain).  Rather I baked the salmon filets in the oven.  And then we topped them with the salsa.

It was a nice change of pace to have salmon this way.  Turns out that Fletch wasn't that fond of the salsa (cilantro is not his favorite) (and if you are not fond of cilantro, I'm betting fresh parsley would be a great substitute), so I will be taking the leftover salsa over to C&M today.

Not even 7:30 and it is noisy outside.  Our neighbor is having something done (not sure what) but there are big trucks in the street, ladders on the ground and men standing around talking (loudly) to each other.  Mabel is keeping an eye on things from her perch on the window shelf in my office.

Hope your Thursday is off to a more gentle start than mine!  Have a good one.

Unraveled Wednesday 5/28/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

The rain has started and, according to my phone, will continue into Saturday!  Oh joy.  Well, the gardens will be happy.  It sure does make for a lazy feeling day though.  I did have a rude awakening this morning.  When I was pulling my hair back to wash my face, I noticed something on my arm.  Yup...a tick.  Too big for a deer tick, but still...  I pulled it off with tweezers, swabbed the spot with rubbing alcohol and now have the spot covered with Neosporin and a bandaid.

On this last Wednesday in May (WHAT???), it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.  This week I don't have much to show.  There was no knitting accomplished in the past week at all.  Not even on the dishcloth!  I hope I can at least finish that this coming week and knit some rounds on Semplice.  Meanwhile, Fletch brought down one of his socks for repair the other day.  I dug through my sock yarn ends and found a match, so I will be darning this baby in a day or so.

Reading slowed down as well as knitting over the last week.  The only book I finished was one that Kat had recommended:  The Old Man by Thomas Perry.  Fletch had watched the show a few years back, but I had not seen it.  Initially I did not think I would like the book, but it picked up and I enjoyed this tale of an ex-Army intelligence guy living in Vermont and then going on the run.  A quick, action-packed read.

My library was closed over the weekend, so I picked up my copy of Braiding Sweetgrass from my nightstand and have been reading that.  Usually I would just read a few pages before bed, but I've had the time to read a chapter here and there.  So good!  

That's a wrap for me!  Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/27/25

 

Good Morning!

Our peonies are in bloom AND they did not get battered by our recent rains.  Even more surprising, I found several flowers with NO signs of ants!  I quickly snipped them and brought them inside.  Coming down the stairs this morning the first thing I noticed was the scent of peonies.  Lovely.

How was your long Memorial Day weekend?  Ours was nice and very laid back.  We were over at C&M's for a mid-day cookout on Saturday and other than that, we did nothing!  I did manage to get laundry done and put some time in stitching.  It was cooler than normal here - certainly did not feel like the (unofficial) start to summer.

Putting time in on my stitching paid off - The Kindness Sampler from Birds of a Feather is finished!!

I found the border around the picture to be tedious and a PITA to stitch (stitch two stitches and change a color, stitch one stitch and change a color, stitch two stitches and change a color, stitch three stitches and change a color, etc. all around the border), but I do like the way it looks.

The linen is 40 count Light Examplar linen and Weeks Dye threads were used.  Stitched over 2 linen threads, the finished piece is roughly 5" by 5".

Would anyone like the chart?  I'd be happy to send it out if there is any interest.  If not, it will go into the donation bag

Yesterday afternoon I dove into my stash of charts and linen and came up with what I will be stitching next.  I'll wait to share that with you all next week.

A Poem for Thursday 5/22/25

Good Morning Everyone,

The heat is back on in the house!  Brrrrr - only 43 or so this morning AND rainy.  So, quite chilly feeling.

I did not plan to post anything today, but I read this poem for the 3rd or 4th time and decided I really wanted to share it with all of you.  My hope is that you will enjoy it as much as I have.  Quite moving.

In a Village on the West Bank

By Naomi Shihab Nye

 

One little boy writing a book,
“making pictures for it too,” he said over Zoom,
proud face bright as an apple in my screen.
“It’s about a problem,” he smiled shyly 
in that occupied land where soldiers sneak around at night
breaking into houses, chopping olive trees, smashing lamps. 
“A problem between spiders and ants.” Well, this sounded 
refreshing, a problem not made by humans. He said 
spiders and ants each want to dominate their corners, 
not letting other species have space. I didn’t quite understand, 
since spiders spin high-up webs and ants tunnel in the ground, 
but he insisted on friction, something about vicinity. 
They want the whole space. I could see stone walls behind him. 
Hear his parents speaking Arabic in the background, 
a spoon clinking a bowl. I felt homesick for my whole life.

Now he was whispering, other kids listening in, 
scattered in villages around the West Bank where my grandma 
once lived. I knew exactly what their world looked and 
smelled like, and wished to be with them 
on that ground, stirring smoky coals in a taboon.
“But there’s something the ants can do,” he went on softly.
“So they don’t all get killed. The spiders are stronger
than the ants, you know. So the ants pretend to be spiders!”
What? How does an ant pretend to be a spider?
He showed reluctance to tell, being still immersed
in the making of his story, but gave a clue.
“It’s an expression on the face. An ant makes his face look like a
spider’s face. For safety. Then they won’t attack.
It’s not that hard.”

Hope your Thursday is a good one.

Unraveled Wednesday 5/21/25

Good Morning and Happy Mid-Week!

If you click on the image at the top and enlarge, you will see that the bird in it is one of our bluebirds!!  I took that photo yesterday afternoon (look at that amazing blue, blue sky!).  The male had been on the ground so close to Fletch and me on the patio, but my phone was inside so I could not get a picture.  I was hoping he would come back, but instead he was high up.

I walked around the yard yesterday afternoon and noticed that our Siberian Iris are budded (both the deep, deep blue/purple ones and the vibrant yellow ones).  Parsley and French thyme were picked to take over to C&M today.  And, a peony has opened!  What a heady fragrance!  I would love to cut one or two for the house, but ants.....

Another heady fragrance is honeysuckle and we have some of that already in bloom which might be the earliest time ever!

Let's talk knitting!  It's Unraveled Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about what we are making and reading.  Even though I focused more on stitching this past week, I was able to do some knitting.  Semplice has grown a bit.

This is now at the point where I will start the last pattern change section.  There is still a bunch of knitting to be done as this last section has 44 rows.  Then it will be the garter stitch border which is 20 rows.  I can promise that it will not be finished this week - lol.  But, I am anxious to finish and block this one.

I even managed to do a few more pattern repeats on the dish cloth on my needles.

I think my days of dishcloth knitting will be over for a bit after this one.  Time to move on to a different easy/portable project for days spent with Iris.  Honestly I don't really get much (if any) time to knit while at C&M's, but I always bring something just in case.

Reading was good this past week.  I read The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen.  This is book #2 in the Martini Club series.  An enjoyable and easy read, and I liked this book better than the first.  When and if the author comes out with another in this series, I will most likely pick it up (from the library) to read.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans was my next read (finished last night).  Wow!  What a wonderful book.  It gave me all the "feelies" if you know what I mean.  I just loved it and highly recommend it.

Fletch and I are continuing to enjoy One Man's Meat by E. B. White after dinner.  So enjoyable - even though this is most likely the fourth time we've read it together.  What a writer he was!  (I can't wait for Iris to be at the age where "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little" will be fun to share with her.)

There are still 6 books I am currently in queue for at my library and though it looks like some long wait times, I've learned that often they come in more quickly than I thought.  And, I still have books piled on my nightstand to get through - no danger of running out of things to read!!

Tell me, what have you been making and reading this past week?

Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/20/25

 Hey Everyone!

Good Morning.  It is actually chilly here this morning (40's) and I put the heat on in the bathroom when I took my shower.  Temps are moderating (or really, falling) this week.  And, naturally, more rain is in the forecast for the next several days.  I had been looking forward to seeing my friend Carol on Wednesday, but with a 95% chance of rain forecast, she has decided she doesn't really want to drive on 95 in the rain to get here.  So, postponed for another week or so.  Yesterday was still quite windy, but I'm happy to see that seems to have gone away now.

It feels as though I could be closing in on a finish to the Kindness sampler!!  I managed to do quite a bit of stitching over the weekend.

The last of the green (Weeks Dye Works Kudzu) was stitched and I believe I am finished with the darkest brown (WDW Chestnut).  There is more of the paler brown (WDW Cocoa) and then the bottom center is (you can probably figure it out) a basket. I guess it will look woven since it is stitched in two colors.  Lastly there is a mix of colors all around - mostly the colors in the flowers and the four corners.  I started that some time ago (upper left).  Who knows?  Maybe I will be able to finish it up this week...

We've been sitting on the patio in the late afternoon before dinner and have been enjoying watching "our" bluebirds flit around.  They are nesting in our bluebird house (which was taken over by wrens last year).  We also have wrens nesting in another birdhouse.  I often see bluebirds at C&M's as well.  And, C&M have fox kits who come out and frolic in their back yard (just beyond their fence).  Yesterday Colin sent me a video of the kits and they just look so happy jumping up into the air!

That's a wrap for me.  Time to fetch another cup of coffee and get moving.  Have a great Tuesday!

Weekending 5/19/25

Hello Everyone,

How are you and how was your weekend?  Mine was simply lovely.

Friday, shortly after arriving at C&M's, the sky darkened and then we had a pretty loud and pretty long thunderstorm.  Really the first day-time one of the season.  Iris and I sat in the sunroom looking out at the pouring rain (and C&M's backyard quickly becoming a lake).  Water was gushing over the rain chimes Colin had installed and it was hypnotic to watch.  I think we rocked peacefully for a full 15 or 20 minutes and shortly after that Iris fell asleep in my arms.

Saturday was a bit overcast in the morning, but by 10:00 the sun was out and Fletch and I headed to our favorite local greenhouse and loaded up with some hanging baskets, plants for a kitchen window box, more flowers for under the apple tree and I got the eggplant, rosemary and basil that I wanted for pots by the patio.

Sunday was pretty busy.  Two loads of laundry were washed and hung on the lines to dry.  It was a very breezy and sunny day - perfect for drying clothes on the line.  I made a blueberry Dutch pancake for breakfast and then cooked eggs and potatoes for a potato salad for dinner.  A cucumber salad was also made.  Later in the day we drove out to Skippack to drop our ballots in the drop box (our primary is this week).  And then Fletch grilled some of the best hot wings ever for dinner!

Despite all the cooking and laundry and running around, I managed to find plenty of time for reading, stitching and knitting.  For me, a perfect weekend!  I hope yours was nice as well.

Lemon Raspberry Muffins and Poetry!

 Good Morning!

Last night I baked some lemon raspberry muffins.  I used a new-to-me recipe and I hope they are good...I have not yet tried one.

Our friends/neighbors Rob & Eva are back from their trip to Colorado and I wanted to bake something to welcome them home and to thank them for the multiple servings of asparagus we had from their garden.  I thought they were coming home today, but actually they came home last night, so I've texted that I will leave some on their porch later this morning when I head over to Colin & Mailing's (and I will take some to C&M as well).

Plummeting down rabbit holes this morning, I came across this poem and just love it.  I hope you do too.

THE WISDOM OF A MUFFIN

 

it is extreme heat

in a tight spot

that makes the muffin rise 

to show its purpose

to give delight

to be useful to others

 

then why is it

that when we feel the heat

and when we are in a tight spot

we show our weakness

we give complaints

and we become useless to others

 

it is perchance

that the wisdom of the muffin

that rises to the occasion

that stands up to be counted

trumps our own?

 

 

Daniel Human

Unraveled Wednesday 5/14/25

 Hello and Good Morning!

It is raining...or rather pouring outside.  And windy.  I woke early to the rain and wind coming in the back bedroom window where Mabel was perched.  Once she jumped down, I wiped up the water on the windowsill and then went back to bed.  It's a day that would be lovely just to stay put with a cup of something warm.

Already mid-May (WHAT???) and now mid-week when it is time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.

Despite adding another 10 rows or so to Semplice, it pretty much looks the same as it did last week.  And my waffle weave dishcloth hasn't grown more than one pattern repeat.  But at least I haven't messed that up yet!!

I keep toying with the idea of casting on a sweater and the other day I even pulled out some old Rowan books that I have.  No decision yet, but the thinking is going on.

Reading has been quite good though!  The first book I finished in the past week was Kate & Frida by Kim Fay (who wrote Love & Saffron which I enjoyed so much).  The book is composed of letters written back and forth between two women (one in Paris and then Sarajevo, the other in Washington State).  It's all about friendship, food and books.  Another Kim Fay book I enjoyed.

Fletch and I did finish Round River.  Though there were some chapters that dragged, overall we enjoyed the book.  I want to re-read A Sand County Almanac, but first we have started reading (maybe for the 4th time??) "One Man's Meat" by E. B. White.  Always a good choice!

I had picked up Nesting at the end of last week and read it over the weekend.  I found it to be very intense (to the point where I occasionally needed to take a break from it), but also very good.  I'm looking forward to our RWU discussion in June.

And, finally, I had also picked up Orbital by Samantha Harvey and read it over the last two nights.  I found this book to be a meditative and thoughtful read.  It actually reminded me of the way I felt the first time I read "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman.

Four excellent books is not bad!  Tell me, what are you making and reading these days?

Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/13/25

 Hello All,

Another gorgeous day yesterday.  Now it looks like rain starting today and through Friday!  Today I am going over to help with Iris a little earlier than usual.  Colin has an electrician coming to the house to install wiring for a ceiling fixture in Iris' room so they can have an overhead light and ceiling fan for her.  That girl did not really want to nap yesterday...here's hoping today will be a little different!

Once again I managed to carve out some stitching time on Sunday in between loads of laundry.  And here is the result:

Sorry for the less than ideal lighting, but you can see the lettering is all completed now.  And, of course, more brown was added.  Still quite a bit to fill in, but I'm getting there!

Wishing you all a lovely Tuesday.

Weekending 5/12/25

 Good Morning!

The sun is up, the birds are loud and the sky is blue.  All good things.  Thanks so much for your well wishes for my colonoscopy on Friday.  All went well and quickly (it's kind of like an assembly line they have set up - so many folks in for the procedure).  Usually Fletch and I go out to eat after, but I was just so friggin' tired!  The new prep times had me up at 1 a.m. drinking 32 oz, so not much sleep.  Anyway, we were home by 8:30 a.m.  I took a 2.5 hour nap in the morning, got up and had a bowl of soup and then went back to sleep for 3 hours.  Plus I slept 9 hours Friday night!

Colin, Mailing and Iris were over on Saturday for an early Mother's Day lunch of BBQ shrimp and a huge salad made entirely with greens from the garden (chard, cabbage, spinach and a large variety of lettuces - I just added radishes and tomatoes).  They brought an olive ciabatta loaf and I did manage to make a strawberry rhubarb crostata with the first rhubarb from the garden.  I wish I had taken a picture of everything.

I did walk out to the garden and cannot believe how my parsley and thyme wintered over.  They are BIG already!!

Sunday I caught up on laundry and found time for stitching, knitting and reading.  For me, a perfect kind of weekend.  Fletch grilled steaks for dinner and we had baked potatoes and broccoli salad to go with those.

And now it's Monday and back to the usual week stuff.  I'll be heading over to C&M's later this morning to have fun with Iris.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and here's to a fine week ahead - enjoy!

Random Thursday 5/8/25

 Hey Everyone - Good Morning!

Another blue sky morning and I am grateful for that.  I've been enjoying seeing our bluebird pair fly around.  Yesterday both of them flew right by the patio where Fletch and I were sitting and the sun hit them at just the right time.  The flash of blue was stunning.  I've also been seeing bluebirds while I'm at Colin's.  This morning he texted me that while he was having breakfast in the sun room he looked out and saw two fox kits frolicking in the back (just beyond his fence).  (Talbot doesn't go outside, so no need to worry about him.). And I've noticed that Mabel is quite cautious these days when she goes out.  She often will stand at the door and look intently into the back before stepping onto the patio.  Smart girl!

Today - or rather tonight - I have the pleasure (NOT) of doing the prep for my colonoscopy.  Ugh.  But necessary.  Luckily I confirmed that I do not have to mix the Miralax with GatorAde.  GatorAde alone makes me gag.  Crystal Light lemonade to the rescue.  And the prep has changed since I last had a colonoscopy.  Nothing to eat today, naturally, but I don't start the prep till 5 p.m.  And then, I have to finish the prep at 1 a.m.  My procedure is scheduled for 7 a.m. and we need to be at the outpatient center by 6:15 a.m.  Fletch is not happy...

Colin, Mailing and Iris will be over on Saturday for an early Mother's Day celebration.  It is easier for them to come for a noon meal, so we will do that.  (Easier to get Iris bathed and down for sleeping if they are already home in the evening.)  As of now I am planning on BBQ shrimp and a big salad (with greens from our garden!).  They will pick up a loaf of fresh bread at the Farmer's Market before they come over.  And, I will make a strawberry rhubarb crostata or strawberry rhubarb crisp for dessert.  

Meanwhile, I'll be back at their place today helping to care for Iris (who is now 19 lbs!!).  I'm taking the asparagus I cut from Rob's garden yesterday afternoon.

Our peonies are finally budded...and the buds are already covered in ants!  

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a Happy Mother's Day!

Unraveled Wednesday 5/7/25

 Good Morning All,

The sun is up and the sky is blue!  Time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to see what everyone is up to in the reading and making worlds.  There is always a wealth of inspiration, usually a few rabbit holes to investigate and always (ALWAYS) more books to add to your own TBR list.

Jumping right in, Semplice has seen a bit of love this past week.  It might not be obvious, but attention was given to this shawl.

As I said, difficult to see, but around 10 more rows were completed.  There is a definite rhythm to this pattern with the knits and purls and the geometric shapes.  Yet, when one is tired (ahem...all the time), it is easy to fall into a trance knitting on it...or knitting when you should be purling.  LOL. Luckily NO unraveling was needed.

I did finish my waffle weave dishcloth which is not so great to see.

The pattern is fine...the maker messed up.  See that line in the middle?  That's where I simply forgot a row.  Initially when I noticed it I was going to unravel and re-knit, but then I thought why?  It's a dishcloth for God's sake.  And once it's done being a dishcloth it will become a rag for washing my floors.  So, no need to correct a silly mistake (guess I was tired...again).

I did start another waffle weave dishcloth to see if I can do it correctly and to make sure I have something easy in my bag when I go over to care for Iris.

With only 12 rows completed (3 pattern repeats) it is a bit hard to see the pattern, but it is pretty.  Trust me!  The yarn is some I bought ages ago - I am pretty sure I picked it out of the sale bin years ago at The Vulcan's Rest - a yarn shop in Chesapeake City that has (sadly) closed.  The yarn is 100% Egyptian cotton (50 grams, 126 yards) and the tag says I paid $4 for it.  Not bad!  #6 needles and cotton can be bad/hard on my hands, but this is nicer than Sugar & Cream.  A little softer.

Reading was good.  I finished two books this past week.  First up is Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride, the first in the DCI Logan McRae series.  Kat had recommended this and Bonny read and reviewed it last week.  It was a little more gruesome than I usually read (murder and mutilation of children always gets me), but overall the writing was good (a little plodding in some parts).  I'll allow myself a little break before reading the next in the series.

After that I requested and got very quickly from my library The Anthropologists by Aysegul Savas.  I found this book to be a beautiful and quiet read.  Two post-university students are married and living somewhere - my guess is somewhere in Europe, but it is never said.  They are far from their families (both are immigrants).  There are friends and parties and they are figuring out who they are, what they want to be, what they want to have, etc., etc.  Nothing much happens, yet I found it to be a very satisfying read.

I'm in the middle of another book which I should finish fairly quickly and yesterday...drumroll... I picked up Nesting!!  I'm excited to start that.

I hope this Unraveled Wednesday finds you all doing well!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/6/25

 Hello and Good Morning,

It's kind of grey and drizzling here.  I heard a gentle rain in the early morning hours that sounded so nice.  And I woke up chilly!  That was a surprise.  First I got up and turned off the ceiling fan and then about 30 minutes later I got up again and lowered the back bedroom window that was wide open.

A couple of hours were carved out for stitching on Sunday and progress was made!

More brown (of course...so MUCH brown in this piece), but also the big flower at the top now has all the petals filled in and the word Kindness on the left was stitched.  Still a lot of brown (and a little green) to go, but this will be finished (slowly but surely).

Yesterday when I got home from caring for Iris I walked across the street to check on the asparagus.  One little stalk was all I cut!  (So obviously it does not need to be cut every day!)  There are 8-12 more stalks showing that should be ready in a couple of days.  Last night we did have the bunch that Rob brought over on Sunday and it was delicious.  I even munched some of it raw - very tasty.

Time for me to pour another cup of coffee, write a birthday card for my brother and pay the guy who mows our grass.  Tuesday is starting!  Hope your day is a good one.