Unraveled Wednesday 8/27/25

 Hello Friends,

Here it is the very last Unraveled Wednesday in August 2025!  Yikes but the year is slipping by quickly.  I'm ok with Fall being a little bit in the air.  After all, Fall is my very favorite season - using candles at dinner, having a shawl wrapped around my shoulders, warm beverages.  But still, it seems too fast.  And this morning I actually put the heat on in the bathroom while I had a shower!

Yesterday when we went grocery shopping we spotted gladiolas in the flower department.  I couldn't believe that a huge bunch was only $6.99.  These are much grander than any we attempted to grow, simply lovely.

It's now time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk about making and reading.  Won't you join us?

Guess what?  My Simple SKYP socks were finished Friday night!!  Woo-Hoo!

Obviously not blocked (confession:  I never block socks...just put them on and wear them - lol).  These did take forever to knit.  They might win the prize for being on the needles the longest of any pair I have ever knit!  But now they are finished and I love them.  Luckily they are for me.

I did wind up some yarn for another pair of socks, but decided I don't really care for the yarn all that much (Trekking 75% wool and 25% bamboo).  The yarn is extremely thin.  So I will go through my stash again and find other yarn to use.  It's good to have socks on the needles and I would like to get started on some gift socks.

My intention was to pick up the Heartwarmer Cowl again - the one I started months ago and then had to rip out a section and never got back to it.  That did not happen.  Nor did I pick up Semplice.  But, I will get back to both of these...at some point...

Last week I read an excellent book!  Crown by Evanthia Bromiley is a very strong debut novel.  A young pregnant mother and her twins are facing eviction from their trailer.  As their power is shut off, the mother goes into labor.  This book brought back memories of "Nesting" - one of our RWU books.  Different story, but similar themes.  I found it to be a very fast read and I highly recommend.

I'm now halfway through another book that I am finding hard to put down...but more on that next week.  And, Fletch and I are still reading (slowly, 8 pages or so after dinner) Force of Nature and it is ok.  Not great, but parts are interesting.  We are over halfway through it, but still have a lot of reading to do.

What are you making and reading this week?

Tiny Needle Tuesday 8/26/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

Here we are at the last Tuesday in August.  Time for a TNT update.  I'm happy to show you that a bit of stitching was accomplished during the past week.

I've made it to the other side!!  The clouds are not yet finished, but they are getting there.  And the brown, brown, brown stem/branch was filled in.  Plenty more brown to come since, after all, that is a tree.  But time for that later.  Right now I'm happy to see the width of the piece.  I started this sampler on 5/31/25.  So three months in and not yet halfway finished.  Much, much more to be stitched.  Luckily I'm still enjoying it!

Another happy thing:  we managed to have one gladiola stalk bloom!  Yup, only one.  The deer ate all the stalks - sometimes before you could even see any buds on them.  But yesterday mid-day I walked by the front door and spotted this one and ran out to cut it before any creatures came by.

I put it in the vase with the snap dragons I had picked earlier in the day.  I love the white piping around the red petals.  So delicate.

Yesterday's errands went well.  I skipped the library, but will head over there later today to pick up the four books (!) waiting for me.  And I forgot to mention that we did watch "The Friend" over the weekend - the movie based on the book that is our RWU selection.  I managed to stay awake (not sure Fletch did for the entire movie), but nothing great for sure.

Wishing you all the best for this last Tuesday in August.  Get out there and enjoy it!

Weekending 8/25/25

 

Good Morning!

The weekend has come and gone already!  I'm enjoying several days "off" from watching Iris (though I miss seeing her).  This coming Wednesday starts my full-time gig through most of September while Bonnie is in China.

My weekend included some chores (glad to have gotten them out of the way), some running around (always) and some cooking (always).  One night I made a delicious stir fry.  So good with fresh veggies.

One morning I made peach waffles (and forgot to take a picture).  I've said this before, the stone fruits this year are amazing.  Last night I made shrimp scampi with the addition of marinated artichoke hearts.  Again no picture.  We had that over linguini and I roasted a couple of large tomatoes (cut off the tops, sprinkle with EVOO, S&P and add a lot of minced garlic...then top with panko and more EVOO...bake at 400 till browned).

Fletch harvested the first batch of green bush beans.

The angle of that photo makes it look like not too many beans, but there were roughly 125 that he picked!  I steamed them Friday night and they were delicious!  And for something completely different, I tried making steak bites in the air fryer!  Though I honestly prefer a grilled steak, these were not bad.  I cut a strip steak into bite sized pieces, tossed them with a bit of oil, S&P and garlic powder.  They cook up quickly at 400!

I harvested the last eggplant.  Boo.  We ended up getting 3 this year.  Not bad considering the plant developed scale early on.  It looked so bad I didn't think we would have any!  I used one on a pizza the other week.  The remaining two are in the crisper drawer and I'm planning to make eggplant caponata with them.

More errands are on the agenda for today (we need wine and I also need some DMC floss).  There are more books ready for me to pick up at the library, but I may wait until tomorrow for that.

How was your weekend?  I hope it was a good one and that this Monday finds your week off to a great start.

Oh My! Delicious!!

 Hello My Friends,

Stopping by with a quick, but delicious, post.  Yesterday I made the Espresso Dark Chocolate Brownies to take over to C&M's for dinner.  I'm not sure I can even describe just how good these brownies are.  Dangerously good!

A little sprinkle of sea salt never hurts.  Colin made some whipped cream to top the brownies and that was perfect (ice cream would have worked also).

This Recipe is the one I used.  Highly recommend.

Also, Colin's pasta with a veggie sauce was excellent!  The weather was pretty much crap (constant rain or at least mist) so we skipped a fire and came home early.  That ended up being a good thing.  I was pretty tired.  I had picked up two library books earlier in the day, so I started one last night - more about that next week.

More rain in the forecast for today.  Again, I won't complain - we still need it.  But gosh it is awfully dark outside!  A perfect morning for crawling back into bed...but I need to head back over to watch Iris in a bit.  Hope your Thursday is a good one!

Unraveled Wednesday 8/20/25

 Good Morning All!

Yesterday I wore jeans and wool socks!  In August!!  I know these Fall-like temps will not stay, but I'm enjoying them while I can.  We are heading to C&M's for dinner tonight (pasta with a veggie sauce - all veggies from the CSA - onions, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants).  We have been hoping to eat outside and then have a fire, but it looks like it may be raining here by 2:00 or so.  We need the rain, so I won't complain.  I've been tasked with bringing dessert, so this morning I will bake some espresso dark chocolate brownies!

The large, mutant tomato I picked the other day (mutant because it was two growing together) was cut yesterday.  Thankfully it was full of good flavor (unlike our cherry tomatoes) and we had delicious BLTs for lunch.  Yum

Moving right along, it's Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about what we are making and reading.  Not only does inspiration abound on Wednesdays, but it is also easy to become enabled by others.  LOL

My second Simple SKYP sock has progressed and is now down the foot a bit.  I knit the heel flap and turned the heel over the weekend.  

My feet are large, so there is still a bit to do on the foot before I get to the toe decreases.  I don't think I have ever had a pair of socks take this long to knit and I'm hesitant to cast on another pair, but I probably will because they are so portable.  I'd like to get back to Semplice and finish that up as well.

As for reading, I finished two books over the past week.  The first was Black Diamond the third book in the Bruno Chief of Police series by Martin Walker.  These books are so enjoyable!  Even though there is usually a murder or two, these books feature life in the French countryside and there is usually a lot about food.  I have the fourth book coming in at the library.

Speaking of Bruno, I am still pouring over Bruno's Cookbook and dreaming of things to cook and bake.  So many good options!

The second book I finished was The Friend by Sigrid Nunez.  This is our RWU selection that we will be discussing in September.  I was pretty under-whelmed by this book and sort of bored also.  I found it a bit meandering and thought parts were unnecessary.  I will be watching the movie before our discussion and I'm curious what that will be like.

The four books that my library account is showing as having shipped did not come in yesterday.  Fingers crossed I'll be able to pick them up today.  It's very strange to have no library books on my nightstand!

Time for another cup of coffee.  Have a great Wednesday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 8/19/25

 Good Morning my Friends!

It's a chilly morn.  I'm dressed in PJ pants and a sweatshirt!!  The ceiling fan in the bedroom remained off ALL night!  Yep, a little taste of Fall is in the air.  I know it won't last, but it's a nice tease.

It's Tuesday which means it's time for an update on my stitching.  Not much was accomplished last week.

Only the bit of black in the cloud on the right.  This is the first of 3 cloud segments on that side.  I had thought I'd finish the first one, but that was not to be.  At least not this past week.

As a reminder, this is what the entire piece will look like once finished.

I want to get to the moon and stars!  They just look like fun to me.

Today includes a small grocery shopping and cleaning the bathrooms.  Maybe I'll fit in some stitching as well.  And, I'm hoping to get an email from my library that books are in for me (when I looked at my account last night I could see that 4 have been shipped!).

Time to refill my coffee cup.  Have a wonderful day!

Sometimes Monday...8/18/25

 Sometimes...Monday just doesn't start off on the right foot.  I woke at 4 a.m. to Mabel retching.  Ugh!  Not a very pleasant way to be woken up.  Luckily she got sick outside the bedroom.  But still...I had to go downstairs to get paper towels and clean it up.  Then, naturally, I had a hard time falling back to sleep.  Oh well.  She obviously wasn't feeling well, so I felt badly for her.

Meanwhile, the weekend really was very nice.  We had such a nice time at Colin & Mailing's on Saturday mid-day.  My brother and sister-in-law made it up safely from Delaware (despite horrible traffic and a long ride).  Bruch was delicious - Bellinis, a smoked salmon frittata, roasted potatoes, sausages, lemon basil scones, fresh tomatoes from the farm.  We had not seen Ray & Linda in over a year!  Although they live fairly close by (Delaware), there is no easy way to get between our houses.  One route involves the blue route and 95 (both of which are crazy roads, heavy traffic and often at a standstill).  Another route involves 202 which includes more traffic lights, and still heavy traffic.  

More hibiscus blooms!  Sunday morning I got laundry started and then ran a quick errand.  When I got home I ventured out to the garden.  I ended up picking over 100 yellow beans again as well as some cherry tomatoes and our first big tomato (which is actually two that grew together).

The cherry tomatoes (once again) were kind of tasteless.  We have not cut into the big tomato yet.  The beans were very tasty!  I made a yellow bean casserole (instead of green bean) and included some sautéed red onions and mushrooms mixed in.

The bush beans (green) are now ready to pick as well.  I predict we will be overrun with them shortly!

Sunday afternoon I carved out a short period of time for stitching and I finished another book.  All in all, a good weekend.  Now I need to replenish my coffee cup and have a little sustenance before heading out to spend the day with Iris.

Mabel seems fine now - she wanted breakfast and is out now.

Happy Friday!

 Good Morning All,

Still a bit muggy here in Eastern PA.  We did get a good thunderstorm on Wednesday (and I made it home just before the storm broke), but it didn't get rid of the humidity in the air.  That has been lingering, along with warm temps.  I think things will moderate a bit by next week and we may even get more rain today.

Our excitement is that our hibiscus finally has a bloom!  And another one almost open.

I was unable to reach over to move the leaf, but you can still see the bloom.  AND...there are at least 2 dozen more buds on the plant - amazing!

After a slow start, our snapdragons are finally blooming a lot.  More white than I would like, but still pretty.

I'm happy that our grass has stayed pretty green throughout the summer despite the hot, hot, hot days.

Yesterday I harvested the first two eggplants!  

I sliced the larger one very thinly, drizzled it with EVOO and broiled it.  That became one of the toppings on the pizza I made last night.  Delicious!  There is a third eggplant that I did not harvest yet - will most likely use that plus the second one here to make some eggplant caponata.

Yesterday was busy - laundry of course and then I ran over to the township to pay taxes.  I couldn't believe the line of cars waiting to park there.  Everyone anxious to pay their taxes - lol.  No stitching or knitting was done, but I finished one book and started another.

Today I'm back to watching Iris.  Hopefully a good day!  And then tomorrow we are back at C&M's for a noon time brunch.  My brother Ray and his wife are driving up from Delaware to join us.  It will be their first time to meet Iris.  C&M have a delicious menu planned including Bellinis!!  Can't wait for them.

Cheers to the weekend ahead - have a good one!

Unraveled Wednesday 8/13/25

 Hello My Friends,

We are fast approaching mid-August which seems so impossible to me.  And the mornings are so much darker now.  Getting up at 6 is becoming more and more difficult.

The garden continues to flourish.  Well, the yellow beans and cucumbers that is.  I did spot 3 tomatoes on our plant but they are still firmly green.  And there seem to be many figs, but they don't seem to be growing larger or ripening.  Oh well.  Happily Rob, our neighbor across the street, said a resounding yes to beans and cukes.  I went out and picked roughly 100 beans (I tend to count as I pick) for him.

I walked over to meet him in his garden (and included two cucumbers)  and he told me to cut some flowers.  YAY!  He has gorgeous zinnias and black eyed Susans.

It was way too hot to stay outside for very long, so I hurried back with the flowers and into a cooler house.

Seeing as it's Wednesday, let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for a look at knitting and reading.  The past week found me adding a number of rows to Semplice, but I didn't bother with a picture since it really just looks the same.  My second Simple SKYP Sock is now at the heel flap.  I was working on this yesterday afternoon and should have finished the flap and heel turn, but instead I ventured into the garden and over to Rob's.  I never got back to it.

Ten rows on an Eye of the Partridge heel flap.  Maybe I can work on this today while Iris naps?  Maybe not...

The only book I finished the last week is Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak.  Another spy type novel.  This one felt a little closer to home:  an unlikeable president in for a second term married to a foreigner, connections to Russia, etc.  It was ok - not wonderful and it felt a bit slow to me.  The pace did pick up towards the end.

A book that I have been lingering over is Bruno's Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from a French Country Kitchen by Martin Walker and Julia Watson.  Walker is, of course, the author of the Bruno, Chief of Police series.  The last thing I need is yet another cookbook, but I am really enjoying this one.  There are many recipes I would not make, but there are an equal number of recipes that (to moi) are mouth watering.  I will be copying some of those down (or just taking a picture of the page).  I'm enjoying the way the book is broken down as well:  a section on The Vegetable Plot and Market, Fisherman, Hunter, Butcher, Cheesemaker and Dairyman, Baker, Forager, Winemaker.  Each section begins with an essay which makes for enjoyable reading.

Once again, time for me to pour another cup of coffee and then pull some things (knitting and a book) to take with me when I go over to watch Iris in a short while.  Here's hoping your Wednesday is a good one.  Fingers crossed we get the forecast rain this afternoon.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 8/12/25

 Hello and Good Morning,

I'm sorry to say the heat and humidity have returned.  Ugh!  I missed posting yesterday - I was short on time before going over to watch Iris.  Our weekend was nice.  We had a lovely dinner outside at Colin & Mailing's on Saturday.  We had freshly baked sourdough bread, a chicken roasted with carrots and onions from the CSA along with roasted eggplant (also from the CSA).  The mixed berry crostata I made turned out well also.  Too busy playing with Iris and eating to take any pictures!  We wound up the evening with a nice fire in the pit.

It turns out that Fletch was wrong about our cucumber plant not producing due to mold or something.  We are now overrun with cucumbers.  I'd best make some more pickles and I suppose another cucumber salad will be on the menu one of these nights.

Sunday night I cooked more of the yellow pole beans for dinner.  They are so good...but honestly, I don't want them every night and those plants are over-producing!  LOL

Now it's Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  The weekend did provide some time for doing a little stitching.  The leaf was finished being filled in and the clouds on the right have been started!

And here is an overall shot of where things stand at the moment.

My plan is to work some more on the clouds, but also finish the brown stems on the plants.  After the clouds I will most likely stitch the moon and stars underneath them.  Lots of intense stitching, but also a very fun piece.

Time to pour another cup of coffee and do a few things.  I need to figure out what will be for dinner (I'm thinking scallops) and what's a day without a visit to CVS?  It would be nice if they could get it together so that all our prescriptions would be ready at the same time.  Hopefully some time for stitching and knitting and, of course, reading.

TGIF 8/8/25

 Good Morning!

Just popping in to quickly share a new recipe I tried.  Sorry no pics (I forgot).  And, of course, to say Happy Friday!

This is the Recipe I made:  Marcella Beans with Tuna and Pickled Onions.  Oh Yum!  And, I did happen to have a bag of Marcella Beans handy.  Boy are they good and boy was the recipe delicious.

I soaked the beans overnight and then put them on to cook in the morning.  Do NOT, as I did, turn the pot on high and then leave the room and forget that you turned the stove on.  I was sitting peacefully at my computer doing the NYT puzzles when Fletch suddenly shouted from outside that the pot was boiling over.  It was messy (but it cleaned up very easily).

Also, I had made the pickled onions a couple of days before pulling the dish together.  Fletch honestly was not thrilled with dinner prospects that night, but he ended up liking the dish - especially the pickled onions (to the point where he polished them off, so there are none to go with the leftovers!).

The recipe does make a lot.  I ended up taking some of the leftovers to C&M.  Next time I would cut the recipe in half, but triple (at least) the pickled onions.  Also, I don't think tuna packed in EVOO is absolutely necessary - especially since you drain it and then add EVOO to the recipe.  I usually buy solid white tuna in water and that is what I would use next time.

Anyway, a tasty and quite economical meal if you are so inclined to eat this sort of thing (we love beans).

After saying he didn't think we would have cucumbers to harvest, Fletch picked the first one the other day and then yesterday he picked a really large one!  And more yellow beans!

Good thing we like both cucumbers and beans.  Now, if only our tomatoes would behave in the same way...

Here's hoping your weekend is filled with good things.  We will be heading over to have dinner with Colin & Mailing & Iris tomorrow.  The forecast is nice enough that we will probably have a fire that evening.  I'll be taking a mixed berry crostata.  Yum!

Unraveled Wednesday 8/6/25

 Hello and Good Morning!

Posting a bit later than usual  because I decided to cook breakfast this morning.  I was hungry and we were both craving French toast.  And bacon.  Now I'm stuffed.  The dishes still need to be done, but the first load of wash is in the machine (2 more to go).

Mid-week, Hump Day, or as we call it, Unraveled Wednesday.  Time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  I love Wednesdays and catching up with what everyone is making and to add to my TBR ever expanding list.

This past week saw me making some progress on Semplice!

I'm a quarter of the way through the last pattern section (11 out of 44 rows completed).  The pattern has an additional 4 stitches added every other row, so it is growing steadily.  Obviously this will need to be strongly blocked once finished.  I looked at my notes and I started this on August 8, 2024.  It won't be finished by Friday, but hopefully before the end of August.  When I was knitting a row yesterday afternoon, Fletch walked by and said "you are really making progress on that!"  I said, I hope so, I've been working on it for a year!  LOL

My SKYP sock looks the same, but really 10 or more rows were added.  Not yet at the heel flap, but soon!

Reading slowed a bit...other things had my attention.  I did finish Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X by Deborah Davis.  When I first started this book I was enjoying it very much, but as I continued it just became over-long and at times tedious.  Interesting, but it could have/should have been shorter.

Fletch and I are in the midst of Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail by Joan Griffin.  This has been billed as a cross between "Wild" and "A Walk in the Woods."  We are enjoying it.  The writing is ok - nothing fabulous, but it is an interesting story (although a bit wordy in places).

We now have three eggplants on our plant on the patio!  I'm hoping they will get a bit larger.  Fletch mentioned that our cucumber plants have some kind of mold on them...or something...and he didn't think we would get any cukes.  But when he went out to water the garden last night, he came back with this:

At least we'll have one!

Time to check the washer and see if I can start another load.  I'll be using the dryer unfortunately.  It is overcast (I think from the Canadian wildfires) and a bit humid/damp outside.  Then I will fix another cup of coffee and clean up the kitchen from breakfast.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 8/5/25

 Good Morning!

How are you this morning?  My back and arms are a little tired (I was with Iris yesterday), but it is another very comfortable morning (temperature-wise) here in Eastern PA.  The temps are steadily rising though and we will be back in the heat soon.

Not very much stitching was done last week.  First it was too darn hot to hold needle and fabric.  Then, when the storms came in and cooled things down, I was busy taking care of other things.  Oh well, as I always say, it is not a race.

Only a portion of the green on that upper leaf was filled in.  The stems (brown and darker brown) are a bit tiresome, but there are loads more to do!  Perhaps today.  Or I may move further to the right and start some more clouds.

There is a lot of running around for me to do today - a prescription to pick up, library books to pick up (yay) and a package to mail.  And, of course, we are doing grocery shopping this morning so that we take advantage of the senior discount on Tuesdays.  The list is not too long - mostly fresh produce.  I've some cooking to do as well - Fletch requested spaghetti for dinner, so I need to make some sauce.  Last night I took grilled sausage out of the freezer to use.  And we will have a big salad to go with that.

Whatever your Tuesday holds for you, I hope it's a good one!

Weekending 8/4/25

 Good Morning!

What a gorgeous weekend we had.  Not a typical August weekend at all.  Moderate temperatures and very low humidity.  It was wonderful!

This weekend I managed to get the chores done that I had successfully avoided over the past week.  It was time...bathrooms, kitchen floor, scatter rugs washed and hung on the line to dry.  Trust me, there is still more to do, but at least a dent was a made in some of the things.

A bit of cooking was also done.  Colin had given me a couple of cucumbers from Zhongren's garden.  He gave me the smallest two and they are pretty big.  Long and slender like an English cucumber.  I used one to make some sweet cucumber chips.  I also made some guacamole and a large crab salad (just lump crab meat, chopped celery, mayo, s&p. a bit of Old Bay seasoning and lemon juice.  We had that last night on a toasted croissant with sliced tomato and a little bit of cheese on top - stuck under the broiler to melt the cheese.  Yummy.

This was the best though:

Yellow pole beans - so good both raw or quickly steamed.  The little cherry tomatoes were a big disappointment though - either no flavor or a bad taste.  This has not been a good year for tomatoes for us.  Our green bush beans should be flowering soon (fingers crossed).

I managed to sneak in a tiny amount of stitching and knitting as well as some reading.  Overall, a very satisfying weekend.  I hope yours was a good one as well.

Something Yummy!

 Hello My Friends,

I'm here today to share with you all a yummy thing I recently discovered!

Oh man!  So good!  Nutty Novelties is a local (Telford, PA) company and in this jar they have combined peanut butter with espresso coffee beans from Backyard Beans (another local company in Lansdale - where C&M live).  Who would have thought of this?  There is also a hint of cinnamon in this treat.

Yesterday's breakfast ended up being a toasted English muffin spread with Wild Espresso Peanut Butter.  And an apricot.

Speaking of the apricot (equally delicious), has anyone else noticed how freakin' good the stone fruits are this summer?  Might be time to make another crostata!

Have you found anything new and tasty?  Inquiring minds and all that jazz....

Have a good Thursday.  The weekend is almost here!

Unraveled Wednesday 7/30/25

 Hello My Friends,

Fingers crossed here - our heat is supposed to break tomorrow when rain is forecast.  Yesterday was pretty miserable.  I tried to sit out once or twice, but the air was close and the mosquitos were plentiful.

Thank you all for the kind words and well wishes for my brother.  He and I texted back and forth yesterday and he said his eye is feeling better.  In fact, the doctor told him that eyes heal rather quickly and that he can stop the antibiotic eye drops in three days or so!  Amazing and he is one lucky guy.

Let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers on this last Wednesday in July.  Yesterday afternoon instead of working on my stitching which I had planned to do, I pulled out Semplice and started the final pattern before the border.  I was able to complete three rows (over 300 stitches per row) before I had to put it away to prepare dinner.  I was obviously tired because I dropped a stitch in that third row, but spotted it before I had gotten too far along.  So I tinked back and put things right.  I did not spread it out to photograph - it really looks pretty much the same as it has.

This last pattern section is 44 rows, so only (ha!) 41 more to go and then I will be at the stockinette border.

I also managed a few rows on my second skyp sock over the weekend.  I think I'm a little over halfway down the leg now, heading for the heel flap.

I've pretty much decided I will rip out my Hitch on the Move.  I'll take another look at it, but I remember not being too pleased with the way it looks.  I'm using fingering weight yarn and the pattern calls for DK weight.  No final decision yet....

I did finish The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce.  The ending felt a bit out of place to me - as if it were rushed or something.  It just didn't seem to fit the rest of the book.  Anyone else feel that way?

The other book I finished was The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak.  My brother Ray had recommended this one to me.  A CIA/spy type thriller that was good.  He also recommended Our American Friend by the same author and when I checked it was available in my library system, so I will be requesting that.

Last night I started Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X which I read about on Kym's blog.  I'm only 45 or so pages in, but am thoroughly enjoying it.  I think it will be a quick read.

And that's a wrap for me.  I need more coffee and maybe a little fruit or something before I get ready to head over to see Iris.  Hope your Wednesday is a fun one - enjoy!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/29/25

 Good Morning!

The sun is up and the temp is already climbing.  I will say, though, that yesterday was not as bad as I had anticipated.  Yes, it was hot, but there was a breeze and we were able to sit comfortably on the patio once I got home from babysitting.  Iris, by the way, was a delight yesterday.  She is still full of giggles and chuckles which in turn make me laugh out loud.  We had a grand time playing with a ball for quite some time.

And here we are at the last (gasp!) Tuesday in July and it is time for a TNT update.  It really was too darn hot some days to pick up a needle, so I did not get as much stitched as I had hoped.

A little bit of filling was added to what had been outlined the previous week.  I'm hoping to do a bit more later today...if the heat and humidity will allow that.

I don't have a picture to share, but this morning the two spotted fawns were browsing in the boggy area while their mother took a rest on the ground.  Mabel was in and out, but no one bothered anyone.

And, all you gardeners out there be careful!  My younger brother was pulling some raspberry canes yesterday and somehow managed to scrape one across his eye.  He ended up at an urgent care...they thought there might have been a thorn or two in his eye!  Thankfully there was not, but there is a scratch across his eye.  Yikes!!

Have a wonderful Tuesday.  If you are in the midst of this awful heat, stay hydrated and try to stay cool.  Take care everyone!

Monday Rolls Around Again

 Bonjour My Lovelies,

Well, as predicted, the weekend was beastly!  And buggy.  I woke in the night with my arms, legs and feet itching from mosquito bites.

Friday afternoon I left Colin's a little early.  He was finished work and a severe thunderstorm was forecast.  I wanted to get home before the sky opened up.  Part way down 363, I came upon barricades closing my road.  I skirted around on a detour like everyone else and the traffic got heavier and heavier.  Anyway, a few miles from home the sky did open up and the rain was so hard that it was difficult to even see the road.  But, by the time I drove those last couple of miles home the rain had stopped.  Nothing measurable in the rain gauge, but the wind had cooled things down a bit.  Enough that we could sit on the patio before dinner.

Saturday morning was filled with laundry and a few errands.  By Sunday I decided to skip cleaning the kitchen floor and the bathrooms.  I just didn't feel like it and it was too darn hot.  Really more humid than hot.  The temps were low, but it felt like 500% humidity.

I did walk out to the garden on Sunday afternoon though.  I wanted to pull some onions to use in Sunday's dinner.  And, to my surprise, I found that little figs are starting to appear!!

Such a great sight!  I had just about given up on figs this year.  Our tree was late to leaf out and it is still very low - not as tall as prior years.  But healthy and many figs.  Count me as a happy person.

This week I am watching Iris Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  It helps (my back) to have a day off in-between babysitting.  Thursday I see the dermatologist for my semi-annual full body check.  Other than that, no real plans.  Which is ok, it's too miserable weather-wise to have plans.

I hope this Monday finds your week off to a pleasant start.  Take care and stay hydrated.

The Last Friday in July 7/25/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

It's hard to believe that today is the last Friday in July for this year.  Time continues to fly by.

I have nothing new to share, no updates, no real news, but I did want to share my morning scene with you all.  This is what I saw when I looked out my back bedroom window and they were still there when I came downstairs.

Two little (but growing bigger all the time) spotted fawns taking a rest.  Here's hoping that your weekend can be just as peaceful.  The heat and humidity are intensifying here, so I will be taking it easy.  Have a good one!

Unraveled Wednesday 7/23/25

 Good Morning!

Another blissfully cool morning here.  No doors open yet.  The mama doe was nursing her two fawns under our apple tree when I came downstairs.  Mabel has been spending nights out lately.  Grrrrr. Luckily she is always soon at the back patio door when I come downstairs.  The deer are not bothered by her (and she is not bothered by them) - they are very accustomed to each other now.

Well, it's Wednesday.  I'm back to babysitting today after several days "off."  It's also time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday.  Really this week my post should be titled Unfinished Projects.  I'm sorry to say that absolutely no knitting was accomplished last week.  Well maybe a few rows on the sock, but that's it.

A quick look at some of my projects mid- or part-way (un)finished.  On the left is the second skyp sock.  In the middle is the Heartwarmer Cowl that I messed up several months ago and had to unravel.  And on the right is the Semplice shawl.  The last section is the only one left on that.  Missing from the picture is my Hitch on the Move.  It's been so long since I worked on that project that it completely slipped my mind till right now.  LOL

Rather than be discouraged by (what I consider to be) so many unfinished projects, they bring me joy!  Folks, I have choices!  And let's not forget the stash which provides even further choices.  Two more shawls are kitted up and ready to go:  Wintertide Shawl by Beatrice Perron Dahlen and Botanic Shawl by Stephen West.  I've pulled together numerous mini skeins for a couple of Helen Stewart's colorful cowls.  Options aplenty...I just seem to need more hours in a day.

Moving over to reading, that slowed down a bit with the busy-ness of the past week.  I did read and finish another volume of Billy Collins poetry.  This time it was Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems.  It is always a pleasure to read Billy Collins (and I read or heard somewhere he has a new volume coming out in October or November!).

Last night I thought I would finish The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce, but with literally only 20 or so pages left, I could not keep my eyes open!  Rachel Joyce has a way with quirky characters (I'm thinking Miss Benson's Beetle) and this book is filled with them.  I've found it to be a very good read.

Yesterday I picked up a couple of books at my library, so perhaps next Wednesday I will have something new to share!  Here's hoping your week is going well - mine sure is!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/22/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

Gosh!  This morning's temp is an amazing 59 degrees!!  I stepped out onto the patio and actually felt chilly.

Life has been so full and wonderful lately!  I intended to post yesterday, but life got in the way.  Over the weekend, Fletcher's brother Damon drove up from Virginia for a short visit.  Unfortunately his wife couldn't come, but maybe in the Fall.  Anyway, Damon wanted to see Fletch (and moi) and wanted to see C&M and meet Iris.  As an extra bonus, my best friend (60 years!!!) Leslie drove up on Sunday.  Her daughter Jaimie and granddaughter, Emory were also along - this is their annual road trip from NC to RI.  We were all together on Sunday for 3-4 hours of laughter, fun, food, drink and just a fabulous time.

Yesterday the girls continued their drive to RI.  Damon helped Fletch around the property with some stuff that Fletch is no longer able to do (mostly trimming the wisteria and taking dead limbs out of trees).  I think he is driving home today, but that could change.

While the boys were doing their thing yesterday morning, I had an appointment with my primary care doctor to review recent labs.  My lab results were the best they have been in years!!!  And, bonus, I have lost 20 pounds!  There is still more to come off, but it feels like such a wonderful start.  

Now it is Tuesday and time for a Tiny Needle update.  With all that has been going on, not a whole lot of stitching was accomplished this past week.  But, I did manage to do a bunch of outlining on more leaves and flowers.

Today's plans include stopping at the library to return books and pick up some new ones and a bit of grocery shopping.  Other than that, I plan to stitch, knit and read.  And possibly nap.  Whatever your plans are, I hope they provide some joy for you.  Enjoy your Tuesday!

A Gathering of Poetry 7/17/25

 Good Morning!

It's time to gather together for a bit of poetry.  Yesterday I mentioned a new-to-me poet I had discovered:  David Bottoms.  Here is one of the poems from his book "Otherworld, Underworld, Prayer Porch."

AN OLD ENEMY by David Bottoms

 

Just past midnight when I walked out back to piss in the yard

 

I saw at my feet

in a patch of moonlight

 

the old enemy coiled on the root of a cherry tree.

 

It didn’t rattle or move, and I thought it might be dead,

then the fat tail twitched

as a slight wind washed the root with shadows.

 

I backed away slowly, looking for the shovel

I kept leaning against the fence.

 

It wasn’t there.  So thinking omen, I left the snake

and walked back into the house.

 

This morning I saw my mistake.  A rope the tree trimmers

left last week

lay draped across the root of the cherry.

 

Omen?  Maybe.  But no mistake.

 

In deep memory the danger remains –

the fat rope

coiled and ready to strike.

 

Unraveled Wednesday 7/16/25

 Hello My Friends,

Today I am grateful for another 73 degree morning.  Yes, it was pretty warm and muggy yesterday, but the morning was nice and I think this morning will be nice as well.  I'll take what I can get!

Hey!!  It's Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat all about making and reading.  Why don't you join us?

Yesterday I showed my stitching, so today I will share my knitting.  Sock #2 is coming along.  A little on the slow side (more time spent on stitching), but still progress has been made.  I was even able to knit 5 rows or so while at Colin's on Monday (while Iris was having lunch with Colin).

The leg is roughly 1/3 completed.  I usually knit 70-75 rows after the cuff before starting the heel flap.  The pattern (Simple Skyp Socks) continues to be fun.  I'll take it with me today when I head over to Colin's in a little bit.

Reading was pretty good this past week as well.  A novella by Fredrik Backman - And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer was read one evening.  I found this little gem to be beautiful.  Reading it reminded me of one of my favorite books - "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman.

The past week found me reading my first John Banville novel.  I know many of you have read his books, but I had not and then one of my brothers recommended him to me.  I read The Lock-Up which is the third in a series featuring DI Strafford and pathologist Quirke.  Although I only found the story to be so-so, the writing was wonderful and the characters are so good.  I will definitely be picking up another one to give it a try.

Lastly, I had seen and picked up at the library a volume of poetry by a new-to-me poet.  Otherworld, Underworld, Prayer Porch by David Bottoms offered some interesting poems.  A bit of it seemed repetitious to me, but it was still enjoyable.

Mid-week and mid-month...so soon!  Here's to a great rest of the week for all of us.  Enjoy!

Tiny Needle Tuesday. 7/15/25

 Hello My Friends,

Still a bit muggy out, but our thunderstorms dropped our temps quite a bit.  It is only 72 this morning!  Yesterday was a wonderful day with Iris (and Colin - though I didn't see him as much).  So much can change in a week.  Her two bottom front teeth are now showing (and boy are they sharp!!).  It's obvious that she is becoming more and more independent.  Definitely a strong-willed little girl (which I consider to be a good thing).  She was sweet and so good all day long.  

Now it is Tuesday, so welcome to the TNT show.  Having last week at home paid off and a lot was accomplished on my sampler:

More blossoms, a leaf and the first creature has shown up:  a snail!  I'm now at the deciding point:  do I want to go across to the other side?  Or instead do I want to go down to the bottom of the sampler?  I'm leaning towards going across, but we shall see.  I may just finish the middle which is the tree with the Evil Serpent woven around it...and, of course, Adam and Eve on either side.

I'm home today (Bonnie is watching Iris), so we will go grocery shopping and I've got a lot of things to follow up on (double billing from a medical facility, lab results, etc.).  Here's hoping there can be a bit of "me time" as well for whatever I want to do!  And, I hope your Tuesday is a good one.

Weekending 7/14/25

 Good Humid Morning!

How are you?  I'm feeling a bit on the soggy side.  It's hot.  It's humid.  It's muggy.  And, guess what?  It's summer!  July is just about half over (which is so friggin hard to believe - how did that happen?).

My weekend was good and I hope yours was too.  I did enjoy having last week off from babysitting Iris.  I missed her, but I relished having time during the days to do things.  Today I'm back on the babysitting gig, but Bonnie (Mailing's Mom) and I are splitting up the weeks.  One week I'll do three days and she will do two; the next week I will take two days and she will have three, etc., etc.  The next 3 weeks are worked out and we will figure out August as well.  I'll be back to full time during September when Bonnie is going back to China for a month to visit family.  

Anyway, I didn't do a whole lot on the weekend.  I did bake zucchini bread on Friday.  Yum!!

One loaf was wrapped and put in the freezer for another time.  I was going to make bluebarb (blueberry and rhubarb) jam, but I decided not to.  Who wants to stand over a stove cooking jam and then have a huge kettle of boiling water ready to plunge the filled jars?  With no central air, it has been simply too hot to do that.  I may still make that jam, but not this week!

A lot of time was spent stitching (update tomorrow) and some knitting (update Wednesday) and reading (update on Wednesday).  After reading Carole's post about her camping week I decided to try a "Savvy B" that she had mentioned.  Simple:  add some jalapeño slices to a glass of sauvignon blanc.  Very tasty!  And quite refreshing on a warm, humid day.

Yesterday for dinner I made the Chinese Chicken Salad that Bonny shared in her post on Friday.  I subbed arugula for the lettuce, but otherwise made the recipe as written.  Delicious!  And, lots of leftovers too.  A great dinner for a hot summer night.

Time for me to pour another cup of coffee and get ready for the day.  Here's hoping your Monday is a good one.

Unraveled Wednesday

 Greetings Fellow Unravelers!

How are you on this Wednesday in July?  It feels as though today might be a little better weather-wise.  We did indeed get a nice thunderstorm late in the day yesterday (just under half an inch of rain) and though it is still a bit muggy, it feels as though the air has cleared a little bit.

Mid-week and it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about making and reading.  I'm at the "one done and one begun" phase of my most recent socks!

Yup!  The first Simple Skyp Sock was finished on Saturday.  I cast on for #2 immediately, but so far have only managed 6 rows of the cuff ribbing.  My hope is to finish the cuff and start the pattern today, but time will tell whether that happens or not.

As for reading, I've finished three books.  First up is Banyan Moon by Thao Thai.  Sarah had mentioned this book a couple of weeks ago.  I found it to be an enjoyable summer read.  A Vietnamese family saga - mostly without men.

I had been in the queue for some time for Lili Taylor's Turning to Birds and was excited when I finally received notice that it was available to be picked up.  This turned out to be a rather disappointing read.  I found it to be repetitious and at times almost condescending (I'm not sure why, but that's the word that comes to mind).  I'm glad not to have purchased this book.  I like Amy Tan's "Backyard Bird Chronicles" so much more.

And last of all I read Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones which was another disappointment.  This, too, was very repetitious and (for me) rather trite.  Also a little too heavy on the religious side for me.

So, not great reading, but not every book can be 5 stars.  I'm in queue for some that I think will be awesome and also got some recommendations from my brother when we talked the other evening.

I've got an audiology appointment this morning (cleaning and check) and then Fletch and I have appointments for another Covid booster this afternoon.  Whatever you're up to, hope it's fun!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 7/8/25

 Good Morning!

Like so many of you, we are in the major humidity/stickiness game.  Ugh.  Yesterday we had some nice thunder, but only a few drops of rain in the afternoon.  No relief.  Today looks to be even warmer with less of a chance of rain.  We will get out this a.m. to get groceries, but after that I plan to stay put.  Cold shrimp is on the menu for dinner.  Half the time in this weather I don't even feel like eating (which is pretty amazing - lol).

Anyway, moving on, it's Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  And All Was For An Appil continues to grow.

The second leaf has been filled in along with another blossom and a bunch of outlining.  A lot of this was done yesterday.  It makes a big difference to be home rather than at C&M's!  (But I am missing Iris a lot.)

I'm sorry to say that Mabel the huntress has been at it again.  She's been catching birds - first a cardinal and then a wren.  I love when she catches mice and moles, but I strongly lecture her when she brings birds around.  The wren managed to fly off yesterday morning and I hope that poor creature is ok and survived.

Well, time to pour another cup of coffee and then check to make sure Fletch is getting up.  The earlier we can go for groceries, the better!  Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Weekending 7/7/25

 Hello My Friends,

I guess I took a little holiday from blogging for a bit.  It's been nice, but I'm ready to get back to it now!

Gosh!  We are back in the heat.  Hazy, hot and very humid.  I've mostly been laying low and not doing very much.  Mailing's mom has been helping out with Iris - she took last Thursday and is helping out all week this week.  My back is appreciating the break (though I miss my little/big granddaughter).  I did manage to catch up on laundry and do a little cleaning.  I also did a dash to the grocery store - we had plenty of meat in the freezer but were completely out of fresh veggies.

Mabel has been taking it easy in the heat as well.  She now is letting me brush her and an amazing amount of hair/fur is coming off.

And this sweet mama has been resting in our yard here and there.

Her twin babies are never too far away, but they are growing fast and galloping all over the place!  Fun to watch them romp around.

We thought we were going to have a second wren family.  A wren was checking out two other birdhouses we have hanging in our apple tree, but so far nothing.  Our baby bluebirds have been around though.  We missed seeing them fledge, but most afternoons they are back in our yard looking for a feast.

Our 4th of July was relatively quiet.  We did go over to Bonnie & Zhongren's for a cookout - tasty!  But everyone left around 6:30 which was fine with me.  Our township did fireworks, but I didn't really hear much other pops and nothing on Saturday!

Our garden has been really disappointing this year.  Fletch harvested our garlic on Saturday and he only got about 25 heads from over 50 planted!  And the heads harvested are quite small.  I think my rhubarb plant has died.  I cut some stalks and then everything else turned yellow and wilted.  We've had that plant FOREVER.

Colin, on the other hand, has a garden that is producing a lot.  I ran by yesterday and picked up a nice number of green and yellow beans.  We had some for dinner last night and they were great.  He also gave me a couple of zucchini because they were overrun from the CSA.  Fletch does not like zucchini, but he will eat zucchini bread or muffins, so I guess I will be baking some.

Today I plan to stay put.  There is more laundry to take care of and I just want to relax and work on my stitching and knitting.  And maybe a nap.

How have you been?

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!