Weekending 3/31/25

 Good Morning!

We are having a quiet, lazy rain in Eastern PA.  Saturday it got up to 80 degrees!!  Yesterday was a bit cooler, but still nice.  How was your weekend?  Mine was nice.

Friday afternoon I took the MDK workshop MedKNITation which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Did I learn anything new?  Not necessarily, but the class was very relaxing...so much so that I ended up taking a 2 hour nap after the class!  Suzan Colón, who led the class and who wrote the book MedKNITation, is a lovely person.  Her speech is so soothing and calming.  Have I meditated since taking the class?  No.  But I do plan to try to get into a regular habit of meditating.  We shall see.

Speaking of MDK, I received two copies of the latest Field Guide:  Mosaic.  I only need one, so if anyone would like the extra copy, please let me know.

Once I woke up from my long nap, it was time to pull it together and head over to Colin & Mailing's for dinner.  Iris is growing by leaps and bounds!  She is a very happy baby and sits at the table while we all have our meal.  It won't be too long before she is eating food!  While we were having dinner, Talbot was hanging out in the office room.  

We skipped having a fire after dinner as it had started to rain, but it was still a lovely evening.  Colin is now officially on paternity leave for two months.  Mailing is going back to work tomorrow.

Saturday was a gorgeous day.  So warm, but also very breezy.  I walked around the garden and saw that the garlic is coming up nicely and spinach and cabbage are thriving in the cold frame.  Our fig tree has buds!  I'm excited for that.  And, the French Thyme that I planted last year has come back!  That was a nice surprise.

Fletcher scored a planter for the garden at a local Goodwill store.  It should be interesting to see how things grow in it.  I have a card imbedded with basil, parsley and chive seeds that I am going to bury in one of the "bins."  Fletch has other things planned for the remaining bins.

Sunday was noticeably cooler.  The sun did come out, but not till late afternoon.  Zhongren (Mailing's Dad) came over in the morning to pick up some books we were getting rid of.  He also wandered out to the back of our property where our bamboo is.  He was looking for bamboo shoots to harvest, but it was too early...he said probably another few weeks.

Dinner was a new-to-us dish of ground beef with Brussels sprouts.  I followed THIS RECIPE and it was delicious!  We had garlic bread to go with it.

Plenty of leftovers for another meal or several lunches.  YUM!!

All in all, a pretty full weekend filled with good things!  I hope your weekend was equally nice.

TGIF

 Hey Hey and Good Morning!

Happy Friday!  Happy Weekend!  The sun is out and it is not quite as chilly as was forecast.  It's around 40 this morning.

Mabel has been waking me early, but I've gotten into a routine where I go downstairs with her and let her out and then I crawl back into my bed.  I can usually catch an additional 45 minutes or so of sleep.  Bliss!

Yesterday I walked around to the North side of the house to cut some more daffodils.  I now have a vase on the table and one on my kitchen windowsill.  So bright and cheerful.

On the table

On my windowsill

Some of the stalks have multiple blooms!

Two blooms on one stalk!

Three blooms on one stalk!!

Pretty cool, huh?

Today I am taking the virtual workshop MedKNITation offered through MDK.  Is anyone else participating?  Since I needed some EASY knitting for the class, I started a dish cloth the other night.  Pretty straight forward, just garter stitch with a slipped stitch edge.

And, we are heading over to C&M's for dinner tonight.  I cannot wait to see them - especially Iris!!  It's going to be a nice enough day we will most likely have a fire outside after dinner.  Colin texted me a picture of Iris the other day wearing one of his Baby Gap cardigans.  I think that cardigan was passed on to us from Ema, my SIL in Boulder, CO which would make the cardigan probably 40 years old!!  

Time for me to have another cup of coffee, dry my hair and get on with my day.  I hope you have something fun planned for the day!

Unraveled Wednesday 3/26/25

 Hello Again!

It's that FUN day of the week:  Wednesday, AKA Unraveled Wednesday.  Everyone links up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.

You already know from my post yesterday (if you read it) that there has not been much time in the past week for knitting or stitching.  I'll spare you another picture of Semplice spread out because it basically looks the same.  A few rows were added, but not a whole lot.

A "springy" look - purple yarn and a yellow yarn bowl with a bird on it!

On the other hand, reading has once again been quite good!  I finished Devotions a volume of Mary Oliver's poetry.  How beautiful!  This is a book that had lived on my nightstand for many, many moons.  I would periodically pick it up and read a poem or two and then put it down.  Last week I brought it downstairs for my morning poetry reading and I quickly finished it.  I even read a few poems out loud to Fletch (mostly about snakes which I don't like, but Fletch is fond of them).

Thanks to Jane mentioning a book she was reading, I ended up buying it and Fletch and I read it after dinner.  Those of the Gray Wind The Sandhill Cranes by Paul A. Johnsgard follows the migration of the Sandhill Cranes from the Southwest up into Alaska.  We both enjoyed the book quite a bit.

And then, thanks to Bonny I requested The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck from my library.  Fortunately there was no wait and I picked it up rather quickly.  I finished this last night after our Zoom RWU discussion.  What a miraculous, wonderful book.  It is composed of 12 interconnected short stories (each one is paired with another).  Short stories are not typically my chosen or favorite genre, but this book is exquisite.  Highly, highly recommend this one.

Having finished the book on Sandhill Cranes, Fletch and I are now reading Six Walks. In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau which is also by Ben Shattuck.  This is a nonfiction book where the author retraces some of Thoreau's walks.  Interspersed on the pages are sketches by the author.  Very enjoyable!

The other week I showed you a single bud on my large Christmas cactus (which had already bloomed in the winter).  Well, after a week plus of remaining tightly closed, the bud finally opened.

So pretty!  No other buds have appeared, but I will enjoy this bloom as long as it lasts.

Happy Hump Day!  May you find time today to do something you love!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/25/25

 Hello Everyone,

And another Tuesday rolls around.  When I first woke this morning and looked out our back bedroom window I saw the most beautiful crescent moon.  I was also hearing the beginning of bird chatter for the day.  What a lovely way to wake up.  Then Mabel came up and started clawing the rug...time to get up!

Tuesday means time for a TNT update.  I had no time for stitching last week.  In fact the first time since last Tuesday that I sat down with The Kindness sampler was yesterday afternoon.

You can see that not much was added...BUT, a new color (green) was introduced.  I would have gotten a bit further along, but apparently I was having a difficult time counting yesterday afternoon.  I had to "unstitch" some of the "progress" (not so much) I had made.  Hopefully more will be stitched this coming week.

Meanwhile, I made a very tasty dinner last night.  It's one I used to make and then sort of fell out of the habit of cooking it.  It is easy and very delicious!  

S&P some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then sauté them in oil.  Just get them a little brown.  You could use boneless skinless thighs if you prefer.

Then to the pan I added sliced onion, sliced bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, a bunch of Kalamata olives and some sun dried tomatoes (I used sliced, in oil).  Pour in about a cup of broth, toss in fresh basil and parsley, cover and let it simmer till done (30-40 minutes or so).  YUM!!!

I cooked some noodles to go with it and voila! dinner was ready!

I'm looking forward to seeing some of you tonight for our RWU Zoom discussion.  Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Weekending 3/24/25

 Good Morning!

Or, good Sleepy morning from Eastern PA.  We had light rain overnight (it sounded so nice when I woke...several times...) and it is continuing now.  It is grey and a perfect day for staying in and doing some knitting or stitching or reading.  Unfortunately, I have a dentist appointment (just routine check and cleaning) at 10:30.  I guess that means I will have to get dressed....

How was your weekend?  Ours was good.  The last week was busy with appointments and other stuff.  We are (FINALLY) getting rid of some things!!  Years ago (30+) we bought benches/shelves from Ikea.  They are benches, but can stack on top of one another to be shelves.  Many moons ago they migrated into Colin's room where they started collecting stuff.  Books we didn't look at.  Old papers, etc., etc.  C&M were in need of some shelves so I said you can have them!  Of course that meant unloading all the stuff on them.

The shelves/benches are now at C&M's house and we have a number of boxes filled with books to go through - I'm thinking many can be donated, but we will see what Fletch thinks.  (I'm happy to say he has already gotten rid of a lot of the papers and other things that were on those shelves.)

On Saturday I also picked up our finished taxes.  So good to have that out of the way!  I have to mail the local return (state and federal will be e-filed).  This will be my last local return now that I am fully retired.  YAY!!!

Sunday I cooked some sticky sesame tofu for my lunch.

I had it over brown rice with some steamed broccoli and carrots.  Pretty tasty!  Next time I will try cooking the tofu in my air fryer rather than the oven.

We had some sunflowers in a vase on the table, but they were looking a bit ratty (and they really did not last long - not even a week!).  Yesterday afternoon I walked around to the North side of the house and our mini daffodils are finally blooming.  They are always the first to bloom.

Well my friends, time to pour another cup of coffee and maybe have a little breakfast.  I hope your Monday finds you doing something you love.

What's Cooking? And a Poem!

 Good Morning!

Happy Spring and Happy Birthday to my Mom (who, if she were alive, would be 106 today!!).  It is the 20th of March and is the Spring Equinox.  Our day is a bit on the grey side.  We are expecting misty conditions most of the day and then rain maybe by dinnertime.  The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous with blue, blue skies and temps hovering around 70.  It's ok to have a slightly dimmer day once in awhile...just makes you appreciate those gorgeous days all the more.

Yesterday's weather was so wonderful that Fletch decided to grill.  I took some lamb chops out of the freezer.  Boy were they delicious!  Lamb is not something I want to eat on a regular basis, but when you have a really good lamb chop it is a wonderful thing.  Anyway, I decided to try a new (to me) recipe for Roasted Asparagus Potato Salad.

I will be making this salad again and again.  

The recipe calls for fingerling potatoes, but I used little red potatoes (having no fingerlings in the fridg).  They roasted perfectly and then asparagus was added to the pan.  What I like about this recipe is that it is best served warm or at room temperature.  Meaning, I could finish it before the chops were ready.  THIS is the recipe I used.

And now, with it being the third Thursday of the month, it's time to share a poem with everyone.  Like Kat I've been spending much time with Ted Kooser's poems.  I always find them soothing and calming.  This poem can be found in the volume of Kooser's poetry I recently read:  Delights and Shadows.

Turkey Vultures

 

Circling above us, their wing tips fanned

like fingers, it is as if they are smoothing

 

one of those tissue paper patterns

over the pale blue fabric of the air,

 

touching the heavens with leisurely pleasure, 

just a word or two called back and forth,

 

taking all the time in the world, even though

the sun is low and red in the west, and they

 

have fallen behind with the making of shrouds.

Bonny is hosting a link up for poems - be sure to check it out.

And that's it from me.  I need to review all the stuff I pulled together for taxes - my appointment is at 10 this morning.  Hoping for a favorable outcome!

Unraveled Wednesday 3/19/25

 Good Morning!

It's Wednesday - the most fun day of the week when we all link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk all about the making and all about the reading.  Always inspirational and fun!!

Before I get into the meat of the post, I wanted to let you know that yesterday ended up being GORGEOUS and after lunch I headed out to the trail by the canal.  It was a wonderful walk and on my way back I was rewarded when I just happened to glance to my left:

Magnificent!  And only a few feet away from me.  He/she kept her eye on me as I stopped to take a picture and then move on.  Blue Herons are just so regal looking.  (I love the building reflected in the water.). There were also some turtles to be seen:

Click to enlarge so you can see them all lined up!  And then this little guy:

(Look in the center of the photo.)  I would not have noticed him at the edge of the canal if two women ahead of me on the trail had not stopped to snap a picture.  This little guy is just learning the ropes of life in and on the canal!

On to the knitting!  I am so happy to tell you that Semplice is back in the house and growing!  You may (or may not) recall that I started this shawl last year.  I fell in love with the pattern - the geometric shapes - ordered my yarn and started.  Then I stopped.  I can't remember why.

I had stopped at row 85, but now am ready to begin row 106.  The pattern is easy to memorize, but it also grows by 4 stitches every other row.  It's a soothing knit and my plan is to just continue working on this.  I think I'm better as a single project girl...if I have more than one project going one (if not all) of them will suffer from neglect.  Anyway, we'll see how that goes.  The pattern calls for 200 rows, so I still have a way to go (especially with the 4 stitch increase every other row!).

Reading has been so good!  Thanks to Kat and her mention/review of it, I purchased Lights on a Ground of Darkness: An Evocation of a Place and Time by Ted Kooser.  First, this is the book that got Fletch and me back on track with reading together after dinner!  So, thank you Kat.  This is such a sweet little book (under 100 pages).  If I had been reading it on my own, I would have finished it in a single sitting, but reading it after dinner spread out the pleasure of this little volume (and Kooser's Mother's name was Vera!).

Next up I read Rodin's Lover by Heather Webb.  A novel about (duh) Auguste Rodin and his muse/love Camille Claudel.  I enjoyed the book - especially when it dove into what inspires/urges artists to create.  Claudel was a sculptor like Rodin, though suffered from being a woman and treated differently.  Theirs was not an easy relationship and Claudel had a lot of issues (maybe schizophrenic?), but the book was a fun diversion.

I also read (or rather re-read) Delights and Shadows by Ted Kooser.  Reading Lights on a Ground of Darkness prompted Fletch to ask me to pull out some Kooser poetry books for him to look at.  I pulled out Winter Morning Walks which I had recently read and then grabbed Delights and Shadows from the bookcase in our bedroom.  When I opened it I was surprised to see that my Dad had given it to us back in 2005!  That just makes this book even more special to me.  Anyway, Fletch thoroughly enjoyed it and once he was finished, I devoured the book!

Last night I finished Be Ready When the Luck Happens - Ina Garten's recent memoir.  I've always enjoyed Ina Garten - her shows, her recipes, the way she makes it all look so easy!!  I enjoyed the book, found parts of it interesting, though some of it was a bit of a slog.  Definitely a bunch of first world problems, but still it was a fun read.

And that's a wrap for me.  If you've stuck around for this lengthy post, I thank you.  Please be sure to check out what others are doing on this Unraveled Wednesday - you can find the links on Kat's blog.  Happy Wednesday, Happy Hump Day, may the sun shine on us all today!  Have a good one!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/18/25

 Good Morning One and All,

How are you this morning?  It is a cooler morning here (low 30's), but luckily no snow like I heard some areas had.  Come On Spring!!!

There was sweet news yesterday when I learned my college roommate Nina just became a Grandma!  Her daughter, Sarah, delivered a little girl (Ellie) last Thursday.  I love that Nina, Sarah and Ellie all share the same middle name - Tamar.  

Now it's time for a TNT update.  Kindness saw a bit of progress this past week.

The bottom left corner has been rounded.  Still an awful lot to stitch on this one, but it's fun and that's what counts.  I've been managing to get in at least an hour of stitching on this piece each day.  Slow but steady...

And now, I came across this cartoon in a recent New Yorker magazine and figured everyone would enjoy it:

Hahaha!  Happy Tuesday everyone - have a great day.

Weekending 3/17/25

 Hello and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

How was your weekend and what did you do?

First up, I discovered that my Christmas cactus (the older one - an offspring from my Grandmother's HUGE plant in Vermont) that bloomed at Christmas has yet another bud on it!!

No signs of other buds yet, but this is so cool since it was fully in bloom only several months ago.

Since Friday was Pi Day (and I realized too late to bake one myself), I picked up a peach pie for Fletch (one of his favorites).  It was awful!!  The filling was so sickly sweet syrupy and the pieces of peaches were hard as rocks!  Fletch had one piece and said unfortunately it was not good.  I took a bite and agreed.  The rest of the pie was cut up and put out for the deer.  They seemed to enjoy it!  LOL

I did walk for a bit (40 minutes or so) along the River Trail on Friday.  I realized that I need new sneakers.  I could feel every rock and piece of gravel under my foot on the trail.  Another thing I did was listen to an audio book while walking.  I did not like doing that!  My hope was that by listening to the book I would not be thinking about how my feet were uncomfortable and how my back was hurting.  That did not really work and I missed concentrating on birdsong.  I guess I just am not really a fan of audio books.  I'd rather have silence than listen to them while stitching or knitting and I definitely did not enjoy listening to one while walking.  Oh well - at least I did give it a try.

Saturday was a pretty grey and dismal day.  The morning found me running an errand or two, but otherwise it was an inside day.

Sunday was wonderful!  The temp got up to 70!  The winds also rose and it was a very gusty day.  We went over to Colin & Mailing's for a St. Patty's Day feast.  Colin fixed corned beef, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and he made home made Irish soda bread which was delicious.  For dessert he made a coconut custard pie.

Everything was delicious.  Iris is getting big (16 lbs now!!) and is so expressive and happy.  She smiles a lot.  They recently bought a high chair and Iris sat at the table with us for maybe 30 minutes before getting a little fussy and grumpy.  (In her defense, she was overly tired not having slept well the night before.). After digesting a bit and having an espresso, Colin, Mailing, Iris and I all set out for a little walk.  It was SO windy, but every time there would be a gust of wind, Iris would smile and laugh.  I spotted this sign in their neighborhood:

Isn't that great?

We had a very soothing rain late last night.  One clap of thunder was all I heard, otherwise it just sounded so nice.

Well, time for me to get moving and pour another cup of coffee.  I hope your Monday is off to a great start!

Signs of Spring!! 3/13/25

 Good Morning All,

I'm a bit late (again) today.  I had to go out early for a fasting blood test and then when I came back I HAD to have coffee immediately...and half a bagel and half a banana (you would think that I had not eaten in ages).

Anyway, yesterday was a beautiful day.  I walked again along the Perkiomen creek in the morning.  Lots of bird song (and crows), lots of robins and some Canadian geese on the water.  This morning is a bit chillier, so if I walk it will be in the afternoon.

Later in the day, Fletch was pruning our apple tree (lots of dead wood unfortunately) and I walked out to see if the peonies were popping up yet.  No sign of them, but there were other joys:

The bed at the edge of our driveway.

Smack dab in the middle of our front lawn - no idea about these...haven't seen them in the past.

Under my front office window...delicate crocus and daffodil buds!!!

Colin reported that his garlic is shooting up and Fletch says ours as well.  Good things to come.  Surprisingly, there is a bunch of spinach in the cold frame bed that was not damaged by the cooler temps or winds (the winds blew the sides and top off the cold frame!).  I may have to harvest that for a salad.

Well, time to get my day going (and get another cup of coffee).  I hope you all are seeing signs of Spring too!

Unraveled Wednesday 3/12/25

 Hello My Friends,

It's that fun day of the week - Wednesday - Hump Day - AKA Unraveled Wednesday.  Let's link up with Kat and talk about what we are making and reading.  Unraveled posts are filled with so much inspiration!

For my part, I am thrilled that my color block socks are finally (FINALLY) finished!!  Woo-Hoo

.

Naturally the photo doesn't show the true colors (the yarn is the November 2024 Sock Squad yarn from The Farmer's Daughter).  Cuffs and toes are actually purple.  The middle part (slightly above the heel and then down the foot part way) is like a mulberry color and the pale shade is more like a grey.

I think this pair of socks took me longer to knit than any pair I have ever knit!  Case in point:  one sock took just over a month to knit and the other just under a month.  And, this is my first knit finish for 2025.  Nothing is a race and I don't have a goal set for what I want to finish, but geeze!  

Nothing new has been cast on, rather my intention is to work on some things in progress (2 shawls and one cowl).  We shall see how that goes!

Reading has been pleasant.  I read The Garden by Nick Newman.  This is a book that is difficult to review or explain.  The copy I borrowed from my library has it labeled as science fiction.  I would not call it sci-fi.  Dystopian?  Yes.  The reader doesn't really know when or where this book is taking place.  Climate change factors in.  How old are the sisters?  Where did the boy come from?  What secret(s) are in the house?  Some questions will never be answered, yet I found the book very enjoyable.

It has been some time since Fletch and I shared a book after dinner, but thanks to Kat we are now doing so!  We are halfway through Lights on a Ground of Darkness by Ted Kooser and we are both loving it.  Kooser's writing is just so darn good!  In fact, this book has Fletch now interested in reading some of Kooser's poetry!  I just need to remember to pull out my books so he can peruse them.

I'm currently reading a novel about Auguste Rodin and his muse and lover, Camille Claudel which I am enjoying - more about that next week.

Last night I went to bed early (tired).  Before going upstairs I was complaining to Fletch that we had not heard an owl in ages.  Well...Fletch told me this morning that when he climbed the stairs to go to bed last night he heard an owl in the woods behind our house!  He said that owl "hooted" about 25 times while Fletch brushed his teeth!  I'm sorry to have missed that (the owl, not the brushing of teeth).

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/11/25

 Good Morning!

How are you?  I am loving our weather recently - warmer temps and most importantly, the gusty winds have subsided.  Whew!  But, no matter the weather, time marches onward and now it is Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  I'm happy to let you know that more stitching was accomplished this past week.  The sampler continues to grow.

I am really enjoying this sampler, but at the same time I am thankful that it is no larger - all that solid stitching!!  Glad I'm enjoying it because I certainly have a whole lot more to stitch!  LOL

Meanwhile, back to the weather for a moment.  Yesterday was gorgeous!  I did not get out to walk, instead I did four loads of wash and took it easy.  I guess the time change is impacting me because I felt pretty tired all day.  But, with the lovely weather, Fletch grilled hot and sweet sausages for us for dinner.  I sautéed some onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and zucchini to go with the sausage and then...drumroll...we had our first fire of the season last night!

It was a beautiful night with an almost full moon shining down on us.

There were lots of stars visible and Mabel was running around.  She never comes near the fire, but walks around the perimeter of the yard - checking her territory I guess.  We came in after about an hour (Mabel stayed out a little later, but still came in for the night).

Today it is forecast to hit 68!  We will do grocery shopping this morning, but I am hoping/planning to get in a walk after lunch.  I hope your Tuesday is a good one!

Tiny Treasures 3/10/25

 Good Morning Everyone!

How are you this Monday morning?  I've been sleeping in a bit thanks to the time change.  Our weekend was good - nothing spectacular which is fine.  We did not see Colin & Mailing & Iris this weekend (we will next weekend) (though Colin did report that Iris is now up to 15 lbs!!  She will be 3 months old as of tomorrow - hard to believe).

Anyway, nothing really to share or report from the weekend, so I thought that instead I would share some of my small stitched cushions.  They are nestled into a dough bowl that was Nanno's (Fletcher's Grandmother) and are sitting on top of a bookcase in the office room near the front window.

A little bit of a closer view:

And, some of my favorites (do you see Iris front and center??):

This is one I stitched in memory of my Mom.  Her middle name was Rose and she often would wear a rose bud pinned to her dress or jacket lapel.  We also often had rose buds in a vase in the kitchen.  My Mom's initials - VRL - are just visible on the left (yes, she was a Vera too).

Kat - this one made me think of you!  It's a crazy quilt pincushion made by my friend Carol.  So pretty.

This heart was made by a bloggy friend Marly - expertly stitched and finished (she has way more patience than I do!).

I can't remember when I stitched this one, but years ago when my eyes were better - LOL.  This is on fairly high count linen (maybe 40 count) and is stitched over one (meaning 40 stitches to the inch).

You see, I've always loved birds - I stitched both of these way back in 2011.  They are both (I believe) designs by Blackbird Designs (as is the Rose piece stitched in memory of my Mom).

So, there you have it.  Just some of the treasures I have that make me happy.  I'm hoping this Monday finds you happy and doing something you love.  Make some fun!!

Scissors and Needle Minders. 3/7/25

 Hello, Bonjour and Good Morning,

It was another wild night here in Eastern PA.  The wind howled and roared all night.  Mabel was going crazy - would not go out but instead raced through the house as if she were being chased by a monster.  She messed up the throw rugs in the kitchen, raced across the wooden floors.  All pretty humorous (except at 5 a.m.) (and except having to fix rugs all the time).  She finally did go out this morning, but not for long and I can hear that she is back to racing around upstairs.

Anyway, it's Friday and that's a nice thing.  Today I thought I would show you my needle minders and some of my scissors.  Tools of my trade!  First up the needle minders.

You may need to click to enlarge.  The tiny cat (shaped like a lightbulb) is one that Kim sent me.  So cute.  The flamingo is one that Dee gave me years ago.  The bottom three are all from the same company (and of course I cannot remember the name of said company).  The Adam & Eve one and the cat one I bought.  The stack of farm animals on the left is one that I won in a give-away.  I try not to look at needle minders on line.  I don't really NEED more, but some are just so cute.

Next up my scissors.  I have a nice collection and most of them fit in an old flower frog.

It's a nice way to keep them corralled and I like being able to see them all.  Each day when I sit down to stitch I choose a different pair of scissors to use.  Some have been gifted to me by friends and family and some I have bought.

My most prized pair is probably these Gingher scissors.

Decades ago (before Colin was born) I started doing a lot of white work, pulled & drawn work and Hardanger.  I saw these scissors at a shop and decided I needed them.  But, at the time, they were very pricey.  Fletch bought them for me as a surprise and they have served me very well!

These four pair were ones I saw on Etsy or eBay (again decades ago).  At the time I was not ordering anything on line, but my friend Carol bought them and mailed them to me.  They are from Japan.  So elegant looking!

Here is a pair that Carol ordered for me from Temu!!  

And here is a pair of Acorn scissors that I fell in love with and ordered from The Attic a number of years ago.

There are some more, but they are tucked away in project bags (and I was too lazy to pull them out).

Do I need them all?  Heck no!  But it sure is fun to have a collection/selection from which to choose.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend - have some fun!

What's Cookin'? 3/6/25

 Good Morning Everyone!

How are you?  It is still fairly mild here and I'm still wishing I had ditched the flannel sheets the other day.  We had some heavy rain yesterday and this morning just looks blah - plenty of grey in the sky.

But hey!  I tried some new (to me) recipes yesterday and thought I would share with you.

Fletch is not fond of tofu, but I enjoy it (if it is crispy).  Lunch for me yesterday was some crispy tofu with veggies and brown rice.

I took a block of firm tofu, sliced it into 3 layers and put them between paper towels and then weighted them with a couple of canisters to help get more water/moisture out of the tofu.  After 45 minutes or so, I just tore the layers into chunks, slapped them in a bowl with a little soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha and S&P.  Mixed that all up and then added corn starch to cover all the pieces.  Plopped them on a cookie sheet (with parchment on it), and at the other end of the cookie sheet I added some cut up zucchini, yellow squash and sliced radishes.  Sprinkled EVOO, S&P on the veggies and cooked all that stuff at 400 for about 20 minutes.  Warmed up some leftover brown rice and then put the roasted pieces on top adding some chopped scallions.  It was yummy!  AND...theres quite a bit of leftover tofu, so I already know what's on my menu for lunch.

Dinner ended up being an orange affair - LOL

Salmon and carrots.  They both roasted in the oven at 400 - the carrots for 25 minutes or so and the salmon for 20 minutes.  The salmon was brushed with a mixture of maple syrup, soy sauce, sriracha, dill, dash of white vinegar and sesame seeds.  This is a recipe from my SIL in CO - she sent it to me only a dozen years ago and I had never tried it.  We will definitely be having salmon this way again!

For the carrots, I chopped them up, put them in a bowl and added EVOO, S&P, a splash of OJ, a little maple syrup, some cinnamon and some ground cloves.  I let them rest in the bowl for 30-45 minutes, then put them in a greased casserole.  I loved the flavor of orange and cloves - it was kind of like Christmas!  No carrots were left, but there is a big chunk of salmon left over for lunch for Fletch.

Tonight we are just going to have burgers.  If it gets nice enough, I'll have Fletch grill them.  If not, I will just cook them inside.  Not sure what we will have with them, but something!

Time for me to get going.  I've got errands to run this morning and there are a few chores I'd like to "maybe" get accomplished.  Time will tell.  Here's hoping your Thursday is a good one - enjoy!

Unraveled Wednesday 3/5/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

Looks like we are in for a rainy day here in Eastern PA.  It's mild this morning (and those darn flannel sheets were too much last night!!).  Yup, grey outside and dampness in the air.  No rain yet - I think Fletch said he saw it should start around mid-day or so.  Luckily I have no place I need or want to go.  Staying put in the house works for me (just about every time!).

Our red beans turned out very well.  I forgot to take a picture, but the dish was delicious.  Fletch kept walking into the kitchen saying it smells insanely good in here!  LOL. Colin said his batch worked up very well also.  He went a bit further than me also preparing chocolate mousse for dessert and fixing NOLA style cocktails (the Ramos Gin Fizz as well as Sazeracs).

And now it is Wednesday - time for Unraveled Wednesday and linking up with https://askatknits.com/ and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk all about making and reading.  Wednesdays are wonderful that way!  Turns out I did more stitching and reading than knitting.

The Eye of the Partridge heel flap was finished, the heel was turned and gusset stitches were picked up.  But, I did not zoom down the foot was I anticipated.  That is still waiting for me to do.  Maybe today, time will tell.

Reading was quite good.  Saturday I finished the "easy" book I started after finishing The Secret History.  It is The Briar Club by Kate Quinn.  My sister in law had recommended this one to me.  Linda loved it; I thought it was ok (we have different tastes in books).  The story revolves around a group of women (different ages and backgrounds) living together in a boarding house and takes place in the DC area during the McCarthy era after WWII.  That aspect was interesting.  Like The Secret History, this book opens up with a murder (or rather 2), but you don't find out who was murdered till the end.  I had figured out the ending, but it was still a good read (especially after Tartt's book).

On Sunday I read A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote.  I heard about this book through our blogging community (I can't remember who read it).  This book is actually a collection of 3 short stories by Capote and is only around 100 pages.  But what wonderful pages they are!  I had only ever read one book by Capote - "In Cold Blood" - which I remember as being very good.  Gruesome, but good.  Of course, back in the day when I read it, I wasn't reading for wonderful writing, but rather just reading a gruesome story.  The three short stories in "A Christmas Memory" really showcase Capote's style and way with words.

The last book I also finished on Sunday.  This book, When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance is by Joan Baez and is a collection of her poetry and prose - musings if you will.  My friend, Connie, in NC had mentioned this to me, so I requested it from my library.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I don't think it was this.  I did not really care for her writing very much.  Give me Billy Collins, Mary Oliver or Ted Kooser any day!

I'm roughly a third of a way through another book, but I will save that for when I finish it - should easily be by next Wednesday.  

What are you making and reading these days?

Tiny Needle Tuesday...and Mardi Gras! 3/4/25

 

Good Morning!  It's Mardi Gras/Carnival/Fat Tuesday - whatever you celebrate (or don't).  I've had THESE BEANS soaking overnight and my Dutch oven is on the stove.  I've chopped tons of celery, onion, peppers, garlic and parsley and soon everything will be simmering on the stove (also sweet and hot Italian sausage).  YUM!!  I cannot wait for dinner.  We will have brown rice with it and probably broccoli.

Somewhere on line I came across pictures from Venice of folks dressed up for Carnival.  Wow!  What costumes.  I was at Mardi Gras in NOLA in 1980 - just before I got married.  At the time my brother Chris was living in NOLA, so a friend and I flew down to celebrate.  I remember heating milk on the stove for Cafe du Monde coffee, wearing masks, going to parades, going to a party on someone's balcony, going into a bar to use the bathroom and getting kicked out (it was a gay bar and females were NOT allowed), and all the trash in the streets.  I came home with a shoebox full of beads.  My friend and I flew home on Ash Wednesday and when we got up that morning to go to the airport, it was as if Mardi Gras had never happened - the city was CLEAN!  All the trash had been picked up or swept away, streets had been hosed down, etc.  It was pretty amazing.

Today will be all about having fun!  Yesterday I did manage to wash the kitchen floor and also wash sheets.  I am so tired of flannel sheets, but they went back on the bed because our nights are still going to be a little chilly for some time.

Let's move on to the stitching.  I managed to get quite a bit stitched on the Kindness Sampler.

Click to enlarge so you can see the colors better.

It might not look like ALL that much, but the solid stitching takes some time - especially because of having to change colors and using 40 count linen.  Also, using hand dyed threads means completing each stitch fully before going to the next.  Anyway, it is roughly 5" across and I still have a bunch to stitch.  It is moving along faster than I expected though.

No more raccoon sightings and I mentioned to Fletch that I have not seen the possum since Christmas Eve!  Mabel, thankfully, is still staying inside at night and not fussing to go out.  I'm wondering if that behavior will continue as the nicer, Spring weather moves in.

Well, time for another cup of coffee and time to get started sautéing all the things for red beans - they will cook pretty much all day!  Have a wonderful Tuesday.

Weekending 3/3/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

How are you this first Monday in March?  It's another chilly morning here in Eastern PA (19 degrees by my phone).  I'm in PJ pants, a sweatshirt and have a shawl wrapped around my shoulders.  That's also how I was dressed for most of yesterday.  LOL

Friday was a very pretty day.  I did make our shrimp stir fry for dinner.

And Saturday - wow!  It was 60 degrees in the morning.  When I stepped out to fix the window bird feeder at the office window I spotted some daffodil leaves and a bud!  Finally.

And then more along the North side of the house.

I did a few chores and then planned to walk in the afternoon.  But, while Fletch and I were having lunch the winds picked up and the temps really dropped.  The wind continued the rest of the day and night (40 mph gusts pretty steadily).  So, I stayed inside.

Sunday was pretty cold.  I did drive over to Colin & Mailing's after breakfast to take them a few things.  When I arrived, Colin was reading to Iris.

We're late (very late) to the game, but have been enjoying watching Ted Lasso.  Some of the episodes are just plan strange though (e.g., Beard After Hours).  But it's fun and I'm actually enjoying watching TV.  What a thought!  LOL. Fletch watched the Oscars last night, but I did not.  Instead I was reading in the kitchen.  I happened to glance out the patio door and we had a visitor!!

Mr. Raccoon was checking things out, and then he climbed the post attempting to get to the suet feeder (he gave up).

I was glad when I checked and Mabel was sound asleep on one of the beds upstairs.  Mr. Raccoon might not have come onto the patio if Mabel had been out there, but I'd rather not test that theory.

All in all, a very pleasant weekend.  I knit and stitched and finished 3 books and started a new one!  (More on the books on Wednesday.). I'm hoping your weekend was just as lovely.  Happy Monday!