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.

Weekending 5/5/25

 Good Morning and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Our Iris are blooming and they are gorgeous:

I brought some in but they only lasted a couple of days in a vase.

My weekend was good.  I managed to get the chores done that I wanted to do (cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry), but there was plenty of "me time" as well.  I managed to read quite a bit, knit some and stitched some!  Sunday was the perfect day to laze about.  It rained pretty much all day, but it was a steady and gentle rain.  It also brought the temps down a bit which was needed.  

Our friends and neighbors, Rob & Eva are going away for 10 days or so and have asked us to keep an eye on their garden.  I was wondering what at this time of year, but it turns out they have a lovely bed of asparagus which needs to be cut daily!!  That will not be a chore! LOL

For two seconds I thought about going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival...and then I thought better of it!  I went twice a decade or more ago and that was enough.  Too many people and major traffic jams are not my cup of tea.  Plus, Saturday was very hot and then rain on Sunday.  I was glad to skip it again.

How was your weekend?