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!