Friday Winter Blooms

 Hello Friends,

It's Friday and I'm happy about that.  I had 3 very good days with sweet Iris this week, but I am ready for a day at home!  Today is that sweet girl's birthday and I cannot believe she is a year old.  I think I mentioned that I'm having a difficult time coming up with gift ideas for everyone.  That is not quite true.  It is very easy to find things for Iris...and they keep being delivered to my door!  LOL

Anyway, today I thought I would share some blooms with you.  The first is not quite blooming, but it is budded.  By my count this morning there are (at least) two dozen buds on this Christmas Cactus!

This plant is from a very, very old plant.  Years ago (maybe 25 or more...maybe 35) I took a cutting from the Christmas Cactus at my Grandmother's home in Vermont.  That plant was HUGE.  You could not even wrap your arms around it!  My plant has had good years and some that were not so good, but I think this year will be a banner one!

Extra surprising is the snapdragon blossom that I cut about 2 weeks ago.  It is still looking wonderful.  Often when I cut a snapdragon in the summer, it will start to lose petals pretty rapidly.  Not now!  

The bonus is that there is another stalk in bloom outside!  Wonders never cease.

My Yin Yoga class last night was very good, though I may have twisted a little too far - LOL.  I've had a pain in my left side all night.  Advil is my friend though and I have another Yin class at Noon today.  My plan/hope is to do a few errands this morning before class and then settle in for an afternoon of stitching and/or knitting.  There is a library book that has come in for me, so I will stop there and I'm betting there might just be a nap this afternoon as well.  I took an eye roast out of the freezer for dinner and have fresh asparagus and a huge buttercup squash to go along with that.

The kids fly out to Aruba early tomorrow morning.  I will still be going over to the house - actually twice a day - to feed Talbot while they are gone.  And to water their Christmas tree if needed.  Bonnie volunteered to take them all to the airport and pick them up when they return.

I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend planned with a bit of fun thrown in - enjoy!

Unraveled Wednesday 12/10/25

 Good Morning Everyone!

It doesn't seem possible, but 36 years ago I was just beginning to feel the twinges of labor.  Yup - Colin was born just after midnight on the 11th of December.  There was snow on the ground and it was frigid out!  We don't have snow at the moment (though some is predicted for this afternoon) but it is chilly.  Not quite as cold as yesterday though.

And, I'm so happy to tell you all that my washer is fixed and was used multiple times yesterday successfully!  Jay (Mr. Appliance) was here just before 9 a.m. and by 11 he was leaving.  What a relief to have that done.

Now it's time for some updates.  Let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk about making and reading.  A few more rows (I think 8) were added to my Panning for Gold cowl.

This is just a fun knit and the yarn is great.  The biggest surprise is that I picked up the first shortie sock for Mailing and actually knit a bit on it!

Sorry for the dark photo, but IRL it is very pretty.  I'm a good way down the foot (more than half way) making my way to the toe decrease area which will be in the purple like the cuff.

Yesterday was a nice mail day as well.  I ordered some yarn from MDK and it arrived yesterday!  I have wanted to make a Shakerag Top since forever, so I finally caved in and bought some ITO Kinu (silk) yarn for that in the color way Cayenne Red (which really looks more orangey or peachy to me).  And I also ordered some Jane in Caladium to make some fingerless mitts for moi!

Pretty, huh?  Looking forward to using these yarns in the new year...or maybe a Christmas Eve or Day cast on.  We shall see.

On the reading side of things, I finished The Antidote by Karen Russell and I must say again how surprised I was - I loved this book!!  Back in the Spring when I got it from the library I just could not get into it at all.  But when it was announced as the RWU choice I decided to give it another chance.  My thanks to Kym, Carole and Bonny for this choice - without them picking it for our group I would not have bothered picking it up again.  The characters are so quirky and wonderful and even though I do not consider magical realism a favorite genre of mine, it just seemed to work so well in this book.  I'm looking forward to our RWU meet-up and discussion in January.

I'm a bit more than half way through The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow.  It's a little more technical than I think necessary (I don't need to know that much about sheep chewing cud and what is in their stomach, etc., etc.). And, Fletch and I are listening to The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown, but I'm not really enjoying it and, in fact, pretty much doze while we are listening!  Other than the fact that it takes place in Prague, I don't remember much about it (and I don't like the narrator either).

Be sure to head over to Kat's place to see what others are making and reading.  I'm betting you will not be disappointed.  Have a great Wednesday!

Weekending 12/8/25

 Hello, Hello!

Whoosh!  Again the weekend sped by.  It was (too) busy and fast.

There was yoga

There was baking a cake for Iris.  (And both layers fell apart when they came out of the pan!  I wanted to cry but instead I cursed really loudly.  The frosting - whipped cream - luckily held everything sort of together.  And it did taste good.)

There was celebrating Iris' birthday with lots of presents and laughs and good times.

There was a trip to the laundromat (my washer is now scheduled for - hopefully the final - repair tomorrow).

There was helping Fletcher wash his hair!!  He had a spot of skin cancer on his nose that was removed on Friday.  He now has a honking LARGE bandage on his nose that cannot get wet.  Luckily he goes back today for a bandage change and for the doctor to have a look-see.  Hopefully a small bandage will be in place.

There was ordering a new TV.  On Friday the volume on our TV quit.  Just like that!  We finally got around to ordering one late yesterday afternoon.  Last night before I went to bed the volume inexplicably came back on!  I need to quickly cancel the order!!

And now I'm thinking about the holidays fast approaching.  I have not thought about cards at all.  I have not bought more than a couple of gifts. I'm having a difficult time coming up with ideas for anyone!  The problem is that we all don't NEED anything and when we want something we just buy it.  BUT, I'd like to have something for folks to unwrap on Christmas.

Finally there was waking at 3 a.m. and not getting back to sleep.  Ugh.  And today I'm on Iris duty - hopefully I can stay awake.

OK, that's more than enough.  I hope your weekends were lovely and cheers to the week ahead.  May it be filled with happiness and relaxation.

TGIF

 

Good Morning!

Here's hoping that this Friday owning finds you doing well.  I am, though I'm a little on the chilly side - the heat needs to be cranked up a bit.  My Friday started rudely when, at 4:45 a.m., I came downstairs to let Mabel out and stepped in the middle of a hairball on the kitchen floor.  Yuck.  Fortunately I was not barefooted.

Our washer repair guy showed up right on time yesterday!  But...the machine is not yet fixed.  The belt for the spin cycle had slipped off the pulley.  Jay (repair guy) was able to get it back on, but when he tested it, the belt slipped right off again.   Apparently we need both a new belt and a new pulley.  That is in the works and Jay is confident he will be back early next week to complete the repair.  Meanwhile, I suppose another trip to the laundromat is in order...

Today, however, is about rest.  Last night's Yin yoga class was wonderful (there were only 3 of us in the class!) - lots of shoulder and upper back stretching.  I have another Yin class at Noon today.  The balance of the day (I'm hoping) will be for knitting, stitching, reading and most likely napping.

Tomorrow we are heading over to C&M's for dinner to celebrate Iris' first birthday!  I can't believe she will be 1 already (on the 12th).  I have yet another yoga class late morning tomorrow, but before going to that I will make a cake for her birthday party.  We are celebrating a week early since late next week the kids all head to a sunny location to celebrate.

Whatever your plans are, I hope they include plenty of relaxation.  Enjoy!!

Unraveled Wednesday 12/3/25

 Good Morning,

I hope everyone is doing well.  I was thankful to be home yesterday as the weather was miserable.  I woke to sleet and that pretty much continued all day long.  It was cold and raw.

My morning was spent attempting to schedule my washer repair.  I've given up with the original service that Speed Queen had arranged.  After multiple e-mails, texts and phone calls, I still have not heard from anyone!  Another call to Speed Queen was made and now another service should be out tomorrow for the repair.  I have their number and if I do not hear by this afternoon with a window of time, I will be in touch with them.

But now it's Wednesday and time for us all to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk about what is on our needles and what we are reading.  Although not much knitting has happened, there has fortunately been no unraveling.  I managed to (just barely) start my Panning for Gold cowl.

I'm enjoying the way the colors are playing together in this yarn.  I've cast on 150 stitches on #4 needles and have started with a K2P1 rib.  The picture shows 5 rows completed and that's where it stands as of now.  I'll do another 5 rows and then decide on another pattern.  I have several cowl patterns by Helen Stewart and I may just do a combination of some of the rows in her patterns.  I may add bobbles just because I love them and think they are fun to make.  There will definitely be some eyelets.  But for now the entire thing is just a mystery!

No pressure for this piece.  I'm not sure who it will be gifted to, but that won't be until next year.  This is definitely not a gift for 2025!

There has been reading, but no new books have been finished.  I am roughly 2/3 of the way through The Antidote by Karen Russell (the next RWU pick for discussion in January) and am still enjoying it very much.  Such interesting characters and such an interesting story.  I am finding that some parts drag on a little longer than I think are necessary, but overall I like it.  I also picked up and have started  The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow.  I'm reading a few pages each night as I crawl into bed, so I'm not real far, but this is another good book.

Dinner last night was a frittata!  I had some asparagus in the fridge and sautéed that up with a bit of onion and some chopped mushrooms...added a bit of chopped up ham along with some tarragon and some thyme...then sprinkled a bit of Swiss cheese on top.  Poured in the eggs that I had whisked with a small amount of milk and a few chopped cloves of garlic.  Popped it in the oven, and at 400 degrees, the dish was ready in about 15 minutes.  YUM!  And, plenty of leftovers too.

Today I'm back over at C&M's to watch Iris (I'm hoping my car doors are not frozen shut with all the sleet).  I need to stop at the store to pick up sunflower seeds for the birds.  This will be my last day watching Iris this week.  I was scheduled for Friday, but I asked Bonnie if she could take that day so I can go to yoga.  In exchange, I am taking care of Iris next Monday when Bonnie was originally scheduled.  

Here's hoping your week is going well.

Weekending 12/1/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

How are you?  How was your weekend?  How was your Thanksgiving?  I am well and both Thanksgiving and the weekend were lovely.

One Thursday, Fletch and I headed over to Bonnie & Zhongren's in the late afternoon.  Mailing was cooking and everything was so delicious!  We had roast turkey (from the farm) and gravy, mashed potatoes with caramelized onions, stuffing and roasted broccolini (one of Iris' favorite veggies).  Zhongren had baked some naan, Anna made an apple pie and I made a praline pumpkin pie along with both cranberry orange relish and cranberry orange chutney.  I don't think anyone was hungry after that meal!

The weekend included two yoga classes as well as a trip to the laundromat...my washer has yet to be repaired.  The repair person who was scheduled to show on Wednesday ended up being a no-call/no-show.  I tried calling the business on Friday, but of course they were closed for the holiday.  Oh well, in the grand scheme of things it's not all that important.  Yes it is annoying and frustrating.  But I try not to hold on to those negative thoughts.  I'm lucky to have a laundromat close by (that was not crowded).  I'm hoping for an appointment tomorrow since I will be watching Iris today.

Sunday ended up being full of beautiful surprises!  I made some multi-grain pancakes for breakfast with blueberries.  While cooking I looked out and saw a bluebird.  Such a brilliant blue!  He (definitely a male) had come to our picnic table where we have a large saucer filled with water (and a heater to keep it from freezing).  Then, during breakfast, I looked out and noticed it was snowing.  So pretty.  It didn't stick really (except on the pumpkin which is still on the picnic table) but it was just so nice to see it coming down.  Then I noticed that our snapdragons are still blooming.  What a surprise!

We also have a petunia that refuses to stop blooming in our kitchen window box.

Continuing with the cooking theme, last night I made Shrimp in Thai Coconut Curry Sauce that was wonderful.  We had it over basmati rice.

I only used 1 TBS of fish sauce (that stuff is STRONG!!) and next time I would add more of the red curry paste.  Very yummy though.

Most likely there will be no TNT post from me tomorrow.  To date, I have not put in a single stitch since I last posted an update on my sampler.  I doubt I will have time or the energy to stitch tonight.

Also, we watched a great movie last night:  Train Dreams.  Available on Netflix and we highly recommend.

Welcome to December!!

Unraveled Wednesday 11/26/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

It is another gloomy day here in Eastern PA.  Rain is once again in the forecast.  However, it is supposed to be in the mid-sixties today.  Tomorrow is another story - the forecast is only for a high of 41.  We might be once again in roller coaster weather.  But, rain or no rain, it is time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for the last Unraveled Wednesday of November.

There has been no unraveling here.  In fact, there has been absolutely no knitting.  Oh well, c'est la vie.  I guess the Family Birthday Socks will not be happening - at least not in time for birthday celebrations (which are set for December 6th).  I will get to them, but not this week.  Of course this lack of knitting on my part makes me wonder why I signed up for the 2026 Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad.  LOL

A cowl is still on my mind...something easy perhaps.  I pulled out a skein of yarn to (maybe) cast on.  The color way is "Gold Panning" and it is from Twisted Owl Fiber Studio in Longview, TX.  This was bought at the NJ Sheep and Wool Festival a few years back.  It is 75/25 Merino/Nylon and the label states 100 grams/463 yards.  A steal at $11 for the skein!

Hard to tell in this dark early photograph, but the colors are mostly blues and some white with gold here and there.  If my Mom were still alive, I'd be making something for her since she ended up panning for gold in CA many, many moons ago (when she and her girlfriend biked from Vermont to California in 1941).

BTW, the pillow on the right in the picture is a crewel work pillow that my Mom stitched many years ago.  (The rooster pillow is store bought - I think Home Goods.)

Reading has been pretty slow.  I did finish Three Bags Full the sheep detective story by Leonie Swann.  It was a fun read, but became a bit boring for me.  I did see that there is a second book called "Big Bad Wool" but I think I'll wait a bit before trying that one.

I'm very happy to report though that I am now reading The Antidote by Karen Russell.  This is the book our RWU group will be discussing in January.  I'm loving this book so much!  This is a huge surprise for me since I tried reading this last Spring and could not get into it.  Now?  I'm finding it to be a great read.  Also surprising since magical realism is not one of my favorite genres.  It just seems to be working for me this time around.

A trip to CVS is on my agenda for this morning (prescriptions to pick up) and I'm looking forward to my washer being repaired this afternoon.  Other than that, I plan to just take it easy.  We are going to Mailing's parents for Thanksgiving, but won't be going till late afternoon, so my pie making will be tomorrow morning.  Wishing everyone a tasty and relaxing Thanksgiving.  I'm very thankful for this blogging community.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/25/25

 Good Morning,

Looks to be a bit of a gloomy day here.  Rain is in the forecast and it is dark early here.  But, it's Tuesday and time for a tiny needle update.  Another creature has arrived on the large sampler.  A bird!

Despite my best efforts, this mighty bird has not been completely filled in.  I guess I was too busy cooking to spend more time stitching.  At any rate, it was nice to stitch something other than a tree trunk!  LOL. Here's the shot of how the whole sampler looks overall so far.

The top half is almost completed!  It's taken about six months to get to this point, so I'm guessing another six months of working on this before it is finished.  Probably best not to think about that.  The important thing is that I'm (still) enjoying stitching this piece.

Here's hoping that your Thanksgiving week is going well...not too frantic or busy and finding time to be thankful.

Weekending 11/24/25

 Good Morning Friends,

Whoosh!  What happened to the weekend?  It feels like it went by in a blur.  I hope yours was good.  Mine included a lot of yoga (which is really helping my back!!).  Saturday morning I watered all the house plants and two of my Christmas cacti are really putting on a show now.

These two usually sit on my sewing machine cabinet, but I moved them to Mabel's ledge to get a good shot of them.  The one on the left actually has two plants in the pot and I think the second one (which is loaded with buds) will be a different color than the red.  If you click to enlarge, you will see all the buds which appear to be white with a light tinge of pink.  Time will tell.

The weekend also included some cooking.  Saturday I made a delicious salad (new to us) to go with the lamb chops that Fletch grilled.  I can't remember where I saw this recipe, but I will be making it again!  You chop up 4 beets (cooked), a pear, half a red onion and about a third of a cup of walnuts.  Toss all that together.  The dressing is 3TBS EVOO, the juice of a lemon, S&P, a quarter cup of chopped parsley. a third of a cup of chopped celery (which I forgot) and a TBS of honey.  Mix together and pour over the beets and pear.  YUM!!!

On Sunday I got to work making the cranberry-orange relish and the cranberry chutney for Thanksgiving.  The cranberry orange relish is from my Mom's recipe files.  You just chop up a bag of cranberries and an orange and then add sugar.  It is still tart, but a little sweet.  The chutney is one of Fletcher's Mom's recipes and includes a chopped up orange, another bag of cranberries, a lb of raisins, some cider vinegar and then cinnamon, cloves and ginger.  Everything is dumped in a pan and cooked on the stove till the berries pop.  It thickens up nicely.

The chutney's are uncovered to finish cooling.  We had a little with dinner last night - I wanted to make sure it was good enough for Thanksgiving.  LOL

There is still a pie to be made - that will be done either Wednesday or Thursday morning (depending on what time we need to be at Mailing's parent's home on Thursday).  Today and tomorrow I'm caring for Iris and on Wednesday my washing machine is scheduled to be repaired!  The days keep zooming by.

This time of year is one I really enjoy - candles at dinner, wrapping up in a warm shawl, etc.  But, I know many (Fletch included) are impacted by the diminished amount of sunlight.  Just remember, it is less than a month until the Winter Solstice and then our daily dose of sunlight will steadily increase.

Wishing everyone a gentle week.  Enjoy!

Friday Felines 11/21/25

 Good Morning,

I have not posted a picture of Mabel in some time...she is not fond of having her picture taken - LOL.  But here she is resting after a long night outside (bad girl not coming home).

She may be bad, but she is sweet also.  And, if you look closely you'll see there is a bird at the feeder and another one flying in.  Last year's feeder was one that was suctioned cupped to the window and I think Mabel liked that one better.  However, the squirrels destroyed it, so we have a different one now.

The last two days with Iris were hard on my back and shoulders, so today is going to be about resting.  I did have a Yin yoga class last night and am planning to go to another one today.  But that's it!  Oh, I may stop at the library.  The other day I requested The Antidote by Karen Russell for our Read With Us group and yesterday I received notice that it is in for me!  Fast!

Whatever your Friday has in store for you, may it be a good one!  Enjoy.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/18/25

 Hello My Friends,

How are you this morning?  I'm a bit on the tired side.  I slept well for so many nights in a row, but then last night I woke at 2:30 and never really got back to sleep.  And in the "I Can't Believe It" category, my washer is not working correctly!  It was only about 14 months ago that we bought a Speed Queen.  But, the spin cycle is not working.  Everything comes out of the washer soaking wet and dripping!  Today I will be finding a repair person.  On Sunday our power went out twice in a row.  It wasn't off long, but I had wash going and clothes in the dryer, so I went down to the basement to make sure things were running.  There was a smell of something burning.  Fletch and I spent about 15 minutes in the basement looking all around and could not find anything wrong.  No smoke, just that awful smell.  So, I don't know if that power issue had anything to do with it or not...we shall see.

Meanwhile it's Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  I ran out of time before I could finish coloring in the snake, but he/she is almost finished.  And, a good portion of the brown, brown, brown trunk of the tree has been completed.

Here is the way it all looks right now:

It is slowly coming along.  I started this on 5/31/25, so I've been at it for over 5 months now!

One of my Christmas cacti finally opened one of the buds!  I counted another dozen or so buds on this one small plant!

The other Christmas cacti have buds (lots) but none open yet.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts for my friend Janet.  She came through her surgery on Friday with no issues and actually came home on Saturday!  She was supposed to stay overnight at the hospital for two nights, but she was doing so well they let her go home a day early.  They are still waiting on further biopsies to determine whether she needs any additional treatment (chemo and/or radiation) beyond the surgery.  Fingers crossed for her.

Here's hoping everyone is having a good week!

Weekending 11/17/25

 Hello Everyone,

Well, I have no photos to share from our weekend, but it was a very good one.  And it started a little early!  Damon (Fletch's brother) arrived Wednesday just in time for dinner.  I had made a crab quiche and we had a BIG salad with garden greens.

I spent Thursday and Friday at C&M's caring for Iris.  While I was doing that, the guys were tackling a lot of projects around the house.  This was no vacation for Damon!!  On Thursday I had made a crockpot dinner since I wouldn't be home and then I had another Yin yoga class at 7:30.  What a fabulous class!!  (I'm going back this week.)

Saturday I had another yoga class and the guys did more stuff around the house (inside and out).  Then we headed back to C&M's for a delicious dinner.  We had a rump roast, carrots and salad.  Colin had baked sourdough bread to go with everything.  And also...an amazing chocolate cake (3 layers) with the BEST buttercream chocolate frosting I have ever tasted.  And wine, of course.  The men enjoyed a fire outside, but Mailing and I opted to stay in (it was pretty chilly out and a bit on the damp side).

We took Damon out to breakfast Sunday morning and then he headed home.  I did a bunch of laundry and Fletch finished up some projects.  Today is more laundry (just sheets that I didn't get to yesterday).  I'm planning/hoping to do some yoga and also some stitching and knitting.

The weekend was full, but so lovely and I hope yours was too.

Unraveled Wednesday 11/12/25

 Good Morning All,

It's a little warmer this morning - low 30's.  Thankfully it sounds as though the winds have died down.  It was very blustery yesterday afternoon.  My massage in the afternoon was blissful, though I have SO MANY knots in my back, shoulders and thighs.  Ugh!  Hopefully regular massages and my yoga classes will help with that.

Time does seem to be moving at warp speed and here we are at Wednesday again and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk about making and reading.  After not knitting for what seems like forever, I managed a few more rows on Mailing's first shortie sock for the Family Birthday Socks.

Nearing the end of the gusset decreases.  Last night I had a dream that these shortie socks plus Iris' pair were finished and Colin's were started.  But, at the rate I'm getting these done (slower than a tortoise) these may end up being Family Christmas socks or even Family Valentine socks.  LOL

Part of my slowness in making these Family socks is that I do not work on them when I'm at C&M's watching Iris.  I want them to be a surprise and Colin is always interested in what I am making.  I'm going to try another cowl with the yarn that did not want to be a Heart Warmer Cowl!  I really want to make this for my friend Janet (Leslie's sister).

You may remember that my friend Leslie has been through so much - lung cancer and then two bouts of breast cancer and more recently uterine cancer (thank you Tomoxifan).  Now Janet has been diagnosed with breast cancer (2nd time) and she is scheduled to have a double mastectomy on Friday.  If you would send some healing wishes her way I would really appreciate it.

In other knitty news I did succumb and push the button to subscribe to the 2026 Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad.  And, it feels good!  I have no idea where I will put all the yarn, I'm overrun at the moment with storage bins, etc.  But, this is a good opportunity to organize and rediscover things buried at the bottom of various places.

Reading has been so-so.  I did finish The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone and enjoyed it.  It was a pleasant, easy read for me which apparently is exactly what I need these days.  Two books that I had been in queue for (a long time) - The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong and My Friends by Fredrik Backman finally came in.  And, I could not get into either of them!  I would read a few pages, get bored, or my eyes would start to close.  They were both returned to the library.  I may try them again later on...time will tell.

I am reading a rather fun and different mystery now.  Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann is a sheep detective story!  Yup - you read that correctly.  A flock of sheep discover their shepherd dead with a spade stuck in him and the sheep go about trying to figure out who did it.  Another easy read that is perfect for me right now.  I heard about this book through The Farmer's Daughter who has a book club (I'm not part of it, but I enjoy seeing what they are reading).

Fletch and I are on the final leg of Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (we are now in Canada) and we are still enjoying it.  Listening will be on hiatus while Damon is here, but we will pick it up again after his visit.

Well, that does it for me.  I have a long list of chores and errands for today, so I'd best buckle down and get to it!  Happy Hump Day!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/11/25

 Good Morning and Brrrrr!

My phone says it is 29 degrees out, but feels like 15!  I think that's the coldest we've been since last winter.  I texted Colin to bundle up - he takes Iris out for a walk every morning.  And, that girl is just like her father was at that age - she does not want to have a coat on at all.  Or a hat...or socks!

It's Tiny Needle Tuesday again (already) and there is not much to show for the past week.  Only a few stitches in the palest color of the Evil Serpent were put in.

Of course the upside is that most of my chores were completed.  Not all, but most.  Today I'd like to finish those chores, do the grocery shopping and I have a massage booked for this afternoon.  Tomorrow I have a few errands to run in the morning and I'd like to do some baking (cookies).  Damon should arrive by dinner tomorrow and I'm planning to make a crab quiche and a salad to go with it (with greens from the garden - Fletch closed up the cold frame yesterday, so all should be ok).

Stay warm if you are in this cold snap and have a wonderful Tuesday!

Weekending

 Hello My Friends,

Time does seem to be marching along, doesn't it?  Already November 10th.  So, tell me, how was your weekend?  Mine was good.

There were two yoga classes again.  The Yin class on Friday (LOVE!!) and then a regular Vinyasa class on Saturday.  Boy could I feel it though!  The Yin class focused on stretching hamstrings (can you say TIGHT??).  The Vinyasa class included a lot of twisting which I enjoy, but my back was more than a little tired after that.

Chores were (finally) accomplished!!  Both bathrooms were scrubbed, the kitchen floor was cleaned, multiple loads of laundry were washed and dried and I was able to pick up my new glasses Saturday afternoon.  Yay!

In addition, I managed to do a little baking.  Sunday I made the Parisian Apple Cake.  A fast and easy recipe that turned out delicious - highly recommend.

Last night I roasted a bunch of mixed nuts.  Usually I just toss them in a tiny amount of EVOO, salt, red pepper flakes and fresh rosemary.  Instead I tried a sweet and savory recipe.  They are ok, but I think I prefer my simpler way of doing them.  This recipe called for egg white, sugar, cinnamon and then a bunch of spices.  They taste good, but I'd rather not have the sweet part - just give me the savory.

There are now fresh sheets on the guest room bed, although that room still needs to be dusted and vacuumed.  We are expecting Damon to drive up from Virginia on Wednesday and he'll be staying until Sunday.

I'm debating about joining the Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad again for 2026.  I haven't even used all the yarn I received in 2024, but it's an awful lot of fun to have a surprise in the mail each month and the price is beyond reasonable.  Plus, for 2026, the theme is color!  The button hasn't been pushed yet, but I'm very, very close!

Here's hoping your Monday finds you doing something fun.  I'll be with Iris and that is always a good time!

Happy Friday and a Correction!

Good Morning,

When I posted on Wednesday I shared a link to a book I am not reading - LOL.   The book about Oak Ridge, TN and the women who worked on the Manhattan Project that I am reading is The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kieran which is a non fiction book, not a novel.  Sorry about that!

Last night when I finished reading "The Letter Carrier" I picked up Atomic City and read another chapter.  There are photographs in the book including some "then and now" pictures of a few of the women.  It's an interesting read, but unlike my normal behavior, I will most likely pick up another book (novel) to read alongside.  There are a few on my nightstand to choose from as well as another one ready for pick up at my library.

Both Wednesday and Thursday were great days with Iris.  I can see the four teeth on top that are beginning to come in.  That little girl is a trooper and doesn't complain too much.  We spent a lot of time reading (as usual) - many books multiple times.  One of her favorites that we read at least 4-5 times a day is Grandfather Twilight which is just such a beautiful and sweet book.  Another favorite is Night is Coming which is so soothing to read (even in the daytime).

The other week Bonnie (Mailing's Mom) had gone apple picking at an orchard.  She brought over apples for Colin & Mailing, but also for Fletch and me.  The apples had been sitting in a bowl on the buffet, and I was beginning to smell them every time I walked into the kitchen.  Not wanting them to go bad, last night I peeled and chopped about 8 of them and made some applesauce.

Yum!  Brown sugar (not much), cinnamon and nutmeg plus a sprinkle of vanilla sugar.  There are more apples still and I'm planning to make a Parisian Apple Cake hopefully this weekend.  

Today is busy with multiple errands (CVS, wine, library) and yoga at Noon.  Laundry has piled up again and after successfully avoiding my chores for multiple days, I need to buckle down and get them done.  We are looking forward to a visit from Damon (Fletcher's brother) next week.  I need to find out if Peggy, his wife, is coming with him or not so that I know which bedroom to prepare!  And what meals to plan to fix!

Time to have some coffee and get started on my day.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday 11/5/25

 Good Morning!

Once again, I've slept in a bit on a Wednesday...so rushing to get a post written and get some coffee into me.  Not a lot to share anyway, but it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers.  

There has been no unraveling fortunately, but there also has been no knitting.  I have not picked up my knitting in over a week!  I know, shame on me and that is certainly not the way to get family birthday socks completed in time.  

Still at the beginning of the gusset decreases.  Thank goodness I'm making shortie socks for Mailing...and Iris' socks should (ha!) be quick.  I'm guessing I will get these two pairs completed and, perhaps, Colin's socks started.  But his socks will be full size and I imagine they may be started but not finished by birthday celebration time.

I've been reading a bit though I have only one finish to share with you.  It's a fabulous one though!  I read The Place of Tides by James Rebanks and I cannot recommend this book enough.  Rebanks' writing is simply beautiful and I found this book to be calming and soothing.  Perfect for These Days.

Now I'm enjoying The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone.  Many thanks to Kat for bringing this book to my attention.  It's an easy and fun read - reminds me a bit of Brooklyn and Long Island by Colm Tobin.

Usually I do not read two books at once (other than what I'm reading and what Fletch and I are reading together), but I have started The Atomic City Girls.  This book is about the women who worked in Oak Ridge, TN during the war.  Many of them didn't even know what they were working on!  Though a novel, the book is filled with famous people and so far (I've only read the introduction and one chapter) I'm enjoying it.  My Dad was recruited and pulled out of grad school to work in Oak Ridge.  He took a week off to head up to Vermont and marry my Mom.  Upon their return, she began working there as well. I figured this book is required reading for me - lol.

Fletch and I are still in the midst of listening to Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane.  We are maybe halfway through (we are now in India) and are continuing to enjoy this.  

Time for me to guzzle some more coffee and pull some things together to take with me when I head out to watch Iris today.  Happy Hump Day!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/4/25

 Hello and Good Morning!

Another day has passed with me successfully avoiding chores.  LOL. I did, however, take in donations to our local food pantry and I did pick out new frames and order new glasses - they should be ready in under two weeks.  Yay!

Fletch has been doing garden chores daily - getting it all ready for a long Winter's rest.  The other day he dug our potatoes.  It was a very poor showing this year.  There were only 6 small ones.

But, let me tell you, these were the sweetest and creamiest potatoes I've ever had.  They were delicious...I only wish there had been more.  We had them last night along with fresh green beans and some haddock that I cooked in the air fryer (nice and crispy and tasty).  When I walked out to look at figgy, I noticed a few more figs are beginning to ripen.  They are all small but there are loads of them.  I hope more will ripen...I'm not sure as the leaves are beginning to yellow.

Anyway, all of this brings us to the first TNT of November!  As I mentioned yesterday, stitching has been calling me much more than knitting and I think I got a lot stitched in the past week.  The Evil Serpent has been completely outlined and the tip of his tail has been filled in.  The balance of his body still needs some color and obviously there is a lot of tree trunk to be filled in.  And the creepy crawly was finished.

Sorry for the shadow...here's an overall look at where things stand.

Every time I pull this out to stitch I get a big smile on my face.  I love it!  But...I will be happy to do something a little smaller for the next one (no pattern chosen yet - still lots to stitch on this one).

Time for another cup of coffee and time to get my day started.  Hope your Tuesday is a good one!

Weekending 11/3/25

 Hello My Friends!

Welcome to November!  How are you?  I am well.  I had not intended to take a little break from posting, but I did.  Many mornings last week found me sleeping in and then rushing around.  Anyway, the little break felt good, but now I am back.

Let's see what happened.  We received 2" of rain on Thursday!  And boy did we need it.  And then Friday was super windy - all day.  I'm not a fan of wind because it usually bothers my ears.  I took a Yin yoga class on Friday and loved it.  For those of you who are not familiar with yoga, Yin is a slow practice low down.  Typically it involves a lot of stretching and holding poses for up to 5 minutes.  My joints and muscles are so tight, this class was really good for me.  I am not going to watch Iris this coming Friday, so I will sign up again.  Some folks were in costumes.  My teacher was a cat.

Speaking of cats, Iris was dressed up for Halloween as a cat - too darn cute.  They spent an hour or so walking through their neighborhood where, apparently, folks really go out with decorations.  They all had a great time and Colin said he can't wait to take Iris out next year when she will be walking more (she was in the stroller this year).  We had zero trick or treaters at our house - so glad we had not bought candy to hand out!

Saturday I was back at the yoga studio for another Vinyasa class.  I had wondered how back-to-back classes would feel, but all was good.  I'm planning to do the same this coming weekend.

Once again I was successful in avoiding all chores over the weekend!  LOL. (Today needs to be a little different.) There was stitching and reading and cooking.  (Today will hopefully find me knitting again...but stitching has been calling me more than knitting these days.) We forgot to turn the clocks back Saturday night and were up way too early Sunday morning.  But, I cooked bacon and made some waffles. Sunday night we went over to Colin & Mailing's for dinner.  We had a hearty beef stew with an apple tart for dessert.  YUM!  We finished the evening with a fire in the pit.

Along with tackling some chores today, I'm hoping to get out and choose some new frames and have an updated pair of glasses made for me.  There are donation bags to drop off at our local food pantry as well as a bag of goods to drop at the thrift shop.  Most importantly I want to finish up our Medicare Advantage stuff for 2026.  I have found that some (quite a bit) of the information on various sites is not accurate.  For example, one provider indicated that one of our doctors was not "in network" at the office we use, but is at another office.  Upon checking with the doctor's office, the "other" office doesn't exist!  (And, the office indicated that they DO accept that insurance.)  Geeze - everything needs to be double and triple checked.  It is such a time suck ordeal. 

Wishing you all a gentle Monday as we ease into November!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 10/28/25

 Good Morning!

Welcome to the last Tuesday in October!  Wow!  I don't even know how that is possible.  But here we are, so time for a TNT update.

A bit of progress was made on my large piece.  The Evil Serpent now has a head (that looks rather cartoonish) and a bit of its body.  The creepy crawly thing has some of its legs.

If you click to enlarge, you will see the Serpent's eyes are red.  EVIL!!!

Here's an overall shot of the entire piece as it stands currently.

I might be able to find a bit of time to stitch today, but I'm not sure.  There is already a load of wash going (and Fletch isn't even up yet) and more where that came from.  But, an easy dinner is planned (salmon) which bodes well for some time in the afternoon.  (I should also do some knitting, but that's a story for another day.)

I hope your Tuesday finds you doing something you love.  Have some fun!

Weekending 10/27/25

 Good Morning!

The temps dipped overnight and it is now (at 7 a.m.) about 34 degrees.  I've put the heat on in several rooms and have a hot cup of coffee by my side as I type this.

How was your weekend?  Mine was good.  Another yoga class on Saturday morning was great.  I didn't do much chore-wise at all.  Mostly I read and tried to catch up on some sleep.  Friday was a pretty long day with Iris only napping for 30 minutes or so.  Fletch came over to Colin's Friday afternoon with Thai food for dinner, but he and I left soon after we ate.  Colin & Iris were fairly tired too.

Now that we've come to the last week of October, our Morning Glory plant is showing more and more blooms!

Aptly named "Heavenly Blue" and so gorgeous.  In other garden news, the hibiscus is still loaded with buds, but the leaves are turning yellow, so I doubt we will have more blooms.  There have been no ripe figs for several days  The plant is still loaded with them, but they may not ripen.  The climbing bean trellis has been taken down and some dried beans saved for next year's planting.  The hoses have been drained and put away for the season.  We are still enjoying wonderful greens (red and green romaine lettuce, spinach and chard and several other kinds of lettuce).

Yesterday Fletch and I ventured out in the afternoon to drop off our ballots for the election November 4th.  We then drove to Otts, a wonderful nursery and plant place to get some pumpkins.  There was no parking!  The place was mobbed.  So, we turned around and came home.  I think our grocery stores have some very nice pumpkins (and for a lot less $$$ anyway).

Today will find me back caring for Iris.  I hope your Monday is equally rewarding for you!

Tis the Season!

 Good Morning!

Spotted this on our drive over to Colin's yesterday morning.

The tape across the spare says "crime scene."  The green color of the skeleton cracked me up.  We also passed a number of jeeps with skeletons attached to the front.  All the jeeps.

Here's to a great weekend ahead!

What's For Dinner?

 Good Morning!

The sun is shining brightly here.  It's cool, but lovely outside.  I was able to sleep in a bit this morning and then when I got up I cooked some bacon and made French toast for Fletch and me.  Yum!

As is often the case lately, I forgot to take any pictures, but I wanted to share a dish with you that I made for dinner on Tuesday.  It was so delicious!  I made Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Pasta.  I used regular thick cut bacon, but I think turkey bacon would work also.  Or, skip the bacon completely.  It would also be tasty with sun dried tomatoes added in.  I used light cream instead of heavy and I think milk would work just as well.  Anyway, it was fast, easy and very satisfying.  We had a nice salad with greens from our garden to go with it.  I will be picking more greens for another salad tonight and will be making some spaghetti with clam sauce.  I do enjoy food a lot!  LOL

Later this morning we will head over to Colin's to borrow one of their cars.  The car that Fletch usually drives is in the shop - needs a drive shaft - OUCH!  Still, cheaper than a new car for sure.  That repair won't be done until next Tuesday.  Meanwhile, I need to be at Colin's tomorrow to watch Iris and Fletch has a doctor's appointment in the morning to have some stitches removed.  Thus the need to borrow a car.

Other than that, no plans!  There is a library book that came in for me to pick up and I want to do some stitching and/or knitting.  No chores though!  

I hope your week is winding down nicely.  We are just about at the weekend!!

Unraveled Wednesday 10/22/25

 Good Morning!

It appears that the cooler temps have finally come to Eastern PA.  Today's high is forecast to only be 59.  Luckily I took some chicken soup out of the freezer for dinner tonight.  I wanted an easy dinner since I will be with Iris today.  I'm anxious to see how she is doing (and also Colin) with Mailing away for several days.

It's Wednesday which means it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk all about what we are making and reading.  Wednesday's blogs are always filled with interesting and inspiring things!

My own knitting (or rather lack of) isn't all that inspiring.  Not much has been knit in the past week.  Only 10 or so rows on a heel flap.

At least there was no unraveling.  And, at least this is a shortie sock.  Not sure I will get anything done on it today, but we shall see.

I've finished 4 books since I last posted any updates on reading.  First up The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker.  This is the 4th novel in the Bruno, Chief of Police series and quite enjoyable.  There were even some laugh out loud scenes.  I'll be requesting the 5th book in this series shortly.

Next I read Kitchen Yarns by Ann Hood.  This book was recommended by a friend of a friend.  A memoir with recipes, I was sure I would enjoy it.  And I did.  Not great writing, but it was perfect for me at the time I read it.  Easy and enjoyable.

Fletch and I finished listening to Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.  Sarah had thought we would enjoy this and she was right!  Thank you Sarah for the recommendation.  I loved, too, that the book was narrated by the author (such a soothing voice).  We started to listen to Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but neither of us could get into the story and we both found the narrators to be annoying.

Last night I finished The Names by Florence Knapp.  Many of you have already read this and raved about it, but I struggled a lot with this book.  The abuse that Gordon (the father) showered on his children and especially his wife was just very hard to read.  There were times I had to put the book down for a bit.

That's it for me!  Hope your Wednesday brings some joy.

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 Good Morning!

I woke up at 3 this morning chilly and had to put an extra blanket on the bed.  And no, I never did get back to sleep.  Oh well, there is time for a nap later today.

I stuck with only using brown thread this past week and just about finished the upper branches and trunk of the tree!

Very soon the upper half of this sampler will be completed!  If I don't nap too long, I might just finish that branch up today.  Then there is a creepy-crawly thing to the left of the moon and a little bit down - a thing just hanging in air (as is often the case with these samplers).  Then, of course, the Evil Serpent will start winding around the tree.  More to come later.

No real plans for today other than grocery shopping (and, perhaps, a nice nap).  And, perhaps, booking another massage and reviewing the yoga studio classes so that I can figure out when to go again.  Wishing you all an easy Tuesday!

Weekending 10/20/25

 Hello My Friends,

How are you?  This morning I am lazy, having slept in a bit.  I'll be heading over to watch Iris mid-day.  Mailing is home this morning, but will be picked up mid-day and taken to LaGuardia airport.  She is headed for a very quick business trip to Turkey and Austria.  Very quick in that she will be back on Saturday.  I know both Colin and Iris will miss her, but I think it will be a more difficult separation for Mailing.  Luckily she should be busy while overseas.

Speaking of lazy...this was the scene Sunday morning.

A deer taking a rest - very sweet.

My massage on Thursday afternoon was wonderful!  So good that I will be booking another one in a couple of weeks and then plan to go monthly.  I had forgotten just how wonderful a good massage is.  I'm thrilled that I discovered this new-to-me place.

On Saturday morning I attended my first yoga class at the new-to-me studio I found.  And it was great!  There were only three other people in the class.  I'm hoping to get to another class this week.  I need to get back into it as it was very obvious how stiff my body is!

Saturday night we had dinner at Colin & Mailing's and then a nice fire afterwards.  Dinner was delicious:  roast chicken, beets, carrots, roasted broccoli and acorn squash.  Dessert was a spiced persimmon cake with a bit of honeycomb ice cream - yummy!!

The balance of my weekend included some domestic chores, some cooking (cranberry muffins!), some stitching and reading.  Despite not picking up my knitting once, it was a lovely weekend.

I will see you back here tomorrow for a TNT update.  Have a wonderful Monday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 10/14/25

 Hello and Good Morning,

Gosh it is dark these days when I get up.  I know a number of you are up and walking dogs - hope you have a flashlight or a headlamp or something!

Well, it's Tuesday and time for an update on my "And All Was For An Appil" piece.  Here's an overall look at where things stand right now.

The top half of this sampler is nearing completion!   I finished the remaining leaves in the center and also outlined some of the branches...getting ready for the brown, brown, brown filling.  Here's a close up of what was done in the last week.

A little secret:  The bottom outlining of the two branches is actually the beginning outlining of the Evil Serpent that is winding around the tree!  As I say each week, still a long way to go on this piece.  Still enjoying it though!

Yesterday I forgot to mention one of the (many) things that Louanne and Daria brought when they visited us last Friday - Persimmons from their tree!!

I had one the other day and it was quite tasty!  Not a strong flavor, but very nice.  Fletch is not a fan (not sweet enough for him), so I will be enjoying these beauties myself!  (They also brought a bunch for Colin & Mailing.)

All went well with our flu shots yesterday - no reactions at all.  I took a nap in the afternoon (not due to the shot - I usually take a nap!) and slept on my left side.  My shot was in my left arm and I couldn't even feel where it was!

We received notice that our Medicare Advantage plan will no longer be offered next year (for us).  We have been with United Healthcare (AARP) ever since going on Medicare, so this is a disappointment.  I am not looking forward to trying to find a new plan (luckily I have the phone number of the guy who helped us previously).

I know I mentioned finding a new (to me) yoga studio and also a new (to me) spa.  I'm excited because I will be getting a massage on Thursday and I will attend a yoga class Saturday morning!  Woo-Hoo.

Weekending 10/13/25

 Good Morning!

Happy Columbus Day (I know it is now called Indigenous People Day, but I like Columbus Day better).  We will be celebrating by getting our flu shots later this morning.  LOL

How was your weekend?  Mine was simply lovely and I have absolutely no pictures to share, but I can tell you what happened.  Most of Friday was spent cooking.  I made Cardamom Cookies Thursday night and then mixed up the dough for butter cookies with cranberries and rosemary.  That dough had to sit in the frig overnight.  Those cookies were baked Friday morning.  Some of my favorite cookies!  The butter cookies taste like shortbread - rich and yummy.

Fletcher's sister Louanne and one of her daughters, Daria, drove up from Virginia on Friday.  They arrived in time for dinner.  I had put a big pot of spicy lentil soup on earlier in the day.  It is filled with veggies and protein and we had some crusty wholegrain bread to go with it.  And cookies.  After dinner we had a lovely fire in the pit.  It was a perfect evening for a fire.

Saturday morning we all drove over to Colin & Mailing's so that Louanne and Daria could see them and meet Iris.  We had a great, but very short visit.  C&M&I were heading off to the Brandywine Museum and Louanne and Daria were driving down to Arlington for a visit with Liam, Louanne's son.

The balance of Saturday I relaxed and worked on some stitching and some knitting.  I also read a bit.  The weather had turned chilly and damp with occasional rain, so it was a perfect day for staying inside.  We ordered out for dinner which made it even nicer.

Sunday I got to work cooking again.  I made red beans (a New Orleans dish) which take pretty much all day to cook.  I also pulled out all my wool sweaters and heavier tops and put away all the summery shirts and (most of) my shorts.  It felt good to do that.  I also put the winter comforter on the bed.  Usually when I do that I weed out things that I haven't worn or that I no longer like, but this time I couldn't be bothered - I'll do that in the Spring when I pull things back out.

Colin & Mailing and Iris were in New Hope for brunch, but decided to come over for dinner.  It was great to see them on both Saturday and Sunday - especially since I won't be back to care for Iris until Wednesday.

All in all, a great weekend.  Today there is plenty of laundry to catch up on as well as a few other chores.  I hope your Monday treats you well.