Unraveled Wednesday on a Thursday 11/12/26

 Hello All!

I'm a day late to Kat's Unraveled Party.  Yesterday was busy and longer than usual.  Typically I don't get to C&M's to watch Iris until 9:00 or thereabouts.  Yesterday I was there by 7:45 a.m.!  Colin had an early meeting (conference call).  Luckily Iris was on her best behavior, despite being FULL of energy.  We did some coloring, a lot of reading, playing her keyboard, playing with sticker books, etc., etc.  Mailing was headed to Virginia later in the day, so she was home too and working.  But, we all got to have lunch together.

After lunch and a couple of books, Iris fell sound asleep rather quickly and while she napped I was able to knit.  I'm within 5 (or maybe it's 8) rows of finishing the toe decrease on my first Mardi Gras sock.

I'm hoping to finish this today (maybe this morning??) and then start sock #2.  Time will tell.  I have a lot of things to get done today...

The only book I finished in the last week was Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard.  My copy of this book is old and falling apart.  When I wrote my name in the front of the book, the date I wrote was in 1994!  Anyway, a good read.  Some of the essays I liked more than others (naturally), but I'm glad to have read it.  Recently when I ended my Audible membership I downloaded Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and am looking forward to listening (at some point) to that.

One of my errands today will be a trip to the library where a couple of books are waiting for me to pick them up.  Another trip is to CVS (what's new?) where prescriptions await my picking them up.  Later this afternoon I need to take Fletch for some blood work at Quest.  And I hope to drop off more donation things!  Whew!

If you would keep my oldest brother in your thoughts and prayers I'd appreciate it.  We saw Ray on Sunday at my nephew's home and he was fine.  But he ended up in the ER Monday night and is still in the hospital.  Since having open heart surgery a number of years ago, Ray has been on blood thinners and was having recent problems with the correct dosage.  Anyway...he ended up with a rather large and painful hematoma on his stomach (Ugh).  He did have a "procedure" yesterday to stop the bleeding (which apparently was still going on), but he is not home yet.  All healing thoughts would be appreciated.  Thank you.

In between errands and other things, I'm going to attempt to catch up on blog reading today.  I hope and trust that everyone is having a good week.  Take care.

Weekending 11/9/26

 Good Morning Friends!

We had a gorgeous weekend here.  A little on the cool side - especially thanks to some wind, but the sun was strong.  

Most leaves are gone from the trees these days, but there are still some holding on and we saw some yesterday during a drive to Southern Chester County to see family.  We met up at my nephew's home in Landenberg which is near Chadds Ford and Kennett Square.  Ed (my nephew) and his wife Deanna have a little farmette and they have a couple of goats!

Looks a little blurry due to taking the picture through a screen.  Iris loved the goats!  Colin & Mailing had driven down the night before to see Ed & Deanna and spend the night.  On Sunday we drove down for brunch and my brother and sister-in-law from Delaware drove up to join us.  A mini family reunion!  Unfortunately Deanna couldn't join us - she has an interior design business and owns two shops in Kennett Square...holiday shopping has begun and she needed to be at the shops.  In case anyone is interested, the two shops are Marche and Lieu - she carries GORGEOUS things.

Earlier in the weekend I managed to do chores - scrubbing the kitchen floor which desperately needed it, cleaning the bathrooms (ditto on the desperate need), dusting and vacuuming upstairs, etc., etc.  And then...more purging!  I gathered up my courage and filled a very large garbage bag with fabric to donate.  Most of that is upholstery and other heavy fabrics that I had bought with the intention of making a jacket or two.  Ha!  That didn't happen and the fabrics have been sitting for a decade or more.

There are also some lighter weight (cotton) fabrics that I will be eliminating from my stash.  If anyone is interested in any of these, let me know - I will send out happily!

I've always been drawn to fabrics with birds and also pieces with embroidery.  I also came across some lace and some trims.

It's hard to let these things go, but if I'm not using them, what's the point of keeping them?  I have saved some pieces - a few large ones that I will use to make some new tablecloths and a few smaller pieces that I can't bear to part with yet!  Some Liberty of London prints, a piece of embroidered linen my Mom brought me from Europe, etc.

Next I moved on to a mass of letters and other things.  Lots and lots of notes and cards from Colin when he was in grade school (one of them signed with love from your little critter!  LOL).  Letters from old boy friends.  Letters from my Dad when I was going through a rough time!  A copy of a paper my Dad wrote and presented at a conference in Tel Aviv decades ago!  I have no idea how I ended up with two items - a receipt for the dining room furniture my parents bought just before I was born and that I now have in my kitchen and a receipt for a car that they bought in 1951.  The prices are enough to make you vomit over our prices today!  Anyway, a rabbit hole of sorts and definitely a trip down memory lane.

In between all of that I did find time to knit on my Mardi Gras sock a bit and the shawl and also do some reading.  Overall it was a weekend filled to the brim with good things.  I hope your weekend was as well.

Unraveled Wednesday 11/4/26

 Hello My Friends,

It is looking to be another fine Fall day here in Eastern PA.  I've got lots to do - catching up on stuff while not spending a day with Iris.  I'll miss her, but I'm grateful to have time to do some laundry and some grocery shopping.  Also grateful that Fletch wants to grill tonight.  YUM!!

Before I catch up on miscellaneous things, it is time to link up with Kat and her Band of Merry Unravelers to talk making and reading.  I had finished the leg of my first Mardi Gras sock and while Iris napped yesterday afternoon I managed to knit the heel flap (Eye of the Partridge) and complete the heel turn.  At the final heel turn stitch Iris woke up, so perfect timing.

The rather surprising and happy news is about my Pimpelliese shawl!  On Monday I mentioned that I had messed it up and would be unraveling it.  Well, instead I let it sit for 24 hours or so.  Yesterday morning I pulled it out of the bag and took a look.  Then I gently took it off the needle and unraveled just 3 rows.  The surprising part is that I was able to get it back on the needle and re-knit what I had unraveled and it worked!!

My patience paid off.  The plan was to do another section last night, but instead I ended up reading some.  I was a little tired and did not want to chance messing it up again!  It feels good to be back on track with this.

This past week saw only one book finished.  Another Bruno, Chief of Police mystery by Martin Walker.  A Taste for Vengeance did not disappoint.  I love the way the Bruno books focus not only on a mystery (usually some murder), but also on food and wine.  It's always fun to read what Bruno is cooking and to find out who is coming to dinner.

Fletch and I are plodding along with "Under Land" by Robert McFarlane.  Not our favorite by this author, but still interesting.  I also used up my Audible credits and will be ending my membership.  I managed to snag "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard and for Fletch and me I got "One Man's Meat" (our paperback of this book is falling apart) and "Here, There, Elsewhere: Stories from the Road" by William Least Heat Moon.  Years ago we enjoyed "Blue Highways" and this one looks to be good.

I also noticed that my wait in the queue for "Partita" has jumped way down!  YAY. Looking forward to getting that one soon.

Here's hoping this Wednesday finds you doing something fun - enjoy!

Weekending 11/2/26

 Good Morning!

And just like that, October is over and now we are in November.  It's a little after 6 a.m. and still dark outside, but looking out my office window I can tell that the sky is lightening up.  But gosh! yesterday it was dark, dark, dark when we sat down for dinner.  Luckily we enjoy dining by candlelight.

How was Halloween?  We did not go over to C&M's, but Colin sent a picture of Iris as a Princess.  She was wearing a dress that Bonnie had brought back from one of her (many) trips to China.  Fancy and lacy and long.  We did not have a single child come to our door!  I had picked up a bag of Milky Ways just in case, so now I have those to consume (Fletch doesn't like them).  I specifically bought that candy because so many children are allergic to peanuts.  Oh well.

Even though the nights have been chilly (and even a touch of frost now and then), our snap dragons are thriving!  Our Mums are not doing as well...

My weekend was filled with various things:  paying bills that had piled up, picking figs (!!), planting bulbs, and dropping off our mail-in ballots at one of the local drop boxes.  That was a busy place!  There was a guy ahead of us on a bicycle dropping off his ballot and then another guy came up behind us with his ballot.  Everyone just in the nick of time!

There was also found time for baking cookies for Iris (and us).  These are toffee pecan cookies but the plate at the back has no nuts - those are for Iris.

I think there is some unraveling in my future...yup - I managed to mess up the Pimpelliese shawl I had started.  I knit and tinked back several times but have not been able to fix it.  At this point it will probably be easier to just rip it back and start over.  TBD

The other thing I did was open the drawers that have fabric in them.  I really want to get rid of some of it but when I opened the drawers I fell in love with the fabric all over again...even though I'm not sewing these days...I'm going to need some strength to do this!

Time for me to dry my hair and get the day started.  I'm with Iris today and tomorrow.  I plan to be back here on Wednesday with my Pimpelliese tale of woe.

Unraveled Wednesday 10/28/26

 Good Morning Everyone!

How are you?  I am feeling a little chilly (I should go get a shawl to wrap around my shoulders), but gosh! our streak of glorious weather is continuing.  Our days are filled with strong sunshine and temperatures that warm up nicely, but not too hot.  Nights are cool and good for sleeping with windows cracked a bit - gotta let the fresh air in.

My week with Iris, though long and tiring, is a good one so far.  She is becoming more and more vocal all the time and the other week she said Grandma of the first time!  Granted, it came out more like Gamma, but I'm okay with being a gamma ray if necessary.

Yesterday was a little longer for me because when I left Iris I needed to go to CVS (of course) for prescriptions.  Traffic was heavy.  Then, when I got home I set to making a pear/cranberry cobbler for dessert.  YUM!!  I forgot to take a picture, but it is a tried and true recipe that always turns out well.  Luckily I had put ingredients for a chicken and chick pea soup in the crockpot in the morning, so once the cobbler was in the oven I tossed some escarole into the crockpot and once it had wilted dinner was on!

And now here we are at Wednesday and it is time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday.  Let's talk knitting!  I have two new projects to share with you!!

First up is my Pimpelliese shawl.  Araignee brought this free pattern to my attention - she is making one using some of her handspun yarn.  I am using some yarn from deep in my stash:  Mad Tosh in the color way "Danger Will Robinson."

A little sparkly thanks to some stellina.  I don't think it shows up (even clicking to enlarge the photo), but every so often a little bit of copper shows up among the blue.  I'm loving the yarn!

The second new project is - naturally - socks.  Just plain vanilla because the yarn itself is way too wild to be knit into a pattern.

Clicking to enlarge will give you a better sense of the color explosion.  The yarn is from Mineville Wool Project and the color way is Mardi Gras.  I try to knit on the socks while Iris is napping, but my eyes usually start to cross or close!  LOL. Yesterday I stopped after 10 rows and 2 dropped stitches.  But, no rush.  These may be for me or they may be for a friend.  I've yet to decide.

As for reading, I only finished one book lately:  Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.  For me, this book was just okay.  It seems like people either really love this book or can't stand it, but I was in the middle.  I could appreciate the story, but at times (a lot of times) it was just too saccharine.  I wondered if I would even finish the book, but I did persevere.  Now I'm firmly ensconced in yet another Bruno, Chief of Police mystery.  Fletch and I are still reading the Robert Macfarlane book "Underland" and are enjoying it (though not as much as some of his prior books).

So tell me, what are you making and reading this week?

Monday Comes Round Again 10/26/26

 

Hello My Friends,

Here we are back at another Monday!  Time keeps marching (or racing) by.  We had a wonderful week with Damon (Fletcher's brother) visiting.  Gosh!  He did SO MUCH - so many things that Fletch is no longer able to do (and that certainly I cannot or do not do!).

The weather gods looked down upon us and gave us the best weather.  Sunny days with blue skies where the temps rose to a comfortable point (60's) and coolish nights (down into the 30's).  Perfect for getting outdoor chores done.  

I cooked a lot - chili and nachos and chicken and BBQ shrimp.  We ate well.  I also pulled together more stuff to donate.  Yes, the purging is continuing!  I managed to squeak in a little knitting, but no stitching.  Mabel had her annual check up at the vet's - all is well and she is a healthy cat.

Our figs are coming in slowly.  That's a good thing.  Once they ripen, they do not last all that long, so coming in 3 or 4 every few days is manageable.  

The weekend was spent catching up - laundry and groceries, etc.  Fletch commented that it feels like we are empty-nesters again after having Damon visit for a week!  Now I'm poised for a busy week.  Mailing's Mom is traveling again, so I'm watching Iris every day this week and then Monday and Tuesday of next week too.  Long and busy, but wonderful days.

I'll be getting back to blogging (and reading blogs) slowly but surely.  Here's hoping that your last week in October is a wonderful one.  Enjoy!

Friday Stuff - Mostly Food! 10/16/26

 Hello Again My Friends,

I'm running a bit late today.  Since retiring over two years ago, I no longer use an alarm - I pretty much am up every day between 5 and 6 a.m.  Sometimes earlier (if I'm unlucky).  But today?  Nope - I did not wake up till Mabel jumped up on the bed at 6:45.  So I'm bathed, coffee is made and a lunch pulled together (ramen noodle soup, raw veggies and an orange) for taking over when I go see Iris.

Yesterday I had a dentist appointment (cleaning) in the morning.  I met the new dentist - our "old" dentist retired a few months ago (turns out he is 83!!) - and the new one is very nice.  I probably need a crown or two, but that can wait.  Then I ran to CVS to pick up more prescriptions (I had found expired ones in our medicine cabinet and wanted to replenish).

In the afternoon I made a batch of chunky oatmeal cookies from a recipe that Jane shared a year or two ago.  Mine have dried cherries, craisins, dried blueberries, and some chopped up dried apricots.  The first batch is for Iris (no nuts), but then I added pistachios to the mix and have some to share with C&M.

Later I walked out to the garden and discovered that FINALLY!! the figs are beginning to ripen.  I picked the first two and promptly dropped them to a location that I could not reach.  Bummer.  Then I managed to find two more.

We each had one with dinner and they are scrumptious!  Very sweet.  I'm excited to get more.

The last food item is Chinese Long Beans.  I've had these at Mailing's parents home and this year they are growing them and Bonnie left some with Colin for me!

I plan to "blister" them and then throw in garlic, ginger, some sesame oil and a bit of soy sauce.  We will have them tonight.

Meanwhile the bathrooms have not yet been cleaned (there is always tomorrow morning) and I need to vacuum the guest room and get things ready for Damon's arrival tomorrow late afternoon.  Here's hoping the morning will be productive!  I'm planning a big pot of chili for tomorrow night as it should be much colder and that is something that is easy to keep on the stove (not sure exactly when Damon will arrive).

I'm thinking I will blog next week, but I may end up being too busy - time will tell.  At any rate, I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday 10/14/26

 Good Morning My Friends,

First of all I successfully dropped off ALL the donation bags yesterday without ever second guessing what I was doing.  I would not look in the bags again for anything and now they are gone!  Freeing.  Also I was able to check a few chores off my list - dropping books at the library, going to CVS, getting wine.  All the important things.  There is still cleaning to be done obviously.  But I have Thursday for that.

Today is Wednesday and usually we all link up with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday, but Kat is taking a bit of a break, so no link today.  Instead, I do have finished Iris socks to show you!

I actually finished these last Friday and gave them to Iris on Saturday when we were there for dinner.  She loves them!  And they fit - even with a bit of room for growing (which she seems to be doing constantly).

After finishing the socks I couldn't figure out what to knit next and didn't feel like going through the stash.  Lo and behold:  Semplice came out of hibernation!  It had been some time.  I was able to knit about 8 rows (and they are getting longer and longer).  

But, you know what?  I actually don't care for this now.  The pattern is ok, but I dislike the color of yarn I chose.  The whole thing was almost ripped out on Saturday when I made a tiny mistake (later fixed), but I decided I'm close enough to the end I will finish it, block it and then if I still don't like it, it will be donated.  Someone may appreciate it!

Reading has been steady.  I finished The Amateur by Chris Behjalian and found it to be ok.  Admittedly, he is not a favorite author of mine.  To me, the book was less about golf (which is fine as I don't really care for it) and more about bad or unsavory relationships.   I found a lot of it tedious and boring and actually fell asleep several times while reading the last section (trial).  I did like the ending and did not see that coming, so that's good.  Otherwise for me the book was really just meh.

Also read was a very good interview with Barbara Kingsolver in The New Yorker.  It's in the September 28th issue if anyone is interested.  I don't subscribe and can't share it with you (Colin subscribes and passes the magazines on to us).

Fletch and I are enjoying our latest Robert Macfarlane book - Underland: A Deep Time Journey and I also picked up Theo of Golden at the library and have started reading that.

Around here, leaves are finally really beginning to turn and be brilliant.  This is a tree I pass on my way to Colin's.

How are you on this mid-October Wednesday?  Tell me, what are you making and reading?

Weekending 10/12/26

 Good Morning All,

How are you this fine Monday?  We are drying out a bit after rain all day on Sunday.  Never really heavy, but certainly steady.  How was your weekend?  Mine was busy.  Nice, but a lot was accomplished.

We ended up having dinner again at Colin & Mailing's on Saturday (their 6th wedding anniversary!!).  It's nice that we go over so frequently as it gives Fletch an opportunity to see Iris.  And that little girl is quite taken with Fletch!  We had a fire outside after dinner which was nice, but we were home by 10:00 which was also nice.

Sunday I decided to finally tackle my dresser and closet!  Yup, a lot of purging was accomplished.  This is the line up of bags that will be donated tomorrow:

Mostly clothes from my work days.  I've been retired for over 2 years, so no need to hold on to a lot of stuff I no longer wear (or that no longer fits).  Dresses, skirts, a ton of jackets/blazers, a lot of sweaters, some shoes, etc.  I also went through some knitting stuff and am getting rid of a number of project bags that I just don't use.  

Next up will be to go through knitting needles, etc.  There are many from my Mom and from my Aunt that I'm not using - no need to hold on to them.  I also have a ton of fabric that I will not be using, so that will also be donated.  Someone will be happy to find it I'm sure.

I'm also tossing my bits of yarn!  

These were all filled with sock yarn remains.  I'm not going to make a blanket and I'm not going to crochet granny squares (getting rid of all the ones I already made).  Those containers will also be history!

I told Fletch I need to donate things quickly before I change my mind!!  LOL. But really, it feels wonderful to be getting rid of so many things.

Meanwhile this will be a busy week.  I am watching Iris today, Wednesday and Friday.  Tuesday and Thursday will be filled with errands (and donating stuff) and also cleaning.  Fletcher's brother Damon is coming next weekend to visit for a week and help Fletch with things he is no longer able to do.  So the guest room needs to be cleaned and fresh sheets put on the bed.  Bathrooms will be scrubbed.  And there is always laundry to do - that never seems to end!  In between the busy-ness, I'm hoping to find some time to read and knit.  Time will tell.

Right now it is time to pour another cup of coffee and find something for breakfast.  I hope your Monday is off to a good start!

Yet Another Surprise! 10/8/26

 Hello Friends,

This will be quick as I am off to see Iris shortly.  But, I wanted to share with you all that I did make the French Apple Cake.  Oh my!  I highly suggest that everyone make this.

I did not have the rum the recipe calls for so I doubled the vanilla as the recipe suggests.  YUMMY!  You can find the link to the recipe on Kat's blog.

Next up, more blooms:  more on the apple tree and then I noticed honeysuckle blooming again at the side of our property.  

The big surprise though was that a hawk landed in our apple tree for a bit!  Then it flew off only to come back to our property through our woods.  We could hear him calling (Fletch says trying to scare up something - a mouse? a mole? - I think he scared everything off!).  Fletch is pretty sure it is a Cooper's hawk - striped tail and slightly smaller than other hawks.  Whatever it was, it was gorgeous.

Okay, time to dry my hair and get dressed and have more coffee!  Have a wonderful Thursday.

Unraveled Wednesday 10/7/26

 Hello My Friends,

Well, so far today is not going as planned.  I'm supposed to be at the vet's with Mabel right now (her annual check up), but she is outside somewhere and not coming when I call (which is not unusual).  I know I should not have let her out this morning, but she was so vocal and I figured she would go out and then come right back for breakfast.  I guess she is on some kind of walk-about.  Fortunately the vet is very understanding and said when she shows up to call and they will do their best to fit her in.  Nice people.

Yesterday was a good day with Iris but oh my!  I was so sleepy and tired.  I couldn't knit or read while she napped - couldn't focus or concentrate.  And, I actually went to bed a little after 8 p.m. last night.  Not sure what's up or if I'm fighting a little something, but I slept almost 10 hours last night!  

But here we are at Wednesday and it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday.  Always fun.  Originally I thought I would finish the second sock for Iris over the weekend, but time got away from me and then I didn't finish it yesterday as planned (see above).  So here we are, just rows from the toe decrease:

One done and one almost done.  Maybe later today??  Since I'm home today I'm also planning to make the French Apple Cake that Kat blogged about on Monday.  YUM!!

Reading is still a bit on the slow side for me.  I did finish Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.  This is a book I started years ago and then it sat on my nightstand.  Periodically I would pick it up and read some pages.  Now I want to go back and start it over again.  There is an awful lot of wisdom in this book!

Fletch and I finished listening to Robert Macfarlane's book The Wild Places which was quite interesting.  Some of the glossary chapters became a little long winded, but overall a good listen.  Last night we started listening to his book Underland: A Deep Time Journey which we are both enjoying.  What will we do when we run out of Macfarlane books?

One of my brother's recommended the book The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science which I've started.  Carly Anne York is a good writer and the book is fun and interesting.  I think a number of my fellow bloggers would enjoy it.  I also picked up The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian and am hoping this pulls me out of my fiction reading slump.

Here's hoping Mabel shows up before too long and I can get her into the vet's later today.  I hope your Wednesday is a good one.  Have some fun!

A Surprise! 10/6/26

 Good Morning All,

Another chilly morning - 45 according to my phone.  I have a long sleeved tee shirt on with PJ pants and a shawl wrapped around my shoulders.  Feeling cozy.

Once again I have not been stitching, but eventually I will.  Right now my days seem to be filled with other things.

Look at that blue sky!  This photo was taken yesterday, the 5th of October, and if you click to enlarge you will see there are a couple of blooms on our apple tree!  This has happened before - I remember coming home from a Fall camping trip to blooms on the tree.  So not unusual, but still a surprise.

A funny story about the apples.  They are almost all gone now.  The ones that are left are pretty high up.  On Saturday the lawn guys came to (finally) cut our grass.  One of the workers was walking around with his blower or weed whacker holding it up high and knocking down apples.  Then he would pick them up and put them in his pocket!  LOL

Fletcher also discovered that we finally have buds on our morning glory!  Maybe it will bloom before a frost kills it all.  Our figs are plentiful, but still not ripening.  Not sure that will happen.  I read up on them and it does not pay to pick them early and try to ripen them inside - doesn't work.  But I did see that we do indeed have more zinnias blooming in the garden and there are still two cucumbers that are just about ready to pick!

I'm off to spend the day with Iris.  I hope your Tuesday finds you discovering some lovely surprises!

Weekending 10/5/26

 Good Morning My Friends,

So, October is here!  I took a few days off from blogging and October snuck right in.  The garden is definitely looking spent and I may have picked the last (or next to the last) zinnias.  After a few days in the house they are looking weary as well, but still pretty.

They kind of blend right in with my Fall themed tablecloth.

Well, after successfully avoiding chores for a couple of weeks, Thursday found me jumping right into them.  And, there was lots to do.  Bathrooms were scrubbed, shower curtains washed, towels washed, sheets changed and sheets washed.  You get the idea.  And Friday morning found me back at it dealing with a very dirty kitchen floor.  Luckily my massage booked for 10:30 Friday morning put an end to doing chores!

My massage was wonderful!  Pure bliss.  Mallory, my massage therapist seems to know exactly where to focus her attention.  I had been having some awful headaches for close to two weeks, and I walked out after my massage completely headache free!

Friday afternoon I went to a local nursery and picked up more mums for the front area as well as a couple of pumpkins.  I also got a Black Futsu Pumpkin which is a type of rare Japanese heirloom winter squash.

I LOVE winter squash and I'm looking forward to trying this one.  Last week we had an Autumn Frost squash which is a new one to me.  It is a cross between a butternut and kabocha squash and is very, very tasty.

There was also a little bit of excitement here as somehow a sparrow ended up in the house!  Fletch called to me and there it was sitting on a curtain rod in the living room.  Not sure if Mabel brought it in or if it flew in on its own when a door was open.  We were not successful in capturing it but have not seen or heard it since.  Hopefully it found its way out - we left doors open for a little bit.  Hopefully it is not dead under a piece of furniture - I guess we will know in a little bit if an awful stench is suddenly present!

Saturday was another beautiful day where we ended up at Colin & Mailing's for dinner and an evening fire.  It was the perfect evening for sitting around a fire.  Sunday was a somewhat wet and lazy day.

How was your weekend?

Unraveled Wednesday 9/30/26

 Good Morning My Friends,

How can it possibly be the last day of September 2026?  The days are flying by.  And, as they fly by, the temps are warming.  It could be close to 90 by the end of the week!  Yikes!!

Let's see:  my new credit card arrived and I've successfully (I think/hope) updated all automatic payments.  Today is my last day caring for Iris this week.  Bonnie is back from Paris and she will take over starting tomorrow.  I have a massage booked for Friday which will feel SO good!!

Now it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for an Unraveled Wednesday update/post.  I may not be doing any stitching lately, but I am doing some knitting.  Woo-Hoo!

One of Iris' socks has been completed and the second is well on its way.  Yesterday morning I knit the cuff on the second before leaving the house and then the first half of the leg (in red) was knit while Iris napped.  I hope to finish the leg and perhaps the heel flap today while she is napping.  Socks generally go pretty fast (unless I put them aside and forget them), but Iris socks go really fast!  There are just 52 stitches around (rather than my usual 64) and I'm using size 1 needles rather than my usual size 2.

Some reading has been done.  Still no good fiction although a Bruno book is waiting for me to pick it up at the library.  That is a good thing.  I did read Thoreau On Man and Nature which is a slim volume (62 pages I think).  It is a compilation of some of Thoreau's writings.  There are gems in this book, though some of it seemed a bit "preachy" to me.  Still, worth reading.

Also completed was Local Wonders Seasons in the Bohemian Alps by Ted Kooser.  Another slim book that is just filled with wonder and beautiful words.  Broken down into four sections for the four seasons of the year, I had intended to read each section during its own season, but I couldn't stop reading!  Filled with kindness and caring, this book has been perfect for me right now.

Be sure to check out the links on Kat's blog post and let me know what you are making and reading these days.

Weekending 9/28/26

 Good Soggy Morning!

Yup, still very wet here in Eastern PA.  The ground is saturated and though I do love a nice rainy day, I have to say enough!  I think that today will be the last day (at least for a couple) that we have some rain and temps are rising - it might get near 80 towards the end of the week.  Is this an Indian summer?

Anywho, how was your weekend?  Ours was good.  We met up with Colin, Mailing and Iris for lunch on Saturday.  We went to Fitzwater Station which is along the canal where I used to walk quite a bit (turtles and blue heron!).  Of course it was raining when we arrived.  What I had not realized is that this place was a stop on the Underground Railroad.  Pretty cool and the food was tasty.  The rain had eased up some when we were finished, so the kids went for a walk.  Fletch and I came home and then I did a quick grocery shopping.

Since I did not post on Friday, I never showed Fletcher's birthday cake:

Very yummy!  More than half of it went to C&M&I, but believe it or not, there is still one piece left in the fridge for the birthday boy.

After a big lunch on Saturday we did not want a heavy dinner, so I made a pot of pinto bean soup.  YUM!!  There was cornbread in the fridge that I heated up in the oven to go with the soup.  A good rainy night dinner.  Yesterday I made  a Southwest Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet for dinner.  This turned out to be a great recipe and FAST!!  Plus enough leftovers for more than just another dinner.

Yesterday I also made a batch of Pumpkin Snickerdoodles - YUM!

Most of these will find their way over to C&M&I today.  Again, an easy and tasty treat.  Now I have leftover pumpkin, so I made need to make muffins or something.  Fall flavors!!

One not so pleasant discovery:  on Saturday while reviewing our credit card statement, I discovered a charge for over $1,000 from Walmart!  I don't shop at Walmart and certainly wouldn't spend that much money there.  When I called, it turns out that my card had been compromised.  There were a bunch of other high charges that the credit card company had denied (thank goodness).  (More charges from Walmart, some from an electronics store, a department store, etc. - all on-line purchases.) So, my card was cancelled immediately and hopefully my new card will arrive today.  What a PITA though - I've got to notify those companies that automatically charge my card each month (Netflix, Apple, etc.).

Other than laundry, it was another successful weekend of avoiding chores.  I found time to knit (a sock for Iris) and read.  No stitching though, so no TNT post tomorrow.  I'll get back to it at some point, but right now I'm busy with other things.

Tell me how your weekend was - anything exciting?

Thursday Musings 9/24/26

 Hello and Good Morning!

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my guy.  Yup!  Today is Fletcher's Birthday.  He is 79 today!  I've been up since 6 a.m. and his birthday cake is now in the oven.  Pineapple Upside Down cake - one of his favorites.  His presents are wrapped, but we will save them for dinner time when I am home from watching Iris.

Speaking of Iris, our neighbor Rob came over yesterday to get some lettuce sets we did not need in our Fall garden.  He and Eva have a new dog - another Great Dane and her name is Iris!!  She is a rescue from a shelter where she ended up from a puppy mill.  Sad.  They are guessing she is around 2 years old.  She only weighs 70 lbs (only!) and should by now weigh more like 130-140.  Malnourished and she has kennel cough, so she cannot yet be around Annabelle their other dog.  Anyway, they did not name her Iris - that was the name she came with.  Please say good thoughts and send all the healing juju Iris' way.

I walked out to the garden to get the lettuce sets for Rob and discovered this:

Another giant cucumber.  I had not even noticed this one.  The other two I had seen are still growing.  There are still plenty of beans, but once again I am not looking at the plant!  LOL. Rob doesn't really like beans (how can anyone not like beans??), but he said he would ask his ex wife if she would like any.  We still have many, many in the fridge and freezer.

Finally, these guys were lazing around the back yard when I got home yesterday.

There are three deer laying down by our shed and archery backdrop!  So peaceful.  You need to watch where you walk in our yard though!  Plenty of poop!

Time to check the cake!  Have a great Thursday.

Unraveled Wednesday 9/23/26

 Hello!

And greetings from the still dark Eastern PA region.  It's been a sleepy kind of week with cloudy skies and rain and cooler temps.  Each afternoon Iris tucks some of her friends (Bunny, Dodo [a dog], Marcella [a mouse], Blueberry [a cat] and Doll [an Amish style doll that was mine] under a blanket so that they can nap while she does too.  So darn cute!

Now it is Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday.

While Iris naps I either knit or read.  I would love to nap, but Iris tends to roll some and she naps on the couch.  Yesterday she almost rolled off!  Quick Grandma hands grabbed her before she plummeted!  What is surprising is the amount that I am able to get done:

Fletcher's Birthday Socks were finished yesterday around 1:30 - including weaving in ALL the ends!!  I am so pleased with the way they turned out and I sure hope Fletch likes them.  And I already wrapped them this morning!!

The Farmer's Daughter August Sock Squad yarn (color way Harvest Lantern) was used for the main color and the olive or loden green parts.  The cuff and toes were knit using a mini skein I bought at the NJ Sheep and Wool several years ago.  I love the name of the color way - American Robin.

Last night I cast on for a pair of socks for Iris.  The cuffs will be American Robin and the main color is a dark red.  Hopefully these will knit up quickly.

My reading seems to have stalled a bit.  I was reading a library book and actually got through 150+ pages when I decided that it was just a ridiculous story and was not something I enjoyed.  I returned that yesterday morning on my way to Colin's.  I tried to start another book from the library and looked at a third and neither are appealing at this point.  I will return those this morning.  Yikes!  Am I in a reading funk?  Or slump?

Local Wonders is still providing good entertainment and waiting on my desk is The Wheeling Year.  There are also several books that I have started but not yet finished on my nightstand (including Braiding Sweetgrass and Amy Tan's Backyard Birds), so I am not without reading material.  I just can't seem to settle in on any fiction that I am enjoying.  I have not yet finished John of John (I keep forgetting to listen to it which tells you something).  And I have what I think (hope) are some good books that I am in the queue for at my library.  I am trusting that my funky slump will end soon!

Meanwhile, tell me what you are making and reading!

Weekending 9/21/26

 Good Morning,

Gosh!  It's s dark outside and it is later than 6:30 a.m.  It is also very cloudy.  I think we are in for a fairly wet week.  On the positive side, temps will drop back down into the 60's.

How was your weekend?  Mine was good.  A nice balance of getting some things done and finding time to read and knit.  I re-discovered some books on a shelf in the office room and am looking forward to paging through them.

Two volumes of poetry, Thoreau "On Man and Nature" and, of course, Annie Dillard's "Teaching a Stone to Talk."  These have now been moved to my nightstand (where the piles seem to increase all the time) for evening reading.  The piles do grow because usually by the time I go upstairs I'm too tired to do any reading!  But, there is comfort in having books by my side.  I'm sure most of you know that feeling.

We did head over to see Iris, Colin & Mailing on Saturday for dinner.  They had had a busy day with soccer early in the morning followed by a visit to the Farmer's Market (the Thanksgiving turkey has been ordered!!) and then they went into Philadelphia to hear Zhongren's band play!  It's a pretty large group - a couple of keyboard players (that's what Zhongren plays), a couple of guitars, a bass and some singers.  I think 8 band members total.  Iris loved it!

I made a new to us dessert for Saturday.  The Salted Maple Pudding Cake is quite good.  Very, very sweet (though Fletch says not excessively sweet - lol).  We did have vanilla ice cream to go with it which was good.  I think whipped cream would work just as well and Fletch thinks it would be good with the addition of apples in it (which I may need to try the next time I make it).

I've got a full week of watching Iris again and then the first three days of next week.  Mailing's Mom was back from Alaska for a week and now she is in Paris!!  I do love spending time with my best girl, so full time watching is not a problem.  I hope the start to your week is a good one.

More Beans! 9/17/26

 Hello My Friends,

Gosh!  This morning feels downright balmy compared to our recent cool mornings.  I guess the warmth will be coming back, along with some rain later today.

Yesterday a friend sent me a picture from my college days.  It shows me in a midriff top and I was skinny!

I'm the one in blue jeans on the right.  My friend Janet is next to me in white pants and a midriff top.  We were all getting ready for a Steve Miller Band concert!  I went to Wagner College on Staten Island and you can see NYC and the World Trade Centers in the background! What a throwback!

While cooking yesterday I went out to the garden to gather some parsley.  The caterpillars are still there, but I was successful in avoiding them and getting what I needed.  The beans though!  After saying I was done with them, I ended up picking more.  We had finished the large amount we had in the fridge and now that has been replenished.

This is probably enough for at least 3 servings!  I may have to blanch some more to freeze.  I've never seen a plant produce so much!  Meanwhile, our figs look good and there are a bunch of them, but they do not appear to be ripening at all.  Hopefully soon.  And the hibiscus is still putting out blooms!!

Today is flu shot day - hopefully with no reactions.  We had no reactions to our Covid shots last week.  Most likely a nap will be in order since I did not sleep all that well last night.  With the increase in temps, tonight we are having shrimp salad for dinner.  I need to remember to take the shrimp out of the freezer, thaw and cook them so I can make the salad.  Hopefully I'll find a bit of time to knit as well.

Hope your week is going well!

Unraveled Wednesday 9/16/26

 Good Morning!

I'm sipping hot coffee and have a shawl wrapped around my shoulders as I type this post.  It feels wonderful!  Yesterday morning I actually turned the heat on in the bathroom when I took a shower.  The days do warm up a bit, but these deliciously cool mornings are bliss.

Yesterday we had flower beds weeded and mulched.  It looks so nice!  Fletch is no longer able to weed and I tried it but I'm not really a gardening type of person.  I don't enjoy it.  So...I called the guy who sends a crew out to mow our lawn and they took care of doing the job.  It feels good to have that done.

It's Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to chat about what we are making and reading.

Though I have not done any stitching in two weeks, I did manage to find a bit of knitting time and the first of Fletcher's birthday socks is finished and the second one started!

I wish the colors were showing more accurate in the above photo.  The heel and toe are knit using a mini skein from The YarnSmith in the color way "American Robin."  The other two colors are from the Farmer's Daughter - the August Sock Squad colors called "Harvest Lantern."  The band below the ribbed cuff, the heel and the rows before the toe decreases are knit in the mini - it is really a very pretty loden green color.  The main color is very light.  I like how the first sock turned out and am eager to complete the second.  Hopefully by Fletcher's birthday which is next week (I'd best get moving on it).

Reading has slowed for me a bit.  As I've mentioned, it has been a busy time and there are many nights when I'm too tired to pick up a needle or even read more than a page or two.  I did finish another Bruno, Chief of Police book, The Children Return by Martin Walker.  This is just such an enjoyable series.

I am continuing to listen to John of John by Douglas Stuart.  After last night's Zoom meeting and discussion, I am more interested in finishing this (I still have about 9 hours of listening left), but I tend to forget about it!  

I'm also continuing to read slowly Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps by Ted Kooser.  The short little blurbs (for lack of a better word - some are only a paragraph) about life where Kooser lives (Southeastern Nebraska) are just delightful.  I'm taking my time with this one to thoroughly enjoy it.

After some false starts with other books, Fletch and I have settled in to listening to Landmarks, another book by Robert Macfarlane.  This one has been described as a field guide to the literature of nature.  We both enjoy his writing so much.

Now it's time for my day to begin!  I hope to get a bit of knitting in this morning before I have a haircut appointment.  No other plans at this point which is just how I like it!  I hope your week is going well.

Mid-September! 9/14/26

 Hello My Friends!

Well, that was a bit of an unintended break - LOL.  I decided to not post last Tuesday for TNT because I had no new stitching to show (and I still don't, so unless I manage to sneak in some stitches this afternoon there will be no TNT post tomorrow).  And then one thing led to another and life got busy and I just stopped even looking at the computer (which really is an okay thing to do).

Nothing major went on - we did get our updated Covid shots during the week (and I'm scheduling our flu shots for this week).  There was a trip to Quest for lab work to be done.  Meals were prepared.  A little (very little) knitting was accomplished and a bit of reading (but again, no stitching).  I had a quiet, but lovely birthday and managed to turn another year older.

One day I wandered out to the garden to pick some parsley for whatever I was preparing.  Look what I saw:

I think/hope this is a Monarch caterpillar and there were more than a dozen of these guys all over my parsley plant.  Now I need to be careful when I pick!  For the record, there were also plenty of yellow beans hanging and ready to be picked, but I did not bother.  Fletch will save some for next year's seeds, but we already have a large bag in the fridge and there is the full gallon bag at Colin's, so I let these go.  One can only eat so many beans!

The kids have been away again, so I've been running over to feed Talbot (and clean litter boxes) twice a day.  This morning will be the last run - the kids come home today.  I have a big pot of Brunswick stew to leave in their fridge for their return.  And Bonnie, Mailing's Mom, is back from her Alaskan cruise, so she is taking over Iris duties for the balance of the week.

No real plans for this week other than a haircut on Wednesday and a flu shot (whenever I book them).  I'm really (seriously) attempting to clean out the freezer, so grocery runs have been lighter (and cheaper).  Today is forecast to be cooler, so Fletch is planning to grill a pork loin roast I discovered in the freezer...and I guess I may cook up some of those yellow beans that have been hanging in the fridge.

So, nothing exciting, but I'm hoping to get back to checking your blogs at some point today.  And I hope everyone is doing well!  Cheers to another week (and how can it be mid-September already?).

Weekending 9/7/26

 Good Morning!

Happy Labor Day!  It's a long weekend here in the States, but honestly since retirement it's hard for me to keep track.  I will tell you that the weather has been just about perfect.  Sunny days but low humidity and modest temps - I think the high temp yesterday was 78.  I've had a few texts from the kids who are out in Pittsburgh and it looks equally beautiful there.  They've had fun meeting friends for meals, visiting Phipps and the Aviary and then yesterday they took off hiking/backpacking in the Laurel Highlands.  They will come home today.

Do you remember how the other week I said I thought the beans were winding down?  I was wrong.  LOL

Saturday afternoon I wandered out to the garden to get some parsley.  This is what I came back with.  The yellow beans completely filled (to bursting) a gallon zip lock bag.  There was a quart bag of green beans, some cherry tomatoes and the parsley is on the top.  And a cucumber too!  All of the beans and the cucumber have found their way to C&M's house.

Yesterday afternoon I walked out to cut some flowers and came home with another basket full of beans!  HELP!!!  Today I will be cooking up a yellow and green bean casserole.

Yesterday I made Slow Cooker Italian Summer Soup using THIS RECIPE.  Wow was it good!  I used both yellow squash and zucchini and I also added some asparagus stalks we had.  This is a great recipe for cleaning out the fridge.  I think it would be great with hot Italian sausage rather than the sweet (or a combination of both), but I used sweet as I plan to leave a big container in C&M's fridge this morning for their return later today.  The sweet sausage is ok for Iris but the hot is a bit much for her.  On my way over to their house this morning to feed Talbot I will also stop and pick up a loaf of crusty bread to go with the soup.

I'm planning a few chores for today (bathrooms, laundry, etc.), but am hoping that the afternoon will find me with either a stitching needle in hand, or a pair of socks in progress in my lap.  Or both.  And a book too.  Probably a nap will occur as well.

Wishing you all a wonderful start to the week - enjoy!

Unraveled Wednesday 9/2/26

 Hello My Friends,

Hoo-Boy it is hot and humid this morning.  Not what I consider to be typical September weather (but who knows?  That could be changing...).  We had a lovely thunderstorm last night which cooled things down for a short while.  I was hoping to fall asleep to the rain, but it ended before I went to bed.  But...nonetheless...I slept much better than the night before and I am thankful for that.

And now it is Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk all things making and reading.  Everyone always shares such interesting and fun projects and a wealth of books is explored.  So hop in and enjoy!

If you keep up with my blog then you already know that I finished the Honky Tonk Shortie Socks last week.  Needing something on the needles for easy knitting whilst Iris naps, I cast on for another pair of socks (naturally).  These will be for Fletch's birthday which is later this month...so I need to stay focused and get them done!

This is the start of the first sock.  The two solid colors (and the green is like a dark olive or loden green - very pretty) are the selections from The Farmer's Daughter August Sock Squad.  The variegated yarn that I used for the cuff is from another dyer (I can't remember who) that I picked up at a fiber festival (I think NJ a few years ago).  The color way is "American Robin" and I love how it blends with the two solid colors.

My Semplice shawl has been on my mind.  I really need to pick that up and finish it...I'm not far from the end.  But with a 4 stitch increase every other row, the rows keep getting longer and longer!  And though I like the pattern, I'm not thrilled with the color I chose.  Oh well.  Sometimes that happens.

Reading continues apace.  I did finish Country People by Daniel Mason.  The book started off great for me - lots of laugh out loud sections and the quirkiness of Vermonters came through.  But, after a bit it just felt ridiculous and a little stupid to me.  North Woods by Mason is a much better book in my opinion.

Next up I read Winter: The Story of a Season by Val McDermid.  What a delight this little book was.  I could have read it in one sitting but someone was hankering for dinner (not me).  This little gem was charming and cozy and made me look forward to winter days!

I am also continuing to listen to John of John by Douglas Stuart, but it is a slow listen for me.  My mind tends to wander while listening to this book and even though I'm keeping an open mind, I'm not really into this one at all.  But, I will continue to listen and hope that it gets better for me.  Our discussion is next week I think, so I'd best get moving on it.

Fletch and I did start listening to The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman, but we both are having difficulty getting into it, following it, and not falling asleep while listening!  I think we will go with another book.

What are you making and reading this week?

Tiny Needle Tuesday 9/1/26

 Good Morning and Welcome to September!

School busses are rolling and kids are back to school.  Where did the summer go?  Mailing's Mom is traveling again (Alaska now and Europe later in the month), so I've got a full schedule.  But, it's a little different as Colin, Mailing and Iris are going away the next two weekends.  I'll still be going over twice a day to feed Talbot, but I will have more free time.  This week I'll be with Iris Tues-Wed-Thurs and then feeding Talbot Friday afternoon through Monday morning.

It's that time of year where I'm finding it difficult to come up with dinner ideas.  I'm tired/bored with stuff we have during the summer, but it's still hot - too hot for soups and stews and those comforting foods.  I'll figure it out, but sometimes it feels difficult to even think (stupid humidity and heat).

But for now it's Tuesday and time for a TNT post.  Some modest progress has been made on the Aquamarine Sampler.  Modest progress is still progress though!

The second Quaker motif has been completed and a star has been added.  Now the debate is whether to continue downward or go across.  I'll just wait and see what I'm in the mood for the next time I pick up my needle.

What do you have planned for the beginning of September?  I hope it is something fun!

Weekending 8/31/26

 Good Morning!

I've been up and at it for some time already.  Cookies have been made (oatmeal raisin) and the kitchen cleaned up.  All that and Fletch is just getting up!  I had promised Iris I'd make her cookies and since I will be with her tomorrow I thought I'd best get at it.  And before the heat of the day.  There are two dozen without nuts that I will take to Iris and another 2.5 dozen here for Fletch with walnuts.  I may be ready to go back to bed - LOL

Meanwhile, the weekend was so nice.  Plenty of time for stitching and reading and cooking!  Colin came for dinner on Saturday (Mailing and Iris come home today from their weekend away).  I made a shrimp and scallop dish with cherry tomatoes and spinach thrown in at the end to wilt.  Tasty!  I also made the shredded carrot and beet salad that we enjoy so much.

The day was lovely and after dinner we sat outside with a fire.  A new ginger kitty we had not seen before showed up.

She (or he...I don't know) was so friendly.  Jumping up in our laps.  Talking, etc.  She kept going over to the door looking for Mabel (who was inside already for the night).  When Mabel finally came downstairs and wandered over to the door, the little ginger kitty got so excited.  She (he) just wanted to be friends and Mabel was NOT having it at all!  Mabel hissed and growled.  Ginger kitty was not put off.  She (he) hung around for another hour at both the front and back doors!

Saturday morning I had to run to the grocery store (for the spinach for dinner) and scored a great find at the front of the store.  Bulbs!  You may remember when I showed a picture of the Tigridia flowers in Colin's front bed and mentioned that I wanted to get some.  Well, I found them at the grocery store...and a couple of other ones that I had never heard of!

Our flower beds will hopefully be a riot of color next year.  The Crocosmia even claim to be deer resistant!  I think we will still be putting everything inside the fenced garden anyway.  But, who knows?  I may go back to the store and get more bulbs.

Schools around here are starting today.  It's the first time I can think of that they are starting before Labor Day.  

Time for me to pour another cup of coffee.  How was your weekend?