Unraveled Wednesday 3/19/25

 Good Morning!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unraveled Wednesday 8/21/24

 Hello My Friends,

Like Kat, I am feeling a bit sleep deprived this morning.  Fletch and I watched two episodes of Poirot and then stayed up to hear both Michelle and Barack Obama speak at the DNC in Chicago.  Pretty rousing speeches.  I still say that Barack Obama is one of the best orators I have ever listened to.

And boy was last night chilly!  I needed another blanket on the bed...and I wore socks!  LOL. This morning I turned the heat on in the bathroom when I got my shower.  We are fortunate because we have thermostats in every room of our house, so easy to warm up the bathroom without heating the entire house.  I made French Toast using croissants which turned out pretty well.  Not exactly low calorie, but tasty.

So, a slightly later start to my blog post.  It's Wednesday which means it is time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk everything making and everything books.  Fun stuff!  My Semplice shawl is slowly growing.  I've just started the first of the reverse stockinette sections (hard to see in the photo as only a couple of rows have been knit).

Sorry for the darkness of the picture.  I took this shot this morning as the picture I took last night made the shawl look blue.  It's purple, not blue...I've gotten into a rhythm with this pattern and the rows are going fairly quickly despite adding 4 stitches every other row.  I'm sure it will begin to slow down at some point.

My sock is growing as well.  I'm about halfway down the foot, so it won't be long till I cast this one off and start sock #2.

Not a whole lot to report on the reading front.  I'm more than 2/3 of the way through The Ministry of Time and I am still finding it engaging though I'm beginning to worry that I will not like the ending...we shall see.  And Fletch and I are finally nearing the end of Nobody's Fool - listening for 15 or 20 minutes after dinner.  I think we have under two hours left.  We are laughing out loud at some of it, but I'm also weary of it.  Next up for us we will be reading (as in a real book) "A Man Without a Country" by Kurt Vonnegut.  A slight change of pace.

Yesterday afternoon I walked alongside the canal.  It had been months since I walked there and it was actually pretty chilly.  A strong breeze and some cloud cover kept things cool.  I did not see any Blue Herons, but I spotted several Green Herons!

And, of course, some turtles (though not many were out as it was not very sunny).

Be sure to head over to Kat's blog to see what everyone is making and reading.  I'm sure there will be plenty of inspiration.

Winding Down the Week

 Good Friday Morning!

It has been such a nice week!  Yesterday I was able to get out in the afternoon for a walk along the canal.  I had not been on that path/trail for quite some time (it can get kind of muddy after a lot of rain).  There were quite a few people out - some bikers, some dog walkers, some joggers - everyone seemed to be enjoying the abundant sunshine.  There were a ton of turtles sunning themselves on various logs in the canal.

If you enlarge you will see there are at least a dozen turtles in that snap!

I even spotted a painted rock along the trail!

Several loads of wash dried very nicely on the lines yesterday.  Of course, there is more laundry to be done today.  Not sure that will dry outside - we have a chance of rain.

But weather!!  Carolyn, I was thinking of you:  my brother who lives in Boulder, CO had been in California for business.  He flew home late Wednesday night - getting in around midnight.  It was raining, but forecast to turn to snow.  At 12:30 Thursday afternoon he texted a picture - they already had 15" of snow and it was forecast to keep snowing for another 24 hours!!  I cannot even imagine.

Mailing has been in Texas all week for work and Colin invited us over yesterday for dinner.  This one was being a bit on the lazy side.

And then he escaped to the great outside world!  Luckily he doesn't run away or anything.  He just wandered around the patio in the back until Colin grabbed him and put him back inside.  Poor Marcel, he was not happy about that.  Talbot doesn't even try to get out!

We ordered out steak sandwiches for dinner - YUM.  It was still so nice we took our food out to the backyard to eat.  At some point either Fletch or Colin noticed a beautiful hawk in one of his trees.  I think the hawk was eyeing my sandwich!  LOL

We hung out for awhile and had a fire in the pit once it began to get dark.  Just before 9 p.m. we saw the ISS fly over!  I signed up for notifications, but this was the first time I saw it.  Very cool.

No real plans for today - a bit more laundry as I mentioned.  I may run some errands or not.  I may start to clean out the linen closet...or not...I may venture to the library if a book come in.  Definitely I will make time for knitting and stitching and reading.  Tomorrow Dee and I are meeting up (this week was too busy to get together during the week).

What about you?  Any plans?  Whatever you do (or don't do), may the weekend be a good one.  Have some fun!

Tiny Needle Tuesday...and More!!

 Good Morning My Friends,

How are you?  It is still early here (5:40 a.m.), but someone (that would be me) had a difficult time sleeping last night and then early, early this a.m. the birds were so loud!  I love birdsong and hearing it, but maybe a little later would be a better idea.

Anywho, I've lots to show you today, so grab your beverage of choice and let's dig in.  First, it is Tuesday, which means it is time for a Tiny Needle update.  My two pieces are moving along nicely and continue to be fun to stitch.  First up is the Autumn Posy by Plum Street Samplers.

The pumpkin is finished and a few do-dads have been added.  This is being stitched on 40 count linen with Weeks Dye Works overdyed cottons.

Next we have the Sampler aux Bouquets.  A 3 part sampler that I am stitching on 32 count linen with DMC floss.

I had thought I would finish up the first part this past week, but that was not to be.  However, Mr. Rabbit has made an appearance along with a potted plant (I think a rose?).  I have confirmed that the X and the Z will need to be moved in order to accommodate the balance of the design on Part 1.  No worries, it will look better when finished.

Now on to other things!  Yesterday, Juneteenth, was a holiday for my office and a 3 day weekend was a lovely thing.  I convinced/talked Fletch into heading out with me yesterday for a short morning walk and then lunch out.  We took off around 10:30 and drove to one of my favorite walks - the one where the canal is on one side of the path and the Schuylkill River on the other side.  It was a busy place yesterday - lots of walkers, lots of joggers, lots of dog walkers, some folks on bikes and a number of folks on the water - either paddle boards, kayaks or canoes.  We actually saw some folding kayaks which are pretty cool.

Along with all the people there was a ton of animal and plant life.  We heard bull frogs, geese, ducks, lots of song birds and then there were turtles!  Of course we did not hear them, but oh my gosh there were SO MANY baby turtles!  I don't ever remember seeing them at this location and certainly not the numbers we saw yesterday.

There were also bees and bugs on various blooms.

So many scents in the air too.  We were noticing how some scents are really strong when you are in the sunlight and then others become more prominent when you are in the shade.

We walked for about 40 minutes and then made our way back to Fitzwater Station for lunch.  We were able to get seats on the deck overlooking the canal so we could watch the water traffic while sipping and eating.  I loved this sign on one of the vehicles at Fitzwater Station:

We had a relaxing afternoon and then it was time to sit on the patio with a beverage.  Back when I was harvesting a ton of rhubarb, Nance had suggested that I make some rhubarb cordial.  Oh my!  What a treat!

This is what we ended up with after ditching the pieces of rhubarb in the bottle (basically cut up rhubarb, vodka and sugar - shake and let it meld together for a month, then strain and indulge).  It is tart, but in a very pleasing way.  I had a small amount over ice and enjoyed it a lot.  I think it would also be tasty with seltzer.

Mabel came around from wherever she had been patroling to join us.  Such a sweetie!

All lin all a very lovely day.

Unraveled Wednesday 4/5/23

 Good Morning!

Once again I am a bit groggy!  I was up at 5:30 a.m. to let Mable out (of course) and went back to bed.  Normally I don't fall asleep after letting her highness out, but I will rest for 30 or 45 minutes before getting up.  This morning?  I did fall back asleep until 7:45 a.m.!  And, I went to bed early last night.  Guess that once again I needed the sleep.  Anyway, I'm moving slowly and just sipping my first cup of coffee.  Fortunately work email is quiet.

Yesterday I ended up walking along the trail that runs between the canal and the Schuylkill River.  One of my favorite spots to walk.  I did not see any blue herons, but everywhere there was a branch sticking out of the canal water, there were turtles basking in the sun.

Little ones and big ones all lined up

Fitzwater Station, a bar/pub/restaurant along the canal was doing a brisk business on their deck.  They also rent canoes and kayaks.  Though I did not see anyone on the water, the boats were all lined up ready for use.

So pretty!  I love the yellow and red together.  (see below - looks like my new sock start - lol)  Cheerful.

I only walked 1.5 miles.  It was HOT (my car thermometer was reading 77) and I was in jeans - I should have switched to capri leggings before I left the house.  And, it was buggy!  Lots and lots of flying insects around and many of them were landing on my hands and arms as well as my face.

Most likely I will not get out today.  I'm starting to ramp up for vacation.  Today I am doing a final load (or loads as the case may be) of laundry before we take off and I want to start organizing stuff to pack.  It's pretty cloudy and damp outside anyway.  I haven't looked, but rain may be in the forecast.

Meanwhile, it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk Making and Reading.  As I posted earlier in the week, the Pi Socks are finished.  Fletch has worn them (and they are in the pile of laundry to be washed today - lol) and loves them!  They fit him perfectly.  Naturally I had to cast on for another pair immediately!

Another plain sock and this one may be for me...not sure.  The yarn is from West Yorkshire Spinners and the colourway is "Goldfinch."  There are lovely pops of yellow and red making this a fun sock to knit.  There are 15 rows of ribbing and so far 70 rows on the leg.  Next up is the heel flap and turn.  This yarn will go on vacation with me and hopefully sock #1 and #2 will both be completed.  I also have another skein of yarn in the bag to cast on a new pair.

On the reading side of life - you can see what I am reading above.  Trespasses by Louise Kennedy which just happens to be the next Read With Us selection.  We will be discussing this book in June.  I had no difficulty getting it from my library and so far (a little over 100 pages in), it is a very good read.  This should make for a lively RWU Zoom discussion.

I did finish Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein and I highly recommend this book.  It was an interesting read.  Her chapters on dyeing and the color blue were particularly interesting.  Did you know that eons ago languages did not have a word for "blue?"  Then Colin told me that there is no word in Chinese for the color orange.  This fascinates me.  Anyway, the book is so much more than just about Peggy learning to shear a sheep, dye the wool and make a sweater.

Fletch and I started listening to Words of Mercury by Patrick Leigh Fermor.  Back in the 30's Fermor took off on a long walk...wandering from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople!  What a time to be wandering through Europe!  We had read two of his travel memoir books years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them.  "Words of Mercury" contains his writing from varied sources.  Some from the two books we have read, but other chapters are from other books.  The narrator is perfect!

Well, this has turned into a lengthy post.  Thanks for sticking with me!  I'll leave you with a partial shot of my kitchen windowsill looking out back.  The African Violet continues to bloom like crazy!  And is joined by a couple of daffodils that were leaning over and needed to be rescued from the ground!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/22/22

Good Morning!

Yesterday I did manage to get to Trader Joe's.  I went into the store with four things on my list.  $58 later I walked out!  Isn't it always that way?  But, I got good stuff.

The day was gorgeous.  Very, very sunny and bright.  Still chilly, but not quite as windy as Sunday had been.  I decided that I needed to get out and walk after lunch, so I headed to one of my favorite trails - the canal trail.  Our nights have been cold enough that the canal was starting to freeze over.  but look at the color of the water and the blue, blue sky.  Magnificent!

 You can see there was no one in front of me.  I passed a couple of dog walkers and a few folks on bikes rode past me.  I saw one couple running and that was it.  Oh, and a guy sitting on a bench with a huge camera.  Otherwise I had the place to myself.  This time I managed to walk the entire trail from where I park to Main Street in Phoenixville - a total (round trip) of 3 miles.  The furthest I've walked since my back episode in the Spring.  It felt wonderful to be out in the fresh air, but I will admit that my back was tired by the time I got back to my car.

About halfway along the trail is Fitzwater Station - a fun pub with good food and drinks.  A nice place to stop after a walk (which Dee and I have done!!).  They also rent canoes and kayaks.  Anyway, yesterday on my way back to the car I noticed they have a giant turkey on one of their decks.  LOL

And that brings me to this morning and Tiny Needle Tuesday.  That crazy long-legged bird that everyone seems to like now has a few letters added nearby.

Obviously a few more to be stitched.  And I will add the year (but not yet...in case it is not finished in 2022).

The Praise Loudly Blame Softly sampler saw no action this week, but Ellen Harrison had some more stitching added.  I'm anxious to finish these two rows of words because then the motifs will start below.

I will say that young Ellen was not great at spacing words apart - LOL.  But that just adds to the charm of the piece in my opinion.

Colin stopped by last night!  He and Mailing had gone over to Mailing's parents to have dinner with Zhongren (Bonnie is still in China until 12/6 or so).  Mailing picked up Bonnie's car to use while up here so that Colin will have his car.  And, last night, Mailing had to run to Target to pick up stuff (litter boxes, etc.), so Colin stopped by to load up his car with wood and say hello.  It was wonderful to see him.

We all plan to gather late afternoon on Thursday and, hopefully, get a walk in before we eat.  Today I need to do some cooking and also (more) grocery shopping.

Hope your week is going well!

Snapshots From a Walk

 Good Morning and Happy Friday!  Happy Long Weekend!!

Work has really slowed which is always the case leading up to a holiday weekend.  Yesterday my only conference call scheduled for today was cancelled, so I feel rather free and really don't plan on doing much work at all.  I've already done a few things this a.m., answered emails, etc.  My hope/plan is to get out for a walk early before it gets hot.

Yesterday I finally walked by the canal.  I managed to do the usual 3 miles but was a bit on the warm side when I got back to my car (I walked from 9-10 a.m.).  It's been a number of weeks since I walked anywhere - my feet have been bothering me ever since we walked around China Town when we went into Philadelphia for Dim Sum a few weeks back.  Not sure why - maybe because I was walking in leather flats rather than sneakers...and walking on city pavement rather than a trail.  Anyway, it felt good to get out yesterday.  Flowers have started to bloom alongside the canal.

So pretty!  There were also day lilies, purple loosestrife, some tiny white flowers and other "weeds" which are just so nice to see.

There were also some animals.  No blue herons sighted, but there was a cute baby duck:

And, perhaps my favorite turtle picture:

The back legs on that one turtle crack me up!  They are so wide!!

I saw a few other walkers, a couple of joggers, a couple of folks on bicycles and 3 kayaks on the canal.  I'm hoping to get out before 8 a.m. today and am thinking I'll walk at Oaks along the Perkiomen Creek.

The day will also be filled with some errands.  I need to gas up the car (particularly painful these days), pick up a couple of prescriptions at CVS, get to the bank to get some $$$ and pick up a few things at the grocery store.  I'm making pizza for dinner and our mushrooms in the frig are fairly slimy, so I want to get fresh.  And, the store I'll go to has cherries on sale!

Yesterday before dinner Fletch and I were sitting on the patio with our beverages and there was a goldfinch on the thistle at our side yard.  We had just been commenting that the goldfinches were not around much this year!

I know it looks more like a yellow leaf in this picture, but it was the best shot I could get with my phone camera.

Sweet Mabel, of course, was right near us.  

Sleeping Beauty!!

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend and a great 4th of July!!

Weekending 5/2/22

 Good morning!

How are you?  How was your weekend?  Mine was good.  Last night I woke up around 3:30 a.m. to a thunderstorm.  It rained hard for about 10 minutes, but that was it.  Mabel did come in a bit wet.  She was also up on the patio roof meowing when I got up at 6:30.  Fletch and I were both noticing how much more affectionate Mabel has become over the past week or so.  She is always coming up to us and rubbing against our legs, meowing and wanting to be with us.  If one of us is outside and the other inside she goes back and forth...constantly!  It has been nice to see this progression in her behavior.

Meanwhile, the weekend was good as I mentioned.  Saturday morning I headed out to the canal path and took a leisurely walk.  Finally (!!) I was able to do the length from Oaks to Phoenixville.  That is roughly 3 miles round trip.  I'm definitely walking slower than before the back issue, but I'm happy to be able to go that far.

It was peaceful along the trail, although more people than I've seen recently.  It was a lovely day, so lots of walkers and bicyclists and a few runners.

Also plenty of turtles basking in the sun.

Also plenty of geese (and more turtles on the left).

I do love seeing blooms reflected in water.  Just before this was a wisteria tree/vine in full bloom (ours is just starting to show buds), but the lighting was wrong and I couldn't get the blooms to show up.  I was surprised not to see anyone kayaking or canoeing on the canal.

Sunday I debated about walking, but didn't want to over-do it after walking 3 miles on Saturday.  So instead I opted for doing my PT exercises - stretching and strengthening and then headed out for a little archery in the back yard.  Even though last week was pretty dry, things in our back yard can still be fairly mucky, plus there are so many ticks around.  I had to protect myself!

Floral leggings and black & white houndstooth wellies!  LOL  The wellies are ones I bought years ago after the snake in the basement episode.  If I'm running around in flip flops and need to do laundry, I will slip the wellies on before venturing down into the basement.  Always an attractive sight to see whether I'm in PJ pants or shorts!  LOL  The wellies also come in handy for hanging stuff on the clothesline when the grass is still heavy with dew or after a rain.

So, I think today will be pretty much overcast all day...but up near 70 which seems appropriate for May.  I'd love to get out for a walk, but will need to see how it goes.  I have two conference calls this morning - one at 10 and the other at 11.  I may be done in after weathering those two calls!

Wishing you all a Happy May and a great start to a new week!

Weekending 4/25/22

 Good Morning My Friends!

How are you?  How was your weekend?  Mine was lovely - I met up with Dee on Saturday morning for coffee and knitting and chatting.  Always a good time.  The weekend provided opportunity for walking, knitting, stitching, napping, reading, even a little TV watching (me!!) with Fletch.

This is the state of our back yard currently.  You can see my archery target at the edge of the woods (the plywood backdrop is a godsend so that my wayward arrows don't go into the woods...though I've been known to shoot too high and they go over the backdrop).  The wild cherries are blooming in the woods.  Our thistle feeder is hanging in the apple tree and there have been plenty of purple finches feeding.  Yesterday morning I saw the first goldfinch at the feeder!  The camper birdhouse has residents as does the terracotta house hanging at the back.  Fun to watch all the activity.  Of course, Mabel loves climbing into the tree, so the birds had best pay attention.

Our redbud may be at peak right now.  It is gorgeous!

And our apple tree is quickly becoming loaded with blooms.  It is so nice to sit out on the patio at the end of the day and see the blooms and watch the birds.

Sunday I headed out to the canal path for a walk.  I didn't go too far as my back was bothering me and I did not see any blue herons, but there were plenty of turtles!!

And even some baby geese!

Walking back along the path, I saw two kayaks coming towards me.  There was a dog in one of them!

It felt good to get out, but I was disappointed in how sore my back was.  It feels ok this morning and I may try to get another walk in.  Right now I have one load of wash drying and another load to get in the washer (once Fletch gets out of bed, the sheets will come off and go into the washer).  It looks a little bit overcast, so I think I'll just use the dryer today.  Yesterday I did two loads of laundry (clothes) and everything dried on the lines outside.  I love being able to do that.

Here's hoping everyone's week is off to a great start!

A Walk Along the Canal

 Good Morning!

No food post today.  Last night we just had some boiled shrimp along with roasted veggies (a kind of cleaning out the frig dinner).  It was good, but nothing worthy of sharing a recipe.  Tonight we are having vegetable beef soup that I took out of the freezer to thaw.  Colin had requested this along with corn muffins.  His last Thursday night dinner with us for some time as they leave next week for TX.  Boo-Hoo.

Anyway, I did bundle up yesterday and go for a walk.  Fleece leggings (again), a turtleneck and wool sweater (again), wool socks and sneakers, glove liners and fingerless mitts over those.  A headband and my sockhead cowl which I pulled up over my head.  I took a selfie, but it didn't look very nice, so no sharing.

I drove over to the trail that runs between the canal and the river.  My car was the only one in the parking lot.  Three separate runners passed me as well as a bicyclist, but that was it.  No other people around.  Just the way I love it.

Initially my feet and hands were cold, but they warmed up after a bit.  The decorated Christmas tree trail-side is still there, but the bench that had decorations on it has been cleared.  Yesterday was the 12th day of Christmas, so I guess the holidays are officially over now.  I noticed that ice was beginning to form on the canal.

There were plenty of ducks in the water - they don't mind the frigid temps.  No fowl in the above picture, but if you click to enlarge, you can see the bits of ice here and there.

One thing I love about walking in winter is looking at trees.  With no leaves or undergrowth showing, you can see the wanderings of their trunks.  Also the various vines that wrap themselves around the trees.

Walking along, I was surprised to see an osage orange on the trail.  Those trees are common around here, but I don't recall seeing any along the trail.

At any rate, a bright spot of yellow was a welcome sight among such browns and greys.

On my way back I was rewarded with seeing a blue heron - finally!!

To me, herons are such majestic birds.  I love to watch them walk/wade.  This one continued over to the side and went onto the land.  He was right at the edge of the river.

I'm hoping to get out for another walk today.  Probably not till the afternoon.  This is Thursday and my morning is full of running financial reports and sending them out.  I also have two bathrooms that are screaming to be cleaned.

Mabel is continuing to explore outside and loving it.  Gosh she is a fast runner.  Fletch says she runs like a gazelle - long leaps.  She can be at the back edge of our garden just before our woods in a flash.  The other day I saw her at the edge of the woods, so I opened the door and called her just to see what would happen.  She looked up, saw me and ran for the house.  She came in, talked a bit and then went back out.  She is definitely keeping us entertained!