Monday Rolls Around Again

 Bonjour My Lovelies,

Well, as predicted, the weekend was beastly!  And buggy.  I woke in the night with my arms, legs and feet itching from mosquito bites.

Friday afternoon I left Colin's a little early.  He was finished work and a severe thunderstorm was forecast.  I wanted to get home before the sky opened up.  Part way down 363, I came upon barricades closing my road.  I skirted around on a detour like everyone else and the traffic got heavier and heavier.  Anyway, a few miles from home the sky did open up and the rain was so hard that it was difficult to even see the road.  But, by the time I drove those last couple of miles home the rain had stopped.  Nothing measurable in the rain gauge, but the wind had cooled things down a bit.  Enough that we could sit on the patio before dinner.

Saturday morning was filled with laundry and a few errands.  By Sunday I decided to skip cleaning the kitchen floor and the bathrooms.  I just didn't feel like it and it was too darn hot.  Really more humid than hot.  The temps were low, but it felt like 500% humidity.

I did walk out to the garden on Sunday afternoon though.  I wanted to pull some onions to use in Sunday's dinner.  And, to my surprise, I found that little figs are starting to appear!!

Such a great sight!  I had just about given up on figs this year.  Our tree was late to leaf out and it is still very low - not as tall as prior years.  But healthy and many figs.  Count me as a happy person.

This week I am watching Iris Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  It helps (my back) to have a day off in-between babysitting.  Thursday I see the dermatologist for my semi-annual full body check.  Other than that, no real plans.  Which is ok, it's too miserable weather-wise to have plans.

I hope this Monday finds your week off to a pleasant start.  Take care and stay hydrated.

Unraveled Wednesday and a FOX 5/1/24

 

Good Morning All,

Happy May Day!  I remember way back (in the dark ages) when I was in grade school we always had a May Day celebration where we danced around a Maypole - weaving the streamers around and under.  I wonder if anyone still does that?

It is EARLY here in Eastern PA and I have been awake for some time.  Yuck!  I will back up to last night for the story.  It's maybe 8:30 or so and I'm on the phone talking to my friend Carol.  Suddenly I hear noises outside.  I jump up and go out and right at the edge of the patio is Mr. Fox.  Who was showing me his teeth!  Mabel, fortunately, had jumped up onto some shelves on the patio and was uttering a growl like I have never heard come out of her before.  Mr. Fox ran off and Mabel came inside.  And stayed in the rest of the night.

Jump to 3 a.m. this morning and I wake up to a very loud barking from a fox.  Mabel is on the bed and she starts growling and jumps onto the windowsill to survey the back yard.  I never really get back to sleep - just doze on and off for a bit.  At 5:30 Mabel is getting antsy and the birds are singing loudly outside.  So I get up and come down to let Mabel out.  Usually I would go back upstairs to get a shower, but thankfully I decided to make the coffee first.  Mabel goes out and suddenly I hear a ruckus again.  There is Mr. Fox once more at the edge of the patio (again showing his teeth) and Mabel has managed to get back up on the shelf and is growling (again).  Once more Mr. Fox runs off after giving me a nasty glance and Mabel finally comes inside (where she still is).

This is all too much excitement for me so early in the morning!

Meanwhile, some exciting garden news.  We spotted the first figs forming!!  Last year our fig was very late to leaf out and the fruit did not even form until way too late to ripen.  This year figs were showing before the very first leaves sprouted!

And, we discovered that Mabel loves to lie in the raised bed box under the rhubarb leaves.  LOL. I guess it's a cool and shady spot on these warmer-than-they-should-be days.

All of this brings us to today and Unraveled Wednesday.  Usually I would link up with Kat, but she is on vacation and not hosting an Unraveled Wednesday post this week.  I still wanted to talk knitting and books, so here I am.  The second Peat and Gold sock has been started.  I am a little past the halfway mark on the leg.

I'm hoping to finish this up rather quickly and move onto other things (languishing projects and new stash yarn perhaps).

On the reading side of things, I picked up Notes From the Henhouse the other week.  It's ok.  Not great, but ok...just a little boring in places.  So last night I started another library book - one that my friend Nina had recommended:  This Other Eden by Paul Harding.  I read about 40 pages last night and so far am really loving it.

Another book that Nina recommended is West With Giraffes which Fletch and I are listening to after dinner.  I don't care much for the narrator, but it is a fun story.

I should wrap this up now...get my shower and pour another cup of coffee.  Dee and I are gathering together a bit later this morning!  Thanks for sticking with me through this long-winded post.  Happy Hump Day!

Some Miracles!!

 Good Morning!

Bambi and Peter (Cottontail) are both grazing peacefully in the back yard as I type this.  Plenty of apples and clover for everyone!

My washer is not one of the miracles.  Still not working.  I called for service and someone will be out - but not until next Thursday!  Luckily we have sufficient underwear and other clothes to last us for an even longer period of time...hopefully it will not come to that.

Our little wren babies have finally fledged!  I watched one of them leave the nest - so cool!  Our afternoons on the patio are much quieter now - no chattering wren babies and no parents flying in with food.

Now for the miracles!!  Our winds the other night knocked over a few things in the garden.  When Fletch went out to make sure everything was ok, he noticed figs beginning to form on our fig tree!  Woo-Hoo!

If you click to enlarge, you will see the figs forming along the stem/trunk.  We had been worried because Figgy (the tree) is about half the size it is normally by now.  I'm so happy we will at least have some fruit.

The other plant that was knocked over was our hibiscus.  Fletch had counted 15 (15!!!) buds on it the day before the storm.  He had to stake the plant up, but look what appeared the next day:

What a deep, rich color!  As of yesterday a second bloom was fully open and a third partially open.  The plant is a wonder...yes, a miracle, this year.

OK, that's it for me today.  I'm late getting started and I have all of my usual Thursday reports to run and distribute.  Wishing you all a wonderful Thursday - enjoy!!

Unraveled Wednesday 9/1/21

 Hello!

How are you on this gloomy day in Eastern PA?  Actually I'm not minding the gloom this morning.  The rain is gently falling and ushering in one of my favorite months.  I feel like I should go out and buy school supplies (which I LOVED to do) or something.  I do need to run out for a couple of limes and lemons, but those won't approximate school supplies.  Maybe I can find a new gel pen or something.

So September 1st and an Unraveled Wednesday.  Yes, there was unravelling this week.  The picture below is not what I had planned to show.

But there you have it.  This is the yarn I have picked out for socks for Peggy (Damon's wife).  It is another skein from KnitPicks in their Static line and the colorway is "glow."  To me it looks a bit like faded rose petals.  There are some darker shades in there, but plenty of light pinks and a bit of brown too.  I had cast on and had the cuff done (15 rows of 2x2 ribbing).  I found a pattern I thought would be nice and on row 4 I ended up with 19 stitches on one needle!  That is 3 extra.  I tried tinking but that wasn't working so I just pulled the needles out and wound up the yarn.  Today I plan to cast on again and I've written out a lace pattern to do.  Hopefully work will remain quiet and allow me to do this.

On the reading side of things I finished The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths.  this is the latest in the ruth Galloway series she is writing and this one did not disappoint.  Plenty of archaelogy, Druids and murders.  I enjoyed it.  Now I'm nearing the end of The Devil's Bed by William Kent Krueger.  This is not part of the Cork O'Connor series that I have been enjoying but rather a conspiracy thriller.  It is not a disappointing read!

Yesterday I picked a baker's dozen of figs!!

Coupled with the 8 I picked the day before, we have quite a bowl-full.  I need to think of something to do with these.  Someone - I think Kim wanted to see the figs on the tree.  Of course I didn't think to take a picture until AFTER I had picked the ripe ones, so there are just green ones here.

If you enlarge the picture, you will see the fig at the bottom...left of the branch...is just barely beginning to show a blush of color.  A day of strong sun brings them out for sure.

My office day yesterday wasn't too bad.  I was out of there by Noon and got a lot accomplished in the morning.  I won't go back to the office till next Wednesday, the 8th at which time the Lame Duck's West Coast replacement will be in town for the first time.  Bill and I pulled a lot of stuff together for her, and I'm sure there will be more.  

My one conference call this coming Friday has already been cancelled, so I think I can start the Labor Day weekend a bit early!!

As usual, I'm linking up with Kat and other Unravellers to talk about making and reading.  Head over there when you can, there is always a boat load of inspiration!  Enjoy your Wednesday.

Unraveled Wednesday, 8/25/21

 Good Morning,

I hope your week is going well.  As I had planned, yesterday I was able to get to the office, take care of some printing and scanning, participate in the conference call at 10, stop at the State Store for wine and make it home just before Noon.  I would call that a good morning!  And I only saw 3 other people while at the office!

My plans do not include another office visit until next week.  My boss Bill's birthday is the 2nd of September, so I will at least go in and leave a card and bottle of wine for him.

But today is Wednesday.  It is most likely going to be another hot one, but the sun is shining and the sky is blue.  It's a little later than usual for me to be writing a post - I slept in till 7 this morning (usually I am up by 5:30 or so)!  Such a luxury.  And it's Unraveled Wednesday, so as usual I am linking up with Kat and the merry unravelers to talk about making and reading.

Once again I do not have a lot to show.  I did not do much knitting in the past two weeks, but I am finally on the foot - and about half way down it - of Damon's 2nd Out of This World sock.

The yarn continues to please me - I like the different tones of blue and it is an easy yarn with which to knit (Static by KnitPicks in the colorway "Neptune").  I'm hoping to finish this up in a day or so and move on to something else!  But the heat and the humidity have not been making it fun to either knit or stitch.

On the reading side I did finish a few books.  First up Bonny had mentioned a book I had never heard of:  "Miss Buncle's Book" and I was intrigued.  It was an enjoyable read, but I was plenty bored in places.  I gave it 3.5 stars.

Next up I read another in the Cork OConnor series by William Kent Krueger.  This one was "Blood Hollow" and was very good.  I gave this 4.5 stars and highly recommend this series.

Lastly I read "Off the Wild Coast of Brittany" by Juliet Blackwell.  I was hoping for recipes and there were none.  The story was just ok for me - a bit trite.  I gave this 3 stars.

Last night I started the most recent book in the Elly Griffiths series about Ruth Galloway.  This one is called "The Night Hawks."  The series is fun (archaeoalogy and crimes and England) and the books are quick reads.

Our garden has been a disappointment in some ways this year.  We did have rhubarb (we have rhubarb every year which is a very good thing), but our sugar snap peas were a bust (thank you voles).  Our green beans have produced, but not as strongly as usual and tomatoes are slow to ripen.  There will be no beef steak tomatoes this year (thank you deer) and the Early Girl ones are all still green.  Fletch did pick about a dozen jalapenos the other day and then last evening went out to look at our fig and voila!!

We had been averaging one or two per day and sharing them at dinner time, but yesterday's haul was just lovely.  I need/want to think of something special to do with these beauties.

Well, that's a wrap for me today.  Have a good one!

TGIF

Good Friday Morning!

Yesterday saw me complete the cleaning I was needing and wanting to get done before Saturday.  A day early!  I still need to put clean sheets on the bed that one or two of the girls will use, and put sheets on the air mattress that someone else will use.  But that's easy peasy.  The hard stuff is over!  I even managed to make a run to the state store for wine.

And the weather was simply wonderful - about 60 in the morning and it barely made it to 80 during the day.  I stretched out after lunch to read some and then doze a little and actually needed a blanket.  It felt great!  Colin came over for dinner (ribs and chicken on the grill, broiled asparagus and summer squash) and we ended up sitting around a fire.  I hope this weather holds through the weekend.

Fletch and Colin picked a little bit from the garden for our dinner.  The first ripe sun gold cherry tomatoes and the very first figs!!

 Fletch and I also went over to Rob's garden and cut a few zinnias for the table.  I did not go in his "compound" as it has very tall weeds and I'm nervous about deer ticks.  Today at some point I will put on my wellies and go back over to see if I can pick some Roma tomatoes and some squash.  And I'm hoping there will be more figs ripe for the weekend.

My Friday is blissfully free of conference calls this week.  I have some work I'd like to do, but then I will tackle the grocery shopping.  Saturday I will just need to make some salads to go with dinner and wipe down the bathrooms.  Not bad!  There should be time for knitting and stitching some.

Cheers to the weekend ahead - enjoy!