The BEST News and TNT

Hello!

Thank you all for your concern about Mailing and your prayers, sending good vibes and good juju, etc., etc.  Finally heard yesterday morning that her Covid test came back NEGATIVE!!  Yay!!  As I mentioned, she was sure it was just a stomach bug of some kind, but it is still such a huge relief to get the news that all is well.

Yesterday started out pretty sticky and humid.  But, inspired by Kym I decided I had to do something with the over-ripe peaches, apricots, blueberries and raspberries we had.  So I made a galette.

Very rustic looking and delicious!  I only added a sprinkle of sugar - maybe a tablespoon at most,  Fletch had some last night for a snack - warmed up in the microwave and then covered in whipped cream - and pronounced it delicious.  I had a bite and thought it was pretty good.  These are so much easier to make than a pie.

Of course, on a hot, sticky day having the oven on at 400 degrees is not the best (we do not have central air).  But late afternoon an unexpected storm rolled through and the temp dropped from 90 to 70 in 20 minutes.  Then it really started storming.  At some point it got really loud and we realized it was hailing!  I went out on the patio and reached out and picked up a couple of pieces.

The hail didn't last all that long, but the storms continued for a few hours.  Last night I was able to sleep with no air, just the ceiling fan and the windows wide open.  It felt so good!

Anyway, here we are on a Tuesday, or like we say, TNT - Tiny Needle Tuesday.  I did manage to finish "Crows at Strawberry Hill" over the weekend.  It took a little longer than I expected as I realized I was off on my count by one thread on the border at the bottom.  Grrrr - had to rip that out and re-start.  But I love the end result.

I did pick out a new Adam & Eve sampler to stitch, but I'm waiting for threads to be shipped to me.  So, in the interim I pulled out an old UFO.  I'm pretty sure I blogged about this piece a year or two ago when I pulled it out and worked on it a bit.  Then it went back into the stitching black hole.  This is The Sailor's Huswife by Darlene O'Steen.  I believe this is out of print now, but is on the Bay of Evil.

Excuse all the wrinkles - this piece has been folded up for so long...Next up under the flowers is another dividing band and the balance of the alphabet.  I don't plan to make the whole thing (back side and pockets to keep things in, etc.).  I'm just stitching this main panel.  After the dividing bands and alphabet the next (and last!) section has acorns and squirrels on it!!  This is a fun piece to work on.  I think I'm using 36 count fabric, but I'm not sure, and DMC threads.

As I mentioned the other week, my office is now not opening until August 6th.  This Friday, July 10th, no one is allowed in the office as it is going to be "deep cleaned."  Not sure what that means exactly.  I will probably go in one day this week as there are things I need to print on the "big boy" paper (lol - that is what we call 11x17 paper - makes small spreadsheets that much easier to read).  I'll also take in some rhubarb for my boss and leave it in one of the refrigerators for him (our rhubarb plant is going gang busters again!).

In other news I had a doctor's appointment (routine) with my primary care physician next week, but received a call that she is still not coming into the office.  I didn't want a telecon appointment so they rescheduled me.  The first appointment I could get is in late October!  Crazy!

Well, time to fix another cup of coffee and get to work.  Hope everyone is doing well.

Weekending

Good Morning!

How was your weekend?  Mine was not what I had planned.  Dee and I were supposed to get together for a walk and then some knitting under my apple tree.  But, Thursday night Mailing started running a fever.  So erring on the side of caution Dee and I decided not to get together.  Mailing was tested Friday for Covid, but we don't know the results yet - hopefully today (2-4 days for the results).  Since Fletch and I saw Colin & Mailing 6 days before she ran the fever, we are staying away from everyone.  I had planned to go into the office today, but am staying home instead.  Mailing is feeling better each day, but is still not 100%. 

Friday I did walk along the canal, and looking across the water I saw these day lilies:

Such a profusion!  I love seeing the reflection in the water.

On Saturday I walked a little over 5 miles along the path in Oaks.  And boy was it muggy!  We had rain early in the morning but by 9 it was clear, so I headed out.  There were a number of walkers and a lot of bikers.  I thought this little guy was going to come right for me:

Hard to see in the picture, but this is a young buck with tiny antlers still in velvet.  Tail up and he meant business!  I was in his way and he was not going to stop - lol.  Later a young, spotted fawn broke out of the woods running right towards me.  It had been frightened by two German Shepherd dogs (on leashes) ahead of me.  I'm like a magnet for these deer!

And, speaking of deer, they have managed to do severe damage on our garden!  They have munched bell peppers, jalapeno peppers (!!), tomato plants, etc.  Farmer Fletch has put up screening and wires around everything!  And he went out and got coyote urine to sprinkle around everything.  LOL

So disappointing after everything was doing so well.  And now our garden looks like a prison with wire everywhere!

I did manage to get a little knitting and a little stitching done over the weekend, but no pictures yet.  Not sure what I will be able to do today.  The morning has already been busy work-wise and I have a conference call at 10.  It is also feeling a bit sticky already, so I doubt I will get out for a walk.  Time will tell.

Wishing you all a great week!  I can't believe we are at the end of June!!!

Friday Felines

Look at these two cuties!  Colin worked from home yesterday and decided to do laundry.  After taking the duvet cover off, he just threw the duvet on the floor and the cats made a nest.  Do you see Marcel peeking out from under the covers?  T-Bone (Talbot) sprawled on top.  Later in the day they switched positions.

They sure had the right idea.  It was a grey, wet day all day...and all last night and now it is pouring outside!  But the temps are mild - 46 on my ride in this morning.  Believe that is to change this afternoon with winds picking up and temps dropping.  Unfortunately I am not able to burrow into a duvet...instead I'm at work.

Yesterday's knitting at lunch wasn't quite as I had planned.  I decided to work on finishing the cuff of the first Barn Owl sock.  I did two more rows and then noticed a hole several rows down.  I could not find a dropped stitch.  So, I started to tink back...but tinking on DPNs with fingering weight yarn is not a strong point of mine.  Since the cuff wasn't even finished, I just pulled out the needles and unraveled all that I had done.  Last night I was able to cast them back on and knit five rows of ribbing.  Hopefully today's lunch time will go more smoothly.

On a more positive note, Mailing's Ear/Headband fits!

She texted me this picture this morning.  Such a nice pic on such a gloomy day!

Happy weekend everyone - enjoy!!

A Finish, An Un-Finish and a Cute Picture

Hello All,

How was your weekend?  Mine was great!  Friday we had a St. Patrick's Day lunch at work and then our office closed at 3 p.m., so a bit of an earlier than normal start to the weekend.  It was also beautiful out and it hit 75 in Philadelphia!

Saturday dawned sunny but noticeably cooler.  I met up with Dee for coffee and that's where the Un-Finish took place - lol.  I brought my Shell Cottage sock and she agreed with me that it was very tight.  I was hoping that a good soak and blocking on a sock blocker would stretch it out enough, but when Dee said it looked like a child sized sock I knew there was only one thing to do:

That's where the sock is now.  Dee helped me unravel and re-wind which was great (the knot stitch was a bit tricky to un-do).  I have not re cast on yet to try again, but when I do, I am taking Dee's suggestion of doing the pattern only on the front of the sock.  The back will be plain stockinette and hopefully that will allow me to wear them.  We chatted and knit for a bit and then went across the street to Northbound for lunch.

The food was delicious.  Dee had a roasted beet salad and I had a smoked turkey BLT.

The finish in the title refers to Fletcher's cowl.  Finally!!

And here it is open so you can see the full thing:

Personally, I think the buttons are too heavy for it and flat ones would be better, but Fletch loves it and actually wore it yesterday when he was outside (very windy and chilly again).  Nice to have this one off the needles.  The yarn is from Ancient Arts and the color is Birch Leaves.  I have a full skein and part of one left, so I may need to make something warm and cozy for myself!

Hitchhiker was what I worked on over coffee with Dee and I did a bit more yesterday.  I'm now at 35 teeth and am weighing the yarn after every tooth.  If my calculations are correct, I can make another 3...possibly 4 teeth.  This is what it looks like as of this morning:

Fletch and I did spend some time yesterday over at Mailing's and Colin's.  Their house looks so cute with their furniture now and it is so fun to see how excited they are to be in a home rather than a rental.  After we left they went shopping for a few things (they still need curtains, etc.).  They picked up a new laundry basket and Colin texted this shot last evening:

Marcel wanted to be IN the basket. 

Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me, so I'd best just jump in.  Hope everyone has a great week!

Friday Felines

Hello All,


A little overcast this morning (storms expected late this afternoon and/or evening), but still a very pretty sunrise and I heard geese flying overhead when I stepped out on our patio this morning.  Everything is popping open - apple blossoms, weeping cherry, Redbud, wild roses.  And my allergies have also kicked into high gear.  Yuck.  I woke up completed stuffed and head-achy this a.m.


Poor Tyg had a tiny scratch beneath his left eye (I thought at first it was a deer tick).  When I got home from work on Monday his whole left cheek was swollen and then I noticed that his fur was all matted beneath the swelling.  Yuck again!  We ended up using a warm compress on him and then put some Neosporin on (which he did not like), but it did the trick.  The swelling started to go down.  I had to do one more compress the following day, but now he is all back to normal.  (And a vet bill avoided.)


Meanwhile, here is Marcel in his glory:





LOL.  Mailing ran a Spartan Beast race last Saturday and Marcel is wearing her medal.  Yay for Mailing (I certainly wouldn't and couldn't do that race) - she actually ran it in (I think) just around 5 hours.  I couldn't get the link to work, but if you are not familiar with these races, the beast is 15 miles and there are a lot of obstacles to go through (jumping over fire, going through mud, carrying heavy buckets up hills, etc.).  You have to complete not only the run but all obstacles as well.  She is signed up for two more Spartan races this year - the easy one and the middle one.  I'm glad the beast is over for her.


Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.  I have plans to meet up with Dee for knitting and coffee tomorrow - looking forward to that!