Holidaying

 Hello!

Well, That was a lengthy break...and I think I needed it.  I may still need it - lol.  Last night I went to bed...woke up at 1:45 (heard the clock chime, so I know what time it was) and never got back to sleep!  I'm feeling a bit fuzzy.  However, the sunrise today was simply spectacular!

It did not last long at all - maybe a couple of minutes and then it was gone.  Then it turned grey and ugly looking and there was a bit of snow and rain.  But, eventually the sun came out and it is a pretty afternoon.  If I only had more energy I'd go for a walk or do a little archery...but today I am lazy.

So how was your holiday?  Ours was so nice.  We are fortunate to be able to spend time with Colin & Mailing and also Mailing's parents and sister.  We see them regularly, so are comfortable getting together with them.

Christmas Eve found us at Colin & Mailing's for dinner and opening "stocking stuffers."  Dinner was amazing.  Colin made crab cakes (98% crab meat and 2% filler - saltines and spices).  Mailing made some of the best potatoes I've had in a long time.  And there were green beans with almonds to go with...and Mailing made a Black Forest Cake.  Oh my!

Talbot sported a pretty ribbon around his neck:

Marcel sulked because of the attention Talbot was getting!  He (Marcel) stayed under a chair for some time.  LOL

Dusty floor and furniture tag hanging down - hahaha.

And then the rains started.  Holy crap!  what a lot of rain.  And the winds were fierce.  We drove home in it and found a little bit of water in our basement.  C&M ended up with 4" or so in their basement.

Fletch and I hung out a bit at home Christmas morning and then headed over to Mailing's parents house.  We had brunch (amazing) and then opened gifts (too many).  After that everyone except the Dad's headed out to Valley Forge Park for a walk.  Christmas Eve saw temps in the 60's, but by Christmas afternoon it was in the 20's and the wind was still roaring.  We walked about 10 minutes  - that was it!  My face felt like it was frozen stiff.  We drove back home, played several games of Deception which was fun - like Clue, but different.  Then Bonnie (Mailing's Mom) got started with dinner.  We made dumplings (of course) and then there was just a ton of food.  Shrimp, veggies, pickles, calamari, beef, pork ribs, and on and on and on!

Fletch and I waddled out of there and were home a little after 9 p.m.  I say this every time we all get together, but we are so fortunate to enjoy each other's company.  I know not everyone enjoys their children's in-laws, but we do!!

Our weekend was relaxing.  I've done a little knitting and a bit of cooking and I've been reading.  There is a work project that I need to get started on, but so far today I've pretty much ignored work.  I think tomorrow I've got to dig in (hopefully after a bit of sleep!!).

I've enjoyed being off the computer.  I've read a couple of blogs on my phone, but mostly I've been off line which my eyes have enjoyed.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday.  Not sure when I will check in again, so for now I will say Happy New Year!  Cheers to 2021 - I'm hopeful for the new year.

Monday, Monday

Good Morning!

What a great weekend!!!  No rain over the weekend.  Saturday got a little hot and humid, but Sunday was ideal weather.

Friday night we did head over to Colin & Mailing's.  We were able to eat outside and even take a walk after dinner.  It did start raining (again) before we were back to their house, but it wasn't a downpour luckily.  Not only was it nice to see Colin & Mailing again, but we even got to spend a little time with Talbot and Marcel.  Such pretty kitties.

And then Talbot being like a lion - lol

I love the "garter" on Talbot's front leg.  A handsome boy for sure.

Now that Eastern PA is yellow, Dee and I were able to meet up on Saturday.  We were able to sit outside at Abyss Coffee and knit and talk - FINALLY!!!  It was so good to see her again and to feel (somewhat) back to normal.  No hugging, but we did share some yarn with each other.  I managed to knit enough that Saturday evening I finished the second sock for my brother.

I'm happy with the way they turned out.  The yarn is beautiful and though it was a bitch to wind, it was very nice to knit with and the colors in it are fabulous.  The yarn is by Cape May Fiber Co and the colorway is "Janthina" - I had never heard that word/term before, but it fits the color perfectly as it is a genus of a small sea snail.  The pattern at the top of the sock is taken from Gladys (a free pattern on Ravelry).

The weekend also saw some stitching done on a new project (which I plan to show tomorrow) and a little bit of crocheting on some Granny Squares.

Last night Fletch and I watched Echo in the Canyon which we both enjoyed - so many memories with music from The Beach Boys, the Beatles, CSNY, the Mamas & Papas (thus the title of this post), etc.  Echo is available on Netflix.  We also want to see Laurel Canyon but that is only on EPIX which we do not get...but I think we can get a free trial.

Power was finally restored to my office late Saturday night.  There are still a number of roads closed around here due to downed trees and wires.  That storm last Wednesday was something else!  Anyway,  I'm heading in to the office this a.m.  I have a few projects I'm working on and a bunch of stuff I need to print.  I don't plan to stay all day though!

One more picture.  Tyg on the fire pit yesterday (he gets annoyed when I show pictures of Talbot & Marcel and ignore him - LOL).

Hope everyone had a good weekend and here's to a great week ahead of us.

Weekending

Good Morning!

It is grey outside and we are supposed to have some "weather" today - snow/sleet/rain/freezing rain, etc.  Nothing yet which is a good thing.  Our work Christmas lunch is today at Noon at Davio's in King of Prussia.  I'm planning to go to that and then just go home.

We did get some sad news over the weekend.  I got a call Friday night that my Uncle (my last uncle!!) had passed away that morning.  I think the funeral is this Friday (still waiting for details), so we'll be heading down to Maryland for that.  Then Saturday we got a call that Fletcher's Aunt had passed away that morning.  Her funeral is Wednesday in Richmond, but we are not planning to go down to that.  Neither death was completely unexpected (both were in their 90's), but it is still hard to hear - particularly at this time of year.

Saturday night we were at Colin & Mailing's to celebrate their birthdays.  Mailing made a fabulous dinner:  rack of lamb, roasted Brussels sprouts with pears and pistachios, home-made rolls and a cream brulee pie.  YUM!!

I did not get a good picture of the pie, but it was WOW! delicious.  Everything was tasty.

This year the kids opted for a Christmas tree with a root ball that they will plant on their property come Spring.  We helped them decorate it while we were over.

That's Talbot walking by the tree.  Marcel was also nearby:

Look at his gorgeous ruff!!  Talbot just wanted to cuddle with the birthday boy:

I love Talbot's right front leg with the "garter" on it.  He is so handsome as well.

Mailing loved her Yin Yang cat socks:

I was so happy they fit her!

Sunday turned out to be exactly like I wanted.  I read, I knit, I baked some cookies, I wrapped some gifts and I even took a little nap.  Some of everything!  I also managed to do several loads of laundry, cook breakfast and dinner!  A full day.  I left butter on the counter this morning to soften so that I can make some more cookies tonight.

That pretty much sums up my weekend.  How was yours?

TGIF - Felines and a Finish!!

Hello!

The short work week is almost over!  We are having a catered lunch today at work to celebrate the beginning of football season.  You all know that I am not a sports fan AT ALL - LOL.  However, I will enjoy a free lunch!

Yesterday's lunch saw a finish of the Watermelon Socks!

They are not the identical twins I once thought they might be, but happy fraternal twins will work.  I think my friend Leslie will love these.  Hopefully they will hold up well (cotton and poly).  They were fun to knit and there is more than enough yarn left to add to a scrappy blanket (if I ever get back to knitting on that - ha!).  Perhaps I should have made these a bit longer...

Last Saturday when we were over at Colin's I managed to get some shots of the kitters.

The cats love the bay window with a sill large enough to accommodate their bed!  Talbot's favorite place (along with his cat tree in the sun room).  Here's a close up of Talbot - he always seems to look angry or sad, but he's not, it's just the way he looks.

And Marcel, the goofball:

They both are so much happier in this house than they were in any of the apartments that Colin & Mailing have lived in.

What are your weekend plans?  I am meeting up with Dee and we are heading over to the NJ Sheep and Fiber Festival tomorrow morning.  I can't wait!!  It's not like I need yarn or another project bag, or anything...but...next week is my birthday, so I'm thinking a little gift for myself is in order.  I'm sure I'll find something.  And the weather forecast looks perfect - sunny and temps in the upper 70's.

Whatever your plans, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

July's Last Monday!

Hello All,

So hard to believe that August will be upon us by mid-week!  Our weekend was full.  How was yours?

We started by going to the Kimberton CSA farm Friday afternoon to pick up Colin & Mailing's share.  Whew!

A ton of veggies.  We kept some tomatoes, some carrots, a few peppers and some parsley.  the balance we took over to Colin & Mailing's Friday night when we went over to feed the cats.  Now their frig is full - lol.  We also were able to pick a bouquet of flowers, but I forgot to get a picture of those.

Saturday I headed out to meet Dee at a barn sale at a local community center.  It was very well organized and I managed to score a couple of things:

The Vera Bradley bag with bees on it had to come home with me - a perfect size for a sweater project and besides, it had my name on it!  The book is one I had heard about but haven't read yet - 50 cents for that didn't seem bad.

After the barn sale we headed over to the local farmers' market where I picked up some mushrooms and corn.  We had the corn Saturday night - very sweet, but extremely small kernels.  I used the mushrooms last night in a pasta sauce - just onions, garlic, mushrooms and fresh tomatoes.  So good.

We were back and forth to Colin & Mailing's twice each day to feed Talbot and Marcel.  Talbot was more interested in hanging on his perch:

He loves his cat tree in the sun room.  Marcel was a little more talkative and anxious for food:

Do you see that Marcel has both black and white whiskers?  And his eyes are so pale.  He's a sweetie (they both are).

I'm happy to say that the Porthos socks are finished!

I love the way they turned out and they are going to be for Colin (I think...or maybe my little brother...).  No matter who they end up going to, a gift is finished.

The heat is building again here in Eastern PA - today and tomorrow should be very hot and humid.  I'm hoping that temps moderate a little bit as the week goes on.  Enjoy your week!

Friday Felines

Hello! 


Still rainy here...and chilly again.  And rain is forecast through the weekend (of course).  No matter!  I have plans to meet up with Dee tomorrow for a bit of coffee and knitting.  That will chase away any blues that might have snuck in due to the weather.


Colin worked from home yesterday and texted me this picture of his rainy-day buddies:





Snuggling to keep warm on a damp day.


Well, we've got a hot breakfast at work today...then I have a conference call at 10...then I need to run out to 1) the liquor store, 2) Trader Joe's (home-made pizza for dinner tonight), and 3) one of Fletcher's client's homes - he left his jacket there one day this week when it was HOT outside...he's going to need that coat this weekend.


Whatever your plans - have some fun!!