Weekending

 Good Morning!

I'm a bit late in posting today.  And with good reason.  I've been at my office (work office...not home office) since 7:30 this morning.  One of my bosses - Bruce - is having a VP meeting here today and I needed to come in.  I presented to the group around 8:30 and once their lunch is delivered I'll be able to go home.

My weekend was not as planned.  If you read Dee's Blog over the weekend, you know that we were supposed to meet up on Saturday for some quality girl time - coffee, knitting, chatting - the usual.  BUT, we woke up to wintry weather.  It was pretty, but not what I wanted to see.

Looking out at the garden from the patio.  The wind howled and blew ALL day.  Poor Mabel was beside herself.  I think she was somewhat bored.  Friday had been gorgeous (almost 70 degrees) and she spent most of the day outside.  Saturday she would go out and two minutes later be pawing at the door to come back in.  Back and forth about a million times!

My poor Rosemary plant on the patio.  I've been using it all winter (it's been mild), but Saturday's storm may have done it in.

Like Dee, I sipped some coffee and worked a little bit on knitting.  Then I picked up some stitching.  Then I decided that I really had to do some cleaning, so I dusted and vacuumed the bedroom.  Not what I had planned at all!

Fletch was really jonesing for a steak sandwich, so cleared the snow off one of the cars and ventured out to a local place at dinner time.  The snow had stopped by then and roads were not bad.  He brought dinner home and it was so good (and I was so happy not to have had to cook!).

The other thing that happened on Saturday was that my brother, Ray, came home from the hospital.  YAY.  It was touch and go for a bit as to whether he would/could come home or not.  Medicare was saying he should go to a rehab facility for 6 weeks for his antibiotic infusions rather than being home, but finally they were able to line up a visiting nurse who could come on Saturday (there is, apparently, a shortage of visiting nurses).  I had a 45 minute conversation with him yesterday and he sounds great!  It was so good to hear his voice.  He will be going back for CT scans of his heart and mechanical valve every 4-6 weeks, but at least he can sleep in his own bed at night!  Whew!  It has been a scare for sure.

Well, work emails keep streaming in, so I'd best get back to work.  Have a wonderful week.  I'll be back tomorrow with a TNT update.

Friday Miscellaneous

 Good Morning!

I hadn't intended to abandon my blog yesterday, but work got ahold of me and would not let go!  It was awful - lol.  I'm hoping today is a little gentler.  There are two conference calls for me - one at 11 and one at 12:30, but I hope that is it...nothing more!  Time will tell.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their continued healing vibes, good juju, etc. for my brother Ray.  He's got a lot going on, but fingers, toes and eyes all crossed Linda will be taking him home today.  There has been a lot of up and down news - one moment all is positive, the next something negative is going on, then positive and then negative.  It's been a roller coaster ride and hasn't been easy for Linda, let alone the rest of us who are worried about him.  His Pic line was "installed" the other day, and he is more than ready to leave the hospital.

Ray is an avid gardener, but has been told NO gardening (hello Pic Line!), so that will be a change.  Fortunately he is also an avid reader, so he will have something to occupy his time as he heals and goes for his monthly check ups.

On to other, not so serious topics.  Last night we made pizza for dinner.

There were two of these and between them an entire (large) head of garlic graced their crusts.  Oh so good.  I can't believe I still have garden garlic from last year to use.  It is just hanging from the patio roof and every time I need some I go grab a head.  I think I might have 6 heads left...and the new shoots are coming up in the garden.  We will have scapes in no time and (hopefully) an abundant crop once again.

When we spoke with Colin the other night, he mentioned that Mailing had picked up another cookbook.  Turns out it is Cooking With Scraps which looks so interesting to me.  I know many people save their scraps, freeze them and then use them in stocks, etc.  We compost ALL of our scraps since Fletch has a garden.  Colin and Mailing were composting up here too, but in Austin they don't have garden space.  Who knew that the liquid from canned beans behaves like egg whites and it can be whipped?  So many things to try!  The Pumpkin Guts Butterscotch Scones look really good!  I haven't ordered it yet...but it is not very much money and I may just go ahead (I've been waiting to hear more from the kids).

Finally I have a new item that makes me smile every time I see it!

A scrubby sponge and also happens to be a Sloth with SPARKLES!!  I do love Sloths and the sparkles just add a certain je ne sais quoi.  A happy sloth now resides by my sink and (s)he makes me happy!

I say Let The Weekend Begin - have a good one!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/8/22

 Good Morning Everyone,

Once again, thank you all for the tremendous outpouring of healing vibes for my brother.  I don't really have any updates other than that the doctors at Penn don't seem to think it is the dire situation that the doctors in Maryland thought.  So, they are running all the tests again that were already done in MD.  I decided to not bother my sister in law last night as I know if there is some major change or turn she will keep me up to date.

I had hoped to get a walk in yesterday (I know the fresh air would be good for me), but work was crazy (again) and the wind was howling.  We had rain last night and that wind continued howling ALL night.  It was difficult to fall asleep as windows were rattling and the howling was just loud.  This morning it is back to being in the 30's and our high forecast is only in the low 40's.  It is still pretty breezy out there.  Mabel will go outside and then promptly get spooked by dead leaves blowing around.  

It has been difficult for me to concentrate on anything much.  No additional stitching was done on The Visiting Bird.  The Adam & Eve sampler saw just a small amount done on the latest dividing band.

Work should ease up today (fingers crossed) so maybe I can find time to put some more stitches in.  I sure hope so!

Last night our dinner was the chicken dish that Bonny posted about last week.  It was delicious!!  We only had one can of black beans, so I also threw in some pinto beans and a cut up shallot.  We had it on wraps that we first covered in guacamole.  YUM!!!  Bonus:  there was enough left over that I froze a container as well as put a container in the frig for lunches.

Time for me to pour another cup of coffee.  May your Tuesday bring you joy!

Weekending

 Good Morning!

How are you and how was your weekend?  Mine was I guess what you would call a mixed bag.  I did meet up with Dee Saturday morning for some needed friend time.  We sipped our beverages, chatted and did a little knitting.  It was so nice.

My knitting over the weekend though ended up being mostly backwards (again!).  I got the ribbing done on Colin's Lizard socks and then started in on the pattern and 3 rows in realized I had made a mistake.  The twisted stitches are not easy to tink back, so I unraveled to the ribbing.  But, I'm not good or experienced at picking up stitches and ended up ripping it all out.  And starting over.

Sunday I re-knit the ribbing on Colin's sock and then started the pattern again...this time avoiding my first mistake.  But further on (of course further on) I made another mistake.  The good news is that I was far enough along to see how the pattern was playing out and it was not playing out very well.  The yarn (Hiking Trail) is variegated and honestly the pattern was not showing up all that well.  I think the twisted stitches are better suited to a solid yarn.  SO...I ripped it all back again.  I will re-start these today or tomorrow and will choose a simple pattern.  The lizard pattern will have to wait.

I think I had a touch of vertigo too yesterday and my back was a trifle sore, so I just really took it easy.  I have not done any stitching.  I have napped and I've read.  Fletcher grilled both Saturday and Sunday which was wonderful.  We also started watching a new series on BritBox - "Murder in Provence" which is very good.

Thank you all for the well wishes, healing juju, etc. for my brother Ray.  Things were looking so much brighter over the weekend - his fever was gone and he was responding well to the 2 antibiotics he was taking.  However, I had an email and several texts from Linda this morning - the doctor saw more infection on Ray's mechanical heart valve (this is the heart valve he was given during open heart surgery).  Ray was transferred from Christiana Hospital in Delaware to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia over night.  Linda spoke with his nurse this morning and they are still evaluating Ray and have no specific plan of action at this point.  This is all so scary.  Please continue to send all the healing vibes you can.