Signs of Spring!! 3/13/25

 Good Morning All,

I'm a bit late (again) today.  I had to go out early for a fasting blood test and then when I came back I HAD to have coffee immediately...and half a bagel and half a banana (you would think that I had not eaten in ages).

Anyway, yesterday was a beautiful day.  I walked again along the Perkiomen creek in the morning.  Lots of bird song (and crows), lots of robins and some Canadian geese on the water.  This morning is a bit chillier, so if I walk it will be in the afternoon.

Later in the day, Fletch was pruning our apple tree (lots of dead wood unfortunately) and I walked out to see if the peonies were popping up yet.  No sign of them, but there were other joys:

The bed at the edge of our driveway.

Smack dab in the middle of our front lawn - no idea about these...haven't seen them in the past.

Under my front office window...delicate crocus and daffodil buds!!!

Colin reported that his garlic is shooting up and Fletch says ours as well.  Good things to come.  Surprisingly, there is a bunch of spinach in the cold frame bed that was not damaged by the cooler temps or winds (the winds blew the sides and top off the cold frame!).  I may have to harvest that for a salad.

Well, time to get my day going (and get another cup of coffee).  I hope you all are seeing signs of Spring too!

Weekending 3/3/25

 Good Morning My Friends,

How are you this first Monday in March?  It's another chilly morning here in Eastern PA (19 degrees by my phone).  I'm in PJ pants, a sweatshirt and have a shawl wrapped around my shoulders.  That's also how I was dressed for most of yesterday.  LOL

Friday was a very pretty day.  I did make our shrimp stir fry for dinner.

And Saturday - wow!  It was 60 degrees in the morning.  When I stepped out to fix the window bird feeder at the office window I spotted some daffodil leaves and a bud!  Finally.

And then more along the North side of the house.

I did a few chores and then planned to walk in the afternoon.  But, while Fletch and I were having lunch the winds picked up and the temps really dropped.  The wind continued the rest of the day and night (40 mph gusts pretty steadily).  So, I stayed inside.

Sunday was pretty cold.  I did drive over to Colin & Mailing's after breakfast to take them a few things.  When I arrived, Colin was reading to Iris.

We're late (very late) to the game, but have been enjoying watching Ted Lasso.  Some of the episodes are just plan strange though (e.g., Beard After Hours).  But it's fun and I'm actually enjoying watching TV.  What a thought!  LOL. Fletch watched the Oscars last night, but I did not.  Instead I was reading in the kitchen.  I happened to glance out the patio door and we had a visitor!!

Mr. Raccoon was checking things out, and then he climbed the post attempting to get to the suet feeder (he gave up).

I was glad when I checked and Mabel was sound asleep on one of the beds upstairs.  Mr. Raccoon might not have come onto the patio if Mabel had been out there, but I'd rather not test that theory.

All in all, a very pleasant weekend.  I knit and stitched and finished 3 books and started a new one!  (More on the books on Wednesday.). I'm hoping your weekend was just as lovely.  Happy Monday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 2/13/24

 Good Morning All,

Well, the snow is here.  I had guessed (wrong) that we would just get rain.  It was raining pretty hard when I went to bed at 10:30 last night and was still raining when Mabel asked to go out at 4:30.  But, when I got up at 6:15, the street, cars, lawn - everything - was (and is) covered in snow and it's coming down at a pretty good clip.  Luckily I ran out yesterday afternoon for milk (was just about out) and sunflower seeds for the birds, so we can stay put today - no need to go out.

Luckily I did get out for a walk yesterday morning.  I went early - 9 a.m. - and there were not many on the trail.  Once again I walked alongside the Perkiomen Creek in Oaks.  No sign of a blue heron or red winged blackbirds (I keep hoping to see them) but just about a gazillion geese.  At one point I didn't know if I would be able to continue down the trail as the geese were covering it.  Fortunately they moved out of the way.  These are not nasty geese.  I did spot a sign of spring along the side of the trail - little bulbs coming up:

Now, of course, these gentle little plants are covered in snow.  That's Spring!

Happy Mardi Gras!  It kind of snuck up on me this year.  Colin was soaking beans last night to make red beans and rice.  I didn't even think of that, so we are having pasta with sauce that I made a few weeks ago.

So here we are at Tiny Needle Tuesday and I do have an update to share.  My Queen Bee has gotten her wings!

Don't her wings look lacey and delicate?  I'm planning on finishing the border at the top today.  There is also a bottom border and then sort of a honeycomb design on either side.

Since I will be house-bound today, I may take the opportunity to stash dive and pick out my next project...this one is nearing completion.  Of course, I could easily get distracted by any one of a million other things.

Have a wonderful Tuesday and if you are in the path of this storm (or any other), stay warm and safe.

Friday Felines and Signs of Spring! 2/10/23

 Good Morning Everyone,

How are you on this fine Friday morning?  I do have a conference call at 11 this morning, but I'm still considering that the weekend has started.  And that pleases me immensely.

Errands were run yesterday, but no cleaning was accomplished.  One must have priorities and cleaning is not at the top of the list for me.  I will, however, try to do a little today.  Sheets and towels do not get washed by themselves...they require a bit of help.  Likewise, floors and toilets don't scrub themselves...sadly...

But, our temperatures actually got up to 60 degrees yesterday and Fletch and I sat out on the patio with beverages in the late afternoon.  We only lasted about 40 minutes, but we had not sat out since early Fall, so even a short time was a welcome change.  Mabel joined us for a little bit.

She rolled around on the patio a bit and then dashed off and ran up the apple tree.

That girl loves to run and climb.  Before we got too chilly, Fletch and I did notice a few signs of Spring.  Right at the edge of the patio we have some bulbs coming up:

And then many, many more are coming up around the base of the apple tree:

What a welcome sight!  Fletch pointed out the other day that our lilac is budded (leaf buds, not flower buds yet).  We have often had rather large snows in February and even in March, but these green signs are so nice to see.

Last night I tried a new (to me) recipe for Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas and they were delicious!  Mine, of course look like blobs (my tortilla wraps were on the small side) rather than nicely rolled enchiladas.

I used the included recipe for enchilada sauce, but next time I would just use canned sauce.  There was more filling than I could put in the tortillas, but I think that would be good just scooped up with tortilla chips (which might be lunch today!).

Any plans for the weekend?  I'll be meeting up with Dee tomorrow morning for a therapy session - plenty of sipping and chatting and a bit of knitting.  I also want to get over the C&M's to water the houseplants and (hopefully) drop off a box or two of books that have been living in our house for a long, long time.  I'll walk around their yard and see if I can find signs of Spring there!

A Walk by the Canal

 Hello!

Yesterday was another beautiful day in Eastern PA and work cooperated nicely (meaning nothing was going on) that I could get out for another walk.  This time I decided to walk the path that I love with the canal on one side and the Schuylkill River on the other.  There were folks out running and biking and some walking dogs, but again it was not terribly crowded.  I even saw a kayaker on the canal and another on the river.  This time my round trip walk was just over 3 miles.  My biggest surprise was seeing ice on the canal!

I had not expected that at all.  There were clumps of snow in the woods, but parts of the trail were covered in ice as well.  Our weather has been so warm it really surprised me.  The trail was also pretty muddy in places.  Even the ice could not keep the turtles away!

It was good to see them basking in the sun.  Also my old friend:

Still no mask on the dear fellow.  

There were a lot of clumps of pretty yellow flowers.  I believe these are cinquefoil.

It was so nice to be back along that trail.  Last year there were several trees that had fallen across the canal, making it interesting for those kayaking or canoeing.  I noticed yesterday that they have all been cleared out.

I did make curried vegetables for dinner (onions, pepper, ginger, garlic, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini) along with jasmine rice.  It was good, but not great.  I can't seem to find a really good curried vegetable recipe.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know.  Later, Fletch lit a fire and we sat outside for almost two hours - it was delightful!

Another wonderful day.  I am hoping to get out for another walk today, but first I have my usual Thursday financial reports I need to run and distribute.  Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 Hello and Good Morning!!

Yesterday at this time it was in the teens.  This morning?  36.  That's above freezing and lends hope.  According to the radio guy, today is supposed to hit 63.  The hope/plan is to get out for a walk either late morning or early afternoon.  Time will tell.  I want to get into some (or give it a try anyway) Nordic Pole Walking so I'd best look for my poles - I think they are in the back of my car.

But first:  Tiny Needle Tuesday.  You would think/guess that with two weeks since I last posted about stitching I would have a lot to show.  That is not the case!  All I managed to do in those two weeks is the start of another motif at the bottom of the sampler.

The little bit of red is the beginning of another motif.  It is not even halfway finished!  Honestly, I felt more like knitting (and thus, managed to finish heart Warmer which I posted about yesterday).  I'm not bored with this project or tired of it, I just felt like doing something different.  So I did.  Maybe next week there will be more progress to show.

Fletch and I did see some hints of Spring yesterday.  In the morning before I left for the office, I looked out back and there had to be at least 10 Red Winged Blackbirds in the yard - under our sunflower seed feeder.  I love Red Winged Blackbirds - always makes me think of getting to the lake in Vermont as we would always see them along the roadway leading to the lake.  Around here, we usually just see them for a little bit in the Spring.  We often hear them, but don't always see them.  But to have 10+ in the yard was a wonderful gift!

Later in the afternoon Fletch came in and told me a small patch of crocus had finally appeared in our bed alongside the driveway.  Another welcome sight for sure!

Looks like that bed could use some cleaning!  Now I need to see if our snowdrops are coming up.

Colin texted that he saw deer in the backyards around him as well as a little rabbit running along the fence and a disappointed fox skulking off in the opposite direction.  YAY for the rabbit's escape!

Wishing you all a Spring-like day wherever you are.  Do let me know what signs of Spring you see.

Friday Doings

Hello Everyone,

It's looking...again...quite grey outside and the cars are wet.  I know it rained overnight and more is expected today.  But yesterday was nice and I managed to get out a bit - more on that later.

The other day I received a somewhat unsettling e-mail that talked about senior management taking a 90 day pay cut; lay-offs and furloughs to be expected, etc.  Fortunately right after that email came out my boss called me to let me know that I am not impacted by that.  Whew!  I am retirement age, but I am not yet ready to retire.  However, one of my peers is being impacted and now my work has increased in that I will be supporting 3 Division Presidents rather than 2.  That's fine with me, as you all know I haven't been that busy lately!  Plus, the new one - Bruce - and I worked together 20 years ago when I first came to the company.  So, it will be just like the old days...sort of...Anyway, count me as being very relieved.  But I feel so badly for my peer who is a single (widowed) mother with a young son.  My company is still fully operational, but 60% of our parent company's business is shut down now.  That's a lot.  So they are depending on our company for revenue, etc.  Thus the pay cuts, layoffs, etc.

On to nicer things.  I started some new socks!  I know, not really a surprise.  Since the Plaid Blanket socks are for Colin, I decided I should make some for Mailing.  She prefers short socks, so I started a shortie pair.

I'm using size 1 needles and the yarn is an oldie from Knitpicks - Stroll Fingering and the colorway is Koi Pond.  I think I made some fingerless gloves for someone out of this yarn and now I'm using the leftovers.  These should go quickly, though I don't seem to have gotten much done since starting.  The heel has been turned and I'm on the gusset now.

One reason I haven't gotten much done is that yesterday was beautiful!  I worked all morning, taking a 30 minute break to workout with my weights.  After lunch I knew I needed to get out and walk, so I headed over to the towpath in Phoeniville.  The canal is on one side and the Schuylkill River on the other.  There were plenty of people out and about (mostly keeping their distance...the 20+ year olds aren't so cautious).  Some walkers, some joggers, some dog walkers, some bikers.  There were the usual geese and ducks all over the place.

Things are greening up nicely and Forsythia is in bloom everywhere.

There were a few turtles sunbathing.

And I even saw a single kayaker.

Look at that blue, blue sky!  It was still a little on the chilly side and when the wind blew, my ears hurt, my eyes watered and my nose ran.  BUT, it was just so good to get outside for a little bit.

After I had been home for a little while, we decided to do this again.

We shot 3 rounds (9 arrows apiece each round)...so I shot a total of 27 arrows.  I could really feel it across my back (in a good way).  I'm not as shakey doing this as I have been in the past.  I guess the arm exercises I do with my weights are helping me to be a little bit stronger.

Tyg came in with a tick kthe other day, so everyone watch out.  The season is upon us.  I was holding him in my lap last night and saw a tick crawling across my hand.  Luckily Fletch was right there to grab it and flush it down the toilet!  I felt itchy all evening!  LOL.

I have a conference call at 10 and I think a quick run to the grocery store is in order later (we are just about out of fresh produce).  If the weather clears, I'd like to get out for another walk.  We'll see.

Hope you are all hanging in there and doing ok.  Take care!

Weekending

Good Morning Everyone,


After our 78 degree weather on Friday, things went downhill...or at least colder.  We had some pretty big wind chills and this morning it is 35 degrees with snow and rain all around us.  I had hoped to get out for a walk either Saturday or Sunday, but it was hard to muster up the ambition when it was so bone chilling.  I still did my workouts inside and I did some major cleaning, so I think I got enough movement/exercise.


We did manage to have a bit of fun Saturday afternoon.

And...I managed to hit the target and not have any of my arrows go off into the woods!  It felt good to do this again.


Tyg has been extremely lazy.  This was the way he looked most of Sunday morning.

One of his many yoga stretches.


We have more daffodils opening each day and then yesterday I spotted this.

I think Fletch said this is a PMJ Magnolia...which looks like an Azalea.  This bush is down near the end of our driveway and our mailbox.  A year or more ago a car plowed into our mailbox in the middle of the night and took out a chunk of this bush as well.  Fletch replaced our mailbox and we were wondering if this would survive.  It has!  And it is loaded with buds.  So pretty to see.


A little bit of knitting has taken place.  Not a lot, but a bit.  And cooking too.  Last night was Portobello mushroom caps stuffed with black beans, spinach, shallots, bell peppers and a bit of wheat germ.  Pretty tasty!  Tonight's menu:  scallops.


As always, I hope everyone is staying well (and sane).  Take care.