A Friday Mishmash 1/12/24

Good Morning Friends!

Welcome to a chilly Friday morning.  It is 29 here.  But the really cold weather is forecast for next week along with some snow (which I will welcome - I hope I can get out and take a walk in it!).

Wednesday in the office was a longer affair than I had hoped for.  There were more people than usual in that day and some stopped by to chat and then wouldn't leave.  Annoying.  I did have a long chat with Bobby (our CEO) and that was nice.  I had mentioned that two people would be taking over my responsibilities and that is true.  What I hadn't mentioned is that both of these folks have other job responsibilities that they will not be giving up.  So, it's not really that I do the work of two people (though sometimes it feels as though I do the work of at least five!), it's that no one new is being hired and, therefore, my work needs to be split up a bit.  I did meet with one of those people on Wednesday and started to review some files, etc. with her.  I meet with the other person next week when I am in on Wednesday for Bruce's meeting.

Last night was another night of sleep issues.  I went to bed early - around 10:15 or so.  I had been knitting, but was starting to mess things up a bit.  I fell asleep right away, but then woke up around 12:30 and felt wide awake!  Usually I just lay in bed and toss and turn until I fall back asleep, but last night I actually sat up, turned on the light and read for an hour or so.  And then I heard a fox "barking" pretty loudly.  He/She sounded as though they were across the street in Rob's garden.  Anyway, I turned out the light and fell asleep pretty quickly.  I was happy to know that this girl was inside!

The "rainbow" on the floor is from our Christmas tree lights - yes, our tree is still up - a battle I have decided not to fight with my hubby.  He always wants the tree to stay up for AGES!  I'm ready to clean everything up.

Speaking of cleaning everything up, what month is it?  January?  How can we be having an invasion of ants in our kitchen in January?  It is making me crazy.  They are the tiny ants that I think people call "sugar ants."  I've put out fresh ant traps along windowsills and counters, but still they are EVERYWHERE.  Two mornings ago when I came downstairs there was a steady stream of them walking across the windowsill over the sink.  Roughly 3 dozen were killed immediately.  And still there were more!  They have finally seemed to ease up a bit, but geeze!

Fletch and I are back on cat duty at C&M's starting tonight.  The kids are heading to NYC for a long weekend.  There are two separate Picasso exhibits that they want to see, plus they just really like NYC.  Heavy rains are forecast for today, so hopefully they will have an easy and safe journey up to NYC.

My plan is to meet with Dee tomorrow morning after feeding the cats for some much needed girl time.  It will be good to sip and chat and knit and chat, etc., etc.  Nice to know, too, that Monday is a holiday for me (work-wise).

 There are a couple of errands I should run this morning and then I have a conference call at 11 and another one at 1 p.m.  After that I will be in full weekend mode!  Happy Friday everyone!!

Unraveled Wednesday 1/3/24

 Good Morning Everyone,

My it's a chilly morning out there.  My friend Carol told me it is supposed to snow on Saturday, but who knows?  It is cold enough to snow though.

Before we get into the fun things - making and reading - some BIG news!!  Yesterday I gave notice to my bosses that I will be retiring!!  Woo-Hoo!  The deed is done and it is such a good feeling.  My plan is to work through the end of February and then be finished.  I'm excited and cannot wait.

Now it is time to join Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Surprisingly, I do have a finish!!  I had hoped to have a new cast on Christmas Eve which did not work.  Then I thought I would cast on Christmas Day, but when we got home I was too tired.  Instead, I cast on 12/26/23 for a new sock and I finished it New Year's Day!  A speedy record for moi.

Initially I thought I would do the cuff and heel in a different color, but decided to go with mini stripes instead and then the toe in the second color.  The gold yarn is Stroll from KnitPicks and the colorway is "Treasure," so this is the first Treasure Sock.  The blue was some left over I had of Miss Babs Yummy 2 ply in the colorway Dark Orion.  The pattern at the top was taken from a free pattern:  Summit Socks from October House Fiber Arts.

I also made sure to cast on Treasure Sock #2 yesterday!  I have not gotten far, but it's a start.

This year I did manage to have a New year's Day cast on - something I don't think I've ever done before.  A few weeks back when out with Dee I picked up a skein of worsted weight yarn to make some fingerless mitts.  Specifically the Appleseed Mitts by Thea Coleman from the 8th MDK Field Guide.  This pattern calls for a cable cast on which I had never done before (easy-peasy and fun).  I've only managed to get the ribbing done so far, but I like it (the yarn I'm not crazy about though - Malabrigo Worsted).

Finally, remember the hat I had cast on and was knitting in Lopi?  This hat:

One Saturday I was out with Dee and was joyfully knitting along on this when all of a sudden:

Out of nowhere, the yarn was broken.  I knit a sweater (Sigla) out of Lopi and never came across this problem.  So, I was annoyed.  The hat has been in time out ever since, but will soon come out to be worked on once again.  I have some hot pink Lopi which should look very nice with the black.  Perhaps I'll have something to show next Wednesday.

Very little reading was done over the holidays!  That is so unlike me.  I guess I have been in a reading slump of sorts.  Anyway, Fletch and I are continuing to listen to Fox and I: an Uncommon Friendship but in my opinion it is not great and honestly I have a hard time remembering what we have listened to!  Actually, that's a problem I have with audio books in general.

I'm about a third of the way through George: A Magpie Memoir by Frieda Hughes.  It's a bit unbelievable to me that someone would let a bird "poo" all over them and their kitchen, but maybe that's just me.  An interesting bit is that the author is the daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.

The next Read With Us discussion is slated for Tuesday, January 9th.  I have yet to start the book!  I'm anxioius to read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store but I'm still a long way from moving up in the queue at my library.  I did download a copy from Audible (I have so many credits!!), but am reluctant to start it since I don't really enjoy audio books and since I don't typically remember what I listened to.  Someone (I think Mary) suggested that I "up" the speed of my listening - thus making me pay more attention.  I may give that a try this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the work emails are flying back and forth so it is promising to be a somewhat busy day.  I have an eye doctor appointment at 11 but otherwise intend to stay inside on this chilly day.  Happy Hump Day!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/14/23

 Greetings My Friends,

How are you this fine morning?  Yesterday I mentioned not sleeping well the previous night.  Well, last night I made up for it sleeping about 9.5 hours!  My eyes would not stay open for anything last night - knitting, stitching or reading, so I finally gave up at 8:30 (!!!) and went to bed.  Pure bliss to sleep that well for a change.

Yesterday's work holiday luncheon was very nice as well.  Delicious appetizers and way too much food for the meal, but all very tasty.  Usually at this affair numerous prizes are given out but this year the focus was changed to giving.  There were 12 seats at the meal that had numbers underneath the chair cushions.  The individuals who sat in those chairs got to pick an organization/charity (and tell why they chose that particular one) and the company will be making a donation to that organization in the name of the individual.  The stories were all very touching.  Someone whose daughter had been diagnosed with melanoma chose the melanoma foundation; a girl who growing up was homeless chose the shelter where she and her mother stayed, and on and on and on.

There were still trivia questions and awards ($200 gift cards) for the correct answer.  Yes, I did win one (for guessing the average speed - in mph - of a snowflake falling)!  All in all a very lovely time.  Hard to imagine this is most likely my last work event like this.

All of that brings us to this morning and Tiny Needle Tuesday (TNT).  This is another week with nothing to show you on the cacti triptych.  I thought I would focus on that at the end of last week, but things got busy (again).  However, very good progress was made on the BIG Sampler aux Bouquets:

The giant bouquet that seemed to take forever is finally completed.  And look!  A bird is perched at the top.  Love it.  Still more blooms and letters to stitch, but the end is close!  I really am going to attempt to work on the cactus piece this week and hopefully will have something to share next Tuesday.

Now it's time to pour another cup of coffee and get going.  Hope your Tuesday is filled with bright spots!

No TNT Today

 Hello Everyone,

How are you?  My computer says it is 35 degrees outside, my phone say 34, and the thermometer on the patio is reading just about 40.  Not sure what the exact temperature is, but it is chilly!  It is also still dark out.  I looked to see when we turn the clocks back and it is not till that first weekend in November.  Didn't it used to be earlier - maybe the weekend before Halloween?

Yesterday turned out to be a longer time in the office than I had expected or wanted.  But it was ok.  Much was accomplished.  I managed to do some (not all) of my errands...so more errand running today

My apologies, but I have no TNT updates for you (or for me).  Last week afforded me no time to stitch and the hope/plan is to remedy that today.

We did get something exciting in the mail though!  Or, exciting for us that is:

We LOVE beans and with the cooler weather moving in, it is time to think about making soups, stews, red beans & rice, chili, etc., etc.  I'm particularly excited because Rancho Gordo carries yellow eye beans.  We bought two bags (upper left) and then as I was reading descriptions of other beans and looking at recipes, my cart kept filling with more and more!  Anyway, I grew up eating home-made baked beans.  My Grandmother always maade them when we were in Vermont, my aunt made them a lot and my Mom would make them.  Yellow Eye Beans were always the beans used.  I've never seen them down here in PA.  I used to buy several bags whenever we went to Vermont, but in recent years I did not see them.  Now I'm looking forward to making baked beans (with maple syrup thank you).

Another item we used to buy in Vermont because it was never here was Buttercup Squash.  It is now found around here in some stores.  As you know, I roasted some on Sunday and it was not that great.  I'll have to try a different recipe.

Last week I did make a new dish with Delicata Squash which I had never had or cooked before.  I roasted it and made This Recipe and it was delicious.  Definitely one I will be making again.  The squash, apples and kale just went together so nicely (and there were leftovers!!).

My hope is that today I can find some pockets of time where I can pick up a needle (stitching and/or knitting) and have some quiet meditative time.  I wish the same for you my friends.  Take care.

Weekending 10/23/23

 Well Hello Out There in Blogland!

How are you?  Last week was a week for sure!  Many PITA moments and very long days (working most nights till 10 or 11).  I tried to keep in the front of my mind that a year from now I would not be dealing with all this work crap...it worked sometimes, but often I felt like I was tearing my hair out.

But the weekend came and that week was behind me!  Whew!  And, the weekend was very nice.  Naturally I met up with Dee for some quality time.  We do laugh an awful lot which was exactly what I needed.  I even managed to get some knitting done inbetween laughing and sipping my coffee.

That was the only knitting I did all week and no stitching was done.  At all.  Which is pretty much unacceptable in my book.  Oh well, c'est la vie.

Sunday Zhongren came over for dinner.  Bonnie, Mailing's Mom, is in Europe on a Viking River Cruise with some girlfriends.  Fletch grilled some wings (both hot and BBQ) and I roasted some buttercup squash (with EVOO and maple syrup) and Brussels Sprouts (with onion, garlic and a sweet chili sauce).

Everything was delicious (except the squash was really, really dry...Zhongren loved it, so he took all of the leftover squash home!)  He had brought a beautiful bottle of Sake (that was also quite tasty) to go with dinner and I had also made a pan of brownies for dessert.  Yum!

Today it is back to reality.  I'm heading to the office in a little bit.  Two of my bosses will be in, so I will catch up with them and do a little work.  I don't plan to (or want to) stay all that long.  I need to stop at Trader Joe's and a few other places on my way home.  This week is most likely going to be another PITA week, but after this it should (fingers crossed) calm down a bit.  I want to get back to my making and work is interfering!

Our low tonight is supposed to be near freezing...I need to remember to harvest the green figs.  I don't think any of them will ripen at this point, but I've read of some things I can do (make) with the green figs.

Here's hoping the week ahead is a good one for everyone - get out and enjoy it if you can!

Busy, Busy

 Hello My Friends,

I would say TGIF, but really...this is my crazy week and I will be working through the weekend.  Yuck.   It is that end of the fiscal year time and the folks I support are supposed to get their bonus calculations/roll-ups to me by today.  It's a lot.  And, I can't trust those people.  I received a few roll-ups yesterday where (for example, not actual figures) there was available funding of $10,000 and submitted bonus requests totaled $12,500.  Do people not look at what they submit?  Apparently not...it's the same every year.

Then I have to look at calculations for higher ups and see that some (many) of them will receive bonus payments well in excess of my annual salary.  I really can't or shouldn't spend much time on that.  Out of my control, same old, same old, etc., etc.  It's frustrating though as you can well imagine.

I did manage to cook dinner yesterday and it was somewhat of a failure - LOL

Crispy tofu with shallots, bell pepper, garlic and brocolli with an Asian-inspired sauce.  I thought it was ok - could have used a bit more flavor.  Fletcher left all of the tofu on his plate!   Not a recipe I will be keeping.  Oh well, I give Fletch bonus points for at least being willing to try it.

Time for me to get back to work - emails are flying in one after another.  I will take a break from work tomorrow to meet up with Dee for some sipping, chatting and knitting.  Also a lunch celebration (someone is having a birthday...).

Have a great weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday 9/6/23

Greetings My Friends!

 How are you all doing?  I slept in a little bit, feel a trifle groggy (need coffee) and it is already 72 degrees.  Another hot one is on the way.

Look what was in the backyard this morning!

A very nice looking buck!  And when I just stepped back into the kitchen I noticed a second buck had joined the first.  Usually it is just the does who come down to feed on the apples, but these two were browsing and munching away like there was not tomorrow.  Fun to watch and I wonder if we will ever find any antlers on our property...we never have so far.

Also, the garden is still producing!  No BIG tomatoes, but more cukes, a few cherry tomatoes and now, two gorgeous eggplants (there are 7 more that are still growing!!).

Yesterday's trip to the office was a good one.  First of all, Tom from IT (AKA Jake) was there.  He explained that my laptop had been going into hibernation and refusing to come out.  Haha - could be me!  Anyway, it's a known problem with that particular laptop (which begs the question why do you continue to send that particular model out?).  He downloaded some updates for it that "should" take care of the problem.

We were the only two people in the office and then one of the property managers came in with 2 folks who had a meeting in one of our conference rooms.  The property manager asked if I recognized them and I did not.  But when I asked who they were, it turned out that I know the guy - I just had not recognized him.  He went to school (high school) with my little brother!  I knew he worked for my parent company and, over the years, I had seen him occasionally, but this was too funny.  It was good to catch up with him again.

On to the meat of this post.  It's Unraveled Wednesday!  In fact, the first Unraveled Wednesday of September 2023.  Time to link up with Kat and all in the Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  There was not a whole lot of knitting this week thanks to failing plumbing parts, laundromat runs, laptop woes, etc.  Life is busy!

But, I did post a picture at the end of last week of my finished Allsorts socks.  A little too snug for me, so they will go into the gift box.  I've started a new pair (of course) using #2 needles.  I needed something plain to work on when Dee and I meeet up.

Love my Squirrel stitch marker!

The yarn is Berroco Sox (75% superwash wool and 25% nylon) and the colorway is #1445.  The colorway means absolutely nothing to me, but Dee looked it up and the name is Kirkwall.  That also means nothing to me, but apparently it is a town in Scotland.  (Personally, I think they need a bit more creativity in their color names).  The yarn reminds me of Crazy Zauerball.  It was the first skein I saw when I opened a box of yarn stash, so it's the one I picked.  I'm just knitting a plain vanilla sock.

Reading stalled a bit.  I was unable to keep going with "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" so I returned that to the library.  I'm not taking anything out from the library till after vacation (I'm in queue for a few and hopefully they will hold off coming in).  Instead I picked up one of the books that I found at a thrift shop for 25 cents:  Sue Monk Kidd's "The Mermaid Chair."  It feels a little like a summer beach read (maybe because it takes place on an island in South Carolina?). I'm roughly 150 pages in and am enjoying it.  

Fletch and I are continuing to enjoy "The Unbroken Road" by Patrick Leigh Fermor.

Now I need to plan/figure out vacation knitting and reading (and I'll throw my stitching bag in as well).  Today, though, we have plans to get our new licenses.  Both of ours expire this month.  I renewed them both on line and the paperwork has arrived...but we need to go to one of the "centers" to have photos taken, etc.  Fingers crossed it will not be crowded there.

Head on over to Kat's to see what everyone else is making and reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Well, It's Been a Long Week...8/25/23

 Good Morning Friends,

It is a rainy morning here.  It sounded so nice when I first woke up, but it is keeping things a bit darker than normal.  I guess it kind of suits my mood.  Ha!

The washing machine is still not fixed!  The repair guys were out yesterday and installed a new motor and capacitor as was recommended for the problem I was having.  They were in and out before Noon.  After lunch I put a load of sheets in to wash.  When the cycle was done I took them out.  They felt heavier and wetter than normal - almost like the spin cycle hadn't fully run its course or something.  Anyway, those sheets went into the dryer and another load went into the washer.  But, it would not work...again...all the lights flashing but nothing.

Long story - I called the repair place back and the guys came back out around 3:30.  They could not get it to work either despite several different things they tried.  A new mother board has been ordered for my machine.  They are also going to try (if they can get away with it) ordering another motor and capacitor (since those are not always good...which doesn't give one a lot of hope...).  They are hoping to be out much faster than in a week, but time will tell.  Depends on when the new stuff is shipped to them.

Surprisingly, I was not upset or nasty or ugly.  I actually laughed.  I surprised myself (and Fletch!!  lol).  but really, as I said to someone - first world problems you know?  And, it is something completely out of my control, so why get upset.

On another disappointing front, it does not look like we will be taking vacation as planned.  I asked for some time off in October and I cannot take it.  Not really a surprise to me.  Our fiscal year ends with the close of September so between year-end processes and new year processes, I am going to be swamped with reports and things that HAVE to be done.  We could maybe get away at the end of September, but that is when C&M will be in town for a little bit and we do not want to miss them.  So...we won't be taking the week plus that we had hoped.

Oh well, again, I am not surprised and you know what?  Next year will be different...for sure!

Moving on to more pleasant things.  I had 7 inches cut off my hair on Wednesday!!  Woo-Hoo!  No pictures as of yet, but at some point I will show it.  I feel so much lighter!  Actually, I had been starting to get headaches and I think it was the weight of the messy bun or ponytail.  My hair now just comes to my shoulders and I really like it.

And look!  New garden produce:

We have turnips!!  After not doing all that well earlier (we were wondering if they would even sprout), yesterday we discovered they had sprouted and indeed grown!  Last night I cut them up and roasted them with a bit of EVOO, salt & pepper and a sprinkling of sage.  Delicious!  These turnips are actually very sweet and mild - almost like a radish taste.  Fletch managed to plant a bunch more turnip seeds for a Fall crop.

Turnips are one of those things I did not like (at all) when I was growing up.  Parsnips too.  Now I can't get enough of either of them.

Tomorrow's plans naturally include meeting up with Dee - this time we are going to meet at the Lansdale Farmers' Market first before coffee and knitting.  That is near C&M's house, so I will stop there afterwards to water plants and check the mail.

That will do it for me.  Enough said!  Here's hoping we all have wonderful weekends!!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 6/6/23

 Hello, Hello,

Let's hope this Tuesday is better than Monday was!  Whew!  There were more computer woes mid-morning when I got on my first conference call but could not hear anyone.  All was set up correctly, but the way to log onto the call had changed.  Not sure what was up, but I ended up skipping that call.  My next one worked with no hitches...it was just way longer than necessary!

Fletch and I decided to do grocery shopping yesterday because I am going to the office this morning.  The store was mobbed!  Who would have guessed at 2:30 on a Monday afternoon?  And, of course, one speed checker (15 items or less) and one regular checker...we were third in line and that checker was pretty new and quite slow.  Oy vey!

And then last night I was so tired I couldn't see straight but when I went upstairs to go to bed I ended up with the worst case of indigestion.  Not sure why.  Didn't eat anything unusual.  So, I am ready for a better day for sure.  I'm sorry I am heading to the office, but such is life.

Meanwhile, let's move on to more fun things.  I have a finish!!  Woo-Hoo, the Crows of Strawberry Hill is stitched.  The fabric used was 32 count linen and the threads were a mix of Gentle Art Sampler Threads and Weeks Dye Works (both over-dyed cottons).

And, not only stitched, but made into a pincushion on Sunday!  Who am I?

I couldn't find any fabric in my stash that I thought really looked good as backing (amazing given how much fabric I have), so I just backed it in green felt and I love the way it turned out.

Next up we have The Sampler aux Bouquets which saw more love than I thought.  Quite a bit was added to the mix.

As the designer suggested, I am stitching my initials in a lighter color than the balance of the alphabet.  Love the little butterfly flittering across the top!

With the Crow piece finished I knew I wanted to start another "small."  I dug around in my stash and found a piece from way back in 2014.  I even had all the specialty threads in the bag with the chart, so it was just a matter of finding a piece of fabric.  I decided on Autumn Posy by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Sampers.

And, I made a small start on this yesterday.  I am using 40 count fabric and stitching with one thread of Weeks Dye Works (an over-dyed cotton) over two linen threads.  So far, I'm loving it!

A few folks have asked how I manage to stitch on such fine fabric.  Not easily!  LOL  I used to be able to just pick up linen like this and stitch away.  Now I have to use magnification.  I have some lights with magnification but I find that they often seem hot in the warmer weather.  Now I wear a headband magnifier (which I refer to as my crown!  hahaha).  This is similar to what I use.  I can flip it up when, say, I have to get up to let Mabel in at the back door.  Then just flip it back down and keep stitching.  I miss being able to just pick up my fabric and stitch, but this is a good solution for me.

As I mentioned, I'll be heading to the office later.  There is a 12 p.m. BBQ to kick off summer (which probably means gift cards or bonus payments, etc.!).  Also Kevin is back in the office (3rd week in a row) for budget reviews.  I don't think I need to be involved in that this time.  It is also Bruce's birthday today - not sure if he will be in for the BBQ or not - his budget review is not till Wednesday and it looks like he may be in Baltimore today (according to his Outlook calendar).  Guess I'll find out at some point.

I'm also looking forward to our "Read With Us" book discussion tonight!  I'll see some of you and talk with you then.  Have a great day!

Hello June and Hello Friday

 Good Morning One and All,

Well gee!  I sure am glad to see this Friday and to have this work week (almost) be a thing of the past.  A few nagging thing to take care of today, but my conference call has already been cancelled.  Woo-Hoo!

Yesterday I did a lot of laundry (and hung almost everything on the lines to dry).  I had planned to make some picked watermelon rind, but when I cut into the melon we had bought it was just horrible.  No taste whatsoever and the rind was so thin it would have been difficult to make some good pickles.  That sucker went right into the compost.

I did, however, make another crostata:

With rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries!!

Work was busy again, but by 4 p.m. I was sitting on the patio with Fletch enjoying a glass of wine.  No matter where she is:  either upstairs taking a nap or off in the woods somewhere, come 4 pm. and Fletch and I sit outside, Mabel comes trotting over to join us.  So sweet!

She was not happy later last night when I gave her the flea & tick treatment.  She hates that stuff!

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing - have a wonderful weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday 5/31/23

 Hello My Friends,

How are you?  I am weary (and sounding like a broken record - I know and I'm sorry).  Yesterday did prove to be a long day as expected and I did not wrap up work until almost 11:30 last night!  Whew!  A long day.  But, that's over and now we are on to the next.

Happy Anniversary to Fletch and me!!  43 years ago today I woke up, had some fruit salad and vodka for breakfast (ha!) and then my sweetie and I tied the knot at Noon.  It has not always been fun or easy, but I'd do it again in less than a heartbeat.  Happy Anniversary too to Ray & Linda - my oldest brother and his wife.  I can't remember how many years for them, but over 50!  (They married younger than Fletch and I.)

Once again, I am linking up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading on this Unraveled Wednesday.  Alas, today leaves me with not much to show.  As I mentioned yesterday, there was unraveling.  That pesky green yarn that had been in time out was once again unraveled.  I remembered (finally) that I had tried to knit socks with a bit of a lace pattern previously and that had not worked out.  I made up my own pattern (again a touch of lace) and was knitting away Saturday morning with Dee when I noticed I had made a mistake (apparently  not only can I not walk and chew gum, I cannot knit and talk!).  Dee is a master at correcting mistakes so after trying in vain to fix it, she took over.  But, whatever I had done stumped even Dee.  I decided the yarn was speaking...or shouting...do not try to make me into lacy socks!

This is the state of that yarn as of this morning...I have yet to decide whether to cast on plain socks or put the yarn back into time out.

I am so very anxious to cast on for my Shakerag skirt, but I also have been too busy and tired to do it right.  So instead, I cast on the purple non-wool yarn to make a cowl for Leslie.

Not very far along...just the 3 rows of edging before I get into the lace pattern.

The pattern I'm going to make is Abstract Leaves Cowl - free on Ravelry.  I will not be adding beads into the mix, though the picture with beads is very pretty.

Here's hoping I have much more to show next week!

Moving along to the reading side of things...Fletch and I finished listening to "The Road to San Donato."  I would rate the story quite good.  3.5 to 4 stars.  I would rate the narrator at 2 at best!  Happy that we stuck with it though.  I also read The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths - the latest (and last?) in her Ruth Galloway series.

Fletch and I have started listening to Walking Home which (so far) is not quite as funny or as good as billed.  Hopefully that will improve.  I'm in the midst of The Dry by Jane Harper and it's good!  An easy mystery to read (I think there are 2 more starring the same main character).  I picked up The Thread Collectors on a recommendation from my sister-in-law.  Written by 2 women and loosely based on their family history, this looks like a good read about the Civil War era.  Have not yet started, but will let you know.

I'm hoping to do some laundry, some cooking and some knitting, stitching and reading today.  I'm also hoping that work stays quiet!

Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday.  It is chilly here (just 43), but the sun is shining and the sky is blue.  Enjoy!!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/16/23

 Good Morning My Friends,

How are you this fine Tuesday morning?  I am patiently (sort of) waiting for the coffee to finish perking on my stove top.  It won't be long now.

It appears that I survived yesterday at the office.  Terribly boring if I do say so and not a whole lot for me to do (I'm much less involved than when Bill was still employed and my boss).  But that's ok.  When I got home I did a little dinner prep and then Fletch and I sat on the patio with beverages.  And...we spotted the first apples on our tree!  The tree was FULL of blooms this year, so we are hoping for a good crop - it's been years since we were able to harvest some and make applesauce.

Many of these little first-forming apples will drop over time, but our hope is that there are enough remaining to give us a good crop.  Time will tell.

Here we are at Tuesday morning and time for a Tiny Needle check-in.  The finish of Ellen Harrison last week meant that it was  time to choose a new project.  I had several in mind, but when I looked through my stash again I ended up picking something totally different!  Instead I chose "Sampler Au Bouquet" by  Jardin Privé which is actually a set of three patterns that are stitched together to make one large piece.

I love the colors in this one and the different birds and animals.  Of course the alphabets too.  This will be large - I'm using 32 count fabric and stitching with two strands of DMC floss over two threads.  The finished piece will be approximately 32" by 6.5".  Here is my small start on it:

It's kind of weird to be stitching with two threads again, but one thread would not give sufficient coverage.  And, I wanted to use the linen I have in my stash...the only piece that I could get a good size cut from was 32 count.  Anyway, I am finding it relaxing to stitch on this piece.

Given the size of  Sampler Au Bouquet, I also picked a smaller piece to work on.  it is "Crows at Strawberry Hill Pinkeep" by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread pictured below on the bottom left.  I have a thing for crows, so this is perfect.

Another rather small start on this.  I am using old linen from my stash that is either 28 or 32 count, so again using two strands over two threads.  For this I am using a mixture of Gentle Arts Threads and Weeks Dye Threads - both overdyed cottons.

Today will be another busy one...but more personal stuff.  I told everyone I would be back in the office today but not until close to lunch time.  Fletch and I will do our weekly grocery shopping this morning and then I will head to the office.  That, of course, means I will probably have to stay till later in the afternoon.  Boo-Hiss  And, when I do get home this afternoon, we will run out to drop off our ballots for today's election.  By law, Fletch cannot drop off mine for me, so we will both go this afternoon.  This is the last day to do so as our local primary election is today (and Fletcher's ballot only just arrived in yesterday's mail!).

Whatever you are up to, I hope this Tuesday finds you doing well and enjoying life.  Have some fun!

A Bear and an Eagle!!

 Good Morning!

It's Thursday and I can feel the weekend looming ahead - thank goodness!  Yesterday was another very chilly day, and rather windy.  Fletch and I managed to get to Miller's Greenhouse for some snapdragons and a couple of peppers and some marigolds.  All are on the kitchen table as Fletch was worried it would get too chilly last night.  

Miller's is a small family business run by a husband and wife on the property where their house is.  It's kind of messy and a little junky, but they do have great plants.  They also have this wonderful carving right by their house:

When I asked Nancy if I could take a picture of it, she said sure...just please try to NOT get the house in the picture - it needs desperately to be painted.  And it does!  But I could not avoid the house in the picture, so you get to see that too.

The balance of the day was pretty calm.  I did manage to cast on for the Crazy Zauerball Sock #2.  I only managed 10 rows of ribbing, but it's a start.

It's gonna be completely different than Sock #1, which is fine with me.

After dinner I decided to run all my Thursday reports 12 hours early and get them out.  It took until 9 p.m., but they were all distributed.  I did not want to have to do them this morning as this is the day I'm heading to the office.  I'm meeting Jake/Tom around 8:30 and he will get a new docking station set up for me at the office as well as connecting my new laptop to the two printers I use at the office.  There are also one or two quirks he needs to look into - for example, even on the docking station, my laptop must be kept open or my monitor goes dark.  Weird and annoying.

While in the area, I need/want to stop at Trader Joe's and the State Store.  Then it's off to lunch at Maggiano's in King of Prussia (my least favorite restaurant in the area...I've never eaten there without getting sick!) with a few of the women from the office.  It will be good to get home this afternoon and...maybe...work some more on Sock #2.

Time now to pour another cup of joe and dry my hair.  Have a wonderful Thursday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 5/2/23

 Good Morning!

The sun was out yesterday and after such a soggy, grey, damp weekend, that was a joy to see.  But, it was so windy that being outside was not pleasant.  Fletch was out and about working a bit in the garden.  I managed to walk out and cut more Lily of the Valley along with some Azaleas (gorgeous), but was really swamped with work, so stayed in at the computer all day.  Today we are back to the overcast skies.

Now it is Tuesday morning and time for a Tiny Needle Update.  Woo-Hoo!!  The spotted stag has been completed.  That darn animal seemed to take forever (and it did), but I love the end result, so all is good.

I find the red eye still to be a little off-putting, but I am not going to change it!

Do you see the little brown and red bird above the stag?  Perhaps a robin?  That is the latest motif.  There are two more birds and a whole lot of gold at the bottom to stitch and then this baby will be finished.  I make no promises as to when that might be.  This is the beginning of a really crazy time for me at work (budget season), so I will not have much time for knitting, stitching or reading.  C'est la vie.  Anyway, here's an overall shot of Ellen Harrison.

Fletch and I will head out later to procure some groceries.  I have a conference call at 11, but I think I'm going to skip it.  After my two rather long calls yesterday, I don't feel like participating.  Plus today's call could have upwards of 75 people on it!  That is way too many.  Instead, I will take the time to (hopefully) (finally) set up my new laptop.  The peripherals were delivered yesterday morning, but I haven't even opened the box.

I was made aware of more organizational changes at work effective immediately.  Some are a bit disturbing and it all makes me wonder if I can really hold out as long as I would like to.  Time will tell.

Wherever this Tuesday finds you, I hope you are having some fun!  Time for me to dry my hair and pour another cup of coffee.  I'll be back tomorrow for Unraveled Wednesday!

Surprise! I'm Here!!

 Good Morning!

I know I said I would be back on Monday, but this just proves how old and out of touch I am.  LOL

Our computers are no longer sent down to Charlotte to be refreshed/replaced.  Instead, my new laptop was delivered to me yesterday.  All I need to do is plug it in, log on with my user name and password and everything on my current laptop will transfer over.  All is cloud based now (which I had ignored) and is a little bit like Big Brother if you ask moi.

Anyway, I have not yet set the new one up.  I'm too busy this week to do that...can't run the risk of not being able to work.  And the other issue is that the laptop arrived but none of the peripherals...no monitor, no keyboard, no mouse and most importantly, no docking station.  So, I could set up the new one but can't use my monitor (my old docking station will not work with my new laptop).

It was very frustrating dealing with Tom from IT (sounds like Jake from State Farm - LOL).  (He's at my office but is terribly non-responsive to emails and phone calls.)  Today and tomorrow will be busy, but hopefully my peripherals will be sent out and I can get the new one set up late tomorrow or over the weekend.

I need to get to my Thursday reports, but wanted to show you two things.  First, I made a Raspberry Rhubarb Crostata using THIS RECIPE from Ina Garten.

Mine took much less time to cook, but oh boy is it delicious!  I whipped up some cream to go with it.  The only change I made was to use maple sugar to sprinkle on the pastry rather than turbinado sugar.  

And, the lilacs didn't last long when cut (and I googled and couldn't find any way to make them last longer than a day or two), but we have Iris blooming this year - more than in past years!

I cut some after our afternoon rain and their scent has filled the entire downstairs!  Very sweet and very nice.

OK, time for me to get down to work.  Have a wonderful Thursday!

Unraveled Wednesday 4/26/23

 Good Morning!

This is what I saw a few minutes ago:

Yikes!  I don't know where the snow factors in when it is 38 degrees, but whatever.  It is still a tad bit warmer than yesterday morning.  I'm pretty sure rain is in our forecast through the weekend.  Sigh.  I love a good rainy day now and then, but 4 or 5 in a row becomes a bit much.  

And...I won't be able to retreat into the depths of rabbit holes on the computer.  Today is the day I have to ship my laptop down to Charlotte to be "refreshed."  Actually, everything on my laptop will be copied over to a new laptop which should be delivered to me on Friday.  There is nothing wrong with my laptop...but my company won't let you keep one longer than 3 years.  It is usually a very smooth and fast process:  today a box will be delivered to me by UPS...I'll pack up my laptop in it and ship it back out via UPS.  Tomorrow "they" (my company's IT folks in Charlotte) will transfer everything and set up a new laptop for me and ship it out to be delivered to me on Friday.  Two bright sides to this are:  1) I will not be able to run my weekly financial reports Thursday morning and 2) I will not be able to participate in conference calls on Friday.  Woo-Hoo!!

Meanwhile, it is Wednesday and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Be sure to head over and check out posts - I've gotten so many excellent suggestions of books and things to make.  Always inspiring!

After finishing up the Goldfinch socks last week I (naturally) promptly started in on another pair of socks.  This will be another pair for moi (because one can never have too many handknit socks) and they are a bit on the crazy side:

SCHOPPEL ZAUBERBALL CRAZY 2389 JUBILAUMSPARTY

It does look a bit like a party!  A Rainbow Party!  This is sock #1 and it is finished through the heel flap (eye of the partridge).  Next up I will turn the heel and head down the foot.  With no computer to distract me, it shouldn't take too long to finish this one.

Reading is a different story.  I guess I have been in a reading funk, or a funk in general.  Nothing is working for me.

First I tried Lessons in Chemistry but I just could not do it!  Nothing in it seemed plausible to me.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there was inequality in the workforce back in the early 60's (just as there is today), but my Dad was a research chemist and working in a lab at that time.  He had nothing but high praise for the women working alonside him.  So, I could not stomach the book.  Plus I did not care for the writing style.

Next up I attempted Spare and couldn't get past page 26 when Harry mentions his 13th birthday in September of1997 and receiving an Xbox.  I don't think they were available until a little later (maybe they were in Europe though??).  Anyway, I found this book to be terribly whiny.  Just my opinion and I admit to being very tired of the whole royal family.  (We even stopped watching The Crown - too much!)

My third attempt was The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper which I thought would be a nice, pleasing book to read.  A good palate cleanser if you will.  But...it was just too slow moving for me and I grew bored.

So, I've picked up Middlemarch again (which IS good...but terribly long) and I'm waiting on several books to come in at my library.  I also have a lot to choose from on my own shelves, so I'm sure I will find something to entice me before too long.

And that will be a wrap for me!  I hope blogger has straightened out and that I will receive any comments via email.  It is frustrating to have things set up correctly (or so it appears) but not have it work!  I've got a busy work day ahead of me and then a bit of free time!  I'll see you back here on Monday - have a good rest of the week and weekend!

Miscellaneous Things on a Thursday

 Hello Everyone,

It's Thursday, so almost the weekend which makes me very happy.  My Thursday financial reports are done and they have been distributed via email, so I am mostly caught up.  I still have some documents that I need to add to the legal database.  It is really such a cluster.  Long story short:

• We have had a contract/legal database for a number of years that I use
• It was determined that we would switch over to our parent company's database
• When that couldn't happen as planned, our original database was going out of contract
• We had to stay with the original one, but it was "updated" and "improved" by the owner.  HA!  The new version is very cumbersome and not very user-friendly
• We were told that we would be switching to our parent's database in the new year (to me, that means January).  That has now been pushed back to mid-year.
• Since we were supposed to switch rather quickly, I decided not to fool with the new and improved version of our old one...and the documents I needed to add piled up.

My meeting yesterday at the office was to learn how to "easily" access things in the database.  That was a disappointing meeting.  The woman I met with really didn't help me that much.  I came home and spent the afternoon fooling around with it and FINALLY I made a bit of progress.  I added maybe 10 documents (I still have at least 20 more to add...but finding the correct location is the challenge).

But, because I was at the office, I stopped at Trader Joe's and bought some fresh flowers.

Gerbera Daisies are always so cheerful.  I love the color of these and they make me think of Frida Kahlo.  They are cheerful and happy and so bright on a grey February day.  My computer says "wintry mix," but I think it may be too warm for that.  However, the sun is missing.

Yesterday I also stopped at the library.  I had never read anything by Ross Gay and some of you have raved about his writing.  So, I requested This Book and it came in on Monday or Tuesday.  While picking up that book I looked for "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx for our next Read With Us book.  No luck on the shelves, so I will request it.  But, I found some other treasures:

• The Love Songs of W. E. B. du Bois
• Hamnet
• Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo

I read some of Gay's poems and like them.  And then I started Love Songs.  Wow!  I managed to read about 50 pages after dinner and before Fletch and I caught up on All Creatures.  This is a LONG book (800 pages), but it reads so easily.  There have already been a few disturbing things...but I'm sure I will love the book.

Hamnet is a book I never wanted to read (subject matter and sad) until I read The Marriage Portrait.  I was happy to find it.  And the Russo book is one that Kym recommended and now Kat is in the midst of and has highly recommended.

Some errands are on the agenda today.  And I really need to buckle down and do some cleaning (once again, no Karyn...I don't think she is working out...).  But all I really want to do is read, knit and stitch.  The hell with work and everything else!  Oh, and I really, really want and need to book a massage.  

Here's hoping that your Thursday is off to a great start!

PS - one more thing:  I know a number of you have read and loved The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher.  It is now a Series  on Acorn TV!!

Unraveled Wednesday 11/16/22

 Hello, Hello,

How are you?  Everything is drippy around here.  My we had some heavy rain yesterday afternoon and evening.  It sounded so nice when I went to bed!  And it is milder this a.m. -- 40 degrees as opposed to yesterday's 29.

The holiday luncheon yesterday was lovely.  Pomme Radnor where it was held is an "event venue" that has probably seen better days (the inside looked a little old), but the staff were wonderful and the food was tasty.  We were in an "outside" room (with plenty of heaters in the ceiling) for hors d'oeuvres (mini lobster rolls, mini steak sandwich eggrolls, spinach in puff pastry, a beautiful charcuterie board, coconut shrimp, etc., etc.).  There was a pond with a pair of beautiful swans swimming around just outside the room.  Lunch was served in a large banquet room upstairs - excellent short ribs, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, some carrots, Brussels sprouts, salads, breads, etc.  Desserts were buttlered afterwards - mini creme brulee, little brownies, etc., etc.  Really too much food.  

There were raffles for amazing gifts and everyone got a lovely gift bag which (as always) included the 2022 Swarovski ornament (we get these every year):

My ornaments from all the years are hanging in my kitchen windows where they catch the sun.  Simply beautiful!

Every year, rather than sending gifts to our clients/customers, my company makes a significant gift to the Make a Wish Foundation in honor of our clients.  This year a spokesperson from Make A Wish came and talked a little bit, but also a 15 or 16 year old girl who was the recipient of a wish several years ago.  It was pretty amazing to listen to her talk.

All in all, a lovely afternoon and I did not get home till after 3 p.m.!  Now it is Wednesday and time for an Unraveled Wednesday update.  As usual, I am linking up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk making and reading.  Be sure to head over there and follow the links - inspiration abounds!!

Dee and I have decided to do a very unstructured Knit Along with the yarn we share ("Turning Leaves" by Less Traveled Yarn).  The pattern is Cascading Leaves (Rav Link).  Dee is further along than me.  This is where I am.

BUT, we are both kind of thinking that the pattern is not showing up so well with this yarn.  This yarn if gorgeous, but I have a feeling the pattern is better suited to a solid yarn.  Anyway...continuation is to be determined/discussed.  We may negative knit (love this term from Jane) and go with a simpler pattern.

Meanwhile, I decided I could not possible knit Cascading Leaves while meeting up with Dee.  It's a pattern I need to focus on and that doesn't happen when Dee and I get together - LOL.  Too much chatter and laughter and good times.  So, I decided a plain vanilla sock was in order.  Voila:

I'm using a Christmas yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners from a year (or 2 or 3) ago.  The colorway is "Hollyberry."  These may end up being a gift...not sure yet.  I also tend to knit on these for the 20 minutes or so after dinner when Fletch and I are listening to an audio book.

Speaking of books, reading has been good!  Fletch and I are still listening to Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl.  It is ok.  I enjoy her writing, but this book is much more political than I expected.  And, though we share similar beliefs and feel the same about the current condition of our Nation, I don't feel as though I need to read/hear about it ALL the time.  I enjoyed her earlier book Late Migrations much more.

On the pages side of thing, I have two finishes.  First up I read The Merchant's House by Kate Ellis.  I enjoy the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths and this book by Kate Ellis was billed as being one for those who like the Ruth Galloway series.  I found it to be ok (3 stars) - not riviting and a bit boring in places.  I may or may not read the next in the series...and if I do, it will not be for some time as I just picked up so many books at the library!

Next up I read Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow and loved it.  A multi-generational novel set primarily in the Civil Rights era, the characters are richly drawn.  The book is rough/hard in places...but so was (is) life.

I finished Memphis last night and started The Marriage Portrait when I got into bed.  I only read 20 pages or so (2 chapters) but am enjoying it so far.

And, that's a wrap for me.  Thanks for sticking around for a long blog post.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

The View From Here

 Good Morning!

Once again it is still dark, so who knows what the day will be like...I've heard it is supposed to be sunny which would be nice.  Yesterday was foggy all day and a bit on the damp side.  I had some misty rain on the windshield driving home from the office.

The only person I saw at the office yesterday was Des - my financial analyst for Kevin's world.  She was coming in just as I was about ready to leave.  And, as I mentioned to some of you in my reply to comments yesterday, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm beginning to see it!  My major work of late has been on bonus calculations and I should have the final piece of that wrapped up later today.  I still have other projects that are screaming for my attention, but it will be wonderful to have that piece finalized!

Meanwhile, Fall is definitely here in Eastern PA.  At times yesterday while driving to the office I felt as though I was driving through a golden tunnel.  There were beautiful trees on either side of the road and some of them had branches hanging over the road.

The colors this year are funny.  Some are very muted and rather dull, but then you turn the corner and wham!  Colors are more brilliant and saturated than ever before.  Here is a picture of our crepe myrtle in our front yard.  The blooms (white) were pretty good this year, but now it looks like it is on fire!

 Sorry about the wires, but nothing I can do about them!  Fletch and I both remember this tree as turning gold in the Fall - never a red color.  Amazing!

I passed this scene on my way to work yesterday.  This is just as you enter Valley Forge Park on Route 23.

So much moisture in the air!  This house is decorated each year for Halloween.  Last year it looked like the skeletons were having a tea party.  This year it looks like they are cooking something in a giant cauldron.

The huge skeleton in front of the chiropractor's office is out all year.  In winter it has a scarf on.  I couldn't get a picture yesterday, but now it is wearing a purple cloak and has long grey hair!  It's wonderful.  Hopefully I will drive by when no one is behind me so that I can stop to get a picture.  Yesterday traffic was too heavy.

Finally, here is the view Fletch and I see when we sit on the patio in the afternoon.  We watch all the birds (so many varieties!!) and if we are lucky, Steve the Beav may run across the back.

We've had good rain - the grass is still so green, but it is not growing quickly.  It's been 2.5 weeks since we've had the lawn mowed.  I think the mower told Fletch he usually stops by mid-November, so I'm guessing one or two more cuttings and that will be it!  You can see in the picture above that it finally cleared a bit in the afternoon.  Blue skies returned.

OK!  Time to get to work.  Have yourselves a very lovely Thursday!

Unraveled Wednesday 10/26/22

 Hello My Dear Friends,

Once again Wednesday has rolled around and it is time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers.  Kat is away on vacation, but we are all meeting up together anyway.  I was thinking, though, how lovely it would be if we could all meet up with Kat in Presque Isle along the shores of Lake Erie!!!  Food for thought my friends, food for thought.

So, off to the races to talk making and reading.  Thanks to work (my broken record) not a whole lot of knitting was done, BUT I have finished the leg of Fletcher's 2nd blue sock!

So pretty handsome - I love the flecks of lighter colors that are showing up.  I put the last row of the leg in after dinner last night.  I thought I might start - and even finish (!) - the heel flap, but alas other than an hour break to watch an episode of Poirot with Fletch, I was working until 11 p.m. last night.  Yikes!

As an aside, Fletch and I watched all (we thought) of the Poirot episodes with David Suchet a number of years ago.  Now the Allentown PBS station is airing them every Tuesday at 8 p.m.  Neither of us can remember any of the episodes so far!  And, it's great fun to watch David Suchet as Poirot - what a perfect pairing of actor and character.

Anyway, on to the reading.  I did finish Other Birds and found it to be ok.  Not great literature by any means, but it was the right thing to read at that time for me.  Like all of the author's (Sarah Addison Allen) books, this one was filled with magical realism - not my most favored genre.  But again, it was ok.  I do wish we had Dellawisps around here!

Now I'm in the midst of two books.  First up and on my nightstand is Graceland, at Last by Margaret Renkl.  I'm not far into it yet having only read the introduction and the first two essays, but I am reminded of how much I enjoy Renkl's writing.  This collection of essays was written (I believe) over a period of 4 years or so.  Each are dated at the beginning.  If you read and enjoyed "Late Migrations" by Renkl, I think you would enjoy this book as well.

When I picked up Graceland at the library, I took a turn around the shelves, and this book jumped out at me.  I had not heard of Attica Locke (the author), but since the kids are currently living in Texas, I thought I'd take a turn at reading it.  So far, it is not disappointing.  I've read about 50 pages or so and would have read more but (broken record) work got in the way.  I think she has written another book with the same TX Ranger starring in it.  I may need to look for that once I finish this one.

Fletch and I have started listening to LeVar Burton Read to Us after dinner.  We are enjoying hearing his voice and the stories have been good so far.  I need to figure out how to pick up where we left off though.  LOL  We have not yet finished a full story and the next day when I click on the story to pick up where we left off, it always starts at the beginning.

Well, that's a wrap for me.  I need to wake up and clear the fog in my head as I need to head to the office shortly.  Be sure to check out Kat's blog - she is posting even though she is on vacation - for much inspiration from her and her group of Unravelers.  Happy mid-week!