Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/22/22

 Hello and Good Morning!

Yesterday turned into a pretty nice day, though it was very, very breezy (I'm not fond of wind).  Fletch worked quite a bit in the garden (and then found a tick on his shirt later in the evening).  I woke up early-ish this morning and couldn't get back to sleep - wondering why Mabel had not come upstairs to wake me.  Turns out she was outside all night!  But, when I came down to put the coffee on, she was waiting (and meowing loudly) by the patio door.  She has been fed and last I saw she was grooming and preparing for a little snooze.

My brother Ray continues to heal (slowly).  He gets tired easily (no surprise) and has roughly another 5 weeks of antibiotic infusions.  In the category of "when it rains it pours" my sister in law Linda was diagnosed with thyroid cancer yesterday.  So, she will be going in for surgery for complete removal of her thyroid within 4-6 weeks (backlog of available surgery spots thanks to Covid).  We, of course, have offered to do anything we can to help out and, fortunately, their two sons live nearby (one in Maryland and the other in Pennsylvania).  A stressful time.  So, once again, please send all the healing juju you can to Ray & Linda.  I appreciate it so much.

Moving along to more pleasant topics, it is Tuesday, or TNT as we like to call it.  There has been progress on both pieces I am stitching.  The Visiting Bird has seen a little bit more filled in at the bottom.

I'm not a matchy-matchy person, but the fact that this bottom section is not symmetrical is making me a little twitchy, but I'm going with the flow.  I need to chart out my initials and the year and I may try to do that today.

The A&E sampler has also seen a bit of progress.

See my darling needleminder?  Thank you Kim!  The lower case alphabet (and the LAST alphabet) is complete and I am on the final dividing band.  After that there will be a row of numbers and then (finally) we get to the meat of the sampler.

My office visit yesterday was quick, and I'm glad to have that out of the way.  Today is supposed to be a little cloudy and then rain is in the forecast for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  I did find out I have another meeting at corporate on April 6th.  Another Bruce meeting, but with more people.  Then, of course, it will be May and budget season and there will be multiple meetings in person at the office.  I've noticed that only a few people (myself included) are still masked at the office.  I'm not looking forward to the meetings.

Well, that wraps things up for me this morning.  I hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Goodness Gracious Snakes Alive!

 Good Morning Friends,

You all know where this post is going just from the title!  Yikes!!

Friday was a gorgeous day.  One of my conference calls had been cancelled and I really was finished work by lunch time.  After lunch I ventured out in search of some new bras.  That's a whole other story that I won't go into, but what a PITA!  I came home and found Fletch raking out the dead stuff from the flower bed alongside the driveway.  Mabel was nosing around the patio - supposedly finding another vole or mouse.  I went inside to put some things away and when I next looked out, Mabel was batting at a snake on the patio.  It was a garter snake, but that doesn't matter.  A snake is a snake and one does NOT belong on my patio!  I yelled for Fletch who ignored me and then the snake crawled away between the trash can and a yard waste bag.  My guess is that Fletch disturbed it when he was raking out the driveway bed.

Saturday was a gorgeous day.  Rain had been in the forecast, but that didn't happen till the evening.  Dee and I met up for some much needed (on my part, anyway) girl time - sipping coffee, chatting and doing a little knitting.  After coming home, I sat on the patio a bit listening to birds.  I went back inside to do something and the next thing I know Fletch is walking across the backyard and going down the trail into our woods.  I can see him go partway down the trail until it became too muddy to walk and I see him toss something into the woods.  You guessed it - a snake!  And, it had been right underneath the chair I sit in!  30 minutes or so later, we are ready to sit outside with our beverages before dinner and Fletch finds ANOTHER snake on the patio.  You just know there have to be more.  And I am not amused or happy.

The nature stories don't end there.  Sunday morning I was fixing breakfast for us (bacon, sausage, fried eggs and toast) and I noticed some grease from cooking the sausage had splattered out of the pan.  I wipe it up and discover a deer tick on the cloth I used to wipe.  Yup - a deer tick on my stove!  I've been itching and scratching ever since.  I'm sure it's one that Mabel brought in.  We have treated her with flea & tick medication, but I have found over the years that ticks still get on the animals...they just don't burrow down and dig in and bite.  I have a feeling it's going to be a long season!

So that was my weekend!  How was yours?  

Last night I re-discovered a gift someone had sent me at Christmas.

A nesting globe filled with alpaca fiber!  We will be hanging this soon - probably somewhere in the apple tree where we can see what's happening.  Birds are definitely singing their spring mating songs, so it won't be long till they are building nests and getting ready to raise their chicks.

I wasn't sure last night about going to the office, but I think I will do that today.  I have some things to ship to my brother Ray and my SIL in Delaware.  I also need to stop at CVS and a grocery store to pick up some cat food (Mabel is consuming food like there is no tomorrow!).  I should be able to get in and out quickly at the office and then be on my way for various errands.

Let's all have a great start to the week (with no signs of more snakes).

TGIF

 Good Morning!

Whew!  It is foggy outside.  And mild (like 50 degrees).

The view out back from our patio - my archery target just barely visible.  Gosh, I have not done any archery in ages...first it was too cold...then snowy...now my back.  Hopefully soon.

I kind of like a foggy morning.  It is peaceful, calming and soothing.  Sort of like reading poetry by Mary Oliver before bed (which I did last night).

My MRI was pretty quick, and not quite as noisy as I had remembered (thankfully).  I arrived early not knowing what traffic would be like and they took me in early.  I was home by 9 a.m.!!  Not sure when I will hear the results, but hopefully soon.

The balance of the day was spent with work stuff.  Today I was scheduled for 3 conference calls.  fortunately the last one was cancelled late yesterday.  So, I've got a call at 8:30 and then another one at 10.  I expect both of them to be pretty quick and then my weekend can begin.

I have no Friday Feline picture for this morning.  I let Mabel out around 4 a.m. and this was the sight on my patio when I came downstairs.

The voles are usually dead on their sides, but this poor one has his head and tail up in the air.  No sign of Mabel yet, but she is earning her keep (which is a good thing as she eats more than any cat we have ever had!!).

Rain is in the forecast again for tomorrow.  Dee and I have plans to meet up for coffee, knitting and chatting.  The rain should not stop us.  We will be cozy inside.  Wishing you all a wonderful weekend - enjoy!!

Unraveled Wednesday 3-16-22

 Hello and Good Morning,

How are you?  I'm ok despite not sleeping all that well.  I think today is supposed to be sunny, but right now it is still pretty dark out there, so hard to tell.  It's mild though - just under 40 and I was way too hot last night.  The flannel sheets are coming off the bed today!  I almost did that last week when I washed them, but ended up putting them back on (and was glad I did with Saturday's wintry weather).

So, here we are mid-week and it's time as usual to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk knitting and making of all kinds as well as reading.  After my prior two weeks of backwards knitting I'm happy to say there has been none of that this week.  Of course there has not been all that much knitting either!

First up we have the cuff of the first sock in the Hiking Trail colorway.  This is the 3rd (and hopefully final) time to knit this cuff.  

I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about what pattern to use and looking at patterns (thus, not much knitting).  Then I remembered that the yarn has already spoken (quite loudly) and it just wants to be plain.  I don't want just plain-plain, so I think I will K6P2 around.  That's what I did for Fletch's Barn Owl socks and he loves the way they feel.

Next up is the re-start of the Guernsey Wrap - this is the one I started a year ago and then ripped it out a couple of weeks back.

I do love this color for the wrap.  It is KnitPicks Wool of the Andes and the color is Mink Heather.  Obviously I have a long way to go on this one, but at least I've started it again.

On the reading front, I finished The Final Case by David Guterson.  I loved "Snow Falling on Cedars" when that came out in the mid-90's.  This book?  Not so much.  It was a tough read - child abuse and bigotry are not prime topics for me.  And yes, there was more to the story than that, but still, those things made it tough for me.

I also read Nobody Will Tell You This But Me and loved it.  It is Bess Kalb's memoir of her grandmother.  A very quick and enjoyable read.

Yesterday I started The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak and am already wrapped up in it.  The writing is just so good!

This morning I have a couple of errands to run.  We need stamps (yes, we still use snail mail quite a bit). and then I'm running up to our accountant's office to drop off our signed e-filing papers and pay the bill.  Once that's done, our taxes will be e-filed.  Hopefully work will remain calm.

Tomorrow is my heavy report day for work and I am also having the MRI of my back at 8 a.m.  I'm anxious to have that done and then hear from my doctor.  So, if I post, it probably will not be till later in the day.  Have a great Wednesday!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 3/15/22

 Good Morning!

Yesterday I completely forgot that it was Pi Day until Colin texted me wishing me a Happy Pi day.  So, unfortunately there was no pie at my house.

The good news was that I was able to leave my office shortly before Noon yesterday.  Bruce and his RVPs continued meeting until 5, but yay for being able to leave.  I stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up just a few things and also came home with this flower.

Beautiful and unusual.  The color is so vibrant.  Of course I cannot remember the name of this.  It is a tropical flower.  Here is a closer shot of the bloom.

I put it on the buffet (we already have a vase of flowers on the table), but you couldn't really see the flower because of all the leaves tight against it, so I cut off the leaves and voila!

Kind of like a pineapple in appearance.  Interesting.  Initially a strong fragrance, but now it is not so noticeable.  I'm hoping Mabel does not jump up on the buffet to investigate...

Here we are at Tuesday again and it's time for Tiny Needle Tuesday check-ins.  Some stitching was done during the past week.  Not a lot, but a bit.  First up is The Visiting Bird.

The bottom section has been outlined.  Once that is filled in, this piece will be finished!  In theory this should not take me too long.  In theory...we shall see.

And here is the A&E sampler with still no sign of A or E.

However, the solid dividing band has been completed.  Next up is the balance of the lower case alphabet beneath that band.  Then another dividing band and then numbers.  Then, and only then, will it be time to get to the heart of this sampler.  It's been a long time coming.  Also an enjoyable time!

There has also been some knitting and some reading, but I will save that for tomorrow's Unraveled Wednesday post.

Today's agenda includes grocery shopping (small order, I hope) - and the bonus is we have discovered that on Tuesday's one of our grocery stores has a senior discount (5%)!  With the price of groceries, that is welcome.  At our other main store we get points toward gas - also very welcome these days!

Looking forward to seeing some of you on the Read With Us Zoom call tonight!!

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!