Weekending 11/17/25

 Hello Everyone,

Well, I have no photos to share from our weekend, but it was a very good one.  And it started a little early!  Damon (Fletch's brother) arrived Wednesday just in time for dinner.  I had made a crab quiche and we had a BIG salad with garden greens.

I spent Thursday and Friday at C&M's caring for Iris.  While I was doing that, the guys were tackling a lot of projects around the house.  This was no vacation for Damon!!  On Thursday I had made a crockpot dinner since I wouldn't be home and then I had another Yin yoga class at 7:30.  What a fabulous class!!  (I'm going back this week.)

Saturday I had another yoga class and the guys did more stuff around the house (inside and out).  Then we headed back to C&M's for a delicious dinner.  We had a rump roast, carrots and salad.  Colin had baked sourdough bread to go with everything.  And also...an amazing chocolate cake (3 layers) with the BEST buttercream chocolate frosting I have ever tasted.  And wine, of course.  The men enjoyed a fire outside, but Mailing and I opted to stay in (it was pretty chilly out and a bit on the damp side).

We took Damon out to breakfast Sunday morning and then he headed home.  I did a bunch of laundry and Fletch finished up some projects.  Today is more laundry (just sheets that I didn't get to yesterday).  I'm planning/hoping to do some yoga and also some stitching and knitting.

The weekend was full, but so lovely and I hope yours was too.

Unraveled Wednesday 11/12/25

 Good Morning All,

It's a little warmer this morning - low 30's.  Thankfully it sounds as though the winds have died down.  It was very blustery yesterday afternoon.  My massage in the afternoon was blissful, though I have SO MANY knots in my back, shoulders and thighs.  Ugh!  Hopefully regular massages and my yoga classes will help with that.

Time does seem to be moving at warp speed and here we are at Wednesday again and time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk about making and reading.  After not knitting for what seems like forever, I managed a few more rows on Mailing's first shortie sock for the Family Birthday Socks.

Nearing the end of the gusset decreases.  Last night I had a dream that these shortie socks plus Iris' pair were finished and Colin's were started.  But, at the rate I'm getting these done (slower than a tortoise) these may end up being Family Christmas socks or even Family Valentine socks.  LOL

Part of my slowness in making these Family socks is that I do not work on them when I'm at C&M's watching Iris.  I want them to be a surprise and Colin is always interested in what I am making.  I'm going to try another cowl with the yarn that did not want to be a Heart Warmer Cowl!  I really want to make this for my friend Janet (Leslie's sister).

You may remember that my friend Leslie has been through so much - lung cancer and then two bouts of breast cancer and more recently uterine cancer (thank you Tomoxifan).  Now Janet has been diagnosed with breast cancer (2nd time) and she is scheduled to have a double mastectomy on Friday.  If you would send some healing wishes her way I would really appreciate it.

In other knitty news I did succumb and push the button to subscribe to the 2026 Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad.  And, it feels good!  I have no idea where I will put all the yarn, I'm overrun at the moment with storage bins, etc.  But, this is a good opportunity to organize and rediscover things buried at the bottom of various places.

Reading has been so-so.  I did finish The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone and enjoyed it.  It was a pleasant, easy read for me which apparently is exactly what I need these days.  Two books that I had been in queue for (a long time) - The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong and My Friends by Fredrik Backman finally came in.  And, I could not get into either of them!  I would read a few pages, get bored, or my eyes would start to close.  They were both returned to the library.  I may try them again later on...time will tell.

I am reading a rather fun and different mystery now.  Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann is a sheep detective story!  Yup - you read that correctly.  A flock of sheep discover their shepherd dead with a spade stuck in him and the sheep go about trying to figure out who did it.  Another easy read that is perfect for me right now.  I heard about this book through The Farmer's Daughter who has a book club (I'm not part of it, but I enjoy seeing what they are reading).

Fletch and I are on the final leg of Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (we are now in Canada) and we are still enjoying it.  Listening will be on hiatus while Damon is here, but we will pick it up again after his visit.

Well, that does it for me.  I have a long list of chores and errands for today, so I'd best buckle down and get to it!  Happy Hump Day!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/11/25

 Good Morning and Brrrrr!

My phone says it is 29 degrees out, but feels like 15!  I think that's the coldest we've been since last winter.  I texted Colin to bundle up - he takes Iris out for a walk every morning.  And, that girl is just like her father was at that age - she does not want to have a coat on at all.  Or a hat...or socks!

It's Tiny Needle Tuesday again (already) and there is not much to show for the past week.  Only a few stitches in the palest color of the Evil Serpent were put in.

Of course the upside is that most of my chores were completed.  Not all, but most.  Today I'd like to finish those chores, do the grocery shopping and I have a massage booked for this afternoon.  Tomorrow I have a few errands to run in the morning and I'd like to do some baking (cookies).  Damon should arrive by dinner tomorrow and I'm planning to make a crab quiche and a salad to go with it (with greens from the garden - Fletch closed up the cold frame yesterday, so all should be ok).

Stay warm if you are in this cold snap and have a wonderful Tuesday!

Weekending

 Hello My Friends,

Time does seem to be marching along, doesn't it?  Already November 10th.  So, tell me, how was your weekend?  Mine was good.

There were two yoga classes again.  The Yin class on Friday (LOVE!!) and then a regular Vinyasa class on Saturday.  Boy could I feel it though!  The Yin class focused on stretching hamstrings (can you say TIGHT??).  The Vinyasa class included a lot of twisting which I enjoy, but my back was more than a little tired after that.

Chores were (finally) accomplished!!  Both bathrooms were scrubbed, the kitchen floor was cleaned, multiple loads of laundry were washed and dried and I was able to pick up my new glasses Saturday afternoon.  Yay!

In addition, I managed to do a little baking.  Sunday I made the Parisian Apple Cake.  A fast and easy recipe that turned out delicious - highly recommend.

Last night I roasted a bunch of mixed nuts.  Usually I just toss them in a tiny amount of EVOO, salt, red pepper flakes and fresh rosemary.  Instead I tried a sweet and savory recipe.  They are ok, but I think I prefer my simpler way of doing them.  This recipe called for egg white, sugar, cinnamon and then a bunch of spices.  They taste good, but I'd rather not have the sweet part - just give me the savory.

There are now fresh sheets on the guest room bed, although that room still needs to be dusted and vacuumed.  We are expecting Damon to drive up from Virginia on Wednesday and he'll be staying until Sunday.

I'm debating about joining the Farmer's Daughter Sock Squad again for 2026.  I haven't even used all the yarn I received in 2024, but it's an awful lot of fun to have a surprise in the mail each month and the price is beyond reasonable.  Plus, for 2026, the theme is color!  The button hasn't been pushed yet, but I'm very, very close!

Here's hoping your Monday finds you doing something fun.  I'll be with Iris and that is always a good time!

Happy Friday and a Correction!

Good Morning,

When I posted on Wednesday I shared a link to a book I am not reading - LOL.   The book about Oak Ridge, TN and the women who worked on the Manhattan Project that I am reading is The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kieran which is a non fiction book, not a novel.  Sorry about that!

Last night when I finished reading "The Letter Carrier" I picked up Atomic City and read another chapter.  There are photographs in the book including some "then and now" pictures of a few of the women.  It's an interesting read, but unlike my normal behavior, I will most likely pick up another book (novel) to read alongside.  There are a few on my nightstand to choose from as well as another one ready for pick up at my library.

Both Wednesday and Thursday were great days with Iris.  I can see the four teeth on top that are beginning to come in.  That little girl is a trooper and doesn't complain too much.  We spent a lot of time reading (as usual) - many books multiple times.  One of her favorites that we read at least 4-5 times a day is Grandfather Twilight which is just such a beautiful and sweet book.  Another favorite is Night is Coming which is so soothing to read (even in the daytime).

The other week Bonnie (Mailing's Mom) had gone apple picking at an orchard.  She brought over apples for Colin & Mailing, but also for Fletch and me.  The apples had been sitting in a bowl on the buffet, and I was beginning to smell them every time I walked into the kitchen.  Not wanting them to go bad, last night I peeled and chopped about 8 of them and made some applesauce.

Yum!  Brown sugar (not much), cinnamon and nutmeg plus a sprinkle of vanilla sugar.  There are more apples still and I'm planning to make a Parisian Apple Cake hopefully this weekend.  

Today is busy with multiple errands (CVS, wine, library) and yoga at Noon.  Laundry has piled up again and after successfully avoiding my chores for multiple days, I need to buckle down and get them done.  We are looking forward to a visit from Damon (Fletcher's brother) next week.  I need to find out if Peggy, his wife, is coming with him or not so that I know which bedroom to prepare!  And what meals to plan to fix!

Time to have some coffee and get started on my day.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Unraveled Wednesday 11/5/25

 Good Morning!

Once again, I've slept in a bit on a Wednesday...so rushing to get a post written and get some coffee into me.  Not a lot to share anyway, but it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers.  

There has been no unraveling fortunately, but there also has been no knitting.  I have not picked up my knitting in over a week!  I know, shame on me and that is certainly not the way to get family birthday socks completed in time.  

Still at the beginning of the gusset decreases.  Thank goodness I'm making shortie socks for Mailing...and Iris' socks should (ha!) be quick.  I'm guessing I will get these two pairs completed and, perhaps, Colin's socks started.  But his socks will be full size and I imagine they may be started but not finished by birthday celebration time.

I've been reading a bit though I have only one finish to share with you.  It's a fabulous one though!  I read The Place of Tides by James Rebanks and I cannot recommend this book enough.  Rebanks' writing is simply beautiful and I found this book to be calming and soothing.  Perfect for These Days.

Now I'm enjoying The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone.  Many thanks to Kat for bringing this book to my attention.  It's an easy and fun read - reminds me a bit of Brooklyn and Long Island by Colm Tobin.

Usually I do not read two books at once (other than what I'm reading and what Fletch and I are reading together), but I have started The Atomic City Girls.  This book is about the women who worked in Oak Ridge, TN during the war.  Many of them didn't even know what they were working on!  Though a novel, the book is filled with famous people and so far (I've only read the introduction and one chapter) I'm enjoying it.  My Dad was recruited and pulled out of grad school to work in Oak Ridge.  He took a week off to head up to Vermont and marry my Mom.  Upon their return, she began working there as well. I figured this book is required reading for me - lol.

Fletch and I are still in the midst of listening to Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane.  We are maybe halfway through (we are now in India) and are continuing to enjoy this.  

Time for me to guzzle some more coffee and pull some things together to take with me when I head out to watch Iris today.  Happy Hump Day!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 11/4/25

 Hello and Good Morning!

Another day has passed with me successfully avoiding chores.  LOL. I did, however, take in donations to our local food pantry and I did pick out new frames and order new glasses - they should be ready in under two weeks.  Yay!

Fletch has been doing garden chores daily - getting it all ready for a long Winter's rest.  The other day he dug our potatoes.  It was a very poor showing this year.  There were only 6 small ones.

But, let me tell you, these were the sweetest and creamiest potatoes I've ever had.  They were delicious...I only wish there had been more.  We had them last night along with fresh green beans and some haddock that I cooked in the air fryer (nice and crispy and tasty).  When I walked out to look at figgy, I noticed a few more figs are beginning to ripen.  They are all small but there are loads of them.  I hope more will ripen...I'm not sure as the leaves are beginning to yellow.

Anyway, all of this brings us to the first TNT of November!  As I mentioned yesterday, stitching has been calling me much more than knitting and I think I got a lot stitched in the past week.  The Evil Serpent has been completely outlined and the tip of his tail has been filled in.  The balance of his body still needs some color and obviously there is a lot of tree trunk to be filled in.  And the creepy crawly was finished.

Sorry for the shadow...here's an overall look at where things stand.

Every time I pull this out to stitch I get a big smile on my face.  I love it!  But...I will be happy to do something a little smaller for the next one (no pattern chosen yet - still lots to stitch on this one).

Time for another cup of coffee and time to get my day started.  Hope your Tuesday is a good one!