The Last Friday in June 2019

Good Morning!

How did it get to be the end of June already??  And next week will be the 4th of July!!

I did manage to knit at lunch yesterday finishing up the heel flap and heel turn on my first Rabbit Hole sock.

Such pretty colors in this yarn, I'm really enjoying knitting with it.  I brought the sock to work today, but since it's Friday I plan to leave by Noon or 1 at the latest, so I most likely won't get anything done on it until tonight.  I'm hoping to get some cleaning and some grocery shopping accomplished this afternoon.

So many things to look forward to:  tomorrow I'm meeting up with Dee at the Lansdale Farmer's Market and then we'll head over to the local coffee shop for some knitting and catching up time.

Next week will be a quick one.  I'm taking Friday off and most likely will only work a half day on Wednesday.  We'll head over to Colin & Mailing's for a cookout on the 4th and then on the 6th (Saturday), my friend (for 50+ years) Leslie will be back in the area with her daughter and granddaughter and will crash at our place.  Excited to see them!  Fletch and I are also on cat duty at Colin & Mailing's the 5th - 7th as those two will be in NYC for the weekend.

Meanwhile, it's time to make a cup of tea and try to do a little work.  It's Friday and breakfast is being catered!!

Enjoy the weekend.

Thursday Brings a Finish

Well Hello There,

My intention was to post yesterday, but I wanted to wait until Fletcher's socks were completed and that finally happened at lunch yesterday.  After that the day kind of got away from me.  But here they are in all their glory:

I really like them.  The Madeline Tosh yarn in the colorway Tart is wonderful.  Such a nice yarn and the color is so rich.  I also really like the top of the sock where I used the Gladys Sock Pattern - just the top part.  I don't really like the pattern on the balance of the leg.  Anyhoo, a freebie on Ravelry, and a good one!  I'm glad to have them off the needles.  The Rabbit Hole traveled to work with me this morning.  I'm finished the pattern part of the first sock and am on the heel flap.  Hopefully I'll finish the flap and turn the heel today at lunch.

There are a number of walking trails in the corporate center where my office is.  I walked on one of them yesterday for the first time!  It really was lovely, meandering through a wooded area and I could hear a creek in the distance (and kids laughing).  I went out around 9:30 (obviously a slow morning) and only walked for 20 minutes or so, but what a nice break!  I'm going to try to get out today as well.  I prefer the early morning before the heat (and humidity) of the day (plus, my lunch time is devoted to knitting...and we all know I have to watch where I walk, so I cannot knit and walk at the same time - lol).

Did anyone draw/play with a Spirograph growing up?  I sure did and I loved it - especially when I had brand new colored pencils or pens to use.  Yesterday when I got home, I was looking at the sunflower and it reminded me of a Spirograph drawing so much.

Click on the image to see what I mean.  And, a close up shot that I don't really like, but it shows tiny bits of blue!! in the center which surprised me.

Interesting.  Also, our Trumpet vine is now blooming and the hummingbirds have arrived - going to the vine as well as our feeders.

The shots are a little fuzzy - using my phone and the blooms are high up in one of our trees.

Last night Fletch and I were sitting on the patio around 8:30 and noticed really pretty clouds.

Only unusual because this is the Eastern sky.  Normally we just have color in the West.  Our Western sky was just drab last night, but the East was lovely.  And then we noticed our friend was back.

Tyg is always on the lookout for him...he tries to sneak up on poor little froggy, but Mr. Frog is smart.

We also saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox trot by in the early evening, but he is too quick for me to get a picture.

OK, that's the nature wrap for today.  The weekend is almost here and I am SO ready!!

Progress is Evident

Good Morning!

We had a bit of rain overnight and it sounded wonderful!  Fletch is in the midst of putting a metal roof on our patio roof and there is something very comforting to me to hear rain hitting a metal roof.  It should also make the patio a bit more comfortable in that the metal roof is white (it has been black shingles), so will cut down on the heat we feel.

Things are progressing garden-wise.  More color in the coneflowers each day!  And the sunflower is opening wider.

We are once again growing eggplants in a pot rather than in the garden.  And the first one is growing!!

I love to slice and broil eggplant and then add to pizza.  Yum!!

I did try the pickled jalapenos last night and they are very HOT!  A recipe I have used in the past calls for simmering the pepper slices in vinegar, sugar & water.  The recipe I tried this time eliminated that step - just warming the vinegar, water and sugar and then pouring over the peppers.  They are good, but I could not eat many of them.

On the knitting front, I worked last night on the Rabbit Hole Sock putting in a few rows.  I'm on the 5th repeat of the pattern and once done that I will knit the heel flap and turn the heel.  This one sock has been on the needles for far too long!  Of course, there is another one to do when this is finished.

These are a bit fiddly (for me) with doing two cable stitches on each needle, so I left this sock at home and brought the red one (for Fletch) to work on today.  I'm about half done the foot and hope to get to the toe decrease at lunch today.

Well, I'm off to make some Turmeric Ginger tea and try to get a little work done.  Hope everyone is having a good week!

Monday and Back to Work

Hello Everyone,

How was your weekend?  Mine was good.  I did manage to accomplish some of the things I wanted to do...definitely not all, but I'm ok with that.  It was busy with lots of running around, but what a gorgeous weekend weather-wise.  Now I feel the heat and humidity creeping back in.

Today is shaping up to be a very busy one at work, but I wanted to show a few things from the weekend. 

Our first cherry tomatoes ripened!!

So good.  We shared these last night (along with grilled steaks and corn on the cob).  I also managed to make some pickled jalapenos.  I found a recipe that was faster than what I normally do...now to see if they are as good...

Our coneflowers came back and have grown incredibly fast.  On Saturday one bloom was just beginning to show some color:

So pretty.  We have a sunflower right next to this plant that is about to open as well.

A little knitting was done - not much, but that's ok.  We watched this movie on Saturday, but it wasn't very good (personal opinion).  However, the new season of Endeavour continues to please.

Gotta run - hope you all had great weekends and I'll try to get to your blogs a bit later to find out what's been going on.

Random Stuff on a Friday

Hi All,

Tis the Summer Solstice!  Not sure we will be able to tell that it is the day with the most amount of daylight as it's pretty grey outside (still).  I see the sun coming through the clouds occasionally and I think the weekend is supposed to be pleasant.

Like Bridget Summer is not my favorite season.  I don't like the heat and humidity (especially since I no longer "sunbathe" as I did in my foolish youth - losing half a nose will convince you to not do that - lol).  But, I do like the light and I do like the flowers and the garden produce.  I do like the little frogs and toads that show up (not so much the slugs).  And I absolutely LOVE listening to the rain in the summer (so I haven't really minded all the rain we've had this past week).

Good news!  I took a walk after dinner last night with Colin and did not stumble or fall!!  Woo-Hoo.  We walked about 3 miles on a paved trail along the Perkiomen - a trail that Colin walks morning and noon on days when he goes into his office.  The water was very high and, in places, ran over the trail.  It was pretty humid and sticky... boy did it feel good to walk.  Hopefully I can get some more walking in this weekend.

Fletch and I have a memorial service to attend Saturday afternoon and we plan to car shop Saturday morning (hopefully coming to a decision on what to buy).  Sunday looks pretty open, but I'm thinking that I really need to do some cleaning (major) and grocery shopping (after PLANNING - what a concept - some meals for next week).  Laundry, of course, always needs to be done.

This week has also brought me 3 new postcards from Postcrossing!  I'm so glad I signed up for this - it has been a lot of fun.  I requested a couple more addresses this morning, so will be writing some postcards over the weekend.

I'm not a big TV person at all, but I've written down some movies/shows I'd like to check out, so maybe Saturday night?  And, Endeavour will be back on PBS for the next episode in the new season.  YAY.

My Kindle has been acting up again...or rather books are just not downloading to it that I check out on Overdrive.  I believe I've figured it out, we'll see.  A book I checked out today is This One which looks like it could be good.  It also happens to be the current Big Library Read - is anyone else reading it?

That's all I've got for now.  It's almost 1 p.m. and I'm hoping to leave my office pronto (wish me luck).  Hoping you all have wonderful weekends!

Unraveled Wednesday 06/19/19

Good Morning!

Pardon me while I check out my feet - just making sure I haven't developed webbing between my toes!  Gosh it is wet...and 96% humidity this a.m.  More of the same through Thursday and then I think Friday is supposed to be sunny and 79 or so. 

The garden has been exploding with sugar snap peas.  Fletch is picking gallon bags daily!  The other night we had our first strawberry (yes, singular - it was large enough that we could split it) and cherry tomatoes should be ready to pick any day.  Onions and potatoes are growing quickly as well.

I've also noticed some weird things garden-wise.  First up one of our burning bushes (we have 3) is already turning red!  Second, our trumpet vine is already blooming...and there are a lot of blooms.  Usually that doesn't happen till July.  Hopefully we will see the hummingbirds soon.  Last, we are growing mushrooms EVERYWHERE.  Colin gave me a planter box with white icicle radish seeds (one of my favorite radishes) planted in it for Mother's Day.  The radishes are not doing so well, but the spores?  Taking off!

Last night those little 'shrooms were tiny and close to the dirt.  This morning they are standing several inches high!

On the other hand, knitting is going well.  I'm staying loyal to the socks I am making for Fletch and not knitting on anything else.  Monday I finished up the first sock at lunch and started #2 that evening.  Here's where I'm at right now:

Difficult to get a good picture on this grey day, so it is hard to see the pattern.  The finished sock also looks weirdly huge in this photo - lol.  But...I had Fletch try it on Monday night and it fits perfectly!

I'm excited and looking forward to trying something new!  The latest MDK Field Guide is all about socks - cuff down, toe up and lots of different patterns.  I am Determined to learn how to knit socks toe up.  The provisional cast on may throw me for a loop, but I will give it a try once these are off the needles.

Linking up with Kat on this Unraveled Wednesday.  Head on over to her blog to see what she and others are making and reading.

How Can It Be Monday Already?

Hello!

How was your weekend?  Mine was good, but I'm sitting at my desk at work and I feel like I just left here 10 minutes ago!  Turns out the car issue last week wasn't a spark plug, but rather an ignition coil which is much more expensive and much more involved to replace.  Fletch took the car in Friday morning and was not able to pick me up till 4:30 - I have not worked till 4:30 in years!!  To make it worse, I had planned on leaving work by Noon so had not brought a book or knitting with me.  Lesson learned - never leave home without at least one of those items.  But, many $$$ later, the car is fixed and running well.

Saturday I got my knee stitches out and then we ran around to car dealerships.  We have managed to narrow our choices down.  There is one more car that we want to test drive and then we'll decide what to buy.  That afternoon we headed over to Colin & Mailing's for a Father's Day dinner.  OMG.  What fabulous food.  I'm not normally a fan of meatballs...just don't like them.  BUT, the ones Mailing made were so good and the sauce was wonderful as well as the home made pasta.  Colin grilled romaine lettuce which was really good too.  Dessert was home made chocolate mousse with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, shaved  nutmeg and strawberries from the CSA farm:

So Delicious!!  After dinner we took a walk in a local park (and I did NOT trip and fall!!) and then sat around the fire pit.  It was a lovely evening.

Sunday morning I met up with Dee for some coffee, knitting and mostly chatting😊

Cardamom black pepper lattes are very tasty!  I highly recommend.  Some knitting was actually accomplished and a bit more last night.  I have about 6 rows left on the toe decrease of sock #1.

Hoping for a chance to finish this at lunch today.  I put it away before we turned on the new season of Endeavour last night.

All in all, a very nice weekend, but I still feel as though I just left work 10 minutes ago!  Hope your weekend was fun.