The Gift of a Day!

Good Morning All!

Yesterday didn't turn out at all as I had expected, but it turned out very nice!  I had my appointment with a nutritionist (trying to Nourish myself) at 8:30 yesterday morning, so was late getting to work.  When I pulled into the parking lot around 9:45 a.m. it was quite eerie.  The parking lot was almost completely empty.  Just a few cars.  I came into the building and realized there was no power.  Apparently the storms Tuesday night with the accompanying high winds knocked out power to a number of office complexes in the area...and it was not anticipated to be restored until 3 p.m. or later!  Whee!!!  A free day.  There were a couple of people in the office and I walked around and spoke with them and then high-tailed it home.

So, here I am a bit late linking up with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday (on a Thursday).  Miss Lime is coming along:

That picture was taken Tuesday night.  This morning, while sipping coffee, I was working on the toe decrease stitches.  I should finish this up at lunch today.

The shawl saw progress yesterday as well.  No picture yet.  I finished the pattern and am up to the bind off, but as I had said previously, I plan to knit a bit more so that the very pale color in the yarn will be a part of the shawl.  I'm so happy with this Odyssey shawl.  It really is beautiful.  I cannot wait to block it and have the lace sections really open up.

A week or so back I noticed that there is a pair of hawks nesting on our office building.  They have built a nest on (I believe this is what it is) a light fixture right above my window!

I'm not sure if eggs have been laid yet or not.  There has been a lot of flying in and out of the nest.  The above picture was taken from my boss' window.  My window is the one just below and to the right, but I can't see the nest from my window due to an overhang.  I'm excited to see little hawks!!  This is also right over the front entrance to our building and every morning there is a MESS on the ground - they tend to kick out large sticks and twigs during the night and then replenish them later - lol.

On the reading front:  not much!  I've been reading The Gown and had such high hopes for it - the Queen, embroidery, etc.  And the waiting time on Overdrive was months and months.  I have to say I'm under-whelmed at best.  I'm about 40% of the way through and am thinking of giving up on it.  For me it is just so meh.  I know some have really enjoyed it, but I'm finding the writing tiresome and the whole story rather boring.  But then I keep thinking maybe it will pick up?  I am excited to read the next selection chosen by Bonnie, Kym & Carole:  This Book and I will try to get a hard copy at the library over the weekend.

So that's a wrap for me.  I have a bit of catching up to do after my free day yesterday (and, my office is still closing at Noon tomorrow in celebration of Daylight Savings Time!!).

Lion or Lamb?

Good Morning and Welcome to March.

Did March come in like a lion or lamb?  I'm trying to figure that out.  Saturday was bitter cold...but it was still February.  We had terrific (not in a good way) winds and even a snow squall or two.  Sunday brought abundant sunlight (YAY!), but some lingering winds and pretty chilly temps.  Today it is bright and sunny and is forecast to get up to 61!  So, I'm thinking March around here came in like a gentle lion or a tough lamb.

Friday afternoon started off well when I got home and spied these pretty blooms on our buffet.

Fletch had been out running errands and said this bouquet caught his eye, so he brought it home for us to enjoy.  I'm so glad he did - the blooms are gorgeous and I love the variety both in types of flowers and color.

Yesterday I spotted these beauties at the edge of our driveway.

I love that there are so many blooms in this clump!  We have daffodils that are budded, but not yet open.  I do wonder what happened to our snowdrops though.  No sign of them.

Despite a lot of running around this weekend, there was a bit of knitting progress.  I did not finish the shawl as I had thought I might.  I was able to knit 2 more rows on it last night, but it got up to over 400 stitches on the needles, so getting through a row takes a little bit of time.  Luckily I'm right where I should be stitch count wise and the remaining rows are not difficult (I hope I have not jinxed myself!!).

I also put a few rows in on the Canary Blanket Saturday night while Fletch and I watched a show on Prime.  If you have not seen An Inspector Calls we highly recommend it.  My hand was sore when I woke up Sunday and I don't know if it was from knitting on the blanket (I hope not) or if I slept funny (or slept on my hand).  Oh well.  I'll try some more on that project later this week and see what happens.

My Miss Lemon Lime socks did see some love and by last night the leg of sock #1 was complete:

Such a pretty pattern!  And I've even gotten used to/adjusted to doing purl stitches at the start of each needle.  This morning while waking up and sipping coffee and managed to knit the first 10 rows of the heel flap!  I plan to make the foot plain - no lace pattern.  I just prefer plain stitches on the feet of my socks.  Both this and the shawl came to work with me today and I'm hoping to work on one of them at lunch.

A bright note:  Fletch wore his Barn Owl socks the other day and pronounced them "very nice!"  No mention of any snugness - lol.

Hoping your March is off to a fabulous start!

Staying True To My Words!

Well Hello There!

As predicted yesterday, I was able to knit at lunch time and actually got through the first 5 rows or so of the toe decrease on the last Barn Owl sock.  And I did finish it up last night.  Voila!

They look less yellow-ish on Fletcher's feet.  And, of course, after telling me how wonderful they felt the other night, last night he thought they might be a little snug.  I can show him snug and it ain't these socks!  LOL.  He should just think of it as me giving his feet a hug.  I'm so happy with the way they turned out.  The yarn was great to knit and I will definitely be ordering more Sheep's Clothing Yarn (still eyeing the "Fox" colorway).

I was talking with Dee (well, emailing) wondering what I would start next.  Of course, socks, but what color?  Dee thought green would be a good choice with St. Patrick's Day on the horizon.  I did not think I had any green yarn (which I can remedy at the Allentown Fiber Festival in early April) and I don't have any "Kelly" green yarn.  But, I did find a skein that I had completely forgotten about (how could that be??).  A lovely skein of House Cat that I bought from Wandering Cat before Val and her Mom decided to get out of the yarn business.  So last night saw the beginning of a new pair of socks:

The colorway is "Leaf Bug" which is just the perfect name for this skein.  I love it!  The pattern I have started is Miss Lemon (freebie on Ravelry) but I will call them Miss Lime...or Miss Lemon-Lime.  I'm curious to see how they go since there is no ribbing/cuff.  You knit one set-up row and then go right into the leg pattern (which is a 4 row repeat).  I completed two repeats and hope to get more done at lunch today.

Also as predicted, our temps have dropped and the winds have picked up.  It is still above freezing, but I saw plenty of snow to the West of us (looking at you Kat).  I took some home-made lentil soup out of the freezer for dinner and since Colin will be joining us, I'm hoping he will make his "Big Daddy Biscuits" to go with the soup.

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

Unraveled Wednesday 02/26/20

Hello and Good Morning!

Another moist day here and quite grey.  But mild.  This is the second day this week that I have not worn a coat to work!  It's February folks!  I think today might be our last mild day for a little bit though.  The forecast promises more seasonable temps beginning tomorrow (and sun!!).

This week has seen a lot of progress on the second Barn Owl Sock.

Nearing the toe decreases!  This picture was taken last night.  This morning, thanks to Tyg, I was up a bit earlier than usual, so while I let my hair air dry and sipped some coffee, I knit another 7 rows.  I'm hoping to get to the toe decreases over lunch time and then (maybe??) finish this sock up tonight!  For some reason, the second sock of a pair always knits up fast for me - much faster than the first every single time!

The Odyssey Shawl has not seen any attention since the weekend.

There are only 7 more rows till the bind off, but as I mentioned previously, I will probably add some rows so that the lightest color in the yarn will show up in the shawl.  My plan/hope is to get this finished over the weekend...and then soaked and pulled out on the blocking pads.  I need to find a good place to do that (meaning where Tyg will not disturb...). This is a great pattern - I highly recommend it.

There are some very good books on my reading front.  I just finished When Women Were Birds and what a pleasure that book was!  On my night stand I have "Olive Kitteridge" (which I read when it first came out, but want to re-read) and "Olive, Again."  Anxious to get going on those, but of course two books came through on Overdrive, so I've started reading The Gown which, so far, I'm enjoying (about 1/4 of the way finished).  Yesterday I received notice that Girl, Woman, Other was available, so that is now downloaded.  It is SO good to be enjoying reading again.

Have any of you read Margaret Renkl's book "Late Migrations?"  If not, I do highly recommend.  She also often has op-ed pieces in the NY Times.  I read this one yesterday and it is so good.  My favorite line is:  "I would love to give up the President for Lent."  Wouldn't we all?

I heard on the radio driving in this morning that we are just 3 weeks from the Vernal Equinox!  Spring is right around the corner.  And we turn the clocks forward in another week!  I received an email at work yesterday letting us know that our office will close at Noon on Friday, March 6th so we can all get an early jump on the Daylight Savings weekend!!  What a crazy reason to close an office early, but I'm not going to say no!

OK, time for me to get rolling with work.  I'm having password issues getting into financial and labor reports that I need, so I've got to round up someone in IT to assist.  Linking up with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday.  Want to read about what others are making and reading?  Head on over to her blog.

One Little Word

Good Morning!


Hard to believe that it is the last Tuesday in February.  And Happy Mardi Gras by the way.  I forgot to wear beads today.


I missed posting about my One Little Word at the end of January, but this time I remembered.  My OLW for 2020 is:





Naturally, I think of it in terms of food (because, well, I love food - love to eat, love to cook), but there are so many other ways to  nourish ourselves whether it be through education, physical activity, relationships, self care, etc.


All my life I have been an avid reader.  As a child one of my favorite places to go was the library.  My best friend, Leslie, and I would spend hours together reading.  (We used to set up lots of snacks and beverages.)  But late last year I went into a reading slump and couldn't find anything that really appealed to me.  So many books just seemed "meh" to me.  Fortunately I believe that spell has ended.  I think my reading tastes have somewhat altered as well.  I've been reading more poetry and essays this year and find that they are what I crave.  I'm happy that books are once again providing nourishment to moi.


Just about a year ago I made a huge change in my life.  I started smoking in my mid-teens and last March (31st) I stopped!  It was much easier than I imagined and though there are still a few times when I miss it, 98% of the time I never even think about it!  I think I miss the ritual more than the actual smoking (which had begun to annoy me).  I don't feel any different - no more energy, no less coughing (in fact my sinuses are worse!!).  But, I'm happy to be nourishing my lungs and body with fresh air.  (My wallet is a bit happy too - more yarn!!)


My focus now is on food.  I'm moving to a more plant-based diet.  I'm not interested in becoming vegetarian or vegan, but I do want to lose weight and get in shape.  We have always had a healthy diet with lots of fresh produce, but as I've increased in age (ha!) the weight has come on.  Probably a combination of things, but some change has been needed.  Next week I'm meeting with a nutritionist.  I'm pretty knowledgeable about what foods are "good" for you and what ones are "bad," but I'm hoping she can provide me with some tips and tricks that will help me on my journey to becoming a healthier person.


Finally - on the self-care end of things, I am booking a massage for next Saturday or Sunday.  I have not had one since the Fall and I need one (physically and mentally).


And that's a wrap for me!  Linking up with Honore for our OLW discussions.

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Weekending

Good Morning!

The sun is up and shining brightly in Eastern PA and wow!  What a gorgeous weekend we had.  Even though my car was a little frosty this morning, it is supposed to get up to 60 again today.  I'm loving this Spring-like weather even though it is weird for February.  So, here was my wonderful weekend:

This was Friday at lunch time.  The first Barn Owl sock was completed (and even the ends woven in!!).  Happy to have that one finished.  It does look like a giant foot and a twig leg - lol.

Saturday morning I had an appointment with our tax person.  Luckily this was a positive experience - lol.  After that I headed over to Broad Street Grind and met up with Dee.  Barn Owl #2 is on the way!

This (sort of) proves that Dee and I actually DO knit a little bit when we get together.  We also do lunch sometimes.

My avocado toast was wonderful.  It was sourdough bread toasted with a very thin bit of cheese on it.  Then there was a bit of quinoa salad with apples, slices of avocado and some frisee lettuce.  Not pictured were some yummy fries that came with it.  Lunch was at Northbound which is in the old Souderton train station.

Fletch and I did some errands in the afternoon and the evening was quiet.  Sunday morning as I was starting to fix breakfast I looked out the window and saw this guy:

A pretty Downy Woodpecker at our suet feeder.  The round barrel thing by the garden in the background is our compost bin (which needs to be replaced).  We went grocery shopping (and spent way too much $$) and then I decided to take a walk in the afternoon since it was so gorgeous.

I headed over to one of my favorite trails, the River Walk in Valley Forge Park.  There were a bunch of people on the trail, but it wasn't crowded.  I actually saw a couple of runners in tank tops and shorts!  In February!!  (It was warm, but not THAT warm)  It was warm enough that I would not have been surprised to see a snake, but thank God I did not.  LOL  I probably walked about 2 miles.  I purposefully kept it short because Fletch and I had plans for a little later.

Finally!  We had not done any archery in such a long time.  The Fall was so wet and then it got really cold.  But yesterday was perfect.  It was a lot of fun.  We both shot about 18 arrows and that was enough for the first time out in a long time.    We always make sure Tyg is inside when we do archery - no guarantee where our arrows will fly - HA!  But yesterday there were no worries.

He was curled up on a kitchen chair sleeping peacefully.  He had been outside all night and was exhausted!!

All in all, a wonderful weekend.  I only wish I didn't have to come into work today.  I would love to take a longer walk along the river and maybe shoot a few more arrows.  Instead I'm at my desk...but the 2nd Barn Owl sock traveled to work with me and I hope to knit on that at lunch time.  I'm almost finished the leg and ready to start the heel flap!

Friday Finally!

Good Morning and TGIF!

We are finally back to winter temps (18 on my drive in to work), but I think it is supposed to be back up in the 50's over the weekend.

Yesterday afternoon when I got home there were about 8 deer in our neighbor's yard.  Some migrated over to our yard and I snapped a picture through the kitchen window.

They got spooked and ran off when our neighbor pulled in his driveway.

The Barn Owl sock received some attention at lunch the other day and I am now up to the toe decreases.

The plan is to finish this at lunch today - including weaving in the ends and maybe/hopefully casting on for sock #2.  Fletch tried this one on last night and said:  "this feels really nice!" - YAY!!  And, the fit was good...I knit a few more rows and then started the toe decreases.

Tomorrow I have an appointment in the morning for taxes but then I am meeting up with Dee for coffee, knitting, chattering and perhaps a bit of lunch somewhere.  That should take care of any sting from the tax appointment!

Today should be relatively easy at work.  I have a conference call at 10, and that's all I've got on my calendar. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!