Weekending - November 1, 2021

 Good Morning!

How was your weekend?  How was Halloween?  We had exactly one group (of about 5) come to the door (while we were having dinner).  Two little kids and two bigger (teenager) kids and one dad.  They all took some candy and that was it!  We left the porch light on and the front door open for quite some time and then by 9 p.m. we shut off the light.  I missed seeing more little kids dressed up.

My weekend was nice.  I met up with Dee for coffee and knitting and chatting on Saturday morning.  As always, that was so enjoyable.  (What did I do before Dee and Steve moved up from Florida??)  Despite interference by a certain someone (that would be Mabel), I managed to do a little stitching and a bit of knitting.

Progress is occuring on the 2nd sock.  And...I managed to change the tablecloth to a fall-themed one.  The picture above has so many good things:  clean tablecloth, knitting, ginger-turmeric tea and one of my all time favorite bookmarks which my Dad had given to me at some point (it says, "The best man for the job is often a woman").  Also the white envelopes behind my tea are our mail-in ballots for the election.  We will be dropping them off today at one of the local collection points.

Yesterday was filled with laundry and grocery shopping.  Yikes!  Is it me or have prices sky-rocketed?  Fletch and I went to one store and dropped $287.  Later I went to two other stores trying to locate a few things we couldn't find at the first.  Those two stores were another $60.  There are only two of us!  I did need to re-stock a few things (soups, canned beans, cat food - of course), and even though I had made breakfast, I guess I was hungry when we shopped because I bought more snack-type things than usual.  But still!!  We also had not shopped the previous weekend...but still...

This little one continues to amuse and delight us.

Thankfully she is quiet all night (and I am keeping the bedroom door shut), but once I am up in the morning, she is flying around - sliding on the hardwood floors, crashing into things, spooking herself out, etc.  Yesterday she was prancing in the kitchen in front of the sliding door to the patio.  She kept arching her back (just like a good Halloween cat) and then I realized it was still dark out and she was reacting to her reflection in the glass.  LOL

Today holds a conference call for me at 10, then Fletch and I will drive to the 4-H center where we can drop off our ballots.  A stop at the library is in order as I received notication that a book I requested is in.  I have a pile more laundry waiting to be done and I'm hoping for sunny weather so that I can at least hang out the jeans to dry.  Not too exciting, but we will see what the day holds.  Happy November!

Friday Felines

 Good Morning!

Yesterday kind of got away from me.  I slept until 6:30 (!!) and had a lot of reports to run for work...then the emails started flying in and the next thing I knew it was time to take Mabel to the vet for her first meet up.

The purple/pink ribbon you can see on the chair above is her current favorite toy.  Thank you Giroux!! 

She was a very good girl.  Surprisingly quiet in the car and at the vet (at home she almost never stops talking to us).  She weighs 6 lbs, 5 oz and the doctor says she needs to gain some weight.  She received a 2nd distemper shot (apparently the one given at the SPCA was only a half dose??) and also a half dose of the feline leukemia vaccine.  The 2nd half will be in 4 weeks.  I don't ever remember having a cat (or kitten) get a half dose of a vaccine...I need to ask the vet about that (she will call today to see how Mable is doing).

I finally managed to do some stitching yesterday afternoon and someone - Mabel - was very, very interested in learning about needles and thread and scissors.  Despite her interference, I was able to put in a few stitches so I will actually have something to show next TNT (Tuesday).

Rather than coming to our house for dinner last night, Colin suggested we go over to see him (Mailing is still out Thursday nights with a work group).  Col was out in his garden picking hot peppers when we arrived.  He made a delicious dish of garlic, white beans, artichoke hearts, parsley and EVOO which we had on toasted slices of a baguette.  Delicious!

Marcel was underfoot a lot, as usual.  But he is such a handsome cat, you cannot be annoyed.

Poor Talbot was recovering from his vet visit on Thursday.  He had to have 3 more teeth pulled, so has some pain meds to take.  He really just wanted to cuddle with Colin.

Talbot actually got a certificate for bravery at the vet!  I should have taken a picture of that.

After dinner we enjoyed a fire outside

 and then we headed home around 9 p.m.  Mabel was happy to see us and demanding some attention.

It sure is nice to have a cat in the house again (even if I woke up to some cat puke on the kitchen floor this morning - at least it was on the floor and not on a rug!).

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend - enjoy!

Unraveled Wednesday October 27, 2021

Hello and Good Morning!

Who else is astonished that we are already at the end of October?  Thanksgiving will be next month and Christmas the month after that.  Incredible!

Talking with a girlfriend last night, she mentioned she had heard we are supposed to have a very mild/warm winter.  Other people have told me they have heard the exact opposite with heavy snows forecast.  Who knows?  No one apparently.  I guess we will just need to wait and see.

As usual on Wednesday, I'm linking up with Kat and her merry band of Unravelers to talk about making and reading.  And look at this!  I actually have a finished object!!  The first of Peggy's socks has been completed.

And the second one started.  Let's hope that this second one doesn't take me quite as long (7+ weeks!  YIKES!!).

French Market Bag #2 also saw a few more rows added.

I'm so enjoying the stripes on this lump (hard to call it a bag just yet...it is so limp and just a blob).  The last time I checked I had knit this one (so far) about 2-3" longer than the first.  Still a way to go as I want this bag to really be a good size.

On the reading front, I finished a mystery by Linda Castillo (part of the series that takes place in the Ohio Amish land).  It was good but a bit predictable.  I've started Pax, Journey Home which I guess is really written for kids.  I had read the first book ("Pax") and enjoyed it.  I'm finding this one slower to get into.  Last night I started Malibu Rising which is much more of a "beach-read" type of book than I was expecting.  I'm a little bored with this one, but will keep with it for now.  Fletch and I have not picked anything new to read and I'm missing that time together.  The past couple of books I chose he hasn't really liked and he is not choosing any, so we are sort of at a standstill.

Well, time to look over this for any glaring spelling errors, then I need to wake Fletch and get myself ready to go to the office.  Hoping your Wednesday is a pleasant one.  Be sure to head over to Kat's for inspiration from everyone there!

Tiny Needle Tuesday October 26, 2021

 Good Morning!

How's your week going so far?  Gosh it took me forever to wake up yesterday and then it was time to go to bed again - LOL.  Some days are like that.  I feel a bit more awake today which is good as I've got a ton of work to do.

I have no stitching to show you this week.  That's right, I have not even put in one little cross stitch since I last showed you the Pomegranate Birds piece last Tuesday.  Between Mabel (she's a charmer for sure) and work I've been a bit swamped.  Speaking of Mabel, I made an appointment with our vet to take her in on Thursday for a "look over."  I'm curious to learn what she weighs (so light!!).

My office visit was quite short yesterday (thankfully) - just barely 2 hours.  Bill and I never got around to my review - believe that will occur next week.  I did get to the eye glasses place yesterday and ordered 2 pairs of glasses - one regular and one sunglasses.  Gosh those are pricey things!!

Early afternoon Fletch and I were sitting on the patio and I spotted some blossoms...on our apple tree...weird!

There must be at least half a dozen or so clumps like this.  Once, several years ago it had a few blossoms in October and the tree has been going downhill ever since (see all the lichen on the branch?).  I do hope it will be ok.

Well, nothing more to report and as I mentioned, I've got a ton of work to do, so I may as well get started.  First I'll look at our rain gauge since it rained heavily ALL night.  Hope your week is going well.

Weekending

 Good Morning!

How was your weekend?  Mine was quite good - very satisfying.  It really started on Friday which was a no-conference-call day for me.  Very unusual and very welcome.  I decided while I had the courage to go ahead and make a hair appointment and I was able to get my hair cut Friday at 11:00!  My hair was pretty long and not in great shape.  I tried to take a picture before so you could see just how long it was.

You can see if was just about down to my waist.  Yikes!!  Shannon started by cutting off 10+ inches while my hair was dry and then shampooed and cut a bunch more.  The end result was this:

And I could not be happier.  I love the result and I love having ALL that hair gone!  Now the grey is more visible, but I like it.

Saturday morning we had a different deer visit our yard and he is a strange looking one.

He's got a big splotch of white on his face which is weird, but then his body has ridges and bumps that do not look right.  Shortly after he showed up and then left, Dee drove up to meet Mable.  she brought lots of goodies from Giroux - some treats, some catnip mice and a new scratching pad!  Mabel loves everything~

Look at he with her tongue hanging out!  LOL  I had sprinkled a bit of catnip on the scratching board and she got right down to rub it all over herself.

Her name is now Squeaker Mabel.  I call her Mabel and Fletch calls her Squeaker.  She does tend to be very vocal and squeaks a lot.  She is now letting me pick her up occasionally (definitely not all the time).

Sunday I brought out my winter sweaters, turtlenecks, etc.  Of course now today is forecast to be 75.  But it won't be long - Fall is definitely in the air.  And despite that nip that we've had, we finally have morning glory blossoms.  Hahaha.

 That really is a heavenly blue.  We had no blossoms all summer and now, a few buds have unfurled their petals.

I've got to head to the office in a bit.  Bill is meeting me there and I will have my review and then he's got to review/approve/bless the bonus calculations I pulled together for his team last week.  He prefers to look at hard copies, so I have a lot of printing to do once I get to the office.  Fingers crossed I can get out of there before lunch, but no guarantees.  I'll be going back in on Wednesday to meet with both Kevin and Bruce.  Still seems busier than it should be at this time.

Today I need to call the vet and make an appointment for Mabel to be checked over.  If there is time, I will go to the store to order glasses.  I had planned to go yesterday, but when I checked their website I learned they are now closed on Sundays.  Fletch and I both still had a bit of soreness in our Booster Arms and we both felt just a little run down.  Overall not a bad reaction.

Well, feels like I'm gearing up for another busy week.  I hope your weekend was relaxing and enjoyable!

Friday Stuff

 Good Morning!

Gosh it is still so dark outside (and it is now 6:25 a.m. as I type this).  I've been up for a bit and my brain is foggy.  We were able to get our Booster Shots yesterday!  But we both woke up in the night with sore arms.  Did not have that with the first two vaccines, but if a sore arm is the extent of my discomfort, that's not bad.  I'll give myself a break for a couple of weeks and then will go for the Shingrix shot(s).  Oh boy - the fun never ends!

The afternoon yesterday became very busy work-wise and suddenly at 3:30 I realized I hadn't started the Brunswick Stew or made the Pear-Cranberry Cobbler!  I hopped to it and dinner was good.  This is the cobbler before we dug into it.

It was still warm from the oven and I had made whipped cream to go on top. Yum!

We still have not settled on a name for Mabel.  As you know, I love the name Mabel.  Fletch not so much.  Colin came up with several suggestions, so we will see what we settle on - hopefully this weekend.  Mabel really liked Colin (and vice versa).  Meanwhile, she (Mabel) was a sweetie this morning.  4 a.m. and she jumped on the bed.  Then she started purring so loudly I just knew I couldn't get back to sleep (plus a sore arm).  I came downstairs a little before 5 a.m. and put the coffee on and fed the feline.

Today is an open day for me - no conference calls which is wonderful.  I may actually try to get my hair cut!  It is driving me crazy and I'm tired of just pulling it back into a ponytail.  Hopefully I can find a place that can take me today.  Tomorrow Dee is coming over in the morning to meet Mabel (or whatever her name is/will be).  And Sunday I hope to go order my new glasses.

I'm glad it is the weekend and I wish you all a wonderful one - get outside and enjoy!!

What's for Dinner? October 21, 2021

 Good Morning!

How are you and how has your week been so far?  Mine is moving along.  A little busier than I would like, but not quite as crazy as last week (thank God).  I know I "brag" about my work and our CEO all the time, but I have to tell you about yesterday's virtual lunch.

It was supposed to start at Noon and when I logged on, there were already 57 people in attendance.  Missing were Bobby (CEO and Dan (CFO) and a few others.  They were in the Board Room at the office and were having some technical difficulties.  Tom from IT was with them, but they still had "issues."  Anyway, they finally came on around 12:20 or so.  Talked about what a great year we had (our fiscal year just ended), how great we all are, etc.  Then they started the raffle.  I did not win anything, but some of the prizes were:  $200 Amazon gift cards, Yeti Coolers (BIG ones), drones, a generator, Play Station 4, Wireless speakers, etc.  Pretty amazing stuff (I think).  

The first person to have their raffle ticket drawn was Shawn from accounting.  Everyone mentioned a good thing that happened recently, or a happy thing before saying what they wanted for a prize.  Shawn mentioned his 3rd baby is due in December (I think he just got married 4 years ago) and said he would take an Amazon gift card since they would be buying a lot of diapers.  Everyone congratulated him and then Bobby said that's wonderful and you will need a lot of diapers, so let's double your prize!

When Ken from Purchasing had his raffle ticket drawn, he said he didn't want a prize.  He was just happy that he was in a better place mentally than he had been at the start of the pandemic...he had gotten very depressed and missed social interactions, etc.  He said he wanted to let people know that it was ok to feel that way and the help is available, etc., etc.  Actually his "speech" was more detailed and more personal.  Everyone was blown away that he would have the courage to say that, etc.  Bobby tried to say you really deserve something and Ken just held up his ticket and ripped it up.  Repeating that he didn't want anything and to donate his prize.  So, Bobby asked what his favorite charity is and the company will be making a $5,000 donation to that charity.  

That gives you a bit of flavor for the person Bobby is.  It is amazing to work for a company where there is so much love and compassion.

Let's talk food!  On Sunday I roasted a chicken (and it was so good!!).  Tonight I'm using the left over chicken I pulled off the bones to make Brunswick Stew.  Fletcher's Mom used to make this all the time.  I had never had it - my Mom would always make chicken soup or turkey soup after roasting a bird, but never Brunswick Stew.  I love it and typically use a recipe from the (old) New York Times Cookbook I have:

The Tabasco and Worcestershire are what make this!  A great soup that also freezes really well.  I bought a loaf of "Tuscan Bread" to heat in the oven to go with the soup/stew.

And - bonus!! - for dessert I will make a Pear-Cranberry Cobbler.  We have a couple of pears that need to be used up and I found some cranberries in the freezer from last year (not freezer burned or anything!).  I forget where I found this recipe, but here it is:

Pear-Cranberry Cobbler

Pear Filling:

• 1 TBS Butter
• 5 Medium pears - cored, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks (2 pears is really enough)
• 1 Cup fresh cranberries
• 1/3 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 Cup sugar
• 3 TBS Cornstarch
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Melt butter in large skillet and add pears.  Saute until slightly softened and remove from heat.  Stir in cranberries and everything else.  Spoon into a 1.5 quart casserole dish.

Biscuit Topping:

• 1 Cup unsifted flour
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 TBS milk
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 Cup butter, melted

Combine flour, sugar and powder.  Stir in milk and egg until just combined.  Fold in melted butter.  Spoon topping over filling.  Place casserole dish on rimmed baking sheet.

Bake at 325 for 50-55 minutes or till top is brown and filling is bubbly.  Serve with whipped cream.

Oh yum!!  It is going to taste like Fall tonight at our house.

Well, it's Thursday which means it is my heavy report day.  I need to get cranking on those as Fletch and I are running over to CVS this morning to try to get out booster shots!  Fingers crossed we will get them today.

I passed this display on my way to the office yesterday:

My take:  Caution:  Yard Work May Kill You!!  (see the skeleton pushing the lawn mower on the left - in the shadows? - LOL)

Mabel is doing well and will meet her brother (Colin) tonight!