Tiny Needle Tuesday 10/28/25

 Good Morning!

Welcome to the last Tuesday in October!  Wow!  I don't even know how that is possible.  But here we are, so time for a TNT update.

A bit of progress was made on my large piece.  The Evil Serpent now has a head (that looks rather cartoonish) and a bit of its body.  The creepy crawly thing has some of its legs.

If you click to enlarge, you will see the Serpent's eyes are red.  EVIL!!!

Here's an overall shot of the entire piece as it stands currently.

I might be able to find a bit of time to stitch today, but I'm not sure.  There is already a load of wash going (and Fletch isn't even up yet) and more where that came from.  But, an easy dinner is planned (salmon) which bodes well for some time in the afternoon.  (I should also do some knitting, but that's a story for another day.)

I hope your Tuesday finds you doing something you love.  Have some fun!

Weekending 10/27/25

 Good Morning!

The temps dipped overnight and it is now (at 7 a.m.) about 34 degrees.  I've put the heat on in several rooms and have a hot cup of coffee by my side as I type this.

How was your weekend?  Mine was good.  Another yoga class on Saturday morning was great.  I didn't do much chore-wise at all.  Mostly I read and tried to catch up on some sleep.  Friday was a pretty long day with Iris only napping for 30 minutes or so.  Fletch came over to Colin's Friday afternoon with Thai food for dinner, but he and I left soon after we ate.  Colin & Iris were fairly tired too.

Now that we've come to the last week of October, our Morning Glory plant is showing more and more blooms!

Aptly named "Heavenly Blue" and so gorgeous.  In other garden news, the hibiscus is still loaded with buds, but the leaves are turning yellow, so I doubt we will have more blooms.  There have been no ripe figs for several days  The plant is still loaded with them, but they may not ripen.  The climbing bean trellis has been taken down and some dried beans saved for next year's planting.  The hoses have been drained and put away for the season.  We are still enjoying wonderful greens (red and green romaine lettuce, spinach and chard and several other kinds of lettuce).

Yesterday Fletch and I ventured out in the afternoon to drop off our ballots for the election November 4th.  We then drove to Otts, a wonderful nursery and plant place to get some pumpkins.  There was no parking!  The place was mobbed.  So, we turned around and came home.  I think our grocery stores have some very nice pumpkins (and for a lot less $$$ anyway).

Today will find me back caring for Iris.  I hope your Monday is equally rewarding for you!

Tis the Season!

 Good Morning!

Spotted this on our drive over to Colin's yesterday morning.

The tape across the spare says "crime scene."  The green color of the skeleton cracked me up.  We also passed a number of jeeps with skeletons attached to the front.  All the jeeps.

Here's to a great weekend ahead!

What's For Dinner?

 Good Morning!

The sun is shining brightly here.  It's cool, but lovely outside.  I was able to sleep in a bit this morning and then when I got up I cooked some bacon and made French toast for Fletch and me.  Yum!

As is often the case lately, I forgot to take any pictures, but I wanted to share a dish with you that I made for dinner on Tuesday.  It was so delicious!  I made Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Pasta.  I used regular thick cut bacon, but I think turkey bacon would work also.  Or, skip the bacon completely.  It would also be tasty with sun dried tomatoes added in.  I used light cream instead of heavy and I think milk would work just as well.  Anyway, it was fast, easy and very satisfying.  We had a nice salad with greens from our garden to go with it.  I will be picking more greens for another salad tonight and will be making some spaghetti with clam sauce.  I do enjoy food a lot!  LOL

Later this morning we will head over to Colin's to borrow one of their cars.  The car that Fletch usually drives is in the shop - needs a drive shaft - OUCH!  Still, cheaper than a new car for sure.  That repair won't be done until next Tuesday.  Meanwhile, I need to be at Colin's tomorrow to watch Iris and Fletch has a doctor's appointment in the morning to have some stitches removed.  Thus the need to borrow a car.

Other than that, no plans!  There is a library book that came in for me to pick up and I want to do some stitching and/or knitting.  No chores though!  

I hope your week is winding down nicely.  We are just about at the weekend!!

Unraveled Wednesday 10/22/25

 Good Morning!

It appears that the cooler temps have finally come to Eastern PA.  Today's high is forecast to only be 59.  Luckily I took some chicken soup out of the freezer for dinner tonight.  I wanted an easy dinner since I will be with Iris today.  I'm anxious to see how she is doing (and also Colin) with Mailing away for several days.

It's Wednesday which means it's time to link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers to talk all about what we are making and reading.  Wednesday's blogs are always filled with interesting and inspiring things!

My own knitting (or rather lack of) isn't all that inspiring.  Not much has been knit in the past week.  Only 10 or so rows on a heel flap.

At least there was no unraveling.  And, at least this is a shortie sock.  Not sure I will get anything done on it today, but we shall see.

I've finished 4 books since I last posted any updates on reading.  First up The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker.  This is the 4th novel in the Bruno, Chief of Police series and quite enjoyable.  There were even some laugh out loud scenes.  I'll be requesting the 5th book in this series shortly.

Next I read Kitchen Yarns by Ann Hood.  This book was recommended by a friend of a friend.  A memoir with recipes, I was sure I would enjoy it.  And I did.  Not great writing, but it was perfect for me at the time I read it.  Easy and enjoyable.

Fletch and I finished listening to Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.  Sarah had thought we would enjoy this and she was right!  Thank you Sarah for the recommendation.  I loved, too, that the book was narrated by the author (such a soothing voice).  We started to listen to Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but neither of us could get into the story and we both found the narrators to be annoying.

Last night I finished The Names by Florence Knapp.  Many of you have already read this and raved about it, but I struggled a lot with this book.  The abuse that Gordon (the father) showered on his children and especially his wife was just very hard to read.  There were times I had to put the book down for a bit.

That's it for me!  Hope your Wednesday brings some joy.

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 Good Morning!

I woke up at 3 this morning chilly and had to put an extra blanket on the bed.  And no, I never did get back to sleep.  Oh well, there is time for a nap later today.

I stuck with only using brown thread this past week and just about finished the upper branches and trunk of the tree!

Very soon the upper half of this sampler will be completed!  If I don't nap too long, I might just finish that branch up today.  Then there is a creepy-crawly thing to the left of the moon and a little bit down - a thing just hanging in air (as is often the case with these samplers).  Then, of course, the Evil Serpent will start winding around the tree.  More to come later.

No real plans for today other than grocery shopping (and, perhaps, a nice nap).  And, perhaps, booking another massage and reviewing the yoga studio classes so that I can figure out when to go again.  Wishing you all an easy Tuesday!

Weekending 10/20/25

 Hello My Friends,

How are you?  This morning I am lazy, having slept in a bit.  I'll be heading over to watch Iris mid-day.  Mailing is home this morning, but will be picked up mid-day and taken to LaGuardia airport.  She is headed for a very quick business trip to Turkey and Austria.  Very quick in that she will be back on Saturday.  I know both Colin and Iris will miss her, but I think it will be a more difficult separation for Mailing.  Luckily she should be busy while overseas.

Speaking of lazy...this was the scene Sunday morning.

A deer taking a rest - very sweet.

My massage on Thursday afternoon was wonderful!  So good that I will be booking another one in a couple of weeks and then plan to go monthly.  I had forgotten just how wonderful a good massage is.  I'm thrilled that I discovered this new-to-me place.

On Saturday morning I attended my first yoga class at the new-to-me studio I found.  And it was great!  There were only three other people in the class.  I'm hoping to get to another class this week.  I need to get back into it as it was very obvious how stiff my body is!

Saturday night we had dinner at Colin & Mailing's and then a nice fire afterwards.  Dinner was delicious:  roast chicken, beets, carrots, roasted broccoli and acorn squash.  Dessert was a spiced persimmon cake with a bit of honeycomb ice cream - yummy!!

The balance of my weekend included some domestic chores, some cooking (cranberry muffins!), some stitching and reading.  Despite not picking up my knitting once, it was a lovely weekend.

I will see you back here tomorrow for a TNT update.  Have a wonderful Monday!