Weekending 2/9/26

Hello My Friends,

The above picture tells the story.  It is still wicked cold...and more wicked than it has been!  That window is my front bedroom window.  As a child, I loved seeing the frost patterns on windows.  Now I still find them interesting and pretty.  They also make me feel cold.  On Saturday the temp never even made it to 10 degrees at our house, and the winds were so fierce.  I actually ventured out - there were two books to pick up at the library and I needed some peppers and mushrooms for the dinner I was going to fix.  At the library I almost couldn't open my car door because the wind was so strong!

I managed to warm up some by doing cleaning (that's one good thing about it...that and when it's done things are clean!).  I vacuumed and dusted and scrubbed the bathrooms.  It was chilly in the basement where I went to visit the washer, but it was cozy to remake the bed with sheets straight out of the dryer.

There was a visitor to my front office window on Saturday.

As I sat at my desk a motion caught my eye.  This guy was nibbling on a bush that's just off to the side of the window.  See his little tongue sticking out?  And on Sunday, I caught some deer laying down in our back yard.  I bet their butts were cold!

Sunday's temps were not much better and the wind picked up again just about the time I went out.  We were in need of wine, so I ventured out only to find my favorite liquor store was closed for inventory.  Grrrr. I ended up just picking up a couple of bottles at Wegman's (which was mobbed and I had to park what felt like a mile from the store!).

The days thankfully have been bright.  The sun is strong (and blinding with all the snow).  But when the temps are in the single digits with 25+ mph winds, the sun doesn't do much to warm things up.  We made it through the first week of February, so that's a success.

Other than cleaning and cooking, I did some reading, a little knitting and a little stitching.  Not much.  I cancelled my yoga classes due to my back issues...hopefully it will be better by Thursday so I can get back to some classes.

How was your weekend?

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!

Weekending 6/9/25

 Good Morning!

June 9th already and another grey and damp Monday.  Rain is in the forecast for several days.  Then a quick break.  And then more rain!  One of the pepper plants that Fletch put in the other week already has 3 peppers on it!  That's fast.

Last night as Fletch and I finished dinner, I glanced out back and "our deer" was back at rest by the tree my clothesline is tied to.

Such a sweetie.  She did not move when I stepped outside to get this picture.

Anyway...how was your weekend?  Mine was a very good mixture.  I ran some errands, took care of domestic chores and also found some "me" time for stitching and knitting.  Can't complain about that.  I also did some cooking on Saturday.  First I made one of my favorite summer salads - pasta with a ton of different veggies chopped up and everything dressed in EVOO,  S&P.  Yum!  And I made a peach crostata!

It turned out well and today I'm taking half of it over to C&M.  There is still some in the frig for Fletch to have.

Fletch discovered The Mountain Detective on PBS and it's pretty good.  I've only seen one episode so far.  The scenery is amazing.  Because it is in French with subtitles, it's not really something I can knit to.  I'm thinking some of you might enjoy this show.

Time for me to fix another cup of coffee.  Here's hoping this Monday finds you all doing very well.

Thursday Musings

 Good Morning All!

This is what I saw yesterday after I posted on my blog and got up to get another cup of coffee:

A beautiful deer at the edge of our woods (and next to the backdrop for my archery target) taking a little rest.  She tucked her head down and stayed that way for a good 20-30 minutes.

The apples Fletch and I saw on our tree the other day are gone.  I found one on the ground near the patio and it is almost perfect.  Small, but it will be great cut up and added to hot cereal.  There is now just one apple that I can see on the tree.  I tried yesterday afternoon to snag it (too high to reach and pick), but I couldn't get it.

The fig tree produced two more large and ripe figs!!  There are still small green ones that need to grow and ripen.  I went out to the garden to gather up parsley and some onions to take to Colin.  I then picked the rip figs and a bunch of cherry tomatoes and then...to my surprise...I spotted some large ripe tomatoes!!

BLTs are on the menu for lunch today!  There are so many green tomatoes - I may make some fried green tomatoes one night but I'm excited to think about more ripening as well.

I had my annual physical yesterday (all is good!) and got a flu shot while I was there.  I'll get the new Covid Booster next month (we've never had any reactions to either the flu or Covid shots, but if I do have a reaction I'd like to know what it is from...plus my doctor recommends not getting them together anyway).  This morning it's a visit to the dentist (just routine cleaning).

As I mentioned above, I gathered up a few produce items from the garden to take to Colin.  Last night Fletch and I had dinner with him (Mailing had a work function).  Col made the most delicious pasta sauce and sautéed up some greens for us to have with it.  YUM!!  We sat out and enjoyed a fire in his pit for a little while and just as we were getting ready to leave, Mailing pulled in.  So, at least we got to see her briefly.

And there you have it - a miscellaneous Thursday posting.  Time for me to pour another cup of coffee and get motivated for the day.  Have a great Thursday!

All Creatures 9/6/24

 Hello and Good Morning Friends,

It's Friday!!  Even though I'm now retired, I get excited over a weekend.  LOL. Old habits die hard.  

I've been walking quite a bit - this morning the first thing I saw was a bluebird!  What a gorgeous bird.  Today I walked in Oaks along the Perkiomen Trail down to the Schuylkill River.  Lots of folks out early biking, running, walking dogs.  Yesterday I walked along the canal and again there were a lot off folks out and about.  No sightings of blue or green herons...not even a turtle!  Wednesday I walked the River Trail in Valley Forge Park that goes along the Schuylkill River.  Not as many folks around, but lots and lots of birds in the woods.  I'm thankful to have so many beautiful places to walk.

But now to share some things with you.  I would not have believed this if I had not seen it with my own eyes, but Steve the Beav climbs...as in climbs trees!

Do you see him perched in the apple tree?  He, along with the squirrels and deer, has been foraging for fallen apples.  I guess yesterday he could not find any on the ground.  So up he went.  He sat up there munching on apples for a good half hour!

This morning when I came downstairs at 6:30, this is what I saw looking out our back door:

Three deer resting in the back yard!  When I stepped onto the patio to take the picture they didn't budge.  Then Mabel came walking across the yard and again, they did not move.  They are so used to her and do not see her as a threat.

Happy Weekend Everyone!  Make it a good one.

Tiny Needle Tuesday 8/20/24

 Good morning!

Rise and Shine!!  It looks to be a gorgeous day here - sunny and the temps should top out at around 75.  Sounds pretty perfect to me.

The escarole soup turned out to be delicious.  I had never made it before...so was wondering...but it was great and now there is a large container in the freezer for another day.  I also made a loaf of banana bread (which we may try for breakfast this morning) and biscuits to go with the soup.  Fletch is planning to grill hot and sweet sausage this evening, so all I need to do is sauté some onions, peppers and mushrooms to go with that.  YUM!  7 a.m. and I'm already dreaming of dinner - LOL

Tuesday has arrived and it is time for a Tiny Needle update.  Once again, just a small amount of stitching was accomplished this past week.

Some more vines, a few more rows on the basket and the words are finished.  I love the saying:  "sewing mends the soul" - those words were what drew me to this piece.  I often find stitching to be very meditative and soothing.

A few more viney flowers to finish, the basket to finish and then the bouquet in the basket and a few more doo-dads and this piece will be wrapped up.

I looked outside after feeding Mabel this morning and look who I saw:

A handsome, young buck.  There was also a doe and two fawns happily forging for apples.  Turns out they are also quite fond of Rose of Sharon branches...and I guess pretty much anything they can get!  I need to remember to take my phone outside when Fletch and I sit on the patio in the afternoon.  There is a doe usually in the yard who will often come within 6 feet of us!  I'd love to get a picture of her.

Here's hoping that your Tuesday is off to a good start.  Enjoy the day!

Friday Miscellany 6/9/23

 Good Morning!

TGIF, right?  I wish I could say I am in weekend mode, but not yet...I have two scheduled conference calls which have not been cancelled (yet).  I did not think the air was too bad late yesterday, so I sat on the patio with a glass of wine.  Fletch only came out to water the garden, and he wore a mask.  Our neighbor Rob was mowing his lawn and also wearing a mask.  I sure hope this ends soon.

I don't like the pickled watermelon rind at all.  The mix of ingredients just tastes off to me.  I may try again, or I may just order some (hello my friend Amazon).  Fletch has yet to try any - if he likes them they will stay, if not, they will be tossed into the compost.

Our apple tree is really loaded with apples this year.  As usual, a number of them are falling (or have already fallen) off the tree.  This is common.  And it brings this guy in:

The deer have been coming in to chow down on the apples.  Good thing - you could twist an ankle stepping on one in the yard.  I walk out to the garden to gather lettuce and parsley with my head down so I can see where I am stepping.

Then we have this sweet girl sharpening her claws.

Trust me, her claws are plenty sharp, but she does not think so.  Yesterday she was "playing" (or tormenting) a little mouse or vole or mole under the picnic table.  But later I found a dead robin on the ground.  I scolded her and spoke harshly, but it doesn't seem to do any good.

The purple yarn for the Abstract Leaves Cowl may be speaking to me...I knit a few rows last night and once again ended up with the wrong number of stitches (one too many).  I tinked back and will look later today to see how it is (and if I now have the correct number of stitches).  If not, that will most likely be completely unraveled and I will need to come up with another idea for that yarn.  Maybe another Hitchhiker?  That would be pretty.  Maybe with eyelets (like the green) and a few well placed beads?  Leslie might like that.  Hhhmmmmm - something to think about.

Meanwhile, time to get going!  I need to slurp down more caffeine and let the day begin.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Oh Deer!

 Good Morning!

Pausing in the midst of my Thursday work-busy morning to show you what's going on here.

Mabel came into the office room meowing which means either "let me out now!" or "give me more food."  I got up and walked into the kitchen and she was over by the door, wanting to go out.  There were two deer in the yard.  First up this one who seems to be lacking pigment on part of his/her face.

Not terribly big, dining on fallen apples.  Nearby was this little one.

Still has faint spots.  Also having some apples for breakfast.  I wish I could have gotten a video of this little one stamping his foot when Mabel went outside.  Too cute.

Anyway, Mabel turned around and wanted to come right back in.  But, 5 minutes later she wanted to go back out.  This time there were 5 deer in the back yard!

The 5th one was to the right, but out of my camera range.  All of these were taken through the sliding door to our patio.  I knew if I stepped out they would all bolt.  The little one was back and stamping his foot again when Mabel went out, but this time she paid no mind to him.  She ran out into the yard and jumped on the picnic table.  Soon the deer ran off.

A little nature break and now I need to get back to work.  Have a good Thursday!

Friday's All Creatures Great and Small

 Good Friday Morning!

The sun is beginning to poke out and the air feels refreshed.  Gosh it was hot (94) and muggy yesterday.  After dinner the wind whipped up and I could hear distant thunder.  Before I knew it we were having a whopper of a thunderstorm.  Fletch was watching something on TV and I was sitting at the table reading when POP and the power went out.  That was around 9:30.  We lit some candles, Fletch grabbed a flashlight, and we headed out to sit on the patio.  It was so still and warm.  The wind had died...very muggy.  Around 10:30 I went up to bed.  I opened the back window wide and crawled under the sheet.  In under 10 minutes the power came back on.  Thank goodness because the upstairs was very, very warm.  So I closed the window, turned on the air and the next thing I knew it was 6:10 this morning!

Yesterday I mentioned that we had been hearing a very noisy sharp shin hawk most days.  Well, while I was hanging clothes on the line yesterday morning, I heard him again.  I looked up and there he was near the top of a dead tree two houses down from us.

Again there were small birds in the tree paying him no attention whatsoever.  He flew off calling very shortly after I took the picture.

This morning while feeding Mabel, I looked out and saw a couple of deer having their breakfast of fallen apples.

If you click to enlarge, you will see the deer on the right is a young buck.  

Yesterday's post also mentioned how our fig tree is loaded with figs this year.  None are ripe yet, but when they come in, there will be a lot!

The anticipation is killing me!  LOL

And, finally, the best creature of all:  Mabel!

She says it is much too hot to be modest - LOL.  I'm surprised the grass looks so green in the picture.

Here's hoping my conference calls (2) go quickly and smoothly and I can ease into weekend mode.  I've plans to meet up with Dee tomorrow so am looking forward to that.  And no other plans to speak of which is how I like it.  Wishing you all a wonderful weekend whatever you do - enjoy!

Unraveled Wednesday 7/21/21

 Good Morning Everyone,

The light this morning makes it obvious that the days are slowly getting shorter.  I actually noticed that too last night when Fletch and I were sitting on the patio around 8:30.  I know some of you hate to see Summer go, but I'm a Fall girl and I'm looking forward to all things Fall.  Fletch discovered a volunteer squash plant of some kind coming up in our garden (thank you compost!!).  I'm more inclined to think it is some kind of gourd rather than a squash...so we may be growing our own Fall decorations!

Late afternoon yesterday this guy came wandering into the yard.  Fletch chased him away from the garden and he ended up on the backside between our garden and the neighbor's yard.

His ribs are showing!  The apples on our tree are not getting very big (still golf ball size) and some of them are beginning to fall.  Deer have been coming down to dine.  No fear of humans which is not a good thing.

I'm happy to say that work pretty much cooperated yesterday - at least in the morning.  I was able to get a lot of cleaning done.  There is still much to do, but progress is being made.  My afternoon got busy work-wise, so I was not able to get the stitching or knitting in that I had hoped to, but I was able to knit some last night and got a start on the socks for Damon.

This is the Static yarn by Knitpicks and the colorway is Neptune.  I think the name for these socks will be "Out of This World" socks.  I'm using #2 needles and knit 15 rows of 2x2 ribbing and, so far, have done 15 rows on the leg.  The leg is K6, P2 across.  The yarn is easy to knit with and (theoretically at least) these socks should go fairly quickly.

On the reading side of things I am about three quarters of the way through The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.  I'd best speed things up as I think it is due back to the library today (which is not going to happen).  Monday I picked up Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller at the library - not sure I will get through it or not.  I don't seem to be able to focus on her books, but I wanted to give it a try.

Here's hoping that today is another easy one work-wise.  I have a game plan for the balance of the cleaning I need and want to do.  And of course I'm always thinking of knitting and/or stitching in the afternoon.  As usual, I'm linking up with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday.  Looking forward to seeing what everyone is making and reading!

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!

Unraveled Wednesday 08-15-18

Good Morning All!


Wow did we have a ton of rain on Monday...and a bit more on Tuesday.  Today is supposed to get very hot again, but it was pleasant on my patio this morning - 68 degrees and just lovely.


Once again the week is flying by.  I haven't managed to do much knitting at all.  Monday night we were waiting for a plumber to show up (clogged drains over the weekend).  The good news:  the drains cleared themselves and there was no charge by the plumber because he was unable to arrive in the window of time given us (2-6 p.m....and he showed up after 8 p.m.!).  It's all good.

And last night instead of knitting, I baked a peach pie.  My pies are not the prettiest by any stretch of the imagination, but they usually taste pretty good - lol.  Can't wait to have a piece of this tonight.

The peaches I bought over the weekend are delicious!  I am going to stop by the store to get more and have plans to make some peach-ginger jam.


I finished The Radium Girls on Monday night.  Glad I read it, but glad to have it finished.  It's an unpleasant story, but one I had not heard about.  I'm reading a light mystery now, but will be starting The Weight of Ink which just (finally) came through on Overdrive.


Look who showed up the other morning!

Busy destroying some of our daylilies (not good) and a bunch of weeds (good).

Tuesday Blooms

Good Morning,


A few quick shots of some things blooming in our gardens/yard.  We have 3 Rose of Sharon bushes/trees and they have just started to open:

This shot was taken from the patio.  (My clothesline and one of our hummingbird feeders in front.)  It was way too bright and sunny to get a good picture closer.  Our yellow daylilies have been blooming for over a week now.  Such a deep, vibrant yellow!

This morning as I was waiting for my coffee to finish perking I looked out the back door and who did I see?  Mr. Deer!  Or Mrs. as the case may be.

She is at the end of our boggy area (yellow daylilies are to the right) munching on various plants that grow there.  She took off right after I took this picture...and soon Tyg came across the backyard to come in for breakfast.


Last night I stayed up way too late...but I finished my Winter Sea shawl!!!  I still need to bind it off, but I managed to knit the last 8 rows (1,856 stitches - yes I do like math and numbers) without making a mistake.  Hallelujah!!!  I'll take some shots after I bind it off and weave in the few ends.  Then I'll have to wait for blocking weather (too humid again now).


Hope your Tuesday is filled with some fun!

TGIF Miscellany

Hi All,


TGIF!!!!  And, we are having a hot breakfast at work (delicious!!) and pizza for lunch.  Those who are into sports have their Eagles gear on...I'm just here in a shirt and shawl and hand-knit socks.  Thinking/hoping today will be a good one and thinking/hoping I'll be able to Get Out Of Dodge a bit on the early side today...fingers crossed.


A bunch of random things:


Colin did make it over for dinner last night (home-made soup and he made the most delicious garlic bread to go with it - yum!).  The foot length on the sock is Perfect for him.  Toe decreases can commence.  I didn't get to that last night because we watched a movie (Get Shorty) instead.  I do plan to finish that first sock and get the second one started this weekend.


I thought I would show Colin the Arts & culture app...but he had already done it.  He made weird faces and got some very silly results (including a pouty child).


While the soup was heating on the stove, I looked out into the backyard and saw this:

There were a few more around as well.  These guys didn't even budge from dining when I stepped onto the patio.  I finally walked a bit further out because those two in the background are munching on a little evergreen tree that I love.  They all finally ran off, white tails in the air. 


The book "A Stash of One's Own" will turn into a traveling book thanks to Kathy B's suggestion.  Bridget - I will get it out to you...then Kathy B is next up.  Y'all can follow the books progress and put your names in for the rotation.


I've been known to frequently buy wine just for the label.  Sometimes I'm disappointed, but more often that not I'm pleasantly surprised.  Last night's choice:

Love the name and love the label.  Also cheap - as in $10/bottle.  Not bad either.  Not what I would call a "fine" pinot noir, but drinkable.


A pleasant surprise last night when Fletch told me that a back-ordered Christmas gift had come in for me.

I LOVE sloths!  LOL.  This bag is great - BIG and the handles are sturdy for a canvas bag.  It's large enough that a sweater project would fit in it...or two smaller projects.  Tyg likes the bag too!


The weekend is shaping up to be wonderful!  Milder temperatures (as in approaching or surpassing 50!!).  And, I'm meeting up with Dee tomorrow for some needed therapy (friends, coffee and YARN).  We are meeting up at Purls of Wisdom in Kimberton.  So, so, so looking forward to this.


Here's hoping that you all have wonderful weekends!