A Winter Wonderland! 2/23/26

 Greetings from Eastern PA,

It's a beautiful Winter Wonderland outside.  We had some rain yesterday morning which turned into what I call "thick rain" - not really rain, but not quite snow, but not sleet either.  That eventually changed into all snow and it is still coming down this morning.  I took this picture when I came downstairs and stepped out onto our patio:

It's a lot.  Right now it is very pretty.  The street has not been plowed.  I was supposed to watch Iris today, but I'm not going anywhere!

At Thanksgiving I had gotten a free (8 lbs!!) turkey breast from one of our grocery stores and decided to cook that yesterday.  I made stuffing and a small green bean casserole.  Good food on a snowy day.  This morning I have the bones simmering on the stove for soup.  I think a turkey sandwich is on the menu for lunch!  I will freeze the soup for another day.

Some nice surprises over the weekend:  I discovered a new flower on my biggest Christmas cactus!

And then I discovered buds on another Christmas cactus!

I guess they really like living in my office room (where I never turn on the heat).  When I watered plants this morning I noticed even more buds on the one plant.  

So, a good day to stay in.  We don't even need to go grocery shopping tomorrow if we don't want to.  Plenty of food in the freezer.  I think today will be spent knitting and/or stitching, some reading and listening to the Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion and, perhaps, a little nap after lunch!

I hope everyone is warm and cozy and if you are in the midst of the storm or expecting it, stay safe!!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 1/27/26

 Hello My Friends,

Well the storm has come and gone though the bitter cold is lingering and even increasing.  Fortunately we did not get the full amount that was predicted.  I think we received 9.5" - 10" overall.  With the crazy winds blowing everything around it's a bit difficult to tell for sure.  Then, of course, the sleet came and covered it all with a crustiness.

Our neighbor Rob came over on Sunday to bring us cake!!  He had made an Opera Cake at Eve's request for her birthday.  Boy is that delicious.  And, he promised to be back on Monday to clear our driveway.  Sure enough, he was over yesterday morning and made short work of our driveway and sidewalk.  When Colin & Mailing came over (with Iris) late in the day, Colin cleared the snow off our cars.  What a gift to have such wonderful people in our lives.

More than anything, my time was spent cooking.  I made split pea soup on Sunday and baked some bread.  Yesterday I made vegetable beef soup and a blueberry quick bread.  Some stitching and knitting was accomplished and naps were taken.  I also read a bit.  And watched the birds as they attacked the seed Fletch had put out for them.

Mabel was in and out about a hundred times!  Not staying out too long at any one time, but spending some moments rolling on the (bitter cold) patio and closely watching the birds.  At one point I watched her chasing a tiny mouse across the snow.

So now it is Tuesday and time for a TNT update.  Eve had a bit more flesh stitched and when I tired of that color I started to fill in the ground below her.

I really need to stitch more of her hair - she just looks so weird right now!  LOL

And look who has become interested in learning how to stitch!

Today we will venture out for some groceries.  Here's hoping the store won't be too crowded and we can get in and out quickly.  Stay warm my friends!

Weekending 1/19/26

 Good Morning and Brrrrr!

It has been a snowy weekend here for sure.  The trees are so pretty and the roads are clear, so that's good.

The above picture was taken (I think - hard to remember) either Saturday early evening or Sunday early morning.  In any event, we ended up with 3-4" on Saturday and then another 3" or so yesterday.  Way more than what had been predicted (a dusting).

Last week I decided to take a little break from the computer and instead of getting online with my coffee I sat and worked on my knitting and stitching a bit.  It was lovely.  Kat mentions how she does her daily stitching in the morning and I decided to do some making early in the day.  I found it to be soothing, calming and just all together wonderful.  And so it continued for a number of days!  

My yoga classes were also wonderful.  The restorative yoga on Friday evening was excellent.  I will be taking that class again when it is offered.  The snow kept me from attending class on Saturday, but I had plenty to keep me occupied at home.  Colin, Mailing and Iris came over in the mid-afternoon.  Colin was doing a few things for Fletch (including shoveling the driveway!).  Iris enjoyed playing with the magnets on the refrigerator and also a rattle:

This wooden rattle usually sits on a shelf in the kitchen.  It was carved from a single piece of wood by my paternal grandfather - Iris' great-great grandfather!  Being wood, it's not very loud, but it gives a satisfying sound when you shake it.

Luckily the snow had stopped at that point.  I had booked dinner reservations for us at a local restaurant - Agua Bistro.  So we headed over there for an early dinner.  There were oysters and escargot for appetizers both of which Iris enjoyed.  I don't do oysters, so I stuck with the escargot.  Our meals were very good (I had sea trout, Fletch had scallops, Mailing had rigatoni with broccoli rabe and Colin had a steak).

When we got up Sunday the snow started again.  I made some breakfast quesadillas for us and we stayed put till the afternoon.  A trip to CVS was in order to pick up a prescription and then we dropped off one of our cars at the mechanics for an inspection appointment today.  Fingers crossed nothing needs to be done!

All in all, a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend.  Though I missed catching up with your blogs, I did not miss being on the computer.  I hope your weekend was just as nice and here's to a good week ahead!

Baby It's Cold!

 Good Morning!

Geeze it's cold outside!  We woke New Year's Day to a small, light dusting of snow.  I had hoped to take a walk, but our winds were high (again) so I opted to stay in.  This morning finds yet another light dusting of snow on the ground.  Enough that I will need to clean off my car before I go to yoga (I don't think there is going to be much sun to melt things).  Fletch heard that we are having the longest cold spell since 2010!

Well, I may not go out to walk but other creatures do.  Plenty of squirrels and birds around.  The birds have even come to our front door!

I do love seeing bird tracks in the snow.

Yesterday found me doing all things I love!  I spent some time knitting.  I spent some time stitching.  I spent a short time napping.  And I spent time cooking.  I made a recipe for dinner that  Kym shared the other year:  Lemony White Bean Soup With Turkey and Greens.  Perfect on a winter night, and now there is a big container of it in the freezer for another night.

As mentioned above, I have a yoga class (Yin) at Noon and I need to go to the bank and also pick up a couple of things at the grocery store.  Other than that, I'm planning for today to be pretty much like yesterday - knitting, stitching and perhaps a nap.  Dinner is already cooked - I took homemade sauce out of the freezer for tonight.  I'll cook up some pasta and make a big salad to go with it.  Easy Peasy!

So, for me, a gentle start to the New Year which feels perfect.  I hope your start to the new year has been equally comforting to you.

Weekending 1/20/25

 Good Morning!

Pretty chilly here (11 when I looked at my phone earlier), but not as cold as Boulder, CO.  My brother texted me that it was -7 at his house yesterday morning!

So, what has been happening?  I was at the King of Prussia Mall twice in the past 4 days.  This is a place I have not been to for at least a decade!!  But, necessity demanded a visit.  I (finally) got an iPhone and needed to pick it up at the Apple Store.  Then we ditched cable on Friday but could not get our TV hooked up to our new internet (we had to upgrade that...of course...), so we bought an AppleTV to hook up and that seems to be working.  Eliminating cable has not saved us very much $$$ (we are now streaming Hulu plus live TV) because our internet fee went from $35 to $100.  It's all a game and I don't enjoy playing it at all.  Bottom line:  I hope I don't need to go back to the mall...ever...!!

Then on Saturday mid-day, I received a text from our neighbor Rob with this picture:

Fresh out of the oven and he wanted to know if we wanted one.  They are either round loaves or gigantic rolls!  LOL. And they are a combination of sourdough, rye and whole wheat.  I replied "you bet" and within 5 minutes Rob was walking into our house with one of these beauties.  We ended up having part of it last night with bowls of chili and it is delicious!

(For those of you who have read "The Serviceberry" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Rob's sharing reminded me of that book.)

Sunday started off chilly and damp feeling.  We were expecting a "big" snow and it finally started around 11 a.m. and continued to snow most of the day.

We ended up with maybe 3" or so...maybe a little more (I did not go out to measure).  You can see in the bottom left of the photo where Fletch had shoveled a path out to our bird feeder hanging on the clothesline.  Gotta keep our avian friends well fed in this weather!  Our temps are forecast to dip into the single digits overnight for the next 3 nights or so.

My plan for today is to stay inside and do some knitting and stitching, some reading and perhaps a little napping.  If I get motivated or ambitious, I may try to do something with my recipes (organizing would be a good idea) or my knitting and stitching supplies.  Sometimes it is easier to just close my eyes and mumble "another day."

Please stay warm if you are in the path of this deep freeze.  We have food to keep us going for days which is a nice feeling!

Weekending

 Good Morning!

It feels as though Winter is back in town.  I ran out early this morning to get some bloodwork done and thought I might get blown away!  And, of course, the winds were fierce ALL night which did not make for a restful time.

How was your weekend?  Mine was nice.  I met up with Dee on Saturday (we had to change our plans from today) for several hours of chatting and sipping and knitting.  Friday night I had thought I was going to need an intervention by Dee!  LOL  I had been knitting on my Hitch on the Move when I realized I had the wrong number of stitches on the needle.  I could not figure out what had happened, but there was a spot that just looked crazy.  I still don't know what I did, but it took me over an hour to fix it.  I have not looked at it since...hopefully all is ok.  I will most likely pull it out later and have a look.

Saturday was rainy all day and we had standing water (again) in the back yard.  Sunday we had a little bit of everything!  It was crazy out there.  Fletch and I dropped off one of the cars at our mechanic's for service on Monday, and right after we got home this happened:

We had rain, we had snow, we had sleet, we had clouds, we had sun and we had MAJOR winds.  The winds are supposed to continue all day which is not a pleasant thought.

Luckily I had taken some homemade soup out of the freezer for dinner, so I didn't have to do much!  Fletch watched the Oscars and I spent the evening knitting and reading.

No plans for today other than to take it easy.  I appreciate the luxury of being able to do that!  Hope your week is off to a great start!

Unraveled Wednesday 2/14/24

 Hello and Happy Valentine's Day!!  

Here's to a day filled with love (every day should be filled with love) and, perhaps, some chocolate and some vino.  And some flowers!

We stayed put yesterday.  It snowed all morning and we ended up with about 6" overall.

Wet, heavy snow.  Fletch did go out later in the day to clean off the cars and walk down the driveway to get our mail.  It was so pretty and Miss Mabel loved being outside in it.  She was out most of the morning and then napped most of the afternoon.

Well, as mentioned, it's Valentine's Day and also Ash Wednesday and Unraveled Wednesday.  Let's link up with Kat and her Merry Band of Unravelers and see what everyone is making and reading this week.  I have both a finish and a start to share!  First up, my Route 66 sock (first one) is finished and...not wanting to have second sock syndrome, the second one has been cast on.

I'm not sure who will end up getting these.  They will be the right size for both Fletch and Colin.

I'm happy to have (finally) started my Hitch on the Move.  Only the start up rows have been knit, but it's a start...actually the second one...the first time I somehow dropped a stitch and messed everything up.  But now I'm on a roll (I hope).

The yarn is Ema's Yarn.  On the left is "Wish You Were Beer" and on the right is "Weathervane."  I bought these two skeins a few years ago on an outing with Dee thinking that they would be nice together in a shawl.  I had no specific pattern in mind, but then Hitch on the Move came out and I thought it would be perfect.

Reading has been mostly slow.  I'm still reading This Book and still finding the text somewhat tedious and boring...the recipes look good though.  And, I'm listening to "The Poisonwood Bible" which has more humor in it than I recall.  Not that it's a comedy or funny book by any means, but there are times I laugh out loud while listening.  I still have about 8 hours to go.  I'm in queue for a couple of books at my library, so hopefully one or more will come to me soon.

Fletch and I are still enjoying The Ride of Her Life - this would go much faster if we read more than 10 pages or so after dinner.  Still, it is very enjoyable.  The kindness of strangers is such a nice thing to read about.  And, it reminds me of when my Mom and her friend Jennie took off from Vermont in 1940 and road their bikes all the way to California.  They too experienced the kindness of strangers in so many ways.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.  Fletch and I are running out late morning to a candy store about 30-45 minutes away.  They sell the most wonderful dark chocolate pretzels and Fletch has had a hankering for them for months now!  And then we will go out to lunch somewhere.  I'll catch up with work emails when I get back.  I'm practicing for retirement (in just a few weeks!!).

Tiny Needle Tuesday 2/13/24

 Good Morning All,

Well, the snow is here.  I had guessed (wrong) that we would just get rain.  It was raining pretty hard when I went to bed at 10:30 last night and was still raining when Mabel asked to go out at 4:30.  But, when I got up at 6:15, the street, cars, lawn - everything - was (and is) covered in snow and it's coming down at a pretty good clip.  Luckily I ran out yesterday afternoon for milk (was just about out) and sunflower seeds for the birds, so we can stay put today - no need to go out.

Luckily I did get out for a walk yesterday morning.  I went early - 9 a.m. - and there were not many on the trail.  Once again I walked alongside the Perkiomen Creek in Oaks.  No sign of a blue heron or red winged blackbirds (I keep hoping to see them) but just about a gazillion geese.  At one point I didn't know if I would be able to continue down the trail as the geese were covering it.  Fortunately they moved out of the way.  These are not nasty geese.  I did spot a sign of spring along the side of the trail - little bulbs coming up:

Now, of course, these gentle little plants are covered in snow.  That's Spring!

Happy Mardi Gras!  It kind of snuck up on me this year.  Colin was soaking beans last night to make red beans and rice.  I didn't even think of that, so we are having pasta with sauce that I made a few weeks ago.

So here we are at Tiny Needle Tuesday and I do have an update to share.  My Queen Bee has gotten her wings!

Don't her wings look lacey and delicate?  I'm planning on finishing the border at the top today.  There is also a bottom border and then sort of a honeycomb design on either side.

Since I will be house-bound today, I may take the opportunity to stash dive and pick out my next project...this one is nearing completion.  Of course, I could easily get distracted by any one of a million other things.

Have a wonderful Tuesday and if you are in the path of this storm (or any other), stay warm and safe.

Weekending 1/8/24

 Hello and Good Morning!

How was your weekend?  Mine was one for staying inside.  Plans to meet up with Dee were cancelled ahead of time due to still fighting a cold and the weather predictions.  We hunkered down and spent the entire weekend at home (perfection in my book!).

It did start to snow as promised right around Noon on Saturday, but though pretty it didn't amount to much after all was said and done.

And then it changed to rain and was just very cold and damp.  Comfort food was on order so I had put on a pot of split pea soup early in the day.

It was a warming meal and I made biscuits to go with it.  Mabel was in and out only about a hundred times!!  She'd go out for a little bit and then paw at the back door to come in, have a bite to eat and get warm.

Sunday was still pretty chilly.  I made macaroni and cheese for dinner along with stewed tomatoes.  Comfort food again!  Later we watched the first episode of the new season of All Creatures Great and Small.

Has anyone else watched the new season of Shetland?  We still have one more episode to watch, but my gosh what a bunch of wacky characters!

My Mom always bought candles around Christmas time that dripped different colors.  They were some of my favorite and the other year I found some on Amazon and bought them.  Then I forgot about them and didn't use them.  They were re-discovered this year just last week, so I brought them out.

 These are a bit of a disappointment.  They look a bit anemic to me.  My memory tells me that the drips from the candles my Mom always bought were much larger and more dramatic.  These drips are more like toothpick trails.  Luckily I have some other tapers we can use when these are finished.  We do enjoy having dinner by candlelight at this time of year.  Cozy and pretty!

It was a great weekend for getting in some knitting and stitching as well as a couple of naps. My kind of weekend.  Now it is back to reality.  I have a conference call at 10 and some other work-related projects I need to do.  Whatever is on your plate or agenda today, I hope it brings a positive start to your week!

Tiny Needle Tuesday 2/28/23

 Hello and Good Morning!

I had not intended to NOT post yesterday, but...I slept in a bit and really my weekend was not all that exciting.  Good but not exciting.  I did meet up with Dee as is our habit on Saturday mornings and that was delightful as always.  The balance of the weekend was filled with some chores, but also some knitting and reading and stitching.  And I took no pictures.  I also had a number of errands to run yesterday morning, so after I got some laundry going, I went out.

There is a stand of bamboo that I have passed many times and I've always wanted to get a picture.  As luck would have it there is almost always traffic behind me which prevents me from slowing down to take a picture.  Yesterday luck was on my side!

You need to click to enlarge so that you can see ALL the panda bears that someone has placed in among the bamboo.  Too funny and too cute!  This is actually just down the road from Colin's offce (here in PA...not TX), so I sent the picture to him.  He knew exactly where I had been!

Today we are saying goodbye to February and getting ready to welcome in March.  March can still be pretty fickle, so don't put away your woolens just yet.  Yesterday did warm up a bit late morning and I decided to get out while I could to walk after lunch.  Once again I walked along the Perkiomen Trail which runs by the Perkiomen Creek.  There were SO MANY geese again.  

Instead of my usual jaunt, I turned left from the parking lot and went down the trail in the opposite direction.  I do love seeing a pretty stone wall covered in moss and lichen.

I won't pass this wall in warmer weather - there are very large snakes in that wall - this is near Colin's office and he has seen them numerous times.

I also love seeing a line of  Sycamore Trees.  They always look so stately and graceful to me.

There are so many beautiful homes in this area - many perched high above the water with mostly glass fronts.  What views they must have!

I had hoped to spend the afternoon stitching, but work interrupted those plans!  I did, however, do a little more since last Tuesday.  

After I calmed down work and the multiple emails, it was time to prep dinner.  I made a new recipe last night:  Sticky Tofu which turned out well.

It's the first time I've cooked tofu and I did manage to get it crispy and the sauce was delicious.  I call that a win!  I think I liked it more than Fletch, but he did have more than one serving!!

And then our fickle weather showed up.  I was talking on the phone to a friend and opened the door for Mabel.  This is what I saw:

If you enlarge, you will see some solar lights that are on around our arbor at the entrance to our woods.  That is all the snow we got, though it remained cool overnight.  The tops of cars are still covered.  Hopefully the sun will do it's job on the windshields before we leave to go grocery shopping.

This has turned into a long, rambling post.  Thanks for sticking with me (if you are still here).  Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday!

Weekending

 Good Morning!

How are you?  How was your weekend?  Ours was snowy and cold, but we were spared unlike a lot of New England and the coast line.  Our snow started Friday morning and continued most of the day.  However, it was so fine and falling so lightly we hardly had any accumulation.  It started again overnight and I heard the snow plow go up and down the street early, early - like 3 or 4 a.m.  Saturday morning we woke up to 3" or so and it was still snowing.

Mabel ventured out several times, but stayed on the patio.

Once she came in, bird tracks accompanied her tracks on the patio.  The birds were feeding steadily all day long.  It snowed till about Noon and Fletch said we ended up with about 5" which is not a whole lot.  Luckily it was dry powdery snow and he had an easy time clearing the cars and making some paths (out to the bird feeder to fill it, out to the compost to dump stuff), clearing the sidewalk and front porch (so Amazon can easily deliver!!).

It was pretty, but quite cold and the wind was howling.  We did not venture out (well, Fletch did to shovel, but I stayed inside).  Usually we do grocery shopping on the weekend, but with plenty of food, there was no need.  It is still pretty chilly (10 this morning), so I think it will be another day at home.

The weekend filled up quickly.  I baked a chocolate olive oil cake (Smitten Kitchen recipe), made some veggie dumplings for lunch, cleaned bathrooms and did a bunch of laundry.  There were naps, reading, stitching and knitting and last night we watched "Around the World in 80 Days" and "All Creatures Great and Small."  A nice balance of chores and fun things.

Let's hope the start to the week is a good one.  It is supposed to warm up to the 40's by Tuesday or Wednesday - time to haul out the grill again!!

Happy Lunar New Year to all - Year of the Tiger!!

Making Tracks

 Good Morning!  

It's snowing here.  We don't have a lot, but someone has already been out and is enjoying making tracks.

There was no hesitation on Mabel's part - she quickly went out when I opened the door and then gingerly stepped on the snow.  I think she likes it!

She is back in now, but making a bit of noise meowing.  She probably wants to go back out.

I did walk again yesterday on the trail by the canal.  Once again, not many people out and about.  No heron sightings, but there were lots of geese and ducks on the water.

Colin was over last night and it was so good to see him again.  I realized that we will not see Talbot and Marcel again until we head down to TX!  We will see Colin again and Mailing on Sunday for dinner at Mailing's parents home.  The movers are supposed to come today and tomorrow.  Not sure what will happen with the snow.  Colin's car will be picked up next Tuesday to be shipped down and they all fly down on Wednesday.

Today's plans include two conference calls (yuck) - 10 and 11.  Other than that, I plan to finish Holiday Sock #1 (I'm up to the toe decreases) and cast on #2.  Maybe some stitching, and finish "Matrix."  Probably I should do some housework, but that is low, low, low down on the priority list - LOL.  Not sure about a walk.  I enjoy walking in the snow, but it will depend on whether the roads are clear or not.  And, we are making home-made pizza for dinner.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Tiny Needle Tuesday

 Good Morning!

Well, a bit more snow fell than was forecast!  Here is what it looked like all morning (well, from 9:30 on) - a downy at the suet feeder and other birds flying in to sample thistle seeds and meanwhile the snow coming down like crazy!

All told, we ended up with an additional 5" or so.  By 2 p.m. the snow had stopped and temps had risen above freezing.  It still felt cold and damp to me, but Fletch went out and shoveled a path to the birdfeeder as well as out to the compost area.  We did not get the forecast rain, so there is still a lot of snow on the ground.

It was a good day to say inside and have some tea.  I had a fairly busy morning work-wise, but the early afternoon provided an opportunity for some knitting and stitching.  The past week was a pretty good one for my tiny needle.  Here's an overview of where my Quaker Autumn Sampler now stands.

You can see the middle motif is finished - complete with a hunter and a deer!  In addition to finishing that motif, I managed to stitch 3 leaves, the letters X, D and Q, a small bird to the right of the D and the larger bird with a branch (of something) and a red beak.  Here's a close up:

Still quite a bit to stitch on this, but I can tell the end is in sight!

I tried a new recipe last night that turned out delicious!  Encilada stuffed mushrooms:

Portobella Mushroom caps stuffed with a mixture of sauteed onions, pepper and garlic.  Then you add some frozen corn and a can of (rinsed) black beans.  A bunch of spices, some fresh chopped cilantro and a small can of red enchilada sauce.  I baked them at 400 for about 20 minutes then pulled them out to add some shredded cheese on top and sliced jalapenos on mine.  I made fresh quacamole to go with it.  So yummy!!

Hope everyone is having a great week!  

More Snow!

 Good Morning My Friends,

I'm a bit weary this a.m. which I will explain in a bit.

But, first, tell me how you are and how was your weekend?  I hope you carved out some time to enjoy those things that you do - knitting perhaps, reading, sewing, whatever.

Colin & Mailing came over Saturday for dinner.  I made red beans (a New Orleans/Creole dish) and rice, roasted Brussels sprouts and an apple crisp (with whipped cream of course).  The kids brought over frozen Palomas (Ina Garten recipe) and wow were they delicious!  Red grapefruit juice, tequila, lime = amazing!  The only picture I took was of the red beans in the morning when they were simmering away on the stove.

Aside from the kidney beans, the dish also has hot & sweet Italian sausage, onions, peppers, garlic, celery and a ton of spices.  So tasty.  (And pretty in my new Dutch oven!!)

Snow was forecast for Sunday and sure enough it started a little after I got up and continued all day.  At times the flakes were HUGE.  It was (thankfully) a light, fluffy snow - easy to clear from the cars and the drive.

It was very pretty out.  At one point I was sitting in the kitchen working on my stitching and I looked out the patio door and there were so many cardinals!

Cardinals always look so striking to me against snow.  What a sight!

I was also able to get a start on the second Yule Wave sock.  I cast on Friday night and got the ribbing finished.  Yesterday I finished up the colorwork and have started down the balance of the leg.

My sleep was broken Saturday night, so I was pretty tired and went to bed early last night - like 9 p.m.!  Tyg woke me at 12:15 to go out.  Mind you it was forecast to be bitter cold last night (and it is 11 degrees this a.m., so the temp did drop), but I figured he has a fur coat, he will be fine.  Well, I slept a bit fitfully after that and at 3 a.m. I heard a noise on the patio roof right off one of our bedroom windows.  I got up and looked out (it's almost like daylight at night because of all the snow) and that bugger of a cat was on the patio roof meowing to come in.  I can't believe he managed to climb up onto the roof with all the snow!  He saw me looking out, so I opened the window and before I had it fully opened Tyg had jumped up, pushed the screen in and was jumping from the windowsill onto the bed!  What a beast!!  Of course, he wanted a kitty treat after that episode, so I went downstairs with him, got him some treats and then went back to bed.  It took me some time to fall back asleep, so that is why I am a bit weary this a.m.  Luckily work (so far) is quiet.

Hopefully my peaceful morning will continue and I can just take it easy.  Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Still Snowing on Tiny Needle Tuesday 2/2/21 AKA Groundhog Day

 Hello and Good Morning!

It appears the weather folks were correct...for a change...we have not had a storm like we are having currently for a long, long time.  Yesterday we had sleet ALL morning.  You could hear it hitting the window and at times making an awful racket.  At some point in the afternoon it changed back to snow.  Fletch was out shoveling a path to the bird feeder and I stepped out to take a picture.  This was at 9 p.m. last night (Monday night):

And now it is 6 a.m.  This next picture is one I took when I stepped out on the patio at 5:30 a.m. this morning:

It looks very similar, but I can tell it is a little deeper.  The weather app on my phone is showing the snow continuing through 7 p.m. tonight.  That will be a lot!  Or as my friend Leslie commented, "that's a butt load of snow!"

I did make a turkey pot pie for dinner which turned out great (and I forgot to take a picture) and also made some bread (and failed to take a picture of that too).  We haven't tried the bread yet, but it's an oatmeal bread with wheat germ and both whole wheat and white flour.  Work was a little busy for me, but not too crazy.

The birds were feeding like crazy ALL day.  This guy showed up at our peanut feeder while Fletch and I were having lunch.

Lots of blue jays, chickadees, tufted titmice, sparrows, wrens, woodpeckers, cardinals, etc.  Fun to watch.  And, amusement for Tyg of course!  He was trying to help last night as I took pictures of my Quaker Autumn Sampler:

Poor Tyg has been a little stir crazy.  He goes out and then comes back in...then goes out again and comes back in...then chases kitty ghosts all around the house.  After a bit he will settle in a chair in the kitchen where he can feel the warmth of the heater or he will sprawl on the bathroom floor tucking his paws underneath the heater.

But, speaking of the sampler, it is TNT, or Tiny Needle Tuesday and a little bit of progress has been made in the past week.

The letter Y, the acorn and the rabbit were all stitched this past week.  The rabbit looks more like a Jackalope minus the antlers.  Fletch thinks it looks like a Kokopelli.  Whatever it is, it was fun to stitch.  Slowly but surely the sampler is filling in a bit.

On another topic, I'm tempted to fool around a bit with MDK's Kiki Mariko pattern - looks like an awful lot of fun.  Is anyone working with this (or have you in the past)?  The MDK post today shows a sweater (!!!) in that pattern as well as a cowl and, of course, the rug.

Planning to get more knitting (and maybe a bit of stitching) done today.  The bathrooms need to be cleaned as well and now some laundry because earlier I spilled an entire cup of coffee on me!  Klutz!  Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Snow Day

 Good Morning!

How are you?  How's your weather?  We are having a snow event!  Word on the street is that this storm will bring us more snow than we have seen in 5 years or so.  Forecast for us is up to 14" possible!  Here's what it looked like at 6 a.m. (still dark thirty):

When I stepped onto our patio to take this shot, I could hear the sleet hitting surfaces, so the awful "wintry mix" is happening.  The snow started yesterday right around 12:30 p.m. or so, and it is supposed to continue snowing through tomorrow!  And tomorrow, of course, is Ground Hogs Day.  If this weather keeps up, Phil will not see his shadow.  The wind seems to be back again too, which is not fun.

We were supposed to head over to Colin & Mailing's for dinner yesterday, but with the snow coming down we all decided it made more sense for us to stay home.  Boo-Hoo.  Hopefully all this will be cleared up by next Saturday when C&M are supposed to come to our house for dinner.

Fletch and I are both now registered with the County for THE VACCINE.  No word on when we will get it, but at least we are registered.  My brother in DE received his first dose last week (his wife still has not, but my brother has major health issues).

A little knitting was accomplished over the weekend.  Not as much as I anticipated, of course.  But here is where things are with the sock and the cowl:

I'm on the heel flap (Eye of the Partridge version) on the sock and am more than mid-way through the Interrupted Rib section on Heart Warmer.  In the mail I received my Darning Kit from Katrinkles so I set to work repairing a pair of Colin's socks.  All I can say is that I need practice!  My patches are quite uneven.

On the cooking side of things, I made Morning Glory Muffins for breakfast yesterday.  Oh boy!  It was like having carrot cake for breakfast.  Yum.  They have grated carrots and apple as well as crushed pineapple, coconut and walnuts.  I planned to take half over to Colin & Mailing, but now we are stuck with all of them!  I wanted something warm and cozy for dinner tonight with all the snow, so I took leftover Thanksgiving turkey out of the freezer and will be making a turkey pot pie.  Comfort Food FTW!

If this were PPD (Pre Pandemic Days), I would be having a snow day, but since I typically work from home these days, even though we are having a major storm, I will have to work.  Boo-Hoo.  Hopefully I can squeeze in some knitting and reading time.  I hope everyone had a great weekend and if you are in the storm's path, be safe and warm.

Weekending

 Good Morning!

How was your first weekend of 2021?  Mine was nice.  Saturday was on the warmer side - 40's.  It did not get quite as warm as forecast and I did not walk (think WIND).  But Fletch wanted to grill, so we had Shish Kabobs!

So freakin' good.  We had some beef, chicken and pork on the skewers.  Marinated baby bella mushrooms in the long closed basket and peppers, onions and cherry tomatoes in the round basket.  We each had some of the sourdough bread that Mailing had made to go with it all.  

Sunday morning wasn't quite as warm.  In fact, we woke up to this:

The snow did not last long (it was finished by the time we had consumed our breakfast), but it sure was pretty coming down.  Later we had a bit of sleet and then rain (like we really need more of that!).  Anyway, it was a good day to stay inside and read, knit and nap.  The knitting paid off and I have my first finished object of 2021:  another Antler Hat.

I made the brim extra long so it can be rolled up.  The yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light and it is VERY soft.  I used size 8 needles and ideally I should have used smaller ones.  The knit is pretty loose, but I think it will keep someone's head warm.  Right now it is blocking in the downstairs bathroom (the heat is on and it is laying on a rack above the heater).

I'm not one to make resolutions and I don't spend much time reviewing the prior year.  But, I do enjoy keeping a journal of knitting and reading.  I think in 2021 I should add stitching as well.  Over the weekend I did look at what I knit and read during 2020.  On the knitting end of things I completed 20 items:

• 14 pairs of socks (7 were for others and 2 were shortie socks)
• 3 ear/headbands
• 1 blanket
• 1 hat
• 1 pair of fingerless gloves

My reading surprised me.  I was in a reading slump for so long and there were so many books I started and then abandoned.  In the end, though, I read 30 books.

• 20 were fiction
• 8 were non fiction
• 2 were books of poetry
• 8 were read out loud with Fletch after dinner
• 12 I rated at 3.5 stars or below
• 10 were 4 stars
• 5 were 4.5 stars
• And 3 were 5 stars

The high number rated at 3.5 or below doesn't surprise me.  Much of my reading ended up being what I would term "easy" books - either a chick-lit type or an easy mystery.  Nothing wrong with that and they are what my brain could handle much of the year, but I never tend to rate them very high.  Two of my favorites were re-reads from years ago:  "The Survival of the Bark Canoe" by John McPhee (love all of his writing) and "Woodswoman" by Anne LaBastille.  Another favorite (5 stars) was "South Moon Under" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.  All of those were read out loud after dinner with Fletch.

I've already finished two books in 2021!  But I think I will save those for Wednesday's Unraveled Post.

Today I am going to venture into the office.  I have several things I need to print in color and I have a check to drop off covering my personal UPS charges when I sent out packages for Christmas.  There are also some errands to run:  Staples for a new notebook/journal for my 2021 knitting/reading/stitching, CVS for some vitamins and the State Store for some wine.  I don't plan to be in the office long...but that is always subject to change.

Wishing you all a great week!

A Thursday Jumble of Things

 Hi and Good Morning!

Last night was another one where I was awake more than asleep.  Hopefully there will be a nap later on.  But first I have a doctor's appointment at 8:40 and a rash of reports to get out.  So...a busy morning.

Yesterday saw our first snow of the season!  So pretty.  It started a little before Noon and lasted for a couple of hours.  No accumulation, but it did stick to tree branches.  Hopefully the very short video below will let you see what it was like.

When Colin & Mailing were over on Sunday, he mentioned seeing an abandoned bird's nest in one of our burning bushes.  Yesterday when I walked down the driveway to get the mail I saw it.

Do you see it?  At the center near the bottom.  There is also the beginning of another one above it and a little to the left.

Finally, I only rarely go on IG, but the other day when I opened it up this appeared!

Of course I LOVE it!  I need to save the image - perhaps for stitching or something.

And that's it for me this morning.  I've got to try to knock out at least one report before I get ready to head to the doctor appointment.  Have a great day!

Unraveled Wednesday 01/08/20

Good Chilly Morning All!

My drive home from work yesterday included a bit of rain, then some splatters, then some "fat rain" and suddenly snow!  And it continued for some time.  However, it was very light and didn't really amount to much.  Looking out my backdoor at 5 a.m. this morning, this is what it looked like:

Pretty, but not enough to stay home from work.  The thing that looks like an icicle hanging from the tree is actually a thistle feeder and to the right of that, the "blob" is really a birdhouse hanging from the tree.

My drive home also included a stop at my local library.  I had received an e-mail yesterday that a copy of Fever had come in for me.  YAY!!  So far (30 pages into it), so good.  I'm enjoying this story and thinking of my Grandparents who were born a little bit before the time of the story.  My Dad's parents were both in Vermont, but I don't believe my Mom's parents had immigrated (my Grandfather from Denmark, my Grandmother from England) yet.  Just weird to think of them being alive during that time and to read how people (not wealthy) were treated in those days.  Looking forward to getting further into this book.  I should easily finish prior to the discussion in February led by Carole, Bonny and Kym.

On the knitting front for this Unraveled Wednesday, I'm happy to show you my Monkey Socks (free pattern on Ravelry).

The first one was finished on Saturday and the second one started that night.  As of last evening I was into the heel flap of Monkey #2.  I'm enjoying the colors in the patterned yarn...but it is still "sticky" and not all that pleasant to knit.  I do like the black heels and toes.  All in all, a happy project.  The socks came to work today and I'm hoping to finish up the heel flap and get the heel turned at lunch.  I was able to do another 10 rows on the flap this morning while having my coffee at home.

Unhappily, neither the Canary Blanket nor the Head/Ear Band that I am knitting have seen any action since last week.  Despite having numerous projects on the go, I still tend to focus on one to completion.  Well, the blanket does get some love in between projects - no way could I work solely on that to completion.  I would go batty!  (Or battier than I already am!).

So that's it for me on this Hump day (which also happens to be Soft Pretzel Day at work!!  woo-hoo!!).  Linking up with Kat on this second Wednesday of January.  Head on over to her blog to see what others are up to knitting-wise and reading-wise.