Pumpkin Sunrise

  Hello! How are you?  After a week of dry hot weather, we finally had some rain. Our area is still behind in rain accumulation but the bit we had helped a lot. Frodo and I walk early in the mornings before the sun has a chance to be intense. I've flipped my whole morning routine around so I can get some exercise.  I'm enjoying the quiet this week. Nothing going on and oodles of time to read or knit. I started a pair of gift socks only to rip it all out and start over again. They were too big?! I love when I make rookie mistakes, it's humbling.  Frodo had his vet recheck. He is doing much better and clinically has minimal symptoms, but his liver is still wonky, but not alarmingly wonky. I'm grateful his symptoms are under control once more and he acts like his old self (annoying at times, lol). He will see the vet again in October when he is FIFTEEN years old. He hates the vet and lets her know it. I've been exercising more in the house and incorporating more streng

Well now, how are you? How has your week been? Over here we are flying by the seat of our pants! I decided on a whim to start a sweater for me yesterday in defiance to the summer season. This sweater is 100% wool yarn. Yep. I am throwing myself into fall colors and daydreams of cooler weather. I couldn't decide on a new sweater pattern so I picked a pattern I have knit once before. This was the weekend that both sets of kids and the grandkids were to visit but that all was cancelled on Wednesday. Our granddaughter has had an antibiotic resistant ear infection with a fever all week long. Maybe the kids will reschedule for later this summer. I'm still having the family picnic tomorrow with local relatives and I have lots of cooking to do today and tomorrow! I'm excited to see everyone. Frodo has a recheck next week and I cannot wait to see how his bloodwork is! He has improved and we are glad about that. His haircut this time is so cute and he looks like a puppy sometimes. H

  Good morning! How are you?  I am valiantly ignoring the weather. I slipped and started to complain and then stopped myself. Complaining about how hot it is will not change how hot it is. I'm amused that in the middle of winter and the middle of summer (AC), Frodo needs a blanket because he is too cold after his grooming appointment for about a week. All I know is that I love being inside nice and cool. My weekend was calm, relaxing and wonderful. I finished reading Hello Beautiful  and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was entertained the whole way through. I am now in the middle of The Secret Garden and the way the author describes how miserable Mary is in the beginning of the book reminds me of my grumpy childhood, lol. The Power of Silence is good and is about hearing God in a noisy world. The world is noisy, loud and at times obnoxious. I find this read deep, profound and I read a little bit at a time. Besides cleaning the house and doing laundry, I did a bit of journalling. All in al

  Hello! How was your celebrations yesterday? We had a quiet Fourth of July. Next weekend our children and grandchildren will be visiting and causing mayhem. I like the quiet days leading up to a family visit. My to do list is quite detailed although not quite finished. Yesterday my husband and I had burgers and fries at home then some ice cream.  Frodo is feeling better again. His vet followup appointment for repeat bloodwork is in two weeks. It's nice that he's acting like himself more, barking at everyone and no one in particular, he loves to look out the window and watch the neighborhood, like Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched.  I've been reading Hello Beautiful  and The Secret Garden.  I'm enjoying both of them. I thought I've never read The Secret Garden but I have in my youth. The plot is so familiar and when she met the friendly robin I remembered. I just can't remember when I read it. Maybe my teen years... Summer days are reading days for me. I love sinking

  How are you? What have you been working on this week? My knitting has been slow since the weekend. Above is a photo of the leg warmers for my mother in law. They are coming along nicely. I cannot wait to be finished with this project so I can start a new project. I have yet to decide what the new project is but you will be the first to know. Frodo was unwell again, hence the lack of knitting time. However, we are on the road to solutions for him. I have great difficulty getting an appointment with his regular vet because of their limited hours and the days they are opened. On Monday, I successfully obtained an appointment and he received a thorough examination. He has a history of a wonky liver for the past four years without symptoms (schnauzer thing) and it is flaring up and causing symptoms now. That is why he is having repeated bouts of diarrhea and un-wellness. The vet has a medicine treatment plan for him and is quite confident we can get him back to his regular self. We have

  Good afternoon! How are you? How was your weekend? Ta Da! I pulled out some paints and I painted a tiny picture over the weekend - I felt creative and Frodo approves of my skills. Also this weekend I worked on the lace shawl and am so close to the end.  We didn't do much this weekend, at Mass I nearly passed out because it doesn't have AC (this is my childhood church that is very old) so I guess we are going to an AC Church until the fall. No one else looked hot, even the priest with all of his garb. So it's me and my autoimmune condition. Heat and/or sun are just awful for me.  I've been enjoying sitting on the back patio and some quiet time there. 

  I survived the heat wave. This morning is glorious! I cannot wait to walk Frodo and be comfortable while being outside. It's the simple things of life. How was your weekend? Mine was lusciously boring. I finished the Civil War book after marathon reading for three days. All I did was read. I enjoyed the book and yet I will not be starting another non fiction book that is nearly 900 pages of reading any time soon. Besides reading, I started on the second leg warmer and have made steady progress, it's my nighttime knitting where mistakes are minimal and the thinking is minimal as well. I also started a pair of mittens for me but I will talked about that project on Wednesday. I do not have any classes this week except Tai Chi. Next week is a week off from summer classes before the second summer session begins. I love having the time off. May you have cooler weather! How was your weekend?

  Good morning! How are you? Are you in the heat wave? I am trying my best to ignore this weather but I have to confess, I'm dreaming of autumn. This will not serve me well, so I pushed the desire deep in my soul and I'm trying to see the beauty of summer while ignoring the heat and humidity. It's always a challenge. Frodo and I are walking at 7 am this week. We are both bleary-eyed and tired but at least we are somewhat comfortable for a 20 minute walk. He continues to do well. He is now on a special prescription low fat diet because he is a schnauzer with a sensitive stomach. He loves the food! He is worth every penny. We are in our bonus years with him. Every morning when I wake up and he wakes up I say to him (he can't hear but I think he feels my sentiment) 'we have another day together!!'. He will be 15 years old in October! What an old old man who is living his best life! I wound up this skein of super scrumptious yarn that my daughter and son in law gave

  And just like that, I'm back in ordinary time.  I go to my classes and continue to love Wednesdays because that is tai chi day. I'm not an expert but I've graduated myself to the back of the class so that new people can be up front if they wish to see the instructor clearly.  Frodo continues to be well considering his age. We are grateful to have him every day. Holly continues to check in on him and wish him well. In the photo above, she is watching us from the upstairs window as we walk around the yard. For the first time since moving here (2021), the hydrangea bush is blooming! Every day I witness its beauty. Now if only the lilac bush would bloom. Maybe the inspiration will come from the hydrangea bush for next spring.  Our daughter and son in law are visiting us this weekend and today I have a bazillion things to do. (it feels like a bazillion). I wish I would have done a little bit each day this past week but I waited until today.  I have yet to decide on a sweater p

  Good morning! How was your weekend? My weekend was wonderful. I enjoyed having a healthy dog and all the benefits of a healthy dog. Frodo finished his medications on Sunday morning. We are back to walking daily, not as far as in the colder weather but still a nice walk. I walk him a little bit, take him back to the house then I finish my walk on my own. I love having my walking buddy back! Both Saturday and Sunday afternoons, I knit some and read some. I try my best to make my weekends feel like weekends with lots of relaxation. On Sunday morning, I attended 7:30 AM Mass while my husband and brother in law worked on replacing the deck stairs.  Below is a photo of calf (leg?) warmers (?). My mother in law requested socks with no feet to keep her calves warm in the winter. So I'm making a pair of socks with no feet - this should be a speedy knit. How was your weekend?

  How are you?  I am doing well and so is dear Frodo. Everyday I believe he is back to himself and then the next day I see more improvements. He's on two antibiotics until the end of the weekend so I imagine coming Monday he will be the fully restored and rebooted Frodo.  Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers, they meant a lot to me and they worked! Every day is a bonus day with him, and I take each day as it comes. He will be 15 years old in October. Yesterday we went out for lunch at our favorite outdoor restaurant near a pond in a local park. The ambience is fantastic. Over the fence by our table, we watched a bird sitting on a nest built amongst the reeds. The best kind of lunch entertainment. I have slowly eased back into ordinary life. I knit a bit, read a bit and journal a bit. It's a wonderful existence. I am enjoying my non-credit classes and as you know, I am once again in Tai Chi, if you ever have a chance to take a class, I highly recommend it.  Below is a p

  Good morning! How are you? How's the crafting been going for you? I am surprised that I finished these pair of socks amidst the stress of Frodo's illness, but when you are sitting with a dog for long periods of time you end up with some knitting time. These socks are the last pair I'm knitting for my husband, but they are not the last pair of socks that I am knitting. I will be making some pairs of socks for holiday gifts this year. While the yarn was nice to work with in my hands, I did not like the super long repeat of colors and I found the colors too muted for my liking.  In other news, Frodo is back to his old annoying self! He is slightly thinner than before and maybe a tiny bit fatigued. He is still on many medicines until the weekend but we are thrilled to see him acting like his usual self. Thank you for all the well wishes! He felt them and I am grateful for them. What are you working on this week?

  My weekend was spent taking care of Frodo who is slowly improving (I'm impatient and wish it was faster). I love the photo above. Frodo cannot see Holly, but she is all in on supporting him. Our flowers are blooming like crazy and every time I walk outside, I see something new or interesting. How was your weekend?

 Hello! Just a quick note that our dear Frodo came back home yesterday afternoon. He has more recovering to do and I'm the main nurse. So because of my nursing duties, I will be posting infrequently on my blog until he is less needy.  He is on a bland diet, two antibiotics, a probiotic and an anti-nausea medicine as well. It's nice to see him eating again even if it's chicken and rice. Hopefully by the end of next week, he will be on his regular diet. He is a terrible patient and tries to bite me. I'm a terrible nurse with limited patience. We are a fantastic team!! May you all have a lovely weekend!

  Good morning lovely people! How are you today? My knitting has come to a screeching halt this week because after we picked up Frodo from the kennel on Friday evening, he started with unrelenting diarrhea and we were on 24/7 nursing care. We took him to a vet practice on Saturday morning and the medicines they prescribed did not work. Yesterday morning I drove him 50 minutes up north (as opposed to going south towards the city) and he was seen at an emergency vet hospital that has 24/7 nursing care. He was admitted for dehydration and I was so glad!!  He is expected to make a full recovery.  My socks are coming along, I even knit another inch after I snapped the photo above. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! I hope all of you are having a fine weekend. I'm popping in to do a post since tomorrow morning I'll be busy visiting my dad and my step-mom.  Earlier this week, we went to London Ontario to visit his mom. We stayed at the nicest hotel named the Idlewyld Inn and Spa . Our room was perfect and everyone we met was kind, friendly and helpful. We will definitely stay there again whenever we are there for a visit. We had a nice time with his mom and took her about town doing what she wanted to do and eating at restaurants where she wanted to eat. I think we made her happy. We had nice weather going up and back, but sadly on the way home a major highway was shut down in Canada due to construction and they didn't give detour information. Our US phones act like they are gasping for air in Canada when they try to use the satellite.  The navigation app on my phone used up most my battery, but we did find an alternate route, got back into the USA. My phone breathed a s

  How was your weekend? Mine was relaxing and 'ordinary'. I spent most of Saturday reading books or knitting or sitting and relaxing. It was a fantastic restful day. Frodo is getting old and only wants to sit outside for about 20 minutes then he wants back inside.  On Sunday, we went to Mass and I endured a speaker (after the sermon) who was going to 'keep it short' which is code for another 10 minutes which is not short at all. My wish and desire is that they put it in the bulletin.  Sunday afternoon was more of the same as on Saturday just add my laundry. I sketched (!) on both days, feeling rusty but definitely loving the time I spent in my sketchbook. How was your weekend?

  How was your weekend? My weekend was spectacular - the most important news is that I made it to the diabolical section of my sudoku book. I do a puzzle during lunch and now that I'm in the diabolical range a puzzle takes me a few lunches to figure out. Delightful!! Do you puzzle? If not you should, it's fun. I also do the NYT puzzles on a daily basis.  My husband started ripping off the deck floor because it was rotting and what was to be a simple job has turned into fixing many mistakes when it was built. Nothing ever goes to plan does it? I think he's happy out there.  I did a lot of reading and finished the 14th book ( The Locked Room ) in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths and I have already started the 15th book which is also the last book in the series. My knitting has been nice. I continue to knit for limited amounts of time because of the fantastically healing wrists.  Those precious knitting times are a joy. My wrists are a joy as well. I've got a mig