Pumpkin Sunrise

  Before I even get into spreading joy, look at that beautiful array of Halloween stuff! The seasons are changing and I am ready for it. This past week, my husband and I have been doing after dinner walks since the weather has been so very nice. I know it's going to be hot again, but for now I can pretend Fall is around the bend. I continue to do my daily morning walks without a dog and now they can approach a cardio workout. Frodo was s l o w. My elbow is improving but it aches a lot if I do stuff. I won't even say 'over do it' it just all depends. By the end of the day I'm like 'oof'. I see the ortho doctor for a check up and I hope I either have physical therapy or clearance to do whatever I wish. Yesterday, I decided to spread joy. I went to our local farmer's market and had a fruit basket made up so I could take it over to the vet and her staff to thank them for all that they did for Frodo. They were all so happy and I found out that two other dogs

  Yesterday evening I finished these socks which will be a Christmas gift. I hope the gift recipient will love them. I created a simple design to break up the monotony of the stockinette knitting. I did 4 rows of stockinette, 1 purl row, 4 rows of 1x1 ribbing, 1 purl row. Then I repeated that. It was a nice diversion. Thank you for your well wishes and happy thoughts about Frodo. He was the best dog ever and he is living free and easy in doggie heaven. We have Holly (the cat) to devote all of our love and attention to for now. She is the Queen Bee of the house!! We are adjusting to all the free time we have now that we are not taking care of an elderly dog. Bittersweet! What are you working on this week?

  Frodo crossed the rainbow bridge today. We are sad and miss him terribly. October 2009 - August 2024 (the best dog ever!!) 

  Around here, I'm noticing a shift in the weather. The cool mornings are delightful when I walk Frodo and sometimes it even feels like Fall is beginning. I've enjoyed my hydrangeas and their showy blooms all summer long. The black cherry trees are starting to turn yellow. I am all in for the seasons to change. Around here, I am noticing I am impatient with recovery and wearing a sling. I remind myself it could be a cast and still I'm grumbling in my head. Frodo was groomed this week and he will be 'cold' for 1-2 weeks until he adjusts to his haircut. He has been doing well and sometimes he acts so annoyingly. I feel blessed when I am irritated with him and his demands to be outside (he loves to walk around the yard). He is tolerating his new medicine well and we are happy. Around here, even though I am allowed to knit while my elbow heals, I find all knitting very slow going. Again, I'm trying to learn patience as an impatient person. I lean into gratitude and

  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?