Pumpkin Sunrise

It's been a few weeks since I've updated you on my decomposing stump.  Who knew that watching a once vibrant tree decompose could be entertaining.  We lost the tree from a storm maybe five years ago?  We (meaning he) never cut the stump off to the ground.  Whenever we arrive home from a walk, we stop to assess the progress. Fungi, insects and what was once thought of as a bear, well.....now we shrunk the culprit down to a pileated wookpecker , makes more sense doesn't it?  Although the bear idea was a fun one.  I hear him in the distance at times during the day and I've seen him fly over our property while he's searching for those tasty bugs.  One day I will catch him (with the camera) and prove his existence. Today I'm off to pick up our daughter for a three day visit.  We have each day wide opened for adventures of any sort.  Maybe we'll just sit around and talk, which is okay as well.  She hasn't been home since May and I'm looking fo

I stumbled upon another obsession with food, first it was avocados and now it's soaked oats  (breakfast will never be the same).  I'm probably one of the few people that like cold breakfasts, so when I came across "soaked overnight oats",  I read "I don't have to cook at the crack of dawn" oats.  To make this delicious dish I measure out 1/2 cup of rolled oats (I use gluten free ones) and 1/2 cup of "milk".  I am currently using light soy milk.  Mix it together, cover it up overnight.  In the morning it looks like the above photo.  The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to mix it the night before.  I am in love with this breakfast so much that I have been diligent in creating my breakfast before bed.  Anyways, in the morning, splash some more milk of choice, add a handful of blueberries and for the sweet tooth some sugar. cold soaked oats with blueberries-check.  juice in my pooh bear glass-check.  morning poetry-check

My mitt pattern changed in one week, I'm now knitting the Optimistic Mitts .  I loved the Jo March Mitts but I wasn't getting gauge and I didn't want to knit with worsted weight on size 3 needles, it would be too rough on my hands.  I've notice that the tighter the gauge the more flare up on my joints.  So I switched and am quite pleased with my choice.  It's easy, fun and quick.  One mitt is done and the other one is almost half way.  I will knit up the March mitts one day with skinnier yarn.  Oh and if you haven't seen it yet, I finished my garden shawl .  I promise you, I'll be knitting that pattern again :) We went to the library the other day and I scooped up a few books that I've leisurely flipped through.  I was in the mood for some poetry and simple cooking.  The word simple had me-I've heard about this cookbook and I might have to own it.  I am still slogging, yes slogging through The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.  So far I&#

Oh this shawl is lovely in person-I wish everyone could come over, visit and see for yourselves.  I guess you'll have to trust me :)  The yarn is Madelinetosh Lace and it's a favorite of mine for lace weight knitting.  The stitch definition is supreme and I love the layers of tonal colors. Here's a helpful hint-do not wear bracelets while blocking your beloved shawls.  Yep, I snagged this right when I first started to pin it out.  I could have just kicked myself.  However, I quickly worked the four inch snag (I know!) back in.  Lesson learned from this seasoned knitter. I apologize for not modeling this shawl.  I was feeling quite frumpy yesterday.  A bad hair day started it off and the thought of wrapping myself in wool on a hot day was not going to de-frump me.  You'll just have to imagine me in it. In my mind, I'm quite beautiful in it with a backdrop of crisp falling leaves in mid autumn-a cold weather lover at heart. I chose this shawl patte

We (which means him) harvested all the spinach and lettuce from our little raised bed garden.  I thoroughly enjoyed both.  We traveled to see our son on Saturday for a quick visit.  We walked the campus and explored the town that he temporarily calls home.  We found a little bistro restaurant and I ate a tasty grilled cheese sandwich with focaccia bread and fresh mozarella...mmm... He is half way through his summer research program, seems like we just dropped him off! Yesterday I knit and knit and knit. I will share more, soon. We pulled out the calendar to plot out our travels, the real ones and the imaginary ones for the fall.  Sometimes the daydreams of possible places to visit can be just as fun as the actual trips. Funny how technology with virtual calendars cannot quite help my disorganized mind like the paper calendar that is in the kitchen.   Seeing the weekends and penciling in events is quite helpful :) Overall my weekend was: sunshine, humid, slow, long, peaceful an

I snapped this photo in May at a local greenhouse and waited for the Fourth of July to share it.  How was your holiday?  We had a quiet celebration with friends.  Yesterday morning found me in the kitchen slicing up vegetables, preparing a rice salad and peeling corn on the cob.  By lunchtime, the bulk of my work was done.  Even though dark clouds threatened a rain shower, the sun made its appearance and we had fun sitting outside at the patio catching up, sharing stories.  We've known each other for ten years.  Our gatherings are sporadic but each time we gather the distance, time dissolves and we laugh, joke, reconnect. Yesterday felt like Saturday and today feels like Sunday, because of a holiday in the middle of the week.  I find myself giddy from thinking "oh, I have the weekend yet to come!".  Almost like discovering paper money forgotten in a pant's pocket.  Don't you love when that happens?  My studio room is complete for now.  Using what I h

Because there are two books in the photo, you might be thinking I'm reading both.  Well sort of... I started The Last Time I Saw You  by Elizabeth Berg and the story is not keeping me interested.  I'm going to give it a few more pages and decide whether or not to continue.  Yesterday morning, I started The Sound and the Fury  by William Faulkner.  Rumor has it that this novel is his best work,  I'll let you know what I think after I've read a fair portion of it.  I've been sad (sigh) since finishing Fault in our Stars by John Green-it was an excellent novel and I highly recommend it, if the topic of cancer does not stress you. Oh my knitting-I am quickly approaching chart c which is the final chart of my lovely shawl .  Each row is pure pleasure to knit and I'll be lonely when I bind off the stitches.  I started a pair of mitts yesterday on a whim, the pattern is Jo March Mitts .  Looks like a fun pattern from what I've skimmed over.  I'm using som

I formulated an idea a few days ago.  Why not have a space to call my own?  You see, I have yarn squished in my bedroom closet and yarn sprinkled through out the family room.  My notebooks and pens were stashed in a kitchen cupboard.  I had nooks and crannies everywhere.  Since the kids are both on their adventures for the summer, I suggested to my husband that we flip the guest room into my studio room (it's a craft room but I like the word studio better). He said "why not!" that is one of the many reasons I love him. So yesterday morning, 9 a.m. we started.  We moved big shelves downstairs, small shelves upstairs, a table from storage upstairs.  I collected my "stuff" from corners and baskets.  Poor Frodo, he did not know what was going on and followed me everywhere.  I know my legs and arms were aching, so he must have been just as tired (he still sleeping as I type). I still have to share this room with guests when they visit.  However, we have

On Friday, we ate at a relocated restaurant, same great food in a different location.  The buffalo wings were oh so delicious! They create the best veggie wrap that I've ever eaten.  There is a magical ingredient that I quite can't figure out.  Whenever I make them...well, let's just leave the magic to the experts. Saturday morning found us garage sale-ing.  My husband focused on the mad hunt for records or CDs and I'm just there for moral support (or whining if I'm bored).  I rarely fine an item worthy to purchase but I do love the experience.  The first stop was my lucky day!  I found five wade figurines that begged me to take them home.  I guess I'm a collector now that I own fourteen of them.  My husband unearthed a Barry Manilow record (I know I'm dating myself here) for 50 cents. Once we arrived home we read, knit (just me), mowed (just him) and whipped up a simple dinner of chicken on the grill with rice and steamed vegetables.  Being outside i

What a storm we had last night.  Thankfully we kept our electricity and nothing was damaged on the property.  I continue to only value my electricity when it is threatened.  Funny how I'm like that.  This morning I brought my camera outside to capture the beauty before the day starts, soaking in the quietness.  My gram was an early riser and I like to think I take after her.  My mom was not and we knew not to talk until she put her eyeglasses on AND had her first cup of coffee. It's been quiet around here, but a nice kind of quiet.  The house is empty and yet we hear from the kids frequently.  It's nice to know they are fine and having a good time.  My nest might be empty of children but my heart is full and that is what matters.  My husband and I have been exploring towns, farmer markets and new recipes.  We even harvested our first lettuce!  All that washing makes me appreciate the price of organic lettuce at the store.  We did not plant enough either. I will

This weekend I wanted a fast reading book, not that I'm a fast reader.   The Fault in our Stars  by John Green is loved by my son and daughter and I believe they have read it through twice.  So I snatched the book off of my son's shelf and began to read.  I'm enjoying the style of writing and how the author captures teenage angst.  Unfortunately, many of the teens have been diagnosed and treated for cancer-that makes it a sad sad story.  Despite the seriousness of the disease, it's a funny book.  My daughter dared me not to cry when I read the ending (which implies someone will die, just guessing). I'll let you know. My knitting is all about this shawl , on Saturday I decided to knit like crazy to get to the next pattern chart.  So that has been the goal and I'm nearly there.  Only 10 more rows?  I love when there are tons and tons of stitches on tiny needles :)  The pattern is memorized and I'm on auto-pilot knitting.  Yesterday I wrote a post about th