Pumpkin Sunrise

dad's house Gosh, this week was crazy busy.  On Wednesday, we helped our son and future daughter in law for the first leg of the journey to relocate to Indiana.  My husband drove the moving van (no cruise control) and I followed him (I too wasn't able to use cruise control because of him).  The GPS took us through downtown Pittsburgh through both sets of tunnels.  I was stressed out.   Thankfully we safely arrived in southeastern Ohio to her parents house.  Yesterday her parents did the drive to Indiana and unloaded the truck.  I was lucky in that the truck was all packed and ready to go when we arrived at State College. dad's house Prior to helping them on Wednesday I had a tele-med visit with the kidney doctor.  She is changing my blood pressure medicine due to certain side effects that I mentioned. Already today I feel a bit better.  Hopefully I will see her in person in three months from now.  I guess it's all about protecting the kidneys based on what I have resear

Good morning!  I've got four projects going at the same time which is my knitting project maximum.  I'll be updating you on three and only two are photographed. I have been making steady progress on my plain socks .  I tend to work on these during Zoom meetings because I can talk and knit at the same time without making a mistake. The first shawl that I'm showcasing is the forever-on-my-needles Aisling shawl .  I finally arrived at the lace edging after miles of garter stitch.  Ordinarily, I love garter stitch but the combination of super-wash wool and silk makes it slippery and easy to drop off the needle.  I have to look at my knitting all the time! Next up, I started the wedding shawl over the weekend and I'm trying really hard not to obsessively knit it all up.  This yarn is fantastic to work with, also I love the clear beads that are placed delicately in the increasing section.  The color she chose matches a ribbon that will be in her hair, the ribbon might be in

How was your weekend? Mine was delightfully calm and serene, just the way I like them. I worked on some of my ongoing knitting projects.  I am finally on the second sock!  Sadly the color way while beautiful seems to be missing color in odd spots so I cannot give them as a gift (except to my husband).   We picked up Chinese food and that fed us for two days, you know what that means --  I didn't cook for two days.  We tried a new restaurant but we like our regular one better.   Yesterday we walked after about a two week hiatus.   I cannot stand humidity, so I hide inside the air conditioned house waiting and hoping for a non-humid day.  Yesterday morning was beautiful to be out, I'm glad we went when we did because the forecast is showing more of summer's oppressiveness.   The walk was filled with lush green vistas and wild raspberries are almost ready to be picked.  The daisies and the day lilies are still doing their thing.  Next up will be thistle, I love the purple bloo

Isn't Holly so cute the way she stuffs herself into the top of the tower?  She is one happy cat.  How are you?  We are in the midst of a heat wave and phew! It's hot and humid.  Yesterday seemed a little less intense but I can tell how my hair goes everywhere on how humid the days are.   As quickly as the landscapers came and disrupted the silence, they have been gone for over a week, our seeded grass is growing and life goes on.  They might have to come back and re-seed in certain places because the downpours go running into the woods taking some of the straw with it. By now the cicadas and locusts should be making their symphony appearance,  each day I listen wondering where they are.  Same with the tree frogs!  They should me adding to the music. I've been reading Michelle Obama's autobiography, Becoming.  We are around the same age and I'm enjoying her thought processes on motherhood and juggling work.  I am over half way through the book on the brink of his pre

I started a new project yesterday that is for me.  I have officially left the pink phase of knitting and am back to my kind of colors.  This yellow reminds me of golden wheat fields and sunshine.  I'm trying my best to not wish away summer and stay in the moment.   My future daughter in law picked out the lace weight wool for her wedding shawl and I'm excited to start that project.  The yarn should arrive over the weekend.  She loved my citron shawl, I'm super lucky I get to knit that pattern again.   Sometime this week I need to do a deep stash dive into my yarns for my nephew's baby to be.  Wedding knitting and baby knitting together is a double blessing. What are you working on this week?

How was your weekend?  On Saturday my daughter and son in law came for a day visit.  We haven't seen them since the first week of March and thought we should try a visit.  It was so nice to finally see them in person!  We had a lovely time in the backyard and had dinner together. Yesterday I did lots of chores before my son and future daughter in law came for a visit.  This is the last one before their move to Indiana next week.  Gulp!  We had a great time with them as well, lots of food and poolside chatting.    It was funny that this fourth of July, Frodo didn't even care about the fireworks.  I guess he can tell whether it's a thunderstorm or not.  He is so very brave.  I think Holly just hides no matter what the noise.   Just to note that I've watched Hamilton twice now (and counting).   I've got lots of laundry to catch up on today and I'm thinking of a new shawl to cast on! I bought this yarn at Cape May during our family vacation.  That holiday seems lik

The landscaper guys finished up their work yesterday afternoon.  Frodo and I are thrilled to have a bit of peace and quiet.  The backhoe would make a certain sound whenever it hit the ground and that made Frodo believe someone was knocking on the door.  He exhausted himself from his on again off again barking.  He exhausted me.  Whenever the equipment was humming and droning, Frodo thought there was a thunderstorm and shivered in fear sitting next to me looking at me with worry. Of course, whenever someone is working on your property you can't help but watch or catch a glance whenever you pass a window.  That is why nothing got done around here, I couldn't concentrate.  Yesterday I just gave into the fact that I would be distracted and went with the flow.  We are thrilled with our boulder wall, a little sad that it faces the woods and we cannot stare at it lovingly from our windows.  However the amount of fill and topsoil they added to the corner of our property should be the s

I finished this shawl over a week ago and it's officially the first holiday gift of 2020.  I love how this turned out!  I've knit many Helen Stewart patterns and enjoy how the directions are easy to follow.  There is nothing like steadily increasing stitches on every row watching the shawl take form. The yarn is from Apple Tree Knits  which I highly recommend.  The gradient color themes they create are fabulous and the wool blends are beautiful. I am officially done with my 'pink' phase of knitting (maybe!). Ravelry notes Joining Ginny

Well well well.  This weekend was quiet!  I guess when you hear landscaping equipment for three days in a row you notice the silence and welcome it.   I felt so relaxed.  This morning they will be here by 8 a.m. to start up the noise and will be here until 3:30 p.m.  They hope to be done by Wednesday but we'll see about that, it looks to me like Thursday might be the last day. The quote was for a 20 ft boulder wall but the wall builders said it was about 60 feet long...  Sounds like the kind of eyeballing measuring that I do with yarn! Saturday my husband made curry and I sat and relaxed while he labored away.  We always get into it when he declares how tired he is.  I respond that I cook everyday. Did you know that his cooking is more tiring than mine?   In the above photo he was saying take the picture over and over because I wanted it to be just right.  I was laughing too much over that.  So the photo is candid in a way.  Our walk on Sunday morning was a humid walk (not a fan). 

The boulder wall construction has begun!  The landscaper guys arrived on Wednesday and ripped out the old railroad tie retaining wall.  The plan is to move the wall away from the pool to the edge of the property before it slopes down the steep hill.  This will give my husband more area to move the riding lawn tractor around.  Also maybe just maybe the boulder wall will stop the earth from going away from the pool.  That is the plan. Yesterday they were dumping boulders which sounded like thunder to Frodo so I had to console him.  Lots of love and patience. Our zucchini plant is taking over the bed!  So far all of the plants are surviving and no one has nibbled on anything...yet.  Our gardening tends to be lax in that if a critter wants to nibble, we let them nibble.  It's much easier to not fight Mother Nature. My creative process has been ebbing on the low side these past few days. I am down to two knitting projects in my knitting bag and want to finish them before I start somethi