Pumpkin Sunrise

This week the weather has decided to give me a much needed break.  I've been enjoying low humidity and mild temperatures that have been rare most of the summer.  I know this reprieve will end soon.  I've noticed some leaves falling, dare I hope that it is an early sign of fall?  I'd like to believe so. This week I've been seeking peace and calmness in my days.  I love when I have a string of easy days where nothing is pressing on my mind, oh to bottle up that contentment! Then of course there are those days when everything is on my mind, I magnify their importance and maybe just maybe I am magnifying in error.  How lucky that every single morning is a personal reset to focus on what matters. This is why mornings are the sacred time of the day for me. This week my husband has put up netting to save the kale and the cabbage from cabbage worms.  It's a battle.  He'll be retiring next Friday and the duties and tasks are in multitudes until that day arrives.  The gar

Hello! I have to admit that this week has been upside down with my knitting.  The above project also had to ripped out two rows (twice!) because clearly I am challenged at following a pattern correctly.  However, I am happy to report I am back on track and the knitting is easy! I've had two knitting zoom meetings and at both I made some errors.  Reading and knitting is fine, talking and knitting is a slippery slope for me. I finished reading Rules of Civility  by Amor Towles.  Overall I enjoyed the book, I had trouble getting into the story line at the beginning and the ending was 'okay' but all the middle part I enjoyed a lot.  I have a Tana French book, In the Woods , that I'm itching to start today.   What are you working on this week?

How was your weekend? Mine was nice, we stayed home and relaxed mostly.  I made potato salad and every time I eat it, I remember my childhood - Easters and picnics - with family.  It's a nice memory.  My one Aunt made the best potato salad and everyone who followed her recipe couldn't recreate hers.   I just follow good old Betty Crocker and omit the onions and double the celery.   My husband wasn't feeling the greatest so I forced him to not do anything yesterday.  If he isn't trying to get everything done before retirement (two weeks!) he is doing a myriad of chores around the house.  He started power-washing the cement around the pool and gosh that is noisy! diving board needs power-washed In the mornings I hear an owl and it's delightful.  Sometimes at night I can hear him/her but definitely at 5:30 a.m.  Also the tree frogs are getting louder each evening.  I love their sound too.  Well folks, like Icarus I flew too close to the sun.  I boldly have been knittin

Last night the rain finally came although the amount wasn't nearly enough to make a substantial rise in the lower than usual pool level.  This week's forecast is for more chances of rain.  For the first time I heard the tree frogs last evening that live in the woods, truly a late sign of summer. The cicadas were late to sing this year as well but they are doing their thing sweetly harmonizing with the tree frogs.  Any day now the acorns should be falling.  Fingers crossed! I fell down two delightful rabbit holes yesterday.  First I looked for a watercolor book that was printed in 2002 and I wanted to own a copy after an eager flip through of a library copy.  The internet is my tether to the world, I socialize, shop and consume news while I stay home as much as possible.  The challenge is to balance all of them. The other rabbit hole was looking for a state park or state forest where we could meet our daughter and son in law for a socially distant hike/walk and share a packed pi

As I mentioned previously, I finished the socks !  Sadly I am disappointed in the very light splotches that look to me like the dye did not take.  Originally they were going to be a Christmas present for a family member but now they will go to my husband.  He will love slightly imperfect socks! I've been thoroughly enjoying the golden wheat shawl .  It's an easy addictive pattern that I know I will knit again.  I save this knitting for when I am 'zooming'.  I can talk and knit with this project. My last project that has been getting a ton of knit time is the never ending gradient shawl .  Yup.  I started to read and knit at the same time at great peril.  As you can guess both the knitting and the reading are extremely slow going but I feel like I'm getting somewhere with the multitasking.  If I make a mistake I will be doomed.  This wool is slippery with the silk content and yet I continue to believe I am invincible.   That folks is how I live on the edge.  Some peo

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good.  We didn't leave the house Friday, Saturday, Sunday and most likely we are staying home today (Monday).  We did take a morning walk earlier on the weekend and it was unbearable humid.  Bleh.  I'm not a fan.  I am quite happy to stay indoors in blissful AC.  Frodo equally is happy to be inside, at ten years old (almost 11!) he cannot take it.  My husband thinks he is fine and I worry too much. I did finish those pesky socks.  Maybe I'll share the photos on Wednesday when we talk knitting.  I keep chipping away at the wheat shawl and the ashling shawl  that has no end in sight since it's lace weight and it's a thin lace weight! We talked to both kids a lot over the weekend.  My son gave me a video call tour of his new apartment, it looks so nice.  He now has central air conditioning and it's made his quality of life go up a bit.  That AND a dishwasher!  What a game changer.  I'm hoping to visit my daughter someday s

Summertime is in full effect this week.  Every day is hot and humid.  I am trying my best to not complain and to enjoy each day.  I am thankful for AC and for soft signs of the season to come.  Usually I am up around 5 a.m. and greeted by Holly the cat.  Lately the sunrise is an hour or so afterwards, so Miss Holly sleeps in a bit.  I eagerly await for her little meow 'hellos'. My mornings are restful and contemplative.  I usually journal about the previous day and do some religious readings and prayers while drinking my coffee.  I write a gratitude list daily which makes my day start with the best frame of mind. Acorns!!! In the beginning of the pandemic, I missed so much of my regular routines:  going to dinner at a restaurant a few times a week, aimlessly shopping and seeing my kids whenever I wanted to see them. Now I am content to not eat out, I have many recipes at my fingertips and ingredients in my fridge/freezer to pull off a dinner in a snap.  We do pick up a pizza ev

I keep working on this gradient shawl each and every single night.  It grows and grows and still have oodles of yarn yet to knit up! I am thoroughly enjoying every stitch. The golden wheat shawl also gets some knitting time every now and then.  The pattern is easy to follow but I cannot read and knit at the same time because most rows have something going on.  I love how this is knitting up! What are you working on this week?

How was your weekend?  Mine flew right by.  I had the best intentions to read all day every day and do some creative watercolor paintings.  Instead I made coleslaw (because my dad's coleslaw was so good and I knew I could make it as well).  I also made basil pesto for some pasta and a cold rice salad with veggies, feta cheese and olives (yum). Oh and I made two loaves of zucchini bread.  Our zucchini is producing and my dad gave me some as well.  I have to admit I am thrilled to be out of the banana bread phase.  Oh and the best nuts are pecans, just saying. the boulder wall with growing grass! Saturday I toodled about knitting and half heartedly reading a book on my Kindle.  I have 1 1/2 hours to go and I am determined to finish it today.  I swear! Sunday I you-tubed Mass and did all the laundry and cleaned the house.   My son and future daughter in law to be are settling in nicely up in Indiana.  I hope we can visit them soon and see the place in person.  Fingers crossed for that