Thinking of My Mom Today

Today marks 37 years since my mom died. That's a long time ago, but I still think of her - and often talk to her - every single day. 

I love this picture. She said she was probably about 4 years old here, and that people used to bring ponies around the neighborhood when she was a little girl and parents would have their kids photographed on the ponies. When I was a little kid, I used to think my life was supremely lacking and unfair because no one brought a pony - or any other animal - around the neighborhood for any reason, ever. To be 100 percent perfectly honest, if someone brought a pony or a horse or a donkey, or any other out-of-the-ordinary animal to the neighborhood today, I would want a picture with it - even if, for the animal's sake, I wasn't *on* it. 

WHERE HAVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PONIES GONE???

Anyway, my mother was a lot of fun. After my dad died, and my middle sister finished college and got married and moved away, it was just the two of us for about 10 years. They weren't easy, since we didn't have a lot of money, and she had health issues, but we did have a good time, and I have the best memories of spending time with her. 

This is, I think, her high school graduation photo. It's nice to think of her being so happy and having so much ahead of her, before things that come with adulthood had actually arrived. 

She pretty much always looked like a version of this photo, so I could always recognize her in the bazillion pictures she had from friends and family. 

Though towards the end of her life, when she was probably about a year or so from dying, she had lost a LOT of weight and though she still had all of her hair, it was cut very short so that she didn't have to fool with it much. At the time, she lived with my sister and brother-in-law, and their four kids. She was confined to a wheelchair, so didn't get out as much as she had for all of her life. 

My sister and brother-in-law were invited to a barbecue at a country club where their friends were members during this one particular summer. The friends knew my mother as well, and told my sister to bring her along, since there would be people there that she knew, and it would be a chance for her to get out, etc. So they all got ready and headed to the country club, and for a while at least, things went well. Then a woman who knew my brother-in-law through his work (he is a labor lawyer) came up to talk to him, and he introduced my mother. Well, apparently this woman was one of those types who sees elderly people - particularly those in wheelchairs - as infantile. So she started talking to my mom like she was a little kid - you know, "Oh how ARE you sweetie? Is this fun for you?" And my sister could tell my mom was getting annoyed. 

Then the woman said, "Oh I know who you remind me of - Nancy Reagan!" and my mother responded, "Well that's not good." To which the other woman said, "Oh that's a compliment, I love her and think she is so beautiful." To which my mother said, "Well, then you're a damn fool."

And then they went home. Like, *right* after that. 😂😂😂

That, my friends, is a perfect story about my mother. She could be perfectly nice, and pleasant to anyone and everyone. But she did not suffer fools gladly. When my sister told us about this, none of us were surprised even one small bit. And she had always been like that, it's not something that developed as she got older. 

Yeah, I've got a million stories, and of course she also had a bazillion sayings and expressions, some of which I've shared here. So although I miss her every day and would love for her to be here still (but she'd be over 100 years old, and The Tim said he doesn't think he could take that, LOL), most of my memories are happy ones, or of fun things we did together. She believed that life was to be enjoyed, and as far as I can tell, she enjoyed her life for the most part. 

I know I am like her in a lot of ways, as are my sisters. But there was only one person who was actually her. So raise a glass today and do a "goddam toast" in her honor. 

That is, if you can bear it, since it's "hotter than Billy be damned." 😉

Puppy Love

Hello and Happy Friday! I've been fairly productive so far today, which pleases me because for a change I can clean up some things without feeling like I'm going to pass out.

Besides the summer top I've been knitting (more about that another time), I started another project that is a little bit fiddly, but fun. Many years ago, I purchased a kit from Barrett Wool Co., to make the Waffles Puppy. Then, just like many things I think would be wonderful to make/do, I put it away and kinda sorta forgot about it. When I did a stash review in April, I came across it again, and decided that I would definitely make it over the summer. I even set it where I would see it to make it handy to pick up and get going.

And all during June, it just sat there. And I would always be ready to start, but not really. Then last Thursday, I decided it was time. I found the needles I would need, and got started. Now, I can't remember if the yarn arrived in the kit already wound, or if I had actually wound it up when I received it, mistakenly thinking I'd start it soon. But in any case, once I had the right size needles, I had no excuse but to give it all a try.

I spent a little while knitting, and finished the head, including adding in the safety eyes and nose that were included in the kit (and that was quite a project itself, let me tell you!). 

I love that little face!

Then yesterday (what is it about Thursdays so far?), I tackled adding the ears. It was tricky, because a) I'm not good at picking up stitches "on the right leg of a stitch" in general, and being that it was on a stuffed part of the project, it was challenging for me. But you know, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all that. 

It didn't take long until that sweet little face had some ears to give it more of an identity:

And once I got past the first couple of rounds of knitting the ears, it was pretty quick. It was a good thing to be doing (and I thought, appropriate) while I was transcribing voicemails for PAWS,* the organization that I volunteer for a couple of times a week. 

Next up will be the body of the pup. I've looked ahead at the instructions, and much like the ears, it looks pretty straightforward, once you pick up the stitches on the bottom of the head and get going. 

Now, if you look at the photo of the Waffles Puppy, you'll see that he has both a hat and a sweater. I'm not convinced that I'll have it in me to knit a tiny sweater once I'm finished with the puppy. Maybe a hat, but I've decided that since it's summer, a hat and sweater would be too hot anyway to wear. So maybe that will wait until cooler weather, when a sweater and hat would be needed. 😉

*****

What are you up to this weekend? As far as I know, we don't have any specific plans, other than the usual things we do on a weekend, which is fine. The Tim will likely be busy working on setting up his new computer that arrived the other day. And I will be busy staying out of the way because I am not an idiot! 😂

I'm kind of hoping that I can get The Tim to take a couple of days of vacation sometime soon. Not to necessarily do any real traveling, but maybe a day down the shore, and/or some other day adventure. It would be a nice change for both of us. We have a plan for a long weekend in Rehoboth Beach after Labor Day, which I'm really excited about, but it would be nice to just have a few days to poke around places in the next few weeks.

Here's hoping you can find some happiness and joy over the weekend, and have a chance to relax. I'll be back next week, take care!

*PAWS = Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society

Recipe: Cold Cucumber Soup

Hello all - while I'm at my volunteer gig, taking care of kitties, I thought some of you might enjoy a recipe that is perfect for summertime - provided that you like cucumbers!  This is something I've been making during the summer for years, and it's always good and especially welcome on a hot day. So for those of you who are cucumber-friendly, here you go!

Cold Cucumber Soup

2 medium cucumbers (or 5-6 of the small type)

2 cups buttermilk

3 green onions, sliced 

Pepper and dill to taste

--> Wash cucumbers, and cut them into 3/4 inch slices. Reserve six of the slices for garnish, by wrapping them up and refrigerating them.

Pour 1/4 cup buttermilk into a blender or food processor; add half of the cucumber slices and blend on high speed until smooth. Add remaining cucumber slices, pepper, and onion. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining buttermilk, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and no longer than 48 hours. At serving time, garnish each serving with reserved cucumber slices.

Needless to say, you can add any additional ingredients you may like, and you can use both fresh or dried dill and still get a yummy result.

I hope if you try this, you'll enjoy it. 😊

July 4, 2025

How to Celebrate the Fourth 

of July When America

Is a Constant Disappointment

Build a little banned books library for the neighborhood

children. Hoard Plan B for your sisters & daughters

& nieces & friends. Forgo fireworks & provide comfort

to shelter dogs frightened by the noise. Plant explosions

of rose & dahlia across your yard - make your lawn

a rainbow welcome mat for pollinators & love.

Learn & acknowledge the names of Indigenuos lands

where you stand. Sing Joan Baez. Read Langston

Hughes. Dance to Bruce Springsteen. Boycott Amazon.

Savor the fireflies while you still can.

-- Danielle Coffyn

End of June FO: Cat Socks!; and, a Quick Catch-Up

 Hello! I didn't mean to be away so long. But one week found me in a flurry of Dr appts, volunteering, and being much more social than I wanted to be - especially by the end of that week!  And last week the heat and humidity had me in such a deep depression, I just didn't do anything much.

But I'm here now, with an FO to show you!

I started these socks at the beginning of June:

And one of the very few things I did last week was actually finish the pair:

Project: Cat Socks!

Pattern: Peeky Catsocks, by Marna Gilligan

Yarn: CoopKnits Sock Yeah DK, in colorways Ammolite (pink), Fleet (blue), and Tatarus (gray)

Needles: US size 5/3.75 mm

Modifications: Instead of having a big cat face "peeking" out of the foot of the sock, I knit most of the foot and then added a row of cat faces before starting the toe. The pattern has the larger cat face on the top of the foot, and a color pattern on the bottom, and I just wasn't feeling it.

Notes: This was a kit I bought a really long time ago. I remember trying to start it, and thinking that I couldn't figure out how to read the chart, so I tucked it away in a place somewhere in my stash, never to be thought of again. That is, until I was doing some stash reviewing and came across it. Since I had successfully knit my Christmas colorwork sweater, I decided to give it a shot.

The pattern is well-written, but other than using the chart for the cat faces, and following the color suggestions, I left things plainer. Not that it was vastly different from the pattern, but in any case, they were a fun knit.

Once they were finished, I tried them on and they didn't fit over my instep. Which was disappointing, and if I had been making DK socks on my own, I may have used different numbers, etc. But I was trying to follow the pattern since it was written for the colorwork, etc. So I will give this pair away, and someone will be thrilled and have happy kitty cat socks to keep their feet warm.

One thing I've decided is that I don't really like DK socks. I'm a sock/fingering weight girl, and when I want heavier socks, I just go to worsted. I like "regular" socks or slipper-type socks, but DK just doesn't do it for me. 

Anyway, I know have a cat face chart to use for anything I want, so I consider it a win overall!

*****

So, as I mentioned in last my post, we participated in the "No Kings" March here in Philadelphia:

It was great! So many people showed up, and it was incredibly well-organized. It was warm, and somewhat humid, but not completely miserable - it was cloudy so you didn't get baked as you walked along. The speakers at the end were great - and all of them kept their remarks to no more than 20 minutes. I had not paid attention to who the speakers would be, but the first one was Congressman Jamie Raskin, and he was followed by Martin Luther King III. They were followed by more local people, and everyone was articulate and interesting. We were so glad we decided to go!

There were a lot of great, and really funny signs. Two that stick in my memory said, "Happy Birthday, Old Yam Tits," and "If She Had Won, We'd Be At Lunch." 😂😂

But my very favorite was one that said, "This I The Only Orange King That Philadelphians Will Support" and it had a picture of this guy under that:

This is Gritty, the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team. He is - as you can imagine - beloved in Philadelphia, in the tradition of sports mascots that are insane. But that sign was perfect!

*****

So now you are pretty much caught up on all of the highlights around here lately. I can't believe that Friday is July 4th! But I'm all for it, if it means that summer is moving along, since as you know, I am not fond of summer in the least, and see it as a path to the next season. At least according to the weather people around here, after tomorrow, the rest of the week is supposed to be warm and bearable - like summertime used to be before global warming decided to really get going. So I'm counting on that, not because we have any plans for the 4th (The Tim has to work), but because it means I will not have another depressive episode, and that's always a good thing! Plus, I really enjoy breathing, and last week it was difficult at best. 

What about you? Any exciting plans for the holiday/holiday weekend? I'm glad we're not planning to travel, because I think it's gonna be pretty crazy on the roads. I'm planning to make a holiday-type dinner on Friday, and depending on the weather in the evening, we may go onto our roof to see some of the fireworks. But that's about as thrilling as things will be around here.

I hope your June ends well, and that July will be a good month for all of us. I'll check in later this week, take care!