Just the Best

Well, our trip to West Virginia for Memorial Day weekend is now past, but with some wonderful memories.  Yes, it did feel really weird to be traveling somewhere, but I was encouraged by how people seemed to be wearing masks nearly everywhere, and being careful overall.  Even at the rest stops on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, things felt OK.  That was a huge relief to me, because as much as I was looking forward to the trip, I had some anxiety as well.

We left bright and early on Friday morning.  Our GBS (Good Boy System) was ready to go!

Until he figured we were in the car for a while, it was necessary to pay attention:

But then he was able to nap and therefore be prepared for a weekend when every person around him was busy paying attention to him - that can be exhausting, and you have to rest up, you know.

I took my knitting with me.  Here it is on the table at my sister's house - actually, it's not just *any* table, it is what all of us call the Game of Thrones Table! 😄

Our drive was pretty uneventful - not much traffic, and the sun came in and out throughout the day.  About an hour from my sister's house, it really poured rain, but fortunately, by the time we were unpacking the car, it was only drizzle.  

I seriously could not believe I was getting to see my sister again!  And then my brother-in-law got home from work, and it was hug-kiss-cry all over.  We had them to ourselves for a couple of hours before Amanda and Pat arrived, so that was especially nice.  

The entire weekend - until we were leaving on Monday, of course - it was really quite cold (40s Fahrenheit overnight, 50s-60s during the day), and either somewhat rainy or just overcast.  The only down side to that for our group was that it was just too cold to sit on the porch, which all of us love to do.  Hamlet kept walking to the door as if to say, "Now?" and one time I let him out so he could sit there, but he didn't want to miss anything happening inside.  We still barbecued on Sunday afternoon, which actually was fine because it was the best day weather-wise of the weekend, so we got to start the summer outdoor cooking season after all.

One night The Tim and I treated everyone to dinner at a Mexican place that was relatively new in town.  The food was wonderful, and again, it was weird to be in a restaurant.  But also again, a place where they were paying attention to things, so it was a fun evening.  

Amanda and Pat - I talk about them a lot, but don't know if I've ever shown a photo of the two of them.  So here you go, from the Mexican restaurant.

When we were getting ready to leave and go home, Amanda said she would meet us at the car, because she had to make a quick stop.  We all assumed she was stopping at an ATM or something, but no, she stopped at Five Guys Burgers to get a hamburger - for Hamlet!

Needless to say, when Hamlet saw that Pat had something for him, and then it turned out to be a WHOLE HAMBURGER, his trip started to look better than ever!

Sunday morning, we headed to Perkins for pancakes, etc., because all of us need lives because even though we can make pancakes and such at home, going to Perkins is a treat for everyone.  Here is the group, masked:

And then, once the food arrived, the masks were off!

(P.S. The Tim is in this photo, and showed up when I edited it.  I have no idea why he is cropped out above, but rest assured, I have gotten grief about it!)

So we had a lot of fun, laughing, eating, drinking, watching TV, and playing ridiculous games.  Some of the group made sure to get their workouts in, and Mary Ellen (my sister), Amanda, and I had many very important discussions over tea and wine.  

Hamlet pretty much got non-stop attention and so much more to eat throughout the day than he ever gets from us!  And as The Tim said, some of it was MEAT - he was probably thinking "Thank God, *these* people know how to eat!"

The trip home was again uneventful, with pockets of traffic and lots of sunshine - you know, because we were travelling, not wanting to sit on the porch or anything like that ...

A wonderful surprise when we got home was seeing how big the baby mourning doves are!  They look like baby birds now, instead of cute baby alien beings.

 

I'm so glad we were able go on our trip and see at least some of the family.  It was nice to travel a bit, nice to have a change of scenery, but really nice to just hug and kiss everyone.  We had so many laughs and it was so relaxing that you were almost able to forget that anything like a pandemic was still happening.

I hope we will all remain safe and healthy after our trip.  Everyone made an effort, and all of us have been vaccinated.  I just wish people would not find reasons not to get the vaccine, so that all of us could just enjoy being. 

Oh - and for those wondering - Hamlet has been sleeping almost non-stop since we got home.  When you are that popular with people, travel is fun, but terribly exhausting! 😉

I Can Only Hope They Were Tasty

Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments on my last post.  I responded to those I could via e-mail, and then even here after I realized that none of the e-mail responses were delivered ("Recipient unknown" - yet they were all to addresses that I communicate with regularly).  Then I started to try and respond here, and those responses ... just evaporated into thin air.  I tried on two different times, and ... gone.  And so, as I said in the subject line, I hope Blogger found them tasty, since I can only guess they were eaten!

GAH.  Blogger strikes again!  And things had been going along swimmingly for a while.  Oh well, onward and upward, right?

I did finish my sweater, and wove in all of the ends.  I realized that the only thing I had to soak it in was a bucket we had in the basement, that needed to be cleaned out every time it is used.  So I determined that I would buy a separate bucket/container for ONLY knitted things.  I found one at Target for $2.00 - it's really as dishwashing thing, but not anymore.  😊

I came home on Saturday after finding it, all excited and ready to soak the sweater and block it and well, The Tim had pulled the bags of our warmer weather clothes out and placed them - you guessed it, in the only spot in the house where there is room to block something without it being bothered by any furry family members.  It's also the only spot where we can pull out bags of clothes and the Koodle can't get near them to do any revenge peeing.  

So, once those are out of the way, I'll be blocking the sweater and taking some photos.  Trust me, the wait will not make it look any different/better.  It's a basic sweater, all one color.  But I'm really pleased with it.  

In other news, I posted this to Instagram and Facebook the other day, but wanted to show everyone here.  This sweetheart has decided to set up shop in the ivy outside of our bedroom window:

Isn't she beautiful?  Since she is a mourning dove, I have named her Deirdre, which means "sorrow."  We have a conversation through the window twice a day - once when I raise the blinds in the morning, and once when I lower them at night.  For all I know, she is aware of the motion and nothing else, but she does stay put.  And yes, the conversation is completely one-sided, and mainly consists of me telling her she is so pretty, and so sweet, and how we love her and would never hurt her.  For all I know, she is actually a he named Bruiser and is plotting the bird overthrow of the world.  But I like my version better.

I realized the other day that I should probably focus next on finishing my Advent Throw - once the weather gets warmer, I am NOT going to want to sit and knit with a blanket on my lap!  There isn't that much left - I just started the 24th mini of the Advent calendar last night, so it's getting close to being finished.

That's all the news for now from here.  Tomorrow it is Pip's turn to go to the vet, so I have to strategize the best way to get him into the carrier, as I will be leaving work early to take him.  In response to Cheryl's comment, wondering if The Tim got called back to work yet, the answer is yes - kinda/sorta.  They are starting to call people back, but in the order of seniority.  So right now, he works one day a week, which is usually on Thursday (hence me leaving work early to take Pip to the vet tomorrow).  It's not the best situation, but one of the requirements for receiving unemployment benefits is stating that you have not been offered work during the benefits period.  Plus, The Tim didn't want them to NOT call him in the future because he turned them down this time around.  

I can tell you this - the animals do NOT approve of being completely alone on Thursdays!  And they have been very clear about that.  😏

Have a good one, and if nothing else, be glad it's Wednesday and the work week for most of us is almost over.

How About Another FO?

You may have noticed that I was MIA last week.  I was sick, the kind where you can't really concentrate, you have a slight fever and are miserable, and any food goes ZIP right through your system.  Ugh.  I am feeling better enough to function, and the good news is that at least right now, I do not have Covid-19, as my doctor feared; I had a test and it was negative which was a relief all the way around.  So I'll take that and just hope I feel completely better in the next few days.

I was planning to post this FO last week, but well, see above.  So you are getting one today, to start this week.

Project:  Budgie Socks

Pattern:  Blueberry Waffle Socks, by Sandy Turner**

Yarn:  Hedgehog Fibres Sock, in the colorway Budgie

Needles:  US size 1

Modification:  I only knitted the pattern on the leg, and knit the foot plain.

Notes:  I am so very happy with these socks!  I've had this yarn for a while, thinking I'd save it to make something special.  But in the end, I decided it should be socks.  I remember buying the yarn because of its name as much as the color.  I had several beloved budgies (parakeets in the US) as a kid, though they were not blue ones, and my sister had a blue budgie for quite a few years which her kids just adored.  His name - unimaginative but truthful - was Budgie.  

At first I tried to find some kind of pattern that evoked birds, or feathers, or something like that, but in the end, I decided on the old favorite, tried-and-true waffle pattern, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.  

If you have never tried this pattern, you should because you always end up with squishy, lovely socks and the pattern is an easy (and free!) one.  I've never been disappointed in the results.

Here's a slightly more closeup photo:

Happy socks, happy me!

**this is a link to Ravelry - I wanted to let people know so that they can avoid clicking over if it causes problems for them

The Story of My For the Birds Top

Hello all!  Thanks for your kind and supportive comments on my last post about my finished socks.  They are safely tucked away in my Box o' Socks, and I do think by the time I open the box and then wear them that I will feel much more favorably inclined towards them.  :-)

Do you remember a while back I posted this picture, showing the beginning of a work-in-progress?

The pattern is Main Street, and the photo above is about halfway through the bottom border of the top.  In between finishing my Cranberry Custom Fit sweater and the Annoying Pumpkins socks, I've been working on it for bits of time here and there, especially since I have reached the stockinette portion, which is perfect for knitting while watching TV or podcasts, etc.  At the moment, it looks like this:

My photographic skills and lighting, however, cannot really show the lovely shade of the yarn, so here is the link for you to get a better idea of how it actually looks.

OK, so now on to the rest of the story.  

When I decided to try to knit this pattern, I didn't have enough of any stash yarn to use.  However, I did have a store credit at Hidden River Yarns, so The Tim and I drove over there one weekend day to take a look.  My friend (and the owner) Lisa was there, and with her help I decided on the Tern yarn from Quince & Co., and also decided to try a color other than the usual blues and greens that make up most of my sweaters and knitted tops.  We decided on the colorway Dusk, shown on their website in the link provided above.  I was able to get what I needed for making this pattern with my store credit, which was exciting because it was "free" (yes, I know not really, but work with me here).

So I had nice yarn, a pattern I wanted to knit named for a type of bird, and then there was the dye lot - 007!  (Cue James Bond theme.)

And so, this became my For the Birds Top.

Why, you ask? 

Tern = bird

007 = James Bond

But James Bond is not quite who you think he is.  Nope, not the REAL James Bond.

Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond 007 stories, was an amateur birder.  He was very conscientious, keeping lists of birds he had seen, where he saw them, etc.  At the time he was creating his master spy detective, he was also reading a book (possibly Birds of the West Indies), written by James Bond.

WAIT? What?

Yep, James Bond was an actual person, and a well-known ornithologist at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.  He and Fleming even met a few times.  Reports say that he got tired of people asking him about his name, unless it got him a good table at a restaurant.  :-)

Now, this is all highly amusing to me.  And so, when I started knitting a sweater in a bird-named yarn, with a dye lot number of the master spy, I just *had* to call it For the Birds, to entertain myself!  

James Bond, 007

Another James Bond, 007

Most recent James Bond, 007

The REAL James Bond, noted ornithologist.

And *that* my friends, is the rest of the story!