Super Bowl Champions, Baby!

Well, I'm sure by now you have heard that the Philadelphia Eagles demolished the Kansas City Chiefs to become the Super Bowl Champions! I mean, I'm not sure anyone but the members of the team were ready for how well they played, but no one is complaining. It's so exciting, and especially after last week's terrible plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia, it's nice that we all have something good to cheer about.

On a personal level, it was just such a relief to have something so happy and so joyous to watch and think about. The beginning of 2025 has been horrible for us so to just be able to watch and cheer and laugh was wonderful. Does it mean the world is immediately better and nothing else bad will happen? Of course not, but it's a small circle of joy that needs to be marked and celebrated.

As I said, 2025 has not been kind to us so far. I won't be going in to detail, but I really can't remember a year that has started off this way. I do want to thank every single one of you who left a comment on my post about Pip. It means so much to know people are thinking of you, and that other people "get" it. We are getting used to not having him here, ready to cuddle, or play, or comment on everything, but there's a long way to go. Alfie and Esme have glued themselves to each other, and Milo the Koodle walks around the house meowing in the most pitiful way that he never did before. It makes it extra hard because they of course don't understand what happened. 

You know, some people complain that too much is made of sports, particularly NFL football, which can of course having lasting, terrible effects on players' brains and bodies. And that is true, but to be honest, I don't see it going away any time soon. And in the grand scheme of things, is sports the most important? No it is not. Things are still horrible in the world, and Those People show no signs of stopping the terrible things they have started. 

But for the past week, at least here in the city, people have been walking around with smiles on their faces, and nearly everyone you pass or have any interaction with would end with "Go Birds!" And last night, The Tim and I sat here and watched the game, and for a few hours didn't have a reason to feel sad or frustrated or bereft. 

And we were so very grateful for that.

Fly Eagles Fly, indeed!

Cozy Season

If you are anything at all like me - and I'm guessing since a lot of us (all of us?) are knitters, makers, crafters, whatever - you love being cozy. And here in the U.S. this is peak cozy season if you ask me. And it is The. Best.

We had a lovely weekend - nothing too much of anything, but just nice. The Tim finished his flooring project (well, I think he did. At least for now ...), and I managed to switch my summer clothes for warmer, cozier cold-weather clothes. We pretty much stayed put, venturing out to go around the corner to the market, to pick up prescriptions, etc. We watched two football games where our teams won (Notre Dame! Eagles!), and just listened to music, read, knit - I'm sure you are getting the idea by now. 😊

Yesterday I spent a lot of time thinking about my dad. He died 55 years ago yesterday, and it's one of the great ironies of life that someone who was even more of a holiday person than I am died the Monday before Thanksgiving the year that he died. I still think of him all the time, but yesterday I really felt him there. He would have enjoyed the kind of weekend we had.

I think I've mentioned here at least one hundred times that I have an ongoing text chain with my friend Lisa and my niece Amanda, where we update our progress with walking and exercise, share recipes, jokes, etc., and also set the world straight. Well, in the last few years, we have all posted daily gratitudes during November. And today mine was gratitude for having my father with me for 13 years of my life. Not long in the grand scheme of things, but I'm so glad I got at least that much time. And in some ways, maybe it was for the best - we never had time to argue about things, fight over things teens and adults do, etc. I sort of feel like I got the best of our time together.

This will be a busy week, probably for most of us in the U.S. as we prepare for Thanksgiving - the coziest holiday EVER! Today I have some cleaning I want to do. Tomorrow I have my volunteer gig with the kitties in the morning, and then in the afternoon I'll finish up with putting some things away. Wednesday morning I have a haircut appt in the morning, and my last physical therapy session in the afternoon. Then in the evening, I'll put together our stuffing for Thursday. Which is of course the big day. I'm hoping that The Tim will not have to work this year. And then on Friday, I'm getting my Covid vaccine first thing in the morning. So I have plenty going on, but it's all good stuff.

What about you? I hope that all of you had a good weekend, and are ready for a good week leading to the holiday. I hope you and yours have safe travels, if you fall into that category. I know how stressful that can be - we used to travel every year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and were fortunate because nothing really terrible ever happened. But I know until you arrive to your destination and then arrive back home, it can be exhausting. So take care, and do the best you can. 

And enjoy what I think is probably the coziest week of the year. 💖

I Do Have Knitting. I Don't Have Photos.

I'm usually pretty good about taking in-progress photos of my knitting to post here.  So even though it takes me a while to finish a project, I can still document how I'm progressing (mostly for myself, but if you like the photos, more power to you).  Lately though, for whatever reason, the knitting has been going on, but the photos have not.

Well, OK, I have been taking some photos, but they are non-knitting screenshots from the TV:

The end of a Notre Dame football game, and a victory - YAY!

Two shots from the movie "Clash of the Titans" that I came across last night.  OMG this has to be one of the worst movies EVER!  You have to wonder why Burgess Meredith agreed to be in it - did he need the money to afford a sandwich??  And then of course the dramatic stylings of one Mr. Harry Hamlin (or as he is known at our house, Harry Hamhock)!  I posted these on Instagram and my friend Lisa commented "His face never got any smarter," and well, I had a good laugh at that.  I remember seeing this masterpiece in the theater and it was SO BAD, that I laughed my head off the whole time.  Which was a problem, because everyone else in the theater was taking it very seriously.  Which of course made it even funnier to me.  Wendy commented on Instagram that she saw it on a double feature with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and I cannot wrap my brain around that combo.

So anyhow, I can *tell* you about my knitting for now, OK?  I'm at the heel of the second sock of a pair I was making and showed a few posts ago.  I am hoping to finish it by the end of the week, so I can start a pair of socks for The Tim as an anniversary gift.  It's doable, I just actually have to do it!

Then I am also working on this pattern (Ravelry link, beware if that's a problem) for my niece Liz.  Remember a while back when I showed you the photo of the very beginnings of the Hipster Shawl I was making for my niece Julie, who is a hipster?  Well, scrap that project.  I managed to get the crossed stitches OK, but oy there was a lot more going on in that pattern, and my brain had neither the available real estate nor the desire to continue, at least not now.  So I frogged the bit that I had, and switched projects and nieces, so to speak!  Actually, this makes sense, because last year I knit hats for Julie and her family for Christmas.  So I have decided that this year Liz and her family will get knitted gifts.  I'll make her this shawl, knit a Musselburgh hat (non-Ravelry link) for her husband Greg, and then a still-to-be-determined item for their son Zach.  I knit him a hat last year, so I was thinking fingerless gloves.  The idea there was that since he is a teenager, he might wear them, even if he doesn't wear gloves or mittens.  Of course, it's likely a moot point regardless what I knit for him, because he is a teenager, and I'm sure would rather have money or some other item that I know nothing about or can't afford.  I just figure for a few more years, he is stuck feeling like the kid in the movie "The Christmas Story" who gets the bunny/footie pajamas from his aunt, and his parents make him try them on.  But Zach is a good kiddo, so he will know it's the thought that counts.  😊

I also have a continuing saga of swatching for a sweater I would like to try.  It required a regular stockinette swatch, and a garter lace swatch.  I hit the nail on the head with the stockinette swatch, but not with the garter lace swatch.  So I tried again, and still no luck.  Then I realized that I had done both of the garter lace swatches with the wrong sized needles.  What a maroon!  So over the weekend I made sure to make a swatch with the correct size, and hopefully when it dries and I measure it, I'll be good to go.  Word to the wise - when you have issues with a swatch TWICE, you may want to be sure you are using the needle size indicated in the pattern.  Geez.

(OK, so at least that last link was to a photo related to knitting ... 😉)

A Weekend Like No Other

How was your weekend?  😜  As a friend of mine said, this will be a good "where were you when ..." memory.

I was out in our garden, finishing with the first parts of cleaning it up, and I could hear cheering and whooping.  Not that unusual, since it was a warm day and people had their windows open, and there are a lot of people here who watch football or soccer or whatever and get very excited about it.

But about a minute later, The Tim came downstairs and said, "They just called it for Biden and Kamala!" and I stopped what I was doing and went through the house to open our door.  Neighbors were already outside, dancing, cheering, and music was playing.  So Hamlet and I went out to join them, and oh was it joyful!  (The Tim did not join in, as he was afraid his dancing would "look like Trump's dancing." I didn't care.)  I spent the rest of the day crying or smiling or both.  

Philadelphia did not disappoint with their reactions, here are some photos for you to enjoy.

Here are some more photos.

And then of course, this:

Which was supposed to happen here:

*****

Saturday night, we had another reason to celebrate (and stayed up WAY too late) because we watched Notre Dame beat #1 Clemson in two overtimes!  It was a great football game, and Clemson's second string freshman quarterback is amazing - I find it hard to believe he is second string, I'm guessing being a freshman has something to do with it.  

Sunday, I attended a fun Zoom knitting meeting for an hour.  It was a group of somewhat random people but everyone was in a good mood (wonder why?), and it was wonderful.  

Other than my part of doing some cleaning up in the garden, I did nothing else socially redeeming over the weekend.  Well, unless you count having voted so that I could help my adopted city help the country to save democracy!

Finally - something good happened during 2020.  😂        

It Was Nice While It Lasted

Last week was so incredibly enjoyable, being able to stay home and not deal with my horrific co-workers!  As you may have noticed, I didn't even post here, though to be honest, a lot of the reason was because nothing much was happening worth showing you.  :-)

It was an excellent blend of getting things accomplished and relaxing, and the weather was very cooperative, which I appreciated A LOT.  I didn't get all the things on my to-do list taken care of, but I hadn't really expected to, so I wasn't really upset with myself.  But the things that were done gave me the chance to feel like I had finally made a dent into a lot of things!

The weekend topped it all off nicely, with the New Jersey Sheep and Fiber Festival on Saturday, and the Eagles winning their football game on Sunday. 

The fiber festival was so much fun!  One of the nicest things about this festival is that it is very approachable as far as size is concerned.  Which is not to say that it is not as much sensory overload as the larger fairs and festivals - trust me, there's A LOT to see!  Of course, I spent a lot of my time talking to and petting the sheep (whether or not they wanted me to - spoiler alert: most of them didn't care), and I even got to kiss and hug one of the sheep which was THE BEST THING OF ALL.  The Tim even took photos, but as my camera and my computer are currently not on speaking terms, I'll have to show you that later.  Even Instagram isn't speaking to me, so I can't send you there to see any photos at the moment either.  Oh well. 

It was very difficult to not buy a whole bunch of beautiful yarns.  But I managed to restrain myself and came home only with a bar of goat's soap, with Franckinsense and Myrhh scent.  It's put safely away until Christmastime. 

I did get the chance to see some people that I had hoped to see, including Dee, Vera, three good friends from Philadelphia that I follow online but don't often get to see, and Kathleen Dames.  It was so nice to run into people to briefly catch up, and to live vicariously through their purchases.  It was especially nice to meet Kathleen, as we have been friends online for approximately 15 years, and had never yet met in person!  We'd come close, but it just never worked out until Saturday.  She was there with Kay Gardiner (one half of Mason-Dixon Knitting), and introduced us.  Kay was as nice and as funny as you would expect her to be.  One funny thing was that when I was talking to Kathleen, I mentioned that I ran into her when I was looking for The Tim.  She said, "Oh my God - THE TIM is here???"  I got a huge chuckle out of that.  (And eventually I did locate him, well after the fact.)

You may also enjoy this exchange, which occurred over breakfast that morning.

The Tim:  So ... is this one of the big fiber things?
Me:  It's relatively small, if you remember.  [He has gone with me at least 3 times in the past.]
The Tim:  When did it become smaller?
Me:  As far as I know, it's always been smaller.
The Tim:  When did they move it?
Me: What?
The Tim: Well, didn't it used to be in Maryland?
Me:  That would be Maryland Sheep and Wool, which happens in May.
The Tim:  Oh, I wondered about that.  I guess I'm talking about a whole other state.
Me (in my brain):  !!!!!!!
Me (in person):  Ya think??

Anyway, then yesterday I just hung out at home, worked on some laundry and some stitching, and watched the football game.  What a nice way to finish my week of vacation.

And how sad to have to return to work.  Such is life.  At least tomorrow, we have our lunch hour craft group meeting.

Again, sorry for no pictures here today - hopefully I can show you some things soon.  Have a good week!

Spinning - Wheels, Not Yarn

Did you ever have one of those days?  You know, when you are ready to do something and no matter what you start, it either doesn't work, or you don't have all the parts, or whatever else happens, nothing moves forward?  That was my day today - spinning my wheels but going nowhere.  Oh well.

I'm starting to improve as far as feeling crappy goes, so that's good.  My headache is gone, as is my really sore throat, which is a relief.  I still don't feel great, but I can function and as long as I don't push it, I'm fine.  The cough and congestion are still hanging in, but they always do.  As long as they don't get worse I can live with it until it gets better.

So - remember the sock I said I'd started the other day?  Well, I got as far as starting the gusset this morning, and decided that it wasn't going to look good since the foot would look completely different than the leg.  I frogged and started over, and even though that means that the pair for January likely won't be finished in January, it does mean that I'll be happier with the finished pair.  And since they are for The Tim, I want them to be something he'd like as well.  But that kinda started my backwards motion for the day, I guess.

Having said all of that, I will take backwards motion if it means that the Eagles have forward motion in their favor. :-)

One More Before the Big Trip!

Well tomorrow is traveling day - we'll be up early and on our way north!  We've looked at the weather forecast for the week, and though of course it could all change, right now, it's looking pretty wonderful.  We have a lot of our stuff gathered to take and pack, and will likely work on that tonight.  The cat sitter will arrive tomorrow, so that is sorted out, and we'll set out our trash tomorrow for Monday morning pickup (which will drive one of our neighbors insane, thereby only making it better as far as we're concerned).

The cats are already ensconced near and on our empty suitcase. :-)

I have some pictures to share, but not today.  For reasons unknown to me, they downloaded into my laptop, but I cannot open them.  The Tim has offered to look at things, so hopefully next time I can do a show-and-tell.

I'm bringing the laptop along on our trip, for various things, but I really have no idea if/when I'll post.  So you may hear from me this week, or you may not hear from me until we're back.  Enjoy the suspense!

Well, it's been nearly two weeks since I announced my giveaway winner, and I have not heard a peep from Lynn.  I sent her an e-mail, using the e-mail address in her blog profile, but nothing.  I know she gets busy once her kids go back to school, but I feel like two weeks has been plenty of time to even just say, "I'll send my info soon, I'm too busy right now."

So I decided to choose again.  Rather than go with the random number generator, I wrote everyone's name on slips of paper and let the kitties choose.  The first time, there were two pieces of paper stuck together, so we did it again.  Guess what?  Still stuck together, LOL.  So now there will be two winners and they are:

Vera   and   Dee!

So, ladies, IF you are reading, please send your mailing info to me at baclancyATverizonDOTnet.  (Dee I think I have your address, but please send it along in the event I can't locate it easily!)  I will get the packages together once we get home, and send them, so it may be a couple of weeks until they arrive.  But I do hope to hear from you, as I was very excited to have my blogiversary giveaway!

And that's it for now.  Time to pay the bills that will come due while we're gone, and watch the Notre Dame football game, hoping they can win this one.  :-)

One story for you though - I shared this on Facebook, but I figure you guys will enjoy it too.

Every year when we watch the first home game of Notre Dame football, I remember how it felt to be there at the stadium in person the first time.  It was the home opener against Michigan (a big rivalry).  I was really excited because I'd spent time with my dad as a little girl watching the games on TV when they would be broadcast (he was one of the famous "subway alumni" - Notre Dame fans who have never set foot on campus, but are devoted nonetheless), and being able to actually go to a game in real life was a dream come true.  Anyway, the ND players came out onto the field, and the place went crazy, and the band started playing the fight song.  The Tim looked up from his book and said, "Is that us?"  I assured him that it was, and that it was also very unlikely that the Michigan team would have gotten the same welcome.  ;-)

It remains one of my happiest and funniest memories, ever.

Have a wonderful weekend!

At Long Last ...

Fall is here!  After putting up with a summer that was way too hot and humid (and that started in April), I have been looking forward to fall even more than usual.  I should say that August wasn't actually too bad, at least here in Philadelphia.  But it only made me happier that fall was on the way.

Granted, yesterday was 85 degrees here, but leading up to it, and then today have been the kind of days I most associate with fall.  Bright and cool, when even a walk to work is better because the weather feels so good.  And then cool enough at nighttime to want to cuddle under a blanket.

I'm also happy because today I felt like cooking, and it was a good day for that - turning the oven was not an event to be dreaded!  A couple of weeks back, we got a head of cabbage in our CSA shipment.  Neither of us were in the mood for coleslaw, which we'd made the last time we got one, but I got it in my brain that I wanted to make cabbage rolls.  So today, I got the stuff together and made ten rolls that I put in the oven on a relatively low temperature to cook for a while.  The house smelled so great, and they were yummy.  Best of all, there were plenty of leftovers, and cabbage rolls - like some other foods - taste even better to me the next time around.  I also used quinoa instead of rice just to see if it would make any difference, and though the taste was overall the same, the rolls stayed together better.  Though I couldn't swear to you that the quinoa was the reason ...

So right now as I'm writing this, I'm watching a football game (the Steelers vs. the Raiders - I started out watching the Eagles vs. the Cardinals, but something called karma seems to be doing its job on Michael Vick today, and though I'm all for that, I hate to watch the Eagles lose.  It's complicated).  Later The Tim and I will watch the Emmys and enjoy ourselves by mocking ahem, commenting on people and things.  Because of course we are perfect, and could do everything better, I'm sure ...

Of course, I'm knitting too - a pair of socks that have been on the needles way too long, but that are good TV knitting.   Earlier this afternoon, I finished a good bit of the knitted teddy bear I'm making for my newest great-nephew, Parker.  Hopefully I can finish in the next few days, and send it to him, so that he is not in college by the time he receives it ...

Hooray for fall weekends!