OK Here Is Some News For You

Hello again. I'm sitting here on a so-far rainy day that is supposed to turn into a 5-day heat/humidity wave which annoys me greatly. Yes, I know we have been lucky enough here in Philadelphia to have a nice long string of lovely days and perfect nights. But that only makes the prospect of having to go back to ick weather even more depressing.  

I've decided I'm done with this summer. I know there is still plenty left, and things to do, enjoy, etc., but it's all been a lot, personally and in the universe, as it were. I'm sure we'll all survive, but you have to admit, this whole universe part of things is more than exhausting, right?

Anyway, on to better things and some news I think you'll enjoy. 😉

Say hello to Katie (aka Katie Potatey)! Even shortly after we had to return Angus to the rescue where we got him, The Tim said he thought we should still try to get a dog. After a bit of thought, I figured it was worth another try, though I am still heartbroken. But as he pointed out, you don't want to close yourself off just because of one bad experience, when there could be other good ones waiting. So we thought that we would look for another dog to add to our family this fall, when the weather would be nicer, and our house - whose a/c is questionable at best - would be more comfortable.  

Then a friend who knew the story of what had happened, mentioned that an acquaintance of hers told her about a great dog who had been at a rescue about an hour out of Philadelphia* and was looking for a family. The owner of said dog had to give her up because they had a terminal illness, and no longer had the strength or the finances to care for her. 

Well, we certainly understand how hard it is/was to give up an animal, even when you are in good health; I told The Tim and we decided it was worth looking into. I filled out an adoption application for the dog, and the woman at the rescue called me first thing the next day to tell me that a) we'd been approved, and b) to talk to me about the dog. So as the Magic 8-Ball might say, All Signs Pointed To Yes.

That was all on a Tuesday morning. Since the dog was far enough away to be a bit of a drive for us, I asked the woman if we could wait until the weekend to come to meet her, since it would work better for us. She said that was fine. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Katie is 6 years old, half Wheaten Terrier and half Golden Retriever. She is pretty well-behaved - unless she sees a squirrel and then good luck to anyone with her - and she is also quite ridiculous.  Milo loves her - we haven't seen him so happy since before Pip died. You may remember that we got him for our first dog, Dug. So Milo has always had and loved having a dog buddy. And after Pip died, he was kind of bereft, since they were buddies. And even though he gets along with Alfie and Esme, they are pretty much glued to each other most of the time. Katie is not 100 percent sure what to do about Milo's friendship, but she is fine with it. 😊 Alfie, who used to love dogs, growled at Katie first thing. So she is afraid of him, and Alfie takes full advantage of that, 24/7. Esme would clearly like to get in One.Good.Sniff of Katie, but of course is too afraid to even really try. So cat-wise, things seem to be working out fine. We always tell any dog who joins the family that there are only two rules in our house:

1. The kitties were here first.

2. You have to be nice to the kitties.

Katie is doing fine on this front.

She is unexpectedly cute - I mean, her face is cute enough, but she is kind of a low-rider, which is amusing in itself:

The woman at the rescue told me that she LIVES to play ball! And she wasn't kidding! Other than squirrels, Katie's philosophy is that Ball. Is. Life. Her favorite kind of ball is the kind with spikes on it, but any ball is a good one.  The woman at the rescue also told me that she carried around one ball all of the time, and the woman said she thought it was an Emotional Support Ball. 😃 

It's true - Emotional Support Ball (aka ESB) is a constant now in our household. The Tim mentioned that ESB was looking a bit worse for the wear, so we'd best make sure we knew where we could find another one. I took a picture and asked Google Lens where we could get one, and fortunately they are $3.99 at PetSmart! So when this one heads to the great ball pit in the sky, we can easily have another on hand - phew!

(ESB in its current condition)

Katie hasn't been here very long, but she seems to be a real keeper. She weighs about 35 pounds, so she is not very big, and we've had some success getting her to obey some basic commands. I suspect she already knew them, but during the time she was at the rescue, had a large field to be outside in, and so didn't need to understand walking on a leash anymore. One thing interesting about her is that she is not really food-motivated, which has never ever been the case with any of our other dogs. Not that that's a bad thing! 

She seems to be happy to be with us, especially The Tim, who if you have not intuited before, is always the Good Cop. She enjoys going to the dog park, not for the other dogs, but to play ball of course! And we took her to the vet who said her previous owner clearly took good care of her. 

I recently sent the woman at the rescue a text with the picture of Katie above, telling her that she seems to have settled in well and that we are loving having her. I said I wished her former owner could know that - not that it would make things better, but that maybe it would be some small comfort. The woman said she was going to forward the message, so I hope it was some comfort to the person who had to give her up, and who seems to have more than enough on her plate. 

One thing funny to us is that Katie is from Scranton, PA - home of both Joe Biden, and Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company in "The Office." The Tim says he just hopes she didn't live before with a character like Dwight K. Schrute. 😂

So that is the latest news from here, and the story of Katie joining the family. 

I will never stop loving Angus, and I still cry missing him more than words will ever be able to express (I'm crying now), but she is a wonderful distraction. ❤️ And I hope with every part of my being that Angus is as lucky now as she is. 

*An hour outside of Philadelphia = The Wilds/Terra Incognita to us! 🤣🤣

Recipe Time: OK, I Actually *Liked* This Breakfast

Hi all! I hope you are doing well.  I've been MIA for longer than usual, I know. I've been sick - not in-the-hospital-sick, but pretty sick and only in the last few days have I felt well enough to power up the laptop and write. Being sick really sucks, but being sick in the summertime is the worst, especially since the a/c in our house is less than stellar. So during the truly hot miserable days, it's even a bigger challenge when you don't feel well. 

OK, obligatory whining and self-pity done. 😉

Moving on, I have a really wonderful recipe to share with you, for a breakfast dish. Breakfast, generally speaking, is probably my least favorite meal, unless we are going out to breakfast, or someone else is fixing it. Don't get me wrong, I eat breakfast every day, I know how important it is. During the week, it's usually cereal or yogurt and fruit (oatmeal in the winter), or sometimes I get crazy and have toast. My favorite "quick" breakfast is a pastry or doughnuts, but even I know those are best enjoyed few and far between.

The Tim, now - there's another story. Yes, sometimes he just has toast or something basic, but 4 out of 5 mornings during the week, he'll actually make himself a breakfast that involves cooking.

But here's one of the main differences between us - he loves eggs, in any form. Whereas, I like eggs well enough, but they are just not a fave of mine. And we have a longstanding agreement that on weekends, unless we are heading out for some running around, etc., or traveling, that I fix Saturday breakfast and he fixes Sunday breakfast. Which is fair, but a lot of times I struggle with what to fix. Since I'm not a huge fan of eggs, I'm not the best egg-cooker. I'm good at scrambled eggs, and I rock soft-boiled eggs, though I *really* don't like them. (Anytime it involves soft yolks, I'm out!)

As you can imagine, The Tim makes really wonderful weekend breakfasts, with a lot of variety. I have my moments, but ... meh. At least most of the time.

So a few weeks ago, I was really tired of my few tried-and-true breakfast dishes. I decided to poke around for a new idea, and I found this recipe. It had a lot of things going for it: relatively quick, easy to put together, and containing ingredients we generally have on hand. 

Et, voila!, as the French say:

Bonus: it smelled wonderful while it was baking!

I made our breakfast sausage (veggie, of course) separately, rather than put it in the casserole, but I can see how that would be yummy as an ingredient. Along with some fresh cherries, it was a breakfast success!

I highly recommend this recipe if you want to try something different - and if you are someone who likes breakfast for dinner, it would work for that as well!

I made enough for four servings, and we had the other two servings heated up later in the week, and that worked really well.

I didn't have enough tater tots to use them on the bottom and on the top of the casserole, so I only put them on the top. I used fresh herbs and onions, instead of dried ones, and threw in a red pepper that was close to its expiration date with us. I can see that you could have a lot of fun adding other things to this, depending on what is in your fridge or garden.

It was really delicious, and I had to laugh when I realized it was a Gordon Ramsay recipe, because he's not someone I go out of my way to follow or watch. But he gets a thumbs up for this recipe!

Let me know if you give it a try, and if you like it. It's a definite addition to  my (admittedly limited) breakfast repertoire. 

Happy Canada Day, and Happy July (Not the Heat Part Though)

Today is the first of July, which means it is Canada Day, so Happy Canada Day to everyone north of our border! I hope for your sake it's more comfortable, temperature-wise. 

And for those of us who live elsewhere, Happy July 1! We are officially starting the second half of 2026, which is - at least for me - always hard to wrap my brain around. We are supposed to have temperatures in the 100+ degree range over the next 5 or 6 days, and that's not even taking into account the infamous "feels like" temperature that includes the humidity! Gah. My reverse SAD is kicking into gear. 

This morning, however, felt very very nice, so Alfie and I took advantage of time out in the garden, since the next few days will probably not be good ones to be out there. 

He was very pleased to be out there, but not so much to come back inside. But I told him that after we fill the bird feeders, we have to come in so that the birds and squirrels can have a chance to eat. He usually give me a dirty look, but then once we are actually inside, he remembers that the window looks out onto the garden, so it's all good. 

We were supposed to go to a baseball game tomorrow - our annual Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the Philadelphia Phillies - but since it's supposed to be at least 104 degrees, and we don't do well in extreme heat, we sold our tickets. I just hope the person who bought them is sensible about being prepared for the weather. Our seats are under an overhang, so at least they won't be out in the direct sun, baking away. It's extremely disappointing, but July is a crap shoot with a few nice days mixed in with mostly awful days, and this year we lost that bet.

Saturday is of course July 4, and the 250th birthday of America (as well as a World Cup match here in Philadelphia). I am beyond disappointed that Orange Foolius is in office and doing his asinine things during this special time, which I've looked forward to for years. I had already decided that I was going to ignore his plans, and enjoy being in Philadelphia instead. But now a lot of things are being cancelled or time-shortened, etc. because of the extreme heat. Which I am also blaming him for, BTW, because he makes life hell on earth, and now it even feels like it!

Oh well, we'll just have our own little party together here in the house. Happy 250 indeed. 

Speaking of the World Cup, it has been wonderful to be in Philadelphia with so many people visiting and seeming to enjoy themselves so much! Last week, I took a walk, and stopped at a neighborhood coffee shop, and while I was waiting for my order, there were two young men in soccer jerseys sitting at a table. One of them asked me if I lived in the neighborhood, and I said yes, and we spent about 20 minutes chatting. They were visiting from Munich, Germany for some of the World Cup matches. They had been in Houston for a match a couple of days before, and told me it was too hot there, and hard to walk around, with no good public transportation. But they LOVED Philadelphia! They said in some ways, it was a lot like Munich - but "not as many lakes" - and they were enjoying themselves immensely here. After here, they were headed to NYC and then back home. They were kind of disappointed not to see more matches, but until they tried to book their trip, they didn't realize that "America is so big that it's hard to get to some places easily." And I know that, but I tend to forget - especially since here in the Northeast, things are so close together. 

Anyway, they were lovely, and I was glad they were getting such a good impression not only of the city, but the country at large. One of them said, "Americans are MUCH nicer than Donald Trump." Low bar, but still. I told him to please tell people that when they got home. 

I was telling this to a friend, and she told me that she read that someone said that the New York Knicks victory parade, Mayor Mamdani's speech there, the opening of the Obama Center, and the World Cup were all the 250th celebration we deserved. I completely agree, and I'm going with that.

Someone posted on Instagram that having the World Cup in the U.S. was like having your cousins visit after you haven't seen them for years, because your respective sets of parents are no longer speaking to one another. 😄

OK enough blathering from me about all of this. I hope if you are somewhere that is too hot, or too cold, or suffering too many fires, or just whatever else is being unleashed, that you can manage to keep safe and comfortable. 

And I hope if you are Canadian, you'll have a Tim Hortons for me. (A donut or cruller, with a hot tea with milk. Or, Timbits are also good - you choose!)

Take care, everyone!

Just Because

This is an overhead shot of my geranium plants in the garden. As you can see, one little flower is blooming and there are other ones getting ready.

For as long as I can remember, we always had geraniums in pots during the summer. My mother was not a gardener, but when summer came, there were always geraniums in pots on the porch. They were usually red, and I'm not sure if that's because my mom liked the red best, or if there wasn't really any choice where she got them.

Anyway, to me it's not right to NOT have at least one geranium for the summer. A couple of years ago, I bought one and put it in a pot with another plant whose name escapes me and placed it on our front stoop. It looked so lovely. Apparently *so* lovely that someone else just had to have it ...

Now the geraniums (well, all the plants really) stay in the garden, which is enclosed. This year, I bought a pink one and a red one, and then got home to realize I didn't have two pots. Now you need to understand that, when I am ready to do something like plant/pot/whatever, it has to happen THEN. So both plants got put into a larger pot, and at least so far, all is well.

Every year when I buy a geranium or two, The Tim says, "I don't undertand why you buy those. I mean, they're nice, but yours never last into the fall or beyond, even when you bring them inside to take care of them." 

Silly boy. Apparently he had a deprived childhood. 

Because everyone (well, me) knows that if it's summer, you have to have a geranium in a pot to make you smile. 

Have a good weekend. 😊

FO: Angypang Socks; Getting There; On the Needles; Local Wildlife

Hello everyone and thank you for your such kind comments on my last post. I think I may still have problems responding to comments on this post (which you'll understand soon), but I do feel like I might be getting there slowly. Thanks for sticking around and caring.

*****

Now for an FO to show you - TA DA!

Project: Angypang Socks

Pattern:  Little Boxes Socks by Summer Lee

Yarns: Farmers Daughters Fibers  Highwood Sock in the colorway Morning Honey; Farmers Daughters Fibers Rocky Mountain Purls in the Rooted Eartb colorway. Both are part of the Sock Squad 2026 club.

Needles:  US size 1/2.25 mm and US size 1 1/2/2.5 mm

Notes: I was cruising Instagram one day when I came across a post by Edble Thoughts Makes, where she showed her completed pair of these socks. I was so immediately hooked, and even knew what yarn I would use! So I bought the pattern, and cast on. 

This was in the middle of April, and I zoomed along pretty quickly (for me). While I knit the first sock, we still had Angus, and he would sit with me while I knit. I told him we should call these socks Sunshine and Blue Skies because I felt like that's what they showed and how I felt when he was with me. Then the day I was finishing the first sock, it was the day we were leaving to return him to thei rescue. He was leaning against me as I finished kitchenering them. I decided then and there they would be the "Angypang Socks" because I would call him Angypang when I was teasing him. 

In the photo above, if you look closely, you can see a few extra yellow stitches in the middle of the first toe round across the top. I told him that was the two of us, working on this sock together, and I would always be able to know that was the first sock I knit and that he was there. And now I'm sobbing again, which is why it took me so long to post this FO. I'm not sure I'll be able to wear them anytime soon, but they will be there when I'm ready. 💗💔

As for the pattern, if you want to try colorwork on a small area, this is a great pattern! So clearly written, and truly so simple. Once you get the first pattern repeat finished, it's pretty much in your head. And since they are Shortie socks, they go so fast! (Though I'm definitely gonna try this pattern on a regular pair of socks down the line.) This is the first time I've knit a Summer Lee pattern, and I get her popularity now, it's well-earned.

*****

OK I'm back after a good cry break, to show you one of the things currently on my needles. After I finished the Litle Boxes, it was about two weeks without any socks on the needles - I know, for me that's nuts!

First some background for you. The week before Memorial Day, Alfie and I spent some time in the garden cleaning up. I thought since we weren't going to WV for the holiday weekend, it would be nice if the garden was ready for us to be out there (spoiler alert: it rained all weekend, but we at least had cleaned up the garden!). 

Anyway, since then, Alfie and I have been going out into the garden first thing in the morning and hanging out, just enjoying it. Right now at least, the weather is pleasant, and there are no mosquitoes around yet (YAYAYAYAY!), so being out there is just perfect. Last week one day, instead of reading like I usually do, I decided to work on a pair of socks I've started. I've gotten more done since this photo was taken, but I am nonetheless really happy with how they are looking:

These socks are the Cottage Hearts pattern by Crazy Sock Lady Designs. They will be regular socks, as opposed to shorties, and again, I am having fun with colors. I have finished the leg, and just yesterday finished the gusset on the first sock, so they are zooming right along as well. 

While Alfie and I were out in the garden last week and I was knitting, we had a visitor:

This little squirrel youngster showed up. He got closer to both of us than he probably should have, but I of course was no threat. and Alfie was interested, but not enough to do anything about it. I'm not sure if he didn't want to get up, or if maybe he realized it was a young squirrel and was not going to engage. But anyway, we all sat out there together for about half an hour more after he showed up. We thought about calling him Tiny, but I told Alfie that was too easy, so instead we named him Petits Pois. It was a lovely time, our little trio just enjoying a nice morning.

*****

And that's catching you up with things, more or less. Unfortunately, the hits keep coming in my family, but they are interspersed with some nice things, so I try to keep those in mind. We had a lovely Bloomsday yesterday, and also belatedly celebrated Milo the Koodle's birthday since we couldn't easily do it when it actually came around. And fortunately, he didn't mind. 😊

So I hope all of you are doing well, and finding some good/nice/happy to be thankful for even in any of the bad. I'm hoping to get myself more on track, and hopefully the universe will give me a break so I can pick up a little bit more momentum with everything. But regardless, once again than you for being here and being so kind. Enjoy your day!