Monday Is Here Again

Did I know yesterday was Sunday? Yes, I did. So why was it shocking to me when I woke up this morning to realize that today is Monday? I mean, it shows up every week, right on time, so Why The Face? 

We had actual snow this past weekend, which was surprising only in that for once, the weather predictions played out. According to the predictions from a couple of weeks ago, we should be on our third fourth "major storm." Sometimes we've gotten rain, but mostly we have had no type of precipitation, meaning they added extra hours to their newscasts for no reason.

Anyway, the snow hasn't really melted because it's too cold to do so. So you have to be careful walking around, but since I am the queen of falls, I am always careful walking around, and frankly there's only so much you can do, you know?

Our weekend was lovely, full of busy things related to Christmastime. The Tim baked some cookies, we decorated our tree, and we received notifications that all of the boxes I mailed last week had been delivered, which is so nice, I can't believe I had it together this year. Probably because I didn't spent a lot of time thinking about it like I usually do. Also the Eagles finally won a game, and yes it was against a crap team, but they actually looked like the Eagles used to look before they started forgetting that you also have to play football in the second half of the game ...

We did get some upsetting news over the weekend. You have all heard me blather on about my niece Amanda who lives in Baltimore, and her husband Patrick. We do a lot with them, and they are our usual partners in crime for Inappropriate Easter Eggs, and trips to Rehoboth Beach. Well, I guess for the past few weeks, Pat hasn't felt good, kind of like he had a low-key version of the flu. He went to see his Dr finally, who did some blood testing and sent him to Johns Hopkins immediately! They have diagnosed a form of acute leukemia, but they have also assured them that it is a very treatable form. But wow, what a kick in the butt for the whole family. I would ask you if you are a praying person, to please keep Pat in your prayers, and if you are not a praying person, please send some good thoughts his way. 

But there is good news too - not in the same level as Pat being sick, but - 

***DRUM ROLL***

Saturday afternoon, the people interested in the remaining giveaway chair picked it up, meaning that Chair-palooza is OVER!

They seemed especially excited once they actually saw the chair, and the husband said, "That would be *perfect* for video games," which earned him a dirty look from his wife. 😊

My stress level dropped about 75 percent! (It would have dropped more, but see previous paragraphs.) That was what actually made it possible for us to decorate the tree, because we finally had room to move around. Other than cleaning, which I'm planning to do on Wednesday, and a few final touches, we are now finished decorating the house and the tree, and can just enjoy the rest of Christmastime without anything waiting for us to finish it. 

This morning, I worked on a few things, odds and ends type stuff, and then unpacked and put this together for the cats. Stuff like that always takes me longer than it does for most people, but it was really not a big deal to put together. 

Alfie immediately had to check it out.

He does love cardboard scratchers, and seemed to think this one was pretty great. Of course, he's the only cat with no claws ... I'm hoping the others will want to try it, because none of them want to think one of the others is getting/doing/eating something special. I'll report back.

And that's it for today. I hope your weekend was a good one, and that you are keeping warm and cozy. Unless kitties are adopted tonight, I have my volunteer shift tomorrow, so it may be another day or two before you hear from me again. Take care!

For Me, It's Really Not What You Think

Friday has arrived, and I just came back inside after an appointment, and whoa is it windy out there! I knew it was cold, but guess I missed where they said it was also windy. Not like I can do anything about it, but it's nice to be prepared.

Anyway.

In my last post, I used the abbreviation:

Later, I realized that for some people, they would just say it. I mean, nearly every person I know regularly uses the f-word as part of their daily conversation. A LOT.

Me? Not a big fan in general. It's not like I get all upset when I hear it - because like I said, it's everywhere all of the time. But I just never actually say it. Personally, I think it's rude. But it's not like I say anything to those who use it, I've really just figured that's life these days.

Which reminded me of a funny story. Probably about 10 years ago, my niece Amanda threw a surprise anniversary party for her parents' 40th wedding anniversary. It was really lovely, and also funny in lots of ways. 

Before it started, Amanda asked if I would go to the venue with her to make sure it was set up properly, and also put some party favors on the tables. We got there, and things were not set up the way she had asked. So while she was speaking to the people at the catering place, I was moving some tables and putting the party favors out. No big deal, and I would rather be doing stuff than sitting waiting for things to start.

Amanda got pleasantly drunk at the party, and at the after party at her house, where there was just family and family friends, she was telling everyone about the tables being set up incorrectly. She said, "And Bridget walked into the room, and said, OH MY GOD, WHAT THE F*** DID YOU DO?" And I said, "Actually, Amanda - you said that." And my niece Liz's husband Greg said, "I was wondering about that. I've actually never heard Aunt Bridget use that word at all." Everyone cracked up, including Amanda. 😂

Did any of you ever used to watch the show "Modern Family?" One of the characters was the dad of three young kids, two who were teens. In one of the first episodes, he is speaking to the camera, and saying how he likes to be sure to use and understand the lingo that the kids use, because then they think he's really cool. He says, "You know, like LOL for laugh out loud. Or BTW for by the way. My favorite though is WTF - why the face?" 

Well, as you can well imagine, that became viral in our family. We still will say to each other "Why The Face?" and of course, laugh really hard. To the point where now when I see the abbreviation WTF, my first thought is "Why the Face?" and I'm amused.

Feel free to join me - it's a whole lot more fun that way!

Current Situation

Hello all, I hope you are doing well, and if you are in the throes of cold weather, that you are managing to keep warm! When I went to my volunteer gig yesterday, one of the employees of the Petsmart who unlocked the door for me said, "You don't look like you are very cold at all." And I pointed out that I was very bundled up. He said, "Yeah, I don't like to do that." I didn't pursue it, but I do hope he at least realizes that is the reason he was cold ...

Anyhoo, I have already sent two packages of gifts on their way, and will have the last, larger box (for more people) on the way by tomorrow. It is apparently within my abilities to remember to buy birthday gifts for my nieces who all have December birthdays, and wrap them in other-than-Christmas-paper, but not within my abilities to remember to get cards to accompany the gifts. So today I will venture out to buy the cards, and then come home and finish the rest of the wrapping for things being mailed. 

Apropos of that, I saw this yesterday and thought it was worth sharing. Especially since it is 100% accurate and worth heeding.

Furniture Update: all of the new furniture we purchased has now been delivered and already enthusiastically used. Chair-palooza is forutnately winding down. The spare chair was moved to our bedroom by the two of us on this past Sunday, and we were both pleasantly surprised to note that it looked nicer there than we had even thought it would.

One of the giveaway chairs was claimed on Monday evening, and the woman collecting it seemed quite pleased with it. I have a taker for the other chair, who originally said that she would pick it up today. Which would have been so great. But then she messaged me and said would I mind if they waited until Saturday? Turns out they are moving into a new apartment on this coming Friday, and rather than move one extra thing, they determined it would make more sense to just pick it up after the fact. Which I completely agree with and understand.

Please note that, as I suspected, The Tim still brought up the boxes of decorations over the weekend, and yes, as predicted, it did cause me more anxiety. 

Me: Why did you bring those up when there is already so much stuff here?

Him: We have to bring them up anyway.

🙄

I forgot to tell you another part of Chair-palooza. In order to get the new couch, we needed to get the old chairs out of the way. So we carefully took them apart, and them took them downstairs in pieces (the doorway to the third floor is even skinnier than most of the other doorways in the house). For part of a day, they were also in the living room. I went online to the Sanitation Dept site to arrange for Bulk Pickup so we could be rid of them (they were in no condition to be usable by anyone else, and the place we bought new furniture doesn't have takeaway-the-old-stuff service). The earliest time it could be scheduled was December 23, so I went ahead and took that appointment. We figured in the meantime, we would just put all of the pieces out in the garden so they'd be out of the way, and then easily moveable out front when the time came. Except they didn't fit through the garden door, because of course (repeat along with me) it's not a standard size. 

So now we have 4 pieces of decrepit furniture sitting in the outdoor entryway to our house. I told The Tim all we needed was a stripped down car on cinder blocks to complete the tabelau. He said "tableau" was too fancy a word for it.😂

Finally, another exchange I thought you might enjoy. Background: We have quite a few holiday-themed dishes, glasses, mugs, etc. The Tim unpacks them every year and puts them away, which is fine with me because I have plenty of other things that are my resposibility. So on Monday evening, he started unpacking those, while I was upstairs working on something else. During dinner, he said he had left some things on the table for me to put away, because he wasn't sure where they belonged. I figured I knew the things he meant, and didn't give it another thought.

When I went to leave for my volunteer shift yesterday, I saw that a lot of the things he'd unpacked were on the table. I figured, no big deal, he'd worked all day and ran out of steam, I'd put things away when I got home. Then when I got home, I noticed that a few things looked like they were unpacked but not very clean. So I texted to ask him if things were washed or not. The response: "I'm leaving that up to you." 

So last night, I told him I'd washed things on the table and put them away, and said I thought he'd given me a weird answer to my text. And he said, "Well, I wasn't sure if you wanted to wash them now, or when you went to use them." 

Never, ever, ever, in the history of myself have I unpacked items to be used for food and beverages and put them away, thinking I'd wash them when I went to use them. I just decided to file the whole experience away and blame it on phases of the moon or something.

But seriously, WTF???

Again, just to reassure you, we are both still alive. Puzzled, but alive.

Now We Should Be Done ...

Well, our new couch arrived yesterday - here's a bad photo of it for you:

The delivery truck arrived about 12:30 PM and of course, the things that took the longest were: 1) putting it on a little cart to bring it down our street to the house, because the truck was too big to come onto the street; and, 2) bringing it up to the third floor. But once it was in place, they popped on the backs and it was ready to go. Of course we had to fiddle with it, as far as the *exact* location in the room, but that was easily done as well.  

The cats are very suspicious. Tim wanted couch where part of it would recline, since we didn't see any reclining chairs that we both liked. (He told me he was in his "reclining era.") This particular item is called a "power sofa" because you push a button to recline it. Well, you can imagine how mystifying and also concerning that is! So far, Milo is the only one brave enough to jump up and sit with us, and even then, he can't really settle. 

Wimps. 😉

So we are done with new furniture and its delivery. I'm hoping that the person who wants two of the chairs in our bedroom can come sooner rather than later to pick them up, and then this weekend the spare chair can go up to the bedroom. Chair-palooza in the living room is giving me anxiety. Not just because it's so cramped, but I know that The Tim will want to bring up boxes of Christmas stuff soon, and get a tree. He is not in any way bothered about Chair-palooza, and doesn't understand why it makes me so anxious. 

Sometimes I wonder how we have not killed one another. 😂

I'm leaving in a bit to get and get my hair cut, and then I'll walk up to Barnes & Noble for a couple of gifts I've ordered for pickup. Then this weekend, I'll get the things that need to be mailed all wrapped up so they can be on the way early next week. 

Then (except for the chair situation), all I have to think about the rest of Christmastime is our own stuff we want to do, etc. I'm proud of myself for being more on the ball than usual.  No worries though, something will come along to show me I'm not as on it as I think ... 

I'm just glad I have no more reasons to have to stay home and wait for something to be delivered. Not that I'm out doing things all day, but I like to feel like if I want/need to just run out for something, it's not a problem for someone else. 

And that's the exciting news from here for now. I hope whatever your plans are for today and/or the weekend, you will enjoy at least a part of it. I'll check in again next week.

Oh Ye Of Little Faith

I was busy yesterday, putting away the Thanksgiving and fall decorations. And not to toot my own horn (spoiler alert: stay tuned for toot), but I had decided that instead of storing them in cardboard boxes in the basement, where they can get smelly and weird, I was going to invest in some plastic bins. Of course, I didn't measure or anything, since it was theoretical. That is, until I found myself someplace where they had said type of plastic bins on sale. So in keeping with living life dangerously, I just eyeballed it and bought two. 

They were a perfect fit. Hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Then ... and ONLY then did I start even *thinking* about the Christmas stuff. And when I was reading everyone's blogs yesterday, Kim and Kim (but not Kym, just to be clear), mentioned that they were waiting for me to alert everyone to the start of the holiday season by showing a photo of a certain item that always welcomes the season. 

Oh ye of little faith - were you thinking I'd forgotten, or lost track of the item? Not at all! Rather, I wanted to clean up all of the Thanksgiving and fall stuff, before even pulling it out of the acid-free folder where it lives.

Here we go - this year, including a shot of how the famous cardboard wreath looks on (most of) the door - since usually you just get the close up of the wreath itself.

TA DA!!!!

 

When The Tim came home from work yesterday, he said, "I still can't believe that we have that! Some of the best 69 cents we ever spent!"

Indeed. ❤

*****

Thank you for the nice comments about our new chairs. Since we are also getting some more things this week, we have to hustle to move some furniture, get rid of some, etc., much sooner than we expected! 

So currently in our living room, there are: the new chairs, the little couch, the spare chair, another chair that matches the spare chair that is waiting to go up to our bedroom, and the two chairs formerly in our bedroom that are waiting to be picked up by people from the neighborhood Buy Nothing group on Facebook. As Tim pointed out, it looks like we are hosting a chair convention, LOL! But the giveaway chairs are being picked up tomorrow and Thursday, and we can actually take the spare chair to the bedroom any time, we just haven't gotten to it. But it will all happen by the end of the week because The Tim wants to go out and find a Christmas tree no later than the end of this coming weekend. And there's no way we could fit a Christmas tree - even one tied up - into the living room with the current chair-a-palooza situation!

*****

I don't have my volunteer gig this morning because all of the cats and kittens that were there have been adopted! Which is wonderful news, but I do miss having the chance to go and cuddle and play with all different kinds of kitties. But next week it will happen, I'm sure.

So today I'm gonna work on some things around the house, as well as do some knitting. I had planned to go out for some things today, but it is rainy and raw outside, so that is put off for now. I figure I'll use my time that I'm usually not here to knit, and then do some of the other stuff this afternoon. I'm one sleeve away from being finished with my cardigan! And a couple of weeks ago, I realized that the pair of Social Security Number slipper-type socks I'd knitter for The Tim years ago were full of holes (rather large ones at that!), so I'm knitting him a new pair for Christmas. I already have one completed, so I'm sure to have them to wrap up.

And then later tonight, we will drink a toast to my mom, whose birthday is today. Last night, I said to The Tim, "Wow, if my mom was still around, she would turn 107!" and he responded, "And she'd still have me looking for her cane." We had a good laugh about that, because near the end of her life when she used a cane, she was always "losing" it, and would tell him to find it for her, and 9 times out of 10 it was ... right to the side of wherever she was sitting. So he'd say, "Geraldine, once again, your cane is right here," and then they would have a huge laugh about it. Whereas, if I said something like that, she would have likely responded, "Well, you don't have to be such a smartass about it." 😂

And there you go. That's it for today. I hope yours goes well, and that you don't lose track of anything that is right beside you ... 

Happy December!

Yep, 'tis the season. 😄

I hope your Thanksgiving was lovely, as well as the weekend afterwards. It was so nice to have The Tim at home the whole time (he may feel otherwise, LOL). We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day, just relaxing and watching the parade, the dog show, and then some other things we had recorded but never gotten around to watching. Because if you can't be a couch potato on Thanksgiving, what is the point??

Friday we were excited because our new chairs were delivered! You may recall that we had saved some money over the course of the last couple of years to buy some new chairs for the room where we watch TV. Well, the weekend before this past one, we went to a place to look, and they were having an early Black Friday sale. We found something we liked, but then ALSO found two chairs we really liked that would replace also-falling part ones in our living room. Because everything was on sale, we could actually afford to get all of it! So last Friday our new living room chairs arrived, and we are so thrilled with them!

They are actually really comfortable, which is really why we even considered buying them. Because even if we don't spend as much time using them, we want all of our furniture to be comfortable - we are not believers in "fancy" furniture being for looks only.

Of course as you can well imagine, the cats also think they are quite comfortable. And being that they are right by the garden window, they are also very popular. 🙄

And I just got a notice this morning that our other purchase is being delivered on Thursday, so all of a sudden, things will be looking pretty different, even before we get out our Christmas decorations!

I will admit that I'm always a little bit sad to see November go, since it's one of my very fave months. But December being so festive makes up for a lot, so that makes me happy. We're even having nice cold weather, which helps it feel like it should (at least in my opinion).

So that's it for the news around here. December should be a busy month, since everyone at our house enjoys all the holiday things. I hope it will be a good month for all of you as well. 

See you next time!

Thanksgiving Day 2025

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! 

May everything you have to be thankful for stay with you.

Things to Celebrate

Hello from cool, dreary, and rainy Philadelphia! The perfect kind of day to just stay inside and be cozy, and that's pretty much what I plan to do.

We have been kind of busy lately. I have been getting ready for both The Tim's birthday, and for Thanksgiving. The Tim always gets into a flurry of cleaning activity around this time of year, in preparation for holiday season, so he's been working on that. The cats are either sleeping and avoiding it (actually preferred), or busy snooper-vising. 

Yesterday was The Tim's birthday, and unlike today, it was a perfect fall day - sunny, cool, and just a touch of wind. He took the day off from work, and I swapped my volunteer shift with someone else, so we were both home for the whole day. He had asked to go out to breakfast at a place in the neighborhood, so we headed there first thing. He had one of his fave things, a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, with tomato, onion, etc. as well. I had the tofu scramble, which is really good, and comes with fried potatoes, which we both enjoyed. We were stuffed until it was time for dinner!

The Tim had told me what he would like for his birthday, and for once, I had been ready for over a week, so that worked out really well. He requested a cheesecake for his birthday dessert, and we enjoyed that after presents, while the kitties enjoyed some kitty treats. 

We had originally planned to go out to dinner, but he said later in the afternoon that he was feeling slightly out of it, like he is getting a cold, so we decided to do that another night, and just had leftover chili and some grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. It was a lovely day, and fortunately, this morning he felt much better. A good night's sleep I'm sure helped. 😊

Over this past weekend, I put out our Thanksgiving decorations. I don't have a lot of them, but I love having them. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday, and I feel that a lot of the time, it gets short shrift. 

I posted this photo as well as a few others on Instagram, and got so many comments from people saying they remembered these particular candles from their families growing up! I just have always loved them.

My other exciting news is that I finished the body of the cardigan I have been knitting! Here is a not-lovely bathroom selfie for you to get an idea how it looks.

This is the Fidalgo Cardigan, and it is one of the most favorite things I have ever knit. I love that as you are knitting the sweater, you are knitting the button band - no hassle having to pick up stitches after the fact! I have learned a few new-to-me skills with this pattern, and it is so well-written that I feel like it would be understandable to just about anyone. I watch the designer's podcast, and she is just one of those people that I would love to be friends with. Yesterday afternoon, I managed to knit half of the first sleeve, so I'm hoping this will be an FO before long.

So that's been what has been going on around here. The Tim had a lovely birthday day, even though it means that now for a few months, we'll be same age (he always loves being "the younger one" for most of the year). We're looking forward to Thanksgiving next week, not just because we both love the holiday itself, but for the first time in four years, The Tim won't have to work! He also took the Friday after off, so we will have a nice long holiday weekend together to enjoy. I'm so happy about that. Obviously, we've survived the years when he had to work on Thanksgiving Day, but it's just so much better when he can have the day off and be at home too.

I hope your week has been kind to you, and that you are enjoying any crafting projects you have. See you next time!

Wednesday FO Post: Greg's Requested Socks

Hello there! I'm just going along as usual around here, so believe me, you're not missing anything too thrilling happening. But on the plus side, I do have an FO post for you today.

When I put out the call over the summer to family members asking if anyone would like knit socks, Greg responded really quickly! He asked for socks in the team colors of the Baltimore Orioles, and in the weight like another pair I'd knit for him (worsted weight). Greg is married to my niece La Liz, and is one of the most knitworthy people on the planet.

Project: Greg's Requested Socks

Pattern: Plain Vanilla Sock pattern that I usually use

Yarn: Berroco Vintage, in the colorways Orange and Cast Iron

Needles: US size 5/3.75 mm

Notes:  When I started this pair, I wanted to try something different somehow. I started with corrugated ribbing, but it just didn't look good to me. So I did a couple of knit rows in black, then did a few rows in "colorwork," alternating the colors. Then I did some rows of ribbing in black for the rest of the cuff. I thought that looked a whole lot better.

I didn't get them to him before the end of baseball season, but he said he didn't care, he was wearing them anyway! He actually sent me a photo of him wearing the socks, and the Musselburgh Hat I knit for him a few years ago! Apparently, they fit just fine, and he sounded really pleased, all the way around.

I told him he is always more than welcome to request anything, anytime. When someone gives you such happy feedback, it's not a slog to knit for them, if you ask me.

*****

Right now, I'm at the end of the body of a cardigan I've been knitting. Actually, I'm knitting the bottom ribbing again, because I ripped it out yesterday. I had bound off, using the Tubular Bind Off as suggested in the pattern. But it just looked incredibly crappy to me. So I decided to take it out and either do something else or try again and hope my results were better (I've had much better luck with that bind off before). Well, between it being a sewn bind off and the yarn being really stick-to-itself, I ended up taking out all but the first row of hem ribbing. No big deal really, it won't take me long to re-do it. As a matter of fact, I'm halfway there already!

But I also want to make something for myself that is kind of holiday-ish. I have a couple of things in mind, but first I need to find the yarn in my stash, and then wind it before I can start. So I'll likely do that over the next couple of days.

This morning I put all of the ingredients for chili into the crock pot, so I am pleased to say that dinner is sorted for today. That's always a nice feeling.

So now you're caught up. I hope this week is being kind to you, and that you are working on something that makes you happy. See you next time!

"The Legend Lives On, From the Chippewa On Down ..."

 

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald

If you are of a certain age, you have likely heard the song by Gordon Lightfoot called "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," commemorating something that happened 50 years ago today.  The Edmund Fitzgerald was pretty much considered the ultimate ship for purpose, and much like its unlikely predecessor, the Titanic, was considered pretty unsinkable. Which we have learned time and time again, does not seem to be an actual quality.

Anyway, this time of year, it always comes into focus because of the unfortunate anniversary, and of course this year being the 50th anniversary, there are all kinds of stories about it and the people who worked on it.

I have my own story about the Edmund Fitzgerald, though it happened six years before the ship's demise. 

One of my father's fondest dreams was to someday go on a cruise. Of course, it never happened, because we barely had enough money for necessary things. He worked in the trucking industry, dealing with all kinds of transportation issues and people. In the later part of September 1969, one of the people he dealt with on a regular basis asked if he and my mother would like to go on one of the big ships that transported ore and other materials around the Great Lakes. Apparently this was something that they did on a yearly basis, with maybe up to 10 non-crew people traveling on the ships. 

My mother had no interest in doing this at all. But my father was so excited, and he really saw it as a chance to finally go on a huge ship through famous waters. So off they set for a 10 day trip, on the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

Towards the end of the trip, my father got really sick. Two days after they returned, he went into the hospital. The cancer that had started in his stomach five years before, returned, settling in his liver. He never got to come back home, and he died on the Monday of Thanksgiving week in 1969.*

My mother said that except for the last couple of days, he absolutely loved being on that ship, and everything about it. She said that she was glad that they went, because he kept saying how wonderful it was.

Six years later, the actual wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald occurred. A massive tragedy affecting the lives of so many families who would never be the same. And then Gordon Lightfoot came out with his song, which told the tale in the most evocative and heartbreaking way.

Every year when the anniversary rolls around, it reminds me of my own personal anniversary that is approaching. I have always felt the shipwreck more as a personal thing than I should, given that no one on the ship on that fateful day had any direct connection with me. But I guess the fact that I knew of the ship beforehand, and it was associated with my father's last happy earthly adventure, made it all more personal.

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes 

When the waves turn the minutes to hours?" 

-- lyric from "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

*This year happens to be a repeat of that week, with November 24th being on a Monday. On the occasions that it happens that way, I am somehow always surprised - as if that should have only happened once.

And Then Monday Morning Arrived ...

In the last post of Bridget Tries to be a Responsible Pet Owner, we had the story of Alfie, who enjoys a trip to the vet every time he goes. Today's post is called Milo the Koodle and the Visit to the Vet.

Well, it almost didn't happen, because I could not find said cat. I tried several ruses, and then decided as a last gasp to give all the cats some wet food and see if he showed up. Which he did, so I grabbed him mid-meal (which made me feel terrible, but desperate times and all that), forced him into the carrier, and we headed over the vet's office. 

Fortunately, we were one of the first appointments of the day, so we didn't have to wait. The vet tech took apart the carrier, pulled him out, and they wrapped him up like a Koodle burrito. They managed to do a thorough check up, take blood, and give him two shots. Fortunately for them, he was so scared and so wrapped up, it happened without incident. And then we came home. Total time from when we left the house: 40 minutes.

And then, once out of the carrier, he gave Alfie and Esme a good whack, and disappeared again. The rest of us went on with our days.

I was reading, and about 3:45 p.m. he reappeared and jumped up onto the armest. 

I went to pet him and he growled. So I left him alone, and by about 8 p.m. he was letting me pet him again. And since I woke up this morning, it's clear he didn't kill me overnight - phew!

And so now we are safe for another year, unless something terrible happens, which hopefully will not. Everyone made it one more time.

The End. 

*****

Today is our 47th wedding anniversary. We are planning to go out to dinner tonight, but since The Tim is working today and tomorrow, we have no crazy plans. Our weekend plans to go look at chairs for our TV room didn't happen, because I had a serious reaction (as usual) to my Covid vaccine, and was completely out of commission. But the chairs are going to be our anniversary gifts, and we are both anxious to get new ones, so it will happen sooner rather than later.

And that, my friends, is the excitement around here. I have an FO post for you, but want to be sure to wait and be certain the item is received before I write about it, so it will happen soon. First though, I need to mail the package. I find that helps with the person receiving things ... 🙄

This Morning vs. Monday Morning

Alfie and I just got home from his annual check up at the vet. Needless to say, a very thorough bath was necessary. But other than that, Alfie was and is quite pleased. He doesn't mind being in the carrier at all, and sees the entire thing as a chance to be social, and then visit with people who are completely interested in being with him. They talk to him and make a fuss, they give him treats, they let him sniff around the exam room - I mean, what's not to like? Yes, he got a shot, but no biggie. 

And that's this morning. Then there will be Monday morning, when Milo the Koodle will be making his annual visit. Let's just say it ... won't be pretty. For anyone and everyone involved. I need to spend my weekend preparing for the trauma that will be felt not just by Milo, but by me. Because not only will I be seen as the enemy who will be trying to get him into the carrier and then taking him to the vets, but when we get home SOMEONE MUST PAY. 

Send prayers. 😉

You may ask, well, what about Esme? Well, what about her? At some point, I'm hoping that she will let me get to the point where I can pick her up, but right now it isn't happening, so we're just lucky that for all intents and purposes, she seems healthy.

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?" 

*****

Anyway, this too shall pass, and hopefully with minor injuries to me. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the rest of today, and likely do some knitting in between the other house chore things I want to accomplish. Can you believe that at this moment in time, I have only one project going? I can't remember the last time that was the case. I'm enjoying it, and making a lot of progress, but I also think this weekend I will cast on at least another pair of socks.

Meanwhile the other afternoon, I knitted a pine cone for my fall garland:

This was the fiddliest little item so far, but it didn't take that long so it wasn't like something I was trying to work on all day long. 

Next up will be the pumpkin, and then I'll start over again. I think I would like to have at least two of each thing on the garland, so I'll see what it looks like once I have that amount - maybe I'll need a few more! But in any case, I'll have fun making these little things, even once the garland is done. Because they are the perfect little spurt of paying attention but not for too long.

The Tim especially wants me to make a green pine cone to see if it looks like a tiny Christmas tree. I'll let you know.

I'm so glad that so many of you commented that you also like to put up decorations for yourself to enjoy for holidays. It's nice for once to not be an outlier on something! 

In other news, I *think* fall is finally here to stay in Philadelphia, and I couldn't be happier. Cool sunny days, and chilly nights are so wonderful. Though it is supposed to rain later next week, which is actually good since there is a serious drought happening. And unless I have to be out in it all day, I actually enjoy rainy days. 

Next week is our anniversary and also Halloween. And then November will be starting, which I'm sorry, just seems crazy. Originally, we planned to take a trip next week somewhere to celebrate our anniversary, but neither of us did much about it, so we'll probably go out to dinner someplace that's nicer than usual for us, and that will be nice. We have agreed that for gifts, we are going to buy ourselves some new chairs for our TV room. The current ones are at least ten years old (probably much older), and frankly I'm surprised they are still in one piece. So one of these weekends - maybe even this one - we'll look for replacements. I always think it's fun to get new furniture or a rug or something in a room - it makes the whole place seem different!

And that, my friends, is the excitement around here. I hope all of you enjoy your weekend, and have a chance to do something you really like or want to do. See you next week!

Decorations Make Me Happy

Shortly after fall started, I put out some of my fall decorations. because nothing makes me happier than having a reason to put out decorations in our house and/or outside. I don't have a ton of fall decorations, but there are enough to fill a box about the size of a large shoebox.

Then last Friday, I decided it was time to add in the decorations I have for Halloween, which are in a larger box, mostly because there are a few that are ceramic, and are wrapped in lots of paper. Needless to say, the cats find the wrapped things much more interesting, because they feel once they are unwrapped, it makes for a great place to sit.

I realize the photo at the top of this post is small, but I am including it because I am overly proud of how well I managed to make the top of the living room bookshelf look *just* the way I'd hoped and I wanted to share it. I was so proud of myself when I got this set up, I immediately took a picture. 😂

Is it the most amazing display of items ever? No of course not, but every time I am in the living room, or even when I walk through it, I notice it and it makes me so happy. Which is the point of decorating for any holiday or event, if you ask me. And in the world we currently are forced to live in, I firmly believe that even small amounts of pleasure give us outsized joy. I'm a big fan of take what you can to make your life better, as long as you are not hurting anyone else. 

I know that soon, we'll be seeing people putting out their Christmastime decorations - it used to be only the stores put out things early but I've noticed people starting earlier every year bringing out their holiday stuff, even before Thanksgiving in the U.S. (We don't because I have Thanksgiving decorations, which will surprise approximately none of you.) 

Does that bother me? Frankly, I don't care. I'm more bothered by people who take everything down the evening of December 25 or the very next day and never mention the holiday again until the next year, but that's up to them and since I don't live with those people, who cares?

People need happy things more than ever these days. And for lots of people, that means having their houses decorated for Christmas, even when it's weeks away. It's looking forward to someone's birthday, or a weekend away to a place that allows them to be in a different mindset.

So I have my fall and Halloween decorations giving me my little escape these days. Then I can take a walk outside, see the changing leaves, and maybe even see others' who have decorated. I like having a reason to smile and forget at least for a moment that there are other things upsetting me and stressing me at levels that are unprecedented. 

So I am asking you to do two things: 1) decorate things if you want to, whether or not anyone else thinks you should or it's the "right" time to do so, and 2) if you come across someone who has done so even if it's not something you care about, let them have the little bit of joy without pointing out that it's too early/too much/too whatever. 

Frankly, if *that* is the thing bothering you the most these days, you might just be the absolute luckiest person on the planet. So you know, enjoy that!

Monday FO: Keith's Requested Socks

Hello from a rainy and cool Philadelphia! This is one of those days when staying inside doesn't seem like such a bad idea. I thought I'd show you my latest FO, since I know that according to the tracking info on the package, that they have been delivered to the recipient.

Project: Keith's Requested Socks

Pattern: Plain Vanilla Sock pattern that I have used forever

Yarn: KnitPicks Hawthorne Fingering, colorway Vancouver Multi

Needles: US size 1/2.25 mm

Notes: Over the summer, The Tim informed me that for now, he had all of the handknit socks he wanted. So since I a) have lots of sock yarn, and b) like to knit socks for myself AND for other people, I put out a call to the nieces and nephews for anyone interested. I got a good response, and decided I would knit socks in the order requested.

Keith was up first. He said he would like socks that were a basic color with bright accents. So I pulled out this skein of sock yarn I had bought a while back during one of the KnitPicks sales. Then I looked through my bits and bobs, and found some leftover old Fortissima sock yarn to use for the contrasting cuffs, heels, and toes. I figured since it looked like the yarn had bright pops of color, low-contrast would be nice otherwise.

I'm glad I did that, because the yarn was actually brighter all the way around than it looked in the skein or wound up. 

As you can see, the bright turquoise made a sort of striped effect on the foot of the sock. But it pooled in a kind of weird way on both socks - here's a photo of the same two socks, turned onto their other sides and photographed:

I don't mind it, because they are socks and would be on my feet, but I don't know if that will bother Keith or not. At first, I thought, oh well, just wear each sock with the non-pooled side facing inward on each sock, but that's not how they will work. One thing I can say is that in real life, they are not nearly as bright as they are in these photos, so I'm hoping he'll like them, even if they are not quite what he had requested. I think they would be fine unless you are in a conservative office environment, and I don't think that's the case where he is (he works for an international liquor distributor whose company logo colors are *really* bright, though not these colors). In any case, I told him that they were now his to wear or do with as he wished.

I do have to say that the Hawthorne Fingering yarn was kind of unpleasant to knit - not terrible, but not very soft. Since these were a gift, I soaked and blocked them, and they did soften up some after that. But I don't think I'll go out of my way to look for this yarn again. 

*****

The next request was from another niece's husband, Greg, for a pair of heavier-weight socks in the colors of the Baltimore Orioles. I'm well underway with those, even though baseball season is over for the Orioles already (and also for the Phillies ... sigh). But when I send them, I plan to tell him they'll be fresh and ready for next season! 

One thing that amused me was that, for the most part, the requests I received were from the guys. I think they are just more likely to wear socks most of the time. Most of my nieces seldom wear socks, unless it is extremely cold. 

Of course, what do I care? I was just pleased that anyone at all was interested in receiving a pair!

Fall Makes Me Happy

OK, fall does not make me all that happy when it's 85 degrees at the beginning of October, but a) according the weather people, it's supposed to actually cool off to appropriate temperatures after tomorrow, and b) I can still put out some of my fall decorations, which make me smile. And let's face it, in this s**tshow of a world, we gotta take the smiles where and when we can!

I've been busy knitting, and have finished a pair of socks that I'll share with you once the recipient has received them. Not that he reads this, but someone who knows him may and I want them to be a surprise. I'm going along well on the cardigan I started, but don't have any recent photos, so you'll have to wait a little bit longer to see what one.

But remember the little acorn I knit a few weeks ago? Well, now he has a leafy friend!

I have to tell you, this little leaf is so fun and so quick to knit - I may end of with LOTS of leaves! This is another part to the garland I have started, and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. 

Aren't they cute together??? I'm not making any hurried effort on this, because it's kind of a when-I-feel-like-it project, and fall comes every year.

In keeping with the fall theme, and leading up to Halloween, The Tim bought this Halloween throw for us at one of the Aldi stores nearby. Not bad for $5.00, right?

And on our way to Rehoboth Beach, The Tim wanted to stop at the outlets because he wanted to look for something specific. I bought one of these black cat pillows at one of the stores there. I also got one for Amanda.

This is sitting on the couch in our living room, and let me tell you, it's been quite shocking! So far, only The Tim and I will still sit on the couch. 🙄

Meanwhile, Amanda says their kitty has claimed theirs for herself. Go figure.

That's all the news for now. I hope you are all doing well and knitting, reading, cooking, baking, whatever makes you happy at the moment. I'm off to start dinner (I'm writing this late on Monday afternoon), and it's a good thing because I'm starting to get hungry and sadly, dinner has yet to cook itself ...

Vacation, parts 3 and 4 and Then That's It

Happy October 1! I love October, and today we are having some nice cool weather, so I am a happy camper. 

Thanks to all of you who have gone through these last few posts with me, all about our vacation week. I know sometimes you're just not in the mood to see other people's photos ad nauseum, so thanks for your kind comments.  Today I'm sharing our last vacation day in the Poconos, and then the weekend after in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat.

Since we had been able to visit Promised Land State Park on Monday, we realized that we could make a differen trip on Tuesday after we checked out of the place where we were staying and go to the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Originally, given what else we wanted to do, it would have been out of the way and maybe pushing it as far as our energy levels. But when it turned out that it could be the only Tuesday activity, we decided we needed go to for sure!

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was the world's first sanctuary for birds of prey. It became an official sanctuary in 1938. It's a perfect place to see all kinds of raptors and also take an amazing hike along one of the trails leading to astonishing views. We (of course) took the easiest trail, since we'd never had a chance to visit before, and weren't sure what to expect.

So onward we marched. First we headed to the South Lookout:

They have biologists stationed at the lookouts to count birds and on an average day, they can easily count up to 1000 birds of prey! When we arrived, around 10:30 a.m., there had already been 400+ sightings.

The trails were challenging, since they were not always smooth ones. This was definitely not a trip for the faint of heart. 

I really liked this rock/small boulder along the trail - you can't see it here, but the colors in it were a beautiful gradient.

This is a staircase of rocks up the mountain to the North Lookout - and it's worth mentioning that not only do you walk UP these stairs ... but you have to walk back DOWN them afterwards!

However, it is worth the effort, because:

We even found a friend!

While we were there, we saw several hawks, two turkey vultures, and two bald eagles! There were also other birds that were pointed out, but you needed binoculars to see them, and we didn't have a pair. But the whole experience was truly magnificent. I highly recommend a visit to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary!  We'll definitely go back again sometime (with our binoculars!).

So after that, it was home to the kitties. They were very glad to see us and of course had several tales of horrible neglect and starvation from the cat sitter, in spite of many photos she sent to us that showed the contrary ...

We were home for Wednesday and Thursday, and then on Friday morning, headed to one of our most fave places, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. When we went last year with Amanda and Pat, Amanda found this really nice, really reasonable place only a few blocks from the ocean, and easily walkable to restaurants and shops. We loved it, so we stayed there again. Here is the view from our room - right down the street, you can see the ocean. 😊

Amanda and I had The Tim take a photo of us to send to our friend Lisa. Amanda calls this her "thank God I have a weekend away from my govt job during this horrible administration!" look.

Saturday morning, we went to breakfast at this Victorian hotel restaurant along the boardwalk. They have birds in the parlor, and we had a lovely chat with these two.

This is Moose.

This is Emro.

Both had a lot to tell us, and were happy to sit on our shoulders. They are really characters!

Sunday, we all had breakfast and headed to our respective homes and kitties, after a really fun weekend that was relaxing and the perfect way to end the summer and our week of mini-vacations. 

Rehoboth Beach, early, on the very last full day of summer.

Vacation, Part 2

After our day in Jim Thorpe, PA, we headed further north to the Pocono Mountains. Neither of us had been there before, and the drive up was so gorgeous! Not just working our way up mountains, but the leaves were beginning to change color, so we saw stunning vistas along the way.

We made our way to a new place that we heard about on Instagram (!), called The Rex. It used to be a motor lodge and was recently redone to become cabins backing right up to Promised Land State Park. The prices were extremely reasonable, considering what it included, so we decided we would give it a go. 

We had our own fire pit in the back:

And it was completely outfitted with everything you need - you could easily buy food and drink and bring it along with you, and never have to leave the grounds at all. This was the kitchen:

We were very happy there for our visit. It was comfortable, cozy, and in the middle of such a beautiful area that you looked out the window to nature no matter where you were. We would definitely stay there again!

We did get a notice about a young black bear in the area, but alas, we did not spot said bear. But there were very strict guidelines related to storage of food and warnings about leaving anything at all that was edible in your car!

The next day, we headed to the Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area and to Raymondskill Falls, the highest waterfall in Pennsylvania. We hiked around, being amazed by our surroundings, and the waterfall itself did not in any way disappoint.  

We took this selfie after approximately 400 tries - The Tim took over the camera, and he added some kind of filter, and well, let's just say we should not be allowed near technology. But we finally figured it out, and ended up with a decent photo. 

The whole place was so incredibly beautiful that we were there for about two hours, walking the trails and seeing everything. 

White asters everywhere.

LOTS of goldenrod everywhere we went!

We had planned to go to Dingman Falls, but it was closed due to some kind of repairs and maintenance, so we headed to Bushkill Falls. When we got there, we realized that it was privately owned, and though the grounds looked lovely, it was a steeper cost than we wanted to pay to walk the trails. 

So we pivoted on some plans, and instead of going to explore Promised Land State Park the next day after checking out of our lodgings, we decided to finish off Monday by going there. As I mentioned, part of it backed right up to where our cabin was, but we went to the "official" entrance and let me tell you, it was well worth any effort to go there!

After exploring one part of the park, we decided to visit and walk around Conservation Island, where there are all kinds of campsites. For the first time since arriving in the Poconos, we saw more than just a few people (though still not many). Like everywhere else we'd been on Monday, it was stunning. 

We didn't even get close to seeing most of the park, but it was just all amazing. We ended up having one of the best days and again, we were lucky because the universe blessed us with weather that can only be described as perfection.

Our little cabin looked better than ever when we got back there after a long and busy day of activity. We had some leftovers from our dinner the night before, so we decided to just zap them in the microwave and settle in to our cozy spot.

We enjoyed our explorations, and loved our place, but we did agree that we were not really people who would enjoy living in a place that was remote or isolating. Neither of us really want to be somewhere that requires us to drive just to get to a market or a drugstore, etc. Even The Tim, who more or less drives as part of his job, and likes to drive, prefers not to if possible. So it's unlikely we will be moving to any of towns in the Poconos. 😊 

Since we had changed around our plan that was originally for Tuesday, we had to come up with a new one. It wasn't hard, and I'll share that with you the next time around. So Part 3 of Bridget and The Tim Do Nature will be coming soon!