Update: Me, The Garden, A Knitting Project

Hello everyone! I hope this finds you well and that you are having at least a tiny bit of springtime weather to enjoy. 

I am back, with just a tiny bit of my upper respiratory infection left - you know, enough of the cough and congestion to keep you remembering that it's not *quite* done with you. In my previous short post, I mentioned that I was hoping to get some help from my dr's office with some medications. Well, it turned out that they had me trudge over to the office to see a nurse practitioner. She informed me that I didn't have pneumonia (knew that); that it seemed I had an upper respiratory infection (duh); and that I would just have to "wait it out" because no one at their office prescribed medications anymore for it, because too many people "thought they needed it, when in fact there is actually no real treatment." 

So I trudged back home and coughed until I cracked a rib (which they said Tylenol would help), and did not get more than 3 hours of sleep for about the last ten days. Good times. 

Also - the cats are NOT amused. They liked the idea that I was pretty much just always in one spot, since I was really wiped out. But they were highly annoyed with my noisy, violent cough and the fact that I kept blowing my nose. Please offer a thought for them during their time of need.

Anyway, I'm more with it now, which is an improvement, and things are gradually settling down. But I still think I would have felt much better much sooner if I could have had some cough syrup at a minimum. (No, I'm not a doctor, but I think I could play one on TV.)

Anyhoo, I'm on the mend, just a lot more slowly than usual. Onward, right?

In some VERY exciting news, today I went out into the garden and brought these inside:

For the first time since I bought a lilac bush three years ago, there were blooms! These are all of them, but they make me so happy, and even though the bush itself is pretty spindly, if I can get a few blooms every year, that's fine with me. I figured that since it is supposed to rain later today and through the day tomorrow, I would bring these inside for us to enjoy. I've always wanted lilacs, and I'm happy for any this plant will provide.

Also, I noticed when I was outside that my clematis plant has approximately 20 buds on it - if even half of them bloom, it will be absolutely stunning! I'm sure you'll be seeing photos of it down the road, because well, any blooms in my garden are miraculous as far as I'm concerned, since I'm not a talented or very dedicated gardener. I was thrilled when my spindly forsythia plant had blooms on it around Easter, since they are another fave of mine. 

We may have to disrupt things in our garden this year since a neighbor might have to have some work done on a wall we share (long, unpleasant and very annoying story, I'll spare you), so I don't know if I'll try to plant very much. I'm hoping we'll know sooner rather than later if anything is going to have to happen. Fingers crossed it will be able to be left alone. 🤞

I did feel good enough after our guests left on Easter Sunday to finish the body of my bulky sweater that I've been knitting.

The color is more of a light blue than this photo shows, but I was happy to make progress. I managed to get one sleeve underway, but put it aside because it was hard to concentrate with all of my coughing, etc. 

It's funny, because when I started it, everyone kept saying, "Oh you'll be finished before you know it, bulky knitting goes so fast." Well, maybe for them it does. I do want to finish this sweater, even though I won't be wearing it until next year. But I can't say I'm a fan of bulky knitting. This has taken me as long as it has because after a pretty short amount of time, my hands hurt from the large needles. So I can't really sit and work on it for any more than maybe an hour or so, which explains why it has taken me so long to make any progress. Not that I had a deadline, but I have to say I will be glad when it is finally completed, and I can go back to "regular" sized needles! 😊

And those are the main updates for you today. I have been up since 1:05 a.m., when woke up coughing, and then was just plain wide awake. Sigh. But at least it wasn't a work day for me.

I have a few small things I want to accomplish today, but otherwise I hope to read and knit. Tonight I'm planning to make quiche for dinner, so I walked over to the market to buy some frozen pie shells (my pie crust skills are quite tragic. Not bad - tragic!) We have some nice peppers and mushrooms to include a long with lots of nice cheeses, so I think it will be yummy. And I'll make some roasted asparagus to go along with it. There are some frozen homemade brown-and-serve rolls in the freezer that The Tim made at Easter, so I may give us each one of those as well. 

(Now I've just made myself hungry.)

Anyway, I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your day, and manage to fit in some time to do what you like. Take care.

Scenes From A Friday the 13th

Hello and Happy Friday the 13th, always a most excellent day!

We're a bit bleary-eyed but very happy today. We were all up later then we usually are, especially during a work week. 

Because we had to watch our Phillies win and move on to the National League Championships! It was more than worth being so tired today. And since they won at home, it was even more exciting.

Now they will play a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks for a chance to go to the World Series. You may enjoy this conversation from last night between myself and my beloved spouse - with the start point of saying that a lot of the sports announcers refer to the Diamondbacks and the "D-Backs."

The Tim: This is so exciting! But I can't believe someone would name a team the "D-Bags."

Me: No one has.

The Tim (looking puzzled): I think you might not be paying attention. They have been calling them that all night.

Me: No, they have been calling them the D-Backs, tonight and all of the time.

The Tim: It sure sounded like D-Bags to me ...

And that's another installment of When The Tim Tries To Be Involved With Sports. Thanks for tuning in. 😂

*****

This morning, The Tim headed for work (where I'm sure he'll talk sports with his co-workers, being that he knows so much), and the kitties and I got started on a few things we wanted to do before we just took the rest of the day off.

Pip would just like to get a drink of water in peace. 

Esme and Alfie are looking too innocent for their own good.

And Milo the Koodle is resting after all of the excitement of last night. And trust me, a sleeping Koodle is the best kind or Koodle. ✔

I decided that it was a good day to make chili in the crockpot. So I got things going nice and early, and by now the house is starting to smell heavenly. I tend to throw different things into my "recipe" every time - for instance, you may notice some carrots in there. I don't usually add carrots, but these were in the fridge and getting towards the end of their shelf life, so rather than waste them, I chopped them and added them to the chili. I figure it will add even more texture, which I like. On my walk, I stopped and got a nice crusty loaf of bread to have with it for dinner. I like knowing that later it will just be a matter of dishing it up. And since it's good weather for it, I think it will hit the spot, so to speak.

So there you go - nothing scary or unlucky for us today, at least not so far, and hopefully not at all. This weekend, The Tim will be setting up our new computer, so he'll be busy with that. I don't have any specific plans, other than having to work on Sunday, but that's fine with me.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and can get in some good relaxing time. Enjoy!

Not Much to Report from Here

That's the truth.  Last weekend was fine - nothing much to report, except that I did dedicate part of my Sunday afternoon to another cooking/baking session that was successful.  I made a big pot of creamy potato soup with roasted brussels sprouts, and some applescotch crisp.  We ate the soup on Monday night for dinner and I had some leftover for lunch yesterday and now sadly it's gone - but it was pretty yummy, let me tell you.  And we finished the crisp last night, so that's it for this round of cooking ahead.

I did make a swatch for my sweater project on a set of smaller needles as I had planned, and the good news is that using smaller needles, I was able to get the proper gauge, which was pleasing.  However, that's as far as I made it at the moment.  I also have my yarn and pattern ready for this coming Sunday, when my friend Andrea and I are starting a sock KAL for March.  I spent a little bit of time on Sunday doing another square on my Cozy Squares of Memory blanket, and I did lengthen a pair of socks for The Tim over the weekend, but have otherwise not knit a stitch since then.  I haven't even really done that much reading over the past few days.

No, I'm not sick or anything, or even suffering from a lack of mojo - I'm just really really tired.  I know that I have mentioned in passing that they are "renovating" our space at work (I put that in quotation marks because, well, it's more of a spruce up and not really a nice one, but I digress).  Anyhow, it's close to being finished, and we are moving stuff back in to the space now.  Which is a very slow and tedious process, being that with all of the $$$ they spent, they were too cheap to pay for movers for the bulk of the stuff.  So it's up to us to get it done.  The custodial staff has helped with the truly heavy or extra large things, but the rest is all us.  And it is exhausting, as I'm sure you can imagine.  Yesterday by the time I left work, I realized that I had been on my feet, lifting, shifting, and pushing carts except for the 30 minutes I took for lunch. 

So I do not have the physical or mental energy to do anything other than just sit and stare at the TV.  Fortunately, we have a lot of stuff in our to-be-watched queue! 

The rest of the week will likely be the same, so I probably won't have anything "exciting" to tell you about or projects to show you.  I am hoping that I will be able regroup enough to get started on things this coming weekend.   The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak - so to speak!  :-)

Today is Ash Wednesday, and I have been able to organize my thoughts for Lent and am ready to go as far as that is concerned.  But whatever you are busy with, or not doing, I hope all is well and that here at the middle of the week, you are in a happy and/or content state of mind. 

Lazy Saturday Then Scrappy Sunday

Hm.  That weekend seemed about 3 hours long.  Sigh.  

But it was a good one, nonetheless.  First of all, it was the weekend.  Saturday when I woke up, I didn't really feel that great - sniffles, headache, joint aches, you get the picture.  So after I took Hamlet for his walk, I went back to bed for about 2 hours, which actually helped.  Then once I took my shower I felt even better.  I don't know if that indicated that a cold was on the way, or it it was just being tired, but fortunately it didn't seem to stick around the whole weekend.  

So Saturday consisted of a lot of just doing small things in between taking lots of breaks.  I finished a book I'd started on Friday (it was a quick, cozy mystery, so it went pretty quickly), watched a couple of knitting podcasts, and worked for a little bit on my Neverender sweater.  (Which is what most of you know as the Weekender pattern by Andrea Mowry.  I think I'll like the finished piece, but even before I broke my wrist, it seemed to take FOREVER to knit.  Anyway.)  The Tim had to work, so I just enjoyed an unexpected day to myself.

Sunday, I decided (for the second week in a row) that it would be Scrappy Sunday.  This is apparently a thing others know about, but I only became aware of it after watching one of the episodes of the Crazy Sock Lady.  She mentioned that on Sundays, she tries to work only on scrappy projects, so they get some regular attention.  I decided that was a really good idea, and I was going to give it a try.  So last Sunday I managed a square on my Cozy Squares of Memory Blanket (it's the one on the top right in the photo below).  Then yesterday, I completed the square shown in progress in the photo below, plus one more.

I enjoy this idea, since prior to this, I'd only added a square or two after I'd finished a project.  This way I can visit it more often, and feel like I've accomplished something, even if it's just a couple of squares.

Other than that, I tried a recipe that was a sort of fake spanakopita, and it was a) very easy, and b) really, really good!  So that will definitely stay in the group of things we have regularly. It's always nice to find a new thing to fix for dinner that doesn't take hours to assemble.  Then we watched some shows we'd recorded, and waited for the snowstorm which was supposed to be HUGE but at least in the city, just meant dampness and wet streets this a.m.  I know that they got a lot of actual snow in the burbs and other outer areas, but it was a bust for us.

So even though the weekend seemed to go by too quickly, it was a good one, and I got to do some knitting.  I'll take it.  :-)

Fathers and Eves

Every year on this day, I always think of how - also every year on this day - I would say to my father, "Why is today not Thanksgiving Eve?"  And he would always respond with some version of, "Well, technically it is, but people just don't call it that."  I seldom asked this of my mother, since her response was *always* "Oh for God's sake!" and she seemed annoyed, so I just figured it was better to get an actual answer from my father.

And that was always the first of about a million questions I would have for my dad while I "helped" him fix Thanksgiving dinner.  He was always the cook on holidays, which we loved because although he would use every pan and bowl, etc. in the kitchen, he was a really good cook.  He would begin the night before, cleaning the turkey and starting the stuffing.  My sisters were enough older that they had their own things they liked to do, but nope, I was always available to spend time with my dad.  I'm 99.9999999% sure that I spent most of the time talking, asking "important" questions, and generally making him wish he was out of town, but to his credit, he always let me stick around and in the end, I learned a LOT.  (So much so, that when I still lived at home and my sisters were married and living in other places, they would call me to find out how to cook a turkey- ha!)

But I have to tell you that as a kid, I really gave way to much thought to "eves."  I guess because Christmas got an Eve, and so did New Year's, and those were big deals.  I tried to make Thanksgiving Eve and Birthday Eve happen but to no avail.  Easter doesn't need an Eve, because it has Holy Saturday.  As I got older, I realized that no one a) cared as much as I did about it, and b) that they also didn't want to hear me go on about it.  Go figure.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving Eve.  Make it a good one.  :-)

An FO and Trying to Be OK

Today I have one of two recent FOs to show you (I know - TWO!  It's like I've become this person who actually finishes knitting projects, go figure!).  This is my third pair of socks for 2017, so I'm right on schedule to have 12 pairs finished by the end of the year.  As I think I mentioned before though, if I had "officially" signed up to do this in the Ravelry group, I'd probably be in the middle of the first pair of the year ...

Project:  Texture Blue Socks

Pattern:  Hermione's Everyday Socks (a free pattern on Ravelry)

Yarn:  Black Bunny Fibers Canadian Luxury Sock, in the Unity colorway

Needles:  Size 1US

Modifications:  None

Notes:  I know this is a popular pattern on Ravelry, and I've seen so many pairs that friends have made that are amazing.  But for whatever reason, I didn't enjoy knitting this pattern.  It's not difficult, and once you get started, it's easy enough to memorize, but it just didn't "click" for me.  Then there is the yarn - I've had this yarn in my stash since 2007, when Carol (Ms. Black Bunny herself) dyed this colorway to sell, using the proceeds to support the initial run of Barack Obama for President.  It's a lovely shade of blue, a little heavier than the usual sock/fingering yarn, and they will be warm, since they are 50% alpaca, 30% mohair, 10% silk, and 10% merino.  It's really lovely and soft.

I wonder though if it was the combo of pattern and yarn that didn't thrill me.  Though I love the color, I think I've knit so many variegated/striped socks recently, that a solid color seemed less than exciting; I don't know.  I may try the pattern again down the road with another yarn, and see if I enjoy it more.  Overall, I'm happy with these - they just didn't get me as thrilled as I was expecting to be.  

Here's a better photo that shows the texture of the finished knit:

In any event, they are now tucked away with my others in my 2017 Box o' Socks.

Other than that, I'm having one of those days when I am feeling like any second I'll burst into tears, even though I have no idea why.  Granted, some things I've done today have not worked out, but none were big things that should put me over the edge.  And I've been making an extra special effort to do things I enjoy, but they don't seem to make much of a difference.  I hate when this happens, and I know it will pass - maybe even by this evening, who knows.  

On the plus side, I have a barley-feta casserole cooking in the crockpot, so The Tim will get a break from fixing dinners, like he has been doing while my ankle has been non-functioning.   And I just a little while ago took some Irish Soda Bread out of the oven to cool.  (I was all set to make it yesterday, but was missing an essential ingredient that the market around the corner didn't  have, and the other places that would have it were not nearby.  So I had to wait to get it today.)  Never fear though, we marked the day yesterday with Guinness and Irish cheese. :-)

So truly all is well, and I'm hoping to feel more together soon.  I can deal much more easily with a bad day when I've been having a hard time than when it just shows up, like today.  And the kitties are all fine, sitting here with me and occasionally sitting *right* in front of the TV so they can follow the ball in the NCAA games - they have sudden bursts of fandom, apparently ... ;-)

Anyway, that's all for now.  Hope all of you are having a good and cozy day.  I'll be back with FO #2 sooner rather than later, so stay tuned!

Sunday Doings and Pictures from Mystic Seaport

How is your Sunday going?  Mine has been quiet so far, which is fine.  The Tim is at work, so the kitties and I are having a lazy Sunday.  This morning I got the Boston Baked Beans going in the crockpot, and I am really hoping they will end up tasting as good as they smell!  And of course, there's the usual laundry, bill-paying, and cleaning up that will happen, but on my own schedule rather than on someone else's and that is one of the best things about Sundays on your own.

I'm also going to be finishing the second sock of a pair I started during our vacation.   Which is surprising, even to me.  Never before have I knit a pair of socks so quickly.  A show-and-tell post is in the near future.  I'll likely work on them while I watch the Pittsburgh Steelers-Philadelphia Eagles football game later.  Or, as they say in their respective towns, the Stillers vs. the Iggles ...

I finally have some vacation pictures to share.  I realized as I was getting things organized, that The Tim took a whole lot more pics on his camera.  I'll see if I can swipe some of those, but these will at least give you a good idea of things.

Our very first stop was Mystic Seaport, in Connecticut.  The Tim had gone on his own for a long weekend a few years back, and wanted to go again.  I have wanted to go since I saw a couple of pictures in my 4th grade geography textbook!  Fortunately, it did not disappoint.

Though the drive up was overcast, and somewhat warm and humid, shortly after we arrived, a storm front moved through, and within half an hour, the temperature was down, the humidity gone, and the sky was perfect.  We spent the better part of the day at Mystic Seaport, but we also had a great time walking around the little town, crossing the drawbridge and getting to see it raised and lowered, and walking through a food festival.  The Tim spotted Mystic River Yarns - YAY!!  That will be part of its own post, but I can say it was a lovely shop.

So here are a few pictures.

I adore lighthouses.  They had a really cool little movie screen inside this one, with a 15-minute film about the history of lighthouses and lighthouse lights.  

The harbor.

We toured  a couple of historic ships.

 A modern sailboat passing by.

 I am always amazed that humans climbed up on the masts to adjust sails, check to see what might be ahead, etc.  Fascinating and dangerous.

On board - the little "house" there leads down to the quarters for the captain and the crew.

They also had an exhibit showing how the the rope cables on the ships were made, which I thought was crazy interesting.

 It all starts on bobbins ...

 then each bobbin has to be threaded through one of these holes ...

 which then go through this ...

and then go through these dividers and get twisted into rope cables before ...

they are finally twisted into HUGE rope cables for the ships.  These truly were huge and I really liked this exhibit because frankly I'd never appreciated a) what was involved in making even basic rope, and b) the way it was able to be "automated" in the sense that machines could help with a lot of the backbreaking stuff.

After we left there we stopped at a lovely little restaurant for lunch, which was a seafood BLT and a local beer.  Both were wonderful, and our waiter didn't even flinch or make a face when we asked for our sandwiches without the bacon.  :-)

Then we walked around the food festival, over the bridge and to the little downtown area. Where we saw this.

The Tim was astounded that it was a real place! (I was just glad Julia Roberts wasn't there, since I can't stand her ...)

We agreed that we both want to go back to Mystic Seaport, and the little town sometime.  It's such a nice place, and since we were there in mid-September, there weren't crowds of people.  I'm not so sure I would enjoy being there in the summer!

I would not, however, mind being there again right now ... ;-)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and hopefully this week will be good to all of us.

Creamy Avocado Alfredo Pasta

Hello there - am I the only one surprised that July 4th was just this past Monday?  I realized it earlier, and felt rather amazed to be honest.  Oh well.

Anyway, I thought I'd share another recipe today.  This one is nice because it is a) quick, b) filling, and c) doesn't make you want to pass out in the kitchen during hot weather when you are cooking.  It's based on a recipe I saw here, and really both are as much a template as anything.  Meaning that it's up to the cook to add different herbs or other seasonings, more/less garlic, whatever you want to try.  I've made this a few times this summer so far, and it's been yummy each time.  This makes enough for The Tim and I to have a very hearty meal on its own - you could probably add a salad or appetizer and stretch it for guests, or double the recipe for more people.

*****

Creamy Avocado Alfredo Pasta

1 cup milk*

2/3 cup fully mashed avocado (1 medium)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil

Sprinkling of dill, basil, or other herbs

8 ounces uncooked pasta

Parmesan or other cheese for topping 

Pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  While it is cooking, make the sauce:

Whisk the first six ingredients in a small saucepan. (For a smoother and creamier sauce, mix in blender or use a hand blender to blend until smooth.)

Heat mixture in the saucepan until it begins to thicken, and starts to boil.

Drain pasta, and put it back into the pan.  Pour sauce over pasta, and mix thoroughly, coating the pasta.  Place in bowls and top with cheese and pepper.

Total time:  15 minutes

*edited - earlier "milk" was listed as "mild" - even though I proofread the post twice!  Thanks to those who asked about that.  

*****

Pretty straightforward, huh?  Let me know if you try it, and have a great weekend!

This. That. The Other Thing.

I'm still here.  The past couple of weeks have been busy, annoying, fun, lazy, and often hot and humid.  I have been uninspired in so many ways, that probably a lot of people I usually see in real life have been wondering where I am ...

Anyway, Happy Bastille Day!

I have always like Bastille Day, though I am not really too sure why.  Probably because I can't think of why I would disagree with this:

Tonight for dinner I made a [really] fake cassoulet - you know, more the spirit of the recipe than the law ... but it was yummy and there are leftovers for lunches, so though the French might say Zut alors!, I was pleased.  :-)

Our July 4th was a lot of fun.  I had assumed that - like other years - The Tim had to work on the holiday itself and/or on the weekend.  But it turned out that he was off the entire weekend, so Saturday morning we jumped into the car with Dug, and headed to Baltimore for an overnight visit.  My niece Amanda and her husband Pat were planning a party on their deck to watch the fireworks, and another niece and her family were gonna be there, as well as one of my sisters and her husband.  Plus other friends we knew.  The weather was perfect (no humidity - on July 4th!!!), and it was just a blast.  This guy had a particularly good time.

Then it was home to the usual - laundry, dr appts, and back to work.  Where people are being fired and are "resigning" left and right.  It's both demoralizing and stressful.  I just figure when I show up, if no one is escorting me out of the building and I'm still getting paid, I have my job for now.  And of course, those of us still there are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ugh.

Other than that, I have a little of my cleaning and my cooking/baking mojo back.  Nothing too major, since for the most part, it is now hot and humid and not conducive to much of that.  But besides my faux cassoulet tonight, I did make some feta salsa and a French chocolate silk pie to take to Baltimore, and they both went over very well.  When I told my sister that I was bringing the pie, she said (as a joke) that she would prefer if I brought "Freedom" pie.  So I told her that she was right, and so I would bring French Freedom Silk Pie ... I was quite pleased with my witty response, but The Tim just rolled his eyes ...

So that is what is new here lately.  I hope all of you are keeping cool, and having enough good stuff going on to outweigh any of the bad.

See you soon!

And Now It's Nearly Turkey Time!

Gak!  I didn't mean to be gone for an entire week.  But last week kinda took on a life of its own to be honest.  Work was crazy - a two day workshop, and then catching up on what was missed those two days, and preparation for The Tim's birthday, which was yesterday.  Then it turned out that a friend was in town for a conference, so on Saturday, a group of us met for brunch.  When it rains, it pours, no?

Pip is quite pleased with the response to his post, and is ready to do another one very soon, so if you enjoyed it, stay tuned.  ;-)

The Tim's birthday was really a nice day, both weather-wise and otherwise.  He asked if we could go to see the movie "Lincoln," and then go out to lunch.  So that is exactly what we did, and it was lots of fun.  (If you are interested in Abraham Lincoln and/or history at all, you MUST see this movie!  It was flawless - story, casting, costumes, everything.  I'm kind of a Lincoln groupie, and I thought it was completely riveting.)  Then we came home, and had cake and presents.  A good day all the way around.

I knit a Turn a Square hat for The Tim, but have not been able to get a good picture of it yet.  He was very pleased with it, which is always such a nice feeling for me.  I'm hoping this weekend I can get some photos outside, and you can rest assured that I'll be posting them here if I am successful.

So Thursday is Turkey Day already - how did that happen?  Though in our house, it is the day we appreciate the turkey, as opposed to consuming it.  As I type this, The Tim is downstairs baking pies, and we have everything we need for our holiday dinner.  Wednesday night, I'll make stuffing and then it's just a matter of time before we do our own gobbling ...

I still don't have all of our pictures from Ireland sorted out, but I promise to get to that sooner rather than later.  One nice thing for me is that Thanksgiving gives me a four-day weekend.  I have no idea if I will make any progress on the 10,000 things I hope to accomplish, but I'm not gonna worry about it.  What gets done will be fine.

OK, that's it for now.  I hope all of you are well, and looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday - and NOT shopping on Thanksgiving!  For my Canadian friends who have already celebrated their Thanksgiving holiday, and any other non-U.S. friends, have a good week.  Hopefully in my next post I can show you some pictures.

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!