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!

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 ...

Hooray for the First Day of Fall! And, Vacation Photos, part 1

Happy First Day of Fall! I've been waiting for this - not because it's a guarantee that fall weather will be the only weather we experience for the next few months, but because it means that the really hot and humid days are either gone, or will become less and less frequent. And the cool, crisp days will be taking their place. Which is very very good in my book.

For those of you in places that will now be enjoying spring, I hope it makes you happy to be changing seasons. 😊

Last week was our week of mini-vacations, and we enjoyed every single minute. We were lucky to have great weather the whole time we were away - the only cloudy or rainy days were the couple of ones that we were at home, and that was fine with us - we just hung out and cozied up! But our travels went without a hitch, and we just had the best time.

Today I'll share photos from our trip to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. We had a great time, walking around the little town, and along the Lehigh River. In a smart move - that in our case was just dumb luck - we were there pretty early in the day. So we had most places and most of the street just walking along to ourselves. Just about the time we were getting ready to leave, it started to get really really busy.

So here are some photos for you (you may have already seen these if you follow me in Instagram, so feel free to skip this part).

I love Victorian buildings, and there were quite a few! I'm especially a sucker for a round tower.

This is an old Presbyterian Church.

 

This is the local jail, where several member of the Molly Maguires were held and later executed. 

K

The Tim found a yarn store for me to check out! It was small but had some nice yarns, and the owner, whose name I am 99% was Diane, was so friendly and chatty. I didn't buy anything, but I really enjoyed my visit.

This was a whole little shop devoted to jerky - not something you see in most towns ...

There was a super cool old sightseeing train, but it was mostly full when we arrived, and so we skipped it, since we were on our way to the Poconos after this, and had a bit of a trip.

Before the town was named Jim Thorpe, it was called Mauch Chunk. I don't think I'd really want to live somewhere with "chunk" in the name, but maybe that's just me ...

Our plans for coal picking were ruined when we saw this - I mean, how are you supposed to start a vacation without coal picking???? 😉 We managed to get over it  ...

The Lehigh River was so pretty and the walk along it so peaceful.

This is Karma (adult dog) and Mochi (puppy). Their owners were trying to teach Mochi to walk with the harness, and wanting him to use Karma as inspiration. We saw them several times, going up and down the street past the shops, and then saw them again right before we left.  Apparently they all made some progress, but everyone was exhausted!

Both of them were extremely sweet.

We had a good morning into afternoon walking around sightseeing, and stopped for a cup of tea and a donut along the way. We left Jim Thorpe thinking we would definitely like to return sometime, and see a few things we decided to skip once it started to get busy. 

Besides, we had a cabin in the Pocono Mountains to check into! I'll show you that and the places we explored in Part 2 on another day.

I hope all of you have a good week, and that this new season will be good to you.

... And Boy Is My Arm Tired!

Hello and HAPPY FALL to everyone in the Northern Hemisphere! I am more than happy to say farewell to summer. I guess it's climate change/global warming/whatever but summer seems longer and hotter every year. I'm ready for something else. 🍁

Anyway, you know the old joke, "I just flew in from [fill in the blank], and boy are my arms tired!" Well, take out the flying part, but after Saturday afternoon, I have to tell you, my arm was tired! I finally finished two overdue projects (overdue in that they should not have taken me so long), and it was time to wind some yarn for the next things coming. I was originally just going to wind the yarn when I was ready to start each project, but getting out my swift and winder, and setting them up, etc., is a bit of a project, so I decided it would make more sense to do it all at one time.  Theoretically, this would also encourage me to actually work on the projects if the yarn is wound and staring me in the face. We'll see.

So while The Tim was snoozing away, I got to winding.

First up, some but not all of the yarn for a sweater. I want to give a try to knitting a sweater with a yoke design. This is some Kelbourne Woolens Scout (the natural color) and Life In The Long Grass Twist DK (the green, which is actually a lighter shade than shown here). You may remember the green yarn as what I bought during my birthday trip to NYC in March, when we visited a shop in Greenwich Village.

Next, some Kathmandu Aran for a slipover/vest I want to try. It's a pattern that I may not have looked at twice, but I saw a podcast where the person was wearing hers, and decided I really needed to make it. 

Then a Micro Sock Set from Legacy Fiber Artz, which will be - SOCKS! I've actually already cast on and knitted the cuff of the first sock during the Eagles game yesterday afternoon.

Another skein of sock yarn, this time from Nox Yarn Co. (no longer in business) I'm hoping to make this into a pair of Halloween socks.

And finally, all of this yarn is Patagonia Merino DK, and I want to try knitting the Artus by Natasja Hornsby. This will be a challenge for me, but I would really love to have a big, warm, cozy shawl, and this pattern just stuck out to me. It will be challenging because it's quite large, has a lot going on, and relies for the most part on charts, which are not my strong suit. But I'm hoping that wanting the end product will help me learn to improve my chart-reading. It could happen - I knit a hat using a chart earlier this year, and though it was slow, it turned out. Time to try and get my brain wrapped around things.

Such are my big plans. In theory, I would love to get the all done or mostly done by the first of the year. But in reality, if I end up with one pair of socks and one article of clothing, I'll consider it a win. 😊

But if you look at all of this yarn, you can see that my Winding-Palooza took quite a bit of time, and in fact, my arm did hurt once I was finished. Of course, by Saturday evening it was fine, but the thought did cross my mind that I may have wound so much yarn, I wouldn't feel comfortable knitting for a while, and that would be just my luck! But all is well, and I'm looking forward to giving it all a shot.

And that's it from here. Our weekend was quiet, trying to at least get started putting the house back together after the floors were finished - I think that will take a while, but it was a start. Saturday was warm and a bit humid, but yesterday, which was the first day of fall, did not disappoint! 

I hope your week goes well. I have to share my overdue FOs with you, so I'll be back with those in another day or so. 

Cats, Fall Decorations, and Workers

Well, I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy my post about my volunteer job - I'm enjoying it, and that is really the most important thing.  Yesterday there was only one kitty, a 4-month-old calico, called Gabby.

Unfortunately, Gabby had a pretty bad kitty cold, so in the afternoon she returned to the main clinic to get some medicine and TLC. She was so cuddly and sweet while I was with her. She *loved* all the stupid songs I made up to sing to her. ❤

Over this past weekend, when the weather was still lovely, I was folding some laundry and saw something I had never witnessed before:

Will you look at that! Miss Esme enjoying sitting in the sunshine in the guest bedroom window! Maybe she does it a lot when I don't see her, but this was the first time I'd ever seen it happen. Of course, the Koodle chased her out of the window and downstairs within about 10 minutes, because he is a brat. But she seemed to enjoy it while it lasted ... 

Even though she is still pretty much scared of everything and everyone, she has made a LOT of progress compared to the kitty who came home with us originally. I'm hoping the progress will continue as she sees that we have not yet beat up or killed any of the other cats who live here (and trust me, the Koodle challenges us 24/7 on that front).

For specific reasons that currently escape me, last week I decided that we needed some nice and new fall and Halloween decorations. So I was poking around and found some at Target online, and even better they were on sale. So I ordered two Halloween decorations and a fall wreath. Since Target is good about returning things, I figured if they didn't live up to their online appearance, I would return them.

When I opened the box, I was happily surprised! All three things were exactly what I was hoping they would be, especially the fall wreath - as a matter of fact, it might even be nicer than I was expecting! Here it is still in the box, since it's not time to display it yet. But isn't it pretty?

The Halloween things are tucked away, but I'll try to remember to show them to you when I get them out to decorate.

As I am writing this, there is a work crew in front of our house, demolishing the brick planter that partially collapsed about a month ago. Two different people gave me estimates, and both agreed that rather than fix it, it would make more sense to remove it and cement over where it had been. Apparently when it was first added, it was not connected to the house - so it would only fall apart again down the road. I liked it well enough, but it had started looking sad over the past couple of years, and then the collapse was just the end. We're just planning to buy some nice planters to fill with flowers, etc. next spring. Quite a few people around here do that, and it looks really lovely, and still gives some outside the house pretties to see.

The guy who is heading the crew doing the work looks like he would be the son of "The Sopranos" character called Paulie Walnuts. 

So I've been calling him Paulie Walnuts, Jr. (obviously not to his face, his actual name is Joe). He's really nice, but he embodies the whole Italian-American stereotype, and it cracks me up. Also, from the get-go he called me "Bridge," and it amuses me so much when people I either don't know at all, or barely know, call me that. No one in my family or among my close friends has ever called me that, but so many random people go there automatically! 😂

But you know what? God bless them for doing the work on a day like today, when the temperatures are supposed to be 97 degrees Fahrenheit with the ever-popular "feels like" temperature being 107 degrees. I would already be passed out, so I am thankful for anyone who does outside physical hard work when it feels like you've entered the gates of hell when you step outside.

And that's it for today. I'm off to work on a few projects inside, so I can get them finished and check them off the to-do list. I hope your day is a good one!

We Aren't Hoarders, We Just Keep Things ...

Hello and Happy Friday to all of us! It's gloomy and humid here in Philadelphia, and according to the local weather reports, we're supposed to get a rainy evening, rainy day on Saturday, and then some true fall weather settling in. Fine with me, I'm more than ready for cozy season!

The other day, I pulled out our box of fall decorations, as well as a large envelope where I keep paper decorations stored. There's a mix of fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving decorations, and I always enjoy revisiting them. 

I was putting up a couple of paper decorations, and came across these two:

These are Halloween decorations that my nephew's wife sent to us, made by our great niece and nephew. The one on top is the work of Jude, and the bottom one is from Anya.

Who are now 21 and 23, respectively. 😊

We have a lot of holiday decorations from this particular family (4 children in all, they live in Arizona), but these are from the oldest two. And I love that their mom sent them to us all of those years ago. I love the randomness and little kid-ness of them, and how she wrote a message and their name at the bottom of each. Every year, they make me smile when I come across them. 

I posted these on Instagram, and every member of that family sent me a message, saying that they couldn't believe we still had them - even their parents don't have such artifacts!

So, as the subject line says, we're not really hoarders, we just keep certain things ... 😂

*****

In other news, I've just been doing the usual stuff, nothing too exciting to report. My arthritis has really been bugging me, to the point last week where it was painful just to walk around. This week is better, but it's still annoying. I've been knitting and cross-stitching and reading, but have no photographic proof of such activities. This past week was a return to summer-like weather, which was not inspiring at all to me. 

I did teach my first class at the yarn store on Tuesday evening, and that went really well. I am teaching a class to make the Antler Toque, which you may recall I made for The Tim a couple of years ago for Christmas. Our manager decided that it would be a good way for people to learn to do cables, and so I had four enthusiastic students who feared cables when we started, but had made them happen when the class was over. This coming Tuesday is the second/final class, where we learn the cable decreases and take on any questions. I think it is going well, but it does make for a really long day. Fortunately it's my last day of work for the week, so I can catch up on sleep/other things afterwards.

No real specific plans for this weekend, other than my work shift on Sunday. Since tomorrow is supposed to be kind of rainy, I'll probably work on some projects inside. We will also be watching the Phillies game against the Atlanta Braves, hoping that our Phils can pull off a series of wins. An uphill challenge, but if everyone is firing on all cylinders at the same time, it can happen!

Let me know how you have been doing, what you have been working on, etc. I hope your weekend is lovely (unless you are cheering for the Braves, haha. Kidding not kidding!), and that you have the chance to do whatever you like. See you next week!

Don't Know, Don't Care

 

True - of all the things that never show up when you wish they would, Monday always shows up, even when you wish it wouldn't!

I realized yesterday as I was packing my lunch for today that I had not posted at all last week.  And much as the title of this post says, I don't know why, and I don't really care, because it appears that everyone was able to carry on nonetheless.  Good job, everyone!

I really don't have a lot to report anyway, to be honest.  I've been busy being busy but not doing anything that "shows" so to speak.  Oh wait, I did clean up the house this past Saturday, so if you showed up within an hour after that happened, you might have noticed.  After that, well let's just say that *I* knew it happened ...

I did enjoy seeing everyone's posts about Rhinebeck on Instagram.  It's so funny, because you look at a photo, and you think to yourself, "Oh look, it's ___ and they ran into ___" like you actually know these people in real life!  It just amuses me that there are so many people that I feel like I would recognize if I saw them in person.  Anyway, it looked like there was lots of good knitwear to see, and that for the most part, the weather cooperated, which is always nice.  I for one always look forward to Kristy Glass' annual video about The Rhinebeck Sweater, so I'll be on the lookout for that in the next couple of weeks.

My LYS, Loop, had a Fall Festival over the weekend for those who didn't/couldn't attend Rhinebeck, and I had plans to go, but decided not to after all.  I saw some photos they and others posted showing some of the goodies available, and decided to stay home because they just looked way too tempting, and I do not currently actually have disposable income that I can use for such wooly wonderfulness.  So I decided to not even tempt myself.  

And, well, that's really all there is to say about things at the moment. Not much exciting happening around here.  I am nearly finished with a gift project that I'll show you soon (here's a sneak peek), and I owe you an FO post about a pair of socks.  I'm trying to concentrate on the couple of things I want to do for gifts before I get too carried away on myself, but I think I'll be able to do so without too much trouble.

I'm thrilled that fall weather has arrived - I was beginning to be really bummed out that it was staying so warm for so long.  But now it feels that way it's supposed to for the middle of October.  Though it was pretty windy today walking to work - when I left the house, my hair was at least kind of organized on my head - but by the time I arrived at work, it had this kind of vibe:

Anyway, have a good week, and I'll check in again soon.

It's the First Full Day of Autumn - And It's That Time Again!

 

Hello all, I hope this first full day of autumn finds you well (or, in the case of Alison and others in the Southern Hemisphere, I hope your first full day of spring finds you well!).

It's been a while since we did an "Ask Me Anything" session, so this seemed as good a time as any.  For those of you who may be new, or never cared anyway have not participated before, here is how it works:

1.  You use the comments to ask me any question you would like.  How tall am I? (5 ft. 5 in.) Who is my favorite giraffe?  (Any that I am currently seeing.)  Do I actually like anyone?  (Very few.)  What was my mother's confirmation name?  (Bibiana.)  

2.  If the question is one that isn't completely inappropriate or rude (that part is determined by me), I'll answer it in a future post.

So ask away!  Remember, I'll only answer the ones in the comments of THIS post, and I'll post the answers next Monday, September 28, 2020.  

Really and truly, just about anything is accepted.  And if there are those that are not, I may not answer the question, but I will tell you why I'm not answering it.  😈 

In the meantime, here's something I hope will make you smile.

Everything But Paying the Bills

Hello sports fans!  (I know there are plenty of you out there who are not sports fans, but that's what my mother used to say each morning to us when we got up to go to school.)  I hope your weekend was a good one, and that anyone in my part of the universe enjoyed the cool (even cold on Saturday morning!) weather that made it feel truly like fall had arrived.

I had some ideas in my mind of what I had hoped to accomplish this weekend.  I stopped making actual lists for that a couple of years ago, because I realized that by the end of the weekend, if every single thing was not checked off, I'd feel bad.  And none of the things on the list were things like "Finally cure cancer," so why feel bad?  At a minimum, I did the necessary things (laundry), and we weren't coming down with diseases from a somewhat dirty house yet, so I decided to do two things: 1) make a list in my mind of no more than 5 things, and 2) to lower my expectations to the point where if I didn't get everything done, it was still OK.  You know what?  I has made a big difference.  I may be frustrated when I didn't get to something, but I don't feel as if I have failed.

So for this weekend, here was what I had in my head to do:

1. Go to Michael's/A.C. Moore/whatever too look for a few specific cross-stitch supplies.

2.  Start working on my next cross-stitch project if one specific supply was located.

3.  Clean the first floor.

4.  Start gift knits.

5.  Give myself a manicure, so that my nails stop catching on stuff.

6.  Pay the bills.

Saturday morning, The Tim wanted to go to Home Depot (Home Despot to us) for something, and I knew there was a larger A.C. Moore in that shopping center than the one in Center City, which did not have any of the things I was trying to find.  So I joined him and had success with all the things I was trying to locate!

Then I got started on my next cross-stitch project, which will be a gift for my niece Amanda - tune in tomorrow to see what progress has been made.

Yesterday, I got an early start, and the first floor was clean by noon - YAY!  So I sat down and started on some of my planned gift knits while watching the Eagles game.  Here's what I have so far:

This is going to be a pair of Christmas socks for my great-nephew Oden, who is 18 months old.  Socks sure go quickly when you use worsted weight yarn and you are making tiny ones!  I am using the Rye Light pattern from Tin Can Knits for these.

Then, after dinner, because it was getting really ridiculous and I wanted to avoid further discomfort from my nails catching on things, I gave myself a manicure.   Which was just as well, since I and my brain were kinda tired, so paying the bills would have taken twice as long.  

I'll do that tonight, when it will count as an accomplishment for the evening.  ;-)

So it was a good weekend for my brain list, and an even better weekend for me.  I got some things done, and was able to enjoy walks with Hamlet and the cooler weather.  It was nice to cozy up in bed at night instead of feeling all sweaty and just hoping you can fall asleep!

This is a short work week for me, since I have to take Friday off for medical stuff.  All the way to work today I kept reminding myself - "Four days, you can do it!"  I'm not looking forward to the medical stuff, but it should be finished in early to mid-afternoon, so I should have at least some of Friday to enjoy being home.

OK, let's be truthful here - I'll spend the whole day being glad I'm not at work!

Here We Go

Yesterday, one of the local metereologists posted this on Twitter.

Now, I know for a lot of people, this is upsetting/depressing/whatever.  But for me, this is just the best!  I love this time of year when some of my favorite things/times just come at once!  

But I was already thinking about it, since in my family, there are 15 birthdays between October 1 and December 30 - we call it The Birthday Marathon.  Fortunately, I don't have to have gifts for every single birthday, but I do like to at least try to send a card so that they know I'm thinking of them.

Plus, our anniversary is October 28, and The Tim's birthday is November 18 - which always throws me off, because all of a sudden one happens, the next happens, Thankgiving happens, Christmas happens, and BAM it's the new year!

However, this doesn't mean I start to panic.  First of all, as I said above, I really like this time of year.  Secondly, for the past few years I have tried harder than ever to live in the moment.  So, although I  try to plan ahead as far as gifts are concerned, I don't let myself *get* ahead of things.  I've always been able to do this to some degree, but it's even more so now.  And as a result, I appreciate it, enjoy it, and am always sad to see things end.  

I have not actually started any gift knitting yet (long story involving misplacing things, but it's all good now), but I'm ready.  I'm not making a whole lot of things, but my goal is to be finished with things needing to be mailed by the end of November - end of first week of December at the most.  And I'm thinking it's completely doable.  

Things for The Tim can take longer, because I don't have to mail them, but I try to not leave those until the last-minute either.  

Some hats and some kiddo socks (house-type/slipper socks in worsted weight) are the main items I'm planning to knit that will need to be mailed, so I think I'll be OK there.  

I'm still knitting away on my Pabaigh, and am not that far away from finishing it, but then it's not likely I'll start anything for myself that I want right away until after the holidays.  

Though I reserve the right to start a Christmas-themed project for myself because Christmas comes every year, and it will be for me, so if it isn't finished until January, it will be a surprise for me next year as I will pack it away until then.

But for now, I have to finish September, and get ready for the birthdays to begin.  The first birthday, on October 1, is my nephew's 50th, and though I don't generally send him a gift, I'm hoping to get something together to send him that I think he may like.  I'll keep you posted.  :-)

Starting With a Finish

Hello and Happy First Day of Fall (even if summer weather is still horning in)!  Yes, I am annoyed that the fall weather we had last week turned back into summer weather, BUT - I know that as we go forward, fall will really happen, and the weather and temperatures will be those that make me both comfortable and happier.  (Unlike summer, where I know it will only get hotter before it's time to cool off.)

Anyway, I hope all of you had a good weekend, or at a minimum, not a terrible one.  Mine started out OK, but got derailed yesterday and I never caught up with myself.  At least it was on a Sunday and didn't put the whole weekend out of sync!

The good news is, I have a finish to show you - YAY!  

Project:  Grey Tabby Socks
Pattern:  Heel Toe Do Si Do, from Crazy Sock Lady Designs
Yarn:  Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts 100% Superwash BFL Wool 4-Ply Fingering Sock in the Grey Tabby colorway (part of their Meow Collection)
Needles:  US size 1
Modifications:  I did a normal 2 x 2 rib at the top, rather than the twisted rib indicated in the pattern.
Comments:  This was such a fun knit, the pattern just zooms along!  You can't tell in this photo, but the front of the sock ends up with a chevron-type look, and it's easy enough to remember that after the first few 2-row repeats, you've got it in your head.  I probably could have finished these sooner, but I took some time to [obsessively] finish my counted cross-stitch project.  I've never knit one of the Crazy Sock Lady's patterns before, but if they are as well done/written as this one, she has her sh*t together, I must say.

The yarn is from my stash, which pleases me, and it is has a cozy feel to it as you are knitting.  It moves along well in your hands, and doesn't get tangled on itself along the way.

These will be for me, and now that they are finished, it's time to get started on some gift knitting.  I don't have a lot planned, but I want to get it underway so I'm not doing anything at the very last minute.

Finally, RIP to my Edie sweater, at least for now.  I took it over to Loop yesterday, when they were offering a help session.  Besides the issues that started the whole thing out, the person there pointed out to me that the friend who made a temporary fix (said friend said she had "triaged" it), had actually done something that meant that the sleeve that was the problem had about 20 extra stitches on the needle, so regardless of what could/could not be figured out, the sleeves would not match at all.  I went home and frogged it, which on the one hand was dismaying, but on the other hand was OK because since it's linen, I won't even think of re-knitting it until next spring/early summer, when it will all feel new again.  And at least in theory, since I have already knit the body, it should all go more quickly.  I wouldn't even consider this except that I really want this knit, and it was an enjoyable project.

And that's it for today.  I hope all of you have a good week, and that none of your projects have to be frogged for any reason.  :-)

A Lovely Fall Saturday

Today is such a lovely fall Saturday - maybe a bit too breezy, but so nice otherwise!  Hamlet and I took a nice walk earlier, made more exciting for him by stopping at the Unleashed! store near our house and getting a toy for $2.00 - he chose a squeaky chili pepper.

A boy and his pepper toy

Then I walked up to the library to return one book (and left with two), then went on to the farmers' market which was fine, but frustrating since I can't really carry anything I wanted to buy.  But it was nice to walk around, see the goodies, pet some dogs, and come home.

A friend of ours is coming over in a few hours for a visit, so it will be nice to catch up with her.  Also, she is a night owl, so it's kinda nice she will be here earlier, so it won't be so late when she leaves.  Usually, she comes for dinner, and by the time she heads home, we're nearly comatose!

I have my next appt with the orthopedic surgeon on Monday.  There will be more x-rays, and then I'll either get a replacement of the same cast I have for a few more weeks, or get a portable cast that will come off so I can shower properly, and start some physical therapy.  It's still painful and annoying, but I know it will be for a long time, so I'm trying to not think about it too much! 

I really miss getting to knit, or stitch, or do much of anything.  I've been watching lots of knitting podcasts, which are at least like getting to hang out with some knitters.  It's a good thing I hadn't counted on knitting a lot of gifts this year, that's all I have to say.

I also missed getting out our Halloween decorations - for the first time ever, we didn't even have a pumpkin!  It never occurs to The Tim to get one, and I didn't want to press my luck with him by asking him to get one ... hopefully, I'll get a good report at the dr's and will be able to do more for Thanksgiving.  I just love having some things around to note the holiday.  The Tim likes them, but except for Christmastime, it never occurs to him to get them out for any other times.

I am able to type a bit more easily, but it's still slow and arduous.  I had hoped to do NaBloPoMo again this year, because I enjoy the challenge, but since it takes so long to type a post, I knew it was not a good idea.  Unfortunately, it means I am also not likely to do much responding to comments any time soon, and I apologize for that.  I am so happy that people are still reading and commenting, and I hope soon to be able to respond again regularly as well as regularly comment on others' blogs.  Slow and steady wins the race, I know.

And that's it for now.  I hope your weekend is lovely as well, with nice weather and good things to do.  Enjoy!

Five Favorites for this Fall Friday

Well, OK technically Fall doesn't begin for another couple of hours, but - details, details.

What a week.  I mean, WHAT. A. WEEK.

I really really really had to think to come up with five things that made me happy in the last week.  But I found them, and here they are.

1.  Vegetarian sloppy joes.  The Tim made some the other day for dinner, and they were sooooo yummy!  And it's kinda funny, because when I used to eat meat, I wasn't really that crazy about sloppy joes, because the ones I had always seemed kind of greasy.  But these were most excellent.

2.  Talking to a friend I haven't seen for a while for a nice long time.  Last weekend, I had a phone conversation for a bit more than an hour with a friend who I haven't really had a chance to talk to for any length of time for about 4 years.  We e-mail back and forth, but nothing too involved.  It was fun and so nice to talk to someone who "gets" things that no one else does.  And that's a lot coming from me - someone who HATES to talk on the phone for the most part!

3.  Taking a colleague out for a belated birthday lunch.  One of the scientists who works where I do had his birthday at the beginning of September.  Every year at my birthday time, I inform him that he is taking me out to lunch.  To his credit, he always does.  So I took him out for lunch yesterday, and we had a good time.

4.  Weird but amusing dreams.  I've had a few dreams this week that were even stranger than usual, but what I could remember from them was really funny.  I woke up laughing twice, because somehow even as the dream was occurring, I knew it was ridiculous.

5.  The show "Difficult People."  I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but we watched the episode for this week last night, and there was a particular part of it that made me laugh so hard, I could barely breathe.  Even The Tim was gasping.  So stupid and so funny.

I hope you've found some good things this week.  Everyone needs to find at least one, right?

We do not have any specific or elaborate plans for this weekend.  The weather is going to be stupidly hot and humid, so I sincerely doubt there will be any activities that require spending any amount of time outdoors.  Does that mean I have to clean the house???!!!

Have a good one.  Happy First Day of Fall!  And if you are lucky enough to be enjoying fall-like weather, enjoy some for me too.  :-)

Try To Remember

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that the song "Try To Remember" (which I initially mis-identified as "September Song," a whole 'nother tune), made me think of fall.

Of course, then the song was in my head for the rest of the day - and is still there today.

And it is a song about fall, but also not.  Kinda.  Sorta.  But not.  At least, not really about fall as a season of weather, leaves, and cool days.  Except, it is in a way.

I find it to be a very sweet, poignant song, and can remember feeling that way even as a child.

So, here it is for those of you who may not be familiar with it. (Now it can float around in your head for a few days, too.)

I found this version of Josh Groban singing it, and the lyrics are below.

And so goes NaBloPoMo Day #9.

Try To Remember

Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh, so mellow
Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow
Try to remember the kind of September when you were a tender and callow fellow
Try to remember and if you remember then follow

Try to remember when life was so tender that no one wept except the willow
Try to remember when life was so tender that dreams were kept beside your pillow
Try to remember when life was so tender that love was an ember about to billow
Try to remember and if you remember then follow

Deep in December it's nice to remember altho you know the snow will follow
Deep in December it's nice to remember without the hurt the heart is hollow
Deep in December it's nice to remember the fire of September that made us mellow
Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow.

Sweater Weather Challenge

Hello there on a Sunday!

Well, it's been the first week of NaBloPoMo, and I have managed to post every day.  It hasn't been hard to post, what has been hard is *remembering* to post, since I normally don't do it every single day.

The other day, Angel commented on one of my posts.  Since she was a new friend to me, I visited her blog and saw a post that was a Q&A.  Now if you have read this blog for more than 5 minutes, you know I love these kind of things, so I decided to play along.

Sweater Weather Challenge

1.  Favorite Candle Scent:  Pine!

2.  Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate:  Yes?  Meaning, I like them all, but I'm gonna say TEA, since that is what I drink the most.  Nothing better than a good cuppa.

3.  What Is the Best Fall Memory You Have?  I would have to say when we lived in Notre Dame, Indiana, and would walk from our apartment to the Saturday afternoon football games.  Fall colors, cool and sunny days, and people happy with anticipation.  (This is saying a lot, since I absolutely hated living in Indiana.  These kind of things made it bearable.)

4.  Best Fragrance for Fall:  Jil Sander No. 4.  I got a sample of this a few years ago, and it just reminds me of fall.  I made that sample last as long as I could, since I knew I couldn't afford to buy the stuff once it was gone!  :-)

5.  Favorite Thanksgiving Food:   Stuffing, forever and ever amen.  I can already smell it in my mind ...

6.  Most Worn Sweater:  The very first Christmas that The Tim and I were dating, he bought me a sweater with reindeer on it.  It's an acrylic bulky sweater, and I not only wore it regularly then, but I still have it and it is my around-the-house sweater. It has been washed and mended so many times, but since it is acrylic, it actually is still in pretty good shape.

7.  Football Games or Jumping in Leaves?  I'm gonna say football games.  Though we have plenty of leaves to rake, you don't want to jump into the pile around here because almost anything can be in there with them ...

8.  Favorite Fall Accessory:  Knitted cowls.  Cozy and something I have made for myself.

9.  Favorite Type of Pie:  I guess in the fall I would say apple or pumpkin.  Though at any time of year, I have never ever met a pie I didn't like.

10. What Is Fall Weather Like Where You Live?  Usually, it's cool, sunny, and crisp, with the occasional dreary day when you like to be cozy inside.  So far this year it's been stupidly warm and I hate it.  Today, it actually feels like a fall day for a change, so YAY!

11. Favorite Fall Makeup Trend:  Berry lipsticks.

12. What Song Really Gets You in the Fall Spirit?  I have no clue.  Though I guess whenever I hear "Try To Remember" from "The Fantasticks" I think of fall.

13. Pumpkin Spice - Worth the Hype?  I love pumpkin, and I love pumpkin scents in candles, etc.  But I don't think every single thing in the world should be pumpkin flavored or scented.  That's stupid if you ask me.

14. Favorite Fall TV Show:  "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

15. Favorite Fall New TV Show:  I would have to say "The Grinder."  It is stupidly ridiculous, and makes me laugh every time.

16. Skinny Jeans or Leggings?  I like leggings, because they are generally very comfortable and cover a multitude of sins on my legs with dresses.

17. Combat Boots or Uggs?  I have a pair of Uggs that I got for $25.00 a few years back that are my inside shoes/slippers in cold weather.  Plus, they are "pine green" and that makes me happy.

18. Halloween: Yay or Nay?  Are you kidding me?  YAY to the nth degree.

19. Fall Mornings or Fall Evenings?  Do I have to choose?  OK, I'm gonna say mornings, since you can see the leaves then.

20. Feelings About Black Friday:  I think Black Friday is fun if you go out early in the day to have fun and get home by or before lunch time. And I am fortunate because I get an extra day off work (poor The Tim, it starts his busiest time of year).  I think Black Friday as most people seem to see it is disgraceful.

21. Favorite Fall Traditions:  Decorating for fall holidays, hot apple cider, baking gingerbread muffins.

22. Any New Traditions to Start?  Not so far, but you never know.

23. Favorite Alcoholic Beverage for Fall:  Hot apple cider.

24. When Should the Holiday Season Start?  Well, the holiday season starts for me with Halloween, but I'm guessing this refers to Christmastime.  Which starts on December 1, period.

25. Who Do You Love to Spend the Fall With?  Family, both human and otherwise.  Fall starts the cozy time of year to me, and they are the ones I most want to be cozy with.

That was fun!  Feel free to give it a try, and see what your answers turn out to be.

That's it for NaBloPoMo Day #7.  Hope yours is a good one.

Ghost Town Friday

Well, I didn't mean for it to be so long between posts - I'm surprised to be honest, I didn't realize I hadn't been here for a while!  Oh well.

Today and Monday are days off for me, and for a lot of other people.  My work and my home are right in the spaces where the Pope will be starting tomorrow.  As a result, there are a lot of intense security restrictions (thanks, ISIS) and also a lot of people left town, both due to expected crowds and because they had to get their cars off most of the streets.

This morning I took a walk, and it was AMAZING to see the city so empty, and best of all NO CARS.  A lot of people in our neighborhood have cars, but don't use them daily.  But of course many people commute by driving, and living in the city, there are cars, trucks, vans, etc. all of the time.

Anyway, here are scenes from today.

"Hello ... hello ... hello (echo)"

"Anyone?"

That white sign on the tree in front of this house says "No Parking."  People knew that they would be towed, so for once they actually paid attention, rather than paying the fines!

Emergency vehicles parked in a row, ready for anything, and the National Guard on each corner.

And then this blackboard sign, next to the Episcopal church up the street.  I am highly amused that someone wrote "Cubs World Series," and then someone crossed out "Cubs" and wrote "Phillies."  If only that was the biggest world problem, right?

So this is the calm before the storm.  Pope Francis arrives tomorrow, and something tells me that these empty streets will not even have an inch of space available!

But for today, it was glorious.  You could walk around and never have to wait for the light to change to cross the street, and bicyclists were not in danger of being run off the road.  It was a beautiful day weather-wise, and the hardy souls* who stayed in town were walking around, eating in outdoor cafes, many walking their dogs, and enjoying having the place to themselves.

Sometimes, even for just a day, the world works in your favor.  :-)



*I say "hardy souls" because so many people were freaked out by security plans that they could not wait to leave town.  It was like we were getting 20 feet of snow, and they had to escape or would be condemned to a certain death.  Wimps.

Fun Saturday #2

Hmmm ... I started this post the other night, but then the pictures weren't edited, so it all got delayed ... anyway ...

*****

Not to be outdone by Fun Saturday #1, today I bring you another one.  The funny thing is, it was the weekend after the first one, which is of course the way it works.  You sit around for months not doing much, and then everything happens in a few weeks!

Anyway, on the weekend of October 18, my niece Amanda and her husband Pat visited from Baltimore.  We always have a good time with them, and they are always up for any adventure.  The Tim decided that we should all go on a visit to Winterthur.  We had been there once years ago, for their Christmastime display (amazing and beautiful), but not since.  And they currently have a special exhibit of some of the costumes from the TV series "Downton Abbey."   Since we watch it, and knew that Amanda and Pat were big fans, it seemed like a good idea for an outing.

As luck would have it, the day was one of those fall days you think only exists in the movies - sunny, crisp, with the slightest breeze but not too cool and not too hot.  We had a wonderful time, enjoying the outdoor spaces as much as the indoor ones.

Hopefully, these pictures will give you an idea of the place.

From left to right:  Pat, Amanda, The Tim

Story stones in the Childrens' Fairy Garden

Fairy House chandelier

Pat and The Tim in the bird's nest in the Fairy Garden

Wall around the pool

And then, the inside of the house, including the conservatory and its ceiling - it's always hard for me to believe that people just lived in these places, you know, like a "regular house" ...

As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "The rich are different than you and me."  I think he was on to something there.  :-)

The Downton Abbey costumes will be in another post (whenever I get to editing those pictures), so stay tuned!