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.

A Day At The Beach

Yesterday was our beach day of our vacation week, and we headed to Ocean City, New Jersey. It was just perfect - sunny, with a cool breeze, and not many people around. We had not been to the shore since before the pandemic, and it was nice to see that the Atlantic Ocean was still there doing what it does best. 

It was pretty uncrowded - we got there in the middle of the day, and I guess since most kiddos are still in school, there were only a few other people sitting on the beach. And the water is still really cold, so no one was in the water.

The ocean didn't care though - it was pretty rough and choppy, and therefore extra noisy. But the beach actually does belong to it, so we have no right to tell it to be quiet. 😉

Then around 4, we left to go get the car and head to Somers Point, New Jersey, which is just over the bridge. It was time to make a visit to one of our most fave places in the universe, that nearly closed last year after having a tough time during the pandemic. Thank God they were able to stay open!

We love this place so much! It's the typical beachy place like we both remember from when we were kids and took summer vacations to the shore. Formica tables, paper plates and cups, and too much food - we ate most of what we ordered except they gave us too many french fries, and as The Tim said, they give the leftovers to the seagulls, so they won't go to waste.

We got home about 8 pm and still had time to cuddle with the kitties, have a cup of tea and watch some shows before we headed to bed. 

I hope this year we'll get our act together and take more day trips to the shore. It's so close, and such a lovely way to spend a day. And I just love the ocean and how it is both so appealing and so frightening. I could watch the waves come in forever.

Today is final preparations to celebrate one year of Alfie, and then tomorrow we head to Annapolis for the day. Sunday it's back to work for me, and Monday for The Tim. 

Real life can be annoying, right?

Whatever is in store for your weekend, I hope you can have time to relax and enjoy it. Take care.

There and Back

Hello - I hope you had a good weekend, and if you were in the U.S. that you had a good Memorial Day weekend. We got home from our trip to WV yesterday afternoon about 3 p.m., and this week we are both on vacation, so it was nice to sleep a bit late this morning and be able to take our time getting going.

We were really lucky on our trip - no traffic anywhere, and perfect weather! We did see a really pretty sky on Friday evening as the sun was setting:

A LOT of time was spent just sitting on the porch and laughing:

On Sunday, we went to the Backyard BBQ festival at Oglebay Park, where there was live music, good food and drink, and a bourbon tasting (I don't really like bourbon, but I tasted some - it was fun!). The others tried the various BBQ places, and said that the food was really good. The music was great, and there were lots of doggies waiting to be petted!

After spending some time at the festival, we walked around part of the park, and saw some others enjoying some snacks:

We had a great picnic on Sunday, and as I said, since the weather was perfect, we were able to grill outside, and spend the early part of the evening outside. We had to come inside later because everyone wanted to see the finale of the show "Succession." It was so much fun watching with a group - usually I see the entire episode, while The Tim falls asleep about 15 minutes in ... then he watches the episode on his own and we compare notes. But being able to watch and comment with others was really fun. (None of us predicted the right person to take over, in case you are wondering.)

And then it was Monday morning, and time to get on the road. At one point in the trip we stopped to get something to drink, and this woman was in front of me in line. Keeping it classy along the PA turnpike:

The kitties were very glad to have us home, even though they really like our cat sitter. But of course she only stops in twice a day to feed them, whereas generally one of us is always around to serve them. 😉

Today will be a day at home, relaxing and doing some small-ish errands. We will likely make a day trip to the Jersey shore one day, and we have plans to meet up with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat this coming Saturday to spend the day in Annapolis. 

And we have to celebrate. Technically, Saturday will mark one year since Alfie joined the family. But since we will be gone for the bulk of the day, we are going to celebrate on Friday. We figured that would work better, since we will be at home, and he is unlikely to mind, since getting extra treats, etc. is a good thing no matter what day it is, as far as he is concerned!

So it will be a nice, leisurely, but fun week for us. Works for me!

Long Weekend Ahead

I hope those of you in the U.S. have a good Memorial Day weekend. I know for a lot of people, this is the "unofficial start of summer," and they look forward to it more than just about anything else. 

I don't like to think about the beginning of summer, my least favorite season, so I just look forward to the long weekend. 😊

But I do look forward to more choices for fresh fruits and veggies, particularly anything that includes "-berry" in its name. And later today, we are headed to WV for the holiday weekend, and it will be fun to see everyone and hang out on my sister's front porch.

And I'm looking forward to next week, when myself and The Tim are on vacation. We both were able to take the whole week off, so we have some day trips planned, and will likely try to do some of the kinds of things you need both people to do (i.e., bank stuff, home repair loan) - you know, not fun, but necessary to move forward with some things. But interspersed with the day trips, and without any other schedule, it will be wonderful. I'm not sure we could be more excited if we actually were going on a week-long trip!

So no matter what you are or are not celebrating, or where you are or are not going, I hope you enjoy this weekend, and can spend some time doing exactly whatever you're in the mood to do. 

And don't forget the reason for Memorial Day while you're at it. Brave people should always be remembered and honored.

The Week That Was

Hello again and Happy Spring!  I didn't really plan to be AWOL, so to speak, but I was. I have to tell you, last week was absolutely magnificent!  I enjoyed every single moment of my time off, and it was so nice to sleep well, not stress-eat all of the time, and be able to enjoy getting some exercise.  We all had a good week, as the kitties enjoyed having someone to serve their needs 24/7, and The Tim enjoyed the fact that I wasn't bitching and moaning about work every single freaking day. 😊 (Who can blame him??)

The only annoying thing that happened was that on Saturday, I decided to finally get my act together and respond to the comments on my last couple of posts.  Well, both my e-mail and Blogger worked together to make sure that nothing like that happened!  When I responded via e-mail, I got "Message undeliverable" for every single thing, and when I thought I would actually decide to respond on Blogger, each time I was told "Comment cannot be processed."  So rather than become a raving maniac before I had to go back to work (because I wanted to enjoy those last couple of days), I just decided not to get worked up over it.  To any who commented, thank you for your comments and good wishes, I promise I wasn't ignoring you!  

So let's do a quick recap of the birthdays.

Milo the Koodle enjoyed his birthday celebration very much.  Even though they don't get any cake to eat, Milo and Pip both enjoy the lit birthday candles and the singing.  Though they don't want to get too close to the candles thankfully!  But Milo loved the special attention, and was quite pleased with some catnip and some treats.  Then he made sure to get a TON of attention for the rest of that day and all weekend.  Thanks for the kind wishes you sent his way.  I read them to him and he purred quite loud.

My birthday was really lovely.  It was a beautiful day, and though I had to stick close to home for most of it, because the tree trimmers were there, I was a) home, b) completely left to my own devices, and c) knew I had the rest of the week if I wanted to go anywhere.  The guys from the tree trimming place were really nice and efficient, and by the time they were finished on Tuesday afternoon, not only were the trees trimmed and pruned and the ivy gone from the side of the house, the garden was cleaned up much better than any of my efforts, ever!  Now I just hope I can do a decent job of maintenance.

I got a couple of real-life, lovely cards from friends which was such a treat.  One of my online friends (who shall not be named here because I'm not sure if she would want to be named, also you might be jealous if she never sent you anything!) sent me a lovely card and note with this needleminder tucked into the package:

It's like the people who made this have met me, right?  It was so exciting to see a little treat in the card, and then when I pulled it out, it just cracked me up, it's so perfect! (The Tim: "Wow, she nailed that one.")

After I sent a link for this, The Tim bought this for the kitties to give to me:

When you undo the zipper, and open it up, there are dpns from size US0 to US6!  (Also - HOW is there already cat hair all over the case??? This was set up on a shelf away from them!  Sigh.)

These are Knitters' Pride Zing needles, and though I haven't used the dpns before, I love the circular ones.  I sent The Tim a link from Webs, but he told me he bought these from Amazon because they were a lot cheaper there.  Which is somewhat sad since we both try not to use Amazon if we don't have to, but then again, he said they were more than $10 less there, so I don't blame him.  

Anyway, we had a yummy dinner, and homemade marble cake with chocolate frosting, so it was all good.

That's it for now.  I'm finishing this at work since I arrived half an hour early, but I'd better sign off now before my time runs out.  Thanks again for all of the well-wishes, both for me and for the Koodle!  I'll fill you in on the rest of the week in a later post.  

Have the best week possible. 😀

Ten on the Eleventh

Good morning and Happy Friday!  I for one am especially happy that this day has arrived, for two reasons, which I will discuss later in this post.

Today is March 11, and I want to talk about the number ten.  It's a nice, round number, introducing double digits to the string.  How many lists of "ten" have you come across?  Top Tens are a big one, as are Ten Ways To _______ (for good or for bad).  In a football game, ten yards gets you a first down on your way to the goalpost.  The British Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street (as does Larry the Cat!).  Everyone's favorite musical Founding Father - Alexander Hamilton - is on the ten-dollar bill.  One of the first ways we learn to count in groupings is doing five, ten, fifteen, twenty, etc.  

But today, on March 11, 2022, the very best thing about the Number Ten is this:

Milo the Koodle is ten years old today!!

Yep, on this day ten years ago, he was born in one of The Tim's former co-worker's backyard, where she took care of some feral cats.  He had 4 other siblings.  

The Koodle is definitely one of a kind, and honestly I think if just about anyone else had adopted him, he would have quickly been returned to a shelter or left out on the street abaondoned.  Because some of his "unique" features and behaviors are, shall we say ... troublesome.  But The Tim and I decided he was part of our family, and even though it was possible that he was possessed by Satan, we would never give him up.  

It helps that he is a cutie pie, and that when he is not peeing on things or destroying things or shredding your skin, he is a love bug.  He loves to cuddle, he loves to play - needless to say, all on HIS terms.  He and Pip are best buds and occasional mortal enemies.  He adored both Dug the Doodle Dog and Hamlet, and is somewhat lost without them.

But when he sits on your lap and purrs like a truck, or cuddles up next to you when you are lying down, he is the kind of kitty everyone wants to have.

So tonight, we will have birthday cake, treats, and presents to kickoff his birthday weekend. 

The second reason I'm glad that Friday is finally here is because it's the last day I have to be at work for a week!  I had marked next week off as vacation back in November, when our dept at work was still at full staff.  Of course, now that there is just myself and one other person (She The Terrible), my taking a week of vacation is being seen as the equivalent of eating a baby or something.  Now keep in mind that last month, She The Terrible took 2 weeks of vacation, and it was to be commended because she "works so hard."  (And she is the terrible boss' favorite person in the place, next to himself.)  But my vacation week is SUCH a problem, you know???

As my mother would say, TDB (too d**n bad).  I'm planning a week where I do my best to forget all of the people at work, where I don't check e-mail or attend Zoom meetings, and where *they* can be the ones to sign for packages, give directions, answer all of the phones, etc.  

I plan to do whatever I feel like doing on any given day, within reason of course (no stabbing annoying people, etc.).  I have a couple of dr appts, The Tim's days off are on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we'll probably have some adventure then, and there are a couple of days where I have to be at home anyway because some workers are coming to take the ivy off the side of our house, and do some pruning work on some trees in our garden.  

It would be nice if someone contacted me for a job interview, but I'm not gonna count on it.  That would just be a bonus.

So join me today in wishing the Koodle a happy birthday, and have a wonderful weekend doing whatever you are planning to do!

*****

I thought you might enjoy these outtakes from the birthday boy's photoshoot.  They prove that the sweet, innocent face above is as much a ruse as anything else.

*Just* as a snapped the photo!

A typical photo attempt, on any given day not just a birthday!

For Once, I Wish It Was Not Friday

You can probably guess why - it's my last day of vacation.  I shouldn't complain, because I had a really lovely week (well, interspersed with whatever dr appts I'd managed to fit in, so as not to have to use time in a work day), but in some ways the fact that it was a lovely week makes it worse, you know?

Anyway, I did have - and am still having - a really great vacation week.  The weather was not at all cooperative, it was in the high 90s temperature-wise, with thick, ick, humidity every single day and then not that much cooler at night.  So except for necessary things, I pretty much stayed inside.  I tell myself that when I take some time in the fall, I'll be able to go out for long walks, etc. then.

Staying inside though, did mean that I was able to do some things on my own schedule that I usually just have to fit in among everything else, so that was a real bonus.  

For instance, I sewed four hanging kitchen towels:

I didn't have a pattern to work with (no kidding, look at the wonkiness!), but I am happy with the results nonetheless.  These are for us, and they are usable and cheery, so I'm pleased with them.  We really like the hanging kitchen towels, and they are not that easy to find.  So a couple of months back, when I was at a Joann's Fabrics, I bought some terrycloth and some cotton to make these.  I still have enough for a few more, but my plan was to get at least four made this week, so there you go.

I also did lots of reading - I mean for a few hours at a go, which is just THE BEST!  To sit and read and not have to worry about when your lunch hour is over, or if you are supposed to be doing something else or be somewhere else, is such a nice luxury.

I also worked on some knitting - my summer top got some attention, and I started a birthday gift for one of my nieces:

This is the beginning of the Lightweight Hipster Shawl.  The niece I'm making it for as a birthday gift is truly a hipster, so I thought it was a good fit.  As you can see, I have only the first part done; I stopped at the next part, where it starts dropping stitches, etc., because it was later in the evening, and I didn't want to challenge my brain OR mess it up and have to start over again at that time.

I do have a funny story from one of my dr appts. I see a cardiologist yearly, and I really love this guy.  He is so personable, and such a good communicator.  Anyway, he was saying that he didn't quite agree with something about some test results that my internist had told me.  But, as he said, "It's not that big of a deal, it's not like I'll fight her on it.  Besides, I think she might be able to take me."  

So I told him that periodically, The Tim and I will discuss that if we ever got into a physical fight, who would win.  He thinks he would win, because he is bigger and stronger, but I always say I would win because I'm meaner.  The cardiologist laughed, and then he said, "Wow. Sounds like when Kierkegaard and Nietzsche would get together to discuss the meaning of life."  That just cracked me up!

And that, friends, is the story of What I Did Over My Summer Vacation.  As I said, it's still happening, at least until Monday, so there is some comfort in that.  But I'm really happy that I had such a good week because I wanted it to be that, and for once nothing put a wrench into it.

I hope all of you have a good weekend, and are able to just enjoy some time the way you would like.  Don't forget that Sunday at noon is the last chance for you to comment on the latest giveaway post here.  

Take care, and I'll announce a winner on Monday.  In the meantime, I thought you might get a chuckle out of the cartoon below.  Take care, everyone!

Week 1 Winner and Wow Did I Enjoy That!

Hello all, here's hoping that things are OK where you are.  Though between weather, the Covid variant, and everything else that seems to be going on in the world, I know that can seem like somewhat of a tall order.  

However, we do have something fun to talk about, and that is we have our first winner for the 2021 version of Christmas in July!  I have to tell all of you, I have seldom enjoyed reading comments as much as I did for this - I truly love this kind of thing, as I am fascinated by people's life progressions.  There were SO many fun surprises to read about, and did you happen to notice that one of the people who commented currently lives in Wheeling, West Virginia - hometown of MOI???  I have a thousand questions which I will of course not ask, because they are none of my business, but I so want to know where she lives there, does she know anyone I know, does she want to be best friends, where does she work, etc.?  I've decided to just answer those questions in my own brain the way I want to answer them, that way she retains some privacy and I continue in my fantasy.  😊

In any case, yesterday I called up the ever-reliable random number generator, and it chose the comment from:

KAREN51!!!!!

Here is her response to the question: Where were you born?

I was born in the Ripon, Wisconsin hospital.  We live about an hour and a half south of there now.  Left the state for 13 years and then returned.

Please give a round of applause for both Karen51 and Ripon, Wisconsin!  I have never been to Ripon, but I have been to a few different places in Wisconsin (which were lovely), and I have heard of Ripon College.  

Congratulations, Karen51!! Please send me your complete name and mailing address via e-mail - my address is: thekittyknitterATverizonDOTnet.  In the subject line please say something like "Address for prize package" so that I don't think it's spam.  I will let you know when your package is on the way.  

I love that so many people lived near to, or in the same place where they were born; and it was so fun to read about other people's journeys from points A to B in a roundabout way.  Thanks SO much to everyone who was willing to participate - and remember, this makes you already eligible for the big prize at the end of all of this!

******

In other news that is good, I am on vacation this week - YAY!  No, I'm not going anywhere other than my own house and the coolest room in it, since we are in the high 90s with my unloved humidity added to the mix for the whole week.  But that is fine because I don't even have to think about work or anyone there.  And other than a dr appt in an hour or so this a.m., my time is my own.  The big question is, will I accomplish even one of the approximately 4000 things I have on my list of what I would like to do?  Stay tuned ...

OK, I'd better get myself in gear to get dressed, etc. to go to the aforementioned dr appt.  Thanks again to all who played along, and don't forget to check again on Wednesday to see what the next thing will be!

Take care, everyone, and have the best week you can.

Observations From a Birthday Week Vacation in the Second Year of Covid-19

As you may or may not know, I have taken this week as vacation from work.  I usually try to take time off around my birthday, because why not?  Last year, I had planned to do so, but then we were sent home for "two weeks, probably" after March 13, so I was home anyway, without any work that I could easily do, working from home.

Anyway, this year I have been working in our building on Tuesdays and Thursdays since this past August, and of course working from home (as much as I can in my job, which is a challenge), so I decided to return to my tradition, and I also decided to take the entire week as vacation.  I have the time available to me, and really - where I am going to go anywhere soon?  

Since this is the last work day of my vacation, I thought I would share some of my observations from this past week.

OK, this first part is something I've thought all of my life, but this past week has only made me a firmer believer:

1. WHY are Americans so stingy with time off?  First of all, generally most people don't get a lot of vacation time, or holidays off, and then when you actually want to try and take that time, you're looked at like someone who just ate a baby!  I know, I know - the Protestant work ethic, American productivity, blah, blah, blah.  Excuse me, but that is just a way of justifying the crappy treatment most people receive from their employers.  You ask for even a day off, and it's like the company will dissolve because you are not there - even if most of the time, your presence is either not acknowledged at all, or you are generally dismissed as unimportant.  God forbid you take time for YOURSELF - I mean, they're already being so generous, what with evenings and weekends for your interests.  And yet, in other countries, where people have been receiving much more generous amounts of time off, somehow it's all still standing in spite of that.  I know some people LOVE their work, and love to be at work, but Work Is Not Life.

2.  This week I had two meetings scheduled related to my work.  One was with the person who is our new supervisor, who also happens to be the CEO of the place.  This is until our current supervisor comes back from sabbatical, or at least that's what they are saying.  In any case, we are not allowed [seriously, not allowed] to reschedule our meetings with him (he can, we cannot).  And this one was for a "Performance Discussion," which is what our annual reviews are now called. (Puh-leeze.)

So, OK, I figured having to go to that meeting on Tuesday morning was something I could do and then go on with enjoying my time off.  WRONG.  Nope, after being told in the meeting that he could not figure out why I was still employed because he saw no reason for my position to still exist, and that I would need to amp up my goals in order to continue to have a job - well, let's just say that threw me for quite the loop!  And as you may imagine, ruined my happy mood and mental health big time.  So much so, that just yesterday afternoon, I started to talk myself out of worrying about it since I am supposed to be on vacation.  And once again - when your time off is not really time off, that's just not fair.  If we had not been doing Zoom meetings all year, I would have not been able to meet with this guy during my vacation - the meeting would not have been possible (trust me, I would have claimed to be in Lichtenstein or someplace if I had to).  But no, since we could meet, we had to meet.  I was also supposed to meet with the consultant hired at work so that she could advise me on being more of a team player.  That was supposed to be yesterday.  I sent her an e-mail saying something had come up unexpectedly and I could not possibly do it until I was back at work next week.  (Technically it was the truth - bad mental health had come up - but even so, I decided I needed the rest of my vacation to be free from work stress and so that meeting was just not gonna happen.)  Jesus Christ in a dress, is there no escape from work anymore???

3.  Moving on from the ugly stuff, in truth, I am really glad I took a week of vacation.  Even though the weather has been not that great, I have enjoyed being able to be at home and [for the most part] not have work crap hanging over my head.  I have been reading, knitting, and being lazy, even if I had other plans that didn't end up happening.  (Admittedly they might have, had I not been so depressed/upset/thrown off for a couple of days, but there you are.)  Would it have been nice to be able to go out to breakfast for my birthday?  Yes, but since I hadn't planned on it, there was no disappointment there.  And I like being at home and on my own schedule.  So although there were no particularly special plans for the week, it's been a good one.

4.  I had a *very* slight reaction from my second Covid vaccine shot.  I felt fine for the rest of the day when I got it (this past Monday), and then overnight that night I woke up with chills and a low fever.  I felt a little bit crappy when I woke up on Tuesday morning, but by lunchtime I was fine.  I'm absolutely sure that whatever the reaction is, it's still better than coming down with the virus!

5.  This morning we had an "international" kind of car trip, stopping at a few places.  First up, The Tim wanted to go to the Asian market for some things, so we stopped there first.  Then we stopped at the Italian bakery where they have ZEPPOLES every year on March 19th for St. Joseph's Day, so we'll have those for dessert tonight.  Then on the way home, we stopped at a Middle Eastern lunch place where the make the absolute best grilled falafel sandwiches ever!  We brought things home, put away what needed to go into the fridge and enjoyed our sandwiches.  It's been years since I've had one, and I am happy to say, I was not disappointed.  So we're definitely eating well today.  😀

I can promise you, we got only one for each of us.  Such a treat, and so worth it!

All of which means that the good news is, that vacation week is ending on a good note, which is how it should be.  And I'm grateful for that, since I'll have plenty of time next week for other feelings and frustrations.

Here's hoping that your week was a good one, or that if not, it's ending on a good note like mine is.  Have a good weekend, and remember to try your best to enjoy whatever you can, whenever you can!

Attend

NOTE:  This is long and somewhat rambly, don't say I didn't warn you!

****

Last week, there was a meme going around on Twitter.  It was for you to create your campaign slogan, and it was your last name, plus "2020," and the last thing you said to your pet.  Some of them were really funny, and some a bit disgusting, but mine would be:

Clancy 2020: Please Try to Be Sweet to Each Other

It amused me, and when I told The Tim, he said, "That's actually a great slogan.  But you'd be slaughtered by the Republicans for something like that."  He had a point.

But I was thinking about it, and of course, what I meant by "sweet."  That's a loaded word.  Of course, it can simply mean a piece of candy, which - if you know me - works just fine.  But when you are talking about behavior, it can mean two different things:  "Sweet" as in disgusting - you know, all bubbly, too pink, and, to quote my mother, "Something that makes you just want to slap a person."  But then there is "sweet" in the sense of being kind, considerate, and just nice to yourself and others.  I always tell the pets to try to be sweet to each other when I leave the house because that is actually what I would say to whatever family I would have, be it human, furry, feathery, etc.  You don't need to be perfect, and you don't need to overdo it, just try your best to be good and be good to each other.  In this case, I mean that I hope they will at a minimum leave one another alone, and at best, cuddle and interact from time to time during the day.  Pay attention to each other and be considerate.

And then, this morning as I was walking to work, I turned onto a street that I usually don't walk along on my way, and I was truly dumbstruck by something.  I happened to look up, and straight ahead.  The way the houses and the trees framed it, I saw in front of me an absolutely stunning sunrise.  It was the kind of sight that makes you wish you could take a photograph, even if you know the photograph would not come close to showing what you see.  It seriously took my breath away.

Then I started thinking about the last time I had purposely seen an amazing sunrise, which was a few years back when we took a road trip vacation through New England.  We were in Bar Harbor, and had visited Acadia National Park the day before.  While there, we read that when the sun rose on Cadillac Mountain in the park, it was the first daylight to hit the United States, and that it was a sight to behold.  The next day we were leaving to head back south and eventually home, but we decided to be sure to see that sunrise.  Needless to say, about 50  other people also had that idea, but there was plenty of sunrise for everyone.  It was unlike any other experience ever, to stand silently, hearing the ocean crashing on the rocks below, and then suddenly see light starting to show.  And then it seeemed that inch by inch, the sun kept creeping up until all of a sudden, it was a new day!

(From the Bangor Daily News, but this doesn't come close to capturing the real thing!)

I remember the day we saw this, it was just a couple of months after our dog Dug had died, and I thought how he didn't have a chance to see any more sunrises, nor did any other loved ones who were no longer here.  How seeing a sunrise means that in spite of all the odds, you have woken up to see another day. 

Seeing the sunrise today made me realize that all over again, and also made me think about how amazing it is.  I just happened to turn on to that street, and look up randomly and see a new day in the most literal sense.

I used to have a supervisor who, when someone would seem to be settling for less than they should, would say, "Raise your sights."  Today I did just that, in a different way, and just by chance, and it has made a difference.  All I did once I raised my sights was to actually look, to pay attention, to consider what I was really seeing.  I was attending my life.

So now I have my One Little Word for the year:  Attend.  I want to attend my life, and be in it.  I want to pay attention to what I have, and what I can do.  I want to attend to myself, my family, and my life in a more conscious way, trying to remember that no matter what else is going on, if I wake up and the sun is going to rise, I need to attend to it, because I've been given another chance at making the ultimate gift mean even more.

I want to attend, and by doing so, listen to my own campaign slogan, and try to be sweet to others.

It Was Nice While It Lasted

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Night

Ugh  Back to work tomorrow after a week of vacation that even though it wasn't perfect, was still better than being at work.  I'm already telling myself that at least next weekend is a long weekend for Labor Day.  I hate wishing the week away like that, and am trying not to do it other than related to work.

Thank you for all of your kind words and concern after my last post.  To make a very long story short, I had been lucky enough to have two interviews for a new job at a place I think I would enjoy working.  I had not been assuming the job would be mine, but I felt I'd done pretty well at the interviews, and more importantly, it gave me hope that I could leave where I am, which is becoming more and more toxic every day.  So even though I hated going to work, I had hope.  Well, last Tuesday I got an e-mail from the HR person at the other place, telling me they were not "going further with your candidacy."  That's bad enough, but it was also the very first thing I saw on Tuesday morning, which didn't help.  Jobs of any kind are few and very far between around here, and it was the first call I've had for an interview in 2+ years of looking.  To say it was upsetting is putting it mildly.

I worked really hard last week to not let it ruin my whole week, and to concentrate on the good as much as possible.  For the most part, I was successful.  And as a dear friend said, try to focus on the small good things, and that you enjoy your life outside of work.  It doesn't solve anything, but it does help.  Those are wise words - I just hope I can keep them in mind.

So you see I am fine, and plugging away at other things.  Like my lemon meringue pie, which was a success - nice and tart but not too sour.  The last pieces will be for tonight (bad timing there!).  I am really thrilled with how well it turned out.

Our beach day was perfect - the temperatures were in the low 80s and there was no humidity to notice at all.  After we left the beach, we went and had a late lunch/early dinner at our fave clam shack, so that was a treat as well.  Sadly, it's the first time we made it to the shore this year.  Not that we usually go every weekend, but almost always it's more than just once by this time during the summer.

I've also been knitting of course, and I gotta tell you - I was really hoping the Scattered Wishes shawl would be finished by Labor Day weekend.  Not because it had to be, just because I thought that would be a good time for it to be finished.  I am on the lace border, which is 26 rows - 13 lace-patterned, and the other 13 just knitting back.  As you may recall, lace knitting and I do not have a solid relationship  And that lace border is kicking my butt!  Whether or not I've been using a lifeline, regardless of how slowly I go, it's just been a mess.  I am however, determined to "get" it.  I am back at Row 1 of the border, and will try my practice of *only* working on it first thing in the morning when I am freshest (and possibly only on weekends), and only do two rows at a time.  Every time I feel confident going past the second row I'm doing, I screw up.  I'm sure it's as much psychological as anything else, but I am determined to get it done!  Maybe just not by Labor Day ... ;-)

My socks are going well, and I've been reading a book I'm really enjoying.  This morning I spent about an hour and a half cleaning up in the garden.  Other than watering things, when it's really hot and humid, I just can't handle cleaning up.  But it looks pretty good right now  A few of the flowers we planted never made it, so I just pulled them up, but others are doing OK, and some are very happy!

This has also recently started:

Here is Pip, happily curled up and napping.  You can't necessarily tell from the photo, but he has decided that the small cubby under the table in our TV watching area, where I keep my laptop, is his new fave place to relax and hang out,  He barely fits, and it takes him a few minutes to get situated.  He's content to be there whether or not the laptop is.  Sigh.  He is a weird cat!  If any of the others attempted this, he would narc them out in a second, especially if they got on top of the laptop ...

The weather is still nice here, which is enjoyable not just during the day, but nice for sleeping at night.  I keep thinking of everyone having to deal with the hurricane and its after effects in the Houston area, and hope they get some relief sooner rather than later.  It looks as if a lot of people are checking in on their neighbors and trying to help one another, and I know that some Philadelphia firefighters left today for the area to do what they could.  When something like this happens, it really does take a village.

And that's all from here on a Sunday night.  I hope you had a good weekend, and that the week ahead will treat you well.  I'll be back soon with a giveaway to celebrate (belatedly) my blog anniversary, so stay tuned!

Pie Day

Not to be confused with Pi  Day (March 14) ...

My mother was not much of a cook, though she loved to eat.  But once every summer, she would make a lemon meringue pie.  It was a *big* deal.  And always yummy.

The other day I stopped at the market near our house for a few things, and I saw that they had a box of Lemon Pie filling.  Hm, I thought - I have a pie crust in the freezer, and I'm home this week, maybe I'll make a lemon meringue pie.  So I bought it, and today turned out the be the day.

It doesn't look as nice as my mom's used to - she was really good at getting super high peaks on her meringue, and successfully spreading it so that no filling was visible.  But I think I did a pretty good job for my first attempt.  We'll have some later, and hopefully it will be good.  I already remembered one ingredient she would use that I forgot, but I'm hoping it will still be OK.  Lemon meringue pie always makes me think of summer.

This week has been OK, so far.   Monday afternoon we took Milo the Koodle to the vet for a checkup.  We've been so busy with Dug and then Jetsam the past couple of years, that it had been a while since any of the others had gone.  We were trying a new vet, and hoping for the best.  Milo was so freaked out, that when we put him in the carrier, he expressed his anal glands.  OH MY GOD THE SMELL!!!  Fortunately, the vet cleaned him up.  He got his shots, and was declared in good health.  Of course they made a huge fuss over him, which he loves.  And his report from the vet said he was "a good boy."  PUH-LEEZE.

Yesterday was just a terrible day. First thing in the morning I got awful news (nothing health-related, don't worry) and frankly it just ruined my whole day.  I couldn't stop crying.  I don't mean to be vague, but I just can't talk about it right now.  By the end of the day I was OK again, but it was one of those days that was so humid, it was unbearable. So unfortunately, it was a lost day.  

We had crazy loud and violent rainstorms overnight.  I was having trouble sleeping anyway, so I sat up watching most of the night.  Needless to say, I'm tired today!  But it was a day of doing stuff around the house, baking, cooking, and things like that.  The weather today was gorgeous, so we had a pleasant walk this afternoon, and will likely sit in the garden for a good part of the evening.

Tomorrow - a beach day!!  YAY!!

I've also been knitting away, and yesterday I finally swatched for my summer sweater top.  Ahem.

I finished one book today, and started another.  Though I have a few squares on my Book Bingo card filled, I'm not anywhere close to having a completely filled card like some other participants.  But I'm OK with that, because I wasn't thinking it was a contest, and I just wanted to see what I would be able to accomplish.  There's still a week or so left, so who knows, I may have more than I think by the time it's all over.

So it's been a week when I am more than happy to not be at work, especially yesterday.  Now the weather has improved, which helps everything anyway, so it's all good.  

How has your week been?

Puerto Rico Vacation: Copamarina, The Plant Life

Well, that was a lost weekend.  My cold or whatever it is moved to the next level.  Finally today the dr gave me some meds, so hopefully I'll feel better (and get some sleep) soon.  Ugh.

BUT - let's move on to happier topics, and pretty pictures.  In my second installment of our time at Copamarian, I'm sharing photos of the plant life.  (If you missed the first part, where I show you the views there, check out this post.)

This first photo is specifically for Dee, who I know has orchid plants, and seems to have real luck growing them.  It was not an uncommon sight in Puerto Rico to see orchid plants attached to trees!  So pretty, but also surprising.

And here for your enjoyment, are the other photos.