How Is It Sunday Night Already?

I don't understand how it is already Sunday night.  I mean, yesterday was only Saturday ...

What a weekend.  So many sad, tragic, terrible and scary things happening in the world.  It's hard to wrap my head around a lot of it.  Not because I'm a perfect person, just because I don't understand what causes so many people to do the things they do.  It can certainly fill you with despair.

Fortunately, there are also good things, and I have been making an effort even more than usual to recognize and appreciate them.  I've been working on doing that lately anyway, so that I can find something to smile about every day.

This weekend I didn't accomplish as much around the house or garden as I'd hoped, mostly because I didn't feel too great.  Not really sick or anything, just the kind of low-energy thing that comes along every once in a while.  Fortunately, there was no place I had to be, so other than just not getting things done, it didn't effect mine or anyone else's plans.

I did manage to finish a knitting project and a book I was reading.  The Slutty Pumpkin socks are ready to be mailed to my niece once I get a mailing envelope.  I'm pleased with how they turned out, and you can look forward to a post about them this week.

I also finished a very short, but interesting book, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rovelli.  It contains a series of essays that the author wrote for a science column in a European newspaper.  I "got" some of it, but I also enjoyed it enough to put it on my wishlist to own (I borrowed it from the library), because I can see picking it up and reading some or all of it again from time to time. The author is an excellent, down-to-earth writer, and I felt all proud of myself for being all science-y ... ;-)

So, OK, reading over this, I guess it should be Sunday night.  Oh well, time marches on, even when I'm only crawling.

Have a good week!  And try not to get in anyone's way ...

Creamy Avocado Alfredo Pasta

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

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

*****

Creamy Avocado Alfredo Pasta

1 cup milk*

2/3 cup fully mashed avocado (1 medium)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil

Sprinkling of dill, basil, or other herbs

8 ounces uncooked pasta

Parmesan or other cheese for topping 

Pepper to taste

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

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

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

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

Total time:  15 minutes

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

*****

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

A Sincere Thank You and Q&A

Hello all - well, here we are a week later.  Before anything else, I want to say the most sincere Thank You that I can to everyone for their comments, prayers, thoughts, sympathy, and support after my post about Dug.  It made such a difference to me, and I know that Dug is pleased to think so many people thought to comment.  I tried to respond to each comment, but fairly often I can't see the e-mail addresses of commenters, and so cannot respond to some people individually.  So if you did not get a personal note from me, please do not feel that I didn't appreciate your kindness - I just didn't know how else to get in touch.  (Does anyone know how to make e-mail addresses appear so that you can respond? I have never been able to figure out why some show and some do not.)

So - THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.  I really felt comfort knowing you cared so very much.  We are still kind of in shock, but as all of you know, life goes on no matter what, and some things have to be done regardless of what else has or has not happened.  All of us are doing our best to adjust, some days are harder than others, as I'm sure many of you know.

*****

Since I am here anyway, and am trying to find things to make me smile, I decided I would also use this post to answer Kathy's weekly questions.  This week, her topic is Christmas in July (does that mean it will cool down?? If only ...)

1. We all have our Christmas movie favorites.  Do you have a summer movie you watch over and over?

I usually watch at least part of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with Jimmy Cagney on/around the 4th of July.  It's so cornball, and we always watched it growing up.  I think I might be able to recite it.

2. How's your Holiday 2016 knitting coming along?

I'm only slightly behind, but the things I am planning to knit as gifts are pretty quick knits, so I'm hoping to have a couple more completed by the end of the month.   So far, I have one hat out of 3 completed, and 1/2 of a  shawlette completed out of 4 I hope to make.

3. I have more time to read in summer than around the winter holidays.  What have you read lately?

I recently finished the third installment of the Maisie Dobbs stories, which was interesting.  But my favorite book that I finished most recently was A Man Called Ove.  I listened to the audiobook, and it has become one of my favorite books of all time.

4. Is there anything better than an iced Christmas cookie?

I seldom have iced Christmas cookies ... but during the summer, nothing beats a gelati from Rita's. Nothing!

5. Have you knit a gnome?

No, but I have a couple of little ones knitted and then felted by someone else that I've bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool a couple of different times. One is just a cutie, and one is a Santa gnome.

6. Are you more excited about your Christmas tree or your summer garden?

I've been fixing up our garden, and it's really nice.  The Tim has a deck garden where he is growing veggies and herbs.  They are great.  But nothing is better than a Christmas tree!

7. You've just created your favorite winter colorway.  What do you call it?

Santa's Stripes
Rudolph's Red
Snowy Evening Walk in the Woods

8. Someone is secretly knitting you a Christmas gift.  What do you wish it to be?

Christmas themed/colored socks or fairisle mittens.

9. If you need snow for the perfect Christmas, what do you need for the perfect 4th of July?

Temperatures during the day in the upper 70s, sunny with no humidity, and a cool, clear evening.

10. Let's make the last one yes or no; are you knitting in the air conditioning today?

At home, no because our house doesn't have a/c.  But I do have to go to a dr's appt, and they will have a/c.  So yes and no. ;-)

What about you?

*****

Thank you again everyone.  For every single thing.

So That You Know

I would give my life to not have to write this post.  Seriously.  But I do have to write it, and I don't want to put it off any longer.

Yesterday afternoon, we took our sweet Dug the Doodle Dog to the vet's office for the very last time.

I've alluded to him not being his usual self here, but never elaborated, because to be honest, that was hard to write too, and I wasn't really emotionally able to deal with comments and support from everyone.  I know that sounds weird, but there you go.

Dug was never an active dog in the sense that he couldn't really run, and had an odd gait.  This was a combination of him having arthritis, but also because the vet told us that it was likely that whoever had him as a puppy kept him crated except for walks, so his back leg muscles never really had the chance to properly develop.  He wasn't in any severe pain, but he was slower than most pups and more deliberate in his movements.  Needless to say, we didn't care.

When he started having serious trouble walking a couple of months ago, we took him to the vet for a check.  She felt a lump in the area of his spleen, and suggested an ultrasound.  That scan showed that his arthritis was also really bad in his spine, and that there were several tumors and masses near his spleen, kidneys, and other places.

The vet prescribed some painkillers, and suggested two things: 1) let him enjoy his life and the things that made him happy, until they didn't, and 2) take him to a local rehab place, and see if that helped at least a bit in the meantime.  We agreed that as long as he was still his happy self, we'd do whatever we could for him.  But Tuesday night and Wednesday morning it was clear he was not his usual self, and so we knew it was time.

He died having gotten lots of love from the kitties before we left, everyone at the vet's office (where he was a favorite), who kissed him, hugged him, whispered special things to him, and of course, from us.  In his last conscious moments, he knew that everyone who loved him, and those who loved him best, were right there, petting him, talking to him, kissing him.  (We should all be so lucky when our time comes, no?)

We are grateful that we could help him, and that he is no longer suffering or sick.  We know there was an entire welcoming committee - animals and people - waiting for him, to be with him.  We know he will always be with us, even if we can't hug him, walk him, watch him love the cats and love his life.

But it sucks, and it hurts and that will never change.  We know we'll never get over it, but we'll just get used to it.  We've both been through it before with so many of our other family members (human, furry, and otherwise).  We would love to have him here still, but only if he could be healthy - because to wish otherwise is selfish and cruel.

Dug was always a happy boy.  He was full of love, kindness, and he loved his life.  Anyone who would give him attention was his friend.  He liked to play, though on a calmer level, like he did everything.  He was with us for 3 1/2 years, plus a week.  We think he was ~8 years old.

He was our boy, and he is our boy, and he will always be our boy.  We love you, Dug, more than our own lives.  We'll see you again someday. xo

I've been thinking out this, and Dug never wanted anyone to be sad or upset, nor did he like to be sad or upset. So I think he would want us to follow the advice in this quote attributed to Dr. Seuss, even if we can't quite do it right away:

Don't cry because it's over, 

Smile because it happened.

Dear Dug, we are smiling through our tears right now, but know that you will always bring a smile to our hearts and our faces. Thank you for forever being our Doodle Dog, and for saving our lives, especially mine.

Be sure to kiss and hug your family, both human and otherwise, today, as soon as you have a chance.  And if you are so inclined, please say a prayer, think a good thought, or raise a glass for our sweetheart.

A Most Lovely Summertime Weekend

Before going any further into this week, I wanted to share some pictures from last weekend, which was one of those weekends in the summer when the weather and your activities work together to make it just slightly more special than the average weekend.

I may have mentioned here something I've been calling Operation Reclaim the Garden.  To provide brief background: we have a garden area on the side of our house, where at some point in time another row house existed.  It's truly lovely, walled-in and very private, and was one of the huge selling points for us for the house.  For various reasons - construction and/or street repairs on our block, surgery and recovery, etc. - over the past few years, it has only gotten the most minimal care, and had the look of returning to the wild (well, as wild as an inner city plot can get).  This year I have been determined to fix it up and return it to the lovely outside area where we could sit and enjoy being outside when the weather permitted.

The past couple of weekends, I've done quite a bit to clean it up, and though it is a small space, a lot needed to be done.  I finally have it to the point where it just needs some fine tuning and last touches to be "habitable" again, and last weekend I was able to make real progress.  I had some plants and flowers and was able to put them into pots so that the garden would actually look more like a garden!  I also fixed up some pots to put at one of the fronts of our house. ***

 A geranium and an impatiens at  the side of the door

 A gerbera daisy and a sweet potato vine next to the carport door

The garden, 90% cleaned up and ready with some flowers and the bird feeder.  The flower in the foreground is a mandevilla, and in the other pot are some pretty lavender flowers whose name currently escapes me, and another sweet potato vine.

I'm hoping that I can find some more flowers/plants to join these, but even if not, they look nice out there, and if we can find some garden chairs, etc. on sale this July 4th weekend, we'll be pretty well set.  And at a minimum, if we have to wait until next summer for that part, I won't be starting from scratch again as far as getting things ready!

So that was a pleasing endeavor, I have to tell you. :-)

Then on Saturday night, we went to the Mann Music Center here in Philadelphia for an outdoor concert.  We'd bought the tickets months ago, and had been waiting for it to actually happen.

 Paul Simon!  This is the large screen that was set up for the people with lawn seats (us), so that we could see better what was happening on the stage.

This is a (blurry) shot of the actual stage from our seats.  (I told The Tim that I felt bad that Paul Simon looked like such a little speck from where we were, but then realized that even close up, he's a small guy!)

It was one of the best concerts ever.  He and his band came out about 8:15 p.m., and played/sang without stopping until 10:45.  There were songs from his new album, as well as some of the oldies everyone loves.  The audience consisted of people of all ages, which was nice to see.  The weather cooperated, and was perfect - you know, the kind of night you hope for when you know you'll be outside.

I think one of my favorite parts was when they got to "You Can Call Me Al," and the audience was up dancing and singing the chorus.  It was so much fun when every person was enjoying the same thing and singing along!

It's gonna be hard to top last weekend, I've gotta say ... :-)


***our house is two row houses joined back to back.  So we have two "main" entrances.  The entrance where the plants are is the one we use most often, since it's where the entry to the carport is as well.  We technically live at three addresses:  our mailing address on one street, and then our house and carport/garden/lot on the other street, where some of the utilities are registered.