While reading blogs still peaks my interest, it seems that some of my tried 'n true faves are on hiatus from writing & posting - many folks use Facebook in place of a blog. My sidebar lists some that I do still check - being a hopeful traveler, I still see if anything new has been posted. Then I consider that I am posting so sporadically, that I have not included any photos (hope to! plan to!) & that I write once a month pretty much for myself (all OK) & I understand why they are on a break.
When reading Boogie Blather today (see sidebar for a link just in case you don't know Amy), she mentioned a few things that grabbed me - she had a pie in the sky idea to do something (oh yes, I know those!), she wrote of her doodling (you are such an artist, Amy) & she wrote of sewing. I have been making steps forward to getting the sewing machine (an older Bernina) set up in Young Man M's old bedroom which we are redoing since he is living elsewhere & putting the pedal to the metal so I can sew again. There are some little things I would like to sew like cat nip bags & sachets, some mending, maybe a couple of baby quilts. Curtains too. There was a photo in the post of the garden she shares w/her parents. I am starting to plan a re-do of our yard & gardens - where can I place new beds, shall we put together raised beds (yes!), how to divide some of our perennials, what to plant where. We have a nice start of a garden with our side/driveway perennial bed & the "crop circle" we made in the center of the front yard. I am eager to use the gift of time I will have over the next couple of months to expand our flower space.
Thank you, Amy Boogie, for your inspirations!! Hugs to you.
My work life is in a period of change & I look forward to seeing what doors I step toward & how they open. Lots of changes are coming up soon!
To help w/this, what am I doing, you ask? Knitting, reading, time w/SJ, naps, making to-do lists, having tummy upsets & headaches, thinking deep tho'ts, walking w/SJ in the AMs, day dreaming of pie in the sky ideas. Send a good tho't or two please.
Showing posts with label Mother Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mother Nature. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
A new project ...
helped a lot. The act of putting words to paper or a computer screen can be helpful. I realized as I was writing my last post that I needed to go though some patterns, lay my hands on some yarns & get goin' with something new. And I did.
My choice: the Turn A Square hat using some charcoal Cascade 220 (what a great workhorse of a yarn it is) & some Noro magenta, bright midnight blue & who know what else yarn for the stripes. I am having fun with it & my hands are much better. A stash is a beautiful thing to have at moments like that one.
A minor flu like bug happened this past week & I came home from work earlier than usual, sat down in the platform rocker I am in now & read my mystery book in between naps & my honey trying to wake me up for either dinner or to go to bed. I am much better & that is a beautiful thing.
Spring starts on March 20 - our snow is melting & while we have a ways to go, Spring will seem particularly sweet this year.
helped a lot. The act of putting words to paper or a computer screen can be helpful. I realized as I was writing my last post that I needed to go though some patterns, lay my hands on some yarns & get goin' with something new. And I did.
My choice: the Turn A Square hat using some charcoal Cascade 220 (what a great workhorse of a yarn it is) & some Noro magenta, bright midnight blue & who know what else yarn for the stripes. I am having fun with it & my hands are much better. A stash is a beautiful thing to have at moments like that one.
A minor flu like bug happened this past week & I came home from work earlier than usual, sat down in the platform rocker I am in now & read my mystery book in between naps & my honey trying to wake me up for either dinner or to go to bed. I am much better & that is a beautiful thing.
Spring starts on March 20 - our snow is melting & while we have a ways to go, Spring will seem particularly sweet this year.
Friday, January 03, 2014
Happy 2014!!!
Like millions of other residents of the Eastern part of the U.S., I shoveled snow today. While J had to go to work, it is a usual day off for me. Sweet J & Miz M & I swept & shoveled for a while. Our most fabulous "we share the driveway" neighbors had shoveled the driveway this AM - you read exactly right: as they could not get to the snow blower in their garage due to their contractor's storage of stuff there, they tag-teamed & shoved out the entire honkin' driveway. We love them & I will purchase some excellent coffee for them as a thank you.
Cold weather stirs in me the desire to cook & bake. Today I made french onion soup & a crock-pot of a chicken & veggie dish. For someone who does not cook as much as she would like to do, I surely have an excellent recipe collection, all from magazines & copies of cookbook recipes. When culling the cookbook collection, I will copy what I like & then pass the book on to someone or the Library. I have a stack of recipes to try in the next couple of weeks & I am psyched.
Knit-wise, I am closing in on the end of the 2nd of 2 of 2 pairs of socks - 1 for my sweetie & 1 for me. I have asked her to pick out the yarn for the next set she wants. While working on the heel flap of her 2nd sock (made w/ a famous, 5 letters to the name, national brand of yarn that I bought years & years ago at a LYS), I was mortified to find that the yarn was almost shedding. being un-plyed if you will, getting skinny, looking like it might break. Sheeet. So I am frogging a ways back so I can continue w/a stronger part of the skein. Have you had that happen? I hope not as it pretty much sucks.
Stay warm, buds.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
We're busy - December is a big month for my job & I feel behind because I am behind. No knitting to speak of - I need to find more ways to work it into my everyday routines. I am jones-ing to work on my KR Retreat New Beginnings Project sweater - have the swatch done & blocked! I will be using some lovely Briar Rose yarn that is yummy to the max.
We had a delightful holiday potluck last evening & folks were happy to be there, brought wonderful food & drink, ate lots of food & had some drink. Lotsa of beautiful compliments about the house which we loved hearing, truth to tell. "Looks like you're moved in" more than one person said. "D'oh" said SJ. "Don't you think we own books & artwork? Where are they? In the garage & closets & our friend C's 3rd floor guest room (my artwork from the old house, that is)." Some of the neighbors came: SJ, in a brilliant & tho't move, placed invitations in a number of mailboxes - the folks across the street, the folks on both sides of us. We loved the turnout & were sorry to miss the folks who could not be there. So many holiday events were happening. M was away in NC at a soccer tournament. M was a fabulous hostess, asking folks to sign the guest book & taking coats to M's room.
We cleaned like crazy before the party & painted 2 of the walls of the family room. Since one wall is paneling w/ a door & shelving areas, we have only one more wall to paint in that room. Because Bob the painter did most of the walls in most of the rooms, we have only the living & dining room area to do & then it's the woodwork in the hallway, the living room/dining room area & the family room. We're in the home stretch. There are many, many boxes still left to be culled & items will be ready to be put away. The two pallets we began for future yard sale items are getting more crowded as we look toward selling the multiples we have - you know what that is like, the couple of colanders, glasses & mugs, bowls, etc.
Recently we met w/ a local landscape designer/gardener who will be assisting us w/ a plan to turn our yard into a wonderful, blooming, inviting-to-the-birds-&-butterflies yard. The seven trees we have in the the front, side & back yards need care & we have a terrific arborist on board to do that work. He trimmed trees at my old homestead & he does excellent work. We have the insultation to place in the attic - it's the type that comes in a big roll & it will go in between the rafters. As Jean says, this will be our coldest winter we'll ever have at the house as we make it more resisiatnt to the cold air & wind. What we are doing will also help us in the summer as there is central AC too. The HVAC guy was there last week to tune up the furnace. He calibrated the thermostat which was low by, on average, 6 degrees: we had been cold, chilly in fact, & the two thermometers we checked it against were coming up w/ low readings. The duct cleaning company comes this Thursday to clean out all the duct work - a forced air furnace can be such fun.
SJ & I have both been pushing ourselves at work & at home. I think everyone does when they move! Need a chiropractor adjustment in the worst way. Had a rolfing session a few weeks ago & also saw the accupuncturist who did some trigger point work in the region of the cervical neck & upper shoulders. The care helped a lot. I do need more of both & will see them again in a couple of weeks.
It's nice to have the moves behind us - could you hear my exhale?
We had a delightful holiday potluck last evening & folks were happy to be there, brought wonderful food & drink, ate lots of food & had some drink. Lotsa of beautiful compliments about the house which we loved hearing, truth to tell. "Looks like you're moved in" more than one person said. "D'oh" said SJ. "Don't you think we own books & artwork? Where are they? In the garage & closets & our friend C's 3rd floor guest room (my artwork from the old house, that is)." Some of the neighbors came: SJ, in a brilliant & tho't move, placed invitations in a number of mailboxes - the folks across the street, the folks on both sides of us. We loved the turnout & were sorry to miss the folks who could not be there. So many holiday events were happening. M was away in NC at a soccer tournament. M was a fabulous hostess, asking folks to sign the guest book & taking coats to M's room.
We cleaned like crazy before the party & painted 2 of the walls of the family room. Since one wall is paneling w/ a door & shelving areas, we have only one more wall to paint in that room. Because Bob the painter did most of the walls in most of the rooms, we have only the living & dining room area to do & then it's the woodwork in the hallway, the living room/dining room area & the family room. We're in the home stretch. There are many, many boxes still left to be culled & items will be ready to be put away. The two pallets we began for future yard sale items are getting more crowded as we look toward selling the multiples we have - you know what that is like, the couple of colanders, glasses & mugs, bowls, etc.
Recently we met w/ a local landscape designer/gardener who will be assisting us w/ a plan to turn our yard into a wonderful, blooming, inviting-to-the-birds-&-butterflies yard. The seven trees we have in the the front, side & back yards need care & we have a terrific arborist on board to do that work. He trimmed trees at my old homestead & he does excellent work. We have the insultation to place in the attic - it's the type that comes in a big roll & it will go in between the rafters. As Jean says, this will be our coldest winter we'll ever have at the house as we make it more resisiatnt to the cold air & wind. What we are doing will also help us in the summer as there is central AC too. The HVAC guy was there last week to tune up the furnace. He calibrated the thermostat which was low by, on average, 6 degrees: we had been cold, chilly in fact, & the two thermometers we checked it against were coming up w/ low readings. The duct cleaning company comes this Thursday to clean out all the duct work - a forced air furnace can be such fun.
SJ & I have both been pushing ourselves at work & at home. I think everyone does when they move! Need a chiropractor adjustment in the worst way. Had a rolfing session a few weeks ago & also saw the accupuncturist who did some trigger point work in the region of the cervical neck & upper shoulders. The care helped a lot. I do need more of both & will see them again in a couple of weeks.
It's nice to have the moves behind us - could you hear my exhale?
Monday, February 02, 2009
It's the Poetry Slam! The Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading
Go here for more info ~ .. ~
Twenty years, forty years, it's nothing.
Not a mirage; the blink
of an eyelid.
Life is nibbling us with little
lips, circling our knees, our
shoulders.
What's the difference,
a kiss or a fin-caress. Only sometimes
the water reddens,
we ebb.
Birth, marriage, death, we've had them,
checked them off on our list,
and still stand here
tiptoe on the mud,
half-afloat,
water up to the neck.
It's a big pond.
Denise Levertov The Cold Spring from POEMS 1968-1972
.
Go here for more info ~ .. ~
Twenty years, forty years, it's nothing.
Not a mirage; the blink
of an eyelid.
Life is nibbling us with little
lips, circling our knees, our
shoulders.
What's the difference,
a kiss or a fin-caress. Only sometimes
the water reddens,
we ebb.
Birth, marriage, death, we've had them,
checked them off on our list,
and still stand here
tiptoe on the mud,
half-afloat,
water up to the neck.
It's a big pond.
Denise Levertov The Cold Spring from POEMS 1968-1972
.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
President Obama
Don't you just love the sound of that?
What a beautiful day Tuesday was. Part of the beauty involved watching a helicopter fly away, out of our sight - yes, this whirlybird carried W & Laura away.
While I worked all day, I did tape as much of the day as a VCR tape would hold. There are many blog posts about this great day - The Tangled Web & Bossy Little Dog are two of my faves. (Please see the sidebar for the links.) We hold respect, good wishes & much hope in our hearts & heads as we watch our courageous, smart & ambitious new President & Vice President take their offices, sleeves rolled up & ready to get down to it.
On a personal note, I took a tumble yesterday on a patch of ice on an icy street. Our chiropractor, Dr. Ted, was the 1st one I called as I wanted to see him ASAP. (Drove there straight away & he took great care of me - as he always does. If you live in my area & want a recommendation of a great chiropractor to see, let me know - we love Ted!) Then I called SJ - got to have some empathy from my sweetheart. I was chauffeured to the ER today by SJ for wrist xrays. My left wrist is sprained badly & I have a very swollen hand & fingers. It's wrapped & I will be doing ice packs, elevation of the arm & hand & as much rest as I can. And I hope I will be able to knit soon - I have been in a groove w/ my projects & besides that, damn it, I want to knit!!
Don't you just love the sound of that?
What a beautiful day Tuesday was. Part of the beauty involved watching a helicopter fly away, out of our sight - yes, this whirlybird carried W & Laura away.
While I worked all day, I did tape as much of the day as a VCR tape would hold. There are many blog posts about this great day - The Tangled Web & Bossy Little Dog are two of my faves. (Please see the sidebar for the links.) We hold respect, good wishes & much hope in our hearts & heads as we watch our courageous, smart & ambitious new President & Vice President take their offices, sleeves rolled up & ready to get down to it.
On a personal note, I took a tumble yesterday on a patch of ice on an icy street. Our chiropractor, Dr. Ted, was the 1st one I called as I wanted to see him ASAP. (Drove there straight away & he took great care of me - as he always does. If you live in my area & want a recommendation of a great chiropractor to see, let me know - we love Ted!) Then I called SJ - got to have some empathy from my sweetheart. I was chauffeured to the ER today by SJ for wrist xrays. My left wrist is sprained badly & I have a very swollen hand & fingers. It's wrapped & I will be doing ice packs, elevation of the arm & hand & as much rest as I can. And I hope I will be able to knit soon - I have been in a groove w/ my projects & besides that, damn it, I want to knit!!
Friday, December 19, 2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!!
Craziness at the holidays? What craziness? Re said nuttiness, at least I am not working 60 hour work weeks this year ^ .. ^ Am closer to 50 to 55 & am OK w/ that. That's a beautiful thing.
To those of you who will be flying & driving over the holidays, let's be careful out there. Re the road emergencies & weather, the weather folks seem to hype what we might get here in Philly & it is so bogus. Yes, we will have a worse winter than last year - how could we not when we had only 6" of snow last winter?!
Re packages, cards & presents, have done only 1 card & that was to the folks. (Will be doing a January trip to see them - keep your good tho'ts working toward that one - a visit to the parental units is not something I look forward to at all!) Am doing almost no present buying or giving. There's just a bit that SJ & I are doing w/ each other & we'll do smallish stuff for M & M. We have bought modest things for SJ's brother, sister & their families. Those boxes have not been mailed yet. Oh well, they will get there, just late ^ .. ^ Perhaps next year things will be on time or, gasp, early.
Re the house, I had decided to take some time away from working to ready it for sale. It's been a wise move as I have worked some long days & been on my feet far longer than I usually am. Oh, a good foot massage would be so fine right about now! I will get back to the house projects soon: putting the spare bedroom back together & rearranging it - it is really just a "study" as I have it - & finishing off cleaning out & straightening up of the basement. Then I will have a house inspector here to do a pre-inspection, meet w/ the Realtor & clean the house as well as it can be cleaned. Then it's up for sale!
For my job, it feels good to be in the last period of extreme work effort for 2008. Sales are modest, for this time of year, in the areas that are usually pretty strong. Folks are not spending lots & luckily I had counted on that. Since the late summer/early fall, I had been conservative w/ what I have purchased & had made my purchasing decisions after a process that included lots of tho't about the store w/ a mind toward a plan to have practical items, fairly priced items & some one of a kind items (jewelry which we have on consignment & only pay for what we sell plus some clothing that we either have on consignment or have from a company that allows us to return what we don't sell). We had an early-mid November sale w/ many items that we picked from our housewares that, over the last few months, had turned into slow sellers. We had pretty candles, a wide array of calenders, cool toys & puzzles, pretty holiday cards, the ever popular Baggallini line, neat cooking & baking items. We'll just see what happens when the holiday season is over. This is my 3rd holiday for this job & I learned a lot about more about the holidays which is a beautiful thing. There's always more to learn in any job, I think. My colleagues in my department have worked hard & done beautiful displays. I am pleased w/ what they have done & am appreciative for their fine work.
To you all who are near & far, I wish you a joyful holiday - may folks treat each other w/ tenderness, generosity & good humor - may your travels be safe - may 2009 be kind & loving for you. Thanks for dropping by, good to have you here.
Craziness at the holidays? What craziness? Re said nuttiness, at least I am not working 60 hour work weeks this year ^ .. ^ Am closer to 50 to 55 & am OK w/ that. That's a beautiful thing.
To those of you who will be flying & driving over the holidays, let's be careful out there. Re the road emergencies & weather, the weather folks seem to hype what we might get here in Philly & it is so bogus. Yes, we will have a worse winter than last year - how could we not when we had only 6" of snow last winter?!
Re packages, cards & presents, have done only 1 card & that was to the folks. (Will be doing a January trip to see them - keep your good tho'ts working toward that one - a visit to the parental units is not something I look forward to at all!) Am doing almost no present buying or giving. There's just a bit that SJ & I are doing w/ each other & we'll do smallish stuff for M & M. We have bought modest things for SJ's brother, sister & their families. Those boxes have not been mailed yet. Oh well, they will get there, just late ^ .. ^ Perhaps next year things will be on time or, gasp, early.
Re the house, I had decided to take some time away from working to ready it for sale. It's been a wise move as I have worked some long days & been on my feet far longer than I usually am. Oh, a good foot massage would be so fine right about now! I will get back to the house projects soon: putting the spare bedroom back together & rearranging it - it is really just a "study" as I have it - & finishing off cleaning out & straightening up of the basement. Then I will have a house inspector here to do a pre-inspection, meet w/ the Realtor & clean the house as well as it can be cleaned. Then it's up for sale!
For my job, it feels good to be in the last period of extreme work effort for 2008. Sales are modest, for this time of year, in the areas that are usually pretty strong. Folks are not spending lots & luckily I had counted on that. Since the late summer/early fall, I had been conservative w/ what I have purchased & had made my purchasing decisions after a process that included lots of tho't about the store w/ a mind toward a plan to have practical items, fairly priced items & some one of a kind items (jewelry which we have on consignment & only pay for what we sell plus some clothing that we either have on consignment or have from a company that allows us to return what we don't sell). We had an early-mid November sale w/ many items that we picked from our housewares that, over the last few months, had turned into slow sellers. We had pretty candles, a wide array of calenders, cool toys & puzzles, pretty holiday cards, the ever popular Baggallini line, neat cooking & baking items. We'll just see what happens when the holiday season is over. This is my 3rd holiday for this job & I learned a lot about more about the holidays which is a beautiful thing. There's always more to learn in any job, I think. My colleagues in my department have worked hard & done beautiful displays. I am pleased w/ what they have done & am appreciative for their fine work.
To you all who are near & far, I wish you a joyful holiday - may folks treat each other w/ tenderness, generosity & good humor - may your travels be safe - may 2009 be kind & loving for you. Thanks for dropping by, good to have you here.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
It's been raining lots & lots ...
here in Philly. Luckily I weed-wacked the back yard yesterday, trimmed one of the butterfly bushes, weeded & helped my next door neighbor do some lilac bush trimming. Unluckily I hit a branch of the lilac bush w. my right eye. Jeez Louise, that hurt like a summabitch. My eye began immediately to water & got red. A friend & neighbor, M, is a pharmacist (& an excelent gardener & tree trimmer - he trimmed the neighbor's dwarf peach tree!) & he recommended a trip to the pharmacy for sterile eye wash. I did as I was told.
When SJ arrived for our evening together, I learned just how my eye really looked. Before the cataract surgery, I could take out my contact lens & get really close to something - i.e. the better to see it. No more since the cataract surgery & the lens placement. I need my reading glasses to see smaller things & how can I see my eye w/out my reading glasses - eh?
So SJ's eagle eyed vision told me how my eye looked close up & it was none too pretty. I was convinced to call my ab fab eye doc, Dr. W. About 10 to 15 minutes after I left the message w/ her service, she phoned back. (How I hated to call her on a Saturday night!) I told her of the unfortunate incident w/ the bush, the sterile wash, the arnica I had taken, the swelling, etc. She recommended cold compresses (which I did) & asked me a bunch of questions re my vision, pain, etc. Knock wood, I'm better today, still have some swelling & bruising, still have a bruised ego - a lilac bush for cryin' out loud.
Knitting wise, I am whalin' on a lovely simple shawl from a long ago KR pattern of the wonderful Miz Clara. It is the One Skein Shawl. Have made progress with the 2nd handle of one of the felted bags.
Quilting wise, I am looking toward two quilts (perhaps double bed size) for M & M & two baby quilts (1 for a baby-to-be & 1 for O).
There have been a number of house projects - cleaning out (we participated in a large, street wide yard sale recently!), cleaning up, reviewing chores & making biggie project lists.
Is it any wonder I day dream of time to read & knit & quilt and ...
here in Philly. Luckily I weed-wacked the back yard yesterday, trimmed one of the butterfly bushes, weeded & helped my next door neighbor do some lilac bush trimming. Unluckily I hit a branch of the lilac bush w. my right eye. Jeez Louise, that hurt like a summabitch. My eye began immediately to water & got red. A friend & neighbor, M, is a pharmacist (& an excelent gardener & tree trimmer - he trimmed the neighbor's dwarf peach tree!) & he recommended a trip to the pharmacy for sterile eye wash. I did as I was told.
When SJ arrived for our evening together, I learned just how my eye really looked. Before the cataract surgery, I could take out my contact lens & get really close to something - i.e. the better to see it. No more since the cataract surgery & the lens placement. I need my reading glasses to see smaller things & how can I see my eye w/out my reading glasses - eh?
So SJ's eagle eyed vision told me how my eye looked close up & it was none too pretty. I was convinced to call my ab fab eye doc, Dr. W. About 10 to 15 minutes after I left the message w/ her service, she phoned back. (How I hated to call her on a Saturday night!) I told her of the unfortunate incident w/ the bush, the sterile wash, the arnica I had taken, the swelling, etc. She recommended cold compresses (which I did) & asked me a bunch of questions re my vision, pain, etc. Knock wood, I'm better today, still have some swelling & bruising, still have a bruised ego - a lilac bush for cryin' out loud.
Knitting wise, I am whalin' on a lovely simple shawl from a long ago KR pattern of the wonderful Miz Clara. It is the One Skein Shawl. Have made progress with the 2nd handle of one of the felted bags.
Quilting wise, I am looking toward two quilts (perhaps double bed size) for M & M & two baby quilts (1 for a baby-to-be & 1 for O).
There have been a number of house projects - cleaning out (we participated in a large, street wide yard sale recently!), cleaning up, reviewing chores & making biggie project lists.
Is it any wonder I day dream of time to read & knit & quilt and ...
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Today is Earth Day
This week has been extraordinary & our hearts have been saddened, horrified & to paraphrase the lovely Lanea, struck mute. I, for one in remaining quiet, have been moved by Lanea's posts & Purlewe's post re her RA experience when she was in undergrad school. Do check them out if you have not read them.
In an effort to move forward, I am thinking of Earth Day - it's today. Mother Nature supports, nourishes & surrounds us. Who can blame her for being pissed??!!
Think about water - how we are polluting it, using it, squandering it, paying for it (ever wonder about the folks who complain about the cost of gasoline & yet go into the gas station or mini mart to buy bottles water that per gallon costs more than the gasoline?), who has good water to drink & who does not have any. Al Gore, love that man, has done much to bring global warming to the front page of the newspapers & the front of our consciousness.
Here are two on-line sources of great environmental news & commentaries - 1) Grist & 2) Living on Earth. There's plenty of news we can use.
This week has been extraordinary & our hearts have been saddened, horrified & to paraphrase the lovely Lanea, struck mute. I, for one in remaining quiet, have been moved by Lanea's posts & Purlewe's post re her RA experience when she was in undergrad school. Do check them out if you have not read them.
In an effort to move forward, I am thinking of Earth Day - it's today. Mother Nature supports, nourishes & surrounds us. Who can blame her for being pissed??!!
Think about water - how we are polluting it, using it, squandering it, paying for it (ever wonder about the folks who complain about the cost of gasoline & yet go into the gas station or mini mart to buy bottles water that per gallon costs more than the gasoline?), who has good water to drink & who does not have any. Al Gore, love that man, has done much to bring global warming to the front page of the newspapers & the front of our consciousness.
Here are two on-line sources of great environmental news & commentaries - 1) Grist & 2) Living on Earth. There's plenty of news we can use.
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