A Book I'm Reading...

this is one of many that I have started.  I'm only a chapter in so far....so can't give any true thoughts on it yet.  However, I know someone else who just finished it and they loved it - so I have high hopes!

The title, of course, was the first thing that caught my eye!  And then I read the blurb inside and that cinched the deal...

"Mrs. Creasey is missing and the avenue is alive with whispers.  The neighbors blame her disappearance on the heat wave (I can relate)...  but Grace and Tilly (who are 10 years old) are not convinced.  They decide to take matters into their own hands and try to bring Mrs. Creasey home"

The knitting that the book is on top of is my ZickZack scarf. I'm determined to get it done and wear it this winter. Of course that is what I said "last" winter. But this time around, it WILL happen!

Knitting Quirks...

We all have them - fess up!  I may have more than many people, but I own it - LOL!

1.  I wrap all my yarn onto paper towel rolls.  Even the ones that come in balls!  Drives my sister batty...

2.  Another thing that drives my sister batty is the fact that I write down every pattern I do onto index cards - every single row - even if there are over 400 of them - like with one of the patterns I'm doing now. But it works for me and saves me during all of those times I get interrupted while knitting.

3.  I dislike double pointed needles. I've tried them over and over - I've watched videos - and on and on. But these needles and me - we are over!

4.  I buy way too many patterns on Ravelry and then end up not doing way too many of them.  Sometimes it is because the pattern turns out to be too difficult for me - or just more "fiddly" than I want to deal with. I always say I'll get around to doing them at one point - but I probably won't!  But I tell myself - hey the pattern wasn't even the cost of a Starbucks.... and then I can forgive myself...
Because I still have the pattern - but the Starbucks is a goner into my tummy - LOL!

5.  I prefer the patterns I knit to be spelled out on how many rows, inches, and so on that you are supposed to do to get it to look like the designer. Then if I want to do more rows to make it larger or longer, etc., I can. I dislike when they say - knit until your yarn is gone.    At least give me the length and depth of your finished object!

6.  When I come home from the yarn shop - I like to pick out each pattern I'm going to use with each yarn and then wind the yarn and put everything into a little shopping bag, along with the needles I will be using. After that is done, I actually start each project - just a row or two - and then set it aside to get back to later.  Sometimes (well, many times) the yarn doesn't want to be what I chose for it! So I listen to the yarn and pick another pattern (or 2 or 10) - to try out.  Until it speaks to me and says - yes, this is the one!

I know I have other quirks, but this is enough sharing for now - ha!

A Book I Am Reading...

This is one of the many many MANY books I have started right now.  I started reading it on Thursday and had to literally force myself up out of the chair to start dinner...  I was reading some more of it yesterday. As I don't want to finish it in one gulp, I made myself set it aside... again!  But I have a feeling it could get finished today!

Arden Arrowood's twin sisters disappeared on her watch over twenty years ago, when she was only 8 years old and they were around two years old.  Everything in her present day life is falling apart.  She has held onto the hope that her sisters are still alive, and it seems she can't move forward until she finds them. When her father dies, she inherits Arrowood, the same house where the twins disappeared on that fateful day.  She returns there, determined to discover what really happened during that tramatic summer.

 

OTN...

I'm close to finishing my gradient scarf.  It is done the long way - so 400 stitches I have to knit each row - aghhhh! Therefore, I only do about one row each time I pick it up - so have been knitting on it for awhile. Very simple pattern - just knitting so many rows with each color - making an eyelet row - and then switching to the next color. The gradient kit came with 5 colors - but I'm leaving out the last one - which is a yellow shade.  One reason - I just don't want to add it in with these other colors for some reason - and another, I'm so over wanting to have this scarf done - LOL!  I will use it in some other project one day. I have another gradient kit which is variations of grays. So I thought the yellow with that would add a nice pop. I just have to find the right project for it all!

Yarn Shops....

My yarn shop - the one I love so much - is closing by the end of this month. The owner wanted to retire. I can't blame her, and am happy for her. But so so sad for me....  I went there for years....sometimes two times a month (or more).... It was only a 15 to 20 minute drive from my house. I could spend as much time in there as I wanted... just hanging out, chatting, looking at yarn, buying yarn...  She had such a huge selection of yarns.  Her shop was small, but she had it packed with all types of fibers, brands, colors, from low price to high price - and in between.  Tons of needles, buttons, pattern books, on and on....  I could return yarn with no hassles... She had a good rewards program....

I've gone to 4 other yarn places since I got the news about the closing - trying to find my new "spot".  Here is my review...

the first place has been there for a kazillion years.  She had about two brands of yarn...that was it...  one rack of needles, that was mostly empty.  How she is still in business, I really do not know.

the second place was more of a drive to get to and not a pleasant drive on top of that - lots of construction going on - lots of traffic.  When we got there, it was mainly her own hand dyed yarns.  Only one or two other brand names - and not brand names that I use.  None of my "go to yarns".... Nice yarns she hand dyes - don't get me wrong. But just not what I want.  The yarn shop was cute and had "atmosphere"... but I won't be going back...

the third place is near my house - closer than my favorite shop even.  And she did have some name brand yarns - one or two that I've used in the past. But still none of my "go to yarns".  She also had lots of yarns that are hand dyed by local people.  And I can see myself buying them.  I found out that unless someone takes over the shop - she too will be closing - within the next year.

the 4th place was decent - had one or two of my "go to yarns.  and some yarns that I've seen online and wanted to try... had never seen in person - so that was fun. But her shop is really disorganized and that bugged me. Too many different brands stuffed into the same bins.  It is about a 45 minute each way drive...  But I will go back.  Not often, but from time to time...

I guess I'm spoiled by my favorite shop and it will take me awhile to get used to it not being there anymore. I know, that like me, other people that went there for years and years - are going to be in for a big shock when they start looking around for a new shop.

There is one more place I would like to try - and will at some point. But I cannot see myself going there often.  They have some yarn brands that I use and some that I want to try out. But it is over an hour or more each way - and there is no free parking....

I can foresee myself doing more and more of my yarn shopping online. Not something that I want to do - I enjoy going to the shop and touching and seeing the yarns up close. But if the shops around me do not carry my "go to yarns", then I have no choice...

and I am bummed.  Happy that I can find them and more online, but bummed out that I can't find them in a shop....  sigh....

OTN....

I recently started a pattern called "Kallara" (on Ravelry).  There are quite a number of patterns out there that resemble this one (altho there are differences of course)....  I love a lot of those other patterns, however, they just seem soooo huge!  So when I saw this one - I clicked the "buy button" very quickly. It is easy to do and I think you could change it around a bit - and do the stripes 4 rows per color, rather than 2 per color.  Which I may do when I knit this again.  You have to keep marking the center stitch, which gets a bit fiddly - but less so as the rows get longer. Granted, you could do away with the marker. I tried that a few times, but since I have a tendency to veg out when I'm knitting (either because I get caught up in a tv show - or my thoughts), I was afraid I would just keep knitting right past where I'm supposed to do the center stitches!  When I bought this pattern, I wanted to start on it right away - so just grabbed two yarns I had here - a blueish gray and a red (not the colors I would have chosen).. but I'm actually liking it quite a bit.

This book is the first in a series I heard mentioned on the book group I run online.  I love it!  I've already bought the next book in the series and will order the third one this week. I think there are quite a number of more books still to come (can't remember how many). It is about a single Mom with two kids who lives in the town of Deadwood...along with a motley crew of other characters.  Her kids are a hoot!

An Easy Spagetti Recipe....

This is not a "wet" spaghetti sauce - but more on the dry side.  I'm sure you could add some type of liquid to it if you want more "sauce"....

Ingredients....
1 pound of ground beef
1 ... canned Italian Diced Tomatoes (you could use two if you want)  I use Hunts brand...

1 cup of chopped onions
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Italian dressing

Brown the ground beef and onions
Add in the rest of the ingredients
Bring to a boil...then reduce the heat to medium low - cover the pan - and cook for about 5 minutes.
Serve over pasta noodles of your choice

Random Ramblings...

After days and days of incessant sun beating down, it was nice to see some clouds yesterday!  And then a bit of blessed rain.  It was still hot, but the sun was gone for a bit. However, it is back today!  Constant sun drives me a bit looney!

July 22nd was my Dad's 90th birthday!  I wish I could have made it back to Ohio to spend it with him, but I couldn't... However, I did get to skype a bit with him!
Also got to "talk" a bit with my Mom. She has dementia and cannot sustain a conversation, but I still got to hear and see her. At first she thought I was her Grandma...  then when they said it was Linda, she sat there looking at me really hard and then said "I Love You"... I later broke down and cried.  For that little moment, she knew it was me...and it brought me some peace.

I wish someone could explain to me, why it bugs me so much when I go to Barnes and Noble, and people line up the wrong way to go through the check-out line!

We lost our power for a little bit a week or so ago.  So we went up to wander around the mall and stop for a cold drink.  On the way home, there was half of a rainbow!  Haven't seen a rainbow in awhile, so I was thrilled...

OTN....

This is my teeny tiny start on a pattern I really love!  It is called "Dichotomy" (pattern on Ravelry).  Due to the notes I read while looking at other people's projects, I'm adding some yarn overs to the edge side of the "solid" side...  makes it all look a bit more lacy and open.

I'm doing mine in Mountain Colors yarn (really like this yarn - wish it came in solid colors)....  Loving this variegated green!

I adore books about houses and food and other locales. And this book fits all of that!  I've been meaning to read this book for years now - and am finally getting around to it....

"N" is for...

many things...

notes.... I'm a big note maker (list maker, what have you). Most of the time, they keep me on track and keep me sane. If it is down on paper, it cannot be forgotten.  I may not get to things on my notes for days or weeks (or months)...but I still feel calmer knowing that it is written down and will be taken care of eventually. Sometimes, however, all my notes drive me almost crazy!

NASCAR....I'm a big fan of NASCAR.  Became one after I married and moved to Virginia. Somehow my husband and I started to watch and the rest is history.  My favorite driver was Dale Earnhardt Senior.  After he was killed, I just didn't want to watch the races anymore.  I eventually got back into it, but my heart wasn't (and still isn't) totally "there"....   Now I have various drivers that I like... and cheer for... but none that will ever catch me up the way he did.

Newpaper....  I still subscribe to the newspaper - 7 days a week, it is delivered to my paper box....  I sit down every morning and read it.  My favorite is the weekend Sunday edition with all the extras that are there....  I read the paper before going to work (when I was working) - I just did it faster and earlier.  My favorite sections are the FOOD section on Wednesdays, the Health Section on Tuesdays, and the Travel section on Sundays.    There have been some mornings when the paper didn't show up (and I got it late). My mornings always felt a bit unsettled during those times....  I know, I'm odd - LOL!

OTN....

First, let me apologize for the photo - this is the cat's stool and I didn't realize you can see the spot where he has scratched the fabric on the stool - LOL!

This pattern is called "Drop City"... it is a paid pattern on Ravelry. The pattern is written a bit oddly, but if you keep the "potato chip" scarf in mind - you will get how to do it. And as I always say, if I can figure it out - anyone can - ha!

I wanted to get started on it after buying the pattern, so I used one of my Lorna's Laces yarns.  If I do this pattern again, I want to try a self striping yarn. The projects I saw done in that type of yarn for this project really stand out!  But I'm still liking mine too - don't get me wrong!

The book is a re-read for me.  I liked it quite a bit the first time around - hopefully the second time around will be just as good, if not better. She has a new book coming out today called "The Light of Paris".  I will be buying that one when I make my weekly B & N trip on Friday!

"M" is for...

magazines....

I buy a lot of magazines! Altho I must say, I go through phases...
sometimes buying more...sometimes buying less...  Right now, we are in the "buy more" phase!

I love to read gardening magazines - even though I do not garden...

I love to read magazines about rug hooking and quilting and handweaving...even though I do none of those things...

I love to read books about flea market finds and turning them into something else.  Even though I don't do that - well maybe go to antique stores and flea markets - but I never turn anything I buy into anything else...

I love Country Living magazine - especially the British one...  Period Living is another one I enjoy...

I love to read Where Women Create and Where Women Cook...

And of course, there are the other ones I like to read from time to time - like Oprah, Martha Stewart Living, and People...

I had a lady ask me once - can you really read magazines about things you don't ever do - like gardening and quilting? I said - but of course!  She said, thank you...I am going to do just that! Because like me, she enjoys reading about people who do those things - even if we don't do them ourselves - LOL!

Random Ramblings...

We are getting a bit of rain - hope it cools it down out there! The last few days have been sweltering.  Just hope it doesn't storm....

I can read while the tv is on, but not when music is playing.  My husband can read with music playing, but not with the tv on....

One of the books I'm enjoying is "Delicious" - a fiction book by Ruth Reichl. I tried to read it when it first came out, but it did not "take". But this time around - it is a winner for me!

I love to listen to the different sounds the birds make... To me, a blue jay sounds like it is saying - beep beep! beep beep!.....  there is a bird (not sure which one - could be a cardinal) that always sounds like it is saying teacher teacher - or maybe t-shirt t-shirt - LOL!  And another bird (not sure which one it is) that sounds like it is saying cheeseburger cheeseburger!

Got an email yesterday saying that my favorite yarn shop - the one I've been going to for probably over 8 years or more - the one that is like a home to me...is closing.  I literally sat here in front of my computer and cried so hard. The owner is retiring. Happy news for her - but really sad news for tons of us customers...
I went there today to get some yarn - and I did grab some stuff, but my heart wasn't in it. The sale starts next week and will go until she closes at the end of August. I really do not think I will go back. I have 5 other yarn shops within 30 minutes to an hour away...  and I will go and check them out. But I have a feeling I will not go yarn shopping very often anymore. May do a lot of it online.    But you never know - I'm trying to look on this as a silver lining - maybe something happy will come out of it somewhere down the road....

"L" is for...

Library....

When I was young, my Mom used to take us to the library in our little home town. It was in an old stone building by the river.  The downstairs area was for under the age of 13.  Once you hit 13, you were allowed to go to the upstairs area!  Before that, they just deemed those books too much for younger kids.  Still amazes me to this day when I think back on it - compared to how things are now.

When I was in my teens, my best friend (who lived next door to me) and I, would walk to this same library.  We would get tons of books and walk home and sit outside and read.  Then when all our books were finished, back we would go for more - on and on - all summer long....

In 7th and 8th grades, I volunteered in the school library.  I actually even learned how to bind books - that was fun to me!  I can still picture that library in my mind.  Recently, they tore this school down - so very sad to see it being destroyed.  I saw a video on Facebook that someone from my home town put on there.  The school was called Milford Main - it had two front entrances. And above the entrances were carved in stone - the word Girls on one side - and Boys on the other side.  Always loved that for some reason. The floors inside were old wood and they creaked... another thing I loved about that school!

After I got laid off from my job at Honeywell, back in 2001, I started volunteering at my regional library.  About a year later, I was hired to be a Page.  I worked 20 hours a week - reshelving the library books.   I was there for 10 years - shelving library books - 4 hours a day - 5 days a week!   There were 30 of us at this branch who did this over various hours during the day and night and weekends.  It was a never ending job.  We circulated over 1.5 million books a year - and all those books had to be reshelved!   I  finally (after those 10 years of shelving) decided to retire from working all together.  I did go back and volunteer again for a couple of years - doing the Pick List - this is where you go out with a list of books people have put on hold - and pull them and process them for pick up.  It is a huge job which requires many volunteers throughout the days...  I enjoyed it!  I do remember one time, a man found out we were called Pages.  He could not get over that - I think he thought it was demeaning.  He asked the manager - when do they get to be books - LOLLL!!  We actually did not like the title either - we would have preferred Library Assistants.... or something along those lines.

To this day - whenever I go into a bookstore, I find myself fixing the books - putting them in order, if they are out of place, etc.  I guess you can take the girl out of the library, but you can't take the library out of the girl!

Random Ramblings....

I wanted to take down some stuff starting to grow up the fireplace. Thought it might be poison ivy. Husband says no... so I pull some of it off with my fingers. I now have a rash!  I don't think it was poison ivy - but maybe some other type of creeper thing that puts out toxic rays!

I enjoy watching professional golf on tv...  Yes, I know some people think it is as exciting as watching grass grow - LOL! But I like it.  The last match I watched - the winner won 1.8 million dollars! Unreal!

I buy a lot of magazines. Sometimes I buy the same one twice.  Not saying that I recently did that or anything, but so glad it was bought at the grocery store (where they took it back and refunded my money) and not at Barnes and Noble - where they will not do that!

After going through a week or more of computer issues, I decided to switch over to Windows 10 while it was still free.  It isn't as pleasing to me (just appearance wise) as Windows 8.1.  But so far, it is working easily - pretty much the same functions as the old version I was using....  I am having problems here and there with losing the internet connection off and on.  Not sure if it is Windows 10 or my ISP.  Thinking it is my ISP...

Most people don't know that....I have an issue lately (well for some years now)...of being able to travel away from home.  Not sure what brought it on, but I wish I could figure out a way to get over it!  I have not been back home to Ohio in 10 years now....

"K" is for...

well Knitting of course!

I was trying to remember how long I've been knitting. I know it is over 10 years - probably more.  I actually knitted a few things when I was around 19 or 20.   But it wasn't "my thing" at that point in time....

I cross-stitched for over 20 years or so - and then it got to where I could not see the "little holes" in the fabric...  Since I had to have some crafting going on - I went back to knitting.  And never looked back!  I eventually got close up lenses and could see to stitch again and did it a bit here and there.  But I haven't cross-stitched in quite awhile.  I think about getting back into it again - and probably will at some point. But right now, my love for knitting (all the time) is too strong. My reading has even taken a back seat - and that is saying something!

My sister always crocheted.  I mean, for a long time.  But once she found out I was knitting, she wanted to do it too.  And she knits all the time now.  She still crochets things once in awhile, but she is mainly a knitter...  I've actually taught her how to do knitting stitches over the phone!  She is in Ohio. I'm here in Virginia. She catches on really quickly and is able to understand my directions while we are yakking.

About a year ago, she got a new phone and was able to get on Facebook. So we can send photos back and forth - and we also live video chat and can show each other the stuff we've made!

I'm so glad I discovered this "art form"...!

Random Ramblings...

Not all that hot out today, but very humid...woke up around 5 this morning to the sound of thunder and lightening and a steady down pour.  Now at 2 P.M.,  it is cloudy and gray - and looks like it could rain again....
I was thinking about going for a walk, but think "not"...

Last week, I was trying to figure out what the next book was in a series that my husband enjoys. He heard me mumbling to myself about it and said - you could just rotate the same four books.  Because he said, he never remembers anything, so would not know the difference - LOL!

Mailed a box of gifties to a friend the other day that lives in Wyoming.  The weight of the box - 4 pounds.  The cost to mail said box - $24.00!  I almost freaked out!  I told them - and you wonder why no one mails anything anymore!! 

When I am in the line at the grocery store and the lady is bagging my groceries - and I say - could you please double bag something, please don't tell me that it isn't that heavy... Just double bag it!

OTN...

 

 

 

I've restarted this pattern (Pincha shawl)...for the third, possibly fourth time!
For various reasons, I just could not "get it going" the other times I tried it...
I kept messing up - and having to start over.  And then found out I was doing the wrap and turns wrong - arghhh!   Aside from that...I didn't care for the yarns I was trying out on it - each time I started over!  So I set it aside for awhile. Then finally got out last week and found some yarn I love and it is working out perfectly for it!  I write up all the patterns I knit onto index cards - row by row.  And this one, I did the same - I have every single solitary row written down - even the repeats of certain rows!  And I'm slowly knitting along, with no issues - so far!  Keeping my fingers crossed as I really love this pattern!
 The book is one I'm re-reading - it is non-fiction. I recently bought the sequel. So once I finish my re-read of this one, I will get started on it!  I love books that take place in Paris!

"J" Is For...

joining....

joining groups that is - book groups, knitting or stitching groups, groups that are organized ones - like brownies and girl scouts, etc. etc...

I was never much of a "joiner" of groups when I was younger.  I went to Brownies and Girl Scouts - I believe...because my Mom made me go.
I vaguely remember semi-enjoying it...but never really getting into the whole "scene" like so many other of the girls.

When I got to High School, I basically got left behind by my close friends, because they were "joiners" and I was not.  I did join Spanish Club - not sure why...  and I tried out for Drill Team, because my friend wanted me to do that with her. She got in, I did not.  She joined the school paper group, and was in plays and musicals that my school put on throughout the year. Me, I just went to school and did my homework...

I think, if I were like I am now, back then, I would have joined more things.  Especially more of the things like the school paper. But no musicals or plays or anything that you had to get up in front of people to do!

I was in Jobs Daughters. So was my sister.  Again, she really got into it and actually was "Queen" one year.  She is an extrovert, I am an introvert. I did go to the meetings each week and was okay with that.  My parents were into the upper clubs - like Masons and Eastern Star.  So they were always at the Jobs Daughters meetings with us.  We used to have "progressive dinners" which I really enjoyed!  You would start out at one house for salad, and then move onto other houses for the appetizers, the main course, and dessert.  Sometimes we had long rides in between courses - depending on who was hosting. But that just gave you time to rest your stomach!

As an adult, I've tried, from time to time, joining book clubs, knitting groups, stitching groups.  I just never fit in - or maybe I just never found one that "fit me"...

What about you - are you a joiner of groups/clubs?

Random Thursday....

I'm thinking....  That it is way too hot and humid out there for me today!

I just finished....Going to the grocery store and cleaning the bath tub!

This morning...I restarted a knitting pattern that I've tried several times to knit before.  I'm determined to conquer it (Pincha on Ravelry)!

I am....Just about ready to finish a book I'm really enjoying....The Hundred Gifts

For dinner...I'm fixing an easy dinner - fresh broccoli and fried shrimp (the shrimp is frozen from a box).  I just felt like doing easy dinners this week - ones with no preps before hand!

Watching on tv... not a whole lot right now!  So many of my normal shows are off right now. Finding some here and there to watch - including some new ones that are not very good in my estimation!  When we can't find anything to put on - I dig out a movie!

Trying very hard....to not get angry at friends and family who do not have the same political views I do.  But then again, I guess they feel the same way!

"I" is for...

Well, "I" couldn't think of anything for this... so I will just tell you 10 things about me...

1.  I would rather have pearls than diamonds...

2.  I still sleep with a night light...

3.  I moved away from Ohio in 1974, and am still homesick...

4.  I take a walk around the same block most days and never get bored of it...

5.  I have never owned a cell phone...

6.  I really hate having my picture taken....

7.  I am afraid of butterflies...

8.  I only eat catsup on onion rings and sausage links or patties...

9.  I dip my French fries in mayo...

10.  I am addicted to buying notepads, coffee mugs, and umbrellas!

H is for...

Halloween. 

When I was growing up, Halloween was so fantastic!  We used to go out with pillowcases - fill them up - and then have to run home to get a second one.  Not because we went to houses twice (LOL!) - but just that every person in our subdivision gave out stuff - and lots of it!  Big full size candy bars for one.  This was in the day also where people gave out unwrapped food - cookies, candy apples, punch, popcorn balls, and on and on. No worries about poison or razor blades or something else awful - being put inside of the food! 

People really went all out in decorating too. They would fix their garages up with scary stuff - or funny stuff - and let us stand there and look at it as close up, and as long as we wanted.  Everyone was always so friendly too - and just really seemed to enjoy us coming around.... 

People from out in the surrounding rural areas would drive to our subdivision and go around trick or treating also. I can remember my Mom giving out over 400 pieces of candy each year. And then more kids would still be coming to the door!  So me and my siblings would go through our bags and take out stuff we didn't want and pass that out.  We didn't want anyone to come and not get candy!  But eventually, my Mom would have to turn out the porch light and shut the door!

After that, we kids would go through our stash again and start playing trade off with each other - switching candies that one liked better with stuff we liked better!

I do remember one year, not sure how old I was - but I was fairly young. I went out with my sister and her friends and they ran off and left me.  I cried all the way home!  I think she got into trouble - can't remember - but I hope she did - ha! LOL!

OTN....

This is one of the lovely projects I'm knitting away on right now... It is called "Dryads" (paid pattern on Ravelry).  I love the way it is so adaptable to various yarns.  It calls for sock yarn, which I'm using for my first one. But I plan on making another one in a DK or worsted!  And you can knit it as long as you want - just keep "making leaves".....

The book "Lawyer for the Cat" is the second in this series.  I read the first one "Lawyer for the Dog",  and really enjoyed it.  Was pleasantly surprised to see this second one on the shelves when I went to B & N last Friday. I really hope the author continues on with these books!

"G" Is For....

growing up...

I grew up in a small town called Milford, Ohio.  It is around 25 miles from downtown Cincinnati....

Growing up in that small town consisted of:

Mothers truly telling us to be home when the streetlights came on....

Mothers calling our name to come home for dinner.  Each Mom had a distinctive "call"...   One neighbor used a bell to call her kids home.  There were 3 Linda's on my street. But believe me, I KNEW when it was my Mom calling - LOL!

We could ride our bikes all over - and did...

We could take long walks - and we did...(especially to the library, to the little strip mall that was right by our house...to get a pop (soda) at the Little Store right down the street..., or just around the entire town to see what was going on. Oh and to school. We walked to school until we went into high school...

We could go hang out down in the woods by the creek - and we did...

I would sit outside on the porch, playing Jacks or cards - with my sister - or my best friend who lived right next store.  Or we would play Nancy Drew with the neighbor kids. 

And so many many other things we just did in those carefree days....without a worry or care...our town was safe...

It was a good childhood.....

"F' is for Father...

 

 

Not that I ever called him Father... I did call my Mom Mother many times when I was growing up - especially when my calls of Mom over and over were never responded to!! LOL!  But my Father has always been Dad - or when I was sad or upset over something - Daddy... 
He is going to be 90 years old this year!!!  He is a World War II Vet. 
He worked for the Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company for over 30 years. And in all those years, he only took off one day sick! Yep, one day....
He worked on the telephone polls and he also worked down in the manholes as a splicer.  We always loved it when he would pull up to the house in his telephone truck - just to pop by during a break - to say hello to us. They had this little water cooler thingie on the truck - and we loved to get a drink with the tiny paper cups. We were easy back then - didn't take much to entertain us!!

My Dad loves to shop!  He loves pricey jeans and shirts (see the ones on him above).  He goes to Nordstroms to buy them. But after all his hard work of raising 4 kids - he deserves it...

His health is still pretty good... he is going to be having heart valve surgery in another month or so. Hopefully it will give him some of his energy back after it is done.  And give him many more years on this earth!  His mental abilities are still fine - thank goodness for that - because with my Mom having dementia - it would really be hard if he started to go downhill in that capacity!!  He gets her out every day - to go to the Mall - go out to eat - go play Bingo - go and talk to their buddies that hang with them at Starbucks... 
So all in all - things are still pretty good!

Off The Needles...

I just finished knitting a pattern called "Easy".... It is by Martina Behm (if I'm spelling that correctly)...  The pattern has you doing the first half in one direction and then doing the second half in the "other" direction. Easy peasy...  It is blocking right now - hope it turns out looking like I want it to. Blocking is still a hit or miss with me. 
My book is one I picked up last week at B & N. I had read nothing about it before. Just saw it on the new books table and decided to take a chance on it.  It is a translated book and at times, the translation gets a bit "clunky", but I'm still enjoying it (so far)....

"E" Is For...

earrings..... 

I love earrings! I've always loved them.  One of the things I missed when I quit working in my office - was not being able to wear all my pretty ones.  They were just too dressy for my part-time job at the library - shelving books...  So I just mainly wore the same ones each day - just small hoops - ones that I wouldn't be too upset over if they fell off without me noticing it and got lost somewhere in the building...  I actually lost the sapphire out of my ring one day and never did find it! 

I won't even tell you how many earrings I used to have - but let me just say it was in the hundreds... Yes, the hundreds.  I went through a dislike of my body image years ago - and I never felt like shopping for clothes.  My statement was - earrings are the one thing I knew would fit - LOL! So I kept buying them and buying them.  I gave a bunch away to various people - I threw out some that were broken, or where I'd lost one of them. I still have tons left - don't worry - ha!  I still, because I'm not working at all now - wear only certain pairs each time I go somewhere.  But that doesn't keep me from still looking at them or buying them from time to time!!  That love will never go away.

My other "E" is for Ehrhardt. That is my maiden name.   I can still remember - whenever I had to give someone my name and address - going through the same refrain - E h r h a r d t - and I live at W i n n e b a g o Drive....  When I married the first time - my last name became Michels - pronounced like Michaels.  So again - spelling it out each time I had to tell someone my name.  And then when I married the second time, my name became Huson.  Again - spelling it out...  I get called Hudson, Huston, even Hufon!  I think the next time I get married, I'll pick an easier name (just kidding)...

"D" Is For...

"drive" - learning to drive that is!  I didn't learn how until I was at least 19 or 20.  It wouldn't have mattered if I knew how to drive before then, because I wouldn't have had a car to drive!  My first husband taught me in his 3 speed (on the column).... To say trying to figure out how to shift and drive at the same time was a challenge for me!  But I eventually caught on and went to take my test.  I can remember doing the parallel parking part of the testing (do they still make kids do that now?) and getting into the spot. I started to correct it all and the instructor yelled out - leave it - leave it - it is fine!  And he passed me!  I know if he hadn't said that to me, I would have overcorrected - messed it all up - and flunked big time - LOL!  I can remember the joy of driving over to my parents' house - a licensed driver!
I got my own car not long after that - a 1969 Chevy Chevelle. It was gold, with black interior. I loved that car! It drove so well.  Then it got creamed by a school bus.  Totally deemed "totaled".  I cried - alot.  Then moved on and got my next car - a white Camaro (or it might have been a Firebird) - with red interior. I can never remember which - whatever I had, my sister had the other one. 
What about you? When did you learn how to drive? What was your first car?

"C" is for....

Collecting....

I never really collected anything (that I remember anyway) - until I was in my 30's...   And that first item - was teddy bears. I think I was using them as a way to comfort myself because I was so far from my family after I moved to Virginia from Ohio. Once people found out I collected them, of course, I got them constantly for gifts!  Which was fine with me. But eventually I had to tell people to stop!!  I actually had names for all my bears too. Don't ask me to tell you now what they are - because all of these years later, my memory would fail me big time.

After that, I started going to antique stores and my collections veered off into silver baby cups with names and dates on them.  Two I found have my Mom's middle name "Jean" and my middle name "Sue" on them. That was fun!  I also loved collecting Avon bottles that were in the shape of women.  Their heads are what you turn to open the bottle!  I eventually, over time, found an entire bridal set (well minus the groom) - but still - all the flower girls and then the bride...  I have collected primitive santas and snowmen - little glass jars with silver tops - that women used to keep their rouge and powder in.  One has the letter "L" in the top.  That was the first one I bought. I saw some lady looking at it and I coveted it so much I could barely stand it. I tried really hard to act uninterested - while saying in my head - don't buy it - don't buy it! When she walked away - I ran over - and said - I want it!! And that was the beginning of that collection!  And little perfume bottles have also been another favorite of mine to collect. My first one came from a guy I used to work with at General Electric back in Ohio.  He had brought it back from France and gave it to me!!  And that began that collection!

 All of the antique places I used to go to around here are gone now...  Which saddens me as I so enjoyed going to them to see what gems I could discover.

Oh, I also have a collection of different editions of "Little Women".

Nowadays, my collections run more towards the useful - coffee mugs and umbrellas.  I have tons of both!  Doesn't matter to me though - if I see one of either that I love, I get it!  I just keep saying - but hey, I can use this and it doesn't collect dust!

What about you? What do you collect?

"B" is for Bicycle....

Do you remember when you learned how to ride a bike?  I do! Maybe not the age I was at that time.  But just the whole feeling/experience of it all.  I know it was my Mom out there for a bit trying to help me get the hang of it. And then for awhile, it was my Dad trying to help out - over and over.  He finally tired of it one evening and went back inside.  And then not long after that, my mind and my body got it all in sync and off I went.  I ran into the house screaming out that I was able to do it.  I was happy - but they were happier - I think mainly because they didn't have to keep trying to hold me up on the bike - LOL!! 

And do you remember your first bike?  This one that I learned to ride on was an old one - a hand me down from my older sister. And the color?  Can't remember the original color. But the color when I started riding it was black and pink! Why??  Because by the time my sister got done with it, it was really used up and rusty...  My Dad had some paint in the garage...  I think the black may have been in a spray can - something he used for some project or other. And the pink was wall paint that had been used on our bedroom wall at some point!!  I still love black and pink together!

A Poem in the Pocket....

I love many of the poems by Edgar A. Guest.  Here is one for you to enjoy...

There was weepin' by the women that the crowd could plainly see,
An' old William's throat was chokin' an' his eyes were watery,
An' he couldn't hardly answer when the parson made him say
Who it was on that occasion was to give the girl away.

I detest tears at a weddin', an' I didn't like 'em then,
An' I couldn't see the reason for the lips that trembled when
Reverend Goodly looked about him ere he tied the knot to stay
An' said: 'Which of you assembled here now gives this girl away?'

I shall not forget old William an' the solemn look he wore,
Though he tried his best at smilin' I could tell his heart was sore;
I could see the tear drops startin' as he looked at little May,
An' I knew the wrench it caused him when he gave his girl away.

I could hear the women sobbin', an' I didn't dare to look,
I jes' kep' my face straight forward till the parson closed his book.
For the heart of me was beatin' not in sadness, but in glee;
I had reason to be happy. He was givin' her to me.                         

"A" Is For Alzeheimer's Disease....

 

 

 

 

 

My Mommy is the one on the right - in the leopard top. She always has loved animal prints!(the one on the left is my Aunt - my Mom's sister)...  My Mom has been dealing with the ravages of Alzeheimer's disease for the past 9 years or so.  It slowly has gotten worse as time goes by.

It has robbed her of so many things - her memories - of her previous life - of us kids - her love of reading....  My Dad (who turns 90 this year) - is still taking care of her.  I wish I lived back in Ohio so I could help him out - and of course - see my Mom more... because even if she no longer knows who I am - I still know who she is....

OTN....

This is my small "restart" on Good Vibrations (pattern free on Ravelry). This pattern uses German Short Rows which I find sooo much easier than wraps and turns.  I had a lot of this pattern done in another yarn, but just wasn't feeling it. Liking this yarn much better! 
The book is by an author I like a lot.  Only a chapter in - but so far - so good!

Shadow Play...

“God your love is so precious! You

protect people in the shadow of your

wings. Psalms 36:7”
― Anonymous

OTN...

“You don't knit because you are patient. You are patient because you knit.”
― Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Things I Learned From Knitting    

My very meager beginnings on a new shawl.  (I have done a bit more of it since I took this picture)!  It is called "Great Divide" (on Ravelry).  So many people said how easy it is to do. I've heard that many times (and they were wrongoooo)!  However, this time, they were right - it is easy - and I'm loving knitting it!!  I just finished this book yesterday.  The little boy in it (the Frank of the title) - will make you smile, laugh out loud, think, cry - touch your heart... or at least he did all that with me!

Shadow Play....

"A street full of shadows will teach you what life is much better than the street full of lights!”
― Mehmet Muratildan

Hitchin' A Ride...

I finished my Hitchhiker on Thursday!  I only did 32 "points" - instead of the 42 called for. I really didn't want to break into my other new skein of yarn (cause I wanna use it for something else)....  It was still a decent length. Then I blocked it - I made it "longer" - but took away a lot of the center "depth" - whaaaa!! So I reblocked it! Still can't get it looking the way it looks in this picture....  So if (and that is a big if) I make another one - I will do more "points" and just spray it and let it dry - with no actual blocking.....

I Don't Quilt...

but I truly enjoying looking at them and reading about them....in quilting books, in quilting magazines, etc etc!
 I own one quilt that I've always thought was made by my Grandmother, but it could have been someone else in her family....   I've always treasured it...
 I believe I would be great at designing the quilts - buying the fabric - even cutting it out...but the sewing and quilting part - forget about it! 
I just picked up this book last night at Barnes & Noble... 

Shadow Play....

“I love letting her know how much she means to me. A love in secret is but a shadow that’s cold and lonely.” ....Jarod Kintz

Random....

some giggles...


I was trying to remember the title of a book recently.  I just could not get it into my brain. I googled and googled and finally found it.  The title
"Remember Me"....

and then a few weeks ago, I was trying to remember the name of a knitting pattern. After much searching, I found it.  The name of the pattern? 
"Memory Lapse"...

A tip for you - do NOT use a knitting needle to scratch your ear. And if you do, don't walk around while doing it!  Unless you want to go to urgent care...  just sayin'....

Two of my new loves....  my new cute valentine scarf and See's Candies chocolate suckers!

OTN...

“imagine a scarf as an unlimited canvas”... Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

This is the candle flame scarf (free on Ravelry) that I just started.  It is a 24 row repeat.  24 rows that seem very long for some reason. But I will keep plugging along - because I think it looks so pretty! 

Cat In Sunny Spot - Still Life....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Treats....

“it is pure potential. Every ball or skein of yarn holds something inside it, and the great mystery of what that might be can be almost spiritual”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Knitting Rules - The Yarn Harlot...



 I treated myself to some Madeline Tosh silk/merino yarn!  I've never knitted with it before.  CANNOT wait to see what it "wants to be"....

and since I love reading about the meanings of flowers -  I also treated myself to this book yesterday....

Simple Woman's Daybook...

I'm linking up with a simple woman's daybook for the first time!

Today....

Outside my window - it is really cloudy and dreary - but warmish...supposed to rain soon....

I am thinking...about my dental appointment on Wednesday. I have to get my teeth cleaned. I hate getting my teeth cleaned for some reason! I'd rather have a tooth pulled than get my teeth cleaned - go figure!

I am wondering...why, no matter how much newspaper I put down on the floor - my hair color still manages to get on one of the rugs!

I am thankful...that the 30 inches of snow we got last week - is quickly melting - due to the warmish temps we've had since it snowed!

I am wearing...red shorts, a taupe t-shirt - and no shoes.  I'm always too hot in the house - my husband likes the heat on all the time - I prefer it not to be!

I am creating...many many knitted scarves and shawlettes.  One I can't wait to get finished is "Saroyan" - a simple little shawlette - that has leaves all along the border. I'm doing it in a burnt orange shade of yarn.

I am going...nowhere today!

I am wondering...if I will like the new yarn I just ordered online. It is out for delivery and I should have it within the hour!

I am reading...I have tons of books going at one time (tons)...  One I just started and am enjoying (so far) "Dream House". It just came out on the shelves at B & N and I grabbed it. I have a "thing" for books that have a house/home theme!

Knitting and Reading....

"Sometimes I follow directions exactly as written. And sometimes I knit what the yarn tells me to.  Either way, a pattern for me."...from The History of Needlework by C. Lloyd

 

The pattern for this scarf is called Side Line Scarf (free on Ravelry).  I made one for my niece out of a bluish gray Cascade Chunky yarn. I loved it so much, that I immediately cast one on for me.  This one is done with Berroco Vintage Chunky in a cheerful cherry red shade. So squishy and cozy! Love it.  I knitted like crazy to get it done. We were hit by a blizzard and I couldn't go anywhere to wear it. And now that I can go out and about - it is in the 50's!!! LOL!  I am hoping to get to wear it at least once before the winter is over....   I'm re-reading this book. Loved it the first time around - hope it stands up for the second time around....

 

 

 

 

2016 blizzard is now officially over - well, except for....

the shoveling out the 25 inches we got!  Not sure when we will be able to gt out and about!

The Story Behind It....

Many many years ago, I went back home to Ohio to visit my family...
My Aunt was living in a mobile home at the time.  Her friend across the way had a cat who delivered a litter of kittens.  I ended up bringing one back to Virginia with me...  I named her Lacey Gracie Sue (Sue is my middle name).  She was my first cat. We'd always had dogs.  They didn't know what to make of her - but soon grew attached to her.  We would often (especially my husband)  call her Lucy Goosey...
After we lost her in December of 2004 (which was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through)... I stitched this little sampler...  Every time I look at it - I smile and remember....

 

 

Shadow Play....

"Keep your face always toward sunshine...and shadows will fall behind you".... Walt Whitman

A Rainy Day Outing....

On my way.....I have my name in sparkles on my visor...that way I don't forget who I am - ha!

First stop - Starbucks! For a nice hot hot chocolate...

Then a quick in and out at JoAnns Fabrics - to get a circular needle.  I also wanted a valentine wreath - but they had nothing - nada!  Need to now make a trip to Michaels for one!!  At least the needle wasn't on sale so I could use a coupon and get a good price!

Last stop - Barnes & Noble - to get some help with my Samsung Nook tablet and to do some browsing and some buying of course!  No real help with the Nook - and this was after talking to the "expert" who said he was unfamiliar with what I should do to fix my issue...  Arghhh!  I bought one book for my husband and three for me!  Yeah!

 

 

 

the end.....

Knit One - Read Two....

 

 

 

 

 

I've tried doing the Noro Striped scarf many times over the years - but all that seed stitch drives me batty and I end up taking if off the needles...

I'm trying again!  Not using Noro (as it itches me). Using Crystal Palace Danube instead (think I've got the name right)!  Whether I'll stick with it and finish it - only time will tell.  The book is a definite "know I will read to the end"!  I thought about reading this when it came out years ago, but never did - fell off my radar I guess.  But I saw it mentioned on a blog that I read and decided to buy it and get going (I'm from Ohio - which is where the book takes place)!  I am so happy I am getting to sit down and lose myself in this book!

 

Unbirthday Month of Fun!

 

 

 

"Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them.  And it is much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world"... Neil Gaiman

 

 

 

 

 

I belong to an online group of women - and each year - for a long long time now - we have been participating in a fun celebration that we call "the unbirthday book" club!  It isn't your real birthday month - but just a month that gets assigned to you.. And during that month - the other members send you books and gift cards!  How fun is that!  Lots, let me tell you!  My "month" is January!  And these are the first gifties that arrived in the mail. I've already delved into them and read a chapter or two! 

Shadow Play.....

 

 

 

“If we didn't have shadow we'd just sit around loving the light, likely doing nothing with it.”
― S. Kelley Harrell