...but there was no football game for Durwood. Seems whoever painted the centerfield logo and the end zone stuff at the Hall of Fame used the wrong paint. The wrong paint!! which made the field concrete-hard in some places and grip-the-cleats sticky in others. They rightly cancelled the game but I felt sorry for all of the people who had made the trip to see the game and the HOF inductees. Durwood was bummed. He binge-watched Lone Star Law, a show on Animal Planet (maybe? yep, Animal Planet) about game wardens in Texas, instead. He's a fan of North Woods Law about Maine game wardens too. I will admit they both have good scenery, lots of wildlife, and an interesting mix of drama and humor, plus the dim bulbs (they fuzz out their faces, "innocent until proven guilty," you know) that poach or go out drugging and drinking in the woods are hilarious to watch and listen to when they try to cover up their misdeeds.
I watched with him (in sympathy) for a while but then I went into the living room where I watched Rehab Addict and Salvage Dawgs (my kind of reality shows)on DIY while I knitted a few rows on the Black Bean Shawl. I got about 5 or 6 rows added on but the rows are getting longer with every right side row so each one takes a bit longer than the previous one. I'm getting there.
One little nasturtium blossom has opened. I love the shape of their leaves and the red, orange, and yellow flowers.
It was so nice this morning I opened the patio door and did my yoga with the lovely, real (not air conditioned) air wafting over me and admired the patio pots of this year's garden, such as it is, when I looked out.
August 8--Blackburn Productions, Polynesian Outrigger. Muscles rippled under their skin as the rowers dug their oars into the sea as hard as they could. Their strokes were in perfect rhythm. It looked as if they were connected somehow. Five backs bent, five oars were thrust into the water, and the boat leaped ahead.
Well, that's a little better than I've managed to write the last couple nights. I don't know why I'm so wiped out when I lie down lately. I'm blaming the moon. Might as well, I eat well, exercise, keep my mind occupied so I should be energized, right? And I am... some days. Today I'll help a friend get the polling place she works at on voting day ready for tomorrow's primary so I'll have a spot of manual labor to brighten my day. Enjoy your Monday.
--Barbara
Remember how I was feeling happy and proud yesterday that our pineapple tops were doing so well out on the patio? How none of the critters were bothering them? Yeah, well, when I opened the curtains this morning those @#$%& squirrels had uprooted the second one. I was so horrified that I ran out to rescue the top which was truly uprooted and lying on the seat of one of the patio chairs without taking the camera. Trust me, it was a horrible scene. I quickly scooped out some of the soil, eased the roots into the pot, and then put the soil back. You'd better bet that I brought them both inside. Squirrels! *shakes tiny fist in the air* On a positive note, it was heartening to see the amount of roots that had developed since we potted it, but still...
Our brunch with friends got cancelled yesterday but we managed to be out quite a bit of the day. One of the car dealers in town sent everyone a flyer with a chance to win money. If you brought the flyer in to check your number you were guaranteed $5 and maybe more, a lot more. Of course we got $5, not $25,000. Oh well.
Since we were waaaay across town we went to the Festival Foods near the car dealer. It's a bigger store than the one nearest us and it isn't arranged quite the same way so we staggered around like lost sheep a bit but managed to get everything on the list--plus a few things, natch. We had one of the extra purchases for supper last night. Durwood likes to check out the fish case and noticed that they had bags of mussels on sale. I love mussels and I have taught him to love them too, so we bought a bag of them. I steamed them in diced tomatoes, broth, white wine, onions, garlic, and thyme. We made every one go away. Yum.
After our grocery safari Durwood took a snooze and I sat on the couch and finished Advent Garland Mitten #2. I truly love the color of this yarn and I don't have much left. I hope it's not a discontinued color. Not that I'm in any danger of ever running out of yarn, no-sirree-bob, I'll be knitting until they carry me out feet first with what I have on hand. (I have GOT to stop buying yarn.)
August 7--Jeffrey E. Blackman, Winter Stadium. You would think that it would be warm in the middle of the crowd. You would be wrong. Even though they were packed on the metal bleachers like seated sardines...
And that's when my pencil went rogue and my eyes slammed shut. I didn't realize that I was as tired as I must have been. Durwood's all excited because there's a "real" football game on tonight. The Packers are playing... somebody in the Hall of Fame game in Ohio. Ooh, football. Meh. I'll knit, but I'm glad he and all the other football fans around here have a new game to watch.
--Barbara
Look! There's a big root on Avocado Pit #2 and a root bump on the bottom of Avocado Pit #1. Pretty soon a stalk and a pair of leaves will poke out of the top. Pretty soon.
I put the pineapple tops out on the patio table for the summer. I'm keeping the umbrella open so they don't get fried by the midday sun but they seem like they're enjoying it out there. I don't think there are any new leaves coming--yet, but none are dying either.
We still have high hopes for tomato success. There's another one of the Health Kick cherry ones turning orange and I only found one of the green ones with a smudge of rot on its bottom. I picked it and tossed it. On the Celebrity tomato plant a cluster of nice, sandwich size tomatoes are starting to redden too. So far no blossom end rot on any other plant. Whew.
There's a pretty cluster of Purple Coneflowers blooming in the garden plot and there was a bee posing nicely when I was out there.
I saw a shape in the platform feeder this morning and after looking at it a while realized that it was a baby Cardinal hunkered down morosely pecking at the safflower seed. It just looked so sorry for itself I had to take its picture. A Hairy Woodpecker was on the suet and this picture shows how to tell a Hairy from a Downy--a Hairy has a long pointed bill and the Downy's is much shorter.
I didn't knit much last night because I was teaching someone to knit, well, to purl actually and then to knit in the round on double-point needles, so I had to work deliberately, explaining every motion, and backing her up and fixing stitches when she got confused. It's not so easy to keep all the movements of the stitches in mind when you're just learning, besides it just feels awkward especially when it seems like you're wrestling a porcupine when getting started on DPNs. But I got half of the cuff of another Advent Garland mitten knitted; I skipped doing the I-cord for the hanger so I didn't have that dangling to confuse the new knitter.
But then HH came staggering in to say that her car had conked out not too far away and did anyone have a gas can? I said I do and, since I live closest, I packed up my knitting and we went off to grab some gas to see if that's what was wrong. See, her gas gauge has been broken for a while and she says it's too expensive to replace so she tries to put gas in frequently enough to prevent such mishaps. (personally, I'd spend the money to fix it but maybe that's just me) As we pulled into the gas station to fill the can she asked if I'd ever filled a gas can because she never had (she's got an electric lawn mower) and I assured that I had, many times. I poured a couple gallons into her tank, she turned the key, and it started, ran rough for a bit but then settled down after she held the accelerator down for a minute. I still followed her back to knitting and then to Festival because by then it was full dark and I didn't want her breaking down and needing to rely on some random passerby. I did encourage her to investigate a AAA membership. I have to say, I kind of felt like Mighty Mouse saving the day with my gas can and knowledge of gasoline and cars. I need a cape.
I didn't write last night. I'm off to Aldi while Durwood snoozes to get some fruit and check on their cheese prices. I've got a long grocery list for later (I've been paging through our new WW cookbooks) so I'm hoping to get a jump on it and save a few bucks. Toodles.
--Barbara
So I went shopping after supper. It was when I was trying to dress for a friend's wedding last month that I realized I don't really have any kind of nice, kind of dressy-ish clothes. I have my everyday jeans, capris, and tee-type shirts, and I have a few skirts (that I don't wear often) and a dressy dress. Nothing in between. I think part of my problem is my shoes. I need to wear "supportive" shoes because of the state of my feet--and now my ankle which needs lots of support while the muscles and tendons get strong and not hurty again--so I can put on nicer clothes and then, basically, sneakers. Not a good look. But last weekend when I bought those rainbow flats in Sturgeon Bay and wore them that night when I went to hear the band, I realized that I could, for a short time, wear cute shoes and feel like I look better than usual. Here's what I brought home--a creamy white single-knit oversize shirt with an interesting neck treatment, a white tank top that I put under a black and white open caftan-ish wrap with cool lacy fringe, and a white gauze and lace top with an uneven hem. Lots of white, but then white goes with everything. May I say that I went with the image of a red, uneven hem, flowy tank in mind but there was absolutely nothing even remotely like that on the racks--and I went to two stores. (that's a lot of shopping for me, it took over an HOUR)
I'm glad I was out after 8 o'clock because last night's sunset was glorious. See? I wish there were fewer overhead wires on our street but at least the trees blotted out the used car lot at the end of our block.
At work yesterday I focused on finishing the chart rows of the Black Bean shawl. I'll be moving into the edging rows tonight at Friday Night Knitting. Once again I have to say that I love knitting with big yarn and big needles; I'll never be a lace-weight yarn and tiny needles kind of shawl knitter. Nope, that's not for me.
This morning a quartet of bluejays came to dine while I was doing yoga in front of the patio door. Three of them stayed up on the retaining wall where the corn is but one brave one came down to the spilled seed by the birdbath so I paused between the last 2 poses and snapped a picture.
August 5--Jeffrey El Blackman, Referee. The guy in the black and white shirt looked small with twenty-two football players clustered around him. You could see how unpopular what he was saying was with the men. Arms were flung and it didn't take a lip reader to figure out the harsh words raining down on him. He kept his cool, elbowed his way out of the crowd, and stuck to his decision.
Hey, today is Durwood's 77th birthday. We aren't having a big celebration but I'll make sure he feels Happy Birthday-ed all day.
--Barbara
Two more tomatoes from the cherry-ish tomato plant have it--in spades. So I got the Epsom Salts from downstairs and mixed up a gallon jug with 1/4 cup salts and poured it on the plant. I watered everything well first, I always think that's a good idea so that the soil holds whatever treatment you add instead of it running right through dry soil. Fingers crossed this does the trick. I'm leaning toward giving the other two plants a preventative dose tonight when I get home.
This, this right here is why I should be able to stick to the WW plan. This is a single serving of Quick Cherry Crisp. You thaw (or semi-thaw if you're impatient like me) and cut in half one cup of frozen sweet cherries, toss in 2 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (my no-added-points addition), 1/8 tsp. almond extract, and a pinch of salt. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly thickened. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons low-fat granola on top. And that's it. It's all of 4 points and it was delicious. I'll be making it again, probably tonight.
I finished the Indigo Doublethick Dishcloth this morning. Well, I guess I finished it last night except for the last row and the bind-off, those I did this morning. I still have to weave in the tails but it's ready to go. I don't know why I'm so enamored of making dishcloths like this right now but I'm determined to finish the Black Bean shawl before casting on anything else... except for an Advent Garland mitten so I can show a new knitter how to knit in the round on double points tomorrow night. Oh, that reminds me, I need to get that training sock I made for teaching sock knitting at Guild a few months back to take along.
August 4--Ben Mendlowitz, Catboat. The triangular sail dwarfed the boat. Cal sat in the stern, his hand on the rudder, keeping the course that Dad had set before going below for a nap. The wind wasn't blowing too hard and the waves were just right so Cal felt like he had control of things. They were sailing down the coast, hopping from port to port for a week, just the two of them, before school started again. The weather had been good which had put Dad in a good mood. Cal didn't mind a bit of weather. It made him feel great to challenge himself and win. He felt so good he got distracted watching some gulls wheel and dive that he didn't notice the dark clouds piling up in the west until they'd pushed a chilly wind around the boat and poured a smattering of cold rain down his back. He made sure his safety line was secure and stood to go to the hatch to call Dad when a good-size wave pounded the boat and sent it heeling over.
Okay, then. I need to know more about sailing in coastal waters and the little bays and port towns they could visit or help could come from. I get to work again today and I have a tank to drop off and two to pick up on my way in. I really like this working two days a week deal. I still get a paycheck but I also have lots of time to do the things I like to do. The best of both worlds, for now. But with Medicare on my front porch it won't be too long before I'll turn in my key and stay home to play with yarn and fabric all the time. Won't that be fun?
Adieu, mes cheries.
--Barbara
And right back into the saddle I went. I've done errands, housework, yard work, and gotten meat marinating for supper since I darkened the door around 10:30 this morning. I need to learn to delegate or something.
I thought I'd show you the Chal-A Motel, the retro place in Sturgeon Bay where I spent the last 2 nights. It's been there since, oh, I don't know, probably the late 1950s or early 1960s and, more amazing, nothing's grown up around it. Across the highway and into town, yes, things have grown up. Alongside and behind it, nope, only cornfields. I had the single room--a double bed, couch, desk, dorm fridge, small flat screen TV, free wi-fi, morning coffee and ice. When I opened the door of my room I was blown away by how clean it was. The bed was pretty comfy and the sheets didn't feel like sandpaper, the bathroom was spotless, and the window air conditioner worked just fine. There was even enough light for me to knit with black yarn by, and that's saying something. And it was only $65 + tax per night. Can't beat that with a stick. Granted, I'd have loved to be by the bay with a view of the sunset but that is totally not in my budget in the summer when Door County is crawling with tourists. I was just happy to find a room on such short notice. I'll probably go back.
I took a picnic to a park along the bay outside of town yesterday and had a lovely time. It was a gorgeous sunny day, just the right kind of day for eating outside in the shade and then watching boats and fishermen. Maybe when I grow up I'll live by water. I'd like that.
Speaking of knitting with black yarn, I made excellent progress on my Black Bean shawl. I've got 10 more rows to go before starting the edge section. This is what I love about knitting with chunky yarn and big needles, you get someplace fast. Once the knitting's done, I'll wet the shawl, press out the water, and stretch it out so that all the holes the pattern has me building into the fabric open up and make it look like lace, big lace made with thick yarn, but lace nevertheless.
Instead of writing last night I read the newest Harry Potter "book" on my kindle. It's actually a play that opened in London yesterday and they published the script yesterday too. I hate to admit that I've been a Harry Potter fan since the first book way back in 1997 (kind of old for kids' books... maybe?) so I had to pre-order The Cursed Child even knowing it isn't a book book. It was good but I wish it was a novel.
Hasta la vista, babies.
--Barbara
It was so nice this morning I opened the patio door and did my yoga with the lovely, real (not air conditioned) air wafting over me and admired the patio pots of this year's garden, such as it is, when I looked out.
