Pumpkin Sunrise

  Good morning! Well, it's another Friday and here we are checking in with each other. I've quickly jumped back into my ordinary days enjoying my creative projects and it's been wonderful! Traveling does that to me, I am renewed in being grateful for the simplest of things: my favorite mug, sitting with Frodo, oh the list could go on. On my daily walks with Frodo, I am paying attention to the slightest changes of fall showing up. The mornings are chilly (yay) and I am all for it!  Besides knitting daily, I've been doing a small drawing challenge - The Inchie Challenge . My sister alerted me to the challenge and asked me to join her. We share our daily sketches via texting and compare our interpretations of the prompts. I've been using my graphitints by derwent . These pencils are water-soluble colored graphite and are fun to play with. I only have seven colors so I have to be creative with what I have. Yesterday, my husband with the help of a neighbor removed the fa

  One year ago today, we moved to be closer to my sister and my family where I grew up. Can you believe it? I cannot. A friend asked me if I had adjusted and I said 'almost'. Moving during a pandemic has raised some challenges. I still haven't joined a gym nor do I seek to be with tons of people. If you remember, I wanted to have a 'bubble' and being with family has achieved that goal! I miss my friends and country dirt road walking but I do like this house and living in a neighborhood and having museums and shopping close by. (not the greatest sentence but it says what I want it to say) Right this very second, the roofers are here banging away, bless them, because it's going to be a hot day. Frodo yet again is sleeping on the loveseat completely oblivious. I'm sure Holly is hiding under our bed. I'm in the kitchen typing away.  Hot weather is back and I'm trying so hard not to hate it. Seriously, why can't we have 70-80 degree weather? Why does

  A few days ago my ONE peony blossomed. Our neighbor gave us three peony plants, one survived through the winter and gave us a pretty show. Peonies are one of my favorite flowers but really many many flowers are my favorites whenever they bloom. Can you believe it is June? I cannot.  This time last year I was packing up a house we lived in for sixteen years, donating many belongings to lighten the load. That weird mindset 'I'm never going to hoard stuff again' has waned. I do buy the occasional used book knowing that each one I purchase might lead to a slippery slope of accumulation.  While I knit from my stash I still buy more yarn, I hope that it's at a slower rate but it is not stopping me from visiting yarn stores and keeping them in business. It's what knitters gotta do. One year ago I was frantically checking a list making sure the selling of the old house was on track and the purchasing of the new house was on track. I romantically daydreamed of boring days

Good morning!  Yesterday, my husband and I went to the Carnegie Museum of Art for a few hours. One of the features we were excited about when we decided to relocate to live near my sister and my family was living near a city and taking advantage of what a city has to offer culturally. We planned on buying yearly passes for the museums so we could plan outings to see the exhibits. Our whole married life has been in small college towns so this city thing is new.  Today is looking to be a beautiful sun-shiny day and now I am re-inspired to dust off my art supplies and start creating something.   In non-art news, I am furiously working on the never ending blanket in the evenings and have less than two skeins left out of the ten skeins that I started with. I am so close to being done!

  How was your weekend? Mine was frosty and beautiful. This week there will be a slight warm up but I'll have the memories of a frosty, cold, chilly weekend. The news people say we are past peak fall color but I'm still enjoying the colors that are currently around. The oak trees are still doing their thing and some maples are trying valiantly to hang on. This week I'm sure will be the Big Leaf Drop. Over the weekend, my husband and I walked a new to us path/trail that is near our neighborhood. Every so often we try to explore a new place getting a sense of where we are. Bit by bit I file away places that family and neighbors tell me that I should explore and then when there is time we do it.  I have been crushing my holiday knitting goals. I know! I'm overly confident that I will get all the knitting done by my self imposed deadlines.  That is a really good feeling. How was your weekend?

  How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good. Over the weekend I purchased some remote controlled candles for inside the fireplace that we currently are unable to use. Since we can't decide what to do (fix the fireplace or purchase a gas insert...) my sister texted some photos of fireplaces with candles.  With a flick of a button I have ambient lighting. The local fall foliage is PEAK this week if you ask me. Everywhere you look you see some brilliant shades of orange, yellow and red. The multitude of rain makes everything bright and vibrant. I did all those pesky chores yesterday and have a mostly clean and tidy house. For now. My knitting is on fire and yet I did not take a photo of it this weekend to share with you. You'll just have to conjure up some wooly goodness yourself. Tell me about your weekend!

  Good morning! How was your weekend? You know you are officially moved in when you hang your cuckoo clock. My husband's brother and sister in law gave us this clock from their time in Germany in the 1980's and it still runs perfectly. I love it! However, I'm afraid of Holly the cat being interested in it as well, so at night I stop the tick tocking, my husband thinks I'm ridiculous. Honestly, I'm thinking like a cat. After months of thinking about finding new salad dressings to make at home I ventured with a new tahini recipe, it was 'okay'. The garlic was a bit much and it was too thick to pour. So I'll be going back to the drawing board for some new ideas. I spent the majority of my weekend --- KNITTING. I started two new projects while still getting so close to the end of that never-ending shawl. I'm positive I'm on the last repeat but I've thought that many repeats ago. I snapped this photo of Holly looking at the world below from our be

  My husband and brother in law worked all day Tuesday removing overgrown bushes and trimming trees. Now you can see the front door. There's a large resident toad that is unsure what has happened lucky for him they left a few bushes. I like how the house is shaping up inside and outside. I know I'm not supposed to wish for Fall but that's where my mind is going these days and if I mentally stay there it's going to be a long time for mid-September to show up.  On Tuesday I met my new to me family doctor who is newish doctor and seems young (but I'm 'old'). He was the doctor I saw at express care the Friday before who sent me to ER who then sent me home saying I need to see my primary care doctor which I didn't have until mid September. One of the downsides of moving is establishing medical care, the appointments are scheduled 1-2 months out. Anyways, my new primary care doctor just joined the practice and got me into the schedule (I was his first patient)

Good morning! I hope you all of you have had a fine week. This is the first week where we are not unpacking boxes. Believe me there are still boxes here and there but we have lost some motivation. I started up with my exercise program after a few months off and it felt good to get back into the groove. I'm surprised at how little muscle was lost, not that I have a lot of muscle. Sadly the morning walks will be ending due to hot humid weather creeping back in. I'm ready for fall but I cannot let myself go there! I compiled all documenting into the above Hobonichi Weeks planner and I've been happy with the simplification so far. Besides keeping track of appointments, I'm marking down the menu plan and exercising sessions. I have a whole page for a sentence a day gratitude list (I love doing that).  I do have an art journal that I write in a few times a week. The knitting is coming along - I try to sit and rest in the afternoons and put in some much needed rows. I've b

  Good morning! How is everyone? I've been chipping away at setting up my new studio/office and it's quite the challenge. Even though I decluttered like mad, I have too much stuff. It's funny, our new home is slightly bigger in square footage BUT we've downsized considerably because of storage space. The closets are so small which isn't a bad thing. My decluttering journey has not ended but begun. I am determined to thin out what I own regularly. I've saved tons of cards, programs and other memorable events for years for the kids growing up and for myself. I stuffed them in shoeboxes. My Big Plan is to go through them and toss what isn't necessary and maybe scrapbook or capture significant events or achievements. Ideally I want to be down to one box per person - the size of the box is to be determined. I also have some of my mother's memorabilia that needs attention. We are nearly done with unpacking. My jobs are done - I have a few boxes here and there

  Around here things are settling down a little more each day. Back in the day when the kids were little and I was young and for of energy, I could unpack a house in two weeks! We are mostly unpacked. Today, my husband and I will start hanging pictures and my studio is still a mess, but less of a mess when I mentioned how messy it was the last time.  Yesterday during lunch on the back patio we saw a fox (or a large cat..but we think it was a fox). Also the deer come right up to the house - I don't think they know they have a resident nemesis yet. Frodo is onto the deer and barks at them diligently. So far NO bears seen and that is fine with me. a needle gauge by cocoknits  (not an affiliate link) In the mornings I try to get as much done around here before the afternoon before my fatigue sets in. I continue to rest as much as possible and that seems to help. I see the new RA doctor on Monday afternoon. We haven't explored the area yet but hope to do some local outings in the n

  Good morning! How are you all? I'm doing fine enough where I am right at this moment. I was caught unawares at how much brain power it takes to move. Everything that I did before in my old town takes lots of thinking in the new town. I also have what seems an endless list of to dos to change address or to check up on things. Friday morning, Mr. Frodo had an appointment with a new groomer. He and I both did well and liked the new lady. I have a feeling she likes schnauzers...but then maybe she likes all dogs. He looks so dapper with the bow which came off in six hours.. This weekend was stuffed with family gatherings. Our son and daughter in law arrived late Friday night and on Saturday we went over to my Aunt's house for dinner and gathering. The evening was delightful. Of course everyone came back over to my house to get a tour.  Yesterday we celebrated my dad's 80th birthday with another family gathering. I have lots of photos but forgot to get permission to post them o

Good morning! How are you doing? We've been in the new house for about a week and the kitchen is almost done. The cabinets and walls are painted and my husband finished installing the new floor yesterday. All that's left is that pesky lazy Susan that will not reassembly (grr) and baseboards and transitions. Oh and we bought a new light and a new faucet. All of this was a face lift for the time being until we decide what we really want. I have to admit it was really nice using the double oven, I've never had one before but it came in handy!  The kitchen is smaller than my old one but I'm completely okay with that. There is less to clean. Next up will be the family room where the paneling will be painted. We were going to paint the shelving but have decided to put that decision on hold for now. The animals are doing okay. Frodo is extra needy and Holly is hiding more so than usual. However, they know where their food is and every day it gets better and better.  I had an a