Pumpkin Sunrise

  Good morning to you! How are you doing? I have recovered from having family visiting last week and am right back to my ordinary quiet days. Spring is arriving again after being here for a few days then leaving for some frigid weather. Today will be over 60 degrees.  I've been having severe dry eye from my autoimmune disease (Sjogren's syndrome) and it's quite annoying. I did see the eye doctor and have a treatment plan but golly, I want it resolved yesterday. Over a month ago, I started doing some HIIT exercising a few times a week at home to improve my stamina. So I  lined up a bunch of videos that were low-impact, all standing routines ranging 10 minutes to 30 minutes. I expected that I would not enjoy this type of exercising but I have to confess, I love it. I feel empowered when I complete a video and am able keep up with them most of the time. Who knew? I continue to walk daily but the windy days make my dry eye symptoms unbearable. I am considering joining a gym w...

  Good morning! How are you? Look at my daffodils!! I know what you are thinking. You are wondering why I am here when I have company staying for the week. Well, before they left home on Saturday, the grandkids had the stomach virus Friday afternoon which postponed their trip until Sunday. Then on Saturday night, the parents started with the same virus. I am grateful that they kept it over at their house and did not bring it here. They plan to arrive on Tuesday now, fingers are crossed that they will be fully recuperated and ready to do some house hunting.  Because the weekend ended up being free and clear, I spent my time knitting and reading. I was planning a family get together with the local family invited on Sunday to share a turkey dinner (turkey thawing in the fridge since Tuesday). I cooked it anyways and my husband and me were a party of two, I froze most of the leftovers. I started a new book yesterday, The Alice Network , it's been on my shelf for quite some time! I...

  Good morning! How are you doing today? This past week I've been reflecting on my focus. What do I focus on and is it something I want to focus on. I've made a strong effort to prune away my wayward attention span. Of course it's a work in progress, but I'm happy with the progress I've made so far. I get sidetracked by current events or 'interesting ideas' where I fall down a rabbit hole of researching on the internet and then find out that time has slipped away. I've become purposeful on how I focus and what I focus on each day.  The more technology advances to help us with our life, the more tangled it becomes on what is important to focus on and what is not important to focus on. Each day, I write what I want to accomplish. That helps set the tone of my focused attention. Anyways, this is what I've been thinking about.  You know what I love to focus on? My knitting which by the way has made significant progress. I hope to finish the baby blanket ...

  Good morning! How are you? Even though it was mighty cold yesterday, I found daffodils sprouting in my yard. They are defiantly saying spring is on the way. Over the weekend the temps dropped down and I was once again doing my daily walk wearing double of everything. As long as there is no wind, my cold walks are manageable.  My weekend was busy. We viewed three houses for the kids and while one of them was a great possibility they are going to wait a few more weeks before committing on a house. Yesterday after the laundry was done, I read my books and knitted in the afternoon. I am almost done with the baby blanket.  Lent starts this Wednesday and maybe I will be posting a little less (or not). Can you believe that we change the time this coming weekend? Time flies by the older I get.  How was your weekend?

  Hello! How are you doing? I'm happy to report that the freezing cold weather has eased up and we are now having regular winter weather. I wear 'regular' clothes on my walks and sometimes I have to take my mitts off because I get warm. It's wonderful. The birds have ramped up their singing - a true sign of spring! Since the weather warmed up a bit, the crowding at my bird feeder off the back patio has eased up.  In about a month I will switch to thistle feed only because the resident raccoon will be stirring and he/she lovely to eat the regular mix. I am gleeful when I outwit them.  Yesterday we had a stir fry for dinner. I don't follow a recipe, since it's made up but I use a mix of sesame oil and olive oil. The vegetables in this photo are Nappa cabbage, mushrooms, broccoli and snow peas. For seasonings I use ginger powder and an umami blend (salt free). In a bowl we place chopped cooked chicken at the bottom then a scoop of jasmine rice (hot to heat up the c...

  Good morning! How are you? I'm doing great over all. I've been consistently exercising and trying to expand my routines while avoiding an arthritis flare-up. It's a slippery slope that I am managing so far. I have some good news --- we are two-thirds of the way through winter. Now you know I love winter and can tolerate the cold way more than tolerating warm/hot days. But yesterday afternoon, we finished lunch out and we were returning to the car when a blast of wind hit me, I was cold down to my bones. I had a fleeting thought of wishing for 30 degree weather. Yes, it's true, I feel like I'm betraying my love of winter. It's been six months since Frodo (our old miniature schnauzer and Holly's nemesis) has passed. Holly has been blossoming. Every day we see more and more of her. And yes, she still checks the loveseat where Frodo slept but there is less alarm and more of a 'yay he's not there' kind of glance.  We love her! I still miss Frodo but...

  We had some wild weather this weekend. On Saturday morning, it snowed so much that my husband had to clear the driveway before the rain set in. By Saturday night all the snow melted and it was raining until Sunday early afternoon. I decided to go for a walk after the became a scant drizzle. That is of course when the snow started and it was heavy! I was soaking wet and my shoes were leaking, so sad.  So now we have about 3-4 inches of snow to clear once again this morning. Besides the rollercoaster weather, I finished a book over the weekend and then started Glory Over Everything  as my next read. So far I find the book captivating and it is from my 'to be read' bookshelf. My goal of reading the books I already own for 2025 is going strong. I continued to work steadily on my sweater over the weekend as well. It's a comfort knit with all of those stockinette stitches. How was your weekend?

  Good morning! First and foremost, these are NOT my daffodils. I spied them in the neighborhood and was thrilled to snap a photo for you so you could see that spring is around the corner. I love February and how it slowly changes into hints of spring while clinging to winter weather. On my walk yesterday, I started with drizzle, that then turned to sleet (painful), that then turned to flakes, that then turned to drizzle. What a walk!  I felt like I went through all the emotions but I was invigorated! After some errand running yesterday, I worked on my hat and the blanket while chilling out reading my kindle. I'm reading Digital Minimalism and am enjoying it. For my real book reading, I'm still reading the short story collection The Wonder Garden, I love it. The author sprinkles in various characters from previous short stories and it is fun to see the different side of characters and their motivations through the different stories.  Holly is being majestic and owning her...

  Hello! How are you? How was your weekend? My weekend was ultra relaxing but I made it so. I've been enjoying reading and knitting, sometimes at the same time, in the afternoons before I start cooking. I love the change of seasons and how I move with them. In the summer, I hardly feel like knitting much but I do. In the winter, I can't get enough of knitting. I've mainly worked on my hat or my sweater  on Saturday and Sunday. I walked yesterday and I believe that is the last walk outside until the end of the week. It will be too cold. That doesn't stop me from exercising in the house though. It's been so cold I washed eight pairs of wool socks yesterday! A record.  We really didn't do much this weekend except go to a nephew's birthday party on Saturday afternoon at my sister's house and attend church on Sunday. I've been hibernating. I love winter for the cosy hibernating. Holly says 'hello', she is waiting for her beloved (husband) to come...

  Good morning! How are you doing? We have been having all the snow this week. Yesterday it snowed so much that my class was canceled and I felt like a teenager getting a snow day. I made good use of my time by reading and knitting. I love my bird feeder and my birds so much. They delight me every single time I look out the kitchen window.  A few times this week I shoveled the front walk and a path to the back deck to get to the bird feeder and found out that this shoveling movement irritates my and and wrist arthritis. So now I am resting my hands again and letting the flare up calm down. At least I pinpointed the activity! I am grateful that I can still knit. I've been reading a book, Conjure Women, and it is really good. I picked up this copy when I was visiting Boston a year or so ago. One of my loose goals is to read the books I own and donate the ones I've read and don't want to keep out of this house. I have about 100 books to go through. Most of them were bought sec...

  Good morning! How are you doing? How is January so far? After my company left last weekend, I have put my house back to the way it was and fully recharged my battery with lots of knitting and reading. I am working on another hat (remember it's hat-knitting mojo for me right now). I started a new book to read and it's one from my shelves which will count towards my ultimate goal of reading what I own and then donating the book out of the house. Sometimes I keep books if I find them extraordinarily touching. I've struggled with maintaining my walking outside, there is a limit to how cold I can be. I continue to exercise inside with my weights and doing yoga poses. Even though it's cold, I continue to love winter the most. My creativity soars in brisk weather! I have exciting news to share. As you know, Holly only loves my husband and shows that love only to him. Well, other day she gave me some head butts for the FIRST time ever. I felt so loved by her, then she took a ...

  Hello! How are you? Can you believe it is 2025?  Right now I'm sitting in my clean quiet kitchen writing this post. Our company left early Saturday morning. I put away all the kid's stuff, stripped beds, cleaned the extra bathroom and did the sheet and towel laundry as well as undecorated the house. It was the fastest I've been ever. Of course I took some medicine for my arthritis to get me through the work. My arthritis flare is subsiding and I'm grateful! Picking up kids and putting them into and out of carseats in awkward angles (not to mention pushing those safety strap buttons) is not the exercising I do on a regular basis. Also they are DEAD weight. Argh. We are getting a little bit of a snow storm, it doesn't seem too bad right now but I don't have to go anywhere or do anything. Yesterday I did our laundry and cleaned up the house some more. It is all looking pretty! Above are the books I believe I will read. I want to read what I own (always a goal tha...

  Hello! How are you? How have you been?  I've been knee deep in knitting and enjoying the quiet after some busy days celebrating Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we went to my sister and brother in law's house for dinner and celebrated with her family. After dinner we attended Christmas Eve Mass. Christmas Day was by ourselves with lots and lots of phone calls to the kids, his mother and my dad.  I casted on a new hat before Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. The striped hat below was the first hat started. I haven't snapped a photo of the second one. Apparently I am in a hat-knitting frame of mind.  My son and his family arrive tomorrow for an entire week. So you know what that means....I will be posting irregularly until they leave. So if I am not posting, it's because I am having fun with little ones who take all my attention (and my energy!). 

  Good morning! How are you? This weekend was one of the best weekends ever because we got snow and it was unpredicted which made it all the more special. I even took a walk during the squalls but decided to cut the walk short. Brr. Besides wintry weather, I am proud to announce I am ready for Christmas. We are going over to my sister's house for Christmas Eve dinner and do our exchanging with her family. It will be fun. Christmas day is just the two of us at home, plus lots of phone calls to family far away.  My son and his family arrive on Saturday for a whole week visit. I am excited about that. I am not ready for that, but I will be. (lists are my friend) The above photo is the morning moon winking at me. The very first photo is the odyssey shawl  I started before my car trip. I have ripped this back twice because I keep forgetting the pattern and keep knitting thinking I know the pattern.  I finished my husband's musselburgh hat , this will be in his Christmas S...

  Hello! How are you? I am doing great! I have an ultra detailed list of what I want to do each day so I can be 'ready' for Christmas. I also do not want Advent to fly right by without enjoying the season of preparing. So during my busy 'to-doing', I have space to enjoy the the days leading up to Christmas. I've been missing Frodo, but not missing his round the clock medical care (and the endless worrying). I am so grateful we have Holly (the cat) who is thoroughly enjoying Frodo NOT being here. She loves being number one!! I am glad she can be number one now. It's been seven years since I found her as a little kitten on the side of the road (half dead, half alive) as I was driving home. We named her Holly because it was early December.  My sister bought me this beautiful wool mini bundle collection for my birthday which was a few weeks ago and I've had fun pouring over the hat pattern possibilities which are endless. I hope to start something soon but it wi...

  How was your weekend? Well, I decided to decorate the house on Saturday in one fell swoop. I am still sore but it is done! My calendar is going to be busy from here on out and I wanted this task done. My house feels like Christmas! Because I was decorating all day, we ate from the freezer for dinner and it was nice that Past Me froze the leftovers from our Fake Thanksgiving celebration two weeks ago. What a delicious dinner! On Friday night my sister and brother in law made dinner for us and we played board games. I also received my birthday gift from them. Holly had to intensely investigate the bag. I love her 'concerned' look when she is evaluating the degree of threat. Sunday I went to Mass and enjoyed some reading and knitting and being chill. Of course there was the laundry and some chores. How was your weekend?  ** Please note that I will not be posting this coming Friday as well as the following Monday. We have family visiting again and I know I will be busy with them...

  Around here, Autumn is showing off with beautiful oak leaves. I love them! Yesterday it rained all day and while my hair was a frizzy mess, I enjoyed the drizzle. We are in need of rain. I even took my daily walk in the drizzle, delightful! Over the long weekend we had both kids and the grandkids here, I made a fake Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. It was a lot of work and I was exhausted even with helping hands. I miss the energy and stamina of my youth. On the other hand, I was proud I was able to do what I do! Whenever we have company, my house is turned into a mess. It's a good mess, but when everyone leaves I put away the toys, the chairs, the moved around stuff that happens when we have company. I miss everyone when they leave AND I missed my tidy home that I recapture.  Our grandson and granddaughter play with a splattering of old toys and new. They keep us very busy and we have so much fun playing with them. I am grateful they all traveled here to see us. What blessing...

  - neighborhood pumpkins - my oak trees showing off - new friends at 'school' - Tai Chi hour - lunch out with my husband - cold morning walks - an unexpected warm up - all the fall knitting (imagined and real) - wearing wool - browsing knitting patterns - sister outings - dark chocolate - blue skies - neighborhood dogs - the kids coming to visit next weekend - the to-do lists that I am creating - afternoon reading (possible snooze) - apples! - soups! - hearing the breeze whisper through the trees - setting intentions - giving myself grace when I need it the most - solitude - grandchildren laughing - Holly being Holly - Blue skies - phone calls from family and friends - the kindness of others - assuming everyone is doing their best - drinking water and staying hydrated - hot decaf green tea in a BIG mug - first sip of coffee - geese flying in V formation and honking all the way (delightful!!) - Focusing on gratitude - focusing on joy  What would make your happy list?