How does one write a blog post about sitting back and enjoying life, when stepping away from the computer to sit back and enjoy life is the next thing on the to-do list?
Quickly, I think.
The weather has warmed up, the Encyclopaedia Britannicas have found a new home, and my minivan is full of things to distribute around Mankato tomorrow as we begin the summer adventure called "Clean Grandma's Garage." The checks my dad wrote in 1967 will be getting recycled, along with the rest of the checks from the late 60's and early 70's, once we pull the ones with social security numbers on them. In the olden days, you sometimes needed to put your SSN on a check.
And phone bills were $8.64.
The garden is growing beautifully, and we are enjoying radishes, asparagus, and rhubarb. The little beanie heads have popped out of the soil and should be snaking up my PVC trellis and overwhelming it in the next month or two. Mom's nettles are beginning to take over parts of her yard, but we are managing to keep them out of quite a swatch that they reigned supreme in last year, so I am pleased.
Yarn for the miscellaneous small items arrived as scheduled, and I will be continuing to work away on those once I finish this post. Knitting is my idea of sitting back and enjoying life. Especially when I can sit by an open window, listening to the nearby birds and the not-so-nearby lawnmowers (since Filius mowed our yard earlier today), and watching the activity in our willow tree. I may also be listening to a dog snore. He's been VERY busy at my mom's this week and seems to be catching up on his rest today.
Filia and I put in a few hours in the kitchen today, and it now boasts Rhubarb Apple Salad, Rhubarb Pie, German Potato Salad, and Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies. It no longer boasts a puffed oven pancake or a rhubarb lemonade slushy. Those have been consumed. And if the breeze is doing what it is supposed to, there is a large pile of clean and dry dishes in there for me to put away!
Anyone have a favorite rhubarb recipe to share?
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Life continues
It's been almost a week since I had a daily drive to Bethany Lutheran College. (Not) oddly enough, I do not find myself putting together my purse and knitting basket, preparing to head out the door. I do find myself on the computer more, writing blog posts and e-mails and the like. That needs to stay within bounds. Life is more than being on the internet.
Life would be a lot more gardening and yard work, too, but for the fact that is has been COLD and wet. It's May 19th, and we had a frost warning this morning. I thought about covering my 8x4 bed of tomatoes and basil but opted to live dangerously.
The hummingbirds and orioles are back. The mourning doves are back in evidence too, and my new friend the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker makes daily visits to the willow tree. The bleeding heart is still in bloom, and the columbines are adding to the color with their red and yellow flowers. The beans are keeping their little heads under the soil yet. Someone must have told them that the 80-degree weather wasn't going to last.
I'm in a decluttering and cleaning mood. Yesterday saw the evisceration of the storage space above the master bedroom closet. Yesterday morning, it was full. Today, it is half-empty. Today's target has not yet been decided upon. Anyone want a set of Encyclopedia Britannica from 1976?
I spent some time last week wondering what to knit after I finished a pair of gloves and one mitten, which were all that was on my knitting calendar. My wonderings were answered in the form of an e-mail, and now my knitting calendar has two more mittens and several miscellaneous small items. I figure in 2-3 weeks, I will be wondering what to knit next. And by then, I am sure a new answer will crop up. Worst comes to worst, I can knit a summer tank top. That should put off the decision for 2-3 days. Unless the weather is good and I spend those days outside eradicating uppity weeds.
Molly's Fault was finished on March 30th. It was a long time in the making, mostly because I ignored it for a very long time. It is (in its current size) 17 diamonds wide and 24 diamonds tall ... or 816 wee little diamonds. I love the result, and may make another one sometime during my time on earth. But not with my current yarn stash. I sort of used up all my miscellaneous sock yarn!
On the needles now is a mitten, minus top and thumb. When that is finished (this afternoon), I will start a second mitten. And by the time that is done, I should have more yarn and be able to start in on the miscellaneous. If that package hasn't arrived ... oh dear, I need to figure out what to do in that case. Hmmm. Something to ponder while knitting!
See you next week!
Life would be a lot more gardening and yard work, too, but for the fact that is has been COLD and wet. It's May 19th, and we had a frost warning this morning. I thought about covering my 8x4 bed of tomatoes and basil but opted to live dangerously.
The hummingbirds and orioles are back. The mourning doves are back in evidence too, and my new friend the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker makes daily visits to the willow tree. The bleeding heart is still in bloom, and the columbines are adding to the color with their red and yellow flowers. The beans are keeping their little heads under the soil yet. Someone must have told them that the 80-degree weather wasn't going to last.
I'm in a decluttering and cleaning mood. Yesterday saw the evisceration of the storage space above the master bedroom closet. Yesterday morning, it was full. Today, it is half-empty. Today's target has not yet been decided upon. Anyone want a set of Encyclopedia Britannica from 1976?
 |
| It's Molly's Fault |
Molly's Fault was finished on March 30th. It was a long time in the making, mostly because I ignored it for a very long time. It is (in its current size) 17 diamonds wide and 24 diamonds tall ... or 816 wee little diamonds. I love the result, and may make another one sometime during my time on earth. But not with my current yarn stash. I sort of used up all my miscellaneous sock yarn!
On the needles now is a mitten, minus top and thumb. When that is finished (this afternoon), I will start a second mitten. And by the time that is done, I should have more yarn and be able to start in on the miscellaneous. If that package hasn't arrived ... oh dear, I need to figure out what to do in that case. Hmmm. Something to ponder while knitting!
See you next week!
Thursday, May 14, 2015
The End of an Era
When Filius exited Honsey Hall yesterday around 11 AM, it marked the end of an era. The end of his high school years. Even though he has been enrolled full-time in college for the past two years, it was dual-enrollment and therefore somewhat, kinda, almost sorta homeschooling. But that is no longer the case. He has finished the course of his high school years, run the race, and has a summer stretching before him before he returns to college to continue growing in his knowledge of all things Chemistry, plus whatever liberal arts the school requires of him to graduate.
He is not a fan of the liberal arts, or at least liberal arts as they relate to him. He's fine with liberal arts for other people. He would prefer a full schedule of chemistry, or perhaps chemistry and computers.
Filia is home as well now, and we are beginning the process of settling into a summer routine. Pray for me, gentle readers, as I endeavour to nurture two teens with learner's permits into two independent drivers.
The garden is in and protected from the average bunny, my mom's yard is not overrun by weeds, and the summer stretches before me, just filled with opportunities. My twined gloves are moving along. After a week of little progress, caused by a week of sunshine and abundant opportunities for yardwork, things are moving again and I have only 3.75 fingers and 1 thumb left to finish. Since it is rainy today, I hope to reduce that quantity by at least half before I go to bed tonight.
And if I am to do that, I will need to get off the computer. Staying off my tablet won't be a problem. It's in the repair shop. The jump off the top of a mini-fridge onto the concrete was too much for the screen. And I have an aversion to glass splinters in my fingertips.
He is not a fan of the liberal arts, or at least liberal arts as they relate to him. He's fine with liberal arts for other people. He would prefer a full schedule of chemistry, or perhaps chemistry and computers.
Filia is home as well now, and we are beginning the process of settling into a summer routine. Pray for me, gentle readers, as I endeavour to nurture two teens with learner's permits into two independent drivers.
 |
| Gratuitous Knitting Picture |
The garden is in and protected from the average bunny, my mom's yard is not overrun by weeds, and the summer stretches before me, just filled with opportunities. My twined gloves are moving along. After a week of little progress, caused by a week of sunshine and abundant opportunities for yardwork, things are moving again and I have only 3.75 fingers and 1 thumb left to finish. Since it is rainy today, I hope to reduce that quantity by at least half before I go to bed tonight.
And if I am to do that, I will need to get off the computer. Staying off my tablet won't be a problem. It's in the repair shop. The jump off the top of a mini-fridge onto the concrete was too much for the screen. And I have an aversion to glass splinters in my fingertips.
Tuesday, May 05, 2015
A Tale of Two Yards
Another week has gone by, and the school year is one week closer to completion, and the weeds have one more week of the growing season under their belt. At least, some weeds do. My yard is in pretty good shape. If there is a weed with more than two leaves on it, it's probably not in my flower or vegetable beds. And Mom's yard is looking good, too. I put in four hours of nettle pulling yesterday, and made decent progress. We found a relatively non-toxic (to humans, pets, etc) weed-killer made of vinegar, dish soap, and epsom salts. It works nicely on small weeds in sidewalk cracks. Two of Mom's four weed raised beds are covered with plastic, and even if the other two don't get in coverable shape this year, that's two beds more than last year!
Two of my four veggie/herb beds are protected at least reasonably well from the bunnies. I hope to lash some chicken wire to the remaining PVC frames later today, and then can get them up tomorrow afternoon, weather permitting, and pop my tomatoes and remaining plants into the ground. Asparagus and rhubarb production is in full swing.
Next week, I start a Bible Study on the Sermon on the Mount. And I'm not leading it! Two wonderful things. To prepare, I want to finish memorizing Matthew 7. I've heard that one part of the homework for the study is reading through the Sermon on the Mount each week. Nothing like being able to do part of your homework while laying in bed in the morning with your head on the pillow and your eyes closed!
Knitting has gone slowly this week, due no doubt to how gorgeous the weather was and how much time I spent with a pair of loppers and fist-fulls of nettles. The leather-palmed garden gloves I got this year -- in April, I think, but possibly in March -- have a split seam, several serious scuffs in the leather, and a spot on the thumb that looks suspiciously like a popped blister, about the size of a nickel. They're getting serious use. I wish they looked like they were longer for this world. It's not every garden glove you can use to pull Russian Thistles without getting stuck!
I did, however, get One Single, Solitary Thumb knit on the first glove.
And five ticks off of my dog.
Two of my four veggie/herb beds are protected at least reasonably well from the bunnies. I hope to lash some chicken wire to the remaining PVC frames later today, and then can get them up tomorrow afternoon, weather permitting, and pop my tomatoes and remaining plants into the ground. Asparagus and rhubarb production is in full swing.
 |
| The First Frame, protecting the First Asparagus |
Knitting has gone slowly this week, due no doubt to how gorgeous the weather was and how much time I spent with a pair of loppers and fist-fulls of nettles. The leather-palmed garden gloves I got this year -- in April, I think, but possibly in March -- have a split seam, several serious scuffs in the leather, and a spot on the thumb that looks suspiciously like a popped blister, about the size of a nickel. They're getting serious use. I wish they looked like they were longer for this world. It's not every garden glove you can use to pull Russian Thistles without getting stuck!
I did, however, get One Single, Solitary Thumb knit on the first glove.
And five ticks off of my dog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)