I hope you had a lovely week. I’m sure most kids are back to school. That can be a good thing or not. The kids across the street are not liking the early morning routine.
The Thursday Murder Club was made into a film and is currently streaming on Netflix. Unfortunately I don’t have Netflix so… I understand it’s “mostly” true to the book.
what I’m watching
The hummingbirds are constantly buzzing around our three feeders. They are territorial and don’t like any other hummers drinking from their feeder. It’s so fun to watch them dart in and out between the porch posts. They are loading up for their flight to more warmer regions for the winter months.
I take the feeders down when I don’t see any more birds for a few days. Do you have hummingbirds in your area? Do you feed them?
One of my goals for this summer was to do some outside painting but it was just too hot. This week was cooler with less humidity so I painted the outside trim around the garage doors. I still need to paint the outside basement door and trim and touch up the trim around the front door. I’ll tackle those next week, weather permitting.
Don’t let anything bring you down. Enjoy your week to the fullest!
Wow, this week’s gone by fast! I’ve been busy but do not have many pictures to show my busyness.
Let’s just right to the reading, watching, loving/not loving, and doing…
what I’m reading
I’ve been reading about altering furniture to make it work better for my needs. This is something I’d love to do to my IKEA knitting storage table but I would have to modify one of the drawers to make it fit. I need to think about this some more.
Mr. Aitch and I have been watching the old, old, old Gunsmoke series. I think we are still on the second (of twenty) season and the early episodes are only 30 minutes long. One thing I notice is that the dresses Miss Kitty wears zip down the back.
Zippers that we use today have only been around for a little over 100-years so Miss Kitty’s dresses would not have used a zipper.
Elias Howe, the inventor of the sewing machine, developed an early version of the zipper in 1851 but failed to market it. Along came Whitcomb Judson, who debuted his “Clasp Locker” at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. He patented it but it didn’t have much success. Gideon Sundback improved upon Judson’s closure and patented his version in 1917. That’s the design we know today.
These closure devices weren’t used in clothing but for boots and tobacco pouches. Click here for more information on the zipper.
what I’m loving/not loving
We’ll be attending a party this afternoon. Yay!
It’s a going-away party for our neighbor who is moving after living here for 29 years. Not yay. We understand that her house is too big for just her and there is a lot of upkeep but will be sad to see her go.
what I’m working on
I finally got back into the knitting groove! I started these socks at the beginning of the year and was going full steam ahead until my knitting mojo snuck off during the night. I’m so happy that my mojo is back but she brought an unwelcome friend – the Dreaded Yarn Chicken.
It never occurred to me that I didn’t have enough yarn to complete the second sock.
I have 18 more rows before the toe. I found another yarn in my stash from the same manufacturer and it’s going to be close enough.
The tweed yarn has little slubs instead of little pops of color. These will be going into my sock drawer and they will be good enough for my feet.
March is finally here and spring is just around the corner. The snow flurries we had Thursday are just a memory. The wind has picked up so even though the sun is shining, it’s still cold. This is what March is all about.
what I’m loving
Our new dishwasher was installed this week! YAY!!
It was a “special” order because of the color – black stainless. It’s right next to the refrigerator so I thought it should match.
It’s got three racks and holds much more than the old one. The inside is stainless as opposed to my old one which was white so that makes it seem darker, however, it won’t stain! Looking at you spaghetti sauce and wine drips. I read the manual and evidently some models come with a light inside. I didn’t know that, did you? I never had a light so I don’t miss it but the next one….
what I accomplished
I finally finished the yarn swift bag that I started in January. The fabric is a heavier weight cotton from my stash and at least 35 years old. I bought it to make curtains for my daughter’s bedroom but never did. The lining is cotton from my M-I-L’s stash (also old). I sewed a pocket on the inside with a snap flap to keep the dowels and washers in for easier access. The cardboard square helps stabilize the bottom.
I miscalculated where the grommets should go and didn’t leave enough fabric to fold down for the casing for the draw string. It took me two months to figure out how to fix it. I cut out the grommets, added another piece of fabric to hide the hole, bound the top edge, and sewed on a casing. I had some nylon cord for the draw string and a spring action cord holder (or whatever they are called).
what I’m giving up
Lent began on Wednesday. No, we didn’t have pancakes on Pancake/Fat Tuesday. Actually I didn’t know that was a thing until ten or twelve years ago. My understanding is that (before my time) people gave up butter, eggs, and sugar for Lent so they indulged in pancakes before having abstaining from those foods. In my family we gave up candy. Our parents didn’t give us a choice – we were told that was the edict from God.
We also don’t eat meat on Ash Wednesday or any Fridays during Lent as a form of penance in honor of the death of Jesus Christ. Before 1966 Catholics didn’t eat meat on any Friday but Pope Paul VI changed that to just during Lent. Fish sticks, mac and cheese, tuna noodle casserole, salmon cakes, or meatless spaghetti were common Friday meals in our home.
So for Lent this year I’m abstaining from two iPad games that I’m addicted to and candy…not all sweets, just candy. I have a stash of chocolates in one of the drawers next to my knitting chair. The temptation is there but so far, so good. I’m also getting back into walking around our neighborhood (weather permitting) everyday. Maybe by giving up candy and burning extra calories by walking, I’ll lose the five pounds (or more) that I gained in December.
what I’m working on
Our house sits on about eight-tenths of an acre. That might sound like a lot of land or not so much. When we built our house, we tried to keep as many trees as possible – less to mow, shade in the summer, birdwatching, etc. The downside? More leaves to rake and twigs and branches to pick up!
Over the years we’ve lost some trees, some dead or dying and some that grew too tall and close to the house. We had seven trees removed last summer. Yesterday I marked more trees that (IMHO) should come down.
A few of the dead trees are too big for Mr. Aitch to cut down and several are too close to our house or our neighbor’s fence and shed so we need to get a professional to take those down. Wish us luck in finding someone to do the job!
Have a great week…and don’t forget to turn your clocks an hour ahead tonight.
Today is the beginning of a new month. A transition month where we (hopefully) say goodbye to winter and welcome spring. We had cloudy, overcast, cold days and sunshine and warmer days this week. One little clump of snow hung around in a shady part of our yard till midweek but it’s now melted into the ground.
In trying to find something uplifting I’ve got four things that I’m loving.
what I’m loving – one
Apricots. When I was little my grandmother got me (and perhaps my sister and brother) hooked on apricots. It was a real treat to have sweet-leathery dried apricots as a snack. I think she only bought them when she made her special apricot spread. We used to slather it on her homemade toasted bread so thick that it dripped off the sides. We, of course, slurped up whatever fell onto our plates. I’ve never found anything quite like hers and the recipe is long gone. I’m pretty sure it did not contain pectin but thickened with cornstarch.
I recently discovered these Mariani dried apricots* at my local grocery store. They remind me of the sweet-leathery dried apricots my grandmother had. I’ve tried other brands but I like this the best. A bonus is that they contain added probiotics. At my age I need all the help I can get.
what I’m loving – two
I used to use a fountain pen all the time. I liked the flow of the ink. I didn’t have to scribble on anything to get it to work. I could customize the ink color by mixing two or three colors together. I had two different fountain pens: one used ink cartridge refills and the other was a lever-fill type. Click here for more info on the types.
When duplicate checks became readily available, I had to switch to ballpoint pens. With a fountain pen, nothing would appear on the duplicate as I didn’t have to press hard at all to write with it. I would often have to rewrite everything on the duplicate which was not very efficient.
A few weeks ago I bought an inexpensive cartridge fountain pen* to see if I still liked writing with one. I do. When I write a check, I go with the other kind. I’m writing with it in my paper planner and book club notebook. (Yes, I still use a paper planner AND appointments on my phone.) I’m going to go with the refills for now. They don’t seem to be any more expensive than a good ballpoint or gel pen but I’ll save the empty cartridges and refill them with my own custom color.
what I’m loving – three
Our new-to-us veterinarian is outstanding. Our previous vet was okay but we didn’t feel all the comfortable with his office procedures. He had his patients call the office when they arrived and wait in their vehicles until he or someone came out to bring them in. He had just one examining room right inside the door. It was small and cramped. His son, also a vet, assisted but we usually “helped” if Pepper got antsy. If Pepper needed medicine, we had to go to his office to get it. That was a 40-mile round trip. Everything just seemed inconvenient for us.
Our new vet is one of several doctors in an animal hospital. They have several vet techs to assist, a lobby with a receptionist, and a pharmacy. We can order routine meds from online businesses, if needed, instead of going to the office for pickup. The vet tech asked us questions and listened to our questions and concerns before the vet came into the examining room. It was a fantastic experience for all of us. Even Pepper…except for the annual shots. Another plus is this place is only eight miles away.
You’re probably wondering why we didn’t change before now. Yeah, we should have. Pepper was treated quickly around last Christmas for an ear issue. Having to drive so far in the cold, dreary, winter and waiting in the car before being called inside helped us decide on a different vet, and we are very glad we did.
what I’m loving – four
Green toes for St. Patrick’s Day this month! I really needed a boost this week so I made a pedicure appointment. The icy blue toenails in January/February were fun for a time until the February Funk set in and I was ready for a brighter outlook.
I’m also loving how the sun comes through the arched window framing my feet.
Have a happy weekend!
*This is not a sponsored post. All reviews and opinions expressed are based on my personal views and experiences.
Knitting In Flashes 