May Reading List

Books Read in May

061 - 01  The Lady Forfeits, by Carole Mortimer (5/1) 
062 - 02  Christmas with Holly, by Lisa Kleypas (5/2) 
063 - 03  Sunrise on Cedar Key, by Terri DuLong (5/4)
064 - 04  Chasing Sunsets, by Eva Marie Everson (5/5)
065 - 05  An Amish Kitchen, by Beth Wiseman (5/5)
066 - 06  The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee, by Caroline Brown (5/6)

I was very disappointed in this book. I had heard some good things about it, and it sounded like it would be a fun read. Unfortunately, the writing was disjointed and the story did not flow easily. You could almost guess where the author had put the writing down and gone back later to pick it up and write some more. Okay, that's probably a little mean to say. But really, the only reason I didn't give up was because of the recommendation it had gotten. (I won't be taking any more book suggestions from that group!)

067 - 07 The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs, by Dana Bate (5/9)

This was a horrible book. Even worse than the one I had just finished. At least the Jalapeno Society had possibilities. In the Girls' Guide, the main character was immature (she was supposed to be 26 years old and rebelling against her parents) and dishonest. It's very difficult to enjoy a story when you don't like the heroine.

068 - 08  Lady Maggie's Secret Scandal, by grace Burrowes (5/10)
069 - 09  The Lady Gambles, by Carole Mortimer (5/12)
070 - 10  Holly and Mistletoe, by Susan Mallery (5/12)
071 - 11  True Blue, by Diana Palmer (5/13)
072 - 12  A Hand to Hold, by Kathleen Fuller (5/15)
073 - 13  Considering Kate, by Nora Roberts (5/16)
074 - 14  Against the Law, by Kat Martin (5/17)
075 - 15  The Four Corners of the Sky, by Michael Malone (5/28)

I read this as part of the The Big Library Read, which runs May 15 to June 1st. It's a surprising wonderful book - part love story, part mystery, part farce. I especially loved the doctor with all his puns.

076 - 16  Saving Hope, by Margaret Daley (5/28)

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Reasons Why I Knit

Ten Reasons Why I Knit (in no particular order):

1. I knit to keep from being bored and/or impatient - in lines, waiting for other people, in meetings, even in traffic (when I'm at a full stand-still on the interstate, not when we're actually moving).

2.  I like the squishy, soft, yummy feel of yarn. Well, of most yarns. Other yarns I like because of the color, or the difference in how they look as skeins versus how they look knit up.

3.  It's fun to see people's reactions when I knit socks -- so many people are amazed at my kninja skills using multiple needles. Although I'm always honest enough to admit that it isn't as difficult as it looks.

4.  I like hand-knit socks. And since no one else is going to knit them for me, I knit them for myself. And for my daughters and my mother who also like hand-knit socks.

5.  Knitting gives me an excuse to go out and socialize. If I didn't knit, I'd probably become a lonely cat-lady with no friends and no life outside of my apartment. (Okay, I'd still have bells. And work. And mahjong. And volunteer work. But knitting is my social activity; the others things I do are for more specific reasons.)

6.  Knitting is relatively inexpensive. I could spend $20 and go out for one evening for dinner and movie. Or I can spend that same $20 to buy yarn that I'll spend at least weeks knitting into socks. That's a comparison of $5/enjoyment hour for a night out against $1/enjoyment hour of knitting.

7.  Whatever my mood is, knitting fits. If I want to be creative, there's delicate lace shawls to knit. If I want fast and easy, there's baby bibs and wash cloths to knit. If I want bright and colorful, there's self-patterning sock yarn. There's always something I can put on the needles no matter what my mood is.

8.  Knitting keeps my fingers from hurting. It doesn't make sense, but it's true. The more I knit, the less my arthritis bothers me.

9.  Knitting gives me the excuse to be lazy. I can go to the park and just sit and knit, and even though I'm just relaxing I'm also accomplishing something.

10. Knitting is non-fattening. I also like to bake cupcakes and cookies, which is fattening.

Saturday Snapshot

I thought it was Pedestrian Crossing...

...but it turned out to be Peacock Crossing!

Riverbend Park in Jupiter, Florida

Friday Favorites - Daffodils

 

I love daffodils. Whenever I see them I think happy thoughts of spring, and Easter, and family. Years ago, when I lived in Kentucky, I planted ever-so-many daffodil and tulip bulbs in my yard. I loved the bright, cheerful colors signalling the end of winter. I wasn't much for doing any other gardening, but I had my daffodils and tulips in the spring. 

Now that I've lived in Florida for many years, daffodils don't have the same affect. I think it's because we have flowers year-round. Daffodils are actually a hot-house flower because you have to manipulate the bulbs to grow since we don't have the cold season to allow the bulbs their dormant stage.

While I was in Brooklyn visiting my daughter, I spotted daffodils in the wild. It amused me to find flowers growing in the city -- I always picture the city as being a stark, steel and cement landscape. I find the city beautiful for it's diverse architecture; I just don't picture gardened yards as part of that. And it thrilled me to learn that daffodils are still capable of bringing happy thoughts of family to my mind. (Even more so now, since they're now associated with happy memories of visiting my daughter!)

Smoothies!

My latest obsession is smoothies. I blame my oldest daughter, since she's the one that introduced me to these wonderful fruity concoctions. There isn't a lot that I can eat right now. so I've been using smoothies as both my go-to breakfast in the morning and my dessert-treat in the evenings.

There isn't anything to making one. Just combine a couple of pieces of fruit (I'm partial to bananas and mangos mixed with either an apple, an orange, or some strawberries) in the Magic Bullet, throw in some ice cubes, and add a little almond milk or coconut milk (since I can't have dairy) and whip it up. It couldn't be any easier, or any tastier!

Crossing my Fingers and Toes

If asked, I usually describe myself as a Sock Knitter. Lately, however, that's changed. The last couple of pairs of socks I've knitted have really kicked my butt. I did a Cookie A pattern, Cusp, that had me knitting the same sock three times in order to get it right. I'm still not sure why I didn't just give up and start a different - easier - pattern, except that the socks did turn out to be well-worth the trouble they gave me. They were gorgeous! Unfortunately, I gave them to my daughter without getting a photo of the finished pair. Hopefully I can get her to send me a picture of them on her feet because the way the lace curved around from the back to the front was simply wonderful.

A normal person would have taken a break and knit something simple after struggling with the Cusp socks. Nobody has ever accused me of being normal.Which is why I cast on Mince Pie Mayhem, a sock pattern by Alice Yu. I've only recently discovered Alice Yu and her amazing designs. I have a list of her socks that I want to knit! (If only I could get the pattern for Deuce...unfortunately my laptop won't support Sockupied.) I only had to start over twice on these socks before I managed to get into the swing of the cables. Every other row has cables almost every other stitch, which means that I'm okay as long as I'm concentrating. As soon as I get over-confident, though, and start to think that I have the pattern memorized...sigh, it's tink*-time.

One of the things I really like about this pattern is the way the gusset and heel flap are done together. The gusset comes up along the ankle, rather than running along the length of the foot. You knit the heel flap, the gusset increases, and continuing to knit the instep all at the same time. My normal sock construction is to knit only the heel flap (ignoring the instep), then going back to pick up for the gusset and instep stitches. I can't wait to compare the way the construction of this sock fits with my normal construction.

Just in case you think that I spent all my time in April agonizing over socks, I did cast on - and finish! - a shawlette. Carolyn, in my Thursday knitting group, was working on a beautiful Wingspan in Noro Kureyon yarn. I love Noro Kureyon, and I just happened to have the exact same colorway in my stash that she was using. Now I could claim, in fact I have claimed, that I spur-of-the-moment cast on a Wingspan while I was up in New York after discovering that cabling the Mince on the subway was too difficult. The truth is, I packed my skein of Noro Kureyon in my suitcase because deep in my heart, I lusted after Carolyn's Wingspan. As it turned out, I'm not the only one to have stalked her project. Noro Wingspan has become unintentional KAL with at least one other knitter working on the same project (Pattern and Colorway!)

I've already worn my Wingspan to work, and there were a lot of compliments. You really can't beat Noro for the beautiful colors. And this was such a great carry-along pattern to knit, I'm tempted to cast on another one using the black/gray self-striping sock yarn in my stash.

First, though, I'll be casting on Hecate.  This is a For-Real KAL that we're doing (and not just another Oh-I-like-your-project-so-I'm-going-to-copy-you KAL). I found some of my hand-spun that will work nicely for this pattern, so I'm looking forward to getting started. I've also got a sweater pattern picked out that I promised to knit for my daughter, so I better get back to the needles!




*Tink - to knit backwards, undoing all the work you've just finished

April Reading List

Books Read in April

049 - 01  Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (4/8)

Wow. I read this on a friend's recommendation. I had been on the waiting list for it over six weeks. (I started as #198, with 7 copies at the library.) This was such a great book, with lots of unexpected plot twists and a disturbing ending.

050 - 02  Living Gluten-Free for Dummies, by Danna Korn (4/9)
051 - 03  Fluke, by Christopher Moore (4/15)
052 - 04  State Secrets, by Linda Lael Miller (4/17)
053 - 05  Divergent, by Veronica Roth (4/19)
054 - 06  Captive Star, by Nora Roberts (4/22)
055 - 07  The Ideal Wife, by Mary Balogh (4/23)
056 - 08  Lord Gray's List, by Maggie Robinson (4/27)
057 - 09  Almost Amish, by Kathryn Cushman (4/28)
058 - 10  Child of Grace, by Irene Hannon (4/29)
059 - 11  Courting Cate, by Leslie Gould (4/29)
060 - 12  The Lady Confesses, by Carole Mortimer (4/30)

March Reading List

Books Read in March

032 - 01  Dream Eyes,  by Jayne Ann Krentz (3/1)
033 - 02  The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side, by CJ Hawk (3/3)
034 - 03  Rumors: The McCaffertys, by Lisa Jackson (3/6)
035 - 04  Beach Season, by Lisa Jackson (3/10)
036 - 05  A Creed in Stone Creek, by Linda Lael Miller (3/12)
037 - 06  Love Will Find a Way, by Barbara Freethly (3/13)
038 - 07  Smitten, by C. Coble, K. Billerbeck, D. Hunter, and D. Hunt (3/14) AUDIOBOOK
039 - 08  Bossypants, by Tina Fey (3/15)
040 - 09  A Walk in the Park, by Jill Mansell (3/16)
041 - 10  Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health by Dr. Caldwell Esselsty et al (3/17)
042 - 11  Eat to Live, by Joel Furman, MD (3/17)
043 - 12  Priced to Move, by Ginny Aiken (3/17)
044 - 13  It's All Relative, by Wade Rouse (3/18)
045 - 14  Minding Frankie, by Maeve Binchy (3/21)

I thought this was going to be a light read. Instead, it was a wonderfully worthwhile read. There was a huge cast of characters with many different plots running tangled together - just like life. I hate to admit it, but I cried when one of the characters (not even a "main" one) died.

046 - 15  The Fall of Shane McKade, by Nora Roberts (3/23)

I'm the one who fell, from reading a really great book, and true literature, to reading this. Sigh.

047 - 16  Mr. Churchill's Secretary, by Susan Ella MacNeal (3/29)

Great book! It was recommended to me by a friend and I want to pass the recommendation along. Very loosely based on historical fact (ie Mr. Churchill was prime minister of England; England was bombed during the war), this was a fun story of mystery and romance without going overboard.

048 - 17  Meatless, by Martha Stewart (3/29)

This is a cookbook, so I didn't really read the entire thing. I sort of skimmed through each recipe. I did, howeer, look at each recipe and evaluate it based on y dietary restrictions vs my tastes. And I did read all the descriptions, notes, and other material. Surprisingly, I really like this cookbook. I hadn't expected Martha Stewart to be "doable." But I've already made use of her "how to cook the perfect post of beans" and her lentil curry is on this week's menu.

Two closets -- and they're both mine!

My youngest child moved into her own apartment Sunday. It's the first time I've ever had to live alone. (I've stayed alone quite a lot, but it's never been on a "forever" or even "a-really-long-time" basis before.) It's going to take some getting used to. I'm going to enjoy cleaning up after myself, and getting home from work to find that no one has messed anything up. I'm going to enjoy having the bathroom to myself again, without anyone else's towels or makeup or hair in the tub. I don't have to take anyone else into consideration; it's just my fleeting desires that matter in my own apartment. On the other hand, there's no one to share the silliness of the day, or to complain to when I come home from work. (The cat just doesn't care, and doesn't even pretend to listen like my teenager does.) There's no excuse to cook, since it's just me. There's no one to watch Glee with, or to take a walk with. And there's no one to blame when the dishes aren't washed. (I considered the cat, but even as smart as she is there is no way she's taken anything out of the cupboards.)

I am proud of my daughter. She's been wanting to get her own apartment for a while now, but she was smart enough to wait until she knew she could afford to live on her own. I'm also very proud of her organizational skills, which she obviously gets from me. The child packed her boxes by room, and clearly labeled each one with its contents. Of course, the wording of each label made it clear that even with my orderly influence, she is her own person:

• Bedroom: clothing - time to dress up and look pretty!
• Kitchen: plates - to be civilized for mommy
• Kitchen: paper stuff - everyday use

I've been promised an invitation to dinner as soon as she gets settled in. And I'm thinking of making Sunday dinners at my place mandatory for ALL my children. Because while I plan on enjoying my clean house, I'd rather have the kids around.

Really? You need a rule about that?

Today I had to chase a group of teenagers off the roof, where they were skateboarding. Of course they didn't understand why I wouldn't allow them to do that. As one young man told me, "Then the church should change the roof so that that we're not tempted to skateboard it!"

I think that "No skateboarding on the roof" is going on my list of Stupid Things I Never Thought I'd Have to Say. (Other favorites on that list include: "You're not supposed to date other women when you have a wife at home" and "I don't know why God put buggers up your nose, but until we figure it out don't pick your nose.")

February Book List

Books Read in February

015 - 01  Mr. Punumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan (2/3)

I want to be one of the Bound! This book was a recommendation from my daughter, and it is definitely worth passing the recommendation on. It's centered around the blending of paperbound books and modern technology, with a wonderfully cult-ish twist. To be truthful, I had a little trouble in the beginning and I really wondered if my daughter's and my taste had finally parted ways. But as usual, she was right on the mark because I did end up getting caught in the tale, reluctant to do anything but read the next page.

016 - 02  The Inn at Rose Harbor, by Debbie Macomber (2/7)
017 - 03  No Defense, by Kate Wilhelm (2/7) AUDIOBOOK
018 - 04  Just Breathe, by Susan Wiggs (2/8)
019 - 05  Boomerang Bride, by Fiona Lowe (2/10)
020 - 06  At Home in Stone Creek, by Linda Lael Miller (2/10)
021 - 07  Objects of My Affection, by Jill Smolinski (2/14) AUDIOBOOK

I really liked this book. Which is amazing, since I didn't like any of the characters. The characters were well-written, and their actions and dialogues were very well suited to each character; it's just that I would never consider socializing with any of them. (Is it weird that I judge a book's character by how I would interact with that character in real life?) I listened to the first chapter on my morning commute, and decided that I would have to download something else when I got home that night. But I put the book back on for the drive home, and got sucked into the story. There were even a few days that I sat in the parking lot, just so I could listen to one more chapter!

022 - 08  Elemental Magic: All New Tales of the Elemental Masters, edited by Mercedes Lackey (2/15)
023 - 09  Reached, by Ally Condie (2/17)
024 - 10  A Fool's Gold Christmas, by Susan Mallery (2/17)
025 - 11  Starters, by Lissa Price (2/20)

This was a young adult fantasy/fiction. I was disappointed. It was a pretty good story, but the ending wasn't as developed as the start of the book. 

026 - 12  The McCafferty: Randi, by Lisa Jackson (2/21)
027 - 13  Code Triage, by Candance Calvert (2/22)
028 - 14  A Lawman's Christmas: A McKettricks of Texas Novel, by Linda Lael Miller (2/22)
029 - 15  McKettricks of Texas: Tate,  by Linda Lael Miller (2/22)
030 - 16  McKettricks of Texas: Garrett,  by Linda Lael Miller (2/23)
031 - 17  Runaway Heart,  by Claudy Conn (2/25)

Sometimes you just have to step away from the madness

It's been one of those days. Actually, it's been one of those weeks. So I told my boss that I was taking a long lunch, and I went over to the park to knit. Which turned out to be exactly what I needed!

And if knitting socks in the park wasn't enough, I'm on my way over to meet my knitting group for an evening of dedicated fiber and friendship.

Yep. It's one of those days. (She says with a grin and a happy dance.)

January Book List

Books Read in January

001 - 01  Calamity Jayne, by Kathleen Bacus (1/2) 
002 - 02  The Homemade Pantry, by Alana Chirnila (1/3)

I love this cookbook! I borrowed it from the library, and I've read it straight through cover to cover. I love the way she ties each recipe into her family's life, and invites the reader to make similar ties and memories. The recipes are (almost all) do-able, with very little "specialty" ingredients or equipment. This is a book that I will be buying for myself. (Unless, of course, someone else buys it for me first!)

003 - 03  Down by the River, by Robyn Carr (1/4)
004 - 04  Big Sky Country, by Linda Lael Miller (1/4)
005 - 05  Unenchanted, by Chanda Hahn (1/6)

This is the first of a Young Adult series. I'm not sure whether or not I liked it. There were some parts that I couldn't wait to finish, and there were some parts that I wondered why I was bothering to finish. I do adore books that retell classic fairy tales in a modern setting, and this one even managed to throw in a completely new twist.

006 - 06  Waking Up Married, by Mira Lyn Kelly (1/6)
007 - 07  Angel's Peak, by Robyn Carr (1/12) 

This one was a re-read. I just needed something sweet and easy to read that would cheer me up. When I don't feel well, there's nothing as good as a little comfort reading. Except, maybe, some chocolate ice cream or a cup of hot tea.

008 - 08  Temptation Ridge, by Robyn Carr (1/14) 
009 - 09  Somebody to Love, by Kristan Higgins (1/24)
010 - 10  Montana Creeds: Logan, by Linda Lael Miller (1/26)
011 - 11  Just One of the Guys, by Kristan Higgins (1/27)
012 - 12  Sugar Daddy, by Lisa Kleypas (1/28)  AUDIOBOOK
013 - 13  Bridesmaid Lotto, by Rachel Astor  (1/28)
014 - 14  Lord Stillwell's Excellent Engagements, by Victoria Alexander (1/31)

If only I had a yard!

It's a garden gnome and a frog just chillin' out in the Florida sun. This has got to be the greatest, tackiest, yard ornament ever. I really want it.

My neighbors must be so glad that we don't have any personal yard areas. With the way I love anything   terribly kitschy, they'd have to form an HOA for sure!

Me, and the dead spider?

 

Congratulate me. This afternoon I finally mastered the split ring. (And shortly after that I mastered the skill of taking a photo one-handed while the other hand is tied up like a dead spider.) 

 In tatting, using a split ring lets you move the threads from one side of the ring to the other. For instance, in the daisy pattern I'm working on, the first seven rings are worked from inside the circle.The threads have to be moved to the outside of the circle on the last ring in order to attach the next daisy motif. For an experienced tatter, making a split ring is probably no big deal. But mastering this skill moves a beginner like myself  up to a whole new level. It's like a new knitter mastering cables or learning to follow a lace chart.

Recently I've finished a couple of tatted bracelets. The first one was very simple and delicate. The second bracelet was adapted from a bookmark pattern. 

                                            

Bible Challenge

My church is taking part in the Bible Challenge. The goal is to read the entire Bible in one year. This means reading three chapters of the old testament, one psalm, and one chapter of the new testament every day. (There isn't any assigned reading on Sunday, since you get to hear the Word in church.)

As a child, I attended a Baptist church. I remember doing a lot of "Bible drills," where we would have races to see who could be the first to find a given Bible verse. I was pretty good - I won two Bibles! I also memorized a lot of verses.

In high school, my English class read the book of Job one year. (I've always wondered - was Job required reading back then, or was it particular to my advanced English class?)

As an adult, every once in a while I would make noises about wanting to read the Bible. But I've always read only what was necessary for church, or to teach my Sunday School lesson. So I've taken up the challenge. Actually, I started October 17th. I'm using the New International Version, rather than King James, because it's so much easier to read.

I've been surprised at how much reading the Bible has given me to think about. The old testament, at least Genesis, is filled with a lot of polygamy and slavery and sex. How did I miss that before? Abraham lies and says that his wife is his sister, so she is given to the king as his harem slave. Later, he has a child by her slave -- it's a regular soap opera! The more I read, though, the more layers I'm finding. I'm questioning things I was sure about, but I'm becoming surer in my faith.

BIBLE BOOKS READ:

• Genesis (OT) - lots of geneology, that I tended to skip over quickly. Noah's story surprised me, so did the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Parts of this book left me questioning my view of God (Tower of Babel, for instance). But by the time I got to Jacob's story, I found myself reading ahead!

What's the story behind your name?

If I see hear more public-service ad, asking for help for the devastation Sandy caused, I think I will scream. Please, add "Hurricane" in the sentence.

Seriously, I've been thinking about my name a lot today. Recently I've heard several introductions where the person was asked about their name. "That's an interesting name. Why did your parents name you that?" or "There's got to be a story, with a name like that." In one case it was, "Were your parents hippies or something?" which came across a bit negative. But still, no one has ever asked me for the story behind my name. And I have a good story.  I really like the story of my name. So even though no one has asked, I'm going to tell it.

My mom grew up in a tiny little seaside town in New Jersey. As a child, and especially as teen, she spent a lot of her time at the beach. If you've ever seen the old beach movies with Frankie and Annette, you can imagine what it was like. Then she met my father (on the beach, naturally), and they were married. He was in the Air Force, so they ended up stationed on a base in the middle of Maine. Snowy, far-from-home, no-beach-in-sight, Maine. And of course I was born in the middle of winter. Homesick for her family and friends, Mom decided to name me after her beloved beach. I suppose I should be glad that she chose Sandy instead of Boardwalk.

See, I told you that I had a good story. I've even managed to include just enough facts to make it seem like it might be true!

Why did the duck cross the road?

There's a section of our parking lot that is single lane (divided each direction) with no room to pass. It's not a big deal, except if you're late for work and get stuck behind the duck. Especially if it's the duck with an attitude. Honking just earns you a glare from the bird. Yelling "Duck! Duck! Duck!" out the window earns you a glare from the neighbors. (And I really was just yelling "duck!")

Normal ducks  would try to get out of the way of a heavy, noisy car with a cranky, late-for-work driver. Those sensible ducks would realize that walking down the middle of the drive with the car inching closer and closer is not a good idea, and they would hurry to get out of the road.

Our duck, however, reacted by going even slower and slower as he walked down the entire length of the drive.

So why did the duck (finally) cross the road?
To get in the way of another driver, coming up the drive!

My baby is 19!

My youngest child just turned 19. As a reminder that she will always be my baby, I gave her a stuffed animal. And not just any stuffed animal. It was a knitted elephant. I made the elephant because she collects elephants, even though I think she should still be collecting cows. (There's a story behind that statement; let me know if it needs to be told. Because I'm not above embarrassing my children for a good story.)

It turns out that elephants are knit flat in lots of tiny pieces, that then have to be sewn together at the end. And all of my knitting friends know how much I hate to sew things I've already finished knitting. There is still a pair of slippers in my UFO (UnFinished Objects) pile that took me less than 2 hours to knit and more than 2 years to seam. So the fact that I actually sat down and sewed this elephant together should prove that I love my daughter. And while I won't admit to having favorites, it is a fact that she's the only child I've seamed something for. (The other two have gotten socks, hats, mittens, and other seamless objects.)

I will admit that about an hour into the seaming, I started to question her place in my affections, motherhood in general, and even my sanity. Sigh. I really hate to seam.

But it was worth it. The elephant is adorable -- almost as cute as my daughter!

Sniff, giggle, cough

Even when I'm feeling totally miserable with a horrible cold (I hate winter!), the orange key to the Volunteer room makes me giggle. And the reaction of my volunteers, who have no idea why I'm so tickled, makes me grin even more!

It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. (P.D. James)

 

I spent new year's day with my mom, and one of the things that we did (along with all the talking, laughing, eating, and knitting) was to take a stroll along River Walk on the St. Lucie River. It was the perfect day for a walk on the boardwalk. The cold front has moved on, leaving just enough brisk in the air to make it comfortable to be outside without forcing us warm-blooded Floridians into our heavy sweaters.

A pleasant side-effect of the recent cold front was our discovery of fall foliage. We don't often get to see the leaves turn pretty colors - they are usually either green, or brown and on the ground. As a result, we tend to romanticize the fall colors. Some of my best memories are riding with my grandmother into northern Jersey to see the leaves. But while I'm sure that the leaves were well-worth the long car ride, I also know that my grandmother would use any excuse to go exploring. As an adult, seeing the mountains of Kentucky turn colors in the fall was rivaled in beauty only by watching them brighten back up with flowers and greens in the spring. While I don't miss the winters (especially after the past several days of adding wool socks and heavy sweaters to my early morning/evening wear), I wouldn't mind taking a long car ride to see the trees dressed in reds and oranges -- and then stopping for some hot spiced apple cider at a roadside stand.

Anyway, mom and I were overly excited yesterday afternoon to see a couple of trees sporting colorful leaves.

Just for the record -- although the leaves were beautiful and we had a nice discussion regarding our shared fall memories, I see no need for Mother Nature to take the matter any further by bringing us winter weather. I am quite content to simply talk about snow, without any snowflake prompts.

Happy New Year!

It's been a wonderful celebration, of both last year (2012) and the possibilities of this new year. I think my countdown was extremely appropriate:

I went from from Kenmore County

to Margaritaville.

 

So let's toast 2013 -- may it be happy, healthy, and filled with love for all my family and friends!

December Reading List - 250 for 2012!

Books Read in December

232 - 01  Cruel and Unusual, by Patricia Cornwell (12/1)
233 - 02  Montana Creeds:  Dylan, by Linda Lael Miller (12/2)
234 - 03  Princess Charming, by Nicole Jordan (12/2)
235 - 04  Devil's Embrace, by Cathine Coulter (12/3)
236 - 05  The Body Farm, by Patricia Cornwell (12/9)
237 - 06  Deep in the Valley, by Robyn Carr (12/9)
238 - 07  Just Over the Mountains, by Robyn Carr (12/9)
239 - 08  Love, Aubrey, by Suzanne LaFleur (12/9)

I cried all the way through this book. It's only a children's book, but well-worth reading. Aubrey is only 11 years old when her family is tragically torn apart by an accident. Left alone to cope, her grandmother finally steps in and helps her deal with life. The book pushes every tear-duct button imaginable.

240 - 09  Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm (12/10)
241 - 10  Size 12 and Ready to Rock, by Meg Cabot (12/12)

I read the first books in the series because I liked the in-your-face attitude that the heroine doesn't have to be thin. In this book, the newly-engaged heroine once again solves the murder mystery, despite the handicap of being (gasp!) a size 12. Since when was a size 12 considered overweight? It seems that the happier the heroine gets, the skinnier she becomes -- as if there exists an undeniable correlation between the two. I'm so disappointed in the author.

242 - 11  Home from the Sea, by Mercedes Lackey (12/14)

I loved  this book. I wasn't sure I was going to in the beginning. But the story soon had me in it's grip, in true Mercedes Lackey tradition. After all, who can resist real life mermaids (or selkies).

243 -12  Rizzoli & Isles: Last to Die, by Tess Gerritsen (12/15)
244 - 13  Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich (12/18)
245 - 14  Shada, by Douglas Adams and Gareth Roberts (12/19)

I actually gave up and abandoned a book this month. I almost never do that -- as you probably can tell by some of the really junk novels on my reading list each month. It's funny, because I don't have a problem abandoning most other things (routines, resolutions, knitting projects). Although, to be fair, I always swear that I'm going back to whatever and that the abandonment is only temporary. But books are different. Just because they're horrible, have no plot, no redeeming social value, and the dialogue is ridiculous is no reason not to find out the ending. I've gone so far as to skip ahead and read the ending (or I did when I was reading "real" books; it's too difficult to do that with an ebook) of a horrible book in the hopes of being able to put it down. That seldom works, though. I still go back and read the entire book. In fact, most of the time I find that the more horrible the book is, the less willing I am to put it down. It's a matter of wanting the misery to end sooner. Good books can be savored, set down and contemplated for a bit before going on to the next chapter because I don't want them to end. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, I know. But that's the way I am.

Anyway, I actually gave up on a book. I stopped about halfway through, and returned it to the library. It wasn't even the worse book I've ever read. And it had flashes of greatness, in the commentary on a hippy-commune society. (Although I was just an infant and can barely remember that time in history, but I fondly cling to the belief that I should remember it all.) The book I gave up on was Arcadia, by Lauren Goff. If you've read it, let me know whether or not I should give it a second try.

246 - 15  The Case of the Missing Secretary, by Diane Palmer (12/22)

 I probably should have given up on this book instead of Arcadia... 

247 - 16  Changing Habits, by Debbie Macomber (12/23)
248 - 17  Devil's Daughter, by Catherine Coulter (12/25)
249 - 18  The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson (12/29)
250 - 19  Sheltering Hearts, by Robyn Carr (12/29)

Today was a good day for dressing up a bit

My Friday volunteer is on vacation, so I got to dress the altar.  I don't think I did a bad job, considering the pathetic choices I had for flowers. It was even kind of fun.

For Christmas, Mom gave me a headband that she knit. It was so cute, with an adorable bow that I'm much too old to wear but couldn't resist. I liked it so much that I decided to knit myself a couple more. This one was started Wednesday, and finished Thursday at Knit Night using the Anthropomorphic pattern and Lion Brand Wool-Ease yarn. I love the way it turned out. It's a bit wider than I prefer, but it's very comfortable. I'm thinking about trying it using fingering weight yarn in order to make a narrower band.

I did have one complaint with the pattern. It clearly explains that it was designed as a copy of a headband seen in a popular store. In other words, the designer reverse-engineered someone else's design to write her pattern. Actually that's not my complaint, especially since it's a free pattern. What I disagree with is that the pattern goes on to state that you can't copy or distribute the pattern -- even though it's free! -- and you can't make the headband to sell or in any way earn money for it without the permission of the pattern's author. I guess from now on I'm going to have to do my own reverse-engineering when I see a design I like.

Merry Christmas-is-over!

I never did find my Christmas spirit this year. I did finally manage to get up enough energy to put my tree up late Christmas eve. For someone who eagerly waited for the first sign of Christmas in the retail stores in order to justify pulling out my decorations early, waiting until the night before was pretty bad. I just didn't feel like Christmas this year.

At least it's over now.

A season of chaos

To be able to function properly, I need order and organization. I really can't cope well with chaos. So naturally, life managed to arrange itself so that construction on our volunteer office started this week. We had to move everything from the volunteer office into my office, with just one hour notice. Yep. It's a mess. And none of us (the volunteer or I) have any idea where anything is. Naturally this is the week that I have three bulletins and a monthly newsletter to produce. And our bulletins aren't some tiny affair. No, I'm expected to include the full service for people to read along with (since the pastor changes things each week, it could be confusing without a program to follow), the prayer list, the announcements for all of the scheduled activities, as well as any other important notices for the congregation. Typically the bulletin is a 12 to 16 page booklet. Our newsletters can run 16 to 24 pages, not counting the photo pages. The stress and the mess have turned me cranky. (There would be a better term for it if I worked someplace other than a church.)

It's rather ironic that working in a church has caused me to lose the Christmas spirit.

I'm just there to look pretty and smile

The Voices in Bronze (my bell choir) had two performances this past week. The first was a church service, which was pretty awesome. Even though I messed up on the last song and ended up standing there, smiling like an idiot (because you always keep a smile on your face on stage - or altar as the case was) while inwardly hoping that nobody was noticing that I wasn't actually ringing any of my bells. I couldn't, since I got completely lost and didn't figure out what measure we were in until the very ending. Sigh. At least I did well in the first three songs. I also rocked the early morning rehearsal, although that probably doesn't count for anything.

Last night we went to a state nursing home. It was so much fun! I did great, the choir did wonderful, and our audience really seemed to enjoy the show. Well, there was the one lady who fell asleep in the middle of it, but everyone else stayed awake. And two people actually clapped. There was even one person who sang along!

After the concert, the choir served punch and cookies (sugar-free) to the residents. I got to hand out jingle-bell necklaces as thank you gifts to our audience. I've really missed my students, and getting to interact with the nursing home residents was wonderful. There was one blind guy (he's the one who sang along to the show), and when I gave him his necklace I asked him how he liked my playing. "I don't know, which one were you?" he asked. I told him that I was the pretty one up there, and that I could say that since he couldn't see to know if was lying. So the woman sitting next to him started shouting, "She's lying! She's lying!" But he was wonderful, insisting that he could tell I was beautiful. We all ended up laughing, with me threatening to steal back the woman's gift and the two of them paying me extravagant compliments in an effort to get a second necklace.

Sue, our director, taped both performances. Hopefully I can get a copy of at least one of the shows to share.

Knit faster, she's naked!

Because of a staff meeting, I was still at the church when the choir started arriving for their weekly rehearsal. As I was gathering up my things to leave, the organist came into my office with a very odd expression on his face.

"There's a naked person in the sanctuary," he told me, clearly expecting me to do something about it. It took me a minute to process the sentence. After all, you don't expect naked people to wander into church. And if they do, shouldn't the pastor be the one to reach out to them? I really don't think nudists were covered in my job description. But obviously, something had to be done so that the choir could concentrate on their music.

From the back of the dimly lit sanctuary, I saw the naked woman sitting in one of the pews in the front of the church. As I went down the aisle toward her, I recognized her as a faithful member of the church. I also, thankfully, realized that she wasn't naked. The back of the pew had hidden her tube top from view, leaving her bare shoulders and back to give the impression of nudity. I imagine the organist, waiting in the back of the church, got a bit of shock when I slid into the pew to give her a hug instead of covering her up with with the shawl as planned.

Away from work, I've been spending a lot of time tatting. I am totally obsessed with the fun of flipping shuttles around to make rings and chains. I finished the second bookmark, using the spiral bookmark pattern I found on Threads of a Tatting Goddess blog. I clearly need more practice; there are a lot of sections that didn't turn out very well. But even with all the mistakes, I'm very impressed with myself.

I also found a pattern for a tatted bookmark using a jumbo paperclip, and for the past few days I've been obsessively making rose clips in various colors. I even got adventurous enough to try adding beads!

But don't worry, I haven't given up my sock knitting. I'm halfway through a pair of Cookie A's Crest socks using Knit Picks' Stroll in Dandelion. This has to be one of the most difficult patterns I've ever attempted to read. It's also one of the best designs I've ever had the pleasure to knit. I love Cookie A!

November Reading List

Books Read in November

218 - 01  A Place Called Home, by Jo Goodman (11/2)
219 - 02  Lily of the Day, by Joyce Burgess (11/4)
220 - 03  Summer Nights, by Susan Mallory (11/5)
221 - 04  Defense for the Devil, by Kate Wilhelm (11/7) AUDIOBOOK
222 - 05  Redoubt, by Mercedes Lackey (11/7)  *I was so excited to see that the fourth book in the Collegian Chronicles series was out. It was such a disappointment. The first half of the book was wonderful. The second half ruined it for me. Of all the Valdemar books, this is the first one that wasn't complete; it felt like it was just a link between the third and future-fifth book of the series. 
223 - 06  Trading Christmas, by Debbie Macomber (11/8)
224 - 07   Montana Creeds: Tyler, by Linda Lael Miller (11/10)
225 - 08  Finding Perfect, by Susan Mallory (11/10)
226 - 09  The Cinderella Deal, by Jennifer Cruise (11/10)
227 - 10  All Summer Long, by Susan Mallory (11/11)
228 - 11  Christmas Eve Baby, by Caroline Anderson (11/12)  *just a time waster
229 - 12  Postmortem, by Patricia Cornwell (11/15)
230 - 13  Body of Evidence, by Patricia Cornwell (11/22)
231 - 14  All That Remains, by Patricia Cornwell (11/30)

And the chorus, one more time!

All afternoon and evening I've had a song stuck in my head. It's really bad when that happens. It's even worse when the song is really bad.

This morning, after cleaning the cat litter box, I put the trash in the rear hatch of my car, intending to drop it off at the dumpster on my way out of the complex. Unfortunately, something must have distracted me because I didn't make the stop. I didn't realize it until after work, when I got into my car to run errands. I blame the toxic fumes for encouraging that stupid song to repeat over and over in my head. The song? "He's a Garbage Man," a (mercifully) short-lived favorite family ditty.

For some strange reason, my children had very odd career goals when they were little. My youngest wanted to grow up to be a cow. My son's dream was to be a garbage man. Since I was a very good mother who loved (and loves) her children dearly, I supported his ambition by allowing him to take out the trash everyday and by encouraging him to study personal hygiene methodology that would help him get along in the real world should his dream come true. Why, I even went the extra mile and made up a special theme song to show him how wonderful his life could be. His sisters took great delight in singing this song to him over and over again -- which I'm sure had nothing to do with his announcement that instead of a garbage man he wanted to be a policeman with a gun.

He's a Garbage Man
(sung to the tune of Frere Jacques*)

He's a garbage man, a very happy garbage man.
He's a garbage man, and he loves his job.
He can ride the great big truck,
And he makes a great big clang when he bangs the garbage cans.
He's a garbage man, a very happy garbage man.
He's a garbage man, and he loves his job.


*I know that the meter is somewhat forced. Okay, it's outright tortured. And the rhymes are horrible. But the intended audience loved it. At least for the first fifty times, anyway...

This and tatt

tatting (verb) the process of tangling and untangling thread obsessively while trying to look as if one is intentionally forming knots into lace.

Two weeks ago my friend Carolyn offered to show me how to tatt. She had taken a class at SAFF, and was justifiably proud of her new skill. The bookmark she had made was beautiful, so tiny and delicate. Of course I took her up on her offer to see how it was done. Since Carolyn is a card-carrying enabler, she not only showed me how it was done, she loaned me a shuttle and spool of thread so that I could give it a try on my own.

The next 24 hours was spent obsessively making knots, watching tatting videos, and researching pattern sites online. By the time I finished my first bookmark, I was completely entangled in a new obsession. Then I figured out I could justify the new hobby by making Christmas gifts, an idea made easier once I learned that tatting supplies were as close as a trip to mom's. 

So for any of my family or friends who were hoping for knitted socks or woven towels this year, you can thank Carolyn for the bookmarks!

My first tatted bookmark

Whispered in the sounds of silence

I had some time after work today and rather than go home and risk being distracted, I decided to take my music binder to Starbucks to practice bells. Unlike most other instruments, you don't get to bring your bells home with you to practice. Instead, you have to rely on reading through the music and work out counting  your part in your mind. If you want to build muscle memory, you can wave around a couple of pens in place of the bells.

So I sat for two hours at Starbucks, where I drank too many espresso-based drinks -- because the extra caffeine in espresso sounded like such a good idea at the time -- and vigorously waved around my pens and markers to music heard only in my head. I managed to snag a nice-sized area to myself, despite the otherwise crowded location. To be honest, I think I scared everyone away, since I heard one little girl cry, "No, mommy, I don't want to sit by her. Let's just go home, please mommy!"

But the practice paid off. I managed to keep up with the bell choir for a change, with only a few obvious mis-rings. Last season, I did really well in the Boca bell choir. In fact, I was proud to call myself one of the best ringers in the choir. Looking back, the pride was probably misplaced. There were only two people in the bells last year who had rung before. All of the rest of us were new ding-a-lings without a clue of what we were doing. I had the advantage of actually reading music and knowing enough to keep smiling even when you made a mistake. (You would think that music majors, in their senior year of college, would have learned not to say "opps, sh*t" during a performance, especially during a church service. But apparently not.) This year, after waiting several months for the bell choir to start up again, I decided to join the bells at my church. I confidently told the choir director that yes, I was an experienced ringer. She wisely put me in a beginner's chair anyway. Which was really good, since this bell choir really rings out the sanctuary! As a beginner, I only have four bells and four chimes. The more experienced ringers have four bells in hand, which calls for some mighty fancy wrist work. Just imagine what the barristas at Starbucks would have thought of me flinging around that many pens!

The long-awaited October Reading List

Books Read in October

190 - 01  Heart of Texas Vol. 3, by Debbie Macomber (10/1)
191 - 02  Sugar Rush, by Donna Kauffman (10/5)
192 - 03  Public Secrets, by Nora Roberts (10/7)
193 - 04  Country Brides, by Debbie Macomber (10/8)
194 - 05  Secret Fantasy, by Carly Phillips (10/10)
195 - 06  Death Angel, by Linda Howard (10/12)
196 - 07  Shelter Mountain,  by Robyn Carr (10/13)
197 - 08  Redwood Bend, by Robyn Carr (10/13)
198 - 09  Malice Prepense, by Kate Wilhelm (10/13)  AUDIOBOOK
199 - 10  Only Mine, by Susan Mallery (10/14)
200 - 11  Crystal Gardens,  by Amanda Quick (10/15)
201 - 12  Black and Blue,  by Anna Quindlen (10/17)
202 - 13  A Creed in Stone Creek, by  Linda Lael Miller (10/18)
203 - 14  Sunrise Point, by Robyn Carr (10/18)
204 - 15  Second Chance Pass, by Robyn Carr (10/19)
205 - 16 Birthright, by Nora Roberts (10/21)
206 - 17  Hot Item, by Carly Phillips (10/21)  *I'm not sure why I bothered reading past the first page. It just kep tgetting worse and worse..
207 - 18  A Virgin River Christmas, by Robyn Carr (10/21)
208 - 19  Angel's Peak, by Robyn Carr (10/22)
209 - 20  Sizzle and Burn, by Jayne Ann Krentz (10/23)  *This was a Re-Read. I can't help it. I love all the Arcane Society books!
210 - 21  Creed's Honor, by Linda Lael Miller (10/25)
211 - 22  Balance Your Life, Balance the Scale, by Jennifer Tuma Young (10/26)  *I was disappointed. The summary sounded so promising. It still does. But I never found anything in the book beyond the initial theory.
212 - 23  The Creed Legacy, by Linda Lael Miller (10/27)
213 - 24  Touch of a Thief, by Mia Marlowe (10/27)
214 - 25  The Heir, by Grace Burrowes (10/28)
215 - 26  The 5-Factor Diet, by Harley Pasternak, M.Sc. (10/28)
216 - 27  Already Home, by Susan Mallory (10/31)
217 - 28  Only Us; A Fool's Gold Holiday, by Susan Mallory (10/31)

I'm back. Did you miss me?

 

Since my last post, I have gotten old and depressed. (There is, by the way, a definite a link between those two items.) I received two really amazing and unexpected birthday gifts, but overall the experience was horrendous. Since my last post, I have learned a new skill - tatting - and have become obsessed. I have started a group to deal with another obsession of mine, spinning. I've done a lot of reading, not surprisingly.  I have gone in - and out - of business. I had my first childless Thanksgiving in over 25 years, which made it difficult to give thanks. (Although I did enjoy not spending days in the kitchen cooking and cleaning.) I took a few sick days, and had my vacation time misplaced by a committee. I've baked cakes, cookies and cupcakes, all of which were greatly enjoyed by myself and others. I've finished several projects on the long, long, WIP list; but I've also added to it - without any expected feelings of guilt. I found, and was found, by long-lost family members.

And yet, I've had nothing worth writing about. Sorry. I'll try to do better.

Home-Grown Dinner

 Do you remember my garden? The plants are doing really well, and I've managed to harvest my basil quite a few times now. (The mint, too!) After cleaning and drying off the basil, I stuff it into my Magic Bullet with some olive oil, walnuts (which are much cheaper than the traditional pine nuts), a little Parmesan cheese, and just a quick squeeze of lemon. This gets chopped up, and then mixed with hot pasta.

You would not believe how good the fresh pesto tastes. And it is so easy and quick to make. I have a difficult time waiting for the basil plants to re-grow -- I think I need a couple more pots of it for my garden!