A Bright, Sunny New Chapter

Here’s to spending 49 years with the same Valentine! Even though our story’s Prologue began in Jackson, MS, when Thomas and I met in 1975 a few days after my birthday, I always think of Valentine’s Day 1976 as the beginning of our Chapter One. The first paragraph was written on Youree Drive in Shreveport, LA. Yesterday we put the last period to Chapter Forty-Nine with lunch at La Madeleine across from the Mall of Georgia, in Buford. Yes, the names on the envelopes are still the same but the zip codes of where we exchanged Valentine’s cards have certainly changed over the years. Now I’m wondering where we will be celebrating the last sentence of Chapter Fifty?

Even though I’m (mostly) adhering to my hepatologist team’s advice on “eating small meals” [they want me to eat 5-6 small meals a day…I can manage the “small meals” part, just not the “5-6/day” part]…meaning, I typically bring home 1/2 of any restaurant meal…we couldn’t resist the temptation of a takeout of the heart-shaped, chocolate ganache-covered cheesecake for two. That came home with us, too. Wink, wink.

Say Cheesecake!

Truthfully, it wasn’t tuned to our taste buds. Too bittersweet, and a tad too dry. I mean, really! If you’re going to indulge your sweet tooth, shouldn’t the indulgence actually be sweet? And perfectly pleasant on the palate? So, we both made a “small meal” out of this dessert…small, as in teeny-tiny. Ah well. It’s as I have always said: bakery items look so delicious and tempting in the bakery case but are rarely as tasty as your imagination suggests. 

Reflecting on a day devoted to cards and flowers, I’m reminded of the many expressions of love following brother Terry’s passing last month. Each and every one was appreciated. Our trip to KY to join in the Celebration of his life was sad as well as sweet, draining as well as uplifting…all the emotions, all at the same time. 

Lovely Flowers from Lunn Cousins Ann and Sherry

Sweet photo of Daddy with baby Terry, 1944

As usual, knitting helped me work through the emotional roller coaster, as I’m calmer and more centered when I pick up my sticks. I finished my first projects of 2024: a shawl (pictured), two cowls, and a pair of socks…all begun in the final days of December and completed in January. 

Cranberry Fizz Sparkle Shawl

I have 3 projects on my needles now (two year-long blanket WIPs for a couple of KALs and my sage socks for the Ravelry Solid Sock Group KAL entry in the Herbs & Spices theme…pictured), with 2 upcoming MKAL projects (in the planning and swatching stages for March 1 and March 6 cast on dates).

Sage Socks for February KAL

I am happy to report what I’m calling “progress on the PBC* journey.” I remember having neither energy nor enthusiasm for last year’s Super Bowl…I may even have slept through some of it. This year was a different story, thank goodness, because who could possibly have slept through the 4th…or 5th, for that matter…quarter?  

Eager to turn a page on the listless previous chapter, I pulled out some favorite recipes for Peppered Shrimp (from those Louisiana days of Chapter One…;-), Edith’s favorite cheeseball (Momma always had a cheeseball for any party or nibbles-get together), Sweet ‘n Spicy Meatballs (adjusted a bit to tone down both the sugar content and the heat-level of the spices), along with the crockpot pairing of Rotel tomatoes and Velveeta cheese (ok…so protein is definitely king of our castle these days). Our Super Bowl “party” might have been an intimate gathering for the Adsit Family, but I finally feel like taking small steps toward Normal. BTW, I figured out how to add a few drops of green food coloring to a bag of shredded cabbage and made a “field” for the football-cheeseball…check it out:

Super Bowl nibbles

And in gardening news, Thomas spent a couple of days planting roses recently, including 2 Disneyland floribundas from Jackson Perkins (picture below, credit to J/P) and 3 English-style shrub roses from Heritage Gardens in the last of some XXXL green pots purchased from Home Depot last year. 

Seeing as how we have planted…and had to leave behind…scores of day lilies, irises, daffodils, and roses over the years and many moves, you will likely understand that we have now adapted our gardening style and have fully embraced container-planting. Ahem. 

I guess that’s how you make multiple moves work and love last through all the years: adapt and adjust. That way, you get to write a new chapter…one that begins with “It was a bright and sunny day…” rather than “It was a dark and stormy night…”

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For the non-knitters among the readers…

KAL= knitalong. A group of knitters who are knitting at the same time, usually (but not always) on the same pattern (if a designer is hosting the KAL) or using the same yarn (if a dyer is hosting) or the same kind of project (like a pair of socks or a gnome…I kid you gnot…;-). 

MKAL = mystery knitalong. Multiple people do the same unknown knitting pattern, usually released in installments, over a period of time.

WIP= Work In Progress. A project one is working on.

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*PBC=the name of my New Normal. Here’s what the Mayo Clinic says:

“Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune disease in which the bile ducts are inflamed and slowly destroyed lead(ing) to permanent scarring of liver tissue, called cirrhosis. It's considered an autoimmune disease, which means (the) body's immune system is mistakenly attacking healthy cells and tissue. Researchers think a combination of genetic and environmental factors triggers the disease (but have generally ruled out alcohol as a cause). It usually develops slowly. At this time, there's no cure for primary biliary cholangitis, but medicines may slow liver damage, especially if treatment begins early.”

Now Where Was I?

Hard to believe that two and a half years have passed since my last post. Time flies…as they say, right? It will take more than one post to catch up, but I want to start somewhere…and I thought sharing some snaps from our “Celebrating My 70th Trip” last month would be a great way to begin.

 

After flying into Minneapolis for a few days of sightseeing that included a Green Line tour of the Twin Cities, an afternoon at the Mall of America (where I found a yarn shop!) as well as a road trip to the South Dakota state line to put our feet on the ground and breathe the air*, we boarded Amtrak's Empire Builder at St. Paul's Union Station for the next leg of our journey to Whitefish, Montana and Glacier National Park. 

Not quite so “Mighty Mississip’” in St. Paul, MN

Minnesota State Capitol Building in St. Paul

“Oh look, dear…it’s a yarn shop!”

Getting closer to our 50 states in South Dakota

Amtrak Lounge for Empire Builder

The overnight trip and brief stops allowed us to also check North Dakota off our 50 states list. 

Overnight cabin 730C

“Good morning, America…how are you?”

By the time we reached Montana, I had my 50th, with Thomas earning his when we got to Idaho.

To see as much of Glacier National Park as we could without having to drive the popular “Going to the Sun” road in the challenging summer traffic, we boarded the Xanterra Red Bus “West Side Crown of the Continent” Tour, Duration: 9.5 Hours. 

Our tour followed the Red Line on this map,
courtesy of Glacier National Park Lodge site

It was a clear, beautiful, almost cloud-free day that allowed for fantastic views and pictures, especially when the guide removed the roof of the bus (!)…but it soon became challenging to stay cool under the relentless sun. Fun fact—The vintage (read that: un-air conditioned!) 1930’s 16-seater Red Buses of Glacier were made by the White Motor Company and are Model 706, the third generation of tour buses in Glacier National Park. 

We began the morning on the shores of Lake McDonald, where the mist rising from the clear water was mingling with remnants of smoke from the forest fires in nearby Canada.

We inched along through construction and single-lane traffic on the first portion of the Going to the Sun road until we came to the smoother, paved area that made the ride more bearable. After a couple of photo op stops, we made it to Logan Pass on the Continental Divide.

“Logan Pass is the highest elevation (6646ft) reachable by car in the park. It is extremely popular with visitors and the parking lot is generally full…” Nat’l Park Service

Beargrass

Monkeyflowers

“At Logan Pass, Reynolds Mountain and Clements Mountain tower over fields of wildflowers that carpet the ground throughout the summer…” Nat’l Park Service

When we stopped for a lovely lunch at the blessedly air-conditioned Many Glacier Lodge, I was thrilled to choose my souvenir of the day: a loosely woven wrap with artist drawings of the wildflowers of the Park…which was immediately pressed into service as a head covering for the rest of the tour. In addition to the majestic mountains and endangered glaciers that are mainstays of the tour, we delighted in the profusion of lovely wildflowers and the wildlife, including ground squirrels, marmots, big-horned sheep, mountain goats, deer, elk, and a cinnamon black bear that was the size of a small grizzly.

Many Glacier Lodge for lunch

Snapped this one through the open roof of the bus

After the excessive temperatures (folks, it was HOT!) created problems for trains on overheated tracks, including a derailment east of us in Havre, we cancelled the rest of our train trip and continued on to Seattle in a rental car with an overnight in Spokane. It actually turned out fine since we got to see parts of the country we would have missed otherwise…including an absolutely clear drive-by view of Mount Rainier. Amazing! To finish off our trip, we stayed in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle (along with multitudes of Taylor Swift fans!) and did all the touristy things: monorail, Space needle, and Chihuly Gardens and Glassworks.

It was all about Taylor…everywhere!

We’ve done planes, trains, and automobiles…time for a monorail!

Skies had turned Seattle-gray by ticket time

Looking through the glass floor of the Space Needle 

Last sunset in Seattle…from room at Pioneer Square Embassy Suites

And now? Where are we? We are back with M at her home in Auburn, GA, where we’ve been for almost a year since selling our house in Loganville. We said then we’d give ourselves at least a year to make some decisions about our next move while dealing with some health issues. We’ve been extremely grateful for the space and breathing room she’s provided, and we are very happy here in our cocoon. We haven’t made any plans for another move…yet…so, stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I’m still gardening (just in a smaller patch) and still knitting!

Finished shawl in the Supernova MKAL 

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*In order to qualify for the All 50 States Club, one must “put your feet on the ground and breathe the air” of each state. Check and double check!