Heeeere's Paula!

What a weekend! We had tickets to the Paula Deen Live! Show in Nashville at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) on Saturday morning. Thomas, Maredith, and I had fantastic seats, right in the middle of the packed-to-the-rafters auditorium, and we were wowed by it all. Paula (photo, right) is a hoot!! She chatted with her audience as if we were old friends dropping by her house...she even had a sofa, chair, and ottoman on stage alongside her kitchen (complete with the latest Viking appliances, of course). As you can see in the photo (below, center), her husband, Michael, joined her onstage, alongside the MC Jim (who had a fabulously deep voice) and her Kitchen Assistand du jour Rebecca, and they all vied for the honors of being named "Life of the Party." Paula's table was set for 8 guests, who enjoyed the menu prepared on stage: golden fried pork chops, Lady & Sons Mac & Cheese, and collards. We got the recipes with the program...and, of course, I intend to try them very soon. Well, I'll substitute turnip greens for the collards, because as Paula said: "I just prefer turnip greens." I guess I'll have to fix green beans for Thomas, though, as he doesn't like either one. Here's a photo (left) of us as we entered TPAC to find our seats. And (right), here's one of Maredith. As you can probably see, we are both holding our Paula Programs.

Can you also tell that Maredith's gotten her hair cut? Isn't she beautiful? And that beauty is inside as well as outside. She had been growing her hair long to donate the 8-10" cutting to make wigs and hairpieces for cancer patients. What a wonderful gift!

Here's another Paula photo (below, center) for you to enjoy:


"Who is Paula Deen?" If you are asking that question, you might want to check her out on the Food Network...or on her own website: http://www.pauladeen.com/. I can't begin to explain her...you just have to see for yourself!

The one sad note in the weekend was that Mom couldn't join us as we had planned. She went to Memphis with J&J to attend the funeral of a cousin who passed away just a couple of weeks after his 96th birthday. Although I find most funerals to be so sad, Mom assured me that it was truly a celebration of his long life, including the testimonials of those whose lives were enriched for having known MJS. He will be missed.

Looks Who's Landed for Dinner

Can you tell who our "dinner guest" was? Last night, we saw this huge hawk in our back yard, and I tried to snap a picture of it without spooking it to fly away. Although a bit fuzzy and unfocused, you can see Mr. Hawk sitting on the back fence, can't you? I believe it was a red-tailed one, as the tail (which isn't visible in this photo, left), was long and reddish-brown. As majestic as a hawk is, the undeniable fact is that it's looking for its dinner...and it is definitely not a seed-eater. As we have fish in our pond (3 of them...Jaws, Goldie Spawn, and Tiger...doing nicely in their new home, I might add), not 10 feet from where Mr. Hawk is fence-sitting, and as we have a bunny family living under the deck and periodically frolicking in the garden (even though we also have 3 "ferocious" Attack Bassets lounging on the deck, oblivious to the Bunnies...), I wasn't too sad to see Mr. Hawk take flight right after I snapped this photo.

I know that hawks help keep down the mouse population...and that they also are known to attack snakes, one of my least favorite garden tenants. But, truth-be-told, I am happier when I see birds like this Cardinal (left, on blue glass feeder) and House Sparrow (right, on white copper-topped feeder) enjoying the bounty that is our back yard Bird Buffet (photo, right).

Nice quiet week here. Thomas had to hang around on Monday to find out if he would be needed for Jury Duty on Tuesday. Here, in St. Charles County, the system is to call at 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to the day on your Jury Summons to hear a recorded message about your status. He did...and found out that his Jury Group was not needed. That meant that he could close out the month on Tuesday (last business day of the month) as usual. Wednesday (1st day of the month) is typically an office day for finishing up paperwork, etc. And, he'll work in St. Louis on Thursday. Goodness, it's wonderful to have him home all week...not having to share him with the Road. I have almost forgotten how that feels!! I'm hoping that we might do something as gloriously normal as going to the movies tonight...mid-week...like we used to do before he went to work for MFTA, and became a Road Warrior. Don't get me wrong...he and his job are a good fit, and there are many reasons why it's a great job with a great company. But, I'll always wish for more time together...given my druthers...


Looking forward to going to the Paula Deen show this weekend! That should be good for a few laughs, don't you think? Then, Mom and I have tickets to the Cardinals "Stitch 'n Pitch" night on Monday. Wonder what I'll work on at the game? I've got too many projects on the needles right now: my House Scarf, a self-striping sock on two circular US1's, and an afghan that's knit in strips...all of which are great "take along" type projects (see photo to right). But, I have problems with each of them:

1. The House Scarf is out of Plymouth Yarns Encore Wool blend...and it's 88 degrees and humid outside...plus, I started this project to help me learn how to use two circular needles at the same time (done!) and now I just want to use one circ on this so I can finish it...but, I don't have a US8 that is short enough (16").


2. The Sock on 2 Circs is coming along fine, but I hate this particular yarn! It's Plymouth's Sockotta Italian Collection bought because I had made my first pair of socks in Sock Class with this yarn, which is 45% cotton, 40% Superwash wool, and 15% nylon, and it had turned out so well (even if too large...off-gauge per the label). But something's wrong/different with this particular ball. It's stiff...and scratchy...and although I love the colors in the stripes (teals, beiges, and greens), I find it difficult to work on this project for very long. That, plus the yarn seems to be drying and cracking my hands more than usual.


3. The Afghan in Strips is a perennial project for me, and I always have two or more of these going. It's a pattern I've done for years...and years...and years, going back to a Bernat Kit I purchased in the 70's. It's so easy, and it goes fast, if you keep at it. It's worked on US10.5's over a pattern of 6 rows and 16 stitches (with increases up to 32 on one row, decreasing down to 16 stitches over the next 5 rows), using any color combination to make 8 strips to join together and fringe for a beautiful finished afghan. But, it is so mindless that I get b-o-r-e-d with it quickly. I find I have to have a specific deadline looming large for a finished product before I have enough incentive to keep at it.

So, I'm thinking about getting the yarn for a Stitch 'n Pitch project called The Stitch 'n Pitch Sock from Interweave Knits. You can find the pattern at: http://www.interweave.com/knit/interweave_knits/web_projects/baseball_sock.pdf

Yep, that's what I need...another project started! We'll see...

I'm Just Wild About Harry!

I finished the book! If you understand which book, then you have also been eagerly awaiting HP/DH (aka: HP7), the final installment in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. If you said "what book?", well, nothing I'm going to say will make any sense, I suppose.

I had pre-ordered my copy 'way back in January from Barnes & Noble (http://www.bn.com/), although...in hindsight...I probably should have just gone to one of the Midnight HP Parties (held on Friday night) at a local bookstore. I had been relentlessly tracking my book on UPS online for 24 hours (after I had received an email from BN that it had shipped), while the UPS tracking message continued to say "Left for Final Destination (our house) at 11:47 a.m., Friday." Now, the UPS facility is only about 10-15 miles from my house, so I was beginning to think that it must be arriving by Slow Owl, as it didn't arrive...and it didn't arrive...and it still didn't arrive. I even tried "Accio, HP7 book!" That probably didn't work because, like all other Muggles, I don't have a wand. Bummer.

Then, I checked the mailbox after we made our Home Depot run on Saturday, only to find the book wedged inside...the figurative square peg in a round hole. I raced inside the house to get Thomas' assistance to come "free Harry Potter from the mailbox!" And, then I did something entirely strange: I fixed supper. I putzed around the kitchen, scrubbing potatoes for baking...marinating steaks for the grill...and washing vegetables for our salad. I started a load of laundry. I enjoyed a glass of wine on the deck with Thomas while the grill did its work. I did everything except read; in fact, I didn't start reading the book until nearly 11:00 p.m. Amazing! So very unlike me. I guess I must have been (in my own weird way) trying to savor the last time I'll get to read a brand new Harry Potter for the very first time.

Anyway...all this savoring meant that I ended up reading into the wee hours of the morning, not getting to bed until...well, actually, I ended up falling asleep on the sofa in the den. And, I'm not really sure that I slept; it was more like I replayed the scenes in the book the entire time. I took a break to fix brunch on Sunday, and then began the marathon to reach The End...crossing The Finish Line just before noon on Monday.

Of course, now I want to talk about it with someone, but can't say anything for fear of being a "spoiler" for Thomas or Maredith (Mom hasn't gotten hooked on Harry yet...but, it's only a matter of time, I reckon). I'm sending the book to Louisville this weekend, so maybe I'll soon have someone to discuss...no, I don't want to let anything slip, do I?! I'll say this much: I thoroughly enjoyed the book...it made me wish that there would, somehow, be one more...at least.

Oh well, while I waited until someone else finished HP7, I decided I could continue the connection by starting a project from the "Charmed Knits" book by Alison Hansel (button in the left column). I had already purchased my "Encore" yarn in Gryffindor House colors of scarlet and gold, so decided to start a 1st Year Hogwarts scarf that is knitted in stripes in the round (CO 55 stitches; 24 rounds of each color, for 19 stripes or more.) I also decided to let this be a "practice" for a new technique I'd read about in a book called "Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles," by Cat Bordi. No, I'm not knitting Gryffindor socks...yet...but I am knitting a tube...so I thought I could teach myself to manage two circular needles, using size US8's and Worsted Weight (4), easier than trying it out on US1's and sock yarn! And, guess what? It's working!! I've about got the technique of "knitting with one circular while the other one rests." My scarf is just flying off the needles...see the photo (above, right)!

Did you know, over on Alison's blog, there's a Harry Potter-themed knit-along going on through the end of August, in conjunction with her book Charmed Knits? For those who haven't heard about it, knitters are making house-colored hats that will be donated to Warm Woolies. She even has free patterns to get you started. BTW, Warm Woolies is an organization that gives hats, sweaters, vests, mittens, slippers and other warm things to children in orphanages. It was started in 2003 when a Colorado knitter and two of her friends decided to knit items for orphanages in Russia. In 2004 it became an official non-profit organization and a website was set up. Last year, 4,723 knit items were donated; this year their goal is 6,000. For 2007, they are focused on children in Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia, as well as those living on the reservations of Rosebud and Pine Ridge in South Dakota. Check their website for further information: http://www.warmwoolies.org/

If truth be told, I imagine that I would not be sorted into Gryffindor House, though. Gryffindors are selected because of their courage, and all seem eager to take risks. That doesn't really sound like me. Maredith used the word "bookworm," to describe me, so I searched HP1/HP&SS to see which house description is a better fit. Since I do love to learn, I imagine that the Sorting Hat would have sent me to Ravenclaw, if you read the description:

"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw
If you've a ready mind
Where those of wit and learning
Will always find their kind. "

So, I bought Ravenclaw's colors of blue and bronze, too...just to be sure! I'll start on another scarf just as soon as I fly through this one...knit a house hat or two for charity...and knit a matching beret for me...maybe even mittens. I just wish I could knit as magically fast as Molly Weasley does!

Meanwhile, I'd better stop blogging and start on supper...

100 Degrees in the Shade...But It's a Dry Heat!

Maredith and I just returned from a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, where views of the Wasatch range of mountains like this (left) are at every turn. She was scheduled to attend a three-day course and then a three-day conference on E-Learning, held at the University of Utah, with a weekend in between, and had booked a double room at the Guest House. All she had to do was say "Mom, would you like to join me...?" Of course, you know me...I was almost finished packing before the words were out of her mouth! (I am my mother's daughter, after all.) This was Maredith's first visit to Salt Lake City, and I had not been to SLC since I was about 10, so everything looked new to me, too. We had a good time together, as we always do, in spite of having to battle some nasty respiratory problems that we blamed on the wood floor refinishing "fun" we'd experienced the week before at her house in Louisville. These were made worse by the high temperatures (100-104 daily...only bearable because of the lack of humidity), the smoke from the fires south of the City (they seemed to be worse in the afternoons...don't all the photos look a little hazy?), and the altitude...it's really tough to breathe with all that stacked against you! Still, we relied on the fantastic public transportation system on the weekdays (here's a photo of Maredith at the Fort Douglas/University of Utah Trax ticket station, above right), and a rental car for the weekend to see the sights and sample the food. We were typical tourists, snapping photos of Temple Square (left) and the Capitol in Downtown, and of the Olympic Park (left, below), Park City, and the Great Salt Lake (right).


Atypically, Yarnaholics that we are, we "hit" 4 yarn shops together, and I visited one on my own while Maredith was at her conference on Monday. Here's a photo (right) of one of our favorites, The Black Sheep Wool Co., where I got "three bags full" of cotton sock yarn...! Not really that much. But enough to keep me busy until Christmas, for sure. Follow the link (above) to their website where you will find a free sock pattern by Susan Lawrence of knittingasfastasican.com who has designed these fabulous socks to honor the last book of the Harry Potter Series. Susan wonders, "Is Harry's scar the last Horcrux?" If you are wild about Harry, that will make sense...if not, well, you gotta read the books to understand the reference. (But, you can still download the pattern without reading the HP series, just by clicking "pattern of the month".)

I also enjoyed the beautiful Red Butte Gardens, high above the historic Fort Douglas area (photo right). Then, in honor of my birthday, Maredith treated me to our favorite meal (Mozzarella Fritta for a starter, followed by Caesar Salad; then, she's Chicken Parmesan; I'm Chicken Scaloppine) at the Macaroni Grill, which was located in the lovely, renovated Peery Hotel, a 1920's historic landmark in downtown Salt Lake City.

Yes, it was a great trip. Maredith seemed pleased with the conference and her course, saying that she could apply a lot of what she learned back at work. It was another great Mother-Daughter Bonding experience, and I'm so glad she invited me to join her. Still, as the week came to a close, we were both glad to wheeze "adieu" to the high climes of SLC and return to our homes closer to sea level. Ah, it's good to be home!

Bountiful Harvest

You leave a garden for a week in the Summer and look what happens! As you can see in the photo (left), the tomatoes have started to come in, and the yellow and zucchini squash appear to be on steroids. Can you also see the purple Bell peppers, along with a couple of green ones? This is the first year that they have truly produced for us. You probably can't tell, but the Cayenne Peppers are starting to ripen, too, and the basil really needed a major haircut! Mom took a good deal of our bounty to share with her bridge buddies at O'Fallon Senior Center, but we still have a mountain of zucchini, waiting to be grated and frozen. It'll make fabulous zucchini bread, won't it? And, of course, what would a garden be without flowers? Can you see the red Mr. Lincoln roses and the Shasta daisies in the background?

Yes, we enjoy sharing our garden with others, especially those who no longer have access to home-grown produce. But, to be perfectly honest, I just melt when the tomatoes begin to come in...as you can see from this photo of my first tomato sandwich of the season. Simple pleasure...warm-from-the-vine slices of tomato, mayonnaise on white bread, some bacon, and lots of salt and pepper. Is there anything any better? (No lettuce...appears that the bunnies got there before me...again. No problem...it's all about the tomato!)

Speaking of flowers, we continue to enjoy our variety of daylilies. Here's a photo (right) of the latest to start blooming...the Chicago Comanche, planted at the mailbox. They are now in their third year, so we'll need to divide them this Fall. As you can see, they are a deep red-orange with yellow centers...and each bloom is plate-sized, too! Also blooming are the newest variety, Sir Mordred...which haven't even made it into the ground yet! They are still in their pots beside the water faucet in the back yard. As advertised, they are a deep marooney-red, with numerous blooms. Here's a photo to enjoy (below, left).

Sweat Equity

Happy Independence Day! Did you have a nice July Fourth Holiday? "Nice" might not precisely describe ours, but I can say that it was definitely productive. Thomas and I went to visit Maredith in Louisville on June 30 and just got back home late last night. What a labor-intensive “visit” that was!




As you can see in the photo to the right, Thomas and Maredith spent some time finishing the lattice privacy screens in her back yard. The screens were a welcome addition, but they had suffered in the wind without that "finish" board he's adding, which made the project look...well, finished! Please note that OSHA-approved scaffolding he, er...custom-designed for this project...patent is pending.



Before the major project began, we enjoyed meeting Terry and LaDonna for dinner at Max & Erma's at The Summit. There's always a lot of laughter when we get together...always so good to see them. I think we've seen more of them since they (and Maredith) moved to KY than when we all lived in GA!



Well, we couldn't postpone the really BIG project anymore. It was time to: (1) rip out the old carpet (living room, hall, and guest bedroom); and (2) refinish the hardwood floors that were hiding underneath (Maredith has wanted to do this ever since she bought this house a year ago). Here're the "before" photos (left) of the living room floor as the old carpet and padding has just come up (Charley says "yucky...I didn't do that!") and (right, below) of the guest bedroom floor with its strange, brown, Armstrong adhesive...can you read it in reverse? What a mess that was to remove! It took both machine and hand-sanding.


Thomas said he’d managed to make it through more than 30 years of marriage without having to refinish hardwood floors. Hopefully, it’ll be at least 30 more before we have to do that again. Almost everything we had read online had warned us what a monumental chore this was…most sites said “hire a professional.” Now I understand why!

Still, we are dedicated DIYers, aren't we? That means...Field Trip! Time to visit Lowe’s before we get started. Good thing we did, too, as we found they had the whole “system” for refinishing floors: you rent this whiz-bang rotating orbital sander (Varathane EZV), which has three replaceable, velcro pads; then you buy the replacement sandpaper pads which come in packs of three (convenient, eh?) in various grits of 36, 50, and 80, which you use to get a progressively smoother, sanded surface. Lowe's also had the Varathane stain, the clear finish, and all the applicators, etc. Sweet! I just love it when there is a “system” and a list of steps to follow!!

Then the work began in earnest. Thomas and Maredith spent the Fourth moving furniture and then ripping up the old carpet and padding. And, what they found underneath was both good and bad. The 50-year old flooring was sound and intact (good), but the carpeting had trapped 25+ years of cats and dogs and who knows what and had left some serious stains…SERIOUS stains (bad). Online suggestions to deal with the stains said use hydrogen peroxide…straight..so I headed to Walmart for several bottles of the largest size I could find. We used them all to attack the stains, doing a pretty decent job to many of them. Maredith took a vacation day (?) on Thursday, so they rented the sander then, bought all the supplies, and put me to work “mowing” the floors (that’s what it felt like…a really SLOW…HEAVY lawn mower…back and forth, up and down, over and over and over and over…). I bet I walked a couple of miles over three days! Meanwhile, they bagged up the old padding (really nasty stuff…REALLY nasty) for the next Trash Removal day…and set about “repurposing” (that’s seems to be the HGTV word of the year) the old carpet. It is now “resting in peace” under a deep layer of mulch, being used as the ultimate weed-blocker for Maredith’s new garden paths, in both front and back yards. Of course, all of this was done on the hottest day of the year (96 degrees…not a cloud in the sky)…and Maredith said that the inside of the house, where I was still sanding floors, was hotter than the outside (NOTE: the first step when sanding the floors: turn off the air conditioner, so you don’t spread the dust throughout the house).


Finally finished the sanding process on Saturday, with Thomas and Maredith using the hand sanders for the edges where the big sander couldn’t reach and filling the thousands of nail holes with wood putty…and while they returned the rental, I cleaned up the remaining dust…wiped down the floors with mineral spirits (smelly stuff!)…then, began the staining part (more smelly stuff!!). Boy, was that easy after the tedious sanding step! Thomas finished up the staining, and Maredith (after waiting for the stuff to dry for 24 hours) applied 4 coats of the clear finish (allowing two hours to dry in between coats), finishing at 2:30 a.m., Monday morning. Drum roll, please! Here are the "after" photos of the finished floor in the living room (left) and in the guest bedroom (right, below). What a difference!

One really great thing about Maredith’s house is that her basement is partially finished, so we were able to “escape” to a relatively calm, cool, and dust-free place…otherwise we would have had to retreat to a motel to save our sanity. Since the finish has to “cure” for at least 72 hours before any real use, it’s probably a good thing that “our” bedroom is in the basement, so Maredith has just packed up and moved there, now that we are gone. Charley Dog came home with us (to stay with the Drool Gang for a few weeks), so she doesn’t have to worry about his big feet and nails messing up the fresh surface. Of course, the main level of the house still looks like a bomb went off with all the furniture here and there and wherever it would fit (she has her TV armoire, coffee table, a bookcase, and a couple of side tables shoved in the kitchen; the chairs and ottoman, along with the sofa are crammed into her office; and, the mattress, box springs, and bed frame and furniture from the guest room are wedged into her bedroom)…you can barely squeeze between the furniture to reach the refrigerator and the coffee maker…and you can just forget using the stove! She's already asking: "now, when are y'all coming back to help me get all this furniture back in place?"

I think I might need a few weeks to recover...but, Charley's already looking a little sad...could be missing Maredith, don't you think?

Flower Power

Look what's blooming today! This photo (right) shows the largest bloom of our "Texas Choice" daylilies. Isn't it amazing? And, it has a lovely fragrance, too...which is unusual for such a large daylily. Thomas said this is definitely his favorite! It's planted under a platform bird feeder, in front of the fence on the side of our house...across from our bedroom window. We got these plants our second summer here (2004) from the Wine Country Gardens, aka "The Daylily Farm," in Defiance, MO (where Mom and I went this past week). In '04, we also bought a variety called "Chicago Comanche," which should be blooming very soon...it's planted by the mailbox, and I noticed yesterday that it was loaded with buds. I'll post pics of it, too.

Here is a photo (left) of one of our first purchases called "Dad's Best White." I had just watered this morning, so you can see the droplets. Isn't it a beauty? At present, it's in a temporary location, just off the deck...outside of the kitchen door. But, it seems to be happy, doesn't it?

And, this one (left) shows a beautiful bloom on what we assumed were Wayside Orange daylilies, (the ones that Thomas rescued from the creekbed behind our back fence and transplanted to the opposite side of our yard). Obviously, it's NOT the same as the other "rescues!" I've given it the name "Rescued Me" until I can figure out what it's true name is...

As you can tell, the flowers of Summer have arrived right along with the actual change of season this past week. It's already hot and humid on most days, making it difficult to work outside much past 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. for me. Thomas is a brave soul, though, as he is tackling rose and hedge trimming today. We had a brief (maybe...2 minutes, tops) rainshower earlier...less than an hour after I had finished watering, of course. And, the weather report calls for more rain to follow...we can use it, for sure, but that will probably make it even more humid. We're hoping for a respite this evening so that we can cook out on the grill and enjoy a fresh peach daiquiri on the deck...yum! At least, that's our current plan...

Here's one more shot of 3 beautiful "Texas Choice" blossoms...enjoy!