It’s been such a good day today. Despite the fact that it’s now nearly 7pm, I thought I’d write about the day and bring you up to date on my knitting. I’m making a lot of progress and it feels really good.

The sun was out this morning and, although it was a bit too chilly to be out on the porch, it was sunny and clear. I always feel better when the sun is out! Today was one of those days. We had our coffee and decided to have lunch at a favorite street-side food truck spot, Ken’s. Really yummy fried seafood. I had scallops and he had clams. We both had french fries. Yum. I stopped by the bank on the way to lunch to make a deposit for work and we may have stopped for me to have some ice cream on the way home. I shouldn’t have but it was way too tempting.

We spent the next hour or two in one of our gardens. We call it “Helen’s Garden” because it was the only spot Ned’s mom seemed to have planted any plants. It had been taken over by ground cover and weeds before we built the new house but we did find some Lily of the Valley there. We’ve continued to try to re-grow Lily of the Valley with no success. Anyway, today we cleaned up the new garden, cut back the hydrangeas, cleaned out the leaves and weeds. It needs some mulch but we didn’t have any today and I didn’t take any new photos. Tomorrow.

I ordered some cedar-based tick and bug stuff (to keep them away) and it’s been in the front hall for days. I spread some of the granular stuff today all around the door yard and the corner of the house where we see little “sugar ants”. With a little time, we’ll see if this stuff deters them. Fingers crossed. AND I finally got the few plants that I had bought for our school event into a pot at the front door. Thankfully, after I got cleaned up, the weather turned and we had some good wind and rain and now all the plants are watered in and the bug stuff, too.

I’ve been knitting away like a crazy woman. It wasn’t very busy at work on Thursday so I had a chance to work on my new pair of socks. I’m knitting a plain vanilla pair based on my Yankee Knitter pattern and they’re for my hubby. I’m loving the new Arne & Carlos Socks and More yarn base. It’s softer than the Regia used to be and I am loving the colorway I chose. He’ll love the socks. I’m knitting again with the 9″ circulars and I’m going to try another forethought heel. I have to search in my (enormous) bits and bobs collection of fingering weight yarns for some heel and toe yarn. (More shall be revealed.) I’m just about at the heel now!

Today I’ve been working on the newest sweater on the needles. This is the one for my younger daughter. It’s the Levitate Wrap and I’m knitting it in Patagonia Organic Merino and Berroco Aerial both in a charcoal gray. Needless to say, it’s one that I’ll have to knit in good lighting. Ha! Ha! I was working my way down the right shoulder and front when my iPad died so I took a break (it was a sign, right?) and started a dishcloth as a palate cleanser. I’ll finish this one tonight.

Yesterday and the evening before I worked on my Hansel Hap Half. I am so happy with this shawl! I can’t think of the last time I enjoyed a project as much as this one … maybe because I’ve wanted to knit it for a long time? Anyway, it’s making me very happy. I am more than half-way around the edge with the border and it’ll be done before I know it. Maybe this week. I am really happy with the colors I chose and also happy that I am using some stashed yarn.

The yard is blooming like crazy! Buds are budding and my (our) daffodils are in bloom. They are such happy flowers. And we have one tulip. Only one. Quite a disappointment, frankly. We did have a bunch of them but the voles must have gotten them. I’d love to plant some more but I’ll have to figure out how to keep them safe from the critters.

And we’ve had some super special bird visitors. Our hummingbirds are back – they arrived Tuesday. I’ve seen a tiny female and a male. My long-necked female isn’t here yet. I hope she comes back again. And we’ve had a Scarlet Tanager and, today, a Baltimore Oriole. We both enjoy sitting in the back yard watching the birds and when the “special” ones arrive, ones that we don’t see often, it’s a special treat. Of course, we have the loons back and they’ve been visiting, too. Apologies for the crummy photo of the Scarlet Tanager … they’re quite timid and I didn’t dare step too far out of the front door.

So, it’s been a good day and we’re having a light supper tonight after our heavy lunch. Of course there’s ice cream for dessert! And tomorrow we have another day and it’s Mother’s Day so I hope I’ll get to speak to all the kids and the grandkids. At least two of our kids have planned dates to come for visits for which we are very grateful. We hope they’ll all get here before the snow flies again.

Gone knitting.