Tomorrow’s THE Day!

Thursday, July 17, 2025

They were “supposed” to arrive today but they got delayed by a day because my daughter had an in person audition (they rarely happen these days) and they’re coming tomorrow. I can hardly contain my excitement. Two weeks with my daughter and her family and my son’s coming on Monday. Yay! I am one excited mama! So, of course, I’ve been going a little bit crazy with preparations and cleaning up but I think I’m almost ready to have them arrive. Who am I kidding, I’m totally ready and have been for ages.

I decided to try to cast on and knit the little blanket for my granddaughter’s bed. It’s a pattern from the LYS where I work called the “Three Cable Baby Blanket” and it’s made with Hayfield’s Baby Blossom Chunky yarn and US 10 1/2 needles so it’s a quick knit and I’ve been pushing it. I have made it to the 14th cable twist and that means that I have three more plus the edging to go. I should make it by the deadline of bedtime tomorrow night. I love this yarn – machine wash and dry – and it’s soft and snuggly. Sylvie has one in pink at home that was a gift and she loves it. I thought a few things that were like those she has at home would make our house feel more like home, too. Tomorrow night will be the test.

Today I took a few minutes between folding loads of laundry from the wonderful visit with my brother and sister-in-love, my nephew and his family, to do a tubular bind off on my Big Love Cardigan. I don’t remember doing a tubular bind off before but it’s really slick! I love the way it looks, it’s stretchy but not stretched out and It’s a really nice bind off … this one was a lot of sewing but it’s now off the needles. On to sleeve island when I finish the blanket.

I tried it on after the bind off and I hope it’s going to relax a bit when it’s blocked. It’s a little bit “tight” so I can’t wrap it around myself but it’s a cotton sweater and I think it’s going to be a good addition to my sweater library – and in the summer, on a cool night, I think I will grab it a lot. The Berroco Pima 100 yarn is so soft … and it seems to love being knitted up in a textured stitch pattern and I’m hoping it won’t grow too much. AND today I was wearing a dress in the same color.

We’ve had a salad with lettuce from the garden this week. My lettuces and kale are growing like crazy and we have a few baby tomatoes on the vines. Yay! The squash plants are getting big (I wonder if I can move them once the garlic is pulled?) The garlic leaves are still pretty green but we’re going to try to pull some when the kids get here. I love growing our own food and am learning a lot about how to get the best yield. This year seems to be a good one so far. Cross your fingers! We harvested about six blueberries from our little bush … our first ever! The birds or critters have always gotten them before.

Gone knitting …

Happy Medicare Birthday to Me!

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

These three were the best birthday gift I could have asked for.

After a hellish ride from NYC to Maine on Saturday, we had a wonderful four days together filled with memory-making activities and lots of snuggles and smiles. Good food, blueberry picking and lobster dinner, lots of firsts – first open-handed clapping, first lobster, first trip to Maine, first swim in the lake, first lake water bath in the yard … and so many happy memories made.

I’m so grateful to my kids for coming up and to all the family and friends who called, emailed, messaged me on social media, etc. It was a great day to become 65! (Holy shit, how am I 65?) We were talking over the course of the week about age and it occurred to me that I am older than my father was when he died and I am about as old as my mother was when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. How lucky am I to be as healthy as I am at “my age”! I sure don’t feel so old and that’s perhaps a testament to good genes and a happy, full life.

Aging is denied to so many, I’m grateful to reach these milestone birthday and hope to reach a bunch more! I have a lot to look forward to … first steps, another wedding or two, maybe more grand babies and more daily photos from the porch.

My granddaughter, my love.

I have maybe knitted 25 stitches (no, I really mean it, 25 stitches!) since they arrived and I’m not sorry at all. My hands will be happy to knit again now … or after the laundry is done.

Gone knitting.