CHERRIES

Since Monday is our new day off, Kedg did the grocery shopping while I dealt with some food indiscretion and took a short nap.She brought home the most beautiful cherries that glistened, smelled good and had my mouth watering, lots. My doc says NO fresh fruit or vegetables. I fixed that this morning for my breakfast.I just slivered the cherry meat off the pit and covered the bottom of my cereal bowl, added a half cup of oats, a sprinkling of salt and topped the matter with one cup of water. Then I zapped it in the microwave for two minutes. I added a bit of Splenda and a splash of mocha mix. VOILA!! I had a wonderful treat according to doctor's orders. I do not feel denied or unsderpriviledged any more.

fireworks

As to the few firework displays we saw on Friday night, there was nothing really spectacular...some caught my eye, the round bursts with a filtering down of sparkles. That was pretty. We watched from JLG's upper deck so had an unobstructed view. Perhps because things were happening in about seven different locations the overalaal presentation seemed lacking something. Yet when I think of all the money they were saving to be put to better use, it all evens out in the end.

Our biologist granddaughter brouoght her two puppies over Sunday night to get them used to the sound of the mini-explosions. They didn't even raise an eyebrow, just looked bored. Of course, Bently, Lily,O Jack and Jill had a rip roaring time running around the back yard fetching and rolling and sniffing and marking.

But the peak of my vacation away from home with LaLaLee was watching her create a beautiful collage of some of the fabric from Kitzel. A whole quilt had been given. It included dark prints (both ivory based & white based. Our quiltmaker immediately separated those categories into two piles and took off from there with the ivory tones. On her sliding glass closet door in the sewingn-work room is attached a curtain that looks like a flannel backed plastic tablecloth. After ripping apart the quilt, she cut the large squares into triangles, sewed each to a triangle of plain ivory. Then began the fun. Onto the contraption on the door she started placing these little squares. A captivating design evolved as she maneuvered swatches around to her liking. The completed squares are somewhat like that called "Ohio Star" with an added triangle on each of the four corners. She really has an eye for color and blending. Now I'm anxiouos to see what she will do with the pile of white based squares.

LOOSE ENDS

This is a good day to stand up, gather up, wrap up and finish up a number of my interesting projects that lie around in nooks and crannies sadly waiting for my attention. It just does not make sense to have five half-pairs of mittens, six half-pairs of booties, all in assorted colors. Also I have a pair of sox down to the last toe and last two heels for my youngest granddaughter's birthday LAST year, yes, 2009. Elizabeth Zimmerman has directions for an after-thought heel in her book which I lent to CC and am waiting for its return. (Rediculous excuse, eh)? Then there is the marine blue nubby sweater that I've ripped back a bit because Freckles thought it was too uncomfortably long. Nevertheless she does wear her starry night sweater every morning on her two=mile jaunt, even though it still does not have its little twinkling stars. I do have GG's fuzzy aqua sweater ripped out, washed and re-wound waiting for a shrug for Jailgy...even have her measurements which I took from a favorite green shrug. AND...to add to the chaotic confusion, my friend Debbi just gave me a garbage bag full of yarn, Red Heart worsted which is the kind I like to use for kid sweaters because they can be tossed into the washer and dryer. Then there is the pair of water-colored sox that knitterykate made me that are now missing their heels. I do need to repair the moth damage to Freckle's pink cable-knit, too. On my list before Canada trip is Dolly's smocked dark blue dress that in wearing became un-smocked. So, now what am I doing blogging?
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GERANIUM

Spring iz sprung
The grass is riz
I know just where
The flowers iz

Yep! In my front yard, and the back yard, too, I have bright red flowers blooming their fool heads off. GERANIUMS or is it GERANIA? What started out as a few cuttings from my neighbor, multiplied into much joyful happiness. My dreams of a good old English Garden disappeared a long time ago. Afterall, this is Hemet and Hemet nourishes only four things: cactus (which I abhor), spider plant, crape myrtle and geranium. Sometimes hollyhocks bravely struggle to raise their heads, and occasionally we'll find early sweet peas, but California poppies peter out, daisies wilt under the sunshine and heat, daffodils and iris bloom in a hurry and are gone before they have to experience those horrid blasts of dry, hot westerly winds. Because Freckles had some after work errands to do this week, I took Lily for her necessary walk up and down the front sidewalk. I so enjoyed coming home and being welcomed by those Chinese red f;owers, spaced out, standing straight and tall, daring the aftenoon sun to do its thing to try to wilt them. Ah yes,

"...trust in the living God,who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;" I Timothy 6:17

SCONES

Recently someone said that life is just like a roll of toilet paper, that the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. I must be getting close, for my days are just whizzing by. To keep occupied usefully, I've started a collection of scone recipes and am in the process of trying them all out with the ingredients I find in the pantry. This morning my refrigerator held only one egg and I had to snatch that from Freckles for she was going to use it for her breakfast. Nevertheless, I found a recipe using only ONE egg...MOCHA-CHOCOLATE CHIP!. It has been our little ritual of late to settle down to a cup of tea when she gets home from work, just shortly after five. It is so relaxing to have a scone with our tea, then our supper follows much later at around seven. Lily (her highness white/apricot toy poodle) developed a hankering for any crumbs that might fall her way, even growls softly, not a whimper, to alert us to her need.

Scones are easy...just dump all the dry things in a large bowl. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender. Make a well in the middle and then pour in the wet ingredients. Stir, scraping dry bits from the bottom. Turn out on a floured board and pat into about 3/4 inch thickness. Then cut squares or triangles or even cookie cutter rounds and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bskr at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. So far my favorite is good old:

IRISH SCONES
1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar (I increased to 1/2 cup)
1 egg
1 cup milk (I use evaporated skim milk)

You can also add chocolate chips, currants, raisins, dates or other dried fruits to the dough.

The recipe says to roll the dough out, but it is just as easy to pat it with floured hands so they don't stick.

Try them, you'll like them, even for breakfast.

In waves of creativity

Do any of you out there in cyberland have undulating waves of interest? Does your knitting call you when you want to try a new recipe? Can you put down a project and pick up an exciting new book? Do you have the willpower and stamina to FINISH all those fun things you started last week, last month, perhaps a year ago? And then, Internew beckons. My last month, my "under the weather" month, I did not turn the computer on, I didn't read a book. I didn't even pick up a pen. I guess I just hibernated while sleeping and drinking water and Gaterade. Now that I'm better, I stay awake at night wondering which project I will attack first. So-o-o-o here I an wasting time on Internet. 'Nuff said.

Tying up the loose ends

Here I am, sitting at my computer, on my day's march nearer home. A lot of water has passed under the bridge and I have had a very exciting, satisfying life here in this scene. My garage shelves are full of started projects...sad to say I work on one and come to a glitch or something and just put it aside for another day. Yesterday I found an almost completed sweater vest I was making for Barry when he was about seven. I had made the neck hole too small, so ripped it out and it is waiting for me to make the shoulder parts longer and to do the ribbing around the neck and armholes. Alas, at thirteen he hardly fits it any more. I do have other grandsons who will fit it nicely. Then there is the pullover size four baby sweater made with directions I have misplaced. It started at the bottom...then the sleeves, then put together (in the round) It has little lambs knitted into the yolk and when I looked for pink to do the piggies, I could only find (here at home) some baby fine yarn. Even using two strands, it did not look right. Tnen I spilled coffee on it. Another project was put aside. I plan to finish it now without knitting in any more animals...plain pale blue will do just fine. My great grandchildren have blue eyes anyway, just Helena's are brown. I feel very noble today because I finally finished weaving the last square of my afghan...now it comes to weaving in the hanging out tails.

Would you believe?...in our little back yard we have a brave daffodil blooming, defying the calendar, in all its shining yellow brightness?

Enough said...it's time to get out needles and tackle some unfinished projects.