Weekending

Good weekend. We grilled, we gardened, we sat on the couch and did nothing. We had a lacrosse victory (21-1- ouch, sorry, kind of, but not really). We celebrated at the local diner and even got dessert - blackberry cheesecake.

We got our first dead/dying plants from Lowe's. Violas, an azalea and a leyland cypress = $7.75
I positively LOVE violas. How long until I can plant them out? Our lows are still pretty cool at night.

Took the kayaks out fr the first time this year. Beautiful weather, beautiful water.

My bags are packed for Texas (Houston) tomorrow. Two days of work, one day for friends. My dearest college friend is in labor with her first as I type this, so prayers please for her, and for me as I travel, and that everything works out that I can see her while I am there (she's in Fort Worth). Thanks! Will update from hill country!

Linking up with Amanda.

Making and listening

I got in the back yarn last night and pulled all the dead hosta leaves and decaying spikes out. I'm often premature in doing this, but I tried to cover the little numbs of new growth with mulch so the coming frosts don't burn them. This winter has been wild but it is the first time we've lived here that the flowers have not all come way too early and each night we are racing to cover the whole yard as the chill sets in.

It occurred to me while I was sitting at my desk yesterday, "I know what we're dealing with here... a cake shortage." That's most certainly it, right? I've been trying to curb the carbs and sugar, in addition to the fact that less baking means less cleaning. But hey, some days you just need cake - little morsels of cake that don't take much effort, or time, or pre-softened butter. The recipe is from one of my very favorite cookbooks, the River Cottage Handbook #8: Cakes. Sometimes it uses a gooseberry, others, a raspberry. I used strawberry and they were delicious. Just the soul food we needed.

Since I'm waiting for my turn for the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society audiobook from the library, I went ahead and started Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, on audio as well. I'm on day two of what I believe is a bad-weather headache, so the only other listening has been to Chopin, and the birds.

Joining Dawn Suzette.

{Yarn Along} I'm dragging...

Yet another lacrosse game last night and we're both feeling it this morning. Its like we can never catch up. Last night Julian said, sweetly,  that it was time to work on the house chores a bit. He's right. With my being gone last week and everything that's been keeping us both busy, its past time we did a little spring cleaning. At least we've managed to keep all the house plants going.

I'm feeling the urge to purge. Life is too jumbled. I have too many things for the places I have to put them and I feel bogged down by the things I see and say, "I'll use that someday, I'll fit into that again..." Its time to pack up the woolens and give away the unwanted.

I made good progress on my Hitchhiker last week on the plane... until I got lost in la-la land and went too far without casting off to make a tooth. I was frogging when we hit turbulence, a handful of stitches fell off and in my half-frogged, half-wrong mess, I have gotten tangled. Over lunch today I'll take my mess to Cecilia, at my local yarn shop, and she will sort it out with me. Thank heaven for people who know more than me.

I'm still reading Bread and Wine, because I said I would continue. But to be honest, I'm getting tired of hearing about how she packs up and goes to the lake for the summer (we're attempting to find a long weekend to go camping nearby); she travels to the far reaches of the globe with happy toddlers (I travel for work and most often alone); she whiles away the days writing books while in her pajamas (I have benchmarks, milestones, and a portfolio); she has the dearest of church friends who gather to share and pray (we left our struggling church plant last October and still are wandering, while our two dearest family-friends have such crazy schedules that we can't get anything together). I'm not really feeling it.

I have added The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to my queue, again from the library, but this time, on audio {see above house chores issue}. Here is the description:

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

One of my friends recommended this book and it seems light-hearted enough for now. I just finished watching Tess of the D' Ubervilles and me-oh-my, I need lighthearted. That is the saddest.movie.ever.

OK. I'm off to the yarn shop and to book my plane tickets (a wee bit late) for next week's trip to Texas. Happy knitting/reading!

UPDATE - Cecilia fixed my Hitchhiker and that is back on track. What's even more impressive is that I made it out of the shop without buying new yarn!