by Kat | Nov 24, 2023 | General, In My Backyard
As November’s crisp, rustling leaves surrender to cool autumn breezes and whirl away in all directions, we are reminded that ‘for everything there is a season. ― Peggy Toney Horton, Unseen Angels
November has been utterly delightful… were words I never thought I’d think or say, but it is so very true!
I have delighted in the falling leaves, the bare branches, the crisp nights, and the sunny days! I have even enjoyed the crunch of leaves underfoot on my walks with Sherman! This season surely has provided some incredible beauty!
The month started on a very high note inside when my “All Saint’s Day” Cactus began blooming on the first… and the show has not stopped! If fills me with such delight every morning when I head to my desk with coffee to begin my day. In previous years, I have had to fertilize this cactus to get it to bloom, but this year it has just been thriving! In October I bumped one of the segments off accidentally but I have been successful in rooting it and it has new growth as well!
One new little segment starting!
AND! If all that was not enough… I cut back some of my herbs with the hope that I would be have fresh herbs over the winter and have a rooting plant to replant in the spring (I did this successfully last year with the sage and the rosemary… and it appears I will be successful again this year!) I am going to try again with a small basil cutting… it has roots and new leaves! My plan is to plant it in a small pot to see if that fosters success. I tried the cutting last year but it I did not have success.
My kitchen herb “garden”!
It was not all indoor gardening this month… in my yard I have safely tucked away dozens of bulbs. I am excited for alliums, daffodils, crocus, and tulips that will help me greet the spring! At least that is my hope… if the squirrels don’t dig them all up! I have been playing a bit of wack-a-mole with them. They dig into the mulch…. I move the mulch back. The rascally squirrels have not dug into the dirt… yet. I am now hoping for a good freeze and perhaps a bit of snow cover so they move on from their obsession to dig them up!
But, lest you think that my November was all about plants… The over-winter birds have been a delight as well. The Junco’s were back this month and I welcomed American Pitpit’s as well! And I have seen several Cedar Waxwings as well. They join the Cardinal’s, Titmice, Chickadees, Blue Jay’s, Robins (yes, they are here year around), and the assortment of woodpeckers that visit daily.
And as this month draws to a close… I am eager for what December will bring.
Have a great weekend everyone, I will be back on Monday with an update on my word!
by Kat | Nov 22, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Fellow Unravelers!
If your house is like mine this week… well, our making might be of the food-to-eat variety. I have a pie to make today and I have a tiny bit of prep work for the “feast” tomorrow. I hope your “making list” is manageable and that you will have time to knit tomorrow!
I did have one very fun finish this week… some weeks ago I got a little kit from Stitched Modern. It was so fun to put together to sit and stitch! I had such fun putting my own spin on each coaster. These will be a delightful fall staple on my table for years to come!
Since I completed the coasters I have been very monogamously knitting my second sleeve. I did have about 12 rows of unraveling to do… sigh. I skipped over the instruction that reminded me to change needle size after I knit the ribbing. So I ripped back and started the first chart again… a wise decision in a sweater that I am very much loving the process of knitting! I have made good progress since that bit of unraveling… I am over halfway through sleeve two and if I get all my things done today, I will have the evening free to knit a bit! My hope is that I will be starting THE BACK over the long weekend!
It has been a slow reading week. I bailed on Straight Man and started and finished a Netgalley book, Held by Anne Michaels. I was generous with my rating of 3-stars, but the writing was beautiful… sadly the story fell flat for me. And it seems my disjointed reading has not finished… I have started Daniel Mason’s North Woods… I am not far in, but I am not sure I will finish this one either. Good thing I have Michael Harriot’s Black AF History to keep me company… I am enjoying it so much!
That is all I have for today… I will be back on Friday! I hope you all have the best Thanksgiving… whether you have a full table, or it is just a few!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Nov 20, 2023 | General, In This Moment
Brings a few small celebrations!
Celebration One… Sherman’s ear is ON THE MEND! (it is not 100% yet… but we still have a few more days of drops and pills and we see the vet again on Friday so I am hopeful that he has turned a corner!)
Celebration TWO… The Starter… she has risen!! (Now, she has not doubled in size, but I live in hope that today she might!) I have begun looking for bread recipes… so if any of you have a favorite, I’d love if you’d share it!
Celebration Three… we will have no water for most of today, thanks to the water company doing some major repairs. This means Monday Laundry has been postponed until later this week! LOL
And there you have my Monday Celebrations. What about you? Are you celebrating anything this Monday?
See you all back here on Wednesday with some unraveling!
by Kat | Nov 16, 2023 | General, Poetry
I read poetry every day… often by random authors as I page through a poetry anthology. But lately, I have been focused on one spectacular poet, Naomi Shihab Nye. I am fortunate that my library has LOTS of her books!
Today, with no explanation… one amazing poem by Ms. Nye.
I Feel Sorry for Jesus
by Naomi Shihab Nye
People won’t leave Him alone.
I know He said, wherever two or more
are gathered in my name…
but I’ll bet some days He regrets it.
Cozily they tell you what He wants
and doesn’t want
as if they just got an email.
Remember “Telephone,” that pass-it-on game
where the message changed dramatically
by the time it rounded the circle?
Well.
People blame terrible pieties on Jesus.
They want to be his special pet.
Jesus deserves better.
I think He’s been exhausted
for a very long time.
He went into the desert, friends.
He didn’t go into the pomp.
He didn’t go into
the golden chandeliers.
and say, the truth tastes better here.
See? I’m talking like I know.
It’s dangerous talking for Jesus.
You get carried away almost immediately.
I stood in the spot where He was born.
I closed my eyes where He died and didn’t die.
Every twist of the Via Dolorosa
was written on my skin.
And that makes me feel like being silent
for Him, you know? A secret pouch
of listening. You won’t hear me
mention this again.
I Feel Sorry for Jesus from You & Yours, Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye © 2005 BOA Editions, Ltd.
Thanks to Bonny for linking us all together! Stop and see what poetry is being shared today!
See you all here on Monday!
by Kat | Nov 15, 2023 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
It is mid-November and I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe that next week is Thanksgiving! This month is just flying by.
I did not plan on disappearing on Monday, but Sherman was not feeling his normal perky self. He has another ear infection and was very out of sorts. But we have seen the vet and he is on some new medications which seems to be working… so fingers crossed for him, please!
What one can do when one has an under the weather pup is sit (with said pup) and knit… which I did! I have been on The Island of Cabled Sleeves… and it is delightful! I have one sleeve done and I have cast on its mate! Although Sleeve One will likely go faster, I don’t think Sleeve Two will take much more time. And my measurements… well, they are in the “good to go” category! I love a sweater with a good measurement schematic! It makes knitting a garment that will fit a much better prospect!
And I am not thinking about easing that sleeve cap in to the shoulder… yet. For now, I am just basking in the joy of knitting! The pattern + the yarn = Knitting Nirvana!
I also began spinning a bit of fun fiber… although this is a super wash and it is so slippery to draft! I don’t prefer to spin with super wash fibers because of that, but these colors are just so vibrant! I am advance planning for a January knit (socks if I have enough yardage… a hat otherwise!) Something bright for the time of the year when everything is dull and colorless!
The reading this week has been good as well. I finished the latest in The Thursday Murder Club Mystery… The Last Devil to Die. It was so good! This installment allowed us to get to know the Club characters a bit more… and the more I learn the more I like them! (My new favorite is Ibrahim!)
I also finished book two in the Max Tudor series… it was very good I just burned right through it! (It was a marvelous companion for planting bulbs, just saying!)
I feel like I am plodding along in Russo’s Straight Man… but it is just not clicking for me. I am about halfway through and contemplating giving it up. While it is excellent at putting me right to sleep at night, I have a couple of new Netgalley books that I am itching to start… and I think I just talked myself into bailing on Straight Man.
What about you all… what are you reading that is keeping you up at night?!
As always, if you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
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