We still have a few leaves on the trees and bushes, but most have become a lovely jewel-toned carpet for the ground. And, I think that is beautiful no matter how you look at it!
Last week’s refocus on gratitude has improved my outlook (and my inner-look as well) and my plan is to be mindful of that focus as I move through the holidays!
I hope your Tuesday is full of new optics as you look at the world around you.
On the last day of this lovely long weekend, I am remembering, planning, and pondering.
First up, I am quite certain that Blaer will be a challenge (if not impossible) to complete by the end of November. I spent a good bit of one on one time with Blaer yesterday and I am NOT TO THE SLEEVE DIVIDE YET. That’s right… and I have a good 3 inches to go before I get to that point. Cue the deep sighing… lots of deep sighing! Perhaps I can salvage this situation by flipping gears a bit. I have “plan b” formulated and if I get gauge, I might pull off a successful NaKniSweMo yet! Stay tuned…
On Friday I went to the fabric store (aka JoAnn’s… how I wish there was a Fields Fabrics here!!) But I did have some success… I see in my future a Thea Rachelle Raglan shirt, an Ann Carolyn Smock, and a Dress No. 2 with a sleeve variation!
Saturday’s visit to the Vintage Mixer was AMAZING!! The people watching! The nostalgia! The clothing!! The glassware! Oh, and who knew that our grandma’s pyrex would be so popular! We picked up a couple of bar finds that will make Friday night’s a little more special. We shared a slab of pie from Piebird and wow…so.freaking.good! I also loved that the bar was open at 10am… One suggestion I would make to the Mixer Masters is that they really need a sitting area…it would make sipping a libation and watching the people so much easier! I loved seeing so many people all decked out in their vintage duds! For lunch we headed to church… and ate WAY too much!
All in all, it was a great weekend! How about you… how was your weekend?
I would love to tell you what an awesome weekend it was, but sadly, it was not.
The horrific events of Saturday have scarred this city, and most especially the community of Squirrel Hill. My heart aches for the eleven lives that were brutally ended as they worshiped together at the Tree of Life Synagogue. To the families of the victims, I send my love and prayers to join with those of my fellow Pittsburghers as we stand with you in support.
If you have not read Howard Fineman’s NYTimes OpEd, you should. And, then read Bari Weiss’s article. and, finally, read the Dispatch from Squirrel Hill: Dread in a peaceful place by David Shribman and you will begin to understand the community that Squirrel Hill is, and more importantly, the community that the Tree of Life is.
I have spent much of the weekend wondering where we go from here and how I can help heal these wounds.
Sarah made some excellent suggestions for ways to give in her post, I am adding to her list and adding HIAS. There is also a gofundme for the congregation as well as a LaunchGood campaign for the victims’ families.
We might be bruised, but we are not broken. Hate never wins.
By this time next week, it will be November! How is that even possible? My focus for the remainder of 2018 is to slow down and savor these days.
Thinking About – Trees. Yes, that’s right, trees. I am almost done with The Overstory, and I think this might be the most fascinating book I have read all year.
Grateful For – The number of sunny days we have had recently. They are a balm to my spirit and we are getting to the Season of Endless Grey Days – so I would like to bottle up some of the sunshine to open when needed!
Inspired By – Arne and Carlos to make a few geranium clippings to overwinter in the house. Now, let’s see if I can manage to not kill them all… my interior green thumb is practically non-existent! Keep your fingers crossed for them and send some good grow mojo their way! Ha!
Fun, fun, fun – It has been quite chilly the past few mornings on my walk, so I have had mittens on the brain! These mittens certainly fill the fun category and they look super warm as well: En Halv Citron and Spunni!
That is all I have for today – have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
On a weekend where almost everyone was at Rhinebeck and yours truly was sadly not! The best thing to clear out those “I wish I was there blues” is to do something fun and this was indeed a weekend of fun here in Western PA!
Friday Happy Hour was the perfect kick off, and it is my absolute favorite to do that right here at home. It is, imo, best done at home and we have our routine down! And, I have a hot tip to share… if your local Costco sells liquor, the Kirkland American Vodka is a winner! And, it comes with a price that is even nicer! Thank you, Traverse City Costco for having well stocked shelves!
Saturday, we made the big trek to Sewickley, with a stop at Sewickley Yarns where I did some very minor stash enhancement. Lunch however, was the star of the day! We discovered Najat’s Cuisine! This little Lebanese restaurant is a bit off the beaten path, but the food was incredible, and the owners were so warm and welcoming. We will absolutely be back!
We then headed to a local distillery for a few tastes! I figured this would be a good reward for Steve’s patience in the yarn shop… lol. McLaughlin Distillery is unique – it is very small – practically a one-man business. The distiller even makes the barrels he ages the whiskey in and we might have left with a bottle or two…
Sunday was my “nose to the grindstone” day… I powered through the i-cord and got blanket one done, but more on that tomorrow!
And, yet with all that fun we saved the best for last. We headed off into the Laurel Highlands on Monday and it was the most amazingly perfect day – sunny, clear, and yes… dare I say mild! We hoped to see some fall color in our visit to Fallingwater and Ohiopyle! And, while the fall color was very meh, Fallingwater was almost a religious experience. It is more magnificent than its photos! I was unaware of the history of the property, but the 5,100 acres originally were purchased by the Masons for a camping retreat. The Kaufmann family then purchased the property from the Masons in the 20’s with the idea that Kaufmann’s Department Store employees from Pittsburgh could vacation there to get out of the grime of the city and enjoy the fresh and restorative air at the Camp. At that time there was a train that ran with a stop about a mile from the Camp. In 1935 Frank Lloyd Wright designed the home in 1935 and construction was finished in 1937 and it was used by the Kaufmann family until 1963 when it was donated to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy intact – with all the original furnishings! There is a main home and a guest house. And, the rhododendrons… there are thousands of them around the house and along all the walk ways. The grounds are incredible to walk, and it is so amazing to see the house as a living part of the landscape, rather than an intrusion to it. Frank Lloyd Wright’s quote was achieved spectacularly at Fallingwater:
No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.
We spent so much time at Fallingwater, we only stopped at the Ohiopyle falls before heading back home. It was the best possible ending to a wonderful long weekend!
I am closing with a couple of quick video’s of both Fallingwater and Ohiopyle! I hope your week is going well!
Now I am off to catch up on all your blogs! Happy Tuesday, all!
Happy Monday, Gentle Readers!
Fall arrived in the ‘Burgh over the weekend… crisp days, very cool evenings, and yes, someone caved and turned on the heat but it was not me! And, my advice of putting on long pants versus shorts fell on deaf ears…
It was a weekend full of decorating for fall, but especially Halloween! Steve and I have been debating Halloween – do we give out treats? Do we pass? We decided that for the sake of the couple of neighbors with young kids, we will. These are the difficult decisions in life, I am telling you! Ha
It was not a weekend with much knitting. However, I did get my wheel out! I gave it a good tune up and I did some spinning! Saturday, I finished up the last bit of a braid of fiber from David at Southern Cross Fibre and yesterday, I plied it. It just needs a bit of a soak and I will see how much yardage I got. I don’t have enough for a pair of socks, but I think there will be enough for a pair of mitts!
There was also no baking – even though we got some lovely apples this weekend. I am hoping that I can solve that problem tomorrow! Today I have training to be an election worker!
How was your weekend?
P.S. Amazon has Still Life for $2.99 today!
