The Heat is On

The Heat is On

It’s Tuesday and that can only mean one thing…Carole wants to know something very important!!

This week she is asking: 10 Ways to Beat the Heat

This question could not come at a more appropriate time, because we are in the midst of some of the warmest weather we have had all year here in Pittsburgh.

So let me share a few things I have been doing, or will be doing before this heat spell snaps…

  1. Cooking and heat are not the best of friends, and sometimes even grilling when it is 90+ degrees out is too much for any sane person…However, if you were smart on Amazon Prime Day and were able to snag an InstaPot, then you are in luck. Cooking with this thing is Ah-mazing! We used it once this week already, and I have to tell you – I am IN LOVE!!!
  2. If you don’t have this gizmo, then perhaps you should queue up my go to summer meal – a Classic Salad Niçoise, made even better by the fact that very little actually needs to be cooked.
  3. When the weather gets hot… the tough go shopping in an air-conditioned facility.
  4. Or perhaps take in a movie, at an air-conditioned theater
  5. Water – as in submerging your body in it… so head off to a local pool, lake, river, etc.
  6. Museums are also a great place that are air-conditioned!
  7. Your local library – you can sit and read or knit. You can even listen and knit if you have ear buds!
  8. Take an afternoon siesta – there is something so perfect about a nap on a hot summer afternoon.
  9. Embrace the heat and go see a ball game…bonus points in that cold beer is readily available!
  10. And, if all that fails – then plunk yourself in front of a fan with a glass of iced tea and do not move until absolutely necessary!

How about you? How do you beat the heat??

Photo courtesy of Terry Freedman

Sing a Song About Pittsburgh

Sing a Song About Pittsburgh

It’s Tuesday and that means that Carole wants to know:

10 Songs About Where You Live

Hmmm….

About now would be the perfect time to be from Chicago, New York, or San Francisco, but, Pittsburgh???

Now I know lots of songs, but not a single one about Pittsburgh. Thankfully the Google was able to help me out on this one!

Pittsburgh Town by Woodie Guthrie

There’s a Pawnshop on the Corner by Bob Merrill

Ode to Pittsburgh by Louden Wainwright III

Pumping Iron by the Iron City Houserockers

Homestead Town by Mike Stout

Pittsburgh by They Might Be Giants

Dahntahn by Mark Eddie. And really I do not know anyone who talks like this. Promise.

I Love Pittsburgh by Jimmy Sapienza

I’m In Pittsburgh by the Outcasts

And you really can’t do a list of songs about Pittsburgh, and skip the Steelers….

Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa

And, one bonus song, from my most loved home town – Holland, Michigan – home of the Tulip Time Festival:

Tulips are Blooming in Holland, Michigan

Personally, these kids singing might be the best thing ever. Do you have a song your city is famous for?

My Summer Camp Dreams

My Summer Camp Dreams

It’s Tuesday and you know that means that Carole is wondering about something. This week she wants to know:

10 Things You Loved About Summer Camp

Well….

This poses a serious problem for me, because I never attended summer camp as a child.

I know. Talk about deprived!

However, it did get me thinking…If I could go to summer camp now, what would it look like?

  1. Knitting Camp, I mean really – how could this NOT be fun.
  2. CIA Boot Camp seems like the perfect way to spend a week!
  3. Or perhaps Wine Camp could be the thing!
  4. And after Wine Camp, the only thing to do is to go to Cheesemaking Camp, of course!
  5. Spy Camp? Really, this could be so.much.fun. Sans stilettos, of course.
  6. Perhaps something to rekindle my inner child at Soul Camp
  7. There are options galore at the John C. Campbell Folk School.
  8. Perhaps Language Immersion at one of the Concordia Language Villages?
  9. Knitting in Provence, Tuscany, or Norway – I mean really. Can I leave now?
  10. Yoga and Nora Gaughan Camp…in Maine.

There you have it, Gentle Reader – a plethora of choices for the camp yearning adult. Where would you go?

Photo courtesy of bluebirdsandteapots

Fourth of July Recap

Fourth of July Recap

It’s Tuesday and you know what that means, Carole wants to know:

Ten Things You Did This Weekend

Without any fanfare, here is my weekend recap:

4th of july

  1. Enjoyed a Happy Hour, or two
  2. Grilled Brittner’s specialty hotdogs, because can It really be the fourth without a hotdog?
  3. Harvested things from the garden – fresh produce waits for no holiday.
  4. Enjoyed farm fresh corn on the cob, grilled of course!
  5. Listened to Garrison Keillor’s last PHC from the Hollywood Bowl.
  6. Listened to NPR read the Declaration of Independence – their 28th year of doing so and it is crazy that I have listened to most of them!
  7. Tour de Fleece spinning took place, I finished the lovely Merino Yak and am working through the Columbia rolags.
  8. Mystery knitting happened (although I am still not finished with Clue #4…)
  9. Lots of reading – I finished Dead Water and started The Summer Before the War (in my ears) and A Man Called Ove (on my Kindle) and I am still working through Big Magic.
  10. And, savored every single second of this glorious summer weekend because, before we know it Labor Day will be upon us.

It was really an amazing weekend, but what I want to know is how was your weekend?

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The Book in My Ears

The Book in My Ears

It’s Tuesday and that means Carole wants to know:

10 Things to Do While Listening to an Audiobook

Well, I have been enjoying Audiobooks a tremendous amount. I don’t know about you, but for me there is just something amazing about getting things done and reading (listening to) a book as the same time!

So, here is the list of things I have recently accomplished while listening to Audiobooks:

  1. Laundry is really not so bad when you are listening to a great book!
  2. Knitting – of course, this has been a huge help in me getting my Knit Along List whittled down!
  3. Spinning – again, the best companion to treadling away!
  4. Walking – this really is fabulous. Getting some exercise in during a half hour or so walk has helped increase my daily step count!
  5. Gardening – specifically, weeding. Thanks to a good book, the gardens are staying weed free this summer!
  6. Cooking dinner – unless your other half wants to talk to you while you are cooking…
  7. Preserving – making pickles and jams is fun, but more fun while listening to a good book!
  8. Sewing – Inspector Gamache is fabulous while sitting at the Bernina™
  9. Vacuuming – while it does not make the task entirely fun – it helps tremendously!
  10. Ironing – again, a most tedious task made better with a good book in your ears!

So tell me, Gentle Reader…Audiobooks – yes? No? What’s in your ears right now?

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