Pink and Yellow Snaps

Here is a little peek at a few of our snapdragons.

And now, because we're so very sleepy, falling asleep will be quite easy.

Nighty night.

The Moon Memory

I see the moon,

and the moon sees me.

God bless the moon,

and God bless me.

This is a simple, yet sweet poem I've liked for a long time. (I don't recall who wrote it and thus, can't give credit to that individual.) At any rate, I was reminded of this sweet verse as Squidley and I gazed at tonight's moon, and I quickly ran inside for the camera so that I could "secure" that thought.

May God bless you, too.

Nighty night.

The Sky Is the Limit

I like that the sky is so open to being redecorated.

Wishing everyone blue skies.

Sharks Versus Jets

Dinner by the water: a great way to unwind at the end of the day.

I like the way nature often steps forward to provide stunning framework for my photographs.

Humor is always a welcome sidekick to the unwinding.

sailing side by side

When I shot this photo, I immediately imagined a nautical "West Side Story."

Nighty night, everyone.

One Dish Wonder

We were out and about for a bit late this afternoon and early evening. When we returned, Squidley speedily put together a meal that was wonderful. The dish was made up of farfale and fresh zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, onion, red bell pepper, and chicken, and garlic and other seasonings. The above photo shows the pasta and fresh vegetables.

This is the dish after the chicken, which was stir fried separately, was added. This was quite a bit of food and very filling, yet really a light meal.

Take good care, everyone.

Nighty night.

This and That

These charm squares are from the Hello Betty collection from Moda. I considered making a bag, then opted for an old fashioned runner. The overall look is quite pleasing to the eye.

Here is the hat I mentioned in the previous post. Started only yesterday, I have knitted the lower, ribbed band and several rows of the hat's body. The yarn is so pretty that I may have to search for more of the same for making a matching something.

We are so, so tired and ready to get into the beddy bye.

Nighty night.

Temps Glimpse

When Squidley and I left the house this afternoon, the temperature was indeed 102 degrees. The sky was dark, the wind was blowing strongly, and the rain had begun. As we started our drive, the temp began dropping. And it dropped. And it dropped. And it dropped. In less than twenty minutes, it had dropped twenty-one degrees. By the time we got back home, perhaps less than thirty minutes later, the temp was indeed impressive:

a twenty-five degree decrease.

Going outdoors was actually pleasant the rest of the afternoon and evening. And we are very grateful for the cooler temps and the rain. We had been keeping the bird bath full of water in an effort to help the birds and squirrels. I know, though, that they are feeling much more comfortable with this break from the heat.

I started a new knitting project today. I am making what I hope will be a cute little hat from a wool sock yarn, made in Italy, by Schachenmayr. The color is a winter white with "sprinkles" of turquoise, orange, red, and purple.

Hope your week will be pleasant, despite the temps.

Nighty night.

Cool Wool

The high temp today, as near as we could figure, was about 104 degrees. Yikes! So during the morning and for a couple of hours this afternoon, I knitted with some of my fellow guild members. Two of us worked on knitting socks. Wool ones! Now how much sense does that make, considering the temps! Well, I guess it makes about as much sense as knitting a wool hat, something else I worked on today. (Actually, knitting indoors was a great activity while staying out of the heat.) And I finished it just before dinner. The above photograph shows the chestnut brown hat with a somewhat bobbled edge. And yes, it is one hundred percent wool. I found the hat pattern and immediately liked it. Also, it was a style unlike any I'd ever knitted. I will knit another in a different color, perhaps a winter white or navy or a denim.

This is a closeup of part of the edge. This bottom portion took longer to knit than the "knitted" part above.

I thought I'd add one more closeup.

Take good care.

Nighty night.

A Little Night Music

We braved the hundred degree day to attend an outdoor concert, the next to last of a local summer series. The music was great. The food was very good. Squidley had packed homemade egg salad and chicken salad. He bought dinner rolls to fill with the salads. There was also dip with celery sticks, cheese and crackers, chips, and vanilla wafers with peanut butter. And of course, plenty of cold drinks.

I wore one of my personal fans around my neck, and that helped tremendously. We also were able to spread our quilt in the shade. And surprisingly, it wasn't too long before some nice breezes decided to make their entrance.

Oh, yeah. When we arrived at the site for the concert, we parked and were just starting to make the longish walk to the concert quadrangle. A guy driving a golf cart pulled up beside us and offered us a ride. Yippee!

Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend.

Nighty night.

The Flutterby

I photographed this zebra butterfly that Squidley discovered during one of our outings this past weekend. It's the first one I've seen in a long time. Fortunately, I snapped two shots just before he flew past us.

After going out for a bit this evening, Squidley cooked hot dogs on the grill. He also made cole slaw so I could enjoy one of my favorites: the one and only slaw dog.

Well, it's late, and the five of us are ready to get into the beddy bye.

Nighty night.

Ready Spaghetti

Tonight was spaghetti night in our household, and Squidley and I undertook the task of making dinner together. He patiently guided me through the process of making the sauce. He also chopped the onions and bell pepper, as well as the basil he'd only minutes earlier picked fresh from the plants on our patio. A side was prepared, and dinner was on the table. Wonderful!

We are all tired and still catching up after a late night on Monday.

So, it's off to beddy bye we go.

Nighty night, everybody.

Sunny Forecast

Hope your week is bright.

Nighty night.

The Monday Moth

We've spent the evening with friends at the home of two of those friends, with some of the guys steaming fresh crabs, frying flounder and jumbo shrimp, and grilling marinated chicken. The gals did potato salad, fresh cantaloupe and watermelon, some of the best rolls I've ever had, and several great desserts. It was a fun, enjoyable evening, but we are quite tired.

Thanks to Squidley for the picture I'm posting tonight. He did a super job of digitally capturing this little guy.

And now it's time to get into the beddy bye.

Nighty night, all.

The Froggy Doggie

This shot, as well as the one below, was taken in haste. I had to locate my camera, remove the memory stick from my laptop, insert it into the camera, and beat feet to get to the photo op site. And of course I had to adjust the settings. And I was using the micro to shoot through glass. So, all in all, I think I was lucky to get any shots at all before this little guy fled for cover.

Both pictures were shot from inside. This one was taken just after Squidley took Deutsch outdoors for a closer look. That should pretty much explain his froggy friend "fleeing for cover." Regardless, any night the froggy or his wife or little one make an appearance is a very good night for Deutsch. Scout and India remain nonchalant about the entire affair.

After a wonderful weekend, we are quite tuckerd out.

Hope your week is a good one.

Summer's Best

'maters,

bell peppers,

and grapes, oh my!

We're still blooming beautifully.

Hope you're enjoying a beautiful weekend.

Nighty night.

Family Flicks

Scout loves kicking back on the sofa and watching an old movie with Mommy and Daddy and . . .

. . . Deutsch, and . . .

. . . India.

Of course, it must be a family film.

Nighty night, everyone.

The Fabled Cable

Here's the winter white, wool hat I mentioned in yesterday's post. It was actually kinda good that India messed up the first attempt. When I started again, I changed to a different pattern. The original one was plain, and I wasn't particularly fond of it. This hat has a nice little cable pattern that adds a bit of interest. Anyway, I started this on Monday and finished it the next afternoon.

Here is a closer look at some of the cabling.

Today I started another hat, and yes, it, too, is being made with a worsted wool yarn. I'm using a soft, chestnut brown, a color I think should look nice this Fall. This hat is unlike any others I've knitted. So far, I'm still working on the brim. Thankfully, there are only a few more rows of that portion before I can begin knitting the body of the hat. I say "thankfully" because the pattern calls for a huge number of "knit five togethers" and "K1, P1, K1, P1, K1's). The "knit fives" are a little rough on my left index finger, and that latter stitches are simply time consuming. The finshed look, however, should be worth all the extras. I'll post some pictures sometime soon.

Hope your day has been good.

Nighty night.

A Good Yarn

During a telephone call this afternoon, I ran upstairs so that I could quickly check on my laundry. Deutsch, Scout, and India were happily napping together (or, as is typical, sleeping in a pile). Naturally, I knew better than to have left them alone. Scout and Deutsch are about ninety percent trustworthy. That's a fairly good percentage. India, on the other hand, finds overpowering appeal in certain items around the house and unhesitatingly yields to desire.

This was the second time during the past two weeks that India has destroyed a knitting project. The previous one was a winter white, wool hat I had begun making. I have actually started over on that, using fresh, dry yarn. Today she enjoyed playing with Noro, a beautiful, self-striping, Japanese yarn I was using to make an "on the bias" winter scarf.

And though I had put a good bit of work into each of those projects, I simply was not terribly upset about either. I know it is not wise to leave such things within her reach. And I know that often, when the cat's away, the mouse will play.

So, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Nighty night.

The Albatross

This photograph represents ordinary life in our household. Yes, the picture may seem somewhat odd, silly, or amusing, but this is typical India: hanging on, leaning on, walking on, sitting on, lying on her brothers. And in all kinds of positions. Much of the time she is simply being tolerated. Earlier, Scout was lying where Deutsch is. After a bit, he could take no more and moseyed over to the opposite end of the sofa. As far as Scout was concerned, enough was enough.

This shot shows Scout relaxing after he at long last was able to free himself of India.

Tired and sleepy, so it's off to beddy bye.

Nighty night.

Patio Produce

Squidley prepared a delicious garden salad this evening, using beautiful grape tomatoes from our patio garden.

Nighty night, all.

Three Dog Night

We're all quite sleepy and are ready to pile into bed.

Hope your weekend was top notch.

Nighty night.

A Pink Butterfly

This bloom is from a shrub that, not matter how far it is cut back at the end of each season, has a desire to be taller than anything else in the garden. It is quite successful in its endeavor. At any rate, the center of this particular bloom boasts a fragile pink outline of a butterfly.

This little fellow has found a nice and inviting spot.

So pretty!

Nighty night, everyone.

Sunset Gal

This household has been rather droopy today, so we are now down for the count. Well, everyone except me. I'll join everyone once I've put this little post to bed.

The flower in the picture is one of several of that variety in one of our front gardens. I shot this not too long before dark this evening, when I could get just the right amount of sunlight to highlight the yellow, spikey center. It's quite pretty, despite the fact that it has passed its peak.

Well, wishing you a pleasant, happy weekend.

Nighty night.

Coming and Going Green

Deutsch's little friend is back. He was here during Spring and early into the summer, then went on hiatus for a few weeks. And Deutsch is doubly happy, because this time he brought along . . .

. . . his wife!


Nighty night, all.