blueberry fairy

Opening weekend at Solebury Orchard.

8 quarts of blueberries, 6 quarts of cherries

and dinner at the mysterious Indian Rock Inn.

Thanks to beautiful Jenn for a wonderful adventure!

xo, j

before work

Foggy, foggy morning...the slow patter 

of rain drops on the already soaked leaves.

With my coffee a couple of knitting books; 

The Yarn Whisperer, a gift from my Mom, 

and the pretty yarn a gift from my sister-in-law 

brought back from Ireland.

Clementines for breakfast.

Another adventure ahead this weekend…!

morning light

 

my warping board seems to become a coat racks when not in use

This morning I woke with no regard for the clock

and turned on some of my favorite music.

I pottered about, feeding the fish and the cat with a coffee in hand,

straightened up a bit and then pruned and watered my windowsill gardens.

Later in the day I sat down with a cup of apple cinnamon tea

and a book I've been trying to finish for a week...still not done.

Then some knitting and the ripping out of a sweater that took me three

months to complete but was a couple of sizes too big and looked ridiculous!

I don't properly swatch my projects and over estimated the size that would fit me.

An optimist would say it's like having all new yarn to begin another project!

The photos are of my meanderings around the apartment.

The black/blue/red jacket in the last pic was thought to be lost,

I was so over joyed upon finding it I hugged it like an old friend.

I perfectly lovely day…

Hope yours was too.

xo, j

black bears and apple sauce

It was another beautiful autumnal weekend.

Saturday I sorted through a dresser and a closet

and then knit the bear hood in the evening.

It was made under the pretense of being a Halloween costume

but I can't wait to wear it while walking through the woods on a snowy day

or sitting with a cup of cider by a blazing camp fire.

Of course, I had to take my latest knitting project for a walk!

The paper bag bear was kind enough to pose with my new hood.

Then home for a snack of fresh apple sauce and a cuppa 

delicious fruity tea from the beautiful Coco.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

xo, j

(ps. Sophie's eyes get huge and her back arches when I wear the hood in the house!)

autumn

dogwood fruit, wild apples, yarn, pumpkin

Today I went for a drive to my favorite stretch of local road

and took a few photos of the changing landscape.

The wind crackled through the drying corn 

and set the goldenrod tops dancing.

What appeared to be a golden eagle hunted over the field.

I admit it's early to see these majestic birds migrating,

but the size, level wing span, golden head 

and lack of white had me convinced.

The photos aren't the best, the bird was quite high up.

(I cropped them down to the last point of focus.)

You can see the bird as a dark spot in the upper right corner of the first photo.

Back home to an afternoon with a new knitting project  

and a bowl of vegetable soup for dinner.

Happy Equinox!

xo, j

home

I'm finally home for a while.

My flight from Chicago was cancelled so I stayed an extra night.

(Rain in Philadelphia almost always closes the airport!)

A short work trip to NYC is planned for the end of the month but until

then I can 'nest in' with Sophie, my knitting and fresh food.

Today I stopped by my favorite yarn shop, Conversational Threads,

to pick up one skein to complete a holiday gift project.

Of course I had to take a quick look around!

This yarn from Madelintosh stopped me in my tracks.

It's so much prettier than the photo can convey, I couldn't resist.

It's a DK weight Merino called Ash/Red Leaf.

The cherry color has been hand dyed onto one section of the hank

so the color will pool when knitted up, creating spots of deep cherry

on the cool grey background.

But first to finish the other piece!

It's good to be home.

Hope all is well,

xo, j

beautiful surprises

There was a beautiful blue package waiting for me when I returned from my trip.

  Thank you so much Coco for the wonderful handmade drawstring bags!

One is for my knitting and the other for my embroidery.

The bracelet is exquisite...so very lovely...I'll wear it during next week's meetings.

And the little bird magnet and tea are perfect.

You are far too generous, my dear friend.

A little package of birds is flying your way right now!

The pears were on my desk this morning.

Jenny picked them from her tree and put them in this sweet heart shaped bowl.

What a pretty way to start my day at work.

Now it's time to unpack so I can pack again, Monday I'm off to Chicago!

It's a work trip so the most I'll see of the city is the view from the airplane.

Tomorrow, more vacation photos.

xo, j

swallows, strawberries and a storm

The other day Coco asked "What's in your garden?"

To which I commented "Strawberries!"

So here they are, ready for harvest.

The Barn Swallows are back and building 

their nest below a neighbor's balcony.

They are so quick, that was the best photo I could get.

It's very dark outside, another storm is coming...

on the needles and windowsill

A week of perfect Spring weather lies ahead.

Mid 70's and nothing but blue skies.

Started a portable knitting project in preparation for next week's vacation.

Roasted cauliflower and chickpeas with a mustardy vinaigrette and parsley.

Homemade orange marmalade - nothing but oranges and honey!

The first tomatoes and strawberries on the windowsill.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Strawberries from Florida are a great deal in the grocery store right now.

I couldn't resist buying a large container and trying my hand at no cook "freezer jam."

With berries, pectin, sugar and potato masher in hand I made a batch this morning.

I'm not sure how it will taste but it was loads of fun to make.

Five are in the freezer and one in the refrigerator for use this week.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

We turned our clocks ahead an hour here so it stays light later

but the day has flown by.

Sunday Sorting Out

A bright and cold day.

Yesterday slipped away from me 

but today was full of pulling out drawers

and sorting through their contents.

A small snack of Clementines,

they won't be around much longer.

Started another knitting project.

It's a strawberry tweed snowflake sweater.

*smile*

Hope everyone had a great weekend,

xo, j

Monday Morning

I received the most beautiful bowl for Christmas from a friend.

First it held brown asian pears and now green grapes.

So very pretty...just like Sweet P.

Yesterday I went through all of my yarn.

It took the better part of the afternoon but I have eliminated a 

very large trash bag full of skeins I will never use.

I'm taking it into work to see if anyone can use some.

If not, a girl there has offered to donate it to her church.

Ah...to know exactly what I have and where it all is!

Wishing you all great week.

xo, j

Nancy's Grapefruit

This morning I cut up another of Nancy's grapefruit.

This is one of the fruits I picked while in Florida last week.

The taste is amazing and the distinctive smell covers my hands

and fills the apartment with sunshine.

Only one more left!

yum

A Belated Merry Christmas

This year I was fortunate to be with my family in Florida for Christmas.

It was so great to be together again, even if only for a few days.

On Christmas Eve we went to visit one of my Mom's friends 

who allowed us to pick grapefruit and tangerines from her trees.

Although she wasn't home, she had left the pickers out for us to use.

Fresh citrus for Christmas!

Thanks Mom, Dad, D and MGM for a wonderful time.

I love you all very much.

And thank you to all that may happen upon this blog once in a while.

I appreciate you letting me share my little day to day experiences with all of you.

Merry (if Belated) Christmas to you all.

xo, j