58/365 - Cheerful Lacy Valentine

Here's the latest block for my current crochet WIP-- a sampler afghan in bright, cheery colors.  :o)

57/365 - More Rain

MORE rain overnight.  (But we hadn't emptied the rain gauge since I took the photo for the day before, so it wasn't  *that* much more rain.)

56/365 - Rain

We've been getting a lot of rain over the past couple of days...

55/365 - Bridal Wreath Spirea

Even the tiniest rosettes can make a big impact when they cover every inch of the shrub.

54/365 - Slice of Sunshine Doily

No comment needed.  ;o)

53/365 - Jewelry-Making

Hauled out the jewelry-making supplies to whip up a few pairs of earrings.  I am woefully out of practice!

52/365 - "Late" Freeze

It wasn't really late for a freeze, but it felt late to the plants that had already put out new growth during the unseasonable warmth.  It was a sneak attack! ;o)

51/365 - Cooking

I don't even have to do it every day (leftovers, pre-cooked & frozen for later use, etc.), and I still manage to complain about it. 

52 Weeks of Happy (8/52)

I'm beginning to reconsider this whole (self-imposed) "writing assignment"... But since I'm already here, and because "better late than never" still holds true (I guess)...


Four Things That Made Me Happy This Last Week:


1.  A family get-together on Saturday.
It had been a while (Christmas) since I'd seen many of them, and in the meantime there had been a new addition to the family (Matthew).  I'm using the get-together as my excuse for why I didn't get around to writing this on Saturday, by the way.


2.  Getting to see another year (i.e. turning a year older).
Well, at least I'm trying to look at it positively.  Once we're past our late teens/early twenties, most of us decide that we'd just as soon not continue aging.  But since getting older is better than the alternative (as they say (g))... On the plus side, I was spoiled with gifts.  ;o)  (Thank you again, those of you reading!)


3.  Kicking the ants out of our yard.
I know, it's a weird one for this list... but the truth is, I'm having a hard time remembering specific things from last week... Unless you want to hear about gifts-- crochet books, wax melts, etc.  (g) 

Last week, I put out the second round of ant poison.  (Yes, "kicking them out of the yard" is a euphemism for... heartlessly poisoning them.  Sorry, but you just can't reason with ants.)  The first time around didn't entirely knock them all out, so a few new beds had popped up around the lawn.  I hope that this next effort keeps them at bay for a bit longer. 


4.  Yummy pizza.  
Donald brought home a birthday pizza from Vitoli's.  (I've mentioned them on one of these lists before.  Also: A "birthday pizza" is just like a regular pizza, only it arrives on your birthday so that you don't have to bother about supper.  Highly recommended! ;o))  It was absolutely delicious, as always.  Now I need to get outside, this week, and work off some of the extra calories!  Both the yard and my waistline would benefit. 

50/365 - Nearing Sunset

A walk to the pond.

49/365 - Beautiful Weather

No description necessary.  ;o)

48/365 - Kindle

In May, it will be two years since I bought my Kindle, and I've never looked back.  I love that thing, and there's no question I read more now because of it.  (And to think-- for a long time I was one of those who almost resented the idea of an e-reader!)

47/365 - New Palette

The new crochet project is a sampler-- a variety of different motifs/blocks stitched together into a single blanket.  This is the bright and cheerful color scheme.  :o)

46/365 - Bark-Bug

Trixie likes this spot for sitting and barking to the Neighbor Dogs. It's also her first choice for waiting for us to return from walks to the pond.

52 Weeks of Happy (7/52)

Four Things That Made Me Happy This Week:


1.  Reading.
I'm going at a snail's pace through my current book, since I generally only read while exercising, these days, and, um, I haven't been as consistent about that as I ought, but Tish is growing on me.  The book Donald and I are reading, Feet of Clay, has been amusing, too.  There's nothing like slipping into another world for half an hour or so-- especially when it's a well-ordered world with the kind of author you can trust to supply a satisfying conclusion with all the threads of the story tied into a nice, neat bow.  Yes, please, and thank you kindly!


2.  A new crochet project in new colors.
This one will be a variety of different 12" blocks.  There's no chance to get bored when you crochet each pattern only once!  It keeps you on your toes.  (I know; I mention crochet a lot in these "what made me happy" entries-- but it's one of the things that most consistently make me happy, lately...)


3.  Homemade sugar cookies. 
I don't make them very often-- once or twice a year, maybe-- and that's probably definitely a good thing, because they never last long.  I end up eating (much) more than my share of them.  So while it made me happy to have a batch of them to enjoy, this week, I'm also happy that-- as of this afternoon-- they're gone.  No more guilty craving for one more cookie.  ;o)


4.  Favorite TV shows.
(For instance, Community, which finally returned with new episodes a week or so ago.)   It sounds kind of shallow, somehow, which is silly.  Why is feeling happy about a TV show so different from feeling happy about books?  Turning on the TV and relaxing on the couch (with a crochet project in hand) at the end of the day is a real treat.  Nothin' wrong with a little escapism... (Or a whole heapin' lot of it, as the case may be, what with books and TV and so on and so forth.)


BONUS.  Not getting hit by a meteorite.
Can something that didn't happen count? (g)  Sure, why not?  I'm thankful and very happy that the world is still turning in its usual way, with no cataclysmic calamities to complain of.  Seriously, though, these "little things" have a wonderful way of making you stop and take stock of your life.  There are major problems in the world, but it could be so much worse. 


Hm.  I think at least certain elements of these "52 Weeks" entries are beginning to sound like a broken record.  (Crafts, food, weather, gardening, books.)  I guess the same small things make me happy on a regular basis... Or maybe I'm just not good at remembering the other things.  I'll keep up with 52 Weeks, though.  It can't hurt, and we're only seven weeks into the project.

45/365 - Crocheted Pillow Cover

My most recent finished object-- a pillow covered in crochet motifs.  :o)

44/365 - Spiderweb

Another rainy day.

43/365 - Sugar Cookies

Since I never got around to making these cookies around Christmastime, I made them now.  :o) 

It's a good thing I don't make them often, because I can't resist them.  They'll be gone soon...

42/365 - Dreary Day

Dove on a power-line against a dove grey sky. 

41/365 - Japanese Magnolia

I think this has been its best year for blooms, so far.  I need to remember to fertilize it... All our plants would do so much better if I would!

40/365 - Chinese Fringe Flower

The loropetalum has begun its spring show.  This shrub is planted near our covered patio.  We had to cut it back severely in order to transplant it, a few years ago, but it's now bigger than ever. 

39/365 - Backlit Camellia

This is one of our new camellias, planted near the shed, where we can see it easily, across the yard from our back door.

38/365 - Foam

Ooh, look.  It's an abstract photo of some of that flexible foam sheeting that's so common in packages, these days. 

Donald's using this piece as a make-do diffuser for one of the lights we sometimes use for photography. 

52 Weeks of Happy (6/52)

Four Things That Made Me Happy This Week: 

1.  Getting "stuff" done in the yard.
There's still tons more to do, but we're making some progress.  We've dealt with the drainage for the sink in the garage.  We did a little more leveling of the soil around the garage-- which also involved hauling it around in the wheelbarrow and filling in holes and dips around the property.  I pulled out a couple of shrubs that didn't survive a transplant last year-- and then replaced one of them.  We made a few plans for what needs to happen next.  ...And more.  I need to keep the momentum going into next week, if possible.


2.  Waking to the sound of rain on the roof.
Not a heavy, stormy, please-don't-blow-the-roof-off rain.  No thunder that requires getting out of bed to unplug things.  And at an early enough hour that you don't have to get up and go about the day, yet, but can wake just enough to enjoy that cozy sound, snuggle deeper under the covers, and drift back to sleep.


3.  Flowers opening up.
As much as I complain about summer, no-one's complete immune to those first signs of summer.  Flowers and new green leaves popping up around the garden are things to enjoy.  (I only wish the weeds and wasps wouldn't be coming back, too.)


4.  Homemade chicken soup.
I could probably make it even better, next time, but it was still pretty good, I thought, and certainly healthier and more frugal than the store-bought, canned kind. 

37/365 - Early Spring Sky

It may be early February, but the sky looks (and the day feels) like spring.  It was 73°F (nearly 23°C) when I took this photo.  Won't be long before there are leaves on these trees again!

36/365 - Cypress Bark, with Lichen

I rarely meet (or see, or take) a moss or lichen photo I don't like... ;o)

35/365 - Cushion Cover

Making a new cushion cover is an excellent excuse for trying out a new motif!

34/365 - Seeds

We walked down to the pond in the afternoon for the first time in a while. 

I'm not sure what this plant is... Something Uncle Jim and John planted on the edge of the pond, I think. The round seed pods look interesting.

33/365 - "The Bean Game"

Bohnanza has been getting a lot of play (with two-player rules) at our house, lately. I like it for a quick game or something to play when you're a bit tired, because it doesn't require a lot of thought-- and there are no little pieces or elaborate "play areas" to set up and put away.

(As I uploaded this photo, I thought I remembered taking a photo of this card game before, and that maybe the "Stink Bean" card had been featured in that picture, too.  Sure enough, there it was.  Last time, I  may have selected that card to put on top-- but this time it's just how the discard stack happened to look when the game ended.  Funny.)

52 Weeks of Happy (5/52)

Four Things That Made Me Happy This Week: 

1.  The safe arrival of a new baby in the family.
Baby Matthew was born on Monday (I believe).  He's the son of my cousin Jonathan and his wife, Lindsey, which would make him... my first cousin once removed?  (I think... (g))  He's the first grandchild for my aunt and uncle and only the second great-grandchild (first boy) for my grandparents. 


2.  Scented wax.
I received an electric wax melter for Christmas and have been enjoying it ever since.  I love the fact that you can just turn it on and off without bothering with matches or candles-- and since there's no open flame, it's safer to use than my old tea-light wax melters.  The "Scent of the Week" at our house was Pure White Woods (by Better Homes & Gardens-- probably available at your local Walmart (g)). 


3.  Completing the afghan.
I'm so glad it's done!!  Now I want to start something else-- of course-- but I've been giving my hand a little bit of a rest first.  I think I may have tired it out with all that sawing on Thursday... (I was clearing some unwanted trees and shrubs just outside our yard.)


4.  The Last of the Dr. Pepper.
Yes, I've been drinking colas again-- since the holiday season or so.  I plan to (at least temporarily) kick the can again, because all that extra sugar isn't going to help me lose weight and be healthier-- but in the meantime, gosh, Dr. Pepper is just so good!  I'm savoring these last few cans.  ;o) 

32/365 - A-Gypsying We Shall Go

It's finally, finally finished!  Freshly washed and dried just this afternoon.

The name is something I could swear I remember from a childhood book... A poem or rhyme, maybe.  Anyway, Google doesn't seem to be familiar with it, so either it's obscure or I'm remembering it incorrectly (possibly mixing something with the word "gypsy" in it with that familiar "A-Hunting We Shall Go" rhyme). 

(There are more photos on Flickr.)

31/365 - Hand Saw

I've started clearing out some unwanted volunteer plants (small trees, privet) that have grown outside the eastern side of our fence-- as well as a few a little further up the easement that were blocking the view from our driveway.   (This, after months if not years of thinking "I really ought to do something about that!" every time I had to crane my neck to see if someone was coming before pulling out into the "road".  Why put off until next year what you can do today, right?)

A (relatively) little at a time is the way to go, because I'd rather err on the side of caution than risk repeating whatever it was I did a couple of years ago that annoyed my back so much.  Weeks of horrible back pain?  Once was enough. 

Anyway, this cheap, little hand saw is surprisingly effective against small trees too big for the loppers to handle.  It's also surprising how much difference there is between the difficulty of cutting through an oak versus a popcorn tree or pine.  They don't call it "hardwood" for nothing!

(P.S.  I'm a day late posting this.  Shoot!  I almost made it through at least a month of posting each photo on the day it was taken.  Oh well.  I did take the photo yesterday, though-- just forgot about it until after the computer was off for the day.)