Hey hey – does anyone around here want any of this yarn? It’d be great for charity projects, especially anything for babies. Let me know.
Up for grabs August 17, 2008
weekend August 17, 2008
So, I have this room… off limits to all who come to my house. It’s the room that collects junk like a magnet. I couldn’t even bring myself to take before pictures of the room. Piles of Christmas wrapping, books, bills, a vacuum, the huge box that the vacuum came in, bags, garbage, etc. I spent much of yesterday cleaning out the room. All the bills are filed. Recycling bin filled. Clothes for my niece have been boxed to mail at the post office tomorrow. Warantees have been gathered and boxed. Christmas wrapping boxed. Holiday decorations have been sorted and moved to the basement. Photos have been gathered and sorted. I feel good. Admire some after shots. I would like to get rid of that computer. I asked my dad to think if there is anyone he knows that needs it and, if not, I’m freecycling it.
I went for another hike this afternoon. This time I went to Kishwaukee Gorge Forest Preserve. How beautiful. And I smartened up – I applied loads of bug spray before heading out this time. This was a particularly interesting hike. I had no idea that we had that type of geology (topography?) in the county.
I knit a scarf last night for the Carpenter’s Place (a day center for people who are homeless). I hope to knit a hat while watching the Olympics again tonight.
list August 16, 2008
Things to knit this fall:
- Black scarf for dad
- Socks for brother
- Cupcake for niece
- Felted oven mitt for mother and sister
- 3-4 scarves and/or hats for Carpenter’s Place
- Red scarf for Red Scarf Project
- Korknisses for Christmas
- Penguin for nephew
- Mermaid for niece
Eek.
prairie walks August 10, 2008
Last Sunday I went for a lovely walk at Oak Ridge Forest Preserve, so I thought I’d go for another prairie hike today. I went out to Deer Run Forest Preserve, which is also along the Kishwaukee River. It was a perfectly pleasant day with temperatures in the mid-seventies and a cloudless sky. Unfortunately, quite a bit of the walk was through the woods and was, therefore, mosquito-rific. I walked while constantly wiping mosquitoes off my arms. I do think that my swatting efforts were worthwhile, as I don’t seem to have any bites.
I made some salsa this afternoon. First, I roasted peppers from my garden along with tomatoes and garlic. Then I pureed that and added chopped onions, cilantro, and lime juice. Tasty. You don’t have to think about what to eat in August. Gardens just tell you what to make.
Now I’m just having a evening of watching the Olympics.
summer August 10, 2008
Even though I’ve already been back at work for 2 weeks, I’m still reveling in summer’s goodness. Yesterday friend Carolin and I went to the farmer’s market in the morning. I picked up a few tomatoes, radishes, and ginger cookies (yummy). I also bought some beautiful wildflowers.
After we went to the farmer’s market, we drove to Arlington Heights to the Mitsuwa Market, a Japanese marketplace. I love that place. There are so many intriguing items there. We started with some yummy sushi (I had it with a lychee drink that was packaged in a Hello Kitty bottle – I love that). We bought some stationary and origami paper at the bookstore there. Then we walked through the grocery store and the bakery (yum!). A fun road trip. Oh, we rounded out the trip with a stop at Trader Joe’s (Dear Mr. Joe, trader, please open a store in Rockford. I would love you forever. Thanks.)
Here is one of the funkier things that I got at the market:
A potato croquette sandwich – kind of funky, but definitely tasty. (I ate it for lunch today)
Oh, and can some explain this to me: what makes some Pokey suitable for all and some suitable only for men?
For dinner, I made a salad with cucumbers and green peppers from my co-worker’s garden and with tomatoes and herbs from my patio garden, followed by pizza with corn, tomatoes, goat cheese, and herbs and peaches. For dessert, we split a bun filled with sweet red bean paste. Again, yummy!
A lovely summer day.
Monday August 4, 2008
Lovely thunderstorms rolled through earlier tonight. Great thunder. After it passed by, it left behind beautiful orange skies.
Over the weekend, my friend, Michelle, and I went to Ikea and Trader Joe’s. I got a storage tower
for school. I chose six green storage boxes to slide in the shelves. I put it together today at work and it looks great. Say “Hi,” Michelle:
On Sunday I went for a short hike at Oak Ridge Forest Preserve. It was a beautiful day – there were lots of butterflies fluttering about and I think that 17 grasshoppers jumped up with each step that I took.
