Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voting. Show all posts

Monday, May 18, 2026

Projects and Performances

Knitting update: The Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä is coming along. This is the cardigan for which I bought yarn at Fitting Knit Shop in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, when we were visiting Karen. I bought two skeins, just as a souvenir, when we were there in December, although I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I liked the yarn, and after I got home, I found the pattern. I called them and asked them if they could get me more of the same dye lot. They were willing to ship it to me, but I had other things I could work on and was going to be there again in April, so I arranged to stop in and pick it up. Peter and I stopped there while we were out running errands on our first day there.


I'm now beginning the pockets. The pattern doesn't have them, but I like pockets in cardigans. I made the top ribbing for the pockets and when I got to the point where I wanted them to be, I worked across the stitches at the top of the pocket, put those stitches on a waste yarn, put the pocket ribbing onto the needle, worked across to the other pocket, repeated that and then worked to the end. When I get to the bottom ribbing, I'll pick up the stitches on one of the holders and knit down to where the ribbing starts, combine the live stitches and repeat with the other side. Then I'll make the bottom ribbing.



We are having an election this week, tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19. Some of the items on the ballot are candidates running in primary elections (one Senate seat, one House seat), and some are candidates for local positions. We had one ballot measure to vote for and a bunch of judges, who were all unopposed. I love that we get our ballots in the mail ahead of time, and we can study the information provided by candidates and people in favor of the ballot measures in the relaxed atmosphere of my own home, discuss anything we're unsure about, give it some thought and then fill out our ballots. We took our ballots to the drop box nearest to us when we were done.



While we were filling out our ballots this past Tuesday, we had dinner. We had lasagne, a tossed salad and some of Trader Joe's Fougasse Olive Bread. What's in my wine glass? That's a Madroña Vineyards 2023 Grenache. Delightful!


This reminds me, I need to check and see if my ballot was received.

Dusty and Sandy were groomed a little over a week ago, but that doesn't stop them from rolling in the dirt. I think something must have died at this spot. They instinctively roll in something smelly (to them) to hide their own scent. I've read that they did this in the wild so they could sneak up on their prey without being detected. That squeaky toy in front of Dusty won't even expect an attack, when Dusty is getting through rolling in the dirt.


I asked Charlie to get some regular tofu––the kind that comes refrigerated––awhile back, and he came home with a big Costco package with four blocks of tofu in it. I told him that I hoped he liked tofu. Fortunately, tofu freezes well and freezing even improves in texture. I squeezed the moisture out of one of the packages of tofu, marinated it in a mixture of soy sauce, oil and garlic, then cooked it in the air fryer. It was great with stir-fried vegetables and brown rice.


I still think it's Jupiter that we see in the evening. This photo was about 15 minutes earlier in the evening from last week's photo, but I think the position has changed anyway, because planets are always on the move.


Saturday we went to the last concert of the season by Central Oregon Symphony.


Here's a look at the program. The music was familiar to me, and  "The Dance of the Hours" was familiar to many in the audience. They either knew it from Disney's "Fantasia" or from watching the many cartoons we used to watch in the movie theater before the feature.



I took my knitting and got a few rows done before the concert started and during intermission. However, I discovered that I had apparently stopped in the middle of a row, put my knitting down while attending to something, and then started back across the row in the wrong direction. I haven't done that in years. I can't believe I made that mistake. I had to tink (knit backwards) for about three rows to get to where my mistake was. Then I got to have all that fun again. (Ha-ha!)


I didn't look at the manuscript of the new book this week. I really like to take a break from my own writing to give it some time to seem like something new to me. I find that it's easier to edit if it seems like someone else wrote it.

Speaking of writing, Johan wrote this poem for school. I thought it was interesting. He's going to be 12 in July, and I think he already has the 12-year-old thing nailed down.



I was able to get some photos from the Wisconsin grands' dance competition. Daphne and Zachary are both on the far left in this shot.


Have a good week!


I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry, BlueSky or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon or B&N and search for Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales Retold, Our Favorite Verses, More Classic Tales Retold or Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still working on the Summer Sorrel top and the Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä.

What's on my iPhone: Still listening to The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz on the BookPlayer app. It has been a pleasant story, up until things start to go wrong. That's where I am now, but there are only a couple of hours to go, and I'm sure it will resolve somehow. Koontz's novels always do.

What's on my sewing machine: Put away until the next project.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Billy and Charlotte come back from walking their dogs. They had to go out early, because it's supposed to rain. They know we need rain, but they don't understand why, if the earth is mostly covered with water. Mandy explains by using a laboratory exercise.


What's my tip of the week: Wrapping cucumber in a paper towel keeps the outside from getting slimy. I change the towel if it gets too damp.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog, and they are reproduced in print with a few changes.

The stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Talking About Boys, Changes, Shhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a Stranger, The Rescue, Unmasked, Fuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

Book #7 is in the works.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, only 8%, because the vendor gets a cut. My author's page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well, or ask your local library to order the books.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Monday, May 4, 2026

Jet Lag

The long trip home provided much knitting time. It's a little boring, though, just knit stitches in the round over and over again, with no movie to watch or audiobook to listen to. However, the Summer Sorrel top is coming along.


(You're looking at reverse stockinette stitch, normally done with purl stitches, but the designer has us turn the project inside-out, so we can knit instead of purl.)

Our first full day in Onalaska, Peter and I ran over to Fitting Knit Shop in La Crosse to pick up my yarn, which I bought in January after having bought two skeins in December and then decided I wanted more for a cardigan.



I started the project on Thursday. I couldn't wait to get started! Now, for a while, I have one interesting project and one mindless-knitting project.



This model doesn't look anything like me, but it will give you an idea of what the cardigan will look like when it's finished, only I'm adding at least one pocket, or two if I have enough yarn. The pattern is the 5 Naisen neuletakki by Lea Petäjä. 



Our last two days in Wisconsin were very busy. Peter and I ran errands on Monday. I was still on PEG feeding duty and he was in charge of the Hoyer lift on Tuesday, so Karen could take Daphne for a regular doctor's appointment, but they retuned in time for us to leave early to drive back to Minneapolis. We dropped the car off at the car-rental place, which was a few miles past the airport but provided a shuttle.

At the airport I tried to use my e-passport again, but it didn't work, so I had to dig out my physical passport, which was OK, only I left my cell phone on the counter, so a TSA person had to run after me, and then I had to wait for the phone to go through the machine. The TSA rep had the nerve to ask how old I was! Fortunately, they weren't too busy, so I didn't hold anyone up.

I waited with Peter for his flight, which was a couple of hours earlier than mine was scheduled. I found out my flight to Seattle was delayed, but I had my knitting, so I was fine. That added an extra 40 minutes to the time I had to wait in the airport, but I had my knitting, so I was fine. On the flight, I was seated between two very large young men. One of them had lost access to his charging cord when he gave his carry-on bag with the cord inside to Alaska Air to check for free, and he was worried that his phone would die before he could call his ride from the airport. I didn't need to use my cord to charge my phone because I have the cordless charger now, and both it and the phone were fully charged, so I gave my cord to him, and he used it for the entire trip. He was very grateful. We landed a few minutes ahead of the original arrival time, which the pilot attributed to "short cuts." When I arrived in Seattle, I learned that my connecting flight to Redmond was also delayed, so I sent Charlie a text so he would know to check arrival times before he left home to pick me up. That flight also arrived ahead of schedule! I had checked my carry-on bag for free, and it arrived in Redmond when I did, praise be! Total time awake on Tuesday: 21 hours. (I never can sleep on the plane.)

The dogs went absolutely nuts when they saw me. Charlie even seemed happy to see me, too. I took two naps on Wednesday and then went to choir practice. I started cooking again with what was left in the fridge.

I made carob brownies on Thursday, because Friday was going to be Dusty's birthday, and dogs can have carob. I just left out the walnuts. We celebrated Dusty's special day by walking to Ponderosa Park, so the dogs could have some off-leash time. Dusty showed how he could chase the ball unaffected by the advanced age of ten.



Sandy got the idea of posing for a photo, while Dusty was focused on that piece of brownie on his plate.


Then we received our Voter's Pamphlet and ballots, along with some promotional materials from candidates.



Sunday's anthem was fun. "Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled" by Mary McDonald. It's a gospel-style piece and fun to sing. Steve, the saxophonist, joined us again.



As for the new book, I didn't really have time or the ability to concentrate on it during the trip, so only got minimal work done on it. I changed my mind about the fifth story and spent some time deciding which story to replace it with. However, once I made up my mind which story to use, it only took a day to switch out the story I had already put into the layout and then go through and adjust the photo sizes to make the layout look as polished as possible. Another read-through, and it should be ready to go to my editors. Ahead of schedule.

Now for another nap....


I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry, BlueSky or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon or B&N and search for Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales Retold, Our Favorite Verses, More Classic Tales Retold or Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still working on the Summer Sorrel top and now the Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä.

What's on my iPhone: Still listening to The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz on the BookPlayer app. No progress at all since I got home.

What's on my sewing machine: Put away until the next project.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pippa is disappointed that the thunderstorm is making it impossible for Mandy to take her to the beach. Mandy explains about lightning in this story from The Doll's Storybook.


What's my tip of the week: Using strongly brewed hazelnut herb tea as the liquid when making brownies or cake with carob powder instead of chocolate (which is toxic for dogs) makes the resulting dessert taste remarkably like chocolate.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog, and they are reproduced in print with a few changes.

The stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Talking About Boys, Changes, Shhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a Stranger, The Rescue, Unmasked, Fuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, only 8%, because the vendor gets a cut. My author's page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well, or ask your local library to order the books.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Monday, October 21, 2024

Decisions

My books are due to arrive later today, and the (my) excitement is building. In the meantime, I got some knitting done. I've finished the first part of the border pattern.



I had to print the graph again. I don't know where I put the one I already used. Then, because it was only in black and white with no symbols, I had to write in the colors used for each row.


The dogs were at the groomer on Monday. They always look so nice when they're clean and nicely clipped.


Some time during the week was taken up with medical appointments and arranging for a new phone provider, which is done. Yay! My old provider had lowered the rates for all the plans but only for new customers or people who changed plans. I got charged extra on top of that because I went over my data usage during our trip. Now I have one with unlimited data for less than half the price. Yay!


Our ballots came Friday, but we've had the voters' pamphlet for almost a week. It's as big as the phone book we had when we were newlyweds living in Casper. The candidates' sections were about normal, but there were some measures that took a lot of pages to explain, including the arguments for and against. It took the better part of a day to read it all.



Friday we finished our assignment (filling out our ballots) and went to the drop box that's on our way to the park.


It was a lovely day. We had a detour to get to the ballot box, but it wasn't marked as such, just the road was closed. We made it, though. It's a drive-through drop-off, but we always park, so we can get out and take photos.


From there we went on to the park to give the pups some off-leash time and have a walk on the off-leash trail. We've been getting rain, so the air quality is back to normal, but catching good weather between rains is important.


I forgot to start the Walk for a Dog app when we left the car, so we actually walked farther than this. I actually started the app at that green upside-down teardrop shape that has a white dot in it. I let the app run all the way back to the car when we were done, though.



We had some of the new black bean soup recipe again, this time with some fresh bread. This is a small loaf, baked in a pan that has room for four little loaves, but I used it to bake only one. I use a half recipe for these little loaves.



In family news, my brother-in-law sold his Class B camping RV (that's the van type) and decided to buy an R-Pod 171c (c=classic), which is like ours, but without some of the special features, such as the front window, the outdoor shower, the internal vacuum and the solar panels on the roof, and the outside speakers, but they gave him an awning with it. I'm not sure what kind that is. It could be like ours. I don't think he get the TV, either, but we almost never use ours. We watch DVDs on my laptop, if we need entertainment. This isn't his, but this is a photo of the same model. He got it from the same dealer we got ours from, but they took down the photo after he bought it. Next time we go camping together I'll get a photo of his actual rig. 



This is our 171 Hood River Edition with the awning up, for comparison. You can see the big front window that he doesn't have. (The handle sticking out next to the door lifts and closes against the door. Ours is open. His is closed.)



The Wisconsin grandkids are in a couple of ballet productions coming up. First will be "Alice in Wonderland" and then "The Nutcracker." I'll post photos when there's something to show.


The Beaverton family is getting into the Halloween mood by reading some of the scary stories from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. They will be coming to visit us over Thanksgiving. For a whole week! That will be fun.


Meanwhile, our grandkitty is learning how to hide, presumably to be able to jump out and scare people when the time comes.



I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah or Classic Tales Retold, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.


Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still working on the Oregon Cardigan.

What's on my loom: Still in its corner under the windows.

What's on my sewing machine: Still its dust cover.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: This week's story from #TheDollsStorybook is Being Green Makes It Easy, which first appeared in 2020, and has been updated.


What's on my iPad/iPhone: Started listening to Dean Koontz's new book, The Forest of Lost Souls. Also reading a physical book, In the Shelter of Each Other by Milree Latimer. Not very far into either yet.

What's in my wine glass: Pinelli Montepulciano D'Abruzzio 2021. Fairly nice.

What's my tip of the week: We like to get those English cucumbers because they don't need to be peeled and they have a nice flavor. They last longer if you take them out of the plastic shrink-wrap, however, unless you're ready to use the whole thing. I remove the plastic entirely, then wrap the cucumber in dry paper towel and store refrigerated in a zipper bag. They last quite a long time that way, even after cutting.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 


The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a Stranger, The Rescue, Unmasked, Fuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, because the publisher gets a cut. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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