HighFiber

Monday, February 10, 2025

Plodding Along

Well, I got through the charts for this week's clue for the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along, and the next clue doesn't come until Wednesday. We're in outer space, and the aliens have emerged from their flying saucers.

The next step was the Latvian braid. I've done this before, but it has been a while. I did watch the video demo before I started on it, though.

I've gone back to the Sunday Morning Wrap. It's coming along nicely, a little at a time.

I made two batches of granola this week. There's a story. The granola takes a hour in the oven at 300ºF, but you have to stir it every 20 minutes. I set the timer for 20, stirred it, set the timer for 20, stirred it, and then was interrupted after I put it in the oven again, and I forgot to set the timer. When I realized it had been more than 20 minutes, I went to get it out, and it was overdone. Not burned, but overdone. We decided it was edible, but not the best. Charlie suggested making another batch and then mixing them together, so I did. The second batch was just barely done. It tasted fine, and now we have a LOT of granola!

On Sunday, I made some cookies, but I used the convection/microwave oven, which is smaller. Since I was using my small baking sheet, which fits nicely but can't turn on the turntable, I had to rotate the pan 90º halfway though. Between the granola and the cookies, we're going through a lot of olive oil, honey and oats.

I need to get busy making the binding for the T-shirt quilt, because it should be done soon.

We got some snow during the past few days. And then we got more. The next day, rinse and repeat.

It gave us a good opportunity to get out in the woods and let the pups have a run.

They really love to run loose in the woods, so we did it again the next day.

We've taken this route every day through Sunday. When we get out of the woods and close to the trail, the pups get leashed up. The snow is starting to disappear in some spots, so we may not be able to walk in the woods too much longer, because it will be getting muddy.

Here's our route. It's only about half a mile, but sloshing through the snow is a workout.

Meanwhile, when we're not walking, Dusty is training Sandy in the security detail...um...details. He's showing Sandy how you watch for someone to come walking by on the sidewalk, and then you bark like crazy. Another intruder you need to watch for is cats. Those sneaky things walk right up on the lawn. So do the deer, and then you really have to start screaming, because sometime Mum likes to get her phone and take photos of them.

Soren's been getting a workout playing basketball. Alexa got this great photo.

Johan came in second at a wrestling tournament.

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 More Classic Tales Retold or 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, Classic Tales Retold, Our Favorite Verses or More 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 Sunday Morning Wrap and the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along.

What's on my iPhone: Still listening to How We learn To Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, DC on the AudiobooksNow app.

What's on my sewing machine: Binding for the T-shirt quilt and clothes for Olivia.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In this week's story Jolena wonders how she can figure out what's the right thing to do in What It Means To Be Good. She goes to Veronika for help.

What's my tip of the week: You don't need sugar and butter to make cookies. This is Jolena's recipe for Good Cookies.

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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Monday, February 3, 2025

Chilled to the Bone

The Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along is...coming along. I'm a little more than a third of the way through Clue #3.

Everyone's project will look different, because it's sort of a "choose your own adventure." Not only the yarn will be different, but also which motifs people choose and how they put them together.

It has been cold and either rainy or windy almost every day. Monday was cold, but not too windy, and the sun was out, so we decided to take the pups to the off-leash area at Ponderosa Park.

Daddy brought the Chuck-It. Sandy has learned what that means.

Sandy can actually run faster than Dusty because he's slightly bigger, but Dusty has learned from experience how to gauge where the ball is going to go. Sandy's forte is actually returning the ball to you, dropping it at your feet, while Dusty brings it to you and shows it to you as he chomps on it. "See what I got?"

We've been keeping a fleece on Dusty because of the cold.

He had an appointment with the cardiologist on Wednesday. We're planning to have his teeth cleaned this month, not because of any tartar buildup, but because it's good to get X-rays to make sure there are no hidden problems. Dusty has an asymptomatic heart murmur, and the vet wanted to be sure he could handle the sedation well. We had an echocardiogram a couple of years ago and learned that it's a very minor heart valve problem. It certainly doesn't slow him down at all. We received a good report from the cardiologist. The echocardiogram was virtually unchanged, but the vet who called us recommended repeating it in another year or so. Our clinic has merged with another animal clinic not too far away, and the vet who called us to discuss the cardiologist's report was not one we had talked with before. He ran down the list of symptoms we should watch for. Then he remarked about how easy Dusty was to work with. The technician had told us when we picked him up that he just lay there and let them do what they needed to do. Some dogs have to be sedated for this procedure. It was an exciting day for him, so he was happy to relax when he came home.

My friend Carol from Park City came to town with her husband, Jeff, to ski with family members who live in our state. They popped in to see us on their way to their lodging.

Unfortunately, I had to watch the clock, because I had an appointment with the quilter to drop off the T-shirt quilt at 3:00, so I had to say goodbye and rush off, which explains the scattered look on all of our faces.

I've been avoiding a number of foods to help control suspected reflux, and chocolate is on the list. (I find I miss the chocolate as much as the wine!) I have used carob powder in the past, so I've been making hot "chocolate" using it for a while. I decided to try to make some brownies. I found a recipe online after rejecting a number of others. Even that took some adaptation, but I was happy with the result. (The recipe is below, in my Tip of the Week.)

Sunday the Wisconsin grandkids performed in a band concert; Zachary in the 7th grade band and Daphne in the high school band. After performing one after the other, the groups played one piece together. Here is Zachary (circled) with his band...and his clarinet.

Here's Daphne, circled, playing her flute.

I've been working on a new story, this time including Olivia, my new character. I have to give her a wardrobe, and that may take a few days. At least the story is written.

Meanwhile, we're spending a lot of time indoors until it warms up. Walks are usually in the mid- to late-afternoon if the wind isn't blowing.

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 Sunday Morning Wrap and also making progress on the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along.

What's on my iPhone: Listening to How We Learn To Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, DC, using the AudiobooksNow app.

What's on my sewing machine: Still ready to make binding for the T-shirt quilt. Also planning some clothes for my new character, Olivia.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: This week's story is Forgiven. Pauly is dealing with some feelings he can't handle without help. Fortunately, he has friends.

What's my tip of the week: Here's my Carob Brownie recipe:

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.

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.

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Monday, January 27, 2025

Another Stitch in Time

The Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along project is coming along. The next clue comes out on Wednesday.

The Sunday Morning Wrap is also coming along. I'm almost to the point where I discovered I was using the wrong needles and had to frog the whole thing.

I always do a lot of cooking and baking during the week. This week was no different. I made a nice vegetable stew, stir-fried soy curls with vegetables and another batch of granola, this time the best batch yet. I think the inclusion of the slivered almonds and using a dinner knife to stir the granola during baking rather than a spatula made the difference.

The rain finally stopped, but then the bitter cold set in. The pups do their duty expertly in keeping me warm while we're indoors.

We did get a few walks in. This was the longest, though, down to Bear Creek and back.

Soren has been learning to play basketball. His shirt was a bit big, so they tied it in the back.

They have a lower basket for the kids to use if they want. That's Soren for two points!

Katie has been having some adventures. Plastic bags last week and now a hair tie, which she barfed up before it could do any damage. Here she is, pretending to be a parrot, and Daphne is a pirate.

Charlie had to go to urgent care on Monday because his one good eye was inflamed. Pinkeye. He got a prescription for antibiotic eye drops, and the eye is all better now.

Football games have taken up every weekend, but that will be over soon.

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 Sunday Morning Wrap and also making progress on the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along.

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

What's on my sewing machine: Ready to make binding for the T-shirt quilt.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Bounce or Splat Billy and Jolena wonder about how balls can bounce but eggs just go splat. Mandy to the rescue again!

What's my tip of the week: Did you ever think it would be easier to clean the toilet if there weren't any water in it? That can be fixed easily. Get a big pan of water...say at least a quart...and dump it into the toilet all at once. The pressure will force the water down through the pipes and leave only a small amount at the bottom. I use a pumice stone to lean the ring where the water level was. Next time the toilet is flushed, it will fill up again as usual.

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.

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.

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