Well, We're off on another trip, our second camping trip this year. This time we're going up to the Portland area to visit the kids there. While we're there, Charlie has an appointment at OHSU for a checkup on the results of his procedure in March. We're taking the RPod, because we'll leave from there. I spent some time refreshing the Pod for the next trip.
It was a busy week, but I managed to get some knitting done. One sleeve is about ready for the ribbing cuff, and the other one just begun.
I wasn't sure how long to make the sleeves of the Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä, at least until I get the button/buttonhole bands on the front, so I can see how it will actually fit. (The nice thing about steeks is, you can try it on like a pullover, but this was knit flat.) As I worked on the first sleeve, I was getting close to the end of one skein of yarn, so I decided to stop when I did and put the live stitches on waste yarn, rather than connect a new skein and finish the sleeve. I think it only needs the ribbing, but it will be easier to tell once I finish both sleeves and can fasten the front. After I had the sleeve stitches on waste yarn, I picked up the live stitches on the other armscye and have started the second sleeve.
Why was my week so busy? Some of it had to do with my hearing aids. I have two pairs: a pair from 2019 and a new pair from 2024. One of my new hearing aids stopped working a few weeks ago, so I went back to my old ones, which were still good. I was not completely happy with the old ones because: a) The rechargeable battery didn't last all day if I use them to listen to an audiobook using Bluetooth, even for a couple of hours, and b) The default setting seemed to be to send everything to my hearing aids (phone calls, notifications from apps, etc.), which was not only annoying but also ran down the battery. If I used any app, like the Walk for a Dog app from Woof Trax, it would switch to my hearing aids. I didn't always notice when it happened, so it was running down the battery. I got some help from the place that sold and fitted me with the old hearing aids, so we got that problem solved, and in the meantime, I took my new hearing aids in to see if the dead one could be fixed. They sent them in to the company that made them, and this past week they were returned, as good as new. I'm not clear if they were still under warranty or if my insurance company paid whatever the cost was, but I didn't have to pay anything. (I'll find out next month when I get my insurance statement.) The newer hearing aids will last 36 hours on a charge without using the Bluetooth and plenty of power to get me through a day of listening nonstop If I had the time to do so. Now I have two working pairs of hearing aids, so I have a spare for each ear if something happens. I've become very dependent on them, so it's a good thing. Both sets are somehow paired to my phone but don't interfere with each other, because I only have one on at a time. Yay! Two time-consuming trips to the two audiologists, but I'm happy.
If you're wondering what socks I'm wearing in this photo, they're the Kristi socks from Cookie A's Sock Innovation book. I made them in 2009, the year I had two thumb surgeries.
With all the rain during our camping trip, a lot of dirt and sand ended up in the trailer. The rugs and tablecloth, dish and hand towels, and our clothes needed washing, so I did several loads of laundry. Some of the clothes went right back in our clothes boxes to take back to the Pod. The Pod also needed to be moved off the street, so we backed her into the driveway we had put in for RV storage. It goes into the backyard, but we knew we were going out again soon, so we left her in front of the gate. I gave her a a good sweeping inside. I also wanted to remove things I was unlikely to need to use on the next trip, so I took a box with me and went through the items in the under-seat storage area and the two cupboards.
The next job was/is reloading. I'll finish that today, and then load the fridge tomorrow, before we leave. I've been taking the boxes with clean clothes and linens back to the trailer, along with things like toiletries/cleaning supplies and a new collection of DVDs to watch in the evenings while we're camping. We have lots to choose from! (The photo includes only about 1/3 of our collection.)
We will need more food, of course. I've coordinated with Jim on supper menus, since he will be camping with us again. He's going to cook his poached salmon again, and I cooked up a couple of casseroles to go into the freezer. My Pasta with Cabbage and Cheese recipe makes enough for about six to eight people, so we had that one night this past week. The rest of it went into a disposable 8" cake pan for camping. The 8" pans fit comfortably in the convection/microwave oven. I'll take it out of the freezer the morning we plan to eat it, and let it thaw. We'll have power, so I can use the oven. The other dish I fixed was picked because I had mushrooms that needed to be used up. The original calls for kale, but I substituted cabbage because I had it. It also uses half a thinly sliced baguette, which I had left over from the last trip. I baked it in an 8" glass baking dish, because that's what I had at the time, but I picked up these disposable aluminum cake pans, and I was able to transfer both casseroles to those. I'm hoping I can reuse them a few times.
I put foil over the top, labeled them and put them into the freezer. The third night I'm providing supper, we'll have the frozen breaded cod we got from Costco and some of Trader Joe's hash browns with some mixed vegetables or peas.
Charlie mowed the lawn. There isn't much grass, but what there is was getting tall. In the backyard we had a large patch of what we think might be chickweed. It looks lovely, but I can't be sure that's what it is, because it hasn't produced any flowers. It's a lot prettier than the grass, though. I just want to be sure it's something safe. Chickweed is nutritious, so that would be good.
Oh, and I dusted, swept/vacuumed the floors and cleaned the bathrooms. No, I don't do that every week. I find every excuse possible to avoid tidying, dusting and vacuuming.
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What's in The Doll's Storybook: In "Too Tiny To See" Billy uses a magnifying glass to try to see atoms in a piece of paper. It isn't working, so he and Emil decide to ask Mandy for help.
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