Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. 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 RetoldOur 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, ChangesShhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

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

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

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being LittleBesties, 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, March 30, 2026

Back At It Again

I'm wearing my Traveling Woman Shawl and really enjoying it.



I have a good start on the Summer Sorrel top, though, and it's fun to knit. every few rows or so there is something different to do.



The chart makes it easy to follow. I'm using a crochet hook to bring the dipstitch through the rows below (usually 6, but that varies over the short row section). It's hard to keep the yarn from sliding off the needle, and the crochet hook makes it easy. A purled M1 stitch is cumbersome, too, but I don't have to do that too often.



Charlie can drive again now. I drove him to his physical therapy appointment, and he drove home. He is starting to walk with us on the trail now. He can't take one of the dogs yet, though. They might pull him over. He's disappointed that it's taking so long,, but I can actually see improvement every day.



I'm happy to have the double leash that fits around my waist. It makes it easier to walk both dogs together. Occasionally they get tangled up, but not often, and when they do, they usually can untangle themselves.



There was another Madroña Vineyards pop-up meeting Tuesday evening. It was fun to see everyone, as usual.

We had the big No Kings protest on Saturday. I wanted to take a sign this time, but I didn't get to the store to get supplies. I was able to put something together using things I had, though. I printed the text using a word-processing program and our printer. I glued the words onto one of the envelopes I use to send out my books. The stick is one of the lease sticks I use for weaving. 



"Antifa" is short for "Anti-Fascist." We fought Fascism during World War II, so our parents or grandparents who fought in the war were "Antifa." Some people try to make people think that Antifa is an actual organization, but it's just an adjective. I've even heard someone say that Antifa was Fascist, but that would be like saying that the library is against books. Anyway, I've been anti-Fascist all my life, so I can claim to be "Antifa" since I was born.

On the back, I included QR codes for other activities people could participate in. Several people took photos of that side of my sign, so they could use the codes to find out more about these activities.



Friday night I joined a group that planned to play and sing at the No Kings protest on Saturday. I knew some of the people, but there were some people I had never met before. Several people from our church choir were in attendance.



The event started at the pavilion at Drake Park, as usual. We had some singing groups that led the participants in a few songs. 



The group I was in was one of the last to perform.

There were a lot of people there. It seemed like more than last time, but it was difficult to get photos of the crowd without having a drone.



After the rally at Drake Park pavilion, everyone marched to Peace Corner. Between the dogs and staying with Charlie to make sure someone didn't knock him over, we were among the last to reach the street, and it was too crowded to push through to get photos of all the participants lining the streets. I haven't heard any estimates of how many people were there this time, but it seemed like more than last time.



After the event, some of us went to Bend Brewing for a beer. We sat outdoors, because we had the dogs with us. (The dogs got a lot of attention, which they enjoyed.)



Saturday night, we stayed up and watched 1776, the musical based on the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which we've seen many times before, starting with the stage production back when we lived in Ponca City, Oklahoma. The community theater put it on. It was 1976, and they had picked the show because it had been 200 years since the Declaration of Independence was written. I got some knitting done.



There were a lot of other things going on this past week: medical appointments, Charlie's physical therapy, grocery shopping, etc. I was doing most of the driving, but now he will be able to drive himself.

I've been polishing stories for the new book, reposting important notices on BlueSky, walking the dogs most days and doing the usual cooking and laundry. We have a busy week coming up, with grooming for Dusty tomorrow, Dusty's teeth-cleaning appointment is Wednesday and Sandy gets groomed on Friday. And it's Holy Week, so we have services every day. The choir sings on Good Friday and then again for the Great Vigil on Saturday and two services on Easter Sunday.

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 RetoldOur 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: Making progress on the Summer Sorrel Tee.

What's on my iPhone: Just finished The Strange Case  of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss on the AudiobooksNow app. Picking out a new book to listen to.

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

What's in The Doll's Storybook: This week's story takes us back to when Mariah was a new member of the family. Jolena and Mariah lie on a towel in the grass and look up at the sky. They wonder where the stars are. Mandy comes to the rescue to explain why we can't see stars in the daytime in Stars in the Sky.


What's my tip of the week: If you have an iPhone, there is an app included called "Health." You can use it as a pedometer.


Just open it up and click on Walking + Running Distance. Check what it says for that day before you start your walk/run, then look again at it when you return. Other phones undoubtedly have similar apps.

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, ChangesShhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

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

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

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being LittleBesties, 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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