Today in Deb’s Kitchen…

Granola. A little short on the oatmeal proportion because it scorched a bit while it was in the oven.

I was busy dealing with slimy, slippery, naked peaches. I bought a bag of them yesterday to bake with, figuring, how hard could it be? Because, of course, it’s been years since I tried peeling peaches. I’d forgotten how much I truly hate peeling them. I even tried the blanch-in-hot-water-slip-the-skins-right-off method but really, no. It worked on exactly ONE peach, but none of the others. So, I manually peeled these slippery things and then sliced them … and, seriously, as much as I love peaches, it’s going to be at least another 5 years or so before I peel any more of them. (Or at least, if I can help it.) Otherwise, they’re going to be eaten like this in our house from now on.

Well, AFTER we finish the cobbler I made today. Peaches on the bottom, biscuit on the top. Mmmm.

Then, I was in the mood to make cookies … another rare thing. I had made a batch of large, chewy oatmeal cookies the other day, to help fill in the empty places after lunch because my tooth was too sore to eat a sandwich like I usually do, and a bowl of yogurt just isn’t quite satisfying enough … but yogurt with an oatmeal cookie stuffed with dried cranberries and walnuts? Yes, definitely.

So, I baked a batch of those on Tuesday while my parents were at the movies, but I’ve been thinking about how much I’d like some soft, chewy ginger snaps (my favorite cookies, next to traditional, soft chewy Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies like my grandmother made). Except … no ginger in the house. No chocolate chips, either. I almost never want to make cookies, so it’s frustrating to be in the rare, rare mood to make them and not have the necessary ingredients.

So I made these. Hermits. Mostly because they were the first recipe I came across in the cookbook that I had everything I needed, and wasn’t chocolate. Of course, they’re jam-packed with raisins and I really don’t like raisins very much … not sure what the rationale was, there. They’re pretty good, though (despite the raisins), even though I haven’t heard from the other family members yet, to know what they thought.

We had pot roast, too.

But, you know, sometimes the simple things are the best of all. I LOVE cherries, and bought a bag of them at Whole Foods yesterday, and they’re almost gone already. It’s really a good thing that cherry season is so brief … they’re addictive, like potato chips. I can’t eat just one.

We all went to the park yesterday. A gorgeous Saturday … in fact, let me just say that as hot a summer as this has been, and as wet as last week was, August 2010 has had a FINE line in Saturdays. No matter what the rest of the week was like, every Saturday has been a gem. (And coming from a hot-weather-hater like me, that says a lot.)

Anyway, we took Chappy to the park yesterday and met a whole bunch of really nice dogs–full-grown and puppies. (A couple really cute puppies, in fact.) The only drawback, where Chappy’s concerned, was that, while trying to dip his hot, tired paws in the stream for a quick splash, he SLIPPED, and fell into one of the deep spots and got wet all over. He did NOT like that. He doesn’t care that genetically he is a water-spaniel retrieving dog, he prefers his paws firmly on the ground, thank you, and only likes water in his bowl (except for the aforementioned occasional splash).

All three of us, I’m sorry to say, laughed lovingly at his shock and disgust, even while I was helping him out of the stream. (This is where leashes attached to harnesses really come in handy. You can’t really PULL on a leash attached to a collar.) Naturally, it was right after that, while his fur was still dripping wet, that we bumped into about four more really nice dogs. How embarrassing! Though one dog didn’t even care. All he wanted to do was stand in the stream and bark at reflections. Unlike almost every other dog I know, he completely blew off the dogs standing nearby, greeting and sniffing. All he was interested in was the stream. And the barking. It was cute.

Oh, and since he was wet already AND had played with one of the puppies in the middle of the dropping-strewn horse trail, Chappy got a bath when he got home. It’s just the way it goes.

Still, all in all, a good weekend. And if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go find something to snack on!

Tags: Baking by --Deb
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So, back in college, my best friend Dawn had this great bag. It was a combination big purse/bookbag and I know it seems crazy, but I’ve always remembered it. Mostly because the handles were so cool. Instead of regular, you know, handles, the bag had a series of rings around the top that had a long handle threaded through. When you lifted it, the handles automatically cinched it closed, but when you put it down, the handles loosened so you could easily reach in to rummage.

Hmm. Maybe I’m not explaining it very well.

Still, the thing is, I need a new purse, and I decided that instead of trying to find one that I liked to buy … because it’s been a couple years since I found one that I liked … I’d try knitting myself one, and see what happens. So, I’m making a purse-sized bag inspired by that one. Or at least, inspired by what I can remember of it.

Of course, mine is knit, not leather, and I don’t actually remember the general shape of the bag–was it round at the base? Rectangular? Did the sides go straight up, or were they shaped?

Hmm. Let’s face it. I obviously just remember the handles (grin).

It took me a couple tries to find a stitch pattern I liked, but I’m really enjoying this one. It’s a pleasure to knit and also looks great.

I’m also planning ahead, as I like to do, which means I’m worrying about the lining. It’s a must, you understand, but will require sewing, and I don’t actually do that very often!

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Do you know what nine years ago today was?

Chappy day!

Yes, it’s exactly nine years since we brought this fluffy little boy home.

He came from a breeder in western Pennsylvania, about a six/six-and-a-half hour’s drive from here. We were both agreed that it wasn’t really a feasible drive to do in one day (especially with a seven-week old puppy), so we drove out the day before, a Friday.

I had actually gone to work on Friday, with the plan for Mom and me to leave around 3:00 in the afternoon. I had such a hard time concentrating on my work, though! I couldn’t sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time, and kept pacing around the office on jittery legs, anxious to get my puppy.

Understand, I was nervous for a bunch of reasons. It was only three months since I’d lost Katy to a car and I wasn’t entirely ready for a new dog quite yet. I would have been happier if Chappy’s litter had been born a month later, to give me just that extra month to finish mourning for Katy. Three months just didn’t seem like quite enough time to say good-bye, but it was close enough that I was looking forward to the new puppy, too. Mostly, anyway. Part of me was still focused on Katy. (Which, incidentally, explains Chappy’s extreme sensitivity when her name comes up. Apparently I talked about her a LOT in his first weeks with us. I’ve explained to him many times that, well, I loved her, too, but still. He’s kind of got a little-brother complex there.)

I ended up leaving work around lunchtime because, hey, I wasn’t getting a lick of work done anyway. Mom and I threw our suitcases into the car, hopped on Rt 80, and headed west. We checked into the Best Western in Kittanning and tried to get some sleep … we were right next to the pool, so that was tricky, what with all the splashing and screaming going on on the other side of the wall. Not to mention the nerves. (And cramps. I had truly dreadful cramps that night, which I’ve decided were labor pains.)

The next morning, we met up with another mother and daughter who were also adopting one of Chappy’s litter that day, and then the four of us headed over to Randy’s. The puppy pile? Oh God, one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

I’ve told you about Red Ear, right? Mom and I had actually driven out to Kittanning two weeks earlier to pick out a puppy, whose ear was marked with red ink. Adoption morning, though, that puppy wanted NOTHING to do with us. He was at the bottom of the puppy pile and looked kind of tormented. I think Chappy told him horror stories about us for those two weeks so that he could have his chance with us. He had clearly set his heart on HIS being the puppy we brought home, and if Red Ear had remotely shown any interest in us, we never would have looked at the other puppies. But, Red Ear spent his time cowering in the corner and squirming whenever either of us would pick him up, so Randy said we could change our minds.

That left two puppies who really liked us. The others had been polite and friendly, but not particularly interested, but there were two who tried to win us over. Chappy and Mr. Personality. Mr. Personality threw every “cute puppy” trick in the book at us and was adorable and charming, but Chappy was smart. He paced himself so that when Mr. P conked out, he was still being winning and cute. He also focused on his Grandma and won her over first.

I was a mess, trying to make this decision. We had never had to pick out a puppy before, and with having lost Katy so recently, and Red Ear being so very much the wrong puppy for us, I was terrified that I was going to pick the wrong one. I don’t generally lose control or have hysterics or whatever, but I was so distraught trying to choose between these two puppies, at one point Mom even offered to get both of them. (When you consider we’ve never had more than one pet at a time in our house EVER, that should tell you what a wreck I was.)

Ultimately, though, Chappy’s planning and stamina paid off. He said goodbye to his four-legged parents, climbed into my lap in the car (the only time he got to ride in my lap instead of seat-buckled in the back) and promptly fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. I mean, that was quite a morning for a seven-week old puppy!

He slept soundly almost the entire drive back to New Jersey. He would blink awake when the car would go over a bump, or if a loud truck zoomed by. He woke up enough to sniff and look adorable at a couple rest stops, and when we stopped for lunch at a McDonalds. I did some of the driving, but most of it was Mom, while Chappy and I bonded.

When we got home, Dad met us in the driveway and took Chappy out of my lap. He looked particularly tiny in my tall father’s hands. We all went inside, and Chappy promptly started to explore–a big difference from Katy’s first moments in our house. (She had flown up on a plane and was still traumatized and unsure who on earth we were, and didn’t really want to do anything except cling to me.) Chappy, though, by this time was well-rested and pretty secure that we were WONDERFUL people, so he was delighted to explore. He looked like he couldn’t believe his luck, that he had toys all to himself, and his own dishes that he wouldn’t have to share with five other puppies.

Sigh.

I can’t believe it’s been nine years.

Thanks for picking us, Chappy.

(Psst. Hi, everyone, it’s Chappy. Mom doesn’t know I’m writing this. I know she thinks that I tried to scare Red Ear so that he wouldn’t want to be with them, but it’s NOT true. He was just a wimp, that’s all. He just LET the rest of us sit on top of him, he had no spunk. There’s no way he would have been the right dog for MY Mom. She needed someone with personality, and … not that other puppy. He was all show, but no real substance. I mean, he was my brother and I loved him, but still. He was way too vain for a puppy, and a show-off.

I, on the other hand, KNEW that I was the only possible puppy for Mom. I knew it the minute I saw her when she and Grandma came to visit when I was little. I was really worried that day when they didn’t pay any attention to me at all. Mom said once that was because one of us had shown some signs of hip problems when we were really little and she didn’t want to pick that puppy, so she avoided us bigger puppies on that first visit. I think that’s just silly, though. Obviously *I* was going to be perfect, but I couldn’t get her to look at me!

I did NOT tell Red Ear scary stories, but I did spend the next two weeks training, focusing my puppy cuteness until it was razor sharp to make all the people go “Awww” whenever they saw me. I knew I only had one chance, and I was determined not to miss it! And you know, I was still really little. I had a hard time concentrating on anything for more than a minute or two, so you can see how determined I was.

All my hard work paid off, though, and I got the best Mom in the whole world. But don’t tell her I said so. It’ll just go to her head. Oops. I hear her coming! Gotta go.)

Bye!

Tags: Chappy by --Deb
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Well, not real pearls, but antique fake ones, bought at Covent Garden in London back in 1987, and jumbled with a hematite necklace and a bronze-brown woven chain. It’s the way those glass pearls catch the light, though, that looks so beautiful.

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It would be a better picture, of course, if I had cleaned the mirror first, but beggars can’t be choosy.

This one’s not much better. The mirror is cleaner, but my camera focused on the actual mirror, not the reflection. So, you know, take your pick.

This little guy has been quiet today. I took him to the vet for his annual check-up yesterday and, $192 later, it turns out that he has an ear infection.

Not a bad one, mind you. In fact, the vet told me we’d caught it really early. The part that astounded her was that this is the FIRST ear infection my 9-year old spaniel has ever had. When I said so, her jaw dropped. “A spaniel?” So obviously we’ve been doing something right, huh?

Of course, now I get to be Chappy’s FAVORITE person because two times a day for the next two weeks, I get to put drops in his ear. You know, those cold, oozy things that tickle and itch all the way down the ear canal? Yeah, those. Chappy just loves those.

Now, here’s something you never thought you’d see here. I won a contest over at FiberFarm.com and the prize was six skeins (Six!) in one of three colors of yarn. I asked Susan which she thought would be best for me and she suggested “Catcher in the Rye,” which came yesterday. Except, um, I think this is really well named because it looks to me like the shade of orange deer hunters wear to make sure they’re not accidentally shot. (Trust me, it’s even brighter in person than it appears in the photo.) I like orange–you know that–but this is bright orange, and well, I don’t like it. Much as I adored using her yarn for my Salem Hooded Jacket (as seen above), and think her yarn and colors are generally awesome, and grateful as I am to have won a sweater’s worth of yarn … I’m sending it back with regrets. If I had any dyeing skills at all, I might have kept it and tried over-dyeing to tone the orange down to something a little rustier, but since I don’t, I figure it’s better for the farm to get the yarn back to sell than for it to sit in my stash unused and unappreciated. (Well, not unappreciated, because like I said, I’m super grateful, but under-appreciated as regards to color.) It’s great yarn and it deserves better. So … back it goes, with my thanks, because that seems the right thing to do.

I know. You’re really grateful that you were sitting down while you read this, aren’t you? That news would have made me fall over in shock, too.

One more thing–remember when I mentioned this adorable book a couple months ago? IT’S A BOOK by Lane Smith? Oh my God, it’s like the best picture book EVER.

Here’s a reminder:

The perfect children’s books for all us book lovers … because, as much as I love and appreciated computers and e-readers and smart phones and all that? A real, paper book is still something unique.

Now, wish me luck. Tomorrow I go to the ondontist for a root canal that my regular dentist doesn’t feel equipped to deal with, for a tooth that’s apparently infected and more urgent than the one that fractured a couple weeks ago and still has a little, temporary seal on it until it can be addressed. Which, likely, means it’s going to be pulled, along with my one and only wisdom tooth, just as soon as this OTHER trouble-making tooth is taken care of. Yikes. My mouth and my checkbook are neither of them looking forward to this. I’ve never had a tooth pulled before.

(Yes, I only have the one wisdom tooth, the other 3 just aren’t there, and we wonder if my having been 7 weeks premature might have had something to do with that. Anyway, it’s hung in there for decades, now, but it’s at a point where it needs more work than it’s worth and it’s better off just being pulled, and since it’s right next to the fractured tooth that would really need an implant to fix properly anyway … might as well do them both at the same time. Ouch. Not looking forward to that, either. And, did I mention that my checkbook is terrified? But, really, let’s not talk about it, huh? Tomorrow, though, is a root canal on a completely different tooth on the other side of my mouth. Sigh. Have I mentioned how much I hate my teeth?)

Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting by --Deb
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Hurray! At least I accomplished something today.

This is the Salem Hooded Jacket from New England Knits (a book I whole-heartedly recommend. It’s wonderful.)

Anyway, remember how I had said that one of the skeins was a different color than the other three? (As in, looking like it was from another batch, not that it was, you know, DIFFERENT.) And then when Susan had her summer sale and this color was one of the ones available for $10 a skein, so I bought a fifth skein? SO glad I did.

The 5th skein actually matched the other three much better than the 4th one I already had, so I moved it up in the rotation, and used it for the hood. In fact, I had about ONE yard left when I finished the hood. That means that, if I hadn’t ordered a new skein, the pockets would have needed to be a different yarn–and I could have lived with that.

But. if you look at that picture… the flaps at the top of the pockets look just a little … greener … than the rest of the sweater.

Since that color difference is ONLY for the two pocket flaps (and the inside of the pockets), I don’t care. It’s almost like a design element. But I’m so glad I don’t have a horizontal line going across the yoke or between the sleeves and the rest of the sweater from a skein that didn’t QUITE match.

But, it’s done, isn’t that wonderful?

Though, I’m still not sure about the snaps that hold it shut. I still think it needs buttons…

(I do love the argyle-grosgrain ribbon, though! It’s perfect.)

Otherwise, I’ve been sickeningly lazy all day. I baked a cake and watered my plants, but that’s about it. There was definitely napping involved.

Which, of course, was something that CHAPPY whole-heartedly agreed with.

Yesterday? I got my hair cut for the first time since January. I bought myself a new pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars in my favorite shade of green, (I had a DSW coupon), and generally had a nice morning out with Mom.

I’ve been watching “Homefront” on YouTube lately. Does anyone else remember this post-WWII tv series from 1991? With Kyle Chandler? (Yes, I’ve always loved Kyle Chandler, starting with his stint as Jeff on this show–that and Ginger’s hair-styles and clothes alone would have made me love it.) WHY is this show not available on DVD yet? And what’s a girl to do when YouTube starts getting stubborn and simply won’t play the episodes? (Sigh)

Tomorrow, Chappy’s got a check-up at the vet, and Wednesday, I have to go to an Ondontist to start some of this expensive, extensive dental work I need. (Much bigger sigh.) Hence the haircut and the new shoes BEFORE those bills start rolling in to depress me.

Hope your weekend was wonderful! Now, I need to go swatch for my next project…

Tags: Finished Knitting by --Deb
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Like Lorette, even though I don’t do memes very often, I couldn’t actually resist this one.

1. Favorite childhood book?
I’m terrible at picking just one, but “A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Burnett is right near the top. Her Sara taught me how to control my temper, and I’ve always been grateful. I couldn’t resist “Anne of Green Gables,” by L.M. Montgomery, either, or Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” I loved Louisa May Alcott, too, but my favorites were always “Eight Cousins” and “Jack and Jill” rather than “Little Women.” Then there was “Understanding Betsy,” “Caddie Woodlawn,” the “Little House on the Prairie” books, and the “Black Stallion” books. Let’s not forget Trixie Belden…

2. What are you reading right now?
Oh my. Um. Dorothy Dunnett’s “Disorderly Knights” (third in her series, the Lymond Chronicles). “Eiffel’s Tower” about the 1889 world’s fair in Paris that introduced it. “Singled Out” about the two million “surplus” women in Great Britain at the end of WWI (heart-breaking). “A Savage Peace” about America in 1919, just after the war had ended, but it wasn’t exactly peaceful. Oh, and a book about rhetoric and arguments whose title escapes me at the moment but which I’m too comfortable to get up and go look at for you. I think that’s everything. Unless you count the pile of WWI-ish books that I keep referring to while writing lately?

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
None. I can’t remember the last time I checked a book out of the library.

4. Bad book habit?
None, really. I take very, very good care of my books.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
None (see #3).

6. Do you have an e-reader?
I do, I have a Kindle 2.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
Obviously the answer is several. About the bare minimum is one fiction and one non-fiction, but there’s usually an assortment. Almost always just one novel at a time, though, and the non-fiction is usually a mix.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Not that I can think of. I still read at every possible moment I’m not doing something else.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Under Enemy Colors by S. Thomas Russell. Not so much because it was so terrible but because, under a different name, he’s one of my favorite fantasy authors, but I thought there was no comparison between the quality and subtlety of those books and this.

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Just one? Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Hard to answer because I so often read straight out of my own library, but I’ll read just about anything, though I draw the line at horror (because I need to sleep at night) or books that are too R-rated because I just don’t see the point of excessive sex/violence/language in a BOOK.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Almost any good story, interestingly told.

13. Can you read on the bus?
If I ever actually rode a bus, yes. I can read anywhere except in the shower, and that’s because the water makes it too hard to turn the pages.

14. Favorite place to read?
I will literally read just about anywhere as long as my hands are dry and I’m not risking my life, but my two favorite places are my yellow chair in the living room, preferably with Chappy curled up next to me, or in bed. I curl up on my left side, prop the book against a heaped-up corner of the quilt and just read and read and read.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
Only to VERY trust-worthy people, and that very seldom because even so, I haven’t gotten all the books I’ve lent back. My sister’s the only one who is truly reliable.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
I’d say an emphatic no, but I DO sometimes put the tiniest one on pages with quotes I want to be able to find again.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
No.

18.  Not even with text books?
Really, no. I tried it, briefly, my freshman year of college, but couldn’t bring myself to continue. If I truly need to leave a note, I use a post-it.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
Um, English. It’s the only one I speak.

20. What makes you love a book?
Captivating story, great characters, wonderful writing … what more do you need? And if it’s informative, too boot? Perfection.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
See #20.

22. Favorite genre?
All sorts, but my comfort reading is usually fantasy/sci-fi. I find that they most take me out of myself when I need to relax.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
I can’t really think of any that I don’t read that I wish I read.

Favorite biography?
Um. David McCullough’s “John Adams” and his “Truman,” I guess. I love really good historical biographies. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals” is magnificent, too.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Probably, I guess, but I can’t really think of what it might be. One on dating, maybe, back when I was in my 20s? Do business books count?

26. Favorite cookbook?
Oh, harder than you’d think! The Home Cooking books by Laurie Colwin. The King Arthur anniversary cookbook I’ve had for about 20 years. Susan Branch’s books, if only for the sake of looking at them.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
Um…

28. Favorite reading snack?
I don’t usually eat while I read, though I sometimes drink a cup of tea. I sometimes sit with a piece of cake and a book, but … mostly, just the book.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I suppose there are books that people raved about that I didn’t like… Most recent? The Art of Racing in the Rain.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don’t really have an answer for this because I don’t read book reviews all that often. Maybe the ones on Amazon.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I’m in the “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” school, which is why my book reviews are almost always positive in some way.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
I really have no opinion on this.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
I’m trying to remember feeling intimidated by a book … Moby Dick, maybe? Because it was so darn huge and boring at the same time? Deadly combination.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
None that I can think of.

35. Favorite Poet?
Billy Collins.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Zero.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
When I actually used to use the library? Pretty much zero percent. I always read them.

38. Favorite fictional character?
I truly don’t have just one, but I love the young Ramses Emerson in Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody books. He’s just such a loquacious, determined, amazing character, speaking like a college professor, almost, when he’s just a few years old, and able to get in and out of trouble with a remarkable felicity. He’s extraordinary. (Mind you, he’s just fine as an adult character, but it’s his childhood antics of rescuing lions and stealing from master criminals that I adore.)

39. Favorite fictional villain?
As in, the most villainous? Gabriel in Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
I can’t choose just one, that’s for sure. I pack more books for vacation than I do clothes, almost!

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
You can count this in hours, and I can actually pinpoint the day–moving day last year, when I didn’t get to read for practically an entire day. Otherwise, usually no more than four hours.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
There really aren’t that many, but that Book of Dr. Strange and Mr. something-or-other that was all the rage a few years ago. I absolutely hated it and thought that if I heard the phrase “the thistle-haired man” one more time I would literally throw it across the room. I found myself scrubbing my bathroom rather than pick it up to read. I got 300 pages into it and then just gave up to save what was left of my sanity.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Not much. My focus isn’t quite as good when I was younger and would read in the middle of the playground at school, but I can block out most distractions.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
There are some good ones. Lord of the Rings. Sense and Sensibility (the Emma Thompson one). The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Possession (though I know a lot of people hated the movie). The Secret Garden (the one from the 1990s with the gorgeous photography).

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Howl’s Moving Castle. Most children’s books. I have yet to see a “Little Princess” that doesn’t turn Sara into a terrible brat–and don’t get me started at them making her father still be alive.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Over $100 but less than $500. Not counting college textbooks.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
I suppose I might do a quick flip-through at the bookstore, but otherwise, when I’m ready to read it, I read it.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Awful writing, awful story, extreme boredom, excessive R-rating type behavior.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Absolutely!

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
Keep, keep, keep! It pains me to give them away.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Not that I can think of, though I long for the day when fantasy writers manage to think of something other than vampires and misunderstood teenagers.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
Nothing’s coming to mind.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Dust of 100 Dogs.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
That stupid Mr. Strange book whose title I don’t even bother to try to remember. I thought I would love it and it was godawful.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Fantasy and Sci-fi. Sharon Shinn. Anne McCaffrey. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller…

Tags: Reading by --Deb
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This is a rare, rare Wednesday because I saw my entire family today. (Well, you know, Mom, Dad, Chappy, Patty, Mike, Tiffany, Tyler–the usuals. Not the extended family.)

See, first, Dad had a golf outing down near Atlantic City somewhere and was leaving at 5:30 this morning, so he was going to be gone all day.

Then, Tiffany called Mom to ask if she wanted to go see the King Tut exhibit in New York–the one Mom’s been talking about for months. She’s wanted to see the King Tut exhibit since it rolled through NY the first time around back around 1979. And the date Tiffany picked? Today. And, oh yeah, Mike, her dad, my brother-in-law was going to. (This is the point that caused shock and amazement among most of us because Mike likes New York City about as much as I do.)

So, that meant two things. One, poor Chappy was going to be home alone ALL day and, Two, the house would be empty.

I did exactly what you’d expect me to do … I took the day off from work. I mean, really, the house to myself for a whole day? How could I resist?

I was thinking, though … I didn’t know what time Mom, Tiffany, and Mike would be getting home from the city, but it seemed wrong to send them home without feeding them. They would be tired and hot, and anyway, I’d want to hear about their days so … I told Mom I’d make something flexible for supper. Something that would be ready to serve whenever they got here.

But then it occurred to me that I never really get to do stuff with my sister, or spend time just with her, and she usually sees Mom on Wednesdays. So, I sent her an email and (1) invited her to come visit, or (2) come visit and bring Tyler and we could all have supper together … even Dad, if he was home from golf in time.

She and Tyler had an errand down in Point Pleasant (down the shore), so she said they’d go down there to get Tyler’s bike and come back here afterward, probably around 2:30. I was thrilled and immediately started thinking about what to make for supper. It had to be something that I could have ready to go before they got here, and ultimately I decided on deli sandwiches and homemade salads. I ran out to the grocery store this morning before Mom left to pick up the necessary stuff, and after they left, mixed together some potato salad and a huge bowl of macaroni salad. (I never should have cooked the whole box of elbow macaroni; I don’t know what I was thinking.) I also sliced up the strawberries I bought, baked a quick, plain cake to serve with them, and whipped some stabilized whipped cream–all of which was in the refrigerator by 1:00, and I was beat!

I sat and read with Chappy for a while. He, incidentally, was having a great day. Sure, both his grandparents were out, but he had his Mom home on a work day AND he’d seen Tiffany and Mike when they came to pick up Mom.

I even added about 500 words to my book. Not a huge amount, I grant you, but better than nothing.

Then … Patty called around noon and said they were running late. At 2:10 Dad called to say he was leaving the golf course and expected to be home in about two and a half hours. 2:15, Tiffany called to say they were in New Jersey and on their way home, so the three from the New York Adventure were the first to arrive. They were all tired, but had a wonderful time, though Mike was tired enough and trying so very hard to keep his eyelids politely open, we sent him downstairs to Dad’s recliner for a nap.

About 4:00, Patty and Tyler arrived, and about five-ten minutes later, Dad did. They were all very tired and seemed very hot and very, very glad to get out of their respective cars. They must have been almost side-by-side on the Garden State Parkway for most of the drive home, they arrived so close together.

Chappy wore himself out saying hello to everyone and making sure they all knew how happy, happy, happy he was to see them. (Because saying hello is one of his favorite things EVER. If he could figure out how to say hello in a properly enthusiastic manner while eating at the same time, he’d be the happiest dog in the world.)

Everybody enjoyed dinner … though we ended up with a LOT of leftover macaroni salad. Not everybody wanted the cake I’d made, either, but being hot and tired will do that to your appetite, so no hard feelings. And meanwhile, everyone is tired–including me. I may not have put the miles in that everyone else did today, but I still got a lot done.

Maybe going to work tomorrow and sitting at my desk isn’t such a bad idea, after all.

Tags: Family by --Deb
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So, you’ve been wondering how many knitting and spinning books I have, right? Dying to know who would win my extra copy of Mason-Dixon Knitting?

Well, congratulations, Pam! She guessed on the nose, 204 books. Two hundred four.

The range of guesses was interesting, too, from 85 up to 345.

Do you want a closer look?

All my knitting and spinning books are on this one bookcase. (The one next to it is devoted to other crafts and all my writing reference books. The cookbooks are near the kitchen, and except for a few in the hallway next to the bedroom, the rest of my books are all downstairs. I still need to figure out how to catalog all of them, but I think it’s in the 2000-2100 range for total number of books–down about a third from before we moved last November.)

Anyway, here’s the top of the bookshelf.

That’s lace books, sock books, DVDs and spinning books on the top shelf. Basic how-to kind of reference books on the second shelf.

The middle shelf is devoted to pattern books, and the fourth down is for stitch dictionaries and more pattern books.

The very bottom, hiding behind the chair is where I keep all my Vogue Knitting magazines (going back to about 1987), and knitting-essay type books, as well as some of my less-favorite pattern books, that I might not really plan on using any time soon, but don’t really want to get rid of either … which is why they’re on the most inaccessible shelf.

So, Pam, I’ll need your address, please, so that I can send you your book!

Oh, and in Today’s Spinning?

That’s about 4 ounces of that never-ending roving of mine from 2005, that I told you about here. Such pretty stuff, and I still adore the color. It’s not quite so purple in normal light–it needs direct sun or a camera flash to bring it out. Mostly it just looks like this beautiful, medium gray with a hint of purple. I love it.

I’ve also finished the body of my sweater and am working on the hood. I just have to finish that and knit the inside of the pockets and this baby is done!

We’ve had a great weekend, too. The weather, miraculously this summer, cooperated for the second weekend in a row, and we took Chappy to the park on Saturday, where I neglected to take a single picture. (Sorry.) He had a wonderful time, especially walking on the horse trails with their extra-interesting smells, and the chance to get his feet wet in the stream. He completely zonked out after we got home, though–and so did I! I had a nice nap on Saturday afternoon–though my eyelids gave me very little choice.

Today, we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and I baked a cake. I made it up myself–a Pineapple-Coconut-Lime cake with coconut-flavored frosting. It came out pretty well, if I do say so.

I didn’t get as much writing done as I should have, but I’m blaming Homefront for that. Do you remember that TV show from 1991-1993? With a young Kyle Chandler? I adored it and still regret that it’s not available on DVD. It IS, however, available on YouTube, and frustrating as it is that the quality is not ideal and each episode is broken into five or six parts to keep the videos short enough for YouTube, I’ve been loving rewatching it. (And yes, I find that I still love Ginger’s hairstyles as much as ever.)

I’ve also been reading about World War I and the immediate social aftereffects as research for my new book, the sequel to my After-Titanic story. You know, because (1) I’m enjoying the characters so much, I want to see what happens next and (2) I’m assuming that After Titanic WILL get published, and having a sequel coming along behind is never a bad thing.

It’s partly because of the WWI research that I got the yen to rewatch Homefront, in fact, even though it takes place after a completely different war. Many of the issues are the same, though not all–no Prohibition to speak of, for example. But still–the idea of men returning from war and expecting things to be the same when in fact they’ve changed is an intriguing (if sad) one.

Which reminds me … I should really be writing that right now, shouldn’t I? So, if you’ll excuse me…

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Where is the dog in this picture?

Bet you guessed wrong. Here, I’ll give you a hint.

He looks awfully cozy back there, doesn’t he?

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Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
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You’re wondering, aren’t you, about how my spinning and knitting are going?

Here’s a not-very-good picture of my sweater’s progress. Body and sleeves all on one needle and I’m working on the yoke.

Here’s a picture of it looking, you know, more like a sweater. (Honestly, Chappy DID want to show it to you, he just hates the flash on the camera.)

He also told me to show you the Twist and Shout yarn I finished the other day (hanging from a doorknob).

I haven’t given it its final bath yet, but it’s straight and balanced, and so pretty. I just wish I hadn’t lost count while winding it so I’d have an idea how much yardage there is. I really don’t want to have to count all those strands… (grin)

Current spinning? Here are the singles on my wheel. That’s probably about two ounces or so, and this 50/50 merino/silk roving is just as soft and delectable as I remember.

Chappy says he’s exhausted now!

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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This little guy? My Chappy? He’s having a practically perfect weekend. In fact, as “just us, no guests” weekends go? There’s not much that would make it better. (Other than the forecast possible thunderstorms later today.)

First, it’s been blessedly cool compared to, well, basically the entire summer. Like, in the 75-80 degree range, and with no humidity to speak of. You can step outside without automatically saying, “Whoo! It’s hot!” which is a pretty rare event this year.

Then, yesterday, Saturday, we took him out for coffee. That is, Mom and I drank the coffee–Chappy doesn’t need the caffeine. But it wasn’t just the three of us.

Dad came, too! This is practically unheard of, and only happened because bribed him with eggs for breakfast because we had a Mara’s gift-coupon for buy-one-get-one-free.

Afterwards, we walked around town, I stopped at the bank, and Chappy insisted on stopping at the doggy-specialty store, the one with its own bakery. That was funny, actually. The store is on our town’s main street, and we’ve stopped in a few times to buy biscuits. But, they also have an entrance in the back, on Bloomfield Avenue across from the parking lot where the car was. We were walking back tot he car, and Chappy literally pulled me up the stairs to the door, as if he’d read the “Come visit our bakery” sign next to them. It was funny because we’ve NEVER gone in that way and hadn’t even realized that we COULD, but Chappy read the sign or followed his nose and … there we were. So, yes, my clever dog got a package of freshly-baked biscuits. It’s only fair.

We had a nice, lazy afternoon and then, the four of us all went out AGAIN, this time for supper. We went to Stewart’s, which not only has the best root beer, but has car service. You know, where you pull up in your car, and they bring your food on a tray that hangs on the window? They’ve been around for ages and since it’s about the only restaurant we ever take Chappy to (other than coffeeshops), it’s his favorite. They bring Milkbones out to the dogs, too, which he appreciates, even if he prefers bites of hamburgers and fries.

Today, we had a walk, I baked a pound cake, and then I plied a couple hundred yards of yarn while watching “Wag the Dog.” I haven’t seen it in years and had forgotten how much the Political-Science major, cynical-side of me really loves that movie. Dustin Hoffman is wonderfully hilarious as the producer. His response to every set-back is “What? That’s nothing,” followed by some Hollywood anecdote about something that was even worse.

The yarn is all plied, though I lost track counting while I wound it on to the skeinwinder, so I’m not sure what the yardage is. It came out pretty, though, and pretty consistent, which is always a treat. Once again, this is “Sock Hop” yarn from Crown Mountain Farms, in the “Twist and Shout” color, which I’ve had waiting to be spun for a few years now.

Next up for spinning?

If you’ve been reading long enough, you should recognize this.

Five years ago for my birthday, Mom gave me three pounds of this merino/tussah silk roving from the Sheep Shed (bought at Rhinebeck a couple weeks before my birthday). Three pounds of it. I don’t know what I had been thinking. Over the next year or two or three, I spun about two pounds of it, but at different times and different skill levels and after referring to it for months as the “never-ending fiber,” finally ended up stashing the last pound of it.

Well, it’s time it got spun, don’t you think? And right now, while I’m “in practice,” too, so that hopefully all 16 ounces of it will make consistent yarn. Because, yes, I still love the color of the stuff. It makes a beautiful purple-tinged gray yarn. So gorgeous.

And, now? We’re having roast chicken for supper (making the house smell really good, I might add), and Chappy’s getting very excited. He ADORES roast chicken and turkey. I’d venture to say that they’re his favorite kind of meat to eat … he doesn’t get this excited about the chicken in his food dish every day, or when Mom cooks a couple chicken breasts for supper. But … roasted in the oven? Ohhhhh, he loves it. Loves it! The house is starting to smell really yummy, and he’s pacing a bit, not quite able to settle down out of anticipation.

I tell you, this weekend keeps getting better and better for my boy.

Tags: Family, Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Here’s what I read in July:

1. MURDER GOES MUMMING by Alisa Craig (184 p.) Light, fluffy, cozy mystery with Janet and Madoc
2. A DISMAL THING TO DO by Alisa Craig (198 p.) Light, fluffy, cozy mystery with Janet and Madoc
3. TROUBLE IN THE BRASSES byAlisa Craig (212 p.) Light, fluffy, cozy mystery with Madoc (no Janet, she was home getting pregnant).
4. BEST OF ENEMIES by Nancy Bond (248 p.) A re-read of one of my all-time favorite YA books, about an “invasion” by the British at Concord, Massachusetts’ Patriot Day festivities. Love this book, love it. So much, that I finally bought myself a copy when I was around 25 because I missed it so much and they weren’t carrying it at the library anymore.
5. ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein (321 p.) Eh. I know this book has gotten raves, but it mostly left me bored. A life story as told by a dog.
6. COLD SASSY TREE by Olive Ann Burns (391 p.) Another reread from years ago, a nice bit of Southern Americana
7. MY LIFE FROM SCRATCH by Gesine Bulloch-Prado (225 p.) Part memoir, part cookbook, all about how Gesine (Sandra Bullock’s sister) left Hollywood to open a small Vermont bakery. It made me hungry.
8. FLEDGLING by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (375 p.) The story of 14-year old Theo Waitley, part one, as she begins to grow into her pilot skills.
9. SALTATION by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (325 p.) Theo part two, and ending at exactly the same moment as “I Dare,” did … with a “kinda complicated problem.” Can’t wait for the next one.
10. PEGASUS IN FLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey (290 p.) In the not too distant future, psychic gifts  can be measured and are scientifically proven to be true …
11. PEGASUS IN SPACE by Anne McCaffrey (373 p.) The followup, as Peter Reidinger discovers the limits of his own gift–teleporting to the stars.
12. THIRTEENTH CHILD by Patricia C. Wrede (344 p.) An enjoyable YA fantasy, the first in the “Frontier” series. It takes place in the late 1800s of a slightly alternate universe. Fun.
13. DRAGONHAVEN by Robin McKinley (342 p.) And the feel of the last one just fed right into this one, in a US just like ours except there are dragons.
14. EON: DRAGONSEYE REBORN by Alison Goodma (531 p.) An asian-inspired YA that was a little too cliche for me, a girl disguising herself as a boy to be eligible for great honors, yadda yadda.
15. WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead (199 p.) Oh, fun. A Newbery Award winner and totally enjoyable, with hints of time travel as the main character starts getting mysterious notes that tell the future.
16. WHITE DRAGON by Anne McCaffrey. One of my favorite Pern books, as Jaxom comes of age.
17. RENEGADES OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (384 p.) Not really my favorite, but it’s the perfect (rather necessary) bridge between the last one and…
18. ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey (404 p.) Also one of my favorite Pern books, as the dragonriders finally manage to rid the planet of the deadly Thread.
19. TWELVE ROOMS WITH A VIEW by Theresa Rebeck. I found this on a list of “beach reads” and the story sounded intriguing–at her mother’s funeral, Tina’s sisters tell her that their mother inherited a 12-million dollar apartment in New York from their dead stepfather, but that his sons would be bound to protest, and that she should move in right away… It was fun, I enjoyed it.
20. POEMCRAZY by Susan Wooldridge (208 p.) Inspiration for writing poetry.
21. BETSY ROSS AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA by Marla R. Miller (362 p.) A biography of Betsy Ross which not only explores the “did she or didn’t she” mystery about her making the first US flag, but which tells about the world she lived in, growing up in Philadelphia, the most important city  in America at the time. Intriguing and enjoyable.
22. OVER HERE: THE FIRST WORLD WAR AND AMERICAN SOCIETY by David M. Kennedy (390 p.) History of World War I
23. BELLFIELD HALL by Anne Dean (300 p.) A Jane Austen-esque murder mystery.
24. THE ART OF KNITTED LACE: With Complete Lace How-To and Dozens of Patterns by Kristin Omdahl. (Review here at Knitting Scholar)
25. COMFORT AFGHANS: More than 50 Beautiful, Affordable Designs Featuring Berroco’s Comfort Yarn from Berroco. Designs by Narah Gaughan, Margery Winter and the Berroco Design Team
26. RING OF FEAR by Anne McCaffrey A horse-based romance novel which I basically only read because it’s by Anne McCaffrey. Since I’m not really a fan of romance novels, though, this isn’t one of my favorites, but still, every now and again it’s nice to revisit.
27. MARK OF MERLIN by Anne McCaffrey. Also a romance, set during WWII, focusing on a girl with her dog.
28. THE KILTERNAN LEGACY by Anne McCaffrey. Of the three, this is my favorite, Irene Teasey and her 14-year old twins inheriting an estate in Ireland. All three of these I have in one volume, called “Three Women, which has been out of print for years.

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by --Deb
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