Another Done and One in Progress

A while back I bought some variegated yarn without a project in mind, just because I liked the colors. It's called painted desert. A week or so ago I came across a rather unique pattern for a lap throw and set about making it, using "Aran" color for the boarder. The size is true to it's name as this is definitely not a large throw. By the way, all three of those watermelon placemats are done too!

Then the other day, as I was scanning the yarn display at the store (again), I was drawn to a lovely color of worsted weight yarn called "Sandy Print" and of course just had to buy some. Here's a picture of the beginning of the full-sized afghan I'm currently crocheting:

We finally, after a whole three weeks of dry weather, got some rain last night. It wasn't much, but enough to perk up the garden and lawn again. The tomatoes in the garden are abundant this year and I've been making lots and lots of juice with more to come. I think by the time the frost decides to hit this area I'll have enough juice to last till next year's harvest is ready for processing.

A few years ago we built a raised flower bed along the west side of the deck and talked about building another one to surround the rest of the deck. Well, that project will get done this fall as all the materials for it were gotten yesterday. Just when it will get done is up for grabs but it will definitely be before the snow flies!

This weekend we'll be going camping again. The campground where we'll be is holding "Halloween Weekend" complete with trick-or-treating. Simon is sure to have fun and...it will be so good to get away for a couple of days after this very busy week.

Rain, Rain, and More Rain...

This is the second day in a row of rain here but it is so very welcome. The lawn is actually green again after being that all too familiar July crunchy brown for way longer than a month! Sure glad we decided to go camping last weekend and not this one :~) The campground we were at celebrated Christmas in July complete with a decorations contest (I just took along a string of our outside blue icicle lights to hang on the canopy), a golf cart parade, and a quite good fireworks display on Saturday night. The days were warm, but not too hot, and the night cool - just right to catch some good sleep. Simon and Dan did a whole lot of swimming and some fishing; Pugs and I went on long walks. The campground covers 30 mostly wooded acres so there was a lot to see on our walking ventures. For a little while on Saturday afternoon, Dan and Simon took a break to play cards for a while - three games to determine the "all time winner". The final score: Simon 2; Dan 1.

This past week I continued working on the moss green afghan and finally finished it last night. This is one project I'm glad is finished. It was a pretty simple pattern and got a bit monotonous to be repeating the same row over and over and over again. But I like how it turned out and think it just may be someone's Christmas gift this year.
(Click on the picture to see the detail better, then click the back arrow on your browser to return here.)

Other than that, I've been tending to the garden, harvesting some beans, beats and small zucchini (to cut up and add to my pasta sauce); trying to keep a handle on the house clutter (sometimes a nearly impossible task); and gathering ideas and working out an outline for my first offering at the retreat center slated for Sept. 19th. Since this one is so "soon" it will be advertised in local papers but I think at some time between now and then it will appear on the center's website. So...I've added a link to that site if anyone is interested in checking it out.

The Latest...

I'm really enjoying all this crocheting I've been doing. It fills the empty spaces of the days and evenings but more importantly it keeps me focused on something productive and something other than TV reruns. The latest project is an afghan made with a nice, soft worsted weight yarn.


We'll be off camping this weekend with Simon. I'm really looking forward to a change in scenery. The campground we will be at is celebrating "Christmas in July" this weekend. It should prove to be a weekend filled with some fun activities, should we wish to partake. There is some rain in the forecast but...it promises to be that "hit and miss" sort of thing we've been having the past couple of weeks. So...I'm hoping for more of the miss rather than the hit in the rain department - at least for the weekend. We're getting enough rain today to last us for a while.


On the job front, which has been nil since January, I was very recently offered and have accepted an invitation to work with a local retreat center. I'll be offering workshops, facilitating retreats and days of reflection, providing spiritual direction, and giving presentations. It was just THE opportunity I've been dreaming of.

New Addition

Gosh it's been a long time since I've written! Life has been so busy with work for both Dan and me. Seems finally last weekend we were able to catch our breath for a bit. On the way home from breakfast out on Sunday, we noticed a camper for sale just down the road and around the corner from our home. We called the number on the "For Sale" sign and toured it that afternoon. After tons of questions and some bargaining by Dan, we became the proud owners of a used 1996, 23 foot Jayco camper in excellent condition. On Tuesday, after all the paperwork was done and the check given to the seller, we brought it home and parked it in Mary and Jody's camp sight behind our house. Throughout the week, as time permitted, I set to giving the inside a good once over and stocking it with supplies. More pictures are on my Photo Album site (link on the right).

Not sure if we'll head to any campgrounds yet this season but perhaps may at the end of this month of early in October. When I told friends of ours that we had purchased it, I was asked how I talked Dan into getting it. My reply: It only took me five years! Oh the joy in thoughts of being able to get away on weekends. Fortunately there are a few campgrounds relatively close to home as Dan continues to work 6 days a week most weeks.

But for now...it's set up and ready to go in our back yard. I've already used it for a meeting with someone - very nice indeed! So...Mary and Jody, there's still room for you when you are able to come up this way. We'll just reconfigure the "camp sites"!!!