Tuesday, September 6, 2016

It's Tuesday...what are you reading, listening to and watching?

Are you a seasonal reader?  I love reading books that take place in the season I am living in at the moment..ie.  Fall books in the Fall, Winter books in the Winter and even reading holiday books at the specific holiday.  Today, my Fall books arrived....oh be still my beating heart!  Not really, keep on beating....please.  So, without further ado,  I present you with my Fall book picks..........
 I have wanted this book for several years now and finally got my hands on a copy.  I have some other Susan Branch books and they are "keepers".  They're filled with her gorgeous drawings, wonderful recipes and crafts for the season.  This is a non-fiction, of course, and I will be starting it tonight!
 There are book lists on the internet and Pinterest that say they are Fall book lists but they don't necessarily fit my criteria.....which is.....a Fall book has to tell a story that takes place in the Fall!  This is not always easy to distinguish if you haven't read the book.  LOL!  But there are clues.
Such as this next book  has to do with an apple orchard so I imagine there will be harvesting in the Fall although I see Spring blossoms on the cover....I just noticed that.
AMAZON:
"With frostbitten fingers, sleepless nights and sore muscles, 14-year-old Jackson Jones and his posse of cousins discover the lost art of winging it when they take over an orchard of 300 wild apple trees. They know nothing about pruning or irrigation or pest control, but figure it out they must—if they are to avoid losing $8,000 (because of an unfair contract). 
 With spot illustrations for mechanical-loving readers—the gears of a tractor, a plow with disks—and with mathematical calculations of the great mount of money to be earned, this novel has the sort of can-do spirit and sense of earned independence not often found in today's fiction."    
 
Okay, so there's some frost in there which could indicate Spring or Fall and then maybe it tells the story of an entire year.  I'll let you know but I will be starting this one very soon!

This next book reminded me of my Summers spent with my Aunt and Uncle and how I hated to leave come Fall.
AMAZON:
"Just before leaving for the winter, Jemima visits one last time her favorite places on the farm, recalling the wonderful summer she spent there with her aunt."
This book is written by Crescent Dragonwagon who wrote one of my favorite cook books of all time.  Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread Cookbook.   She had a restaurant in Eureka Springs, Arkansas which was so good the Clintons stopped there when they were in the state.  So, Crescent and I go way back! LOL! 
That's all for Fall right now but please share if you have any favorite Fall books.
Now, as far as what I am still reading....quite a bit as this past week was busy taking care of (and cleaning up after) a very sick little dachsund and I am still not caught up but Annie is better!  She is 14 so I was really concerned and swore I would be off to the vet this morning if she wasn't better but she is.  I am still reading my library book...........which is just an easy read so far......
I am on page 221 of 357 so hopefully I will finish it this week.
   AMAZON:
 “It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon. . . . ” This is how Abby Whitshank always describes the day she fell in love with Red in July 1959. The Whitshanks are one of those families that radiate an indefinable kind of specialness, but like all families, their stories reveal only part of the picture: Abby and Red and their four grown children have accumulated not only tender moments, laughter, and celebrations, but also jealousies, disappointments, and carefully guarded secrets. From Red’s parents, newly arrived in Baltimore in the 1920s, to the grandchildren carrying the Whitshank legacy boisterously into the twenty-first century, here are four generations of lives unfolding in and around the sprawling, lovingly worn house that has always been their anchor.

I'm still reading this magazine........it's very interesting and I'm so glad I didn't throw them out.  Last night I read about a couple in their 80's giving up their home and cider and flour mill in Vermont that they have lived in since 1939.  This man was a genius and they powered their house with water before being "energy efficient" was even a word...or 2.  What a great house which had not been modernized....right up my alley!  So sad they had to leave but they were getting on in years and he was afraid he would not be able to maintain the place.
  The house itself had been built in the 1800's or earlier.
Still listening to this tape and they are short stories of Hercule Poirot that I had never heard of...very good ones too.
And I still have not made Mama Dip's Breakfast Casserole....I haven't made much of anything lately and I need to cook and bake...and mow...and iron....you get the picture....I am behind!
As for things I watched and listened to.  Friday, movie night, I watched St. Vincent which Connie recommended and it was good! Thanks Connie!  I've watched some Bakery Bear podcasts, Inside Number 23 and also listened to an audio podcast Knitting Pipeline which is excellent, and some Heartland Episodes.  I think I'm on Season 5 now...love!
I hope you all had a great weekend and those in the U.S. got a chance to celebrate Labor Day and thank you to those who had to work on that day.  Please let me know what you're watching, reading and listening too and especially if you have any Fall books you can recommend.  
Happy Trails!

Monday, September 5, 2016

YOP Week #10

A day late but YOP goes for a week so, in reality, I'm not late.  But I am behind!  I had a very sick little dachsund this week and have been cleaning ever since and I'm still not caught up!  My Spotbot and I have both been working overtime.  But poor little Annie ate something outside I think and it caused her to be very ill but thank goodness she is on the mend!
So, here's what I worked on this week.  I've managed to complete 7 rounds on my Giant Granny which means I am on round 47 of 68 not counting the border.
 I love this project and I love Sandra Paul's colors that she chose............
 There's been no work done on my Multnomah shawl until I get a lifeline put in.  Also, I haven't worked on my socks.  But I did finish my ghost wash cloth.........it needs to be blocked but I'll wait until all 3 cloths are done.
 I started on the witch cloth............you can just see the end of her broom and part of her dress..........
I'm almost done with this doily but not sure I like it very much.  It called for worsted so I used cotton worsted but either I don't like the variegated or the cotton or the pattern......not sure which.  I will make a solid one in worsted weight but not cotton and see if I like that better.  This is pretty awful I think......I may tear it out as I REALLY do not like it.
I finally dug out my I Spy squares from Maggie that I ordered for the 3 I Spy quilts for the 3 grand boys for Christmas.  She also sent me a little extra package for myself.  I can't wait to start pinning and sewing them together.  I will include the rules for the I Spy game with each little quilt.
Here's my little 'extra' package she sent me.  What a sweetie she is!
 I hope you're all enjoying your long weekend if you get one.  I'll be by to catch up later tonight and tomorrow.  Happy Trails!