Edith Piaf knitting...

In La Vie en Rose, the actress portraying Edith Piaf is seen knitting throughout the film - now I find a photo of Edith Piaf knitting while in the hospital - she was certainly dedicated. I particularly like the scene in the movie where she performs wearing a sweater with a partly completed sleeve. I suppose she may have knitted by necessity as well as for the calming effect of the rhythmic motions and the meditative qualities.

My blogging has been hit or miss lately due to a poorly functioning computer...well, I purchased a new one 12/26....this Microsoft Vista is much different than the previous versions .... but my blogging should be more regular...

Thankfulness

A coworker left these beautiful orange persimmons on my desk. I'm grateful to have such good friends.

My New Apron

Aprons are generally associated with women's work - I view the apron as a woman's version of the work shirt. Women traditionally have donned aprons when doing all manners of work - cooking, cleaning, gardening, hanging out the laundry....I wear mine proudly as I do the work I enjoy...and it keeps the stains from my "good" clothes....

Roanoke Warehouses, etc.

I pass this building each morning on my way to work. Tucked close to the bridge crossing over the reailroad tracks , this vacant stable is likely not seen by most.


I hope to stop by another day for more photos but for now this grainy photo looking into the stables will do.

One of the many barred over windows...


Also along the railroad less than half a mile away, the vacant warehouse of a Roanoke based department story lost to the big boxes still stands.

A little further away on my drive home I spot this apple warehouse - again alongside the railroads so important to Roanoke's early development. In the new year I plan to be a diligent student of photography and think exploration of the warehouses dotted the railroad landscape will make an interesting study.

Apron swap

I learned to sew about the same time I learned to knit. My first project was a sack dress I sewed by hand for a 4-H project in the 4th grade. A few years later I received a sewing machine and I have sewn simple projects ever since. One of my daily reads is the blog down to earth. The beautiful author of this blog discusses simple, mindful living and the joy of finding pride in everyday household responsibilities. This month she coordinated an apron swap and guess what - I was paired up with a fellow vegetarian who is also strives toward veganism! Anyway, today is the deadline for posting the aprons and here's mine- If you're interested in the pattern go here...


Along with the apron I included a knitted dishcloth I made from cotton string used to tie together the linen bundles at the hospital where I work. One of the housekeepers found a bag of this string beside one of the linen bins and I am having great fun tying the string together and knitting up dishcloths. I'm taking pictures of the dishcloths posing with the many pieces of hospital memorabilia I've acquired over the years. I love forward to hearing her response and seeing the other aprons as pictures are posted.
Yes, I am exercising - mostly riding my exercise bike for 30 minutes each day and taking the stairs at work...there is also the annual charity 5k I plan to run next weekend.

Along the Way...

Late Autumn colors....

24 Hour Rule

I once worked with someone who told me about the 24 hour rule - simply put - when dealing with the emotions surrounding a personal event that did not turn out as you wanted give yourself 24 hours to dwell in your sadness and despair - after the 24 hours pass you then need to reconfigure your plans. I'm on about hour 18 dealing with a professional disappointment...

Knitting and Exploring Staunton Va

I spent last weekend in beautiful foggy, cold Staunton Virginia attending a two day knitting workshop with the my knitting idol Annie Modesitt. Even though I live less than two hours south of Staunton and attended college "just across the mountain" I never explored the town. Grand, old churches are scattered around the perimeter of the charming downtown area...

During my walk to the yarn shop I spotted this local diner and just had to snap a photo...
On the Lamb occupies the downstairs of a wonderfully rustic home - Joe, the owner, lives upstairs....oh, to be so close to all that beautiful yarn....

Continuing on my walk .....Autumn leaves sprinkled with dew ....

Close up of tile work depicting a....

Coca-Cola bottle....

Chicken statuary.....

Oh, yeah, I learned how to work with mitered squares.....

And a challenging backyard leaves scarf....

Another grand brick home....

More autumn leaves....

Love the striped awning at the American Red Cross office....

Local caterer that did a great job of putting together box lunched for the group both days..... I had free time in the evening to explore dinner options. Friday night I had dinner at L'Italia - situated in a multistory house I walked up and up and up to a lovely dining room complete with a fireplace and pepper mills on the table (I love fresh coarsely ground pepper). I dined on a salad of baby greens, gorgonzola,pears, walnuts and grape tomatoes with a tangy raspberry vinaigrette. The eggplant parmigiana was thinly sliced with a fresh, simple tomato sauce. Tasty but not spectacular......Oh, my Saturday night - Staunton Grocery was recommended to me by one of the local knitters at the shop, my, oh my! After a challenging day of knitting I was ready for a good leisurely meal. Completely accommodating to my vegetarian style, I feasted on a baby beet salad and house made fettuccine with wild mushrooms, broccoli rabe and meyer lemon comfit. Portions were tiny and exquisitely presented....certainly one of the absolute best and most expensive vegetarian meals I've ever had! Yum - I will return........yes, I walked a lot while in Staunton to and from the yarn shop both days and to the dinner restaurants both nights....

Randomness...

Another adventure in improv salad making - mixed greens, sliced canned beets, tart apple, onion, sundried tomatoes topped with my homemade honey mustard dressing...

A dishcloth I'm knitting from string used to tie linen bundles together at work...

A much needed kitchen cupboard my DH purchased as a surprise for me ....

Countryside Golf Course

I spent a rather blustery Sunday morning watching my DH play golf at Countryside Golf Course. This public course has been in the news quite a bit lately since the future management and continued operation is under scrutiny. A farm once occupied this land as evidenced by the barn and silo on the property.

This grand home (now used for business offices) is also on the grounds.

This bridge crosses a skinny creek running along the perimeter of the course.

The barn and silo from another vantage point...

And a vintage dump truck still used to carry soil and mulch to the various landscaped areas sprinkled throughout the course...

Poke salad with the juicy purple berries I loved to pop open as a child...

The shiny red berries of the dogwood - state flower of Virginia...

Yes, some knitting - a washcloth I knitted during the three hours on the course.....

A Day in My Life

I look forward to reading this blog each day - wonder what she will do with this list?

get up with the alarm clock around 6a or so
start coffee
read newspaper
feed cat
do a little housework - laundry, dishes, whatever
take shower
check out eyebrows
get dressed
pick up around the house a little
get packed lunch out of fridge
drive to work while listening to NPR
look at the river as I walk across the bridge from the parking garage
punch in
speak to all my co workers
check my email throughout the day when I have a moment
punch out at the end of the workday
drive home
start dinner
unload dishwasher
take out trash and compost materials
eat dinner with hubby
straighten up kitchen
pack lunch for next day
check email, read blogs
write in blog
knit
get ready for bed
read in bed a while
check clock
sleep - maybe getting up once to go to bathroom
wake up and have another beautiful day

To the Mall....

Anyone who knows me knows I am not a mall shopper. I don't like the cookie cutter sameness of malls and anyway I prefer to spend my hard earned money frugally but.....I needed to work on my business wardrobe so I headed out to the local mall in search of black pants. I've been scouting out the local thrift shops but I really can't get by on two pairs of pants working five days a week. I purchased three pairs of black pants in a polyester blend fabric that is machine washable and on sale - great! I have other clothing made by this same company and I find it washs well and is quite durable. So - a good day doing something I do only when necessary.


I popped into the A.C. Moore's to check out fabric only to find they don't carry any. The yarn selection is dismal and the store appeared to be more like a flea market - no reason for me to ever go back. I did find some beautiful, vintage inspired fabric at JoAnn's for an apron swap .....didn't ride my bike on the greenway but did ride my exercise bike for 30 minutes after I got home from this shopping excursion.

Tasty Frugal Cooking

Inspired by this blog entry, I prepared my dinner using the ingredients I have stashed in my refrigerator and cupboards. A tasty glass of California red - don't be fooled by the catchy name and cheesy silhouette - I dug around and came up with this:

Fresh collard greens, garlic, onion, cubed eggplant sauteed in a tasty olive oil and sprinkled with sun dried tomatoes, a quick dash of dried cayenne pepper from my garden, coarsely ground black pepper and a pinch of kosher salt ....

Over a fluffy bed of organic millet grain - and enough leftover for a hearty lunch tomorrow at work!

I've seriously fallen off the exercise wagon - my bike is in the back of my vehicle and I'm riding the newly opened greenway after work tomorrow!

Autumn's Arrival

While the autumn colors may not be as vibrate as usual, I still marvel at the flaming orange red of these maples.

Ghostly eggplants waiting on the market....

A leaf fluttering on a downtown sidewalk...

Another resting on a downtown street....

A balck walnut slumbering against the curb.... I attended the stage adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed" at Hollins University. I had read the book and found the adaptation near carbon copy. Running at almost 2 and half hours, the play was a tad long but enjoyable throughout. Seven dollars for a general admission ticket in a tranquil setting - and you still say there is nothing to do in Roanoke?

Oh, I did ride my bicycle around the neighborhood for ~1 hour this morning.