Yesterday and Today...

Road trip with a dear friend to Charlotte - on the way we stopped to view some beautiful land she has inherited. I hope she and her soon to be husband settle here and I'll visit - promise! The family cemetery is over 100 years old...


I spotted this fun neon sign after we exited the Discovery Place and the thought provoking exhibition BodyWorlds...

The contrast of the old church and the new city buildings intrigued me... Today I ran/walked 5 miles along the Roanoke Horse Trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway...

Put together a quick delicious lunch of tabbouli, baba ghanoush and pita bread...

And I have finally completed the Bookcrossing afghan ! This was the first and last project I will ever do with so many small, individual squares. Short of blocking every square, the afghan has an uneven, amateurish quality I just couldn't overcome...the individual squares were all lovely and unique.

Oh, I dug up wonderful little organically grown Yukon Gold potatoes from my backyard garden...

Work the next two days...

Parking Lot Plants

Seen growing along the parking lot at my workplace...

Backyard crop

Picked another batch of green beans from my backyard garden.....no comparison to canned ones...another 12 hour work shift today..

oh and found a hostage in the hosta...

Thursday...

I walked 11,373 steps at work today - the American Heart Association goal is at least 10,000 daily - no problem there! Home by 4:30 (this was an extra shift) and worked on yet another baby blanket



while admiring this bright hibicus growing on my back patio.



I have found knitting with vintage Susan Bates nylon circular needles such a pleasant experience. They are seamless and lightweight....I have purchased two lots of them on ebay recently. Not sure what sort of circulars I'll use for my two sweater projects - I'm thinking the nylon ones if I can find the correct size. We'll see...

Day off....

Started the day off (after an early morning call asking me to come in to work extra) watching Knitty Gritty and working on the Bookcrossing afghan. I have finished sewing together the squares and am working on the crochet trim ......wow... almost done!

Meet my running buddy for a brisk 5.4 mile trail walk. Chestnut Ridge trail is part of the Roanoke Valley horse trail and much horse fertilizer is evident along the trail. I enjoyed the brisk hike and the opportunity to catch up with a good friend. We also startled a mother turkey with at least one baby - I didn't know that turkeys could fly so well.



I've spotted these wild strawberries several times this summer but have yet to take a good picture of them. I remember picking these as a child and daring each other to eat them. Someone ( I don't remember who) told us these berries were 'snake berries' and were poisonous so I don't recall ever eating them.




I made a quick run downtown for a 2 cheese veggie sub at On the Rise and picked up some peaches and tomatoes. Back home for a second episode of Knitty Gritty with one of my favorite knitters, Annie Modesitt....Off to work tomorrow for four in a row....

Random happenings and chores...

Ran/walked for one hour in the neighborhood - whoa! hot already before 11a!


Dropped off a load of DH's clothing (with his approval) and the yarn at the Goodwill Store...

Picked green beans and new potatoes from my little backyard garden - planning a yummy dinner of green beans, new potatoes and locally grown corn ...I'll also have a grilled portobella mushroom and my DH will have a .....steak....

New Camera!

Received a new Sony Cyber-shot W series with 7.2 megapixels today. My old camera was a Sony cyper-shot and I liked it just fine. I don't want anything complicated ....just something to snap photos and enjoy. I ordered it via Amazon with overnight delivery which I figure is more economical than me driving all over town looking for it. Not only do I consider the cost of gas but I only consider the value of my own time and what else I could be doing with that time - so internet research and shopping seems like the best for me.

I've decided - no more knitting with yarn I don't like. I bought a bunch of Lion Homespun last year but was frustrated that how ratty the WIP would look by the time I bound it off. So off to the Goodwill store it goes! There is just too much good inexpensive wool/acrylic yarn that knits up wonderfully and looks great....

Scenes from the garden as I play with my new camera....


Lavender


Sage

Cucuzza Squash seedling


Oregano


Cat (wheat) grass


Tomatoes


Rosemary


Pineapple sage

Back to work tomorrow....need to continue learning about the camera....

Finishing my 5 days off work by completing yet another pair of socks - ankle socks in Lorna's Shepherd sockweight - I knitted the toes with a double strand to wear them longer. I'll be digging through my stash for more sock yarn in the next day or two!