Early Sunday morning run and afternoon knitting

Decided to get out early this AM before the heat arrives - already 69 degrees at 8am. Ran ~3 miles in the neighborhood winding up and down the hills....walked a little but forced myself to run all the inclines and,hey,it wasn't even too terribly bad. I suppose those 12 hours shifts on my feet and the 10,000+ steps I take are helping me stay fit!


On my run I saw this portulaca growing out of a crack in the asphalt - apparently a seed or two escaped from the nearby patch.


I also passed this field of chicory - chicory has a blue flower in a shade I've not seen in other plant. Too bad they're considered weeds. BTW, the ground roots are used as a coffee substitute or a coffee additive and is a tasty accompaniment to beignets in New Orleans. Luzianne coffee with chicory is also available in the local grocery stores. I sometimes have the craving for coffee but not enough to use a whole pound of it. Hummm, some would taste good now...maybe the local coffee shop sells bulk coffee with chicory.....need to check.

For three hours this afternoon, I meet several others knitters at the local yarn shop, Needle on the Square, for the monthly knitting group meeting. What fun sitting around with other knitters and browsing in the shop - I bought Universal Classic Worsted in Rose Garden color to knit into a baby blanket. I used this yarn in a black/gray/beige color scheme for the wrap I wore all over Paris. This yarn knits up nicely, is machine washable and is inexpensive. With all the young women I work with, I know someone will be announcing a pregnancy soon. Oh, one more thing, I have succumbed to the Crocs cult - I bought a pair of the Mary Janes today. I figure they're a good way to show off all my handknit socks!

No Driving Saturday

I try to have a no driving day once a week when my schedule allows. My husband and I ride together when we have the same schedule (which is most of the time) but we are both guilty of driving big gas guzzlers. Hence....I try to keep my Xterra in the driveway as much as possible. Saturday was a beautifully warm summer day - I spent the morning cleaning house (husband was working) and I spent the evening reading and knitting outside. We needed a few items from the grocery store so I walked the mile or so to pick them up and have a quick lunch at the Italian restaurant adjacent to the Food Lion. Lentini's veggie sub and eggplant parmesan are tasty and inexpensive - I'm glad to have them close by.On my walk home I snapped several pictures of this beautifully restored old house.



I saw wild berry vines here and there along the road - the berries are not quite ripe - I tried one! We picked buckets of these when I was a kid...


Cleaned house, finished reading Water for Elephants, and had some exercise - nice day!