Wow, can you see my golf ball? I chipped it in from 6 feet off the green for a birdie! (It's stuck between the flag stick and the side of the hole, one of the good pink balls you gave me, Sharon.) I realize I'm not looking very slim in the photo, but what's that compared to a terrific golf shot? That's only my first birdie of the year, but with the broken foot bone, I missed most of the season. I'm glad to say it's better now.
It was a less active than usual three months - broken foot, four appointments' worth of dental work, and a seriously upset stomach - however, it's nice to look back and see I still had a lot of fun.
Since I knew I'd be spending time sitting down, I learned how to knit socks. Here are my first three efforts, and the beginning of a beautiful 4th pair. Ben and Melanie gave me that beautiful dark blue yarn for my birthday and I'm finally confident enough to use it.
The first two and a half pairs were knitted from the top down, then I read that many experienced knitters prefer to knit from the toe up. I made the second purple sock from the toe up - it's tricky - had to learn several new stitches and a new way of measuring where to start the various parts. I also learned to get best-quality yarn. The purple ones are of inexpensive yarn and itchy. The red and green pair cost a bit more but feel wonderfully silky. The gray ones are a heavier yarn - quick to knit but I'll only wear them on a very cold day. I have several books from the library with many techniques and I can't wait to try some pretty patterns!
Melanie and Ben also brought a jigsaw puzzle - fun! I hadn't done one in very many years. A warning though - it's addictive! Once I get started it's hard to quit and do something useful. When I finished the butterflies I had to quickly go to Amazon and order a few more.
I read a lot of books. A memorable one: A Robot in the Garden by Deborah Install - I loved this! The robot's personality was really lovable. Also watched some Netflix movies. Two we particularly enjoyed were based on true stories. Young at Heart is about a singing group in Massachusetts made up of folks in their late 70's, 80's and 90's - a real "feel good" movie. Bridge of Spies is about the Francis Gary Powers spy incident in the early 1960's and Tom Hanks was great.
Melanie and I have started scheduling a "Girls' Getaway" as an annual weekend for mother and daughter to spend together. This year we invited Melanie's mother-in-law, Sharon, and had a great time in Manzanita on the Oregon coast. We mostly walked and talked. Mel and Sharon were patient with me as I limped along the ocean and through the town. There were lots of cute shops, and we browsed through them all. Our rented house had a deck with an ocean view and Sharon made us some delicious vodka collins each evening - a perfect opportunity for relaxation and conversation!
I haven't done too badly with my healthy eating... with a few exceptions due to my birthday, Tyler's birthday, and other special occasions. However, wine seems to have crept back in after two months of none at all, and gluten is back - mainly in the form of toast, and crackers with cheese. How hard it is to be ever vigilant!!
When I could finally walk without the boot, I went down to our pea patch for the first time in a couple of months. I was surprised to find a pretty nice tomato harvest, and made a very tasty dinner.
Here are links to the chicken and tomato recipe and also the potato stacks.
We used that potato stack recipe for a big dinner at the end of September. It was our first turn at hosting our investment club for the monthly dinner and meeting, and we knew we could have a crowd as large as 12 or 14. It turned out we had 8, and it went well, but we were a bit nervous. Stan made his delicious duck with poached pears and peas, and I made the potatoes and a lemon tart. I think everyone enjoyed it, and now we can relax for another year : )
I forgot to photograph the meal in the rush of serving everyone, so here's what our leftover dinner looked like the next evening. Not bad for leftovers!
I'll close with a photo of my two granddaughters, Mira, of course, and her puppy Evie. Evie joined the family Memorial Day weekend and I was impressed with how well-behaved she was when I visited a couple of weeks ago. After our first greeting, she didn't jump up and was quietly friendly. Whenever I gave her my full attention and some petting, she rolled right over for a tummy scratch. Her big Sissy is taking good care of her and training her well!
It was a less active than usual three months - broken foot, four appointments' worth of dental work, and a seriously upset stomach - however, it's nice to look back and see I still had a lot of fun.
Since I knew I'd be spending time sitting down, I learned how to knit socks. Here are my first three efforts, and the beginning of a beautiful 4th pair. Ben and Melanie gave me that beautiful dark blue yarn for my birthday and I'm finally confident enough to use it.
Melanie and Ben also brought a jigsaw puzzle - fun! I hadn't done one in very many years. A warning though - it's addictive! Once I get started it's hard to quit and do something useful. When I finished the butterflies I had to quickly go to Amazon and order a few more.
I read a lot of books. A memorable one: A Robot in the Garden by Deborah Install - I loved this! The robot's personality was really lovable. Also watched some Netflix movies. Two we particularly enjoyed were based on true stories. Young at Heart is about a singing group in Massachusetts made up of folks in their late 70's, 80's and 90's - a real "feel good" movie. Bridge of Spies is about the Francis Gary Powers spy incident in the early 1960's and Tom Hanks was great.
Melanie and I have started scheduling a "Girls' Getaway" as an annual weekend for mother and daughter to spend together. This year we invited Melanie's mother-in-law, Sharon, and had a great time in Manzanita on the Oregon coast. We mostly walked and talked. Mel and Sharon were patient with me as I limped along the ocean and through the town. There were lots of cute shops, and we browsed through them all. Our rented house had a deck with an ocean view and Sharon made us some delicious vodka collins each evening - a perfect opportunity for relaxation and conversation!
I haven't done too badly with my healthy eating... with a few exceptions due to my birthday, Tyler's birthday, and other special occasions. However, wine seems to have crept back in after two months of none at all, and gluten is back - mainly in the form of toast, and crackers with cheese. How hard it is to be ever vigilant!!
When I could finally walk without the boot, I went down to our pea patch for the first time in a couple of months. I was surprised to find a pretty nice tomato harvest, and made a very tasty dinner.
Here are links to the chicken and tomato recipe and also the potato stacks.
We used that potato stack recipe for a big dinner at the end of September. It was our first turn at hosting our investment club for the monthly dinner and meeting, and we knew we could have a crowd as large as 12 or 14. It turned out we had 8, and it went well, but we were a bit nervous. Stan made his delicious duck with poached pears and peas, and I made the potatoes and a lemon tart. I think everyone enjoyed it, and now we can relax for another year : )
I forgot to photograph the meal in the rush of serving everyone, so here's what our leftover dinner looked like the next evening. Not bad for leftovers!
I'll close with a photo of my two granddaughters, Mira, of course, and her puppy Evie. Evie joined the family Memorial Day weekend and I was impressed with how well-behaved she was when I visited a couple of weeks ago. After our first greeting, she didn't jump up and was quietly friendly. Whenever I gave her my full attention and some petting, she rolled right over for a tummy scratch. Her big Sissy is taking good care of her and training her well!
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