Yes, We Were!

So at the end of last week, we were seemingly at the end of the road on the Green Mountain Adventure Challenge.  We had three clues and no idea what to do with them.  We refused to be defeated, so we made a reservation to return to the Grey Ghost Inn and headed to West Dover for one last try.

We had three clues to review and at two of the places we found something we had not seen before (with a little help from a local).  We hopped in the car and began to drive around trying to make sense of what we had.  Suddenly I saw a phone number in the clue that led us to a local shop.

When we got there they informed us that they were not part of the challenge.  Seeing our dejected faces, the person at the register gave us a crash course in something that I will explain after August 31.  Armed with new skills, we hurried back to our inn and with 2 tablets, an iPhone, and paper and pen, we puzzled out our next stop.  Our innkeeper kindly confirmed our suspicion and directed us to the trailhead.

We started to hike, but after reaching the second locked gate on the trail, I called Carina, our innkeeper.  She assured us we were on the right trail, so we trudged on.  Forty-five minutes later my phone rang - it was Carina checking our progress.  We told her we thought we were almost there, but if we didn't return that night, she should call the cavalry.  A few minutes later we reached our destination - almost.  Now a swim was involved, but we didn't have swimsuits and I wasn't comfortable swimming that distance with or without a swimsuit.  DH gamely emptied his pockets, took off shirt and shoes and waded in.  He swam the distance easily and then disappeared into the woods for what seemed like a long time.  He reappeared and swam back to describe what he found.

Excited, we hiked back to the trailhead in the increasing darkness and then sped off to the place where it all began to report our success.  Our hopes were dashed when we were told we were in the wrong place and, that if we had really figured it out, we would know it.  We went back to out inn for dry clothes for DH and then had some dinner.  We were exhausted.  We had hiked 7 miles and had nothing to show for it.

We rose early and met several other adventurers at breakfast.  Two couples were stuck on the first clue, so we helped them out.  One couple hadn't even picked up the first clue yet and the last couple had hiked right past the spot in clue #2 and had to go back and hike again.  It's fun to meet other people doing the challenge but, unfortunately, they had no hints for us. We traveled to the next town to check for clues and were told we needed numbers that were on a tree.  We rented a canoe to recheck the spot DH had visited the day before.  Perhaps two sets of eyes would make a difference.

It was 5 miles of canoeing before we reached the spot; it was a much shorter trip on foot!  We checked out the spot that DH had found, but didn't find anything new.  Then I checked the information on my iPhone.  We moved a few yards away trying to find the exact location and DH saw it - not on the tree but underneath it.  It had been removed and placed on the ground.  We took some photos and stopped for a snack and water, trying to decide what to do next.  Just as we were going to leave I decided to go back for one more picture.  On the way something clicked.  I used some charcoal from a nearby fire pit to enhance the clue and confirmed my idea.  DH appeared minutes later; I told him and he concurred.

We canoed the five miles back and then waited at the launching area as we watched what my father always referred to as "The Laugh-in."  A family of 6 or 7 blocked the ramp as they argued over who would take which canoe or kayak (they had two canoes, 3 kayaks and a wave).  They were totally oblivious to anyone else trying to use the ramp, including people launching powerboats and jet skis with vehicles and us - DH with the wheels for our canoe and me holding onto our canoe far from the ramp.  Finally the father noticed that there were other people waiting and they took off.

It was well past lunch time when we finally got on the road again.  I continued to play with the clue as we drove.  Now I had two parts, but something was leftover.  We went back to a favorite restaurant for lunch armed with my phone, paper and two pens.  DH agreed with the first two parts, but what did the rest mean?  Suddenly the light dawned - I tested my idea and we got the final clue.  We celebrated as we finished our lunch and immediately took off for the last spot.  We completed our task and we were heading home.  Mission accomplished!

Now if you come back on September 1st, I'll tell you the clues and the answer.

Up to the Challenge?

Since DH and I have decided to remain in Vermont rather than moving south, we have begun to take advantage of the many interesting things to do here.  A few months ago, I saw an ad for the Green Mountain Adventure Challenge.  I had heard of it before, but we had never tried it.  It's a combination of puzzles and outdoor activities that takes place in and around West Dover, VT.  There is are cash prizes and and an equal amount of money goes to charity.  If you'd like to know more about it, use this link: www.greenmountainvermont.com.

We purchased a package that included the tickets for the challenge, lodging for two nights, breakfast, a bag lunch, water bottles, t-shirts and a backpack - not a bad haul.  We left the date open so that we could have two consecutive clear days for the excursion.

Finally we had a stretch of clear weather, so we made our plans.  Upon arrival at our lodge,  we were advised to go directly to the West Dover Inn to start our quest.  We collected all our swag, a crayon and our first clue.  The innkeeper instructed us to go into the parlor to find some helpful information. Now I can't tell you everything about the challenge until September 1 since it is ongoing until August 31, but I can tell you that we spent a lot of time at the inn before we realized that we were holding the clue and what we found in the parlor told us how to use it.  Back at our lodging we continued to puzzle over the clue, until a couple from Massachusetts assured us that we were on the right track and, with my iPad, the answer would be clear.  They were right and we were off to gather the second clue.

Since it was late in the day and the next clue required some hiking, we decided to wait until the morning to continue.  Another quick check with our new friends the next morning and we were off.  We hiked around for a while with no success until we heard someone calling his partner.  We took a chance following his voice too and, sure enough, he was right where we needed to be.  They didn't know what they were looking for but we did, so we shared the information.  We took pictures to prove that we had found it and they gave us a hint for the next part of the hunt.  We continued on and searched and searched and searched.  Just when we were about to give up, DH found it.  We snapped a picture and we were off to get clue number 3.

We returned to the West Dorset Inn and presented the photos to prove that we had completed clue number 2.  The innkeeper told us to meet him in the parking lot behind the inn.  We had seen two targets there the night before and, no surprise, the innkeeper arrived with a bow and arrows.  We had five arrow for one of us had to hit the target or pay $5.00 for another 5 arrows until we did hit it.  (The money would go to charity.) DH hit the target on the third try, so we got the third clue. 

We studied the clue over over lunch and realized it meant driving to a nearby town to find some locations.  After some math, we were pretty sure that we knew where to go next.  Once again it was late afternoon and hiking was involved, so we decided to wait until the next morning.  Our innkeeper assured us that we knew the right location.  Progress seem slow and we only had one day left to our stay. We made it an early night to get on the road first thing the next morning.

We met our new friends from Massachusetts at breakfast and they were happy to report they had completed the expert level easily.  Unfortunately, that's all they shared.  We said good bye and headed off on our hike.  The view was beautiful, so we snapped the required photo (along with one of each of us) and headed back to town.  When we presented our photo we were informed that we had completed the first level. Woohoo, we were eligible for the prize drawing for level one.  We were determined to finish the expert level as well, so we accepted our next clue.

We thought that the next three clues seemed fairly straight forward, but we had a little trouble finding the middle one.  We were helped by a family from Connecticut whose daughter found it immediately.  We got to the third stop as the family was leaving the parking lot, giving us a thumbs up as they passed.  Yes, this was going to be a piece of cake.  I went in and studied the clue and came back to the car to tell DH I had no idea what it meant.  He went in and came back out without any idea either.  We sat in the car and googled what we knew - no luck.  Suddenly the Connecticut family was back.  We followed them in and we all stood around looking confused.  A local came over and asked if we had all the parts we needed.  It seems there was something in the first two clues we had missed.  The daughter had photos of the first two clues on her phone and we thought we saw what we had missed.  They raced to their car and took off.  We continued to puzzle over what we knew with no inspiration.  We decided to head home and think about it.  We have until August 31 and it's only a 2 hour trip.  To be continued...

Getting Ready for Winter

We heat our house with a woodstove.  Well, I guess that depends on your definition of “heat.”  The woodstove in the kitchen comfortably heats the kitchen and family room on the coldest days, but the rest of the house can only be considered cool or downright cold on very cold days.  Since the two of us really spend most of our time in the kitchen and family room it works for us.  A down quilt keeps us warm at night and a small electric heater in the master bath, so we really don’t need to keep the rest of the house warm.

Heating with wood means we need three or four cords of wood each year.  We have a woodlot that will someday be a hunting camp, so DH cuts and blocks the trees there and trucks them home.  Then he splits them (with a log splitter, not by hand) in the driveway and then the wood needs to be stacked on the side of the house.  That’s where I come in - I love to stack the wood.  Really, I do.  Last year because of rotator cuff surgery and warnings from the surgeon, PT and my trainer, I left the stacking to DH.  This year my shoulder is in top form, so let the stacking begin.

I make sure that I am wearing my heart rate monitor and my Fitbit.  That way I know how many calories I burn and how many steps I take.  I start with all of the rejects.  DH makes sure that all of the logs are 16-inches long - the perfect length for our woodstove.  Anything that doesn’t make the cut is relegated to the island of misfit logs.  No stacking required - they are just tossed in a pile to use in the beginning of the season when small fires are needed.

The stacking area was swept and ready to go.  I move the wood by wheelbarrow load and start stacking.  The uniform length of the logs makes it easier to keep a nice neat line.  We worked for several hours on the first day and I made a good start on the first row.  I wondered how many loads I moved, but I hadn’t kept count.  All I know is I burned enough calories to have a glass of sangria at dinner at the local Italian restaurant.  

The second day started with breakfast at a new cafe in Hinesburg - French toast and bacon - yum.  Then back to work.  This time I added my knitting row counter to my equipment repertoire on Fitbit and heart rate monitor.  I needed to know how many loads of wood I moved.  

Four hours, 35 loads and 1000 calories later, this was the day’s progress.

There’s still a lot more wood to split and stack, but that’s okay - I still love stacking it (and the calories I burn doing it).

A Christmas Reminder

Twenty-seven years ago, my mother-in-law passed away on Christmas Day.  From the time my first child was born, she had presented each of the grandchildren with an ornament for Christmas.  When she was gone, I continued the tradition, choosing appropriate ones for my sons each Christmas - a tooth with a little mouse dentist when DS2 thought he might want to be a dentist, ski and bike ornaments for DS1, soccer and baseball for DS2 and EMT and nursing ornaments for DS1, and so it goes.  

This year is sort of a low key celebration.  Neither of my sons could make it for Christmas Day and, without any grandchildren, the time of shopping for just the right toy or electronics has long passed.  DH and I did a little shopping, but we forgot the ornaments, despite reminding each other about the tradition.

On Christmas Eve afternoon, with the baking and decorating finished, I sat at the piano practicing.  There was no one else in the room with me and we no longer have any pets.  There were certainly no drafts in the room.  Suddenly I heard a tinkling of ornaments from the tree.  There was absolutely no explanation for it, but it suddenly reminded me that we had forgotten to buy ornaments.  I called the Christmas Loft and they were still open.  We jumped in the car and sped off to buy them as we traditionally did.  I felt as if my mother-in-law had sent me a reminder.  

That night, at the Christmas Eve service, a member of the choir sang “Ave Maria” for the first time in the twenty some odd years that we have attended Trinity Church.  It was the one piece that my mother-in-law had requested at her funeral.  Both DH and I sat there with tears rolling down our faces as we thought of her with love (and a thank you for the reminder).

What Happens While You're Sleeping

So do you ever wonder what you cat(s) do while you are sleeping?  Well, I’ve found the answer to that question and all you need is a skein of yarn.

Two weeks ago I had rotator cuff surgery and our two four-month-old kittens have been shut out of our bedroom because of all the cords involved with my cryo-cuff and TENS unit (both of them love to chew cords) and to keep them from jumping on me when I was trying to sleep.  They have been annoyed at being excluded and last night they let us know.

DH got up early to take the kittens to the vet to be neutered and spayed and informed me that they had gotten into some yarn.  I’ve been keeping my yarn out of reach or in covered container because they love to play with it.  However, unbeknownst to me, there was skein of yarn that I had brought home from my mom’s when we emptied her apartment 4 years ago (See blog entry for July 8, 2008 to lean more about this yarn.) stuffed in the bottom of the basket on the stairs.

When I came downstairs, I followed the yarn, rewinding it.  It started in the basket, went through the dining room and the kitchen into the family room where it was wrapped around DH’s computer chair.  From there it went back through the kitchen and the dining room and around one the legs of my spinning wheel.  Next to my spinning wheel was a tangled mass of yarn.  The yarn maze continued around one leg of the newspaper holder and then on into the guest room.  It went under the bed (where there was another tangled lump of yarn) and back out the same side of the bed.  Then it went over the top of the bed (another large tangle right in the middle of the bed) and down the other side.  There was another messy mass of yarn on the floor before it went under the bed and out the other side.  On it went back through the dining room, around one of the dining room chairs and into an open basket that they use as a playground.  In the basket was another tangled mess which led back to my spinning wheel, around the leg again, back under the guest bed and ended with a tangled mass of yarn back at the bottom of the stairs where it all began.  

It took the better part of an hour to follow the trail, untangle the yarn and roll it into a ball.  Luckily the kittens were not here to assist in the project.  The yarn has been stored in an out of the way place, but at least now I know what they do at night while we’re sleeping.

Not Built for Speed

All season, DH and I had been planning to go to New Hampshire to ski with DS#1 at Mount Sunapee. The days and months seemed to slip by and the season was almost over, so we decided to join DH and his GF for a day of skiing fun. I had skiied Sunapee once before at South Peak which is really considered the learning area. It has a quad and runs that I can ski comfortably. DS assured me that there was a long run from the summit that would be easy enough for me to ski. The only part he forgot to mention was that they only way to get there was on the high speed quad.

We got our gear on and lined up for the lift. The four of us planned to go up together on one chair which sounded fine to me. Before I knew it DS and his GF were standing in front of the chair and DH and I were still on line. Off they went speeding up the hill. I immediately skiied up to get on the chair assuming that DH was right next to me. Surprise! I was alone flying up to the summit. It was a long lonely ride and when I got to the top I could not keep my balance to get off the speeding chair. I fell right in DH's path as he got off the lift right behind me. He was able to get me to my feet and, after a few minutes of deep breathing, we were able to begin the descent. DS was right it was a long, relatively easy trail that was fun to ski.

When we got to the bottom, I agreed to try the lift again, but only if we all went together. We all made it on the same chair with DS right next to me to help me navigate getting off. He took hold of my arm and off we went, but once again I was off balance and fell right in front of the lift. This time I needed to take my skis off to get out of the way. After another long run I decided it was time for a break and DH and I went into the lodge for lunch.

After lunch DH and I made our way to slow quad at South Peak and we had a great time and no falls from the lift. DS and his GF joined us later in the afternoon and we stopped for the obligatory photos.

The moral of this story?? I am definitely not built for speed!!!

Black and Whites

When you move to another state, you gain many things, but you give up others. We moved to Vermont almost 25 years ago and, don't get me wrong, I love it here. We have great skiing, a beautiful lake, Ben and Jerry's, King Arthur Flour, and the least angry city in the US (Burlington). However, one thing I really miss is New York bakeries - cakes with buttercream frosting, apple turnovers and black and white cookies. The bakeries here make great bread, but that's about it. I have yet to find one that makes a birthday cake that meets with my approval.

When my FIL was alive, DH would go to Long Island regularly and he would always stop at the bakery near his sister's home. He would bring two apple turnovers for me and two black and white cookies for DS#2. Now we rarely travel to Long Island, so I decided that if I wanted black and white cookies, I would have to make them myself. I searched online and found a recipe, but there was never an occasion to try it out. I certainly didn't want to make a batch of them for just DH and me.

Last weekend was the annual family ski trip when DH's cousins come to Vermont. It was fun to have a house full of company and it seemed like the perfect time to make the black and white cookies. The kitchen was a mess, but they came out looking pretty much like the real thing. The chocolate frosting could have been a little shinier, but the relatives thought they came from the bakery. I guess that's an indicator of success.

Too Much Snow and Too Much Time Equals...

I haven't been much of a blogger lately, but I'm back.

So after the the Ground Hog Day storm, we asked our snow plow guy to push the snow onto the front lawn instead of in from of the wood pile. He complied and this is the result.

I posted some photos of our giant pile of snow on FaceBook and my nephew suggested that it would make a palatial quinzee. I had to google the word because I had no idea what it was. It sounded like a good idea, so DH began the excavation.

As he did the burrowing, I removed the snow. First by snow shovel and then by bucket.

Soon the hole was big enough for me to fit.

I curled up for a little nap, but DH wanted the quinzee to be big enouogh for two, so we continued to dig.
It took all afternoon, but we did it. Our neighbor came over to take a photo of the two of us comnfortably ensconced in our creation. It is actually big enough for both of us to get fully inside.

So now we have this extra room for any guests who would like to come for a visit. It's very private although the it does not have a lot of amenities.

Workout Update

I've been working with a trainer at the gym twice a week for six weeks now. Today we had the six week evaluation to see how it is going and to plan for phase 2. Phase 1 has been focused on core strength and balance and trying to improve my posture. So, what did the evaluation reveal? I'm taller than I was six weeks ago, which I guess is a sign that I am standing up straighter than I was before. I also lost inches, but not any weight (adding muscle?). My blood pressure and resting heart rate have improved, so I guess that's progress.

In phase 2 we get really serious - more strength training and increased cardio workouts. Also, starting on Monday I will have an eating plan designed by my trainer. Since DH and I are actually pretty healthy eaters, I don't think there will be that many adjustments except for the times that I eat. The one change that I knew was coming is no more Diet Coke. Yikes! My trainer wanted me to quit cold turkey and substitute tea, but I know that's not going to work. I got him to agree to a slow tapering of my consumption to be completely off it in three weeks. He's got lots of good reasons, most of which I've heard before, but the hard part will be that I really LIKE it. Oh well, no use paying all this money to a trainer and then not listen to him.

Flour Power

Last weekend I fed my knitting habit and for Mother’s Day weekend I fed my bread baking habit. I am so lucky that DS#1 lives in Lebanon, NH which is very close to the King Arthur Store. On Saturday DH and DS ran a race in Woodstock, VT. It poured and I elected to stay behind to sleep in. When they came back they were drenched and tired, so they decided to warm up and then take naps. This was my chance to head out for my flour fix.

After getting only slightly lost, I arrived at the King Arthur store just as the morning’s baking class got out. After stowing their goodies in their cars, all of the students made a beeline for the store. It was jammed. I snagged a shopping cart and started to snatch up the things I knew I needed. I got white whole wheat flour, high fiber flour blend, hi-maize fiber, malted milk powder, potato flour, Harvest Grains and malted wheat flakes. They got everything on my list; then I started to browse. The store has every gadget and gizmo the home baker could want - baking pans, baking tools, linens, aprons, dough buckets, mixers, bread machines and on and on. They also have every ingredient you could possibly want from mixes to make cakes and scones to bagel toppings to 3 or 4 different kinds of rye flour. It’s a baker’s paradise. I controlled myself and only bought a dough scraper.

After a lovely weekend and Mother's Day breakfast with two of my favoite guys, we headed home. And what was the first thing that I did when I got there? You guessed it - I baked a loaf of Harvest Grain bread.

Lilacs

I love lilacs. Lilacs make me think of my Nana, who loved them, too. Lilacs make me think of Mother's Day since that's when they seem to bloom, so that makes me think of my mom. Lilacs make me think of my childhood. Lilacs screened our yard from our next door neighbor's yard. We had white and purple and, when they bloomed, my mom would cut some, wrap the stems in aluminum foil and send me off to school with a bouquet for my teacher.

We have two lilacs in the front of our house. Every year I say I'm going to cut some to bring into the house, and every year I forget until it's too late and they are starting to fade. Not this year. I saw them out the window as I was vacuuming and stopped what I was doing, grabbed the clippers, and cut myself a bouquet. The lilacs are on the piano now and the room smells like memories.

Spring Has Sprung

So spring in Vermont can be a capricious thing. Last Monday we had lunch on the deck and then I sat out there in the afternoon with my computer chatting with DH while he worked on two new raised beds for vegetable gardening. Then for the following two days it snowed!

Now it is quite warm again, but is it really spring? I think I got the proof I needed when I went to the local supermarket after church on Sunday. There in the produce aisle were fiddlehead ferns and rhubarb – sure signs of spring. I passed on the ferns because I don’t really like them, although I will pick some up for DH and DS #1 before they are gone, but I did buy rhubarb. While DH was out participating with the Marine Corps League in the Annual Maple Festival Parade, I baked him a strawberry rhubarb pie. It was the least I could do for someone who has spent days building raised bed and shoveling soil for me.

Now the peas are poking through the soil, the arugula and lettuce are up and maybe there is a hint of a beet or two and some Swiss chard, but time will tell. Anyway, I’m going to continue to think spring.

Road Trip

Since DS #2 joined the Marine Corps, I have bonded with a group of women on the knitting website, Ravelry, who also have kids in the military. It’s been great to be able to chat with a group of women who really understand what it’s like to have a child deployed to a war zone. We chat as a group on Thursday evenings, not just about our kids, but also about our knitting and life in general.

It turns out that one of my Ravelry friends with a son in the Navy lives in Rutland and has another son who lives not far from me. Last fall Cindi stopped by my LYS while visiting her son and his wife so we could meet in person. Shortly after that, I took a trip to Rutland on a Sunday afternoon to sit and knit at her LYS. A month or so ago, I went down to Rutland again when a Ravelry friend from Massachusetts, Corky, (2 sons in the Army) was in there to visit family. The three of us had a lovely afternoon knitting together and chatting in person. Two other friends from the Midwest (Marine and Navy corpsman sons) are coming to Vermont in July so that we can meet them in person, too. It’s amazing that one can feel so close to people one has never met in person, but it’s even better when you actually get to see them.

Last Thursday night the subject of WEBS, a yarn store in Northampton, MA, came up during our chat. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it’s a very large yarn store with a huge warehouse in the back where one can wander around and find great bargains. It also happens to be the time of their annual sale. Cindi had never been there so she suggested we make a road trip. Bright and early yesterday morning I headed to meet her in Rutland and then we made our way down to meet Corky at WEBS.

I don’t suppose I really needed any yarn, but there is never such a thing as too much yarn. It’s hard to go to WEBS and not buy a lot (although I did get out of there with only one skein of sock yarn when I was there last May). This time I had two knitting friends to encourage me and a request from my sister for some yarn to go with some in her stash. We wandered the store petting all of the yarn and filling our baskets. Then we went out to the warehouse and wandered the aisles snatching up more bargains. After more than three hours of shopping, we finally made it to the check out. Here are photos of my haul.

Yarn for socks for DH


Sock yarn for me

Yarn for my sister

Yarn for unknown project

Yarn for a shawl

We were starving so we headed over to Chandler’s, the restaurant at the Yankee Candle shop (or should I say complex). We had a lovely, if very late, lunch (Thanks again, Corky.) and then wandered into the candle shop. Next came an hour of sniffing and critiquing the zillion different candles that they stock. The names got so confusing that we weren’t even sure which ones we liked and which ones we didn’t. We finally made some selections and bought something to remember our trip. We each got a candle holder that says “Hope” which seemed to sum up our feelings about those who are deployed.

Our original plan was to knit outdoors on the beautiful grounds of Yankee Candle, but it was getting late. We still couldn’t say goodbye to Corky, so we chatted in the parking lot for longer than we should have. We headed back to Vermont and Cindi dropped me off at my car. I finally arrived home at 9:30 PM. I was exhausted, but it was a wonderful day.

Baking Bread

One afternoon during the winter, DH happened to be channel surfing when he came across an Oprah show featuring Michael Pollan discussing his book, Food Rules. We were very interested and listened as he suggested that one not eat anything that one’s grandmother would not recognize as food or anything with ingredients that a school child cannot pronounce. We had just watched the film, “Food, Inc.”, so we found all this quite interesting. He also mentioned the rule that one should not eat anything that doesn’t rot or spoil.

A few days later, I was checking through the fridge and found a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread that had never been opened. This was in February and the sell by date for the bread was October. The really scary part was that the bread looked as if I had just bought it. Yikes! We checked the ingredients and, of course, there were enough preservatives to keep it fresh until next October.

Now there are quite a few very good bread bakeries not far from us and the supermarket in the next town carries bread from most of them. They don’t use any preservatives or anything artificial, but I decided that I would rather bake my own. I own a Zojirushi bread machine, which had been relegated to the garage, so I went out to rescue it and dust it off.



On our next trip to New Hampshire to visit DS #1, I made a side trip to the King Arthur factory store and stocked up on sour dough starter and all kinds of interesting flours, such as Ancient Grains and Harvest Grains. I started baking different kinds of bread, using my bread machine to knead the bread only. The more I got into it, the more ingredients I needed – vital wheat gluten, grains and seeds to top the bread, 9 grain flour, and it goes on and on. Then I decided to try making English Muffins, which required muffin rings and a raft of new ingredients - hi-maize fiber, malted wheat flakes, and non-diastatic malt powder (whatever that is).





Since we don’t go to New Hampshire that often, the woman who delivers our mail started dropping off big boxes from King Arthur. It seemed as if it was getting out of control, but every loaf of bread was better than the last and we decided that there is no comparing homemade English muffins with the store bought – even the organic, no preservative store bought ones.




So today, I set about making my second loaf of the week and had a terrible time finding a recipe for which I had enough ingredients. I finally settled on 9 grain bread sweetened with maple syrup. I’m not sure what we’ll have next week, since supplies are getting low, but there is a visit to New Hampshire in my future, so that will mean another side trip to King Arthur.

Labor of Love

So, despite the fact that I am retired and, supposedly have all the time in world, I haven’t been very good about updating this blog. The last three weeks have been consumed with a labor of love.

When my parents moved to Vermont in 2006, they decided to attend the Episcopal church with DH and me. They seemed to enjoy the fellowship and, when my dad passed away a few months later, my mother was supported by both the clergy and the parish. She formed a close bond with one of the priests and even planned her own funeral long before her death. My mother wanted to make a memorial gift in my father’s name, so my sister and I joined her in donating a new smaller cross for the younger crucifers.

When my mom died in 2008, I wanted to give a memorial gift in her name, but had a hard time deciding what it should be. I finally decided on white vestments and altar hangings, since the church did not own any. The only problem was that the fabric would be more than I had planned to donate. Recently, a friend’s daughter became engaged and the white vestments became important to her, too. We decided to share the cost and, with four weeks until Easter, I insisted that we get going and finish them in time for that celebration. We ordered the fabric and appliqués, and I began what would be three weeks worth of work.

It was a little scary to cut out the pieces because of the expense of the fabric, but I bit the bullet and went for it after a lengthy discussion with my neighbor over the right and wrong side of damask. The plan was to make a pulpit hanging, a superfrontal, bible markers, a burse, a veil, stoles for two priests and a chausible. Most of the items had only one appliqué, but the stoles had three each and the superfrontal had three. That added up to fifteen appliqués. They are attached by couching them with gold thread, applying two separate rows of couching.

The bride-to-be helped with the appliqué on the veil, but the rest was up to me. It seemed to take forever. By Maundy Thursday I had completed everything except for the chausible and about 25 little rings to be sewn on the superfrontal to attach it to the altar. The chausible has a beautiful, intricate appliqué which took much longer than I anticipated. By Good Friday afternoon, the appliqué was finished, but I couldn’t figure out how to sew the two pieces together. At DH’s suggestion, I googled “sewing a chausible” and, surprise, there was a website with photos of exactly how to do it! The deadline was Saturday at 1:30 PM and I finished by noon.

On Easter Sunday, the priest who was celebrating showed off the new chausible, pointed out the new hangings and read a note of thanks for my work from the altar guild that was accompanied by a beautiful pink azalea. I didn’t need any thanks, though, because I knew that my mom was looking down proudly at the work I had done in her memory.

Five for Five Giveaway

So, I felt bad that no one commented on my sister's Five for Five Giveaway post, so I commented. Of course that means that now I am committed to posting my own Five for Five Giveaway. I don't suppose that I am going to get five comments, but, after Sock wars, I am game for anything.

Here’s how it works:The first five people to leave a comment on this post will get something from me.But in return, you have to do the same thing on your blog and make something for five other people. The details are as follows, and if you want to play, copy the following onto your blog and leave me a post:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2010).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address – after I contact you.

There you go; let's see what happens.

Requiem for a Sock Knitter

So it happened – I am well and truly dead. As noted on the Sock Wars website, I’m “All Dead. Not Mostly Dead. All Dead. Dead as a doornail.”

DH went to the mailbox yesterday because I didn’t want to open the box to see the weapon of my destruction. He came back in with a handful of letters and no package – good news, right? I was so relieved and DH offered a hug. As I put my arms around him, I could feel a bulge under the back of his fleece. The day of doom had arrived.

The socks are blue, just the color I had requested. They are perfect with jeans. I wore them to my Wednesday evening knitting group and got lots of compliments.





I was pleasantly surprised to see that some swag accompanied the weapon. There was candy, stitch markers, tea bags and a card. The treats helped to soften the blow.




I was startled when I opened the card. Stars popped out at me and my assassin had written, “Bang! You’re dead.”



So, I’m not going to be the last knitter standing and I’m not going to have the most kills, but I did get one notch on my knitting needles. Will I do it again? Probably, I will. It was a lot of work and the quickest I’ve ever finished a pair of socks, but it’s exciting to wait for a weapon to arrive in mailbox.

I'm not afraid of death. It's the stake one puts up in order to play the game of Sock Wars. ~Jean Giraudoux (apologies)

Waiting for the Socks to Fall

Well, I admit it; I haven’t been as good at blogging as I should have been, considering that I’m retired. I have some good excuses – really – but I won’t go into them now. Let’s save that for another day.

On January 15, 2010, I entered into a death-by-sock knitting competition known as Sock Wars. This is the fifth war, but the first that I have had the time to join. Before the start date, one is emailed a dossier about a “victim.” It includes sock size, color preferences, Ravelry name and mailing address. At precisely 8 PM on Friday, January 15, the patterns were posted online. The idea is to choose a pattern, knit the socks and send them to the victim before an assassin does the same to you.

I started immediately, doing two socks at a time, and continued to knit for the following three days. I have to admit that I didn’t even bother getting out of my PJs on Monday just to get the socks finished. In the meantime, while all this knitting is going on, people post taunts to their assassins and victims on the Ravelry website. It all gets rather intense. Someone actually stayed up for 19 hours straight and finished her socks on Saturday in time to get them in the mail!! Another person hand delivered hers on Sunday. I was beginning to panic, but, since it was a three day weekend, mailing the finished socks on Tuesday morning was the best I could do.


I forgot to mention that when a victim receives the death socks, his/her unfinished socks must be sent to the assassin to be completed. The winner is the last person standing. My victim in Rochester, NY received her socks on Thursday, but she had already mailed her weapon to her vicitim. That means I have to wait for those unfinished socks to be sent to me. I was thinking that I was in pretty good shape because my assassin was ill and complained that her medication made her too sleepy to knit. She also had to frog (rip out) her socks because she made an error that would have caused her to be disqualified (called a misfire). I kept reminding her that knitting might slow her recovery and she shouldn’t hurry on my account, but to no avail. I got the dreaded message that my socks are in the mail. Now the question is, which will come first, the unfinished socks or my death socks.

I don’t plan to go anywhere near the mailbox for the next few days, lest the death socks attack. DH will have to get the mail at his own peril!!

Anniversary in Mont-Tremblant

For almost a year, Tom and I have been talking about what to do for our 35th wedding anniversary. We talked about a cruise or a trip to Europe, but we couldn’t seem to make up out minds. We finally decided to go to Mont-Tremblant in Quebec. It’s only a four and a half hour drive and yet it’s another country. Close and a little bit different – the perfect combination.

We set out on Saturday and, after a long wait at the border, we were in Canada.

We arrived at out hotel and were delighted with the accommodations. We have a one bedroom suite with a living room, kitchenette, a bedroom and TWO bathrooms. There’s also a fireplace and a balcony with a table and chairs for eating al fresco.

We went to the local IGA for snacks, breakfast and lunch food and beverages. We had a lovely dinner in the hotel dining room and went for a walk around the grounds. The front desk gave us some maps of the area and we began to plan our activities.

We woke this morning to rain. Most of the activities we had decided on were outdoors – biking, hiking and kayaking – so it was time to rethink. We decided to go to Vieux Mont-Tremblant which is the village at the base of the ski slopes. It is quite charming with many shops and restaurants. We decided to have lunch at Crêperie Catherine. We watched the owner make the 4 crêpes at a time with amazing speed. The lunch was delicious.

We walked through the village admiring the buildings and thinking how much fun it would be to be there during ski seasons and step out the door to the slopes!

Tomorrow the sun is supposed to be out, so we will head out to the nearby national park.