2009.06.29

We’re getting handfuls of raspberries every day; they glow like little jewels among the leaves.

And this is what they look like moments after the come into the house:

On Saturday we took a ride to the Franklin Park Zoo.  I’d never been there before, and Larry hadn’t been since grade school.   It’s a really nice city zoo; not as close as the Stone Zoo, but still less than a half-hour away.  They have a good variety of animals, all in spacious enclosures, in a nice woodsy setting.

The Peep had a ball, although I still can’t get him onto a carousel.

A movie is being filmed at the zoo later this summer, that’s what all the construction is for.

Then on Sunday, my newest niece was christened.  And we all went out for a nice lunch.  (Did I get any photos of the guest of honor?  Unfortunately no.   What a terrible auntie.)

All of which goes a long way towards explaining why my tail is dragging today.

2009.06.26

Last night Larry and I were going to attend an after-work event at my job, but between one thing and another it didn’t work out at the last minute.  But we’d already lined up a sitter, so we went out to dinner instead.

We got home shortly after 7 (what fogies we are becoming), and behold – the sun was out!

While Larry did some weed-whacking out front, I took a stroll through the backyard surveying the territory, came in with a handful of these babies:

It’s mostly sunny today, so I think we’ll have many more ripening up soon.  Ditto for the strawberries.

After that we watched the Sox, and I worked on the Beach Glass shawl.

I’m halfway through the bottom border now, and took some pictures in the unexpected early-evening sun for you:

After spending a week with it, I’m just now realizing it’s a variation of feather-and-fan  – what a great use of a really common stitch pattern.

There are angled decreases at four points on this shawl – either edge, and two in the middle, making a v-shaped shawl once it’s all said and done.  It’s a bit tough to see the central V right now, but as the body grows it’ll be clearer and clearer.  But side decreases are pretty evident:

I’ll be spending as much time as possible outdoors this weekend, and hopefully also making good progress on this.  What are your weekend plans?

2009.06.23

I’ve been working away at the Beach Glass stole.  The pattern is well-written, the charts are very clear, etc.  But at 388 stitches per row, it takes a while.  I’ve been averaging 30 minutes a row, so progress is a little slow.  But I’m really happy with it, and I’m enjoying it, so hopefully things will begin to pick up soon.

So, lacking anything to show you, I will instead give you a recipe.  The original is from the April 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine, but I’ve made a couple of minor modifications to suit myself and my pantry.  I’ve made it three times now, and it’s an ideal weeknight recipe in my book:  quick, delicious, and made with ingredients I usually have on hand anyway.

Ravioli with Spinach and Bacon

• 1 large package frozen ravioli (somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 pound)
• 6 slices bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 bag spinach
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put a pot of water on to boil and add a good shake of salt to it.

Rinse off the spinach and dry it.

Put the bacon into the largest skillet you have and then turn on the heat (seriously – starting with a cold pan makes a huge difference).  When it’s cooked to your liking take it out and put it on a plate covered by paper towels.  If there’s a ton of grease in the pan, take some out – you want a couple of tablespoons of it to remain.

By the time the bacon is cooked the water is either boiling or just about to, so put the ravioli into the water.

Crumble the bacon into bite-sized pieces, then put the skillet back onto the heat and put the garlic slices in it.  Let them sizzle for a minute or two, and as soon as they turn to about the color of a peanut, add the spinach to the pan.  It’ll wilt down pretty quickly, toss it around a few times so that the garlic and the bacon grease gets incorporated into it. Once they’re good and wilty, but still bright green, turn the heat off.

The ravioli are most likely ready by now (follow the time instructions on the package), so take them out and drain them.   Divide them onto plates.  Add the bacon pieces back to the skillet and pour the lemon juice over it all, then toss a few times.  Put the spinach/bacon/garlic over the ravioli and serve.

And bask in the glory of a fabulous meal.

2009.06.22

Larry had a nice Father’s Day, thanks for asking.  He got coffee and presents in bed, special french toast for brunch, and a nice afternoon nap to boot.

The summer solstice was yesterday, too, although you’d never know it from the weather; it’s been rainy and cool for the past who knows how long.

The only way I can really tell that it’s summer is that we ate the first raspberries and strawberries of the year out of our own backyard (do I have photographs?  Sadly I do not.  Perhaps next time).

The other telltale sign of summer is that the Fedco bulb catalog arrived the other day.  Just as I know winter is almost over when the spring seed catalogs arrive, I mark the beginning of summer by the fall-planting catalogs.  (Yes, I am dorky.)

You may recall that last year I went on a little spree in the bulb catalog, resulting in a front yard that some might call exuberant but I think is merely festive.   Larry has forbidden any more tulip-buying, but if you think that’s going to stop me from buying any more bulbs, you are so wrong.

For one thing, the fancy alliums I planted are finally opening up – I’d thought they were all duds, but it turns out they’re late bloomers.  Which I would have known if I had just referred back to the catalog.  Duh.

But boy were they worth the wait.

The only regret I have is that because they bloom in the lull between spring bulbs and midsummer perennials, they’re a little bit lost in a sea of green.

Perhaps I’ll plant more along the white fence, where they’d be a little more noticeable.

2009.06.19

I did cast on for Beach Glass last night.  Wherever I got the tip of “when casting on a large number of stitches, place a marker at 50-stitch increments to keep your count”, a thousand thanks.

So there you go.  388 stitches – did I mention the cast on is done with the yarn held doubled?  Well, it is.  And so I did.  I think it’s to give the bottom edge a little weight/body, or something.  I even worked the first row (all knit stitches).

Hopefully this weekend I’ll make some decent progress on it.  We don’t have any particular plans, Father’s Day notwithstanding.

Larry will get breakfast in bed, just like I did.  I’ve been asking him what he’d like, but no answer.  Ditto for his druthers on dinner.   So we shall see…

Have a great weekend!

2009.06.18

I didn’t do any knitting last night, I really haven’t been motivated to these past few days.

Since in 2 1/2 weeks I only managed about 1 1/2 inches of sock cuff (and hating it every stitch of the way), I almost wonder if I needed a little space.  The socks have been ripped back, and I’m going to take a little while before starting the Christmas knitting again.

Last night I did manage to enlarge the Beach Glass charts, and to wind the yarn into balls.  I may cast on tonight, although the 388 stitches is intimidating.

I continue to be smitten with the yarn, though:

See how the color changes depending on the light?  And how even in the shade it sort of glows?  Totally love that.

Tune in tomorrow to see whether I cast on for this baby, or just watch two episodes of Burn Notice.  Not sure I can pull off both…