Passing Through

I know I haven't posted in a while -- way too much going on and way too much to do. But right now I'm stuck on the couch with my ankle up and iced, so it seems like a good time to pop in :)

Sr. Jr.'s bar mitzvah is in a couple of weeks! I can't believe it's getting so close. Right now he's away at his outdoor adventure camp. They do rock climbing, kayaking, a high ropes challenge, and "natural waterslides." Doesn't that sound incredible? If it weren't for the whole camping outdoors thing, I'd want to do it, too!

I'm trying to do a lot of work around the house to get ready for the onslaught of relatives, but at the moment I can barely walk. Grrr. There hasn't been much knitting, as a result, but there has been some progress.

I've knit exactly 100 rows on my Paper Crane so far. 100 rows is about 9 inches. I need at least another 45 or so before the armhole, hahahaha.


I love the yarn and the color. I think the sweater will look amazing when it's done, but it will probably be 2012 before it's done.

I've finished one of the socks for my friend Marie and am on my way to the heel on the second. Unfortunately I don't have any recent photos, so here's an old one:


It kills me that entire days go by right now without any knitting. This summer sucks. Have I mentioned the mice and the raccoons? At least the cats bring us the mice to take out of the house. The raccoon seems to have made a home in our chimney. Yes, I need to call the chimney people to come get him out and recap the chimney.

But the veggie garden is growing:


The grape tomatoes are out of control. Fresh lettuce, yum...


For the second year in a row, the snap peas just didn't take. But it looks like the cucumbers will. The green beans are amazing, the broccoli is growing. I planted one lone strawberry plant, and it's doing well, but I don't think we'll get berries until next year. Next year I think I'll try to buy more plants rather than try to start everything from seed. We'll see if that makes a difference, too.

Since I'm couch-bound today, I'm going to try to get some knitting done. Then back to the grind for me.

Edited a bit later to add a small reading report: Finished/reading a couple of very good books lately. First up is A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan. I'd read several of the opening chapters when they were published in The New Yorker, but was impressed with how the book continued to get better as it continued. It consists of linked stories loosely involving a group of people who were friends in high school and others in their orbit. Very, very good.

I'm currently reading One Day, by David Nicholls and enjoying it a lot. It's about two college friends who almost get together on their last night at school. They stay friends over the years. The book follows their lives and their relationship over the years. The characters are roughly my age, so I can identify with a lot of the cultural details about their lives and characters. It's about love and missed connections and enduring friendship.