Once again, I am joining Ginny over at Small Things for the weekly Yarn Along.  It's all about books and knitting.  Work has gotten in the way these last two weeks so my progress on both is small.  I have been working on my log cabin blanket.  It is still small enough that I can carry it in my suitcase.  And it is easy enough that I can work on it while watching mindless TV in the hotel room.  I've got plenty of colors in my stash that I can work on it hopefully until it is finished without duplicating colors.
I was at the airport two weeks ago and saw the new Nora Roberts book.  It is book two of her Inn Boonsboro Trilogy.  Luckily it was at my local branch of the library and I didn't have to put my name on the wait list.  I am on the last chapter.  I like her books when I need an easy read and an escape from reality.  Still needing that escape, I picked up 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber.  It is the last book in her Cedar Cove series.

Happy Yarn Along Wednesday!

It has been HOT!  This whole past week (with the exception of Wednesday and I was out of town so didn't get to enjoy) has been in the upper 90's or even in the triple digits!  Friday it was 102 at Denver International Airport (where they take the official Denver temps) and that broke a record set back in the 1800's.  Saturday it was 104 and now they are saying it is the hottest June ever in Colorado.

There are eight forest fires burning throughout the state.  Three down in the Southwest part of the state by Durango.  One in the mountains outside of Leadville and then the other four are on the front range from Colorado Springs up to Ft. Collins.  Those poor fire fighters out there is the blazing sun with all that heavy equipment.  There is no rain in sight and the humidity is something ridiculously low like 5%.  Not helping at all.

On the home front the garden is baking.  Everything is slowly wilting in the heat.  I try to water later in the day so the plants can cool down, but I don't want to water in the heat of the sun because it will evaporate that much faster.  We have a 150 pound all black Newfoundland who is just about miserable.  I let him in the house in the heat of the day and he lays in front of the AC vent.   Then late in the afternoon I turn on the sprinkler for the dogs and Corrine.

I planted a cherry tree (and and apple tree and a plum tree) six or seven years ago.  Turns out cherry pie is my husbands favorite.  The first year we didn't get any cherries.  The next year there were cherries, but the birds got them.  Each year we seem to get  more and more cherries provided we don't get a late cold snap.  This year with it being so warm so early the cherries are ready for the picking.  They are at least two weeks early.
Hubby and I have a deal.  We both pick the cherries.  He pits them.  I process them.  I make one pie right away.  I freeze the rest of them in pie measurements into vacuum sealed bags for later pies.  Last year I tried to make cherry  jam.  I made cherry syrup instead.  I'm not sure I want to try that again.

Now it's a race with the birds to see who can get them first!

How does your Garden Grow?

My spinach does not grow.  Nor do my onions.  The weeds are going to town thanks in part to the neighbors total lack of respect for how weeds take over.   But I digress.  Considering it got really hot, really fast, my cool weather crops are doing quite well.  And with the bit of rain we got last week the seeds I planted are sprouting.

Mama got a new bike!
It was 90 bazillion degrees on Saturday.  But we rode all day!  It was a ton of fun.

I am joining Ginny for the weekly yarn along.  It is all about books and knitting.  Two things I certainly didn't get much of this past week.

I decided that I did not like the Ten Stitch Blanket I was making.  It wasn't that I didn't like the pattern.  I did.  I think the pattern is one that needs a variegated yarn.  So I ripped it out and rolled up the small balls of yarn.  Last week I spent two hours on Ravelry looking for new patterns.  I found some that I really like, but will need a lot of the same yarn to make it.  So I tried to stick with patterns that can be made with random scraps of yarn.

The new blanket that I started is based on two that I found on Ravelry.  I cast on 200 stitches (because what was called for in one pattern didn't look like enough).  Knit 5, Purl 5.  Change colors after the small ball has run its course.  Or 5 rows.  Depends.  I think if I have enough for 6 rows I'll be okay with it.  If there is only enough for 3 or 4 that is okay too.
I also have been thumbing through our Switzerland book again.  We are planning a trip there in September.  I think planning a vaca is almost as much fun as taking a trip.

Happy Yarn Along Wednesday!