knitorious

Ten on Tuesday: Baby, You Can Drive My Car

 
Ten on Tuesday:  10 Ways to Have Fun on Long Car Rides

1.  Rockin' it out!  It's a sunny 75F, the windows are rolled down, my hair's blowin' in the wind, and it's nothing short of another miracle if I get where I'm going without a speeding ticket (knocking on wood).  Beep Beep!!  Yeah.

 
2.  Look at a map (or something) and take a new route, perhaps a road less traveled.

3.  Read.  I like to page through and catch up on periodicals.

 
4.  Watch the sky.

 
5.  Pay attention to seasonal changes in the landscape.

 
6.  Play the "ABC" game.  When we go up north, we often go through Minocqua -- a resort and tourist area with a DQ and plenty of pizza joints -- and I've been known to run through the ABCs twice before we're driving through nothing but forest again!

7.  Snooze.

 
8.  Find someplace fun and new to eat.

 
9.  Stop and see some sites along the way.

 
10.  Knit.  I have a photo somewhere of my knitting on the dashboard of Ali's car, but I can't find it right now!  Picture it in your mind's eye... I'm pretty sure it was a Mason-Dixon dishcloth.  FOUND IT -- June 2006!

 

Ten on Tuesday: Fall

Ten on Tuesday:  10 Things To Love About Fall

1.  The colors.

 
2.  And the loveliness.

 
3.  And the serenity.

 
4.  And the adorableness.

 
5.  Not to mention the goofiness.

 
6.  The knitting.

 
7.  More adorableness.

 
8.  More knitting.

 
9.  The drama.

10.  And apples.

 

Ten on Tuesday: The Fridge

Ten on Tuesday:  10 Things in Your Refrigerator Right Now

1.  Process American Cheese.  I bought a package to make All-American Cheese Soup on Sunday, and bought another (smaller) package just because... it's my favorite in grilled cheese sandwiches.

2.  Some cheddar and mozzarella and string cheese, too (at least).  Hello, this is Wisconsin!

3.  Milk (skim).

4.  Yogurt (mostly Greek).

5.  Half & Half.  The threat of running out of Half & Half prompts an emergency run to the grocery store even more than the threat of running out of milk.  I like my coffee "just so," thanks.

6.  Butter.  The real stuff -- both salted and unsalted.

7.  Chicken soup from Friday's chicken dinner leftovers.

8.  Bacon, of course.  (Duh!)

9.  Pesto.

10.  Eggs.  I wish I could find a local source for eggs.  If things go the way I hope, maybe I'll BE my local source for eggs next summer -- well, not actually ME, but perhaps the hens in my own back yard!

Tra-la!

Ten on Tuesday: Bacon

Ten on Tuesday:  10 Reasons To Love Bacon

1.  BLTs.  Thanks to the timely arrival of the Ten on Tuesday topic email, it's what we had for dinner on Monday night.

2.  Liver & Onions & Bacon.  I hated liver when I was a kid because it was cooked into shoe leather (the bacon was always good, though); thankfully, DH is the best liver cooker in the world.

3.  Bacon Cheeseburger.  I rarely go this far with a burger (usually don't even have it in a bun), so it's a real treat when I do.

4.  Bacon & Eggs.  When I think of bacon and eggs, I think of childhood and early summer mornings at the cabin, sleeping in the loft... the smell of bacon and eggs prying open my eyes enough to spot grandma, at the stove in her robe, preparing fishermen's breakfasts.

5.  Hm.  It's bacon!  Fry it up in a pan!

6.  Filet mignon.

7.  It's good to bring some home now and then (or have it directly deposited... but not to my thighs).

8.  It's crispy.

9.  It's salty.

10.  It's oh so yummy.

Yep, I'm tardy.

Ten on Tuesday: Vacation

Ten on Tuesday:  10 Things To Bring On Vacation

Packing for vacation -- no matter where or how long -- is hard; it makes me feel so confined!  Hopefully, in 6 or 7 months, I'll be packing for my first overseas trip, so it might be good to start thinking now about what I should bring along.

1.  Underwear.  I'm always afraid that I'll forget to pack it altogether, so I try to pack it first -- and extras.

2.  Travel documents.  Tickets, passport, reservation confirmations, maps, list of contacts/info.

3.  Footwear.  At least two pairs of good, worn-in (but not worn-out), comfortable shoes.  I won't be dropping in to visit The Queen, so casual will be fine.

4.  Electronics.  Camera, laptop, chargers, adapters, cards, readers.

5.  Reading material.  A book and a couple of magazines for the plane and bed-time reading; I love to read, but don't see making it a priority when I could be doing, oh, I dunno, ANYTHING ELSE in London.  Or Scotland.  Or Ireland.  (But I vote for Scotland.)

6.  Knitting.  This also for the planes, trains, and automobiles.  It's the choosing of the project(s) that can be tricky -- engaging but not too difficult, not taking up much space, containable.

7.  Various forms of tender.

8.  More cash than I think I need.

9.  Clothing pieces that look good smushed.  There are some.  A few.  Every little bit helps.

10.  My list.

 

Ten on Tuesday: TV Alternatives

Ten on Tuesday:  10 Things to Do Instead of Watching TV

I've been thinking about my TV viewing quite a bit of late, as I'm growing ever more serious about cutting the cable.  I even called last week and priced some alternatives.

I watch a fair amount of TV -- sometimes more, sometimes less, sometimes hardly at all -- I always have and suspect I always will; frankly, and with no apologies, I LOVE TV.

It started with Romper Room and progressed to (in no particular order) Captain Kangaroo, Shari Lewis & Lambchop, Snagglepuss, Casper, Wyle E. Coyote, The Flintstones, (all of Hanna-Barbera), Let's Make A Deal, The $25,000 Pyramid, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Hollywood Squares, Password, Batman, Dark Shadows, The Galloping Gourmet, American Bandstand, The Beatles, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, The Honeymooners, After-School Specials, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island, I Love Lucy, The Carol Burnett Show, Three's Company, Home Improvement, Saturday Night Live, The Midnight Special, Sunday Night at The Movies, Phil Donahue, Mike Douglas, Dick Cavett, Ed Sullivan, Andy Williams, Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, The Smothers Brothers, Little House On The Prairie, How The West Was Won, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, The Rockford Files, The Streets of San Francisco, Mannix, Miami Vice, L.A. Law, Boston Legal, Hawaii Five-O, CHiPS, Baretta, Starsky & Hutch, Magnum P.I., Hill Street Blues, The Six Million Dollar Man, Murder She Wrote, MacMillan & Wife, Hart to Hart, Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, All In The Family, Family Ties, The Love Boat, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murphy Brown, Cagney & Lacey, Laverne & Shirley, The Cosby Show, One Day at a Time, Happy Days, Good Times, Dallas, Roots, Cheers, M*A*S*H, E.R., not to mention entire franchises such as Star Trek, CSI, Law & Order, channels such as HBO, and the birth and heyday of MTV and music videos... don't even get me started... and I'm leaving out about a million shows, not to mention networks... Bravo, The Food Network, American Movie Classics, Turner Classic Movies, The Discovery Channel.

Currently, I'm loving the reality shows that have to do with creativity -- So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, Project Runway, Top Chef, Iron Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Cupcake Wars, etc.  Also Glee!  (I love musicals!)  The Closer.

What's not to love?  My viewing is cyclical and sporadic -- very much influenced by the other things going on in my life and, especially, the weather/seasons.  The DVR is one of the best inventions ever, and so is high-speed internet, streaming video, Netflix, and a whole bunch of technology that at one point in my life I'd have been totally up on but I lost the trail a long time ago, so, yeah...

It was always sort of a treat to watch TV when I was a kid -- I had more of an awareness and desire of TV programs than I ever had regular viewing time -- and have some vivid memories of what I missed -- like The Beatles on Ed Sullivan because we were visiting my aunt and, despite my silent prayers, left for home just as the show was starting.  Dark Shadows was forbidden at my house -- which made it ever so delicious to catch an episode at LuAnn's house!  I don't remember my mom and dad ever watching much -- Dad like boxing and Sunday afternoon football, often the news (Walter Cronkite), special events (astronauts on the moon!).

When I was about 11, our TV (black & white - the only one we had) shorted just as summer vacation started and my parents didn't replace it all summer.  I read a lot that year, and helped Mimi (who was a few years older than me and lived across the street) organize a big neighborhood carnival in our yard.  I think that was also the year I tried volunteering -- first as companion to a rich widow (I just walked right up and knocked on the door) and then, when told that my services weren't required there, at a nearby nursing home -- where I was also turned away, told that I was too young.

What's a kid to do, then, but build forts, form air guitar bands, and put on shows in the garage!

Haha!  This has been fun.  Without further ado, my list:

1.  Go to a local Farmers' Market -- most are held on Saturday mornings, but around here there's at least one weekday morning market that I know of, and I think there's an afternoon/after-work market nearby, too.

2.  Cook something using ingredients acquired at the Farmers' Market!

3.  Tend the garden -- plant, weed, harvest.

4.  Take a day-trip!

5.  Plan something and/or make a list -- things-to-do, groceries, a menu, vacation, knitting projects.

6.  Read!

7.  Listen to music -- and dance!

8.  Start something!  You know, one of those other things you've always wanted to try... or get back to.

9.  Purge something -- a closet, the junk drawer, filing cabinet -- it feels so good!

10.  Go for a bike ride!

Ten on Tuesday: Camping (ugh!)

10 Things to Bring on a Camping Trip

I have camped -- ages ago! -- but I am not a camper.  At all.  Period.  Not in any way, shape or form.  Don't try to convert me; I've heard it all about how much fun it is; I don't like it.  It is not putting it mildly to say that I hate it.  There are certain aspects that I find quite appealing, but the big picture involves too much work (before, during, and after) and WAY too many variables.  Hell on earth, to me, would be spending wasting a rainy and/or humid and/or mosquitoe-y vacation week (or a weekend) in a tent (or a camper, doesn't really matter) -- clothes that never dry, wet sand that sticks to everything.  Ugh.  I have roughed it, spending many a summer in a cabin that had no indoor plumbing, but that's my limit.  I like walls, a roof, a solid floor, electricity, a real bed.

I might be able to "camp" in a motorhome, but it's the "motor" part of "motorhome" appeals to me most.  My dad took us on a trip around Lake Superior in a motorhome when I was 12 and it was one of the most fun and memorable vacations I've ever had.  Can we do it my way?  Let's GO!

1.  Garmin

2.  Maps

3.  Passport

4.  Knitting

5.  Reading

6.  My bike

7.  Music

8.  Board games and cards

9.  Laptop

10.  Marshmallows, graham crackers, Hershey chocolate bars

By the way, my motorhome is pointed toward the Maritimes and beyond.

One of the most amazing and beautiful things I saw at Conrad Art Glass & Gardens on Sunday was this long, narrow, curving, somewhat undulating, bench-like fence structure that held a multitude of miniature gardens planted mostly in hypertufa vessels.  There were so many things that I loved in this particular spot (hello, hostas nearby! hypertufa! succulents!), where do I begin?

The fence is built on and from an old arborvitae hedge.  You can see the trunks in their role as fence posts in the photos above.  The crosspieces and "xylophone" top are all created using the cut branches.  It is just nothing short of spectacular in its creativity and beauty.  I am completely in love with this fence.  There, I said it!

Ten on Tuesday Thursday

Ten Things I Like About Where I Live

 

1.  I love my house.

 

2.  I love my local coffee shop.  It's pretty cool and the owner is real nice.  Also, there's an interesting guy who has his art studio/gallery upstairs.

 

3.  It's an easy, one-hour drive through small towns and farmland to the beautiful Lake Michigan shore.  I can't see the other side, but I always glance over and wave to my near-and-yet-so-far friends in Michigan.

 

4.  I can grow lilacs.  I remember how disappointed I was to learn that they wouldn't grow in Oregon.  I ordered one, anyway.  The amazing rhodies sort of made up for the lack of lilacs, but not really.  They're two different things.

 

 

5.  There are some cool local projects that bring people together and highlight some of the great things about our area.  (I've been slacking on the mural progress photos so far this year -- time to fix that!)

6.  It's only a few hours to the beautiful, peaceful, wilderness of The Big Woods -- way up north -- it's even further north than most Wisconsinites think when they hear the words "up north."  Those kids in the canoe represent the 5th generation of my family to find it the perfect place to retreat and recharge.

7.  There are some great local yarn shops that host world-class events with big names in the fiber world -- some of whom don't mind crawling around on the floor to autograph people's feet!

 

8.  Definite and defined seasons (without which one cannot grow lilacs).  I'm not a big fan of winter, but am willing to suffer it for spring and summer and fall.  But mostly spring.  Then fall.  Then summer.  There's good and bad about them all, really; you just take your lumps and enjoy your nuggets.

9.  On any given day, it's just so darn beautiful. 

 

10.  So many of my favorite people live here!  Even the one who will be living in London for a semester next year!  Congratulations, Maddy!!!!

Ten on Tuesday: Summertime

Ten Ways to Enjoy Summer

1.  Make and eat fruit salad!  This is a variation on the green theme, which seems to be this summer's salad inspiration!  Grapes, honeydew, kiwi, Granny Smith apple, blueberries, currants, thinly sliced rhubarb, a few splashes of both lemon and lime juice (more lemon than lime), a drizzle of honey, lots of basil.  I think I use more basil every time I make it.  It looks sort of patriotic, doesn't it?  'Specially in that stars and stripes bowl.  I made this salad twice over the weekend.  Oh so yum.

2.  Go to the farmers' market every Saturday morning!  Not only is there great food, art and craft, there are fun people!

3.  Go on a road trip (or several).  This is the old Hamilton Manufacturing Co. in Two Rivers; we'd never really been before, so made it a stop on the day's itinerary.

4.  Putz around in the yard, trimming and pruning, planting and harvesting, enjoying the varied fruits of sundry labor.

5.  Cook stuff on the grill!  This is my stepdad's grill -- a shot from last summer, when it was brand spankin' new -- it's sort of HUGE!  Our grill is a tiny little thing, big enough for those first six burgers.

6.  Go on vacation with your sister!  Viva Las Vegas!

7.  Rent a cool camera lens to take with you on vacation with your sister!  We loved our day in the desert.

8.  Hang clothes on the line.

9.  Go to the lake!  That may be happenin' again soon!

10.  Go for a bike ride (and keep hydrated).

And that's your 10 this Tuesday!  Thanks Carole!

Ten on Tuesday

This week:  Ten Books on Your Summer Reading List

I literally grabbed the to-read pile of books on my nightstand/bookshelf and sat down at the computer to type them up.  Books #1 and #2 were not in the pile for reasons that you will soon learn!

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  This one's for book club.  It's on hold because it accidentally went home from The Dells with my sister!
2. The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler, MD.  I requested this from my library via InfoSoup (I love my library!) after reading about it at Norma's.  Contest schmontest; this was easier, guaranteed, and I didn't have to wait!  It's the one I'm presently carrying around in my tote bag.
3. Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen.  Because.
4. A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer.  Heh.  Won in one of those contest schmontests -- this one at CursingMama's!
5. Casa Nostra: A Home in Sicily by Caroline Seller Manzo.  Borrowed from Katie; expectations are not high but, as stated in the Publisher's Weekly review, "...there's worse places to flounder than sun-drenched Sicily."
6. Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg.  Lent by my friend Peg.
7. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.  Birthday gift from Katie.
8. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows.  On a recommendation from someone.
9. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.  Also recommended by someone.
10. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan.  I picked up this book at Goodwill a few years ago; it is the perpetual 10th book, anchoring my reading list, in any season.  Someday...

Last night I finished House of Dance by Beth Kephart (also because); knowing it would be a quick read, it was skimmed off the top of the to-read pile when The Help decided to take a hike in Wisconsin Dells.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Ways to Entertain a Child for today's Ten on Tuesday!

I just spent a couple of days entertaining two little boys, so I'm pretty fresh!

1.  Read.  Always read!  Morning, noon and night!!  Despite paring down numerous times, I still have a vast and varied collection of children's books.  I will be ready when grandchildren start to appear.  (This should not be taken as an outright request for grandchildren.)  (Come what may.)  (And when.)

 
2.  Get down on the floor and play!  Trucks, cars, Legos, dolls, board games, Twister, big puzzles.

3.  Chase, Catch, Tickle & Release (Over and Over and Over Again) (with omissions and variations as your spirit -- and energy -- allow).  This is best out on the grass, but adaptable for use inside or out!

 
4.  Go to an amusement park -- it doesn't have to be big!  A regular park with fun playground equipment and room to run works, too!

 
5.  Go to the zoo.  That doesn't have to be big, either!

6.  Go for a walk!

7.  Play in the playhouse!  Or make a fort!!  The all-time favorite, of course, is to employ the outside clothesline.  Working with what was at-hand, I draped hotel sheets and blankets last week to make fun little play places between the beds.  We also pulled a sheet, tucked in at the foot of the bed, over a chair to create a fun space -- I sat happily knitting in a chair while my feet were up on another, holding down the other end while the boys nested in pillows underneath.  What?  Someone had to do it!  It's a hard, hard life.

 
8.  Play dress-up!  ; )

 
9.  Have a snack!

 
10.  Tell stories and sing songs!!

And whatever you do... HAVE FUN!!!