Memorial Day - United States of America

 

Remember Our Heroes
Freedom is Not Free

 

 

I Remember Sunshine!

 Good morning,

Finally!  This morning when I went downstairs at 6 AM to let the pups out there was sunshine coming through the window on the front door!

We have had several days of rain and very cold (for this time of the year) weather.  It's still cold, but at least it is sunny.  I have two more items to photograph for the shop today so I'm delighted to see the sun.

I hope you're enjoying your Memorial Day Weekend as we remember those who made it possible for us to celebrate it freely.

All the best,

Lois

Catalpa Tree in Bloom

 Good morning,

The giant Catalpa Tree at the bottom of our driveway is in bloom.  The flowers are wonderfully fragrant so we know they are blooming without seeing them.

This is the last large Catalpa we have left.  I've guessed it is 60 feet tall, but may be closer to 80 feet tall.  The wood is soft and easily damaged in storms.  Other smaller trees have reseeded in our yard, but it will be many years before they are this large.  For size perspective the close up in the first image was taken of the area in the middle left of the second image.

 The weather has been cool and windy for the last two days so the blossoms are dropping quickly.  This is one that feel at my feet in the driveway as I was taking pictures of the tree.

These trees were brought to Cincinnati from India as part of the Elephant display at the Cincinnati Zoo.  The trees are very prolific and "escaped" the zoo so are now very common in the area.  

Happy Spring!

Lois

Memorial Day Weekend in the USA

 Good morning,

We hope you enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend as we all remember those who made it possible for us.

All the very best,

Lois

 

 

 

Peony Pink

 Good morning,

As much as I love our white peonies, the pink peonies have a color I just adore.  I purchased these many years ago and planted them next to a bench near a tree in our front yard.  The tree and the bench are long gone, but the pretty blossoms return year after year.

I love Spring!

Lois

WIP - Knit Sweater

 Good morning,

Many of you know I alternate working on knit and crochet projects.  This is to keep my fingers from the same repetitive movements for too long a period of time.  It seems to work keeping my fingers from having serious problems.

Above you see the beginning of a sleeve for a baby sweater.  I'm making it to restock the sold out Lady Bug Baby set that is a favorite in our Etsy shop.  

What are you making, baking, growing today?

All the best,

Lois

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The Cicadas Have Hatched

 Good morning,

Every 17 years the "big batch" of cicadas have hatched and have come to the surface in the lawn.  Our pups are right there waiting for them and enjoy the buffet they offer.

 This is how the shells look in the light of day after the Cicadas emerge as a soft white bug that is so very tasty according to Erik, Wendy, and Elsa.

 We find these shells on everything!  Not a big deal, really, because they fall off and disappear rather quickly.

 Here Catherine is showing Wendy a little white Cicada that has just emerged from its shell.  It was a good thing I was fast with the camera.  Two seconds later, it was in Wendy's tummy.

 Oh!  here are more!

 

They are everywhere!

Thank you, Catherine, I'll eat that!

Only in Greater Cincinnati can you turn the Cicada invasion into something yummy.  Here's the Snappy Cicada Pizza Song from the Snappy Tomato Pizza Restaurant (turn on the sounds and click the image):

Yum!

;),

Lois

Manly Man Dinner

 Good morning,

Yes, it's a Manly Man Dinner and it was delicious.  This is Norwegian Comfort Food.

 Meat (home made Norski-spiced pork patties with white sauce), potato (boiled with sour cream), and peas. 

 And, yes, my Manly Man made it.

Yum!

Lois

Weekly Menu Planning Meeting

 Wendy:  I'm here for the weekly menu planning meeting.  Where is everyone else?  I have a multitude of suggestions, mostly involving raw meat. 

 

 

 

WIP Patio Crochet

 Good morning,

The weather is so lovely outside now that Kjell and I have spent several hours each of the last couple of days on the patio.  I took along my current WIP which is the beginning of an afghan for the shop.  I've always loved these colors which makes working on this one a real pleasure.

Kjell had his computer outside so was hard at work designing.

 Between us, our Chief of Security, Erik, was on guard.

Ah, yes, Spring and Retirement go together so nicely!

All the best,

Lois

Spring Evenings on the Patio

 Good morning,

The weather is lovely here now.  It's warm, but not too warm.  We had some very cold days after the first warm ones so there aren't many insects.  

We enjoyed an evening glass of wine on the patio.

Retirement is good.

Happy Spring,

Lois

Iris in Bloom

 Good morning,

I love Iris.  Not only are they beautiful and have a lovely scent, they remind me of my mother and her garden.

 They are such a lovely sight each Spring.

Happy Gardening,

Lois

Peonies in Bloom

 Good morning,

When we see the ants on the peony buds we know we will soon have beautiful blossoms.

 These are some of my favorite flowers.

 When we moved here 42 years ago there was a clump of these peonies in the back garden.  I'm so glad that I separated the clump and moved some to the front yard where these are still blooming today. 

 I generally like to leave our garden flowers outside in the garden, but the wind and rain blew this one over and broke the stem so I brought it inside to enjoy it.

As you can see Mr. Snake is stopping to sniff the peony.  ;)   Mr. Door Snake was my last Work in Process crochet project a few days ago.  He is now finished and on his way to his new home.

Happy Spring!

Lois

Fried Salmon Dinner

 Good morning,

Ah, yes, good food again.  This is another dinner that My Honey made.

I love salmon any way it is prepared.  Until I met Kjell, I don't think I had eaten fried salmon.  This is fried in butter (oh, yes, butter!) and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper.  Yes, it's quick, easy, fabulous.

The famous Norwegian boiled potatoes, peas and carrots, finished the meal.  The extra veggie made up for the lack of a salad according to the chef.  

;),

Lois

Work in Process This Week - Door Snake

 Good morning,

My current Work in Process is a door snake custom order. I generally don't make these for the shop because they are a little tricky to ship, but it can be done.  The one I'm making now will only be about 31" long. 

That's a finished door/window sill snake in the image above.  This one, 50" to 55" long,  has already been delivered to its new owner.  I work from tail to head and stuff as I go so the project gets awkward after the first 12" or so.  I am stuffing with scrap yarn from every project since the last snake I made.  When crocheting and knitting, and I have short pieces left, I save them for the next time I make a snake.  By using yarn to stuff the snake, I get a firmer and slightly heavier snake (good for keeping it in place by the door or window) than if I used fiberfill.  If I wanted a very heavy snake, I would stuff with fabric scraps.  I never use beans as are sometimes recommended for such items because they will swell and rot if the item gets damp or wet.  

The eyes are crocheted rather than button eyes.  Since the snake will normally be in reach of children, I prefer not to have eyes that can be pulled off and swallowed.  I recommend, for the snake's health and welfare, to keep the snake out of the reach of pets.

 Of course, the stitches are tight.  To accommodate the unusual and awkward shape as I go, I feed the finished part of the snake under my left arm and over the arm of my chair as I turn and work on it.  

He's pretty cute, isn't he!   

What are you making, baking, growing today?

Lois

Hot Dog Toppings

 Good morning,

Most people have a favorite topping for hot dogs:  mustard, catsup, relish - all of the above.

In Norway (according to My Honey, our resident expert on all things Norwegian), though shrimp salad is a favorite hot dog topping.  Yes, it is delicious.  But, I prefer what you see above without the hot dog.  

;),

Lois

Second Blooming of Snow Drops

 Good morning,

The weather has been somewhat unusual here this year.  Well, "unusual" is "usual" most of the time.  But, this year the temperature swings were even more pronounced than usual.

We had quite warm weather in March, then suddenly have had some very cool days in May.  Generally (I won't say usually again), our Snow Drops bloom only once in the late Winter/very early Spring.  This year, though, we are enjoying a second blooming during this very cool month of May.

Lovely!

Happy Spring,

Lois

Update:  I have been corrected by friend Steve Willson!  These flowers are actually Star of Bethlehem.  See comments for more information about them.  Thank you, Steve!

Orange Roses

 Good morning,

These gorgeous orange roses are from My Honey for Mother's Day.  Thank you!

I don't think I've ever seen such gorgeous orange roses before.  They certainly delivered the WOW!

Love you, Sweetie,

Lois

Mother's Day Surf and Turf

 Good morning,

My Honey did it again on Mother's Day.  He prepared a Surf and Turf dinner very much like we had on board the ships.

That's filet mignon, lobster tail, Caesar salad, and potato (not shown).  Yes, it was delicious!

Thank you, Sweetie!  You're super engineer AND super chef!

Love you,

Lois

Work in Process This Week

 Good morning,

This is what is on my crochet hook right now.  I really love gathering colors together and making these afghan blankets.  As soon as it is finished, it'll be available in our Etsy Shop.

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

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I Want to be Alone

Good morning,

 As Greta Garbo said, "I want to be alone."

We leave kennel doors open here so the pups can retreat to a personal space to take a rest.  It's funny that Wendy opened her eyes to see what I was doing when I got my camera out to take this picture.  I took the picture and walked away.  She didn't move and soon started snoring again.  ;)

What a sweetie,

Lois

The Kids Have Been Shopping

 Good morning,

The girls are checking out their order from Chewy.

Hmmm.  I wonder what they bought now!

;),

Lois

Happy Mothers Day!

 Good morning and Happy Mothers Day!

Our "kids" went shopping (OK, I helped a little) and bought this T-shirt for Mommy Catherine (they have two Mothers - I'm the other one) to wear at the dog club.  

We wish all Moms and special women a Happy Mothers Day today.  

All the best,

Lois

Fellow Shoppers at Meijer

 Good morning,

As I  came out of our Meijer store with my groceries this week, I saw another couple on the way in to shop.  Well, at least they were in the parking lot.

What is scary is that they seem to have no fear of the people and cars.  They are short enough that they could be missed by drivers.

Very cute, though.

Lois

My Nap Buddy

 Good morning,

When I lie down on the bed, Miss Elsa is immediately next to me.  It takes her about 30 seconds to fall asleep.

I think Elsa is the most cuddly of all the dogs we have ever had.  

Precious!

;),

Lois

Honeysuckle in Bloom

 Good morning,

The Honeysuckle is in bloom here.

 I took these images of blooms near the ground.

 We have a great deal of Honeysuckle in our garden so the bees just love visiting here.  There are so many of them we can hear the "hum" when we are outside.  We don't bother them while they go about their business of collecting and pollinating.  

;),

Lois

Ivy Taking Over Our World

 Good morning,

The Ivy at the wall in front of our porch has had a very good Spring!  In fact, it reminds me of "The Blob" taking over the world.

Yes, some trimming is in order before the house disappears under the Ivy!

;),

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working update - May, 2021

 Good morning,

This month both Kjell and I created new items in our respective areas of woodworking and needlework design.

Kjell designed and created the Greek Urn-style lamp above for our living room.  I am thrilled with it!

 He also made this Light House lamp for our Schooner Bar Recreation Room.  This image was taken before the final cots of finish.

 This is a test item he made this month.  The finish is yet to be applied.

Kjell is currently working on some custom order kitchen items that are just gorgeous.  I'll leave that as a tease.  I'm sure they'll be finished in time to be included in next month's Update.

 I've been working with different stitches and color arrangements this month.  This generous size lap blanket is also beautiful as a baby or crib blanket.  $75.  More information and images here.  Only one available.

This one is also $75 and available here.  It's lovely for a Mother's or Father's Day gift. The texture is beautiful and it feels just wonderful to run your hand over it.

Here's the same stitch in another color arrangement.  This one sold shortly after being listed in the shop.

 And, finally, this is the fourth blanket I made with this stitch this month.  This one also sold shortly after being listed in the shop.

I love making these lap blankets so there will be more to come!

 I was also working with this pattern stitch this month.  This scarf is a fashionable touch of color.  More information and images here.   $32.

Of course, I had to design a seamless hat to match that pretty scarf.  $24.  More about it here.

This cloche hat also is excellent as a chemo cap.  It is made of a blend of cotton yarn for softness and polyester for durability.  It's oh, so soft and comfortable for summer.  $10.  More about this tan and gray tweed hat here. 

And, finally, these two hats were custom orders and have been delivered.  The slouch style hat is made with bamboo blend yarn;  the grey hat is made with cotton/polyester blend yarn.  Both are wonderfully comfortable for summer.

We are all caught up for another month!  Both Kjell and I have new items in process now so there will be an interesting update again next month.

Come see what else we've made!  Thank you so much to everyone for your encouragement, comments, likes, favorites, and purchases, too!  

All the very best,

Lois

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Evensens Productions, LLC

Original and Traditional
Hand Crafted Designs
Made in Ohio USA

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