Diane in Chico, CA

Cookbook Wish List

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 00:08:00 +0000

Watching TV news this afternoon. I think I prefer stories about how we all pull together, or networks should have knitting shows. Moving right along.

Today was good - pool at 6am, book sale at 8am. At the book sale donation table, we sorted books by fiction or non-fiction. It's interesting that we ended up with approximately 50% each. I would have thought there would have been more fiction. I brought home 3 cookbooks which are going right back. They could probably be recycled - out of date diabetic cookbooks.

Which brings up a need for a Mediterranean Diet for Diabetics. Would somebody please publish one? BTW, I'm not diabetic (yet), just(?) pre-diabetic.

Photo Stolen from the Internet

Is this thing on?

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 15:59:00 +0000

Slow and steady

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 04:36:00 +0000

Still plugging away on my sweater's front.

Also, Jan and her nephew Stephen at Sierra Nevada Brewery today.

Pescadero in progress

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 06:51:00 +0000

Amy Herzog's design, Pescadero, is fun.

I'm almost up to the armholes in back, and this is the beginning of the front.

I used to live in Pescadero, CA, which is why I decided to make this fun sweater. Maybe I'll be done in time to wear it to Asilomar in the Spring.

Amy's blog: http://www.amyherzogdesigns.com/2015/05/29/make-wear-love-west-pescadero/

Edited to add: I checked on the Asilomar retreat. Last year it was $900+ for 3 days, plus lodging you arrange for yourself. Sigh. I'm afraid that is not in my price range, even if Pacific Grove, CA, is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 07:33:00 +0000

I'm thinking of resurrect in this blog. Hmmmm.

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 08:15:00 +0000

I'm suddenly struck with my own mortality. Officially a senior citizen, I think of all the people I feel close to on the internet - people I've never seen in person, but have corresponded with for over 20 years. Over 20 Years, Maybe 30! If I die, how will they know I've gone? If I am the parent/owner of my internet presence, then it needs a god parent.

I am not surrounded by people as taken with online pen pals as I am, and the tech saviness of those closest to me leaves my internet presence without a god parent.

I'll have to think about this.

Merry Christmas?

Joseph's Coat

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 18:07:00 +0000

20131006 Joseph's Coat
Originally uploaded by DFNoJunk

When the roses bloom and show such beauty, it's hard to imaging that anything could be wrong around here. But there are things wrong...

I'm old and colds knock me for a loop. I remember taking a decongestant and carrying on as if nothing was wrong. Now, taking high blood pressure medicines, there are many effective cold remedies of which I am warned off. I didn't read the labels too carefully, but I think I can take DayQuil and NyQuil, which taste so bad they make you want to avoid them.

My House representative, Doug LaMalfa, is a faithful spouter of the GOP party line, accusing Democrats and Obama of reluctance to negotiate. The Republicans are hung up on the Affordable Health Care Act. Dubbing it Obamacare, the Republicans have insisted partially dismantling or delaying the Affordable Care Act as part of their budget talks, which Democrats have resisted. In the meantime, while the boys and girls in the US government are shutting down, real people are being laid off, albeit temporarily, and one of my favorite parts of the USA, national parks system, is closed. And, let's not even talk about my retirement nest egg losing value daily.

Holiday gift knitting is progressing slowly.

Enough grumpiness for today. Hope you are having a better day than I.

20130825 Hydrangea

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 16:02:00 +0000

20130825 Hydrangea
Originally uploaded by DFNoJunk

I love having a nice garden - really love it. But I really don't enjoy gardening. That's where Miguette Chapin comes in. If you are looking for a creative and thoughtful gardener, she's your woman.

20130825 Rose Hips

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 15:59:00 +0000

20130825 Rose Hips
Originally uploaded by DFNoJunk

Master Gardener Miggy has been growing and shapping this rose bush for a few years. In the Spring it has tiny little pink roses. Now and in the Fall the Rose Hips are the show.

Tap, tap. Is this thing on?

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 05:25:00 +0000

Here we are in Chico, which has cooled off somewhat with cool nights. That makes the mornings delightful. Okay, I've covered the weather. Politics, both local, state, and national are not enjoyable to talk about. We saw a good movie: The Way, Way Back, which is hard to describe... about a boy in early teens with family problems, chock full of good acting (4 out of 5 stars). I finished a good book, which I recommend: A Delicate Truth, by John LeCarrè.

Current work in progress

I have spent a long time - weeks - knitting a sweatshirt for me out of this yarn. That's weeks and weeks of stockinette with a few purls thrown in every 10 rows or so. Today I discovered I had knit a couple of rounds too many, so I made negative progress tonight.

Ella Rae, Lace Merino DK, Charcoal #101

At least I'm up to the arm pits, so I should be done by fall. This sweatshirt is driving me to other projects. I have socks on the needles, finished a sample for a class, and there is lace yarn from knitivity calling my name. I will persevere with the sweatshirt, or it will never get done.

20130403 Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:34:00 +0000

20130403 Spring!
Originally uploaded by DFNoJunk

There can't be a better time of year. It renews your faith in Mother Nature's ability to put on it's annual show.

Ps: this collage was made on the phone using an app called Pic Stitch.

Longtime Companion

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:40:00 +0000

Ruso is fifteen, and hasn't grown up yet. He's a heat-seeking loudmouth.

Teenage dream

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 18:35:00 +0000

The iPhone's camera has become my favorite. Today's picture of Fall at Chico's Mendocino Forest Tree Farm has been treated to the Teenage Dream filter in the Camera Awsome app.

Spring and Fall in Chico are the best.

Let the Fall begin

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:04:00 +0000

There's a cool wind outside and the leaves are turning. And, my first top down, wool cardigan is 'this close' to being finished. Yay!

As big as a sandwich plate, the peony blossoms are good this year (tree peony).

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:02:00 +0000

As big as a sandwich plate, the peony blossoms are good this year (tree peony).
Originally uploaded by DFNoJunk

There are so many flowers to choose from in my garden this Spring. This peony, from mid-April is my favorite. Now the blooms are gone and only the seed pods are there to remind me of their past glory.

I wish I could take credit for my garden's splendor, but Miggy, the master gardener, has made it beautiful.

Knitter’s Review

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0000

I’m a fan of Clara Parkes, author and publisher of Knitter’s Review. Each week she discusses something of interest to people in the fiber world. She’s intensely interested in yarn and its sources – her first book was about yarn (with some patterns), her second book was about wool (with some patterns). Her third book is about socks, with patterns. Each book is a scholarly work on its subject. She’s one smart woman!

This week she’s wrapping up 2011, with a 2011 Retrospective. She talks about things I have noticed, but only in the back of my head. Like, there really are a lot of knitting events one can attend, and there are a lot of clubs one can join, etc. It’s all good for the fiber world.

In the beginning of December she talked about notable books published in 2011. I have at least three of these books (Knit One Knit All, Charts Made Simple, and All Wound Up), and may have a fourth (Finishing School), but I can’t find it. When I do the archeological dig of my desk top I may stumble upon it.

And… if you follow her on twitter you are frequently rewarded with a picture of her morning latte. Yum.

So, if you aren’t already a fan, I recommend her Knitter’s Review web site.

Lovely little escape to the coast

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:10:00 +0000

Hello! Once every quarter isn't very much to keep this blog going, but facebook has been keeping me entertained.

We took a nice trip to the coast. Our plans were to escape the blistering Chico heat. Of course, the weather in Chico was relatively mild and only started to warm up when we got home. Sigh.

We went to Fort Bragg and Mendocino, two little towns right on the coast. The weather was beautiful. Our motel room had a view of the ocean, and except for the very loud bathroom fan, it was nice.

Pictuers:

www.flickr.com

So much work for so little reward

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:19:00 +0000

I worked a long time on this Chiton Pullover. After modifying the pattern to make a larger than specified size, it looks the way I expected it to look. What I wasn’t expecting was how the drape of the cotton yarn would accentuate that spare tire around my middle. Damn!

I’ve never been this heavy before, and I haven’t had to deal with the issue of tummy roll. I’ve seen women out shopping with their rolls hanging out, but I can’t bring myself to wear this sweater in public… unless I lose that roll. Maybe if I cut it off below the bust and worked down in a peasant blouse shape. Maybe, but I’m not sure what the cowl neck would look like on a peasant blouse.

PS: The picture shows the shoulder seams before finishing. I use little hair clips to hold it together so I can try it on. This is not the way the seams will look, if they are ever finished.

PPS: I like the yarn. It’s Cascade Ultra Pima 100% cotton. It has a nice shine and drape. Any cotton is hard on my hands to work, and this was no exception.

Posts from twitter and flickr

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Wed, 04 May 2011 05:15:00 +0000

Not much blog worthy lately, so here are a couple of widgets that show recent twitter updates and flickr uploads:

20110305 Almond Orchard

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 09:27:00 +0000

20110305 Almond Orchard
Originally uploaded by DFNoJunk

This almond orchard is beginning to lose its petals. It's almost white on the ground.

State of the

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:07:00 +0000

… garden.

This is the time of year when people, me for instance, have the least amount of emotional energy. Therefore, today’s post will have some amount of complaining in it, with pictures.

The new landscape gardener has been mostly a no show this winter, for various reasons some of which were out of her control. So I’m going to cut her some slack. In the meantime I called another company this morning to arrange for a one time pruning job. The rose in the picture really needs pruning. It’s taller than I am. I could do it myself, but I have a convenient excuse – I’ve been having my cataracts fixed and part of the recovery instructions include “don’t bend over.”

One good thing the gardener did was put some chai tea on the vegetable garden as a mulch, so it looks bright and cheery. There is a squirrel, or something, who thinks the onions and shallots look good. I hope [s]he hasn’t killed them by rooting around in there.

One promising thing: There are several buds on the rhododendron. It hasn’t bloomed for a couple of years, but this year there is hope. The camellias are blooming, and there is one azalea in bloom, so it’s not all bad.

Eyes and Library

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:46:00 +0000

I borrowed this image from Super Stock because it is perfect for today.

Thursday I’ll be visiting the local surgery center to have my second cataract removed. I hope I’ll be able to see clearly when it’s done, and that new glasses will make computer usage even easier.

While I’m recuperating, I hope people will go into the Chico branch library to pick up a postcard to send to their state representatives. The proposed state budget has some serious library cuts in it.

Some people think of libraries as a thing of the past. Not true!! Every day over 1,000 people (retired, toddlers, children, young adults, regular adults) walk through the doors at the Chico Library. They check out books, movies, audio books, magazines. They use the computers. The children attend playtime and story time. There is no shushing in the children’s room. In a quieter area, they read today’s issue of the local and national newspapers. Homeless people spend the day in a chair by a sunny window reading and napping. Our library is truly a place for everybody.

Support your local library.

Going up the road

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:56:00 +0000

Today was a big football playoff day. I don’t care about football, so we took a drive in the mountains. It was lovely.

We saw the Feather River! We saw snow!

We had lunch in Graeagle at the Graeagle Mill Works. We’ve been going to Graeagle for 10 years and haven’t tried a different restaurant. No need to.

For dessert I had the cherry pie, so I could compare it to the one I made at home last week. I liked the restaurant filling better, but the crust was a tie. Yay, my crusts are improving!

Chico Lib Quilt Show

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:42:00 +0000

Annie's Star Quilt Guild, here in Chico, is a talented group of ladies (and men??) who turn out hundreds of quilts each year. They give many of them to charity, and for the last two years we have raffled one of their quilts as a fund raiser for the childrens' room at the Chico branch library.

This week they loaned some quilts to the library for display. These quilts will be on display through the end of March and they are all beautiful.

I am especially taken with this quilt showing three draft horses harnessed and working.

Sunday, not in the park

noreply@blogger.com (Diane in Chico) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:39:00 +0000

We did go for a walk in the park this morning. A 10 minute walk. My walking buddy just wasn’t into it today. The fog is a downer for her. I like it. It’s mystical – you can imagine all sorts of things going on out there where you can’t see. The birds like it and their song comes out of nowhere.

The picture on the left is a sycamore leaf in the styrax tree. The styrax has thorns, all the better to hold the neighbors’ sycamore refuse.

The picture on the right is how far we are in the sock class. The classes are two hours long and it takes more than two hours to work a sock heel, if you are new to it. I hope I gave my student enough hints to get her through the heel on her own. I was able to teach her Ted Myatt’s wrap and turn trick to avoid holes at the gussett. Basically, at the end of the first knit (RS) row of a heel flap, you wrap the adjacent instep stitch and turn to purl back on the heel flap. At the end of the first purl (WS) row of the heel flap you wrap the adjacent instep stitch and then turn to knit back. That’s all it takes. Yay, Ted! As you work the gusset, you can either hide the instep wraps when you get to them, or not. Knitter’s choice.