This and That

Here we are almost smack in the middle of these lovely June days. My tomato patch could use more heat but all in good time. Today is bright, breezy, and cool - perfect walking weather. Sunday, in honor of Father's Day, I plan to bake my husband one of his favorite desserts, lemon bars. My Dad was very fond of good pastry. He grew up in a rural family and community of "from scratch pastry makers." Most were farm wives with plenty of eggs, butter, and lard on hand. When he drove into Omaha for his cardiology appointment, he often stopped on the way out of town to pick up several caramel pecan sticky buns from a favorite bakery/restaurant. He also loved Mom's pies with flaky homemade crust. All the shortening in the pastries didn't keep him from living into his early 80's. I'm not sure what to glean from this memory except that life is to be enjoyed and a little pastry now and then won't hurt. A good cardiologist isn't a bad idea either.

My knitting is treating me well this week. I finished Norah's little swirly hat. Looking at this photo, I notice the ribbing of the hat and sweater don't match but she isn't going to care. Who is going to notice that on a cute toddler? The hat pattern was fun to knit, a change from the typical stocking hat. I also cast on a sweater. Sometime last fall or winter I bought the yarn for a sweater I didn't knit. Although I continue to swatch, gauge is a mystery to me. This pattern calls for DK yarn but I am very close to the suggested gauge with a fingering weight yarn.  The lace inset at the neck is fun and easy to knit. So far so good.

I abandoned the audio version of The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss. The narrators, Weiss and another woman, were too dramatic with the different voices. The topic is interesting to me so I may read the print version. A narrator can make or break an audio book. I've gone on to Transcription by Kate Atkinson. The story isn't as compelling as Life after Life but Atkinson is a good writer and the narrator's interpretation is pleasing so I am enjoying the story. I read A Place in the Woods by Helen Hoover. Whew! What a hard life they lived after they first moved to the shore of Lake Superior. Establishing livable space was not for the faint of heart. Hoover reminds me of something a friend who served in the Peace Corps once said, "A simple life isn't easier." I am a fan of running water and electricity. Hoover's story reminds me not to take them for granted. I did love the descriptions of flora and fauna in the North Woods. Hoover's writing paired with her husband's pen and ink drawings is a treat. I'm almost finished with Seeds. The book is chock full of interesting information about seeds but one I read mostly during the day and not before bed. Reading during the day feels like a guilty pleasure akin to eating a favorite pastry. Maybe I should try it more often. Do you read during the day? 

Click over to Kat and the Unravelers for inspiration. Enjoy this Father's Day weekend.