Home Again Jiggety

I do not know how it could possibly happen that I am home again! How could a long weekend away slip through my hands so fast that here I sit at my desk again, sighing longingly out the window. Only my sunburn (which is a beauty) reminds me that for a couple of wonderful days I laughed more than I thought possible, caught up with my Kansas family whom I adore, went out to dinner (twice even) for some really great food, drank countless bartenderly delights and for long swatches of time floated in the pool like a trout.

I am not positive that trout float, well when they are alive anyway, but refused to use the term water buffalo when it came to my lounging. Just know that lounging was done and done WELL. My Aunt lives next door (it is a huge property, but it is still next door) brought down delicious food on a regular basis. It was a dang boogerin' good deal!

The pool water was delightful. As it was 100 degrees without the heat index, let's just say that it was smokin' hot. The lovely blue pool was just steps away from the bedroom housing my suitcase which had any number of lovely treats in it, like books and magazines and of course Liesl. I did not answer my cell phone one time (heaven) nor did I check email or even fire up the laptop. I didn't even miss it! As I drove both ways (over 9 hours coming home) there was no car knitting. Because I was not alone in the rented white Camry there was not an orgy of podcast listening. There were however frequent stops for vanilla caffeine free diet Coke's at any QT that called my name and of course to potty. Or for the dogs to potty. Or for my partner to potty. This is a good thing and I mention it here because the ability to potty whenever and wherever you want only happens when you are not traveling with a man. A man finds some perverse delight in only stopping when it makes him quite satisfied and usually when you are about to pee down your leg. You know it is true, it really is. The other benefit to stopping for a a potty break is not only stretching your legs but finding out what other delightful treats lurk in the gas station. It might be a frozen Snickers bar or perhaps my favorite, the Chik-O-Stik. All in the name of mini vacation it is fair game and completely guiltless as this incredibly wonderful getaway was!

I'll be back in 6 short weeks (woo hoo). My cousin's youngest is getting married and had to go pretty quick on the whole wedding thing in order for us to have an opening in the schedule when we could go out there and make magic. His fiance is the most adorable thing you have ever seen. She does not knit, to my sorrow, but you can be sure that she will hold my knitting du jour at the appropriate time while looking bridely!!!

That is the happy couple above----- darling. And young! They think nothing of having us take engagement photos at high Noon when it is hotter than seven hundred dollars. My nephew will even hoist her cute self up and give her a twirl. I'm impressed because it has not only been a long time since I have been twirled, I think it has been awhile since this has been a desire!

Oh Liesl? I managed a repeat or two and am still wild about the pattern it is pretty cute. With any luck I might get the desk cleared, the phone calls returned, the prints ordered, the internet problem dealt with, the laundry done, the vacuum run and sit down with a big old glass of something from the cocktail family and have a bit of a knit.

After all, I'm just back ---- we wouldn't want to overdo or anything!

Last Day of Mini-Vacay

I can't even stand this photo of my adorable little boy dog Prince. He got UNDER the recliner and got stuck the little bozo! He didn't even make a peep! Little girl dog and I were in the kitchen and she got a little treat, but no Prince to be seen. When I came around the corner this was the sight I saw.

Silly dog! Look at that face!!!!!!!!

Sock Boots?

If you are reading this on the day it posted--- I'm actually out of town WOO HOO!!!! Very rarely does a little getaway happen, and this weekend my bags are packed and I'm gone.

Nothing terribly exciting, no tropical islands, no swaying palm trees, no exotic cuisine. But my dogs a swimming pool and good friends and family all in a day's drive.

My next door neighbor moved and her mail somehow ended up in my door, the Christmas 2008 catalog of The L*akeside Collection. Check these out!!! Knitted sockboots................ for under ten bucks. Of course the yarn is not of the highest quality and who knows where they are imported from. It sort of made me sad really.

Moving past the more than likely imported from some country where no one is paid a living wage---- the catalog does have some rather interesting things in it. I'm not going to buy but a girl can certainly look!

Thanks to the date posting feature on B*logger----- I didn't even have to get out of the pool to write this!

Liesl Progress

First things first------- no, my knitting brides do NOT choose their photos adorably knitting for their proofs or their albums. Actually, they never show up anywhere other than in my collection and I'm terribly grateful that they happily pose for my knitting pics!

And I do have a bit (albeit a tiny bit) of knitting to show. Liesl is coming along! I'm knitting down the torso towards the finish line---- the joy of cap sleeves and top down construction! What a delight Liesl is, I've always loved feather and fan--- fun to knit and fun to watch progress. The only problem was that as much as I tried--- -and no matter how many updates I received on the pattern, the sleeves did not line up as the pattern directed, it just didn't make sense. Once I just did what was intuitively right the cap sleeves lined up and cast off and the body of the sweater marched along nicely.

It is probably one of the worst blog photos ever, and if an award were given away for such a thing I might well be the winner. I apologize. I did want you to see that there IS progress, even though it looks to be a pink blobby thing. With any luck there will be finished object photos soon! And before one of you smarty pants Blitters comments, yes, I do realize that to me SOON as it relates to a knitted project completed is a relative thing!

I have a feather and fan dishcloth pattern tucked away and was going to make several with some handmade soaps for Christmas this year. I think by the time I finish Liesl I might be ready to move away from that lace pattern for awhile!

Katie Knit Saigon

Knit Saigon?

Ummmmmmmmm yeah! Actually the knitting bride has nothing to do with Saigon, last night was all about Saigon, M*iss Saigon that is. But now the post is quite muddled!

That's Katie, above. A Pretty Little Knitting Bride.

She's holding the re-knit of Liesl, which should by all accounts be at least twice as big as it is above---- owing to the fact that I started again from scratch in a smaller gauge.

I'll comment on her veil------ pretty as can be, although in a far less than 'trendy' style this year. Her Mom made it and did an exceptional job. I've seen purchased (and pricey) veils that are miles short of this well constructed. Another non-knitting bride, sigh.

Now, Saigon? Yes! Last night under the most delightful of weather conditions (breezy and super cool) we went to the M*uny for M*iss Saigon. The M*uny is the nations oldest and largest outdoor theater. It is a very large venue, plans were set in motion in 1904 when the World's Fair was in St. Louis. Construction began in 1917 and what remains today is a beautiful area of the park where the complex calls home.

I'd been a little concerned about the weather, c'mon outdoor theater at the end of July? In past M*uny seasons I've sweated my everlovin' off in the name of theater! That fact notwithstanding, I love M*iss Saigon, it is one of my favorite plays of all time--- so tickets were purchased and fingers were crossed. The evening could not have been more glorious, so with the prelude of sushi eated at an sidewalk restaurant in the West End, a beautiful night was in store. The cast? Simply fantastic! I was a little concerned for one of the (I think) pivotal scenes where Saigon is falling, the Marines and citizens of Saigon alike are in turmoil and everyone is trying to get OUT while the giant helicopter buzzes overhead. The M*uny did not disappoint----- the scene ended with a helicopter (and full surround sound) coming from the back of the stage area flying overhead to the rear of the M*uny. Perfection! How many times can you attend a performance of Miss Saigon where a REAL helicopter flies over the audience? Only here I understand!

And, not a stitch was knit although a late lunch with knit group alums RMS, Yoel and Silvana provided knit TALK. I think that might count!

The Great Summer Escape draws near..................... only two more days of hard work until the car, the dogs and 5.5 hours on the open road call my name. A weekend of 'away', the thought intoxicating to this tired gal.

Drizzle Knitting Bride

Well at long last comes the knitting bride from last Saturday. Funny, here we are poised to run smack up against tomorrows bride! This tells you something about the studio workload this week, yes?

Last weeks knitting bride was so laid back, mellow and FUN--- which was a very good thing because the day was full of drizzle all the way to downright hard rain. Mary is good naturedly posing with Pi Are Square, plodding along, yet still a wonderfully happy knitting project. For those of you who don't knit but tell me you wished you did, a project like this is quite easy, despite its growing size.

And no Ann, I'm not knitting the Pi at Knitty. They do have a fabulous space, a groove group of knitters and led by the wonderful Thi----- but there is simply no time to hang with the company of knitters much. Speaking of Knitty, it seems that they are jumping on the knitting olympics bandwagon, that just sounds like so much fun! (Too much pressure, but buckets of fun!) Thi is on my *S* list right now as she is embarking on a trip I would lovelovelove to make, attending Knit Camp with Meg Swansen. Sigh. I love Thi, she deserves this glorious trip. However Thi.......... I'll be stopping by the shop to pick your brain when you get home!

I'll be leaving the studio early today, woo hoo. With any luck you will find me catching my Liesl back up, she looks SO MUCH BETTER on the smaller needles, I'm endlessly pleased that I started over!

Time Part Deux

The PI Chair

Have you ever noticed that as soon as you say something, especially when you make a strong statement that something comes along to challenge you?

I'm trying very hard to hang on to the live in the moment and don't let the small stuff getcha' mode. Being in the self-employed trenches does make you run a little harder I think, and for me as one who finds 'wedding season' especially busy and doubly challenging it all gets to be soupy. And sometimes not in a good way!

Things are pretty insane at the studio right now, tons of work is coming in--- which of course is a good thing--- but the downside is that the load is heavy, and getting heavier. It is becoming more of a daily push to stay even, much less on top of. One of the things that is making me SMILE right now is my Project Runway Ravelry group, I'm in group 4. The group was randomly assigned a designer and when it is all said and done the person with the winning designer wins the goods from the rest of the group. Only week one and it promises to be a lot of fun with a lot of laughs. I don't know how hard I'm laughing because my designer is Blayne, I think he is a dolt with his over-tanned self and stupid trying to come up with a tagline as fabulous as 'fierce' was last season. Not to mention that his design last night was bizarre if not hideous.

While I watched PR I was knitting (imagine that) on the fabulous Liesl, deciding that it needed another repeat or two before binding off for the cap sleeve version. During this I had to face up to the fact that I had been lying to myself==== I hated the way the knitted fabric looked! This can happen to me frequently, I just keep plugging along telling myself that I will like it better when it is done, which of course never works out. What you have then is a garment that you will never wear at all. SO, Liesl has now been completely frogged back (for you non-knitters that means RIPPED_ to the yarn. I have about 6 rows on it using smaller needles and I'm glad that I bit the bullet and just did it. Much better.......... much, much better. We will not discuss the time wasted on the knitting part but focus on the happiness of a better project in the end.

Do you lie to yourself about projects? Keep pushing ahead when you know you ought to begin again or even completely scrap the project????? I'm all ears!

Time Flies.........

I'm enjoying my group with "Creating in the Midst", good people and Melba brings us to a great topic, of never enough time to create things that make our hearts sing. That really resonates for me! It's no secret that I feel stressed and half crazy because I do not get done the projects I would like to on any sort of timely basis. But in reality it is only me that causes the pressure and the feelings of stress! I commented to the group "On time------ it is SO very fleeting. And because we as creative people have so much to do 'just because' and so much more we want to do in order to find creative expression and solace I try to BE IN THE MOMENT. It is horribly difficult for me, I tend to think about a zillion things and fly through the stuff I don't want to do. I have found that when I slow down deliberately and take small bites from all I do, it makes me more able to really feel it all. For me, it slows time (a bit) because I am trying to enjoy every second instead of rush through it on my way to something else. Does that make sense? I think it only stands to reason that when we are rushing to do something other than the task at hand, WE make the time go faster! We make the summer go faster for example because we are rushing through it trying to do what we think will cause our maximum enjoyment! It has been said by those far wiser than I that the only time we can find peace and happiness is in the present moment so that makes me try harder to slow and savor the seconds. Each day is such a gift, it is our (MY?) shortcoming not to more fully appreciate them.

So, yet again, I take a deep breath and enjoy the now. I make choices to go knit a bit on Liesl instead of running the vacuum or catching up on ironing. I'll be in my chair happily waiting on the first Project Runway along with all my Group 4 peeps from Ravelry! (Hey knitters!)

For the moment, Liesl is still in the 'is this enough yoke' category.............. I think it might be but wonder if one more repeat might make me feel better, or push the whole thing over to the too big category.
The one thing I know is that most of Liesl still remains in the basket, not even wound into balls!

Pi Are Square is creeping along, row by row. It looks like such a blobby old thing unblocked and just laying there! I must say that the moments I enjoy Pi are lovely indeed. Pure bliss in stolen moments, perfect for my nutty schedule right now. Although I just seem to squeeze in a row at a time, it is adding up slowly, I just cracked the second ball of yarn. Todays row and a half were done while waiting at the beauty shop. (Do they still call them beauty shops for heaven's sake??)

Enjoy your now, I'll do the same and we'll compare notes!

Busted Stash

I am in awe of my friend YOEL who is the only person I have ever heard of, much less know that has busted her entire yarn stash. She's been hard at it since the beginning of the year. I am wildly impressed. I mean she used IT ALL........... well planned, well orchestrated, never (almost) whiny and completed in record time. I'm amazed and just---- well proud of her! WOO HOO!!!!!!

I have no time to breathe and can barely handle my own bodily functions much less accomplish anything else. Ignore all that please and celebrate a well Busted Stash by popping by Yoel's blog and offering her your congratulations.


Above is my loyal companion and best friend, little boy dog Prince. Is he just the cutest thing you have ever seen????? I think I'll save the photo above for one of those contests where the dogs look like their owners!

Dough P*imp?

I have no words to describe the past weekend and how I am out of words. This for me is no small feat I can assure you!

The wedding on Saturday was stunning and I do have a knitting bride. She is just still in the camera so be patient with me! After getting home at 11 p.m. on Saturday night, unpacking gear and trying to wind down a bit it was time to get up after too few hours of z's to work a wedding show on Sunday. The booth was adorable, we were swamped upon swamped and it was the fastest 4 hours I can remember in quite a while. The downside is that I talked so boogerin' much that I don't think I could separate my tongue from the roof of my mouth, even working up spit was a colossal effort! The upside was dinner on the way home from Cheesecake Factory. Good thing I was full because it took mucho effort to unpack the car after the show and haul everything back up that flight of stairs to the studio. It's been less than 24 hours since the show and I've already booked two new brides so I think the show will be a resounding success!

So today is catch up day, starting with laundry---- woo hoo------ getting the weeds pulled and the lawn mowed, a handful of paperwork and a couple of contracts---- watering the herbs and as if that were not enough cleaning the bathrooms. When it comes right down to it, there are few things that make a girl feel quite as perky as cleaning the bathroom.......or not so much.

While downloading files it became necessary to perform some kitchen magic of the cookie variety. How else is a girl to work up enough energy to run the vacuum? My thoughts exactly!

Oh yeah!!!! That's what I'm talkin' about!!! My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is from an old Oprah magazine, it is a cookie recipe that has Grape Nuts in it------ which sounds like of odd until you taste the cookie.

Totally delicious with just the right proportion of smoosh and crunch--- you can't quite pin down what is in the recipe. And the chocolate to dough recipe is right on the money. EXCELLENT recipe, I recommend it. I'm not sure if it is in her new cookbook from the magazine so if anyone has that book, let me know! I wish you could reach right in through the screen and take one of these bites of yummaroo.

Lastly, on Friday when I was a crazyperson trying to get everything done and ready for the weekend my doorbell rang. Oh yes it did, and it was a good thing!

Ignoring the 'I just did yardwork" manicure (please)----- check the label. It is from the "YARN P*IMP"!!! What in the world did the poor mailman think anyway? I'm sure it caused everyone at the post office to wonder what kinky contraband was enclosed in the Tyvek envelope!!!

But I KNEW! I'd gotten an email from Melissa about her Ebay auctions and went over to take a look. This is dangerous ground, a real slippery slope. I am a sucker for Ebay and really and truly can't be trusted for youknowwhat. Before I knew it, I found an auction ending in less than 3 minutes that had some pretty fair bidding action. The yarn was yummy and I do so love to win at anything that before I knew it............. it the blink of an eye---------- I owned THIS:


10 balls of scrumptions yummy Angora Soft from Knit One Crochet Two. 50 grams of nylon, viscose and angora delight. The color is pretty accurate in the photo........... it is almost watermelon pink. Melissa even threw in an extra ball cuz she loves me! :)

By now, you know the rules. Please do not ask what I am going to knit with this, and do not remind me that the current (and languishing) project on my needles-- well except for the PI Are Square--- is also pink.

This is soooooooooooooooo soft and pretty. I may just hang out with it for awhile, you know, age it properly!

Until then, just call me the Dough Pi*mp!

I'm closing with tattoo thoughts. While weeding today I was listening to Kelley Petkun on the latest KnitPicks podcast and she is once again likeminded with me----- tattoo lusting. Kelley, I know you hang out on the blog now and again----- if you are reading this, I think we should get tattoos together. Why not? I'll be right over!

Work and Wine

Work was pretty relaxing------------ once you got past the 8 a.m. meeting and working like a crazy person in order to get out the door at 1 that is. A drive to the local wine country to meet clients for their last engagement shoot entailed lots of nice weather and 3 rows done on the Pi Are Squared. It doesn't sound like much but at this point there are quite a few stitches!

When we arrived, there was a bit of work.......................... but wine at the end. Can't very well argue with that!


By the time we'd finished the humidity started to roll in and it was getting pretty thick. The drive home was some country backroads, and there in the middle of nowhere was a cow with the right idea. He (or she?) cracked me up---- just sitting there in the pond, hangin' out. When we pulled over so I could shoot the photo the cow just looked at me like I was some kind of perv. I think I probably made the 10 o'clock cow news...................... watch out shooter on the loose, guard your women and children!

Road food was the grand finale. I wanted to take a picture of my food but I know for a fact I would have been run out of there on a rail. It was the Cracker Barrel of course, turkey and dressing night, two sides. After dinner if I'd had a pond I'd have waded in.

Thah' Pressha'

Way too much pressure, it feels as if it is verging on performance anxiety! Do those of us who keep a blog feel compelled to crank out finished items? Whether we knit, crochet, quilt or some other creative endeavor------ does our blog push us? Good question, yes? What do you think?

Lately I feel like------------ crap, I need to go sit and knit even though I don't have time or want to do something else entirely because if I don't, someone will ask about it. Or someone will comment that it is taking a long time for xyz, 0r worse-------- what happens when you abandon a project you've blogged about and flickr'd over and maybe even had on your Ravelry queue?

Since I'm quite fully submerged in brides this week I'll close with flowers. They were gorgeous last week, a bottom row of orchids with a touch of purple, a row of tight white carnations, a row of white freesia, and the top crown of white ranunculus. Fragrant and beautiful.

No pressure there!

Knitting Bride + Liesl

Is she not the sweetest? My knitting bride last Saturday was one of those who had that innocent and shy demeanor. I assure you, she was NOT---- but that was the persona she wore all day when she was wearing her gown.

She is 'knitting' Liesl. For those of you who are keeping track, not row one has been knit on that lovely baby. I'm in fact considering making it sleeveless and maybe even a little cropped so I have even the outside chance of wearing it this year!

You know, one does what one must. It is after all, wedding season and this bride wrangler is too busy to enjoy much else.

Handknit Cobbler

The cobbler, hand-knit of course, is about the only thing I'm getting knit. I think the odd row here and there doesn't count!

BBQ was at our house on the 4th----- and I can't help it, I must have blueberry cobbler. Being prime blueberry season and all I have eaten these blue beauties just about every way possible. I lost my 'old faithful' recipe, how sad. But I tweaked up my own and it turned out wonderfully. A thin layer of pie crust----- lots of ice water to make it nice and short---- and a fat layer of juicy blueberries that already got a good start on the pie thing with a tumble in some sugar and flour and a bit of cinnamon in a saucepan. When they started to thicken, into the pastry they went and were topped by another layer and some sugar for a sweet and crunchy topping. I'm still in love with my huge pastry cloth, how did I ever make pie crust without it? I'm making dupes for my kids this Christmas!

I adore my blueberry cobbler with a vanilla custard sauce---- not as thin as a sauce and not as thick as a pudding. Made with soy milk and spiked with nutmeg. The four egg yolks are tempered in at the end.

Grab a spoon! Yum! My ex--husband always said that my blueberry cobbler and custard sauce was the deal sealer when he fell in love with me. The marriage didn't last but the cobbler lives on. The best part? These days he doesn't get any!

Happy Fourth!

To the American contingent of my international blog readers----- Happy Fourth of July!

May your day be full of relaxing, eating, family, friends, and fireworks! The bonus? Maybe sharing an ice cream cone with your favorite kid and a pet parade!

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
-Nelson Mandela

Gratuitous Photos

July Staff Meeting! How about a July staff meeting in the kitchen?

It all starts with food of course. Can you think of one meeting that doesn't? Well, not a good meeting that you would really look forward to or anything! At least I wouldn't!

If it is summer it is BLUEBERRIES!!!!!!!!!! How delightful are they anyway? I'm insane about blueberries and I (perhaps crazily) volunteered to host the meeting. And cook. Seriously. So you have blueberries and hungry staff.....................

You knew what I was going to say, yes? Blueberry Pancakes. Get serious, how fabulous are they anyway? With a big ole' pat of butter and some maple cinnamon syrup? No wonder they love me.............. and they better!

They were delicious!!!!

On a separate note, most of you know I write and so I sit for long stretches in front of the computer noodling, fidgeting, brow furrowed and sometimes a little zooney. I can't knit 'on the job'.......... I've tried. I've also tried to have an English Paper Piecing project at hand for a few quick hand stitches when I'm in the Work Zone. No dice. My mind doesn't behave appropriately. That is why I Second Life, and love it. This morning I moved from my old log cabin to a new and fabulous location. I had been there all of five minutes when I met a fellow Ravelry Knitter! How cool is that? The new spot will be just the ticket for working things through my brain as I sit here 'working'.

Sporty Little Knitting Bride

My knitting bride last weekend was a hoot and a half. I have seen some people holding knitting needles that looked, well, odd. Little Miss Thang just looked totally lost, cracked me up! She is clutching those circs like, well I don't know what! In case you are not a St. Louis native you might not notice that she is standing in front of Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals. (I think it must be about time for another foray to the park to see a game because those boys are playin' some ball!)

You see, she is a Major Jock. A softball coach by trade, and a State Champ to boot, I am not sure she even knows the first thing about knitting. But being a great sport she was more than happy to work a shot with the needles.

She's holding the almost no progress Pi Are Square.............. I still love it to bits, there has just been no time to work on it much. And of course the shawl has had to contend with my major flirtation with Liesl!

Back to the bride, when we arrived at the church before she got dressed I had to laugh---- THAT was my natural bride! She had her hair done all foofy and pretty with the veil neatly pinned in. Below the well made up face was quite the outfit, a tank top with "bride" in sequins and an old ratty pair of track shorts. It was SO her! Well, except for the ivory satin pumps and all......... she was trying to scuff them up before her trip down the aisle. It would have been wonderful to have seen her marry in that outfit! The dress she chose however was very much her.............. all smooth satin and clean and simple lines. Even bustled up the dress was just one leading line, no fluffy stretch of fabric. With the exception of the chic and easy bow at the bodice there was no ornamentation at all. Perfection! I do so love it when a bride follows their heart and dresses in a way that speaks to them.

The detail on the dress was perfect for her--------- just that slim belted sash about 3 shades darker than the satin of her dress. No crazy foofiness for her--- and it worked. I was especially taken by the way the dress was cut. Can you see how the side of the bodice dips down to meet the back? There is a gentle curve there, not just a straight line of fabric. The result was a dress that not only fit beautifully, but was so graceful when seen from all angles.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't share her bridesmaids flowers! They were completely gorgeous, the absolute essence of a summer wedding!

Sunday was Erica's baby shower------ from my knit group. I had to miss it, and I feel really bad about it but it was Pride Sunday and that parade is just not to be missed!!! The slow saunter through the (very) crowded park after the parade is without a doubt the finest people watching in the universe. Maybe Chicago or Atlanta or even San Francisco Pride is better for just sitting back and enjoying the sights---- but it would be hard to prove by me! The people who estimate crowds (who are they and how or why do they do that anyway) said over 80,000 people. That is a fair bit by any estimation! Thanks to the Harlot, her Pride blogpost was really fabulous but more so the comments that were left. Doesn't it just warm your heart that knitters are so wonderful?

So it is back to the grind, work calls and my knitting is somewhat forlorn. While I did manage a whole 3 rows on the Pi this weekend I feel somehow guilty for not sitting more with it. Liesl is sitting for the moment as I enjoyed a giant brain freeze getting toward the end of the yoke. On a row where 'stuff happens' with lots of yarn overs and knit togethers (for my non-knitting blitters) I somehow couldn't make it all gel. I'm back on track, I think maybe it was the pressure that even though I was exhausted, I had to produce something. Pretty silly when you think about it!

Maybe I need to just shove back and read for a bit. New books on the coffee table are:

• "The Savory Way" by Deborah Madison
• "Four Quarters" by t.s. eliot
• "The Wisdom of the Desert" by Thomas Merton
• "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett
• "Baking Handbook" Martha Stewart (hey----- all that heavy reading makes a girl want to toss together some muffins or something!)
• "Knitting Nature" by THE Norah Gaughan :)

Light reading, great weather, and with the way the economy is going here in St. Louis--- happy to be working!