Leap Year - our extra day in February

Leap Day, on February 29, has been a day of traditions, folklore and superstitions ever since Leap Years were first introduced by Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago.  Leap day balances the calendar.

According to an old Irish legend, St. Brigid struck a deal with St. Patrick to allow women to propose to men, not the other way around, every 4 years.

It is also known by some as Sadie Hawkins Day.  A "tradition" that came from the Li'l Abner cartoon by Al Capp.

Do you remember the cartoon?

On Sadie Hawkins Day the tradition is girls can ask boys for a date.   Back in the day high schools often had dances on this day.  I doubt that's the case anymore.

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 2/23/16

It is time to join the Tea party at Elizabeth's.  Bring your morning drink and see what is going on.

It is coffee for me first thing in the morning.  Later today I will be trying this Pomegranate tea.  I like almost anything with Pomegranate.

I have a new stack of books to read while drinking my tea.  The books were sent to me from my friend Laurie who has a blog devoted to book reviews.  If you need some suggestions for reading - or avoiding - be sure to check Laurie's blog.  Tell her I sent you.

I'll be reading "Georgia" (about Georgia O'Keeffe) first.  Coincidentally the new yarn I'm knitting with is a colorway called Georgia.  Yes, I'm a Georgia O'Keeffe fan.  

See you at the tea party!

Knitting Confession

Oh dear, I'm afraid this is me.  I have tried to have no more than two knitting projects going on at one time, one easy and one that takes more concentration.

Then I went to my knitting group and spotted this luscious yarn.  Hand dyed, Madeline Tosh

And before I knew it I was casting on to knit a cowl.

In full disclosure, the other projects are 1) a pair of socks, one leg done and 2) a lace pattern shawl/scarf nearly finished.  I came to a halt when I discovered a mistake in the lace about 4 rows back. Knitters know how much fun it is to un-knit lace.  Sometimes you just have to stuff it back in your project bag and hope somehow the next time you look at it you will have the will to fix it.

Maybe I will take out at least one row of that lace each day before knitting on my new lovely yarn.  Maybe not.

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 2/16/16

Tuesday morning, time to gather with friends at Elizabeth's blog.  Bring a drink and come join us.

I attended a ladies luncheon over the weekend.  The hostess had pots of heather on each table.  At the end of lunch we were asked to look under our chairs, if you spotted a paper dot on you chair you were the winner of the centerpiece.  Guess who got lucky and brought home a pot of heather.

I'm showing you (so dark you have to look hard) a mug I rarely use.  I did some rearranging of kitchen cabinets and pulled two seldom used dark cobalt blue mugs to the front.  I used the mug a couple of times and realize why they were in the back of the rotation. I like the inside of a mug to be white or at least not dark like this.  

Do you have a preference about the inside of your mug?  Such a small picky issue but there you have it. The mugs are going back in the corner.

*How to be a Victorian - (book)

Do you enjoy reading about times past?  I do.  So much of what we think we know about the Victorian Era is about the fashion, the furniture and the wealthy.  In this book Goodman tells us what life was like for "you and me".

*How to be a Victorian*

Ruth Goodman

If you want to know how the average Victorians looked, sounded, felt and smelled this is the book with the information.

Goodman is a British social historian and has tried living with many of the things she writes about including wearing period clothes, the labor intensive laundering of said clothes by hand and the uses of 19th century hygiene.

The book is well researched.  Each section of the book deals with a particular part of life, fashion, medicine, food, etc. so although it is a big book you read it in sections and not all at once.  

I really enjoyed finding out about the lives of ordinary folks in the Victorian era.

Neighborhood Walk - 2/12/16

I'm calling this the Valentine's Day walk.  Shops on 4th St. are showing their Valentine colors.  I did some window shopping for you.

Of  course there were lots of hearts.  I liked these pierced ones best.

The red purse and the beautiful textiles would be perfect for wearing on the 14th.

Even the shoe store got with the theme.    I confess I don't quite get the sandals with the fringed ankles there on the left.

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day.

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 2/9/16

Good Morning.  Spring appeared suddenly here by the Bay.  Yesterday was so balmy we had the doors and windows open until well into the evening.  It was wonderful but of course being California everyone is already worrying that we haven't had enough rain.

But on to our Tuesday Tea get together over at Elizabeth's.

I have a new mug!  Look closely.  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Peet's coffee fan.  Not a fan of the unmentionable, LOL!

A friend recently took a trip to London and brought back the mug for me. Now said friend knows fully well my affection for one coffee company and disdain for the other.  It's a joke!

I quite like the mug and have filled it with my favorite coffee this morning.

I'll be sipping and smiling as I go to the Altered Book Lover blog to visit the Tea group.  Won't you join us?

Mrs. Poe (book)

Ready for some cold, rainy day reading?  I think we are all familiar with the works of Edgar Allen Poe but I really didn't know much about his life.

This is a fictional tale of Edgar Allan Poe's life, including Mrs. Poe, a cousin he married when she was 13.  It is written from the viewpoint of poet Frances Osgood, a woman he reportedly had an affair with.

"Mrs Poe"

Lynn Cullen

While the story is fictionalized, Cullen uses both Poe's and Osgood's actually poetry.  Many pieces are known to be written for and to one another.  This forms the basis of the belief that they had an affair.

The mid 1800's in New York was an interesting era.  The story includes descriptions of New York society in that era and other famous people of the time.

The book was a gift, something I might not have chosen on my own.  I enjoyed this book and added a bit to my knowledge of the author and his life and times.

Tea Stands for Tuesday - 2/2/16 and a Second look

Good morning everyone. Today is a double header over at Elizabeth's place. Tea Tuesday and A Second on the Second.  She has two posts up.

I chose a tea related post from the past.  I am thinking of making a few of these simple tea bag holders with a Valentines Day theme.

 SEPTEMBER 02, 2014

T stands for Tuesday 9/2/14

This morning I'm drinking my usual coffee but I'll be having some tea in the afternoon.

I thought I'd show you a little paper tea bag holder.  I've made variations of this holder several times.  In this instance I used a recycled file folder for the cup and glued on some dots punched with a regular hole punch.  Then I added a bow from some ribbon scraps and tied on a tiny tea spoon that I found among my odds and ends.

This makes a fun presentation for tea. A cute little something to put in with a card or just give as a little surprise gift.

Slip a tea bag in the cup and it is ready to go.

Speaking of "GO", lets all head on over to the Altered Book Lover blog and see what our host Elizabeth has in store for us on this T Tuesday.

Neighborhood Walk - 2/1/16

It is time to take another walk.  I've actually been walking every day but not taking many pictures.  January brought us much needed rain but left everything looking damp and soggy.

This is a window display in one of the 4th St. shops,  I can't remember which one.  It looked like a very inviting spot to curl up with a good book. 

Shops in January were filled with sales.  I thought this was a very wearable looking outfit.  I was just looking though, not shopping.

I walk by this old church quite often.  I go out early so it can be hard to get a bright photo.  The building is now a private residence, curtains in the windows and so forth.  I always wonder what it might be like to live there.  You can tell this is an old neighborhood by that telephone pole that is sticking up there.

Have you been out walking lately?  I know in some parts of the country that would probably involve snow shoes.