I'm joining Kat & the Unravelers today for Unraveled Wednesday!

KNITTING:

After I kitchener the toe, I'll be weaving in a bajillion ends…

I'll sew it up, give it a soak and block it, and then arrange to meet with Sonia's grandma for the hand off. I might "decorate" those trees a little, though. And still might add some eyes, at least, to the people. We'll see. I'm happy to have it almost finished!

Oh, and I think it was Vera who asked about Sonia… she is little sister to Sebas(tian) for whom I was commissioned to knit a stocking a couple of years ago. All the other grandchildren had stockings in this design knit for them by their great grandmother. Sebas & Sonia were born after she passed.

READING:

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Slow as molasses…

I think so, anyway. It took a while, but the hardware store guy found a 7mm bolt that might be better than the original. The bolt's about 2" long and the original had threading on half and the other half was solid… it sheared off right where the solid part ended & the threading began. It was a substantial bolt but, still, that's gonna be a weak spot! The new bolt has a longer solid section & less threading. It seems to fit fine. I got the whole thing assembled but it still needs to be adjusted & tightened, requiring a hex driver and I didn't get that far last night.

It's going to be hotter than hell again this weekend, but I think we can have a couple of comfortable rides if we get going early.

Meanwhile, this was in my IG feed yesterday:

Made me laugh so hard!

I got to work this morning and saw this:

If you've been on the receiving end of my annual Jólabókaflóð gift, you will have received a box of Wilmar's Chocolates — a much smaller box than this one! They're my favorite local chocolatier. I thought, Damn you, BFF!! I didn't even look or get close enough to get a sniff… too tempting! Then she called and she told me that it's filled with some old jewelry she's getting rid of & thought the girls might like. haha. Whew!

It's hard to believe it's the last Monday of August! Ann's month-long guests will be departing Thursday and it'll be back to the ol' double Airbnb grindstone again. haha.

Kate & I went to the last preseason football game (i.e., the last affordable football game) on Saturday. It was cool, cloudy & sprinkly, but eventually the sun came out (I have the sunburned forehead & nose to prove it). It was a good game, and we won! I had last-minute Airbnb guests upstairs from Chicago, also here for the football game… but rooting for the Seahawks. We met & chatted for a minute on Friday night and I said, "Oh, so you really appreciate all my Green Bay Packer decor up there!" They were super young & super sweet — she'd bought tickets for his birthday present and had a place booked but the host cancelled on them (last-minute), and I was glad to pick up the slack. I know how that is (which is why I only book with Superhosts, myself). Plus, it was her first Airbnb experience, so doubly grateful to give a good impression. Anyway, a few Saturday scenes.

They make snow on Ariens Hill in the wintertime for tubing. In the summertime, people just like to climb up & run or roll down.

As planned, we headed out for a bike ride on Sunday morning. Neither of us was all that motivated but it helps to remember how energized & recharged we were after the last ride. Unfortunately, I had a little bicycle malfunction…

I stood in the shade of a telephone pole while Kate rode back to get the car. She was riding off when I realized that I didn't give her the key! Thankfully, she was still within shouting distance… she may or may not have responded to a call or text. A guy in a pickup truck turned around to make sure I was OK and not in need of help, which was nice. Another guy driving a milk truck waved at me. I supposed I'd have looked a little less relaxed if I was in need… and my phone was in my hand most of the time.

Corner of County Highway S & Section Line Road. In Wisconsin we have a Township, Range & Section land system — basically, the entire state is a grid (with exceptions, of course). It's wonderful for bicycling in the countryside, as there are often intersecting roads at least every mile, and the "Town Line," "Range Line," and "Section Line" roads are usually as straight as an arrow and go for quite a ways. It's also one of the reasons that Wisconsin is such a great state for cycling — there are farms along those country roads! There used to be many small family dairy farms, and they all needed to transport milk daily, so those roads were kept in very good condition. Most of them are still in pretty good shape. Anyway, I think I first learned about that land system when I went to classes 30+ years ago thinking that I might want to be a Realtor, and it's served me well in researching family history and locating family homesteads & cemeteries.

Our local bicycle shop did not have a replacement bolt, nor did the hardware store. I got a lead on another hardware store — the one with the best selection around — that I'll check out on my way home today. There are a couple of other cycling shops that I'll hit up if that doesn't pan out. There's only three weeks until the Door County ride!

I enjoyed a fabulous fruit smoothie when we got home. We made a royal fruity mess in the making, but it sure tasted good.

Kate told us about a great new board game last year when she was home… WINGSPAN (link goes to WI Historical Society). She was very enthusiastic & encouraging, so I bought it (at the previous link, they also have the European expansion pack). Then she went back to Scotland and, well, it's been very busy. I watched an online tutorial or something and thought that maybe I'd get an inkling, but… busy. Finally, 15 months later, we cracked open the box on Wednesday night, assembled & sorted all the pieces, and Kate wracked her brain trying to remember how it goes… and we played one round!

There are some sample/practice sheets to get a feel for it, and that was helpful. There can be quite a bit of "action" on a play sometimes, and other times it's just one thing.

It started to click, and last night we played a full game — four rounds. There's a lot to it — a thinking game, a learning game, a strategizing game — but it's fun, and beautifully designed. More than one person I know has called it an obsession!

Rusty & I have an art event to attend this evening, Kate & I are going to the Packer game again tomorrow afternoon, and plan a bike ride on Sunday morning (the weather/air is finally improving again), but I see more feathers & eggs in my future.

Have you played WINGSPAN? Heard of it before?

I got up a little on the early side this morning to shower — at the "first light" stage of the morning — and it was very dim but I opened the blinds anyway. By the time I returned to the bedroom to get dressed, there was light in the sky. Things are getting a little bedraggled in the garden but the zinnias & cosmos are still doing their thing. I even spotted a luminous volunteer purple morning glory.

Hope you have a great weekend!