So, no one really expected me to get through that whole list, right? Because there was just no way…

I did not, for instance, go to the movies. Nor did I deal with the clothing situation. I got several loads of laundry done, but I probably have two more to do. Plus, this afternoon topped out around 80 degrees, so who wanted a sweater for that?

I also didn’t bake or do a lot of reading. And the major failure for the weekend was not coming up with the housecleaning game plan. Clearly that will have to be a high priority for early in the week.

But I did make progress in a number of other categories. I started listening to Christmas songs to work on my mix cd. I did a bit of knitting, although I probably could have done more. Luckily, there’s plenty of time to squeeze that in with other activities during the week.

Yesterday, I spent much of the afternoon at the garden and the library. I harvested a bunch of the tomatoes, about a third of the peppers, and a handful of chard, but if things didn’t come off the vine, I didn’t force them. This week’s forecast isn’t looking too cold, so I figure that they can have an extra week. Also, I discovered that while my fall lettuce seed planting failed to take, my August planting of summer squash (they call it that because you plant it in the summer, right?) elicited at least one tiny yellow vegetable. Currently it’s the length of my forefinger, so I’m hoping it thinks big thoughts in the coming week. There’s a second one, but I have my fears for its reaching maturity, as it’s still in the fuzzy stage.

The library also was productive. I came home with six videos, an Enya holiday cd, and three books.

Today was a day of feasting. It began with a trip to the farmers’ market, which is always a treat for the senses. We found milk and sweet potatoes, but no celery. I bought yellow cauliflower and potatoes for a recipe I saw online. I picked up a pomegranate on the spur of the moment. I purchased broccoli to make into some cheesy soup and some cheese for sandwiches to replace the hard lump in the fridge that inspired the broccoli purchase. We brought it all home and then promptly left to enjoy a day out in the sun.

We opted to go out for brunch to a place where we could sit outside. Rudi and I each suggested a spot and both ultimately had to be dismissed because they were on the wrong side of the street. Ultimately, I remembered Bread and Brew, which was just a couple blocks’ walk away. They had room on their deck, and if their service didn’t wow us, their food did. I opted for a vegan mushroom soup and a mixed green salad — both of which were very fresh and quite filling as a pair. Rudi’s omelet included not just the salmon he’d expected, but also a plethora of roasted root vegetables. It reminded us a bit of O’Rourkes’, our favorite weekend brunch spot in Middletown, so I fully expect we’ll be back for future meals.

Sated, we walked toward Georgetown to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. We wandered through the neighborhoods, examining interesting architectural details on the houses. We crossed M Street and headed down the towpath to look at the dry-docked canal boat, the muddy canal, and the mallards. We admired the thick stems of the wisteria that cover the arbor in the Francis Scott Key Park. (They had to honor him with a park after they accidentally bulldozed his birthplace while building the bridge that now bears his name.)

We paused at Dean and Deluca to buy fancy sodas and a rare variety of apple (of course, neither of us can recall what it was now, although it was delicious — just that right blend of tart, crisp, and sweet) that we took down to the waterfront park they’ve built out of what used to be a big parking lot. The day was glorious and lots of families were out, providing excellent opportunity for people watching. A quartet of 20-somethings played a board game on the grass. Two young girls followed every dog that walked past them, but ignored the boy on the bike who wanted more than anything to be the center of their attention. A man and boy rough-housed nearby, with just the man pretending to get close enough to tickle him dissolved the boy into fits of joyous giggles. Boats cruised along the Potomac, as the sun hovered over Roslyn.

On the way home, we stopped at Baked and Wired, because you shouldn’t pass a cupcake shop without going in. The barista there is always friendly and she wears the coolest clothes. Today’s outfit included a black tutu and a black and yellow plaid halter top. Rudi and I ate our pumpkin cupcakes and drank our tea along the canal and before walking home through Rose Park’s growing twilight.

The crowning achievement of our day of feasting came tonight when Rudi took part in the Paper Chef, which is sort of Iron Chef-like in that it gives you four ingredients and asks you to prepare something that includes all of them. Usually three go together without much fuss, but the fourth ingredient is meant to turn your thought process on its side. This month’s combination mandated that our dinner tonight needed to include pasta, chevre, beets, and … peanut butter. I don’t want to scoop Rudi’s official post, but I will note here that it was delicious and I was much impressed with his cooking prowess.

So, that’s it. Another weekend under our belts. Fewer than two handfuls left in the year. How did you spend yours? Was your weather also splendid? I’m eager to hear.

Although I haven’t given this weekend’s activities a lot of forethought, I would like to accomplish a few things:

1. I need to get down to the garden. It’s probably time to harvest the final tomatoes, whether they’re ripe now or not. Plus, I should have some more peppers that are ready. The chard has been a staple and I believe there ought to be some lettuce ready for harvest.
2. A trip to the library. I owe them a few bucks for a video I forgot to return, and I’d like to borrow some new things.
3. Come up with a cleaning game plan for the next month. Rudi has scheduled a bike ride the morning of our holiday party, which means that we cannot count on getting the majority of it taken care of that day. People seem to keep tidy houses on a regular basis, so I’m sure that if we just plot it out (and stick to it), we could, too. At least for a month.
4. Deal with the clothing transition. All the clothing I own seems to be out right now. There is not enough room in the Burrow for that to continue. This task will also probably necessitate laundry.
5. Bake. I have several pounds of apples in the fridge. It’s time for the apple crisp. Possibly also some apple sauce, depending on some of those apples. I have a pumpkin in the kitchen, too. Ooh, and quince and plums in the fridge…
6. Knit. Mum’s shawl only needs a bit more work. And I should really get around to weaving in all the ends on my fingerless mitts, rather than just wearing them with the yarn tucked inside. (I’ve just been thinking of it as extra insulation…) And I just have to knit the foot of my sock to have a new pair done. And Christmas is something crazy like 45 days away! Oh, and I should email Heidi to ask what size her twins are so I can get started on the sweater she asked me to to finish for her last spring.
7. Read. I picked up a large number of used books last month and should probably work on reading some more of them. And I bought a new novel tonight while at a book reading.
8. Hit the farmers’ market. We’ll definitely need milk. Also, sweet potatoes and celery, if it’s there (or celeriac, if it’s not). And maybe some ricotta to make a lasagna…
9. Start the Christmas mix cd I’ve been talking about making for several years now. Rudi will be gone most of the day, which makes it a fine time to poke through the collection. Generally, I’m a no holiday tunes person before Thanksgiving, but leaving it that late in the season almost guarantees that it won’t get made.
10. Maybe we’ll go to the movies. Since Rudi’ll be away, tomorrow is out, but perhaps Sunday. There are several films out I wouldn’t mind seeing.

I guess I should stop there or there will only be disappointment in Mudville come Monday morning! Who knew you could plan so much without planning at all?!

What are you hoping to do this weekend?

This was the view from my room sophomore year of college.

I will never have as nice a view as that again…

(This shot is one of the ones currently rotating through Conn’s homepage. I’m totally stealing their bandwidth to bring it to you.)

Except that they’re not so much creeping along. Or maybe those are my yesterdays, now. I’m not sure anymore.

Anyway, I forgot that I had a deadline for a knitting project, so my hands have been pretty busy the last few days. Actually, I forgot there was a knitting component to that particular project, so I really was scrambling. But I can’t talk about the finished object yet, although I was tickled … lilac … by how it turned out. Until it arrives in Quebec, sometime probably early next week, that’s about all I can say.

And as for saying anything else, that’ll have to wait until the proverbial tomorrow. I was finishing that aforementioned project into the wee hours and found myself nodding at the computer a few minutes ago. I’ll take that as a sign that I should find it a pillow, rather than a keyboard upon which to rest.

Yarny goodness tomorrow… And maybe a book report!

A number of blogs I read regularly post their responses to the weekly meme, Ten on Tuesday. I’m not always excited by them, but I thought this week’s topic was an interesting one. Of course, I couldn’t stick with just ten, so I expanded it to a round dozen (it’s still alliterative, so I think it’s fine):

Twelve Favorite Sounds:

1. Rudi’s whistle (It’s more polite than shouting, I think, although you do get weird looks when whistling to someone in public…)
2. Waves lapping at the beach
3. Echoing cracks of thunder late at night (I was scared of nighttime thunderstorms when I was little, but I remember coming out to Mum in the living room one night and her explaining that she found it a comforting sound. And I was never frightened of thunder again.) (I also like to be close enough to fireworks to feel them explode. I think it’s a similar feeling/sound.)
4. The silence of a snowstorm
5. The crackle of a fire (particularly the pop of pine cones, which remind me of camping as a kid)
6. A cappella harmonies (particularly of women singers)
7. The purring of a content cat — or three (Posey is sprawled on my lap as I type this…)
8. Little kids’ unfettered fits of giggling
9. The sound of a loved one’s voice — over the phone line or in person
10. A favorite song coming through my speakers/headphones — whether at my request or by happenstance, it matters not!
11. Rain tapping on the window or roof first thing in the morning or last thing at night
12. The crack of wood and leather when a batter connects well with a pitched ball

Do you have favorite sounds?