Sophie's Story

   The Toastmaster requested that those attending the Halloween meeting dress in costume. I told her I would wear my Renaissance noblewoman's costume. The only thing that I asked is that she also wear something and that she come to the post meeting coffee hour in costume as well. (because I would not be able to change clothes.)   I refer to the outfit in question as the big blue dress. Actually, there is a question as to whether the dress is blue or purple. It depends on the light. It's a four part outfit as it is an authentic gown. There is a white gauze shift, a satin underskirt with an insert of taffeta, a velvet overskirt which shows a little of the underskirt and an ornate bodice. The top of the bodice sleeves are made of a dark gold material and are puffy. The puffy part ends midway down the upper arm. The rest of the sleeve is blue velvet that matches the overskirt. I have a matching blue velvet hat and pouch.   Since it is made authentically, there a...

   We're back from Door County. We're working on unpacking. It's a long process because we spend one day shopping.   As I wrote last week, there are no chain stores on the peninsula. All the stores (except Shopko) are owned by local people. We have several stores that we like to patronize. One of them is a British import shop. C likes a certain brand of cologne that is stocked there. We buy a years supply of it. We also buy lemon curd, toffee sauce and sometimes mustard. We buy some strawberry jam and drinking chocolate.   Our next stop is to buy some maple syrup and buckwheat honey. We buy it from a family that has been tapping trees for over 50 years. The shop is run out of a small shop next to the owner's home. The lady we buy it from comes out of the house with her walker. C and I enjoy her stories of her growing up years in Door County.   There's a small shop that sells cat related items. I go there to find a present for my friend Mickey who is a big c...

   C and I are enjoying another vacation in Door County. We got here last Friday and have been having a good time and a restful time. We always do.    There's a lot of things we like about this area. I think I've written about most of them. One thing I have not written about is the food.  There is a lot of good food here.   One thing I like about Door County is that there are no chain restaurants here. None. No chains of any kind really, unless you count the Shopko near Sister Bay. That means that a lot of good chefs start reaturants here and do not have to worry about competition  from cheap places like McDonalds. This makes for a lot of nice places that are run by real folks who are interested in making good food and giving thier customers a good experience. I'd like to mention a few of our favourites and what we like to eat there. These are in no particular order.   The first one is Wilson's in Ephraim. It's an old soda fountain type resta...

  In January I shipped my wedding dress off to my friend Sarah. (Goodbye Dress January 2015) She sent me a few pattern ideas. I tried to pick the least complicated one. I didn't want this project to be a burden on her. I chose the wedding ring pattern. It just seemed appropriate given what I was sending her for materials.   Over the months I would email her and ask her how it was going. I didn't want to seem like I was being impatient, I was simply interested in the process. I wondered how it would work having a wedding dress instead of a bolt of cloth for materials.   She wrote to me in August and apologized. She had wanted to have it done by our anniversary. I didn't mind. Things of quality take time and I wanted her to take all the time she needed. I know that she's busy and has a young son. I didn't want her to feel like she was  under any pressure to get it done quickly.  She had sent me some pictures of the quilt in its almost finished state. The...

   Now that the weather is starting to change I've been pulling my winter and fall clothes out of storage. I don't usually pay attention to them except to note items that are too worn to wear to work, thinks that need replacing or washing.   This time I really looked at what I had. I noticed that I wear mostly three colours, white, blue and pink. The vast majority of my wardrobe is a variation on one of those shades. It made me wonder if I was stuck in a color rut. One of the things I'm trying to do these days is to step slightly out of my comfort zone. Things like trying to knit something without using a pattern, training to run a 5K (No, we have not done this yet.) or attempting to cook a main dish that doesn't involve meat or pasta.   I'm sure that some of you are shaking your heads. Nothing I've done so far is really outside a comfort zone. To me, it is.   I know that when a woman finds colours or styles that look good on her, she tends to stay with t...

   I've just spent the last 20 minutes looking at knitting patterns. There were plenty of other things I should be doing, like writing this column or washing the casserole pan that has been sitting in the sink for the last hour and a half.   I get patterns delivered to my email about every other day. I have to look through them all to see if I want them, right? Don't I? I have to keep my in box clean.   I think this is another addiction that knitters and maybe crocheters are prone to . If you can't get to the yarn shop to buy more yarn than you will ever need in your lifetime, then you must go online and find patterns.   The challenge is that the patterns have such cool names all designed to tempt you. There's the Wrapped in Clouds shawl, the Autumn Rose shawl and the Chocolate Cake  cowl. There's the Goddess Dream wrap and the Angel shawl. Who wouldn't  want to knit any of these things? (Well... someone who doesn't know how to knit probably...) I...