Good memory but I’ll tell you right now, that ain’t “my Edison” anymore. lol I moved to Monmouth County because it reminded me of the Middlesex County of my youth. I shudder to think over the next 20-30 years that Monmouth County would be like Middlesex is now. (before someone tries to read between the lines, when I grew up there were still horse and dairy farms in Edison, lot’s of open spaces. Homes were on nice spaced out lots etc.)
It might be Lakewood, not Brick. On the corner of 71 and Sherrock St.
yeah- the traffic in Edison is insane. Used to head to the mall there a lot and sit in traffic on rt 1 and anywhere else around there; same with the bridge anytime heading north on parkway.
I suppose thats almost all NJ- where we are stemmed the tide for a bit…it used to be all farms around here too from what I gather…
I think the Costco is technically in Brick and the other side of Sherrock is Lakewood. There is a liquor store attached to the building but I don’t believe it is actually part of Costco.
Thanks for the tip in Kirkland Premium Vodka is close to Grey Goose. I may have to buy a bottle and replace the real Grey Goose in my bottle to see if anyone can tell.
I was selling stereos back in the 70’s when the Lampoon was on the stands and I love seeing all the stereo ads.
I just opened the magazine and there it was in a three page foldout the bane of all commissioned stereo salespeople, the Pioneer ctf2121 cassette recorder.
It was an entry level cassette deck sold everywhere at dead cost. The typical buyer would never buy a warranty let alone cleaners or extra tape even though it was at cost.
There are ALWAYS knitalongs and crochetalongs online. Sometimes you are supposed to buy a pattern and/or kit, other times the organizer releases segments of the pattern at intervals, and participants don’t know ahead of time what the finished item will be.
Scandinavian knitting/crochet/quilting/fabric designers Arne & Carlos are in a 14-day enforced quarantine because they were on a cruise until Feb 28 and Norway requires this of anyone returning to the country in that time frame, with heavy fines for violators. So they decided to expand their weekly podcast to weekdays, with a different small colorwork knitting rectangle released each day. The second week has begun, and over 5000 crafters worldwide have joined. The charts are posted on the Arne & Carlos blog, and scores of photos of members’ wonderful creations are posted on FB at Quarantine Knitting with Arne & Carlos. The accompanying vignettes are heartwarming. One woman posted that her recently widowed 92 yr old mother had moved in with her but was very withdrawn in her grief. She persuaded her mother to join the knitalong with her, and that this has been a Godsend. They enjoy figuring out the charts, choosing color combinations, and giggling over their mistakes. This bonding is a blessing the daughter will always remember.
I look forward to the A&C Youtube video every afternoon. Many yarners put their own spin on the rectangles. Those who don’t do stranded knitting can knit the background in stockinette and the motif in purling, or roositud, or duplucate stitch, or crochet, or embroidery. I combined this project with my ongoing making of hats for the #HatNotHate public school antibullying campaign, using 4 different motifs for a blue (the campaign’s color) hat.
I’ve always wanted to learn to knit/crochet. Are there any on-line resources you’d suggest to get an absolute beginner started? Thx
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
71
Here in northwest England, it’s been lovely spring weather for the last couple of days and I’ve spent a fair bit of them pottering round the garden. Cut the grass for the first time and am in the process of sweeping the paths and other “tidying up” jobs that I didnt get round to in the autumn.
We’re allowed out for a single session of exercise each day and we’ve taken to going to the local wildlife protection area for a walk. It has the benefit that there are very few people around. The place has a long history. Known as The Carrs, the word is apparently a corruption of a Norse word for a marshland adjacent to a river - this case the River Mersey. There used to be a ford here and there’s evidence that it was probably used before Roman times, by salt sellers who had mined it to the south and crossed here to trade in the northern areas. From the 18th century (and probably before) much of the land was farmed. In 1930, the local council bought 18 acres and it became a refuse disposal tip. This closed in 1980 and it was returned to nature (with a thinnish layer of soil being laid over the refuse). It’s still owned by the council, but managed by a local group.
There are countless knitting and crochet tutorials on Youtube. Look for professionally produced ones like from Red Heart, Lion Brand, Bernat, etc. They will be clearer. Other than those made by yarn companies, Roxanne Richardson, Marly Bird, and A&C are among professional knitters with their own Youtube channels. Note that the settings wheel at the top right corner of the videos allows you to speed.up or slow down. That can help a lot. There are knitting groups meeting in cafes all over the world…but not now! Google them for your area. They are happy to welcome and coach newbies.
For knitting, continental style a.k.a. picking, is faster than English, a.k.a. throwing. For crochet, there are different ways of holding the hook. Get yourself a skein of solid color worsted weight acrylic yarn but avoid dark colors since they make it hard to see stitches. The label will tell you the recommended diameter needle or hook. I recommend Susan Bates aluminum for both. The yarn slides easily and they are inexpensive. I prefer circular knitting needles (16" total length ). Stitches don’t fall off as easily, and you can also knit back and forth on them, not just in the round. Once you learn the basics you can use thinner yarns for socks and lacy, delicate items. Knitting is used more for garments than is crochet, because crochet makes a thicker fabric with less drape. But it’s fine for hats, scarves, blankets, and toys. It has infinite possibilities for making 3D objects, whereas knitting isn’t as free-form. With either, the first few rows are the hardest. Once you learn, both crafts are meditative stress-reducers. Studies prove people who yarn in meetings and lectures absorb and retain more info than the other attendees.
Thank you so much. This is amazing. I tried to teach myself how to knit about 10 years ago when Mr Bean was in the hospital. That lasted about 10 minutes. I have some random needles and yarn somewhere in the house but I may have to do some (on-line) shopping.
We’re members of the local arboretum . . . 92 acres of beautiful gardens, groves, wetlands and even a garden railway area with plenty of benches for 91-y-o mom to rest on as we work our way through. Even on the most glorious days when the parking lots are full and spill-over lots/shuttles are needed, it’s large enough that you can stroll all day without ever coming within 6 feet of others (except the garden railway, cafe and shop). Alas, they closed it on March 14. SMH.
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
76
This arboreteum is a short drive and, in happier times, has a very nice pub and restaurant next door. It’s a while since we’ve been and it still seems to be open.
I’ve been working from home for over fifteen years. I generally have a window open on my computer desktop streaming something as company and background. I’m finding myself distracted more often by groups of people and social interactions. Clearly my threshold for “normal” has changed.
We are staying in. DH needs activity. He is “sorting”. Everything. Questioning reasons for stuff’s existence. “Do you use this?” “Do we need that?” Yesterday he decided he was bored with a 4’painting over the fireplace. Moved it to the dining room where he moved a 3’ one to the living room, then a 2’ one to the space of the 3 ’ one
Hang onto your lunch plate. It may vanish right from under your fork…
I may have already mentioned that I saw a report of a marathon runner whose response to canceling the marathon he’d been training for was to run the marathon anyway - back and forth on his 7m balcony.
slow clap
My wife has adjusted to putting her Fitbit on her sock to get “credit” for steps on our stationary bicycle.
