Broken Rib Knitted Scarf

I knitted another scarf to donate. I used a broken rib pattern I found on New Stitch a Day's site.

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Peppermint Plaid) and 6.5mm needles. 

I cast on 23 stitches (multiples of 2 plus 1 stitches). I slipped the first stitch of each row knitwise so it wouldn't curl.

Row 1 (RS): Knit 

Row 2: K1 *p1, k1; rep from * to end

After it gets to the length you want, knit two rows of K2, P2 and then bind off.

High Park, Toronto, ON

It's been a while since I've been to High Park and I've been thinking about going lately. I lived near the park from 1996 to 2001 and had spent a lot of time walking through it. I don't get there as often as I'd like. Gord dropped me off at the Queensway/Colborne Lodge Drive entrance.

High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario. It spans 161 hectares (400 acres) and is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One third of the park remains in a natural state, with a rare oak savannah ecology. 

High Park was opened to the public in 1876 and is based on a bequest of land from John George Howard to the City of Toronto. It is the largest park entirely within the city.

I headed north towards Grenadier Pond, as I usually do.

You can catch a "train" around the park but I walked.

Book ~ "Yours Truly" (2023) Abby Jimenez

From Goodreads ~ Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game ... by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet”, and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable - a kidney for her brother - she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor ... especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

Briana is an emergency room physician who is dealing with several challenges in her personal life, including her divorce and her brother’s health problems (he needs a kidney transplant). Her life becomes more complicated when Jacob, also as an emergency room physician, joins the hospital where she works. Jacob initially makes a poor impression on Briana but she soon discovers that he is very different from the person she thought he was. 

After Jacob writes her a heartfelt letter, the two begin communicating through letters and gradually develop a friendship. Jacob's younger brother has become engaged to his ex-girlfriend. To show everyone that he is okay with it, Jacob asks Briana to pretend to be his girlfriend and Briana agrees to do this favour because he is giving one of his kidneys to her brother. Their relationship eventually grows into something deeper, although both of them have personal circumstances and emotional insecurities that make the situation complicated. As Briana and Jacob spend more time together, they navigate misunderstandings, family expectations and their own fears about love and vulnerability. 

This was an easy quick read. It's written in alternating first-person perspectives between Briana and Jacob, with each chapter labeled. It's #2 in the Part of Your World series (Briana is best friends with Alexis, who is the main charactor in the first in the series, which I read a couple days ago, and is a minor charactor in this one). As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I liked the concept of the letter writing relationship and thought they were cute. This only lasted a couple chapters before it progressed to sticky notes, following each other on Instagram, phone calls and lunch. 

The miscommunication between Briana and Jacob was tiring. Not surprising they fell in love but each assumed the other was only acting ... Jacob thought Briana was only grateful Jacob was donating one of his kidneys and Briana thought Jacob was putting on a brave face because he was still in love with ex-girlfriend (his brother's fiancée ). It went on and on and on and on. One of them should have taken a chance sooner and be honest about how they were feeling. It would have cut out many many pages. 

It was also tiresome hearing often how Briana's first husband had hurt her and now they are divorced. Get over it and move on! 

Finally I hate when stories end with a woman pregnant or just having a baby ... as if a woman can't be complete without a child.

Book ~ "Part of Your World" (2022) Abby Jimenez

From Goodreads ~ After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come - the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

Alexis is an emergency-room doctor, who will soon be 40, from a wealthy and influential family of surgeons. Her family has strong expectations for her career and personal life and Alexis has spent much of her life trying to meet those expectations. After her car ends up in a ditch while she is travelling through rural Minnesota, she meets Daniel, a carpenter, 10 years younger than she is, who lives in the nearby small town of Wakan. Daniel helps her with her car and the two unexpectedly begin spending time together. 

Daniel is deeply connected to his community and has a very different lifestyle from Alexis, whose life is centred around medicine, professional achievement and her family’s legacy. What begins as a casual relationship develops into something more significant. Alexis finds herself drawn to Daniel and to the people and community around him. At the same time, she remains tied to her family, career and the expectations that have shaped her life. 

Alexis is still dealing with the effects of a previous relationship with Neil, a surgeon her parents love and see as an appropriate match for her. As her relationship with Daniel develops, she is forced to consider what she wants for herself and how much of her life has been determined by other people's expectations. Alexis must decide how to balance her career, family responsibilities and relationship while determining what kind of future she wants.

I thought this story was okay and found it to be an easy quick read. It's written in alternating first-person perspectives between Alexis and Daniel, with each chapter labeled. It's #1 in the Part of Your World series. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Considering it takest brains to become a doctor, I found Alexis to be immature and too dumb in the ways of the world. She's almost 40 and she still cares what people think and is trying please everyone so she keeps her relationship with Daniel hidden from everyone except her best friend, Bri. But she was emotionally abused by Neil and her parents so I guess that's why. Her father still treats her like crap (and she takes it) and her mother allows it. Though she was raised with money and still lives that lifestyle, I found it unbelievable that she didn't know how to sweep a floor (she didn't even know what a broom was called!) or peel a potato. Daniel was  a nice fella but too perfect to be realistic.

****

I followed that up with All Roads Lead to Here, a short story that explains how Derek, Alexis' twin brother, meets Nikki/Lola, the pop star from The Happy Ever After Playlist. It's free when you subscribe to the author's email list (I only signed up to get this free story). Derek appears briefly at the beginning of Part of Your World.

The story takes place in Cambodia, where both Nikki and Derek are involved in humanitarian work following a typhoon. Nikki is volunteering at a women’s shelter, while Derek is working as a doctor, providing medical assistance to people affected by the disaster. Nikki is a successful singer but the story gives more attention to the person behind her public image (there's no mention of her career). Away from her career and celebrity status, she is focused on helping the women at the shelter. Derek, being in Cambodia, shows his commitment to helping people in difficult circumstances. It was a quick read.

Mistake Rib Knitted Scarf

I knitted another scarf to donate using a squishy mistake rib pattern, an easy fun pattern.

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Peppermint Plaid) and 6.5mm needles. 

I cast on 23 stitches (multiples of 4 plus 3 stitches).

It's a one row repeat: slip 1 knitwise, k1, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last stitch, p1.

Book ~ "The Solo Honeymoon: A Brief Beautiful True Love Story" (2026) Laura Murphy and Bret Witter

From Goodreads ~ Laura and Devon were on the cusp of their wedding. Both young professionals, they lived a full life in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, where they were often found hiking the rugged and beautiful coastline with their two Bernedoodles.

When they sat down to plan their honeymoon, Chianti, Italy, was at the top of the list. Four months later, Laura found herself standing at the edge of an Italian village, watching the sunset. It would have been perfect, if Devon had been there with her. But Laura's fiancé, the love of her life, had died in her arms a month before their wedding.

The Solo Honeymoon follows Laura as she faces her fears and heartbreak by going alone on the honeymoon she had planned with Devon. From screaming from the mountaintops in Ireland to wandering the busy streets of London, to dining on the French Riviera and watching the Tuscan sunset, Laura travels across Europe to find solid ground. Along the way readers learn her unique love story with Devon and what made their relationship so special.

The result is a beautiful exploration of what it means to choose life in the face of unimaginable pain. The Solo Honeymoon shines a light on the joy of love, the depths of grief and all the beauty there is in the world.

This is a memoir about love, loss and the journey that follows an unexpected tragedy. The book tells the story of the author's relationship with her fiancé, Devon, from the day they met through their engagement and plans for their future together. Just weeks before their wedding, Devon dies suddenly, leaving Laura to face a future she never imagined. 

Rather than canceling the honeymoon they had planned, Laura decides to take the trip on her own. As she travels through England, Ireland, France and Italy, she reflects on the life she and Devon shared while experiencing the places they had hoped to visit together. Along the way, she reconnects with friends and family, meets new people and documents her travels on TikTok, where her story resonates with others. 

I like reading memoirs and bios/autobios and I thought this one was okay. Not surprising it's not a happy read. It moves between memories of their relationship and her solo travels, showing how she navigates grief while learning to carry forward the life and love they shared. I hadn't heard of her story before (I found this book on a top 10 list) but apparently it's been covered extensively in the media and on her TikTok account as she was traveling, which she talks about in the book.

Central, Toronto, ON

I had lunch today on the patio at Central (at Ossington Avenue/Argyle Street) with my pal, Cheryl.

We both had pizza. Mine was a Roni Cup pizza (pepperoni, mozzarella and san marzano tomatoes) and hers was a Margherita Pizza (mozzarella, san marzano tomatoes and fresh basil). Both were good and we took half home.

Book ~ "The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing and Healing" (2024) Lara Love Hardin

From Goodreads ~ No one expects the police to knock on the million-dollar, two-story home of the perfect cul-de-sac housewife. But soccer mom Lara Love Hardin has been hiding a shady secret: She is funding her heroin addiction by stealing her neighbors’ credit cards.

Lara is convicted of thirty-two felonies and becomes inmate S32179. She learns jail is a class system with a power structure somewhere between an adolescent sleepover party and Lord of the Flies. Furniture is made from tampon boxes, and Snickers bars are currency. But Lara quickly finds the rules and brings love and healing to her fellow inmates as she climbs the social ladder to become the “shot caller,” showing that jailhouse politics aren’t that different from the PTA meetings she used to attend.

When she’s released, she reinvents herself as a ghostwriter. Now, she’s legally co-opting other people’s identities and getting to meet Oprah, meditate with The Dalai Lama, and have dinner with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. But the shadow of her past follows her. Shame is a poison worse than heroin—there is no way to detox. She must learn to forgive herself and others, navigate life as a felon on probation, prove to herself that she is more good than bad, and much more.

This memoir follows the author's life from addiction and crime to recovery and a successful writing career. At first, she appears to have a stable suburban life as a wife and mother but behind the scenes she is struggling with heroin addiction. As her addiction worsens, she begins stealing from friends and neighbours to support it. Eventually, she is arrested, convicted of multiple felonies and sentenced to jail. 

While incarcerated, Hardin earns the nickname "Mama Love" because she becomes a source of comfort and encouragement for the other women around her. After her release, she faces the difficult task of rebuilding her life. She works to stay sober, reconnect with her children and family, complete probation and find employment despite having a criminal record. Over time, Hardin builds a new career as a ghostwriter, helping others tell their stories before deciding to share her own. 

I like reading memoirs and bios/autobios and this one sounded interesting. And it was. It was the author's apparent account of becoming addicted to drugs, doing whatever she had to support that habit and the consequences of those actions ... getting arrested, losing her children, spending time in jail and having to rebuild her life from nothing.

While I applaud how far the author has come, it was annoying to read how frustrated she was with all the hoops she had to jump through with the judicial system to try to rebuild her build her life. I didn't feel all that sorry for her. She knew what she was doing when she started using drugs and eventually stealing. No one forced her. So she should expect to accept the consequences. It didn't seem to me that she took responsibility for her actions. She used her crappy childhood as an excuse. Most of us have crappy childhoods but we don't become drug addicts and steal from our friends and neighbours. 

When she was arrested, she spent time in jail and detoxed. Pretty well the first thing she did when she was bailed out was get stoned with her husband, who had also been arrested. I wasn't feeling a lot of sympathy for her. Not only was she getting readdicted to drugs but she was risking losing her children for good (she's lucky she never got caught). As a mother, I think her first responsibility was to ensure her children are taken care of and she neglected to do that. She was more concerned with doing all she could to get high rather than keeping her children safe.

As a head's up, there is swearing and descriptions of drug use.

Sunflower Festival, Davis Family Farm, Caledon, ON

This afternoon I went to the Davis Family Farm in Caledon for their sunflower festival (it’s only happening for a couple of weeks). 

It was my first time in a sunflower field! You follow the animals.

You start by going through a corn trail.