We're not supposed to send personal emails at work but people often do.  This came in an email today.  I liked it and thought I'd share.
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio


"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents
will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is
all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.. But don't worry; God never
blinks.
16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up
to you and no one else
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an
answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save
it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this
matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or
didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38.. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab
ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."


Not all of these things are things I necessarily believe in or espouse.  However some of them struck a chord and made me smile or made me think.  I think if a 90 yr old offers his or her life lessons,  I should probably listen.

I woke up to an unusual sight this morning.  Sunshine.  Yep.  The big yellow burning thing in the sky has finally decided to show itself.  I am thrilled.  While it hasn't rained in the past three days, it's been very grey.

Thanksgiving here was good.  The food was good, the company was better.  At one point, there were three spinning wheels in my living room all whirring along at the same time.  I'd insert a photo here but I've lost them somewhere on the computer.  My old laptop automatically saved my photos to the same folder each time.  This setup does not and I closed the file before I moved them to the assigned folder and now they're lost somewhere among the electrons.  I'll wait till Pk comes home from his morning "rust hunt" at the flea market and see if he can help me find them.

In meantime, Em brought her wheel down with her and Kate brought hers down from her room and we all spun together for the first time.  It was cool. There was spinning and laughing and conversation.  Patrick wanted a photo of all three together and I managed to take a couple.

They left around 10:00.  Jim and Em had to work on Friday.  Pk and I sat around for a short time and then went to bed.  We were tired.  I figure we're getting old.  There was a time when we'd sit up till all hours.  Now, we're ready for bed by 9!

Yesterday was a 'pajama day'.  Clothes were donned but no one left the house and we did as little as we could get away with.  I made turkey soup with the carcass (and the stuffing inside the carcass and the left over gravy- I throw it all into a big pot after dinner.  The next day, I add water and simmer for a while and then strain it.  It makes a wonderful broth) and spun the last of the alpaca for Pk's sweater.  I hope it's enough.  I'm not experienced enough to judge but it looks like it might be.  It's beautiful and will make the kind of light drapey sweater he's looking for.  I've swatched it to see how it will look and I love the silvery grey color.  I'm going to use the generic sweater pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Nancy Bush.  The way she's set it up, it doesn't matter what weight of yarn you have, the numbers are all there.  For someone like me, that's just about perfect.

Today is laundry day and then Pk and I are going to the grocery store to get the fixin's for fruit cake.  Yes, fruit cake.  We love it and make our own every other year or so.  The recipe makes 4 loaf sized cakes and we wrap them in cheesecloth soaked in rum and put 2 in the freezer and eat one immediately and save one for Christmas.  This is a baking year since there are none in the freezer.  If Em and Kate are lucky, we'll give them each one to take to their own homes.   I have an enormous ceramic bowl (big enough to bathe a baby in) to mix it in.  With a dozen eggs and 8 cups of flour and all the other stuff, it's a stiff batter.  But it's sooooo good.  

Yay.  Pk came home and voila!  He found my photos and showed me where they are.  So, here's the spinning wheels.  That's Kate spinning on her wheel, Em's wheel is there on the right and mine is back by the window. 

And here is the alpaca (on the unmade bed) for the sweater.  I guess it technically qualifies as a fo.  I have finished the spinning part.  I don't have any other fo's around.  Since I have been flitting from project to project, nothing is getting finished.  I did finish a sock last night.  One monkey sock.  It's such an easy pattern to memorize that it's my mindless knitting.  I started the edging on the shawl (thank you Kate for remembering how we did it!) but that requires some attention.  There's no hurry since there's no deadline for any of this. 

Other than the spinning and knitting, the last few days have been lazy ones.  Today there's a little work to be done.  We have to move the walls of the pool out front to be taken away and Pk is going to clean up the yard.  I have some cleaning for the holidays to finish.  There are some lights to put up and some decorating to do but hey, there's 27 more days until christmas, right?  No hurry.

                                                                                                                             

One month from today is Christmas.  The mad rush toward the holiday starts on Friday (at least here in the US it does) with Black Friday.  The media will stoke the frenzy with updates on how many shopping days there are left and people will start to get that crazed, dazed look in their eyes when you ask about their holiday plans.

So.  I want to take the next few days and savor the quiet and enjoy my family.  They're all coming for dinner.  Em and Jim and Jim's sister and Em's friend Laura.  Kate and El and Pk and I.  Seven people who all mean the world to me.  I want to enjoy their company and not let the impending hectic-ness that is the Christmas season dampen our day.

I spend time frequently counting my blessings and being thankful for what and who I have in my life.  It's not always kittens and rainbows but it's not all guns and garbage either.  There's plenty of goodness and happy to balance out the other. 

I'm inordinately proud of my girls and how lovely and talented and smart they all grew up to be.  I wonder at the beauties who were once tiny bundles that I cooed to in the wee hours.

I'm proud of and thankful for my husband who does his best each and every day to make sure I am taken care of and that I have what I need and most of what I want.  He is a constant source of joy in my life.

I'm thankful for finding knitting even if it was so late in my life.  Because of it, I found a community that I didn't know existed.  I'm thankful that I can share in the bits of other lives and share bits of mine in return.

       

And I almost forgot.  Pk and I were in the store yesterday looking for some replacement bulbs for some holiday lights and I found canned pumpkin.  I was a glutton and bought 4 cans.  I can use two this year and put two away for next year when this shortage spills over and it's hard to get.  So, I'm grateful for the goodness that is pumpkin pie.

I want to leave you with the quote that lives at the bottom of the blog.  It's one of my favorites.  It's on a piece of orange paper on the bulletin board that's in front of my desk.  I see it every day and it reminds me to share happiness and joy with others and not just the complaints.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle and the life of that candle will not be diminished.  Happiness never decreases by being shared.

-the Buddha

Whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow or not, I wish you a day filled with joy and peace and friends and family.

Good Sunday afternoon!  We've had a quiet weekend here at the Wood household.  Friday, I left work early to join Pk and some of his coworkers for lunch.  I've heard about these folks for a couple of years but had never met them.  It was good.He works with some nice folks.  


  While they went back to the office to work for another hour, I went to Barnes and Noble (bookstore) and bought a cup of coffee and decided to sit and knit and wait for Pk.  I found a table in the sunshine and sat by the window (it was very crowded for early Friday afternoon).  I was listening to The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs and working on a sock.  It was just about perfect. 

 I sat there for an hour and then Pk and I got on the train to come home and went to "our" bookstore and sat for a few hours. ( Ours is bigger and was far less crowded).  I bought the new Stephen King book, Under the Dome, (1074 pages!) and the new Star Trek movie.  I'm rationing myself with the book.  I love Stephen King's books and more than once I've given myself a headache reading far into the night and early morning.  I want to read this for enjoyment.  It'll probably take a long while but who's in a hurry?  (btw?  So far, it's really good).

Saturday was laundry day and some spinning was accomplished but that was about all. I woke up with a skull crushing migraine and was moving slowly about the day.    I'm in the home stretch with Pk's alpaca.  When I went to bed, the headache had moved off and left some residual soreness behind. 

We got up early today and went to Produce Junction.  It's a place where they only sell fruits and veggies and they sell them cheaper than the grocery stores.  Sometimes, this means that you have to buy produce that is not quite ripe so you have to make sure you've got time to let it sit.  And you've got to know your fruits and veggies.  Some things just won't ripen anymore once they're picked.   We got apples for pies on Thursday and some other goodies. 

When we got to the grocery store, we found out that our Thanksgiving meal was threatened.  The store has NO CANNED PUMPKIN.   None.  Nada.  I asked one of the managers and he said Libby was having some problems and they don't know if they're getting ANY in this week at all.  Now, I have no idea how much pumpkin pie is consumed in this country all year but I would make an educated guess that most of it is consumed the fourth Thursday in November.  When I first got married, I bought a pumpkin and cooked it and pureed it and made the crust from scratch. (I was soooo good).  Nowadays, I use plain canned pumpkin (I like the texture better than what I cooked myself, not to mention that it is WAY easier) and spice it up myself.  Today, I bought cans of pumpkin pie mix (I know!  I've never bought them before).  I was desperate and I didn't want to buy a frozen pumpkin pie.  And what if they never get any regular canned pumpkin in?  I couldn't risk not having pumpkin pie (I TOLD you about my family's obsession with traditional foods, right?)

Pk was afraid it wouldn't make a good pie so he 'suggested' I make a pie today to make sure it would be ok for Thursday.  Since I bought enough for 4 pies, I did.  The mix has sweetener and some spices in it.  You have to add evaporated milk and eggs.  I added extra spice and it really tasted the same as always.  The pie baked up beautifully.  I also made the fruit relish so it can sit and absorb all the cranberry flavors. 

There is beef stew in the crock pot and bread in the bread machine and the house smells so good. There is a quiet peacefulness in the air and I am loving it.  Pk and El are working on fixing her computer.  I'm working on my wildflowers shawl.  I'm almost done the body and getting ready to start the knitted on edging.  I'm really hoping I can remember how I did it last time.

The rest of the evening will be dinner, maybe a movie and then an early bed.  It's a short week for us (YAY!!!) but it'll be a busy three days.  This time of year is tough for a lot of people and my job gets harder from now until January. 

I hope you are all having a good weekend and that it contained enough work so you feel productive and enough play time so you feel rested.  Have a good week!

Did you ever have one of those weeks where you blinked your eyes and not seconds but whole days have gone by?  I am having one.  It hasn't been a terrible week (except for some intestinal virus which seems to be making the rounds) and it hasn't been a particularly productive week.  Just a normal, everyday very-warm-for-November week.

I don't even have any good progress shots.  I haven't spent any time on the bayerische sock.  It takes a fair amount of concentration and I haven't seemed to have it lately.  I have been working away on the wildflowers shawl.  It's pretty but looks pretty much the same, only bigger.I fell asleep with it in my hands the other night around 9:00 pm.  I've just felt tired and have gone to bed early every night. 
( Next week is Thanksgiving here in the US.  It's one of my favoritest of holidays because it's all about the family/friends and the food.  We have the same menu (my family is nothing if not consistent, violently so) and the number of people varies depending on who needs a place to be.  I have been fortunate that the girls are always home for dinner (and often bring friends).  I know the day will come when I'll have to share them with inlaws so I'll enjoy this time.  We have to do the shopping this weekend and the stores will be mobbed so it's either after work tomorrow or early Sunday morning.  I don't usually take a list, (I know what we're out of since I do all the cooking,) but for this meal, I'll make one.  I could get into trouble if the fruit relish was missing something or the stuffing wasn't full of sausage!

Does it feel like Christmas is creeping up behind you (quietly and very fast) and is about to poke you on the shoulder and say "I'm here!"?  I know that it's 5 weeks from tomorrow but my head just can't accept it.  I see all the lovely knitted gifts and wish I had planned some things for my loved ones but I didn't and I refuse to stress myself out by trying to quickly knock out something before the holiday. 

Interesting discussion going on in a forum this week about the appropriateness of knitting in seminars, church, meetings,etc.  Someone made an interesting point.  She said (not a direct quote here), that just because our hobby happens to be portable doesn't mean it should be taken out everywhere and that knitters shouldn't feel that they have a "right" to knit anywhere they please.  It can be distracting to others.  Of course this raised a hue and cry about "not being able to listen if my hands aren't knitting" and other such protests.  (and I do not mean to belittle anyone with ADHD or any of the autism spectrum disorders.  I fully understand how difficult it can be to sit still)

I know I don't listen well at meetings sometimes so I make myself take notes.  This means I doodle all over the page. You can tell how bored I was by how decorated the notes are.  I don't think I'd be insulted if I were speaking and people in my audience were knitting but then I understand that you can listen and knit at the same time.  There were a surprising number of people who think it is insulting and disrespectful to knit when one is part of an audience.  

I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing.  I do not knit at work.  Not even at lunch time.  They've made the corporate opinion on that subject well known.  No big deal.  It IS a business, not a leisure time hang out.  I have taken my knitting when I've gone to trainings.  I sit in the back and quietly knit and pay just as much attention as anyone else.  No one has ever asked me to stop or complained.  I've never been bothered by someone else's knitting (although to be honest, only once did I run into someone else with yarn and she was crocheting).

As far as church goes, a minister wrote that although she would never ask people to stop knitting during services, she thinks it's not too much to ask someone to give up one hour a week to concentrate solely on God.  Even though she freely admits that she doesn't think God really cares if people knit and worship as long as they're worshipping!

So what do you think?  I don't think I have a "right" to knit everywhere and I can go out places and not take knitting with me.  Knitting is something I do, not who I am.  I can separate myself from my craft.  I tend to take something small with me and if the opportunity presents itself, I knit. If not, then I don't feel deprived.

 Just as often, Pk wants to hold my hand and that supercedes any knitting!

I'm patting myself on the back today because I'm looking out of clean windows this morning.  Since it wasn't technically raining yesterday, I decided to just do it and get it over with.  It's funny because they never really look that dirty until you see them clean. 

As for the china closet, I'm listening to an interesting scifi book called Dies the Fire by M. Stirling about an unknown incident which has wiped out all the electric power (it has to be some kind of electro magnetic pulse because batteries don't work either and planes just fell out of the sky) and how people react to it.  It kind of reminds me of Threads which is about the aftermath of nuclear war and how people cope.  So, I may just listen to that as I wash and dry the china and polish the little bits of silver.  Or I may put that off till next week......

In between window washing and laundry yesterday, I managed to make one of these.  It's the Heart Sachet by Vikki Severs from Ik (summer 2005).  They posted it on Knitting Daily and I loved it.  I really didn't plan any holiday knitting this year except maybe for a pair of socks for my aunt who loves them but these spoke to me.  It's made of mitred squares all connected to one another.  After 4 squares I had this. 

 Look at all the blue and gold bits.  Those are the last two stitches of the squares that have to be put on stitch holders.  I used bits of contrasting yarn to make it easier to work with.  Doesn't look like much, does it?                                                      I ended up with this.  It's stuffed with cotton balls and some lavender flowers.  I thought it would make a nice gift for my aunts.  They're both in their late 70's and really don't need/want any more tchatchkes.  (sorry for the flash photo.  Yes, it's grey again, although the sun looks like it's struggling valiantly to burn off the clouds).  The yarn is from Roxanne at Zen Yarn Garden.  It's the Geogia O'Keefe colorway called Iris.  I tried to make socks with it but no matter what pattern I chose, it pooled in a way I didn't care for.  I hung onto it hoping something would come along and I'd find a purpose for it.  It worked pretty well for this.  I think the yarn I used is a little thicker than the yarn specified but I didn't think it would matter because size wasn't an issue (well, ok, who wants a sachet as big as their head?)  It's sitting on two hanks of handspun alpaca for Pk's sweater.

Pk and I went to see Men Who Stare at Goats on Friday night.  It was funny but very odd.  We had dinner and walked around the Farmer's Market.  It's open till 9 on Fridays and it was only 8 but so many stalls were already closed.  It was weird and we felt like intruders as we were almost the only shoppers there.  We bought some kielbasa from the polish meat place.  That'll be dinner tonight with some sauerkraut and pierogies. We also bought some movies.  Buy 3, get one free.  We bought Hancock, Independence Day, The Three Musketeers (old one with Michael York, Oliver Reed and Charleton Heston-lots of fun) and the new version of The Women.  I love the 1938 version of The Women.  It's so catty and the clothes/makeup/lighting are beautiful.  I like the new version almost as much although it's not nearly as back-biting.  Very different in feel and women's lives have changed so much in 70 years. 

Well, I'm off to make some puffy omelets for breakfast and then have some time with the spinning wheel.  I need to make another sachet sometime but now that I know how to do it and how long it takes, there's no rush. 

Enjoy your Sunday.

It's a Saturday morning and it's one of those days where it's not quite raining but it's not dry either.  It's been like this for 3 days now.  I got up and showered and instead of going and getting breakfast and starting the laundry, I sat down with the computer.  Pk made some toast and the smell is making me hungry so breakfast will happen soon. 

But first, I wanted to respond to Bells' comment on my last post.  She wanted to know if I had come to "love ravelry".  And my answer is a qualified No.  There are parts I like.  For instance, I like being able to search patterns and to have interactions with other like-minded individuals.  I like that it collects information on yarns and techniques all in one place and they are easy to access. 

I'm not interested in uploading my collection of needles, my yarn or my projects.  I don't enjoy looking at other people's stash (I totally don't get the Flash Your Stash people at all).  I like to see what other people are working on and how their projects come out.  I loved looking at what  people made for holiday gifts (there are some really lucky  people out there this year who are going to get some gorgeous handknits!). 

I joined ravelry because so many people use it as a link for patterns and I couldn't see what they were talking about unless I could access the site.  I use it several times a week but I will admit, mostly to occupy myself during downtimes at work.  I'll pop on and see what's going on in a group and read posts and then pop off.

I think it's a genius idea and they timed it perfectly.  I wish it were less knitter-centric and open to more crafts.  There are a lot of creative folks out there who do amazing needlework of all kinds.  I like to look at embroidery arts (and I love Piecework magazine for this) and often I think some of the knitters look at this as an intrusion into "their space".  Not everyone, but often it seems like we are not as welcoming as we'd like to think.

I like the forums for their variety of discussion topics but they are so much cotton candy most of the time.  People post whatever comes into their heads and I sometimes wonder if they gave it any thought at all.  Some of the responses I read make me stop and say "whoa" because they're thoughtless or nasty.  The internet is somewhat anonymous but that shouldn't give people carte blanche to say what they're thinking.  We all have a filter between our brains and our mouths (or our fingers when we are typing) that should keep some thoughts inside.  Some people seem to have very thin filters. 

I don't think I'm smarter or have more common sense than anyone else.  I dont' think that my thoughts are worth more or are more considered.  I just try to make sure I give some thought to what I'm saying and how it will affect others before I post.  (This comes from growing up with a father who would say whatever he wanted no matter how hurtful, i.e. "your sister is the pretty one, it's a good thing you're smart", and didn't realize that you can forgive but you don't forget).

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break my heart".  This is so true, it's a no brainer.  And I wish people would remember it before they blithely hit the reply button.

Having said all that, Ravelry is a good idea and I enjoy it.  Do I love it?  Nah but I don't hate it either.  Like all internet things, it's a way to reach out and make some connections and have some fun.  It's not the be all or end all but it doesn't have to be.

Wow.  A long answer to a short question.  I know there are those people who will disagree with me and that's ok.  I'm only one person and since Bells asked, I thought I'd answer.   

 Today I want to spin.  I should be spinning for my Ply by Night group but I want to work on Pk's alpaca so I'm going to ignore the shoulds and do what I want.  I do have to clean out my china closet and wash the things inside and polish the silver pieces.  The holidays are coming and some things can't wait any longer.  If we have a nice weekend soon, the curtains and windows have to be washed.  Unfortunately, when we have a rare nice weekend, I don't feel like doing chores.  Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny.  We'll see.

Have a good weekend!

This is blog post 499.  How weird is that?  (and how wordy!)  What have I learned in all that time? 

I learned that

• people who don't even know me in real life can be kind
• and generous
• and, yes, loving
• I can write whole paragraphs without saying anything
• I really like having the blog even if sometimes I'm not sure if anyone is reading
• I'm still not ready for facebook
• or twitter
• I am a very slow knitter but my skills are improving
• I like trying new things and the internet is allowing me to see what others are doing
• I'm probably never going to be a knitwear designer
• I'm ok with that
• I like shopping online but nothing beats being able to touch the yarn
• I don't understand why everyone runs out to buy a yarn if the yarn harlot says she is using it
• I like it that I can share a hobby with my daughters
• and even my husband
• spinning is as relaxing as knitting and one day I'll be really good

I've probably learned a lot more but it's been a long night.  No knitting here.  I spent over 2 hours on the phone with verizon techsupport.  Three different guys.  For some reason I could not sent out email.  I can receive it but got an error message when I tried to send it out.  It made it hard to reply to people.

The first guy was good and he seemed to really listen to me as I explained the problem and the steps we had taken to fix it.  He seemed to be able to fix it.  However, as soon as we disconnected, the problem came back.

I called back and got another guy.  He was not listening to me and kept trying the same thing over and over (something Pk and I had already done).  I thought about explaining the definition of insanity to him (trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results) but didn't think it would be helpful.  He decided my Outlook was corrupted and had to be reinstalled.  We didn't think so but we tried it.  He's going to call me back soon. (I'm still waiting)

We reinstalled Outlook and called back.  This time I got a guy who once again listened.  Especially to the part where I told him the machine came with Windows 7.  I heard his aha moment.  Windows 7 and Outlook XP have compatibility issues (Windows 7 seems to have issues with lots of things but then it's a new windows product).  He figured out the problem and told me how to fix it.  It's a pita but it works.  He also gave me the number for Microsoft so I could call them and see if there is a fix for it.  He said they'd had over a thousand calls regarding Windows 7 already but he'd not heard mine before so he'd learned something.  I like a tech guy who doesn't think he knows everything.  And my favorite tech guy tells me we have to  go and buy a book on Windows 7 since he wants to buy it in the spring after they've had some time to get some more bugs out.  He's a tech guy who knows that he doesn't know everything. 

I like that in a husband, too.

I got my H1N1 shot today.  My employer required it and I decided not to put up a fuss and just rolled up my sleeve (again).  When I went over to the main hospital at lunch time, there were only 12 doses left so if I had just waited a little longer I could have said "well, I tried".  My arm is a little sore this time.  The nurse was really good but there was a lot of serum.

I've been working on my Wildflowers shawl which is nice fairly mindless knitting. This photo shows the colors  too bright.  The colors are really the bruised colors of a rainy, thunderstormy sky.  It's alpaca/merino and called Smokey Sunset. This pattern is not lacey but has little lace flowers embedded in the stockinette.  When it's blocked, the flowers will stand out and it will be beautiful.

I have decided to finish this and two of the three pairs of socks going before I start the Travelling Woman shawl.  I can't stand the idea of that many wips at once.  It gives me a headache.

This is the yarn Jim gave me for my birthday.  The color is a soft gray and there's enough to make a scarf or maybe a hat.  I don't currently own a hat (I hate them, they always make my head itch) and I'm thinking I need one for the coming winter.

Here we have the artwalk sock club yarn for November.  I don't know if you can see the paper but the inspiration was The Scream by Munch.  The base for the yarn is bfl and it's probably the scrunchiest sock yarn I've ever held.  This is what I bribed Elanor with to get her to give up the yarn I want to use for the travelling woman shawl.  She is very pleased and not at all unhappy with the deal.  I'm thinking I'll make Fools Rush socks with this.  I've made them before and they show off the beauty of the yarn with a minimal pattern.

Group was difficult today.  I had a hard time getting folks to participate and I was fighting off the beginning of a migraine (funny aura and slow speech) so I was not in the best form myself.  No one seemed really interested and I just didn't have it in me to be entertaining.  It's a bit frustrating when people just sit there and look at you waiting for some words of wisdom to come out of your mouth and you have nothing. 

Today is Veteran's Day here in the US (Remembrance Day in the UK).  Pk is a vet and has spent the day reminding me to be mindful of the sacrifices that our men and women in (and out of) uniform make every day. 

So, thank you. To all the men and women who thought our country was important enough to give part (or all of) their lives to defend.  I appreciate your service.  I appreciate your courage and most of all, I appreciate you.

I'm having a bittersweet moment.  My youngest daughter, my Katiebaby, told me yesterday that she is moving out on December 1st.  (What is it about December?  Em moved out in Dec too).  Kate and Patrick are moving into a local apt complex (really local, across the street local). 

I'm happy for them.  I remember the excitement of our first apt.  In fact, Kate is moving into the same complex Pk and I moved into 28 yrs ago when we got married.  They will spend the next couple of weeks collecting things they'll need.

It's a little sad (for me).  Kate is 20 yrs old and an adult.  She's smart and practical and has a "good head on her shoulders" (my father's highest praise).  She is very creative and will take what they have and turn this blank box of an apt into a comfy living space.

(I'm not thinking too hard about the fact that this means I'll finally have a CRAFT ROOM.)

It's hard to watch the babies grow up.  When they learn to walk and walk away from you, it's just the beginning.  Then they go to school and there are other ideas and thoughts that they bring home.  Then they make friends and do things that you are not a part of .  They grow up and start buying things with their own money and wearing clothes that you haven't seen before.  It makes you proud that they are making their own choices but also just a tad sad that they are moving away and into their own world.  And you let them go with the hope that their world will overlap yours.  And sometimes there are tears and often there is laughter.  And always there is love.



"Where are you going, my little one, my little one?
Where are you going my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two,
Turn around and you're four.
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door."

(Malvina Reynolds - Harry Belafonte - Allen Greene)

It's Sunday late afternoon.  I made sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast and then did 6 loads of laundry (3 of which have still have to be folded and put away).  I spun and knitted and then fell asleep at every opportunity.  For some reason, everytime I sat down, I fell asleep.  I didn't realize I was so tired. 

We had dinner with Em and Jim last night.  Em made beef stew that was yummy and we had ice cream cake (also yummy).  Jim gave me some pretty yarn in a soft grey color.  A bamboo and angora blend.  I think it'll make a lovely lacey scarf.

Kate and I signed up for Sock Wars.  I have no illusions about winning or even lasting past the first round.  I'll probably get a person (I was going to say woman but there are men in the competition), who doesn't work and has lots of time to stay home and knit as my assassin.  The downside?  I lose early.  The upside?  I get a pair of handknit socks!  How is that a bad thing?  The signups are open until January.  As of today, there are 80 combatants.  I think it'll be fun.
Anyone else interested? 

Thank you for all the birthday wishes.  I think the thoughts on spirituality came from the Buddhist Morning Inspiration.  I have them emailed to me every day and some days they really strike a chord inside.  Most days they at least make me think and rethink my assumptions.  (If you're interested in checking it out, the website is here.  This is not an endorsement of Buddhism over any other faith/belief.  The emails are just thought provoking and anything that challenges me and makes me think is a good thing)

I took today off as a birthday present to myself and the weather has cooperated.  The sky is a vast expanse of blue and there are still some bits of orange hanging around although it's pretty windy so that will change.  Pk is going to help El figure out what's wrong with her computer and then we're going to buy him a new keyboard.  He has a bad habit of leaving a full glass of iced tea on the edge of the desk and has knocked it over not once or even twice but three times and destroyed two keyboards.  Currently he's using one of Kate's old ones since she bought herself a new laptop and doesn't need it.  I think we'll buy him a spillproof cup while we're out today.

One of the young women I work with was pregnant and the baby came way too early.  She was due sometime in January and had the baby yesterday.  She's fine and the baby, (all 2lb 10 oz of her), is holding her own.  I had planned to make some baby socks and in the process teach another coworker (who is becoming a first time auntie very soon) to make socks.  That plan has been changed.  I looked online for some patterns for preemies and found a hat pattern that made me smile so I made it.   I had some yarn left from El's sweater and some white for contrast and it was easy and surprisingly quick.  I think this will suit the mom well.  She's a funky kinda woman and traditional cute baby things would not be her style. 

And if that weren't cute enough, I found some Patons Kroy sock yarn in bright colors to make some tiny little socks with.  I think the needles are size 0 and I love the little tiny stripes it's making.  I should be able to whip up a couple of pairs of these over the weekend.

We are planning to go to Em's house for dinner tomorrow.  It's for Jim's birthday which was the end of October.  I'm not sure we're taking Elanor since she and Katie seem to have picked up some creeping crud or other and are coughing and sneezing and sounding rather gross at the moment.  I got some strong cold medicine (and man is that stuff expensive) for El and it seems to be helping her breathe somewhat better.  I don't know about everywhere else but here, if you want to buy Sudafed (I can't spell the generic name) you have to produce your driver's license and you're only allowed so many milligrams of the stuff a month.  I know it's used to make crystal meth and that's the reason for the crackdown but it makes me feel slightly dirty when I have to buy it.

Oh, I forgot to tell you what I got for my birthday.  Besides a new laptop, I mean.  Em got me The Intentional Spinner by Judith McKenzie McCuin; Kate got me Handspun Handknits and a skein of beautiful Cascade Heritage sock yarn and I also got a copy of Spin Control by Amy King.  If my spinning doesn't improve with all this info, there's no hope for me!

Funny thing about the yarn Kate bought and synchronicity.  I was at work reading blogs (c'mon you do it too!) and I came across the Travelling Woman shawl.  You know how when you come across a pattern that speaks to you?  Well, this one called out my name.  It shouted "Me, Me, you want to make Me!".  I had some Cascade Heritage fingering weight yarn I bought in Lancaster that El had asked me to make into some socks for her.  It's a beautiful bright blue with some darker tones.  The same color as the skein that Kate just gave me.  Now, I had enough to make the Travelling woman shawl (if, that is, I could convince El she would be just as happy with socks of a different color).  She agreed and now I'm trying to convince myself to finish something already in progress so I can cast on without feeling guilty.

I notice the Verizon guy is out working on the pole so the connection may be lost at any moment.  I think El's been having some problems with her connection and that may affect ours.  So, have a good weekend!

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.


~The Dalai Lama

I've never been a religious person although I can sing any number of hymns and know lots of children's bible stories from my days of singing in the church choir and attending sunday school.

Organized religion does not speak to me.  I think I have a hard time with the rules.  I don't think I'm any kind of saint, just an ordinary person struggling to make some sense of her life.  I'm also not a sinner who should always be asking for forgiveness for her life either. 

If I had to define my beliefs, I would say I believe in the beginning of the Hippocratic oath doctors take "first do no harm" and then it's all about being the best person I can be and helping other people along the way.  I also subscribe to the Girl Scout principle of 'leave a place better than the way it was when you found it'.  I believe there is good in the universe (and also bad but much more good) and I believe there are miracles everywhere. (yes, Em, in every square inch) I don't believe in heaven or hell so this is it.  I need to make the most of my life now because I don't believe in an afterlife.  I believe souls are reincarnated until they learn the lessons they need to learn and each life teaches us something until we finally 'get it' and then get to move on to the greater cosmos.  I don't think less of people who follow the dictates of one faith or another.  As long as it brings you comfort and doesn't hurt anyone else, then it's all good.  I don't have to believe what you believe to respect you and your beliefs.

I think of myself as a spiritual person, a seeker.  And for some reason, (today is my 52nd birthday and maybe that is reason enough) I find myself pondering these things.  I am working today and then Pk is fixing me dinner.  We're having a quiet day here as the busses are on strike and folks can't get into the mental health center.  I should have plenty of time to get a head start on November's paperwork.  

Namaste.

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When my girls were little, (Wait, who am I kidding, any time someone in our family gets something surrounded by bubble wrap), there was an eager hand reaching out to play with it.  I don't know what makes it so appealing but somehow it's almost the best toy ever.  Right up there next to the cardboard box the refridgerator came in. 

I don't know why this is because you can buy this stuff in huge rolls at the office supplies store.  I think it's the serendipity of it.  Bubble wrap is just fun anytime.

I had a good time playing with my new laptop last night.  I was delighted that Pk saved all the photos and patterns and also managed to capture my favorites so I don't have to search them out again (and probably forget some of them).  He amazes me with how well he figures out how things work. 

Our local buses/trollys/subway provider went on strike at 3 AM this morning.  Nothing like giving the people some warning so they could plan their commute to work.  I'm waiting for the phone to start ringing as people realize they can't keep their appts with the psychiatrist today.  Luckily, my commuter train is a different organization.  

Happy Tuesday all.  I hope there is some bubble wrap there in your future.

I was without a laptop for less than 24 hours.  When I got off the train today, Pk was waiting in the drivers' seat of the car.  This is a little unusual because he usually moves over so I can drive since it's my car.  When I asked why he was driving (I usually tell him I don't care who drives us the 2 miles home) he said, "I want to go someplace". 

When I asked where?  He pulled out his iphone and showed me a photo of a new laptop at BestBuy (local discount electronics store).  He said, "I want to buy this for you".  He went on to say that since I try hard to help him get what he wants, he wanted to give me something I wanted.  I was speechless and tears came to my eyes.

I had gotten used to the idea of not having a computer for the next 6 months but this was a good deal.  It's not a gaming machine but I'm not into gaming.  It'll do what I want/need it to do and that'll make me happy.

He was also able to hook up the old hard drive and get my info off of it!!!!  I may have lost email addresses but I figure if everyone sends me an email,I'll get them back.  I got everything else.  I spent half an hour on the phone setting up the email acct and now I seem to be set.

And I have a husband who wants to give up his allowance for a while to make me happy.  Now I have to go to work making this one look like the old one.  (I hate change).  This will be fun.

I am having a computer crisis at the moment.  And it looks like it may well last into the spring.

My laptop died without any warning or symptoms or anything.  Yesterday, I noticed that it wasn't recognizing that it was plugged in (the battery has an amazing 28 minute life span).  This means I drained the battery and couldn't recharge it.  The little lights that let me know it's got power refused to come on. 

I was unconcerned because Pk is a computer whiz and he said he'd "look at it".  He made no promises but he's so amazing, I had no doubt he'd fix it.  No fixing happened. 

Pk took it apart (the insides of laptops are amazing.  they cram so much stuff in such a small space) and can't find anything overtly wrong.  But it still won't charge and doesn't have enough power in the battery to boot up.  I don't want to buy an expensive battery for a 5 yr old laptop (and find out it's something else and not the battery)  nor do I want to send it to the shop and pay exhorbitant fees.  There are patterns I've paid for stored on the hard drive and some archived emails I wanted to keep.  Since there was no warning, I didn't copy anything onto my flash drive.   Pk took the hard drive out and hopefully, one day when I buy a new machine, I'll be able to hook up this drive and get the info out.  Hope springs eternal.

So, I'll live without one for the time being.  I'm lucky in that I have a computer at work so I can post and can read some blogs.  I can't get my personal email.  I have to call verizon and find out how to do that.  So far, I haven't been able to figure it out.  We have some much needed repairs on the house to take care of before I can think of buying a new machine.  Pk will share his (reluctantly.  it kills him inside when someone touches his baby) and I'll make use of the machine at work as much as I can. 

Sigh.  2009 just keeps getting better and better......

This is my favorite Hallowe'en photo!  I bought a lot of candy (and only things we like) hoping we'd have a lot of kids come to the door.  13.  Yep.  Only 13 kids came.  So, I have a rather large amount of mini chocolate bars left.  I'm surprisingly ok with that.

(Apollogies for the dark photos.  It was another grey, cloudy, rainy day)

We went to my brother's and had a delicious dinner of chili and mac and cheese.  And the brown bread.  It was completely eaten up!  Good thing I left some at home.  I will say that I'm not a huge fan of the stuff.  I think it's neat that it's baked in cans and I will start saving cans to make some at Christmas time but eh. I think the recipe needs salt and when I make it again, I'll add some salt.  I think bread cries out for a dash of salt and this recipe doesn't have any.  Here's the bread still in the can. 

And here's the loaves out of the cans.  The squat ones were baked in Progresso soup cans.  Those are harder to work with since they are pop top cans and have a lip at the top.  The tomato cans worked the best. 

Boston Brown Bread

makes 5-6 loaves depending on cans.  Roxie tried to bake this in loaf pans and it didn't work out.  You could probably make it in muffin tins but I think part of the appeal is the little roundness of it

6 cans (14.5 ounce size) clean and sprayed with cooking spray

1 large box of raisins

2 tsp baking soda

2 tblsp butter

2 c boiling water

2 eggs

2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

4 c flour

Mix first 4 ingredients together and let sit for an hour or until raisins are plump.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix by hand.  Fill cans about 1/2 way full (they will overflow if you fill them much more than that).  Bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 55 - 60 mins.

This is really an easy recipe with ingredients that we usually have on hand. Except the cans.  I don't buy much in cans, except diced tomatoes and the occasional can of soup.

And before I go, here's a photo of the tree.  As you can see, it has lost a lot of its leaves and is looking rather bedraggled.  The rainy, windy weather finally caught up with it. 

It's raining today.  I thought it was supposed to be a nice weekend but I must have been looking at someone else's forecast.  Kate and Patrick are once again on their way to the Ren Faire.   They got rained out two weeks ago and have been really looking forward to this.  Pk and I are going to the bakery to get some of the world's best creme donuts and then to the yarn store.  I only have socks on the needles and would like to start some lace. 

You can already see the difference in the intensity of the light from the return to EST.  It'll take me all week to readjust.......