Giving thanks

I am private about my faith and my spiritual connections. I grew up believing that faith was a personal thing and I have carried that into my thinking as I’ve grown older.

However, as we approach the holidays and I find myself wanting to be openly grateful for all that I has been afforded to me and count my blessings in some sort of outward way. I think I am particularly drawn to this notion this year. I feel a bit surrounded by nay sayers and pessimists currently and I struggle to keep my head above water when it comes to gratitude.

So, indulge me for a bit as I remember a few of the blessings I’m trying to not only count tomorrow, but every day:

Love: Both given and returned is perhaps the reason for our being. It’s corny and you can laugh if you want; but if I look at what brings me the most joy, it’s those that I love and love me back. And I’m talking about those you truly love and truly love you. The kind you hug tightly when they arrive and when they leave.

Health: I am grateful that, for the most part, our families are healthy. I’ve been tangled in a few health issues this year, but when I read or hear of those in the midst of real life and death battles, I count among my blessings my well being.

Nature: I live in the middle of town. I might just live smack in the middle of town. However, I am continually reminded of the majesty of our outdoor surroundings. I have become ever more grateful for the sunshine. Each time it peeks out from behind those clouds, I want to swim in it. I am delighted to birds and dogs and cats and frogs in our neighborhood alone. What an amazing world. And I’ve just scratched the surface.

Release: Whether it be a long walk, a blog post, having a late night conversation with your sibling, wrapping up a project or simply clearing my house of clutter; it’s all a blessing, a release. A way of breathing in, breathing out and making something, even if it’s a memory, progress, a hat or a clear desk.

There are others, and I’ll share them as well. For now, I am off to find another release, and to let someone know I love them, really love them.

Sunday nights come all too fast

It always surprises me how quickly two days can pass. It amazes much how much more quickly they pass than you want them to. Our weekend was full, our weekend was fun, but it was again all too short. We were once again treated to a visit by Pilot and Needlefingers who made the trip south Friday night.

We’d organized this trip around a spinning, knitting and weaving retreat held at a nearby Ursuline-run retreat center. I had wanted to go to the event in order to dig deeper into spinning and learn a bit more as I am starting to get the “itch” to buy a wheel and the penchant to start spinning fibers myself. The organizer had offered to loan me a wheel so that I might get the feel for it and I was interested in the mere absorption of information that one gets from being around others so versed in an art or trade. We were joined by an old friend/new spinner as well.

I am always inspired by simply being around those who share a common interest, are so knowledgeable and so willing to share their expertise. The day was enjoyable, the center comfortable and the company amazing. I did get a little time at the wheel and a little instruction from both our new spinner and an old pro.

I left with my head literally spinning, dreaming of my own wheel and wondering what my next step would be. Luckily there were plenty of distractions as we hosted our guests and a few other friends/family for pizza and fellowship.

I stayed up too late, knitting away on Wandering the Moor (Celestial’s shawl pattern) and watched “Up!” into the wee hours of the morning. My bed beckoned, but I couldn’t find sleep immediately, processing all that I learned that day.

Today we lounged a bit, knitted a bit, ate a leisurely breakfast together and eventually made our way out to lunch and a tiny bit of shopping. Needlefingers also generously allowed me to treddle a bit on her beautiful wheel.

Our guests soon had to head home and I was left with a quiet, empty house. Chores kept my mind off the quiet and soon I was knitting again on the shawl and listening to podcats, which has become a bit of a Sunday afternoon habit. The beautiful day afforded me some time on the porch and a beautiful pattern allowed me advance quite a bit on the shawl. Celestial, it’s a joy to knit!

Tomorrow the week will begin and soon the weekend will be a memory, but I know that a seed has been planted  over the past few days. I just have to decide how to nurture it.

And, as promised. . .the red shoes, which are so very lovely, but so very painful to wear:

And a little something I finished recently and finally got buttons on. Details in the 2009 Projects tab:

#22 Garter Yoke Cardigan

A few quick notes. I used my standard workhorse yarn for this sweater, a pretty heathered Cascade 220, less than 5 skeins.(I had bought 7, so I have enough for another small project.) I made it a bit longer and ended up with a total of 10 button holes. I found pewter buttons at a nearby knit shop that seemed fitting for the sweater. I must admit that I feel a tad chubby in this sweater, but it’s so very warm and the kind of sweater you put on when you feel a chill in the house. I’m looking forward to wear it, but I suspect it will never be fully buttoned when I do. (Such a bad photograph. Sorry.)

Sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away

This blog entry brought to you by the letter S.

Last week was the 40th anniversary of the first airing of Sesame Street. As a kid born 40 years ago as well, I have to credit the PBS series with teaching me everything from the importance of sharing to how to draw the letter Q. As part of the anniversary festivities, I listened to an NPR piece about Sesame Street and was entertained by Patrick Stewart’s “A B or Not a B”. I am still amazed at the creative, entertaining and interesting way the creators have managed to incorporate learning, basic lessons of life and family time.

Last weekend we were gifted with an Indian Summer, something I suspect all of us needed given the gray days we’d been muddling through. Knowing it would be such a pretty weekend, we decided to take a little road trip. (During said drive, I managed to wrap up a sweater. Photos to come soon, I hope.)

We spent our Saturday in a nearby larger town doing some electronics shopping. Our computer was literally falling apart, showing lots of wear given the fact it is used, drug around, packed up and hauled often. We also opted for a portable external drive to protect our photos. Once inside the store, we got all star struck over a larger, fancy pants model and had to take a break and get some lunch to let ourselves rethink what we actually needed. That did the trick, and we came home with a shiny new Dell more in keeping with our needs. In the meantime, we picked up a gift for my folks and a GPS for ourselves. (It’s what my friend calls 401k shopping: one for you, one for me.) I managed to knock another Christmas gift off my list. Once home we relaxed a bit at the house, caught up on the DVR and I worked on a not-so-secret Christmas knitting project for Cynical.

On Sunday, after watching (online) the implosion of a long-standing hotel central to the life and economy of our area. So odd to watch a fixture in your community blown to bits. Lots of memories there. I suspect that it is where I first rode and elevator.

After cleaning house (ugh, cat hair, cat hair, cat hair), we met up with Cynical’s mother, sister and niece for lunch. A little shopping afterward didn’t yield any gifts, but I ended up with shiny, blood red shoes which I love, love, love and must wear soon.

As for our evening, leftovers, Sunday night televison and casting-on for a shawl designed by Celestial and before I knew it. . . time for bed.

Halloween: In Retrospect

Here’s hoping you had lots of trick-or-treaters, didn’t eat too much candy and weren’t too scares on Halloween.

Above is a shot of our very traditional and very typical pumpkin.

Directionless

I’m not sure if it’s catching, I am not sure if it’s a stage in life or perhaps I am just getting more comfortable talking about it with others. It seems that several of those around me, including myself, are feeling a bit directionless, lost and in search of something else. I find myself having several conversations of a similar nature.

That’s left me feeling a bit blue not only for me, but for those that I care about. Watching them struggle in the same way is comforting in some ways, knowing I am not alone; but it’s disturbing in others as I hate to watch anyone wrangle with something and be unhappy.

Surely this isn’t midlife.

By the way, my car just hit 100,000 miles, so I took a pic. It’s the little things, isn’t it?

Weekends “at home”

We’ve been on the run for the past several weekends, so when this one rolled around, all free of schedule and appointments, I wasn’t sure what we’d do with our time away from work. It wasn’t long until, however, we’d filled it quite nicely. Not with chores. Not with house cleaning. Not with tv.

Instead, yesterday began with a little sleeping late, a nice autumn walk, and a late breakfast. I did a little errand running and before I knew it, we were headed for a day trip to a nearby town for lunch at Cynical’s favorite place, a little shopping and some Christmas gift investigation.

I had gone shopping because I am in need of clothes. Hard to believe, eh, a girl in need of clothes. I must confess, most of my fall and winter clothes are nearing their life expectancy and what’s left leave me looking like a librarian with poor taste. I also must confess that after several hours of shopping, I came home with one sweater. Yep, one sweater. Nothing fit, nothing was appropriate, nothing I liked. It was a bust. I should have bought sweat pants and fleece and called it a day; since I won’t be able to leave the house in what remains in my closet.

But, of course, there are the new pillows. Cynical and I are hard on pillows, you see, and we had been talking about the need for new ones for some time. I’m not sure what we do to them, but I suspect we sleep hard. Ours were “flatter than pancakes”. The new ones, much fluffier and “taller” are taking some getting used to.

We’d been invited by our neighbor to help christen his newly constructed fire pit, so we joined him and some others for hot chocolate, apple pastry dessert and marshmallows around the fire; a wonderful way to celebrate autumn and get to know our neighbor a little better.

Cynical and I also met up with a friend for coffee and knitting. (We knitted, Cynical browsed books.)

We slept in again this morning and I am not sure what the day holds, but I am thinking perhaps, a little errand running , some time on the porch and maybe some podcasts. It promises to be a beautiful day.

Photo:

Another shot from our venture to the local orchard/produce spot.

And we’re back to Monday

The problem with weekends is that they typically only last two days and then you are back at Monday again. . . working toward the next weekend.

That’s how I am feeling after our all-too-short weekend. You see, we headed north to the annual Cache Slash Fest (the last one in fact) to not only (of course) cache, but also to visit with friends, hang out, eat warm foods and lament the end of one of our favorite autumn events.

We left on Friday later than anticipated, but made it in due time to see all of the crew: Needlefingers, Pilot, Brando, Rudy and those adorable kids (the littlest of which wasn’t feeling well, poor thing.)

The next morning meant event set-up for the boys, while the girls awaited a super-duper, stupendous fiber box buy on etsy. Needlefingers, quick on the draw, got her fiber box quickly, but I stalled and was left empty handed. (Never fear, we tried again later at the 5 p.m. posting and even though I once again failed to snag one, Needlefingers channeled her super powers and got one for me. She rocks.)

Afterward we joined the crew and lots of others for the vampire-themed Cache Slash Fest 2009. Cynical and I cached a big, nabbing 10 of the 15 before heading back after being chased by a farmer, Cynical injuring himself on a thorn, and being creeped out by pot-smoking, bow-wielding hunters. (Please note the over-dramatization of each of these events.) We were lead to some incredible views, got to meet some fellow cachers and added some to our overall tally as well.

Later, we played a few games, but failed miserably in each game of skill; but had fun anyway.

Some warm soup, lots of sweets and enough Smarties to send me into a sugar-induced coma, along with a roaring fire wrapped up the evening.

We lolly-gagged around on Sunday, trying to make our visit last a little longer before heading home. The drive seemed to last forever and the warm sun finally showed its face making us sleepy as we meandered home. We wrapped up our weekend with some tv, pizza and knitting.

How many more days to Friday?

Photos:

A sweet sheep we spied while caching.

Caching often takes to the most wonderful vistas.

The coordinates were dropped by an ultra-light plane. How cool is that?

Weekend Update: without the witty host

I love October. I love autumn and I tend to overbook myself this time of year because so many of the things I enjoy occur around now. However, I don’t mind one bit.

Last weekend I went to a much-anticipated baby shower for my brother and his bride. I so very much love both of them and am so very excited about the baby they’ll be sharing with us in December. And I truly enjoy her family as much or more than my own, so a chance to get together with them was much welcomed.

I left very early on Saturday to make the two-hour drive as I had also manage to schedule some precious time with perhaps one of my closest and dearest friends. I think I’ve mentioned her before on the blog: the one person in the world that I feel truly accepts me, warts and all. The drive was beautiful, as the trees have begun to change and thanks to a handy borrowed GPS unit, I was able to maneuver pretty much everywhere we needed to go. She and I met up at a Half Price Books (my new favorite bookstore) before finding a spot to sit, sip and visit. We rambled and interupted and giggled and confessed. It was truly a wonderful visit. Soon thereafter we meandered to the shower where we oooohed and aaaaaahed over all of the sweet baby gifts and marveled at my beautifully pregnant sister-in-law.

Afterward we made our way to a knit shop and eventually found ourselves on her farm, mooing at the cows, nibbling at her children and getting a tour of the place. They just moved to the more remote area and it’s gorgeous, with rolling hills, beautiful trees and multiple ponds. What a wonderful place to raise children. What a wonderful place to live.

Eventually it was time to make our way home and I regretfully left behind my sweet, sweet friend, full of memories and in dread of the seemingly long drive home. However, I missed my Cynical and I was growing tired.

After a review of the day and a good night’s sleep, I was ready to get busy on Sunday. Cold weather has forced me to dig out my winter and autumnal clothing a little earlier this year, so I spent most of the morning boxing up summer items to make room for fleece, long-sleeves and thick sweaters.

After blocking a shawl and knocking out a few small chores, Cynical and I decided to make the most of the beautiful day and drove to a nearby farm to choose some pumpkins. It’s a beautiful spot in one of the few hilly areas of our county. I could have wasted away my afternoon there, but instead, we meandered through the rows of pumpkins, made our selections and were ready to go, but not after we had some home-made fudge, local orange cola and an Ale 8.

This weekend we’re off to another favorite spot (any time of the year) to visit our friends and attend a geocaching event. I am hopeful for beautiful weather and a good turnout for our hosts.

Photos:

At top: a shot from our parking area at the pumpkin farm.

Center: Food at the shower. Mmmmmmmm. Love party food.

Bottom: Rows of pumpkins.

 

 

Knitting update

I have done a little knitting lately and thought I’d share a few quick pics. As always, the details are in the 2009 page link at the top.

First up:

Shalom: Easy knit. Had to rip it completely out after I realized it was much too small. Ended up adding 10 or so stitches to the cast-on and five extra under neath the arms. I also eliminated the decreases and I am pleased overall. Used Cascade  Eco-Wool, tad less than one skein. Wishing it was a little longer, but got nervous about running out of yarn. Still need a button. Have considered several, but one just hasn’t suited me yet. Tad concerned that this might be an unflattering knit. I’ll have to wear it a bit and see.

Multnomah: Whenever I saw Multnomah on Ravelry, I knew exactly which yarn I’d be using: some stuff I picked up at a fiber fair from a indie dyer called Carpool. This was an easy knit, but after I had a major yarn snarl, I lost my enthusiasm and whenever I made a minor mistake, I ended up ripping the whole thing back even though I was through five repeats of the lace panels, with only five more to go. I am glad, however, that I did, because I am pleased with the product. I may just be addicted to small shawls right now, partly because I am too lazy to commit to a big one and and perhaps because I love the idea of wrapping them around my neck beneath my coat.

Before and after

I had promised you a little before and after action concerning our $3 yard sale purchase table. So, here you  have the before.

and here you have the after:

I have a bit of a confession. My bargain table, while a bargain on its own, wasn’t quite the deal of the century. Took 4 cans of texturizing spray paint at $6.48 a pop. Hmmmm, still worth it to me. I chose the texturizing gun metal version of the paint as I knew, after sanding quite a bit, that my surface was far from perfect and I think that the texture helped mask it a bit. Limited my color choices, but I think it was worth it in the end. And the tray was a Target buy, just something functional should we want to serve beverages on our porch.

Sad thing: it’s too cool now for us to even sit out there. However, Jenny from the Blog got to use it a bit during her recent visit.