Tech Break

A week or so ago I did the unthinkable....

I shut down the laptop, put it on the shelf and walked away.

I needed a tech break.

There were books stacking up.

Ripper is not what I expected from Isabel Allende, however, Allende's debut into the mystery/thriller genre is both enjoyable and entertaining.   Halfway through the book I was pretty sure I had this mystery figured out.   And, I did, well sort of.   Allende blindsided me with the perfect and unexpected twist. 

 There were projects to finish.  

I promised I would share what was on my needles.

There were houseguests to prepare for and entertain.

Celebrations to attend and attend to.

Now the garden is beginning to wake...

And in the midst of spring we will be welcoming a precious new life.

I'm back...

there is so much life to live

and share.

Knitting Through Life's Ups and Downs

Have all survived the latest arctic blast?  We sidestepped the snow and ice, but

were hit head on with low temps and wind.    A few weeks ago when it was too cold

to play outside I introduced the word "frigid" to my children.  Yesterday a child ask if we

would be going outside to play (oh, how we needed wanted to go to the playground), my classroom

meteorologist, pointing his finger to the ceiling,  quickly announced with authority, "Miss Bonnie, it is too sunny and frigid to go outside".

Oh, how I love these children!

Yes, the last few days have been frigid.  And, I can't think of anything better than having a

stack of books waiting to be discovered.

Sitting by a fire I opened  knitting yarns, and became instantly absorbed.

Do you knit?  Crochet?  Enjoy handwork?  Or, are you the person sitting across the room who is hypnotized while watching someone else's hands work needles with yarn
in, out and around?

Ann Hood has compiled a delightful collection of essays paying tribute to the art of knitting,  penned by those we are accustom to seeing on the latest "must read"list.   These stories are as much about life's successes and failures as about knitting, but the two are expertly joined by the similarities
 of the two.   One of my favorites is how one author, a non-knitter, found enjoyment and calm sitting next to a friend who knits.  Two stories later was that of the knitting friend.

  I think most knitters have a story to tell.   It may be a story of celebration, frustration, loss, healing or centering.  We each have a reason for picking up the needles.   The rhythm of needles moving in and out calms me, slows down my thoughts allowing me to think more clearly and problem solve.  Reading these essays reminded me of my own knitting stories.

It doesn't surprise me so many noted writers are also knitters or appreciate knitting.  Writers have often incorporated knitting into the fiction we have enjoyed:   Dickens gave us Madam Defarge,  Austen put needles in the hands of Jane Fairfax,  and Christi delighted us with Miss Marple.  Do you have a favorite book with a knitter as a prominent character?  There are so many.

I returned "knitting yarns" to my friend telling her it is most definitely a keeper.
I want my own copy.   I can't think of a better gift for a reader and a knitter.

With a new baby arriving soon, my needles are flying.  I wish I could figure out how to read and knit at the same time....hum... I'll knit on that and get back with you.

Do you knit?
Do you have your own knitting story?
I would love to hear from you.

If it is still frigid where you are this weekend,
please stay safe and warm.

Baby Needed His Sweater

Oh, I thought it would be a piece of cake.  Yes I would be knitting with yarn in both hands, but once I found  a rhythm it was smooth sailing.

Well....until I began the sleeves.   It was necessary at this point to write out my own pattern and to keep accurate account of exactly the stitch and row I had finished.  This is totally against my "fly by the seat of my pants" mentality.

As temperatures returned to the 70s in October and November I returned the sweater to the knitting basket and quickly forgot about it.  

When friends began telling me we were going to have six inches of snow on Christmas day, I knew even if it did snow the warm autumn temps would prevent it from sticking.  It would make for a pretty Christmas Day though.

Once again I was....WRONG....  little did I know the snow would be preceded by an inch of ice.

By midnight we had ten inches of snow, ice and no power.

It was beautiful, yes, but...

the jester needed his sweater.

Packing for Seaside I picked up the yarn and needles and tucked them in

with my stack of books.

After the ten hour ride home, baby has his sweater.
And,

isn't he a handsome boy?

Waldi is ready to cheer on his Ole' Miss team tonight!

Hotty Toddy!

The Pleasure of a Short Story

This is the time of year when days vanish in a blink of the eye.  There are more things on the "to do" list than minutes in the day.  November through December finds everyone rushing around taking care of family, preparing for the holidays or just trying to finish up end of the year obligations.  

It is a time when I see more of folks going than coming.
We certainly know how to spin ourselves into a frenzy.

With all the comings and goings of the holiday season it is difficult to find the time
 to just sit and enjoy my favorite pastime, reading.   My solution is

the short story.

I have accumulated a decent collection.   I never tire of opening or reopening these books.  There is always a story I missed, or one I've long ago forgotten and rediscovered remembering it to be a favorite.  I can get my literature "fix" in just a few pages.   Two or three pieces while walking on the treadmill.  I can begin and finish another before turning out the light at night.

If I was to pull my complete collection I think I would find it somewhat eclectic, maybe slightly heavy on the southern side.  I admit I am a southern girl with a love for the richness of southern literature.

Last week needing to lift my spirits, after finishing possibly the most depressing
book I have ever opened and felt obligated to finish, I pulled
Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenonomena, Julia Reed,
off the shelf to reread a few of the essays.

Ms Reed, a contributing editor for Newsweek, describes our unique culture as only a
southerner can.   She explains and defends the holiest of what is southern...church, guns, pearls and tiaras, while adding a few "bless your hearts" in for good measure.  Once finished reading the last delicious essay you will never want to wear white before Easter or after Labor Day again.

I did put down my book just long enough to begin a sweater for our little
Waldi.  I was told he was getting a little cold when needing to
go out.

Oh I do think he is going to be quite handsome in houndstooth.

Don't you?

Bless him!

Rainy Weekend

“The person who deserves most pity is a lonesome one on a rainy day who doesn't know how to read.” 

...Benjamin Franklin

We are expecting rain later this afternoon or in the early evening.  I actually thought it would start raining early and rain all day; I completed my errands early.   I'm involved with a book I would really love to curl up with and finish.

I picked it up at the library a week or so ago.
The blurb on the cover read
"Like Tracy Chevalier, Wagner imagines how layers of meaning pervade works of art."  Publisher's Weekly


Placing Dancing For Degas in my book bag, I took the bait and headed over to find Tracy Chevalier.  I read The Girl With the Pearl Earring shortly after it was released; I liked it, but it wasn't a favorite.  I read Remarkable Creatures a couple of years ago and loved it.  I found Falling Angels waiting for me to pause and take it from the shelf.   I didn't find it spellbinding. I was, however, drawn in and compelled to continue to turn the page.  It was a good read.

Dancing for Degas, Katheryn Wagner,  has received mixed reviews (from readers).  So far I'm intrigued and look forward to continue reading.  You know I'll share my opinion when I finish.

Here are a few other books I've enjoyed over the past few months.
(I'm not going to try not to repeat any reviewed in earlier posts)

The Judges,  Eli Wiesel
It wasn't what I was expecting, but I found it intriguing.  Mr. Wiesel writes with a message.
The Ponder Heart, Eudora Welty
A story only Eudora Welty could successfully tell.  Loved it.
Daphne, Justine Picardie
Follows Daphne du Maurier's obsession with the Brontes.  It was a great book to read while traveling.  Made me want to pick up and reread something by the Brontes.  I am definitely going to reread Rebecca.
Isaac's Storm,  Erik Larson
This was a book group book and I was not looking forward to it; I had heard it was very technical.  It is an account of the hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas at the turn of the twentieth century.  I didn't find it overly technical at all.  I loved it.
The Gardener's Gripe Book, Abby Adams
An entertaining gardening advice book written by a non-professional.  If you've ever killed a plant,  wondered if growing a lawn is environmentally "green" or wondered why those flower seeds you threw out in you flower bed didn't come up creating the beautiful cutting garden you envisioned, you will love this how-to, or maybe how not to book.  A great book to whet your appetite for spring.


When I finish ".....Degas" I always have an ongoing project in my knitting basket.  Maybe there will be a wonderful movie to watch.....

What do you enjoy doing on a rainy day?

New Life

The sun was out and shining brightly today.  Even though I would really like one nice blanket of snow, I am beginning to feel the itch for spring.  After school I did visit one of my favorite shops to browse.  I couldn't resist the pretty new colors and picked up a few fun things for my spring wardrobe.  I always love the first new things of the season.  It feels like the breath of "new life".

As I sat in the kitchen I noticed the winter honeysuckle blooming.  It is planted on the side of the house, and I don't always notice it when it blooms.

Of course, I grabbed the camera and headed outside.  While following Willie around I found "new life" all around me.

I told you the red camellias were ready to burst open.

The daffodils are a little droopy; I suspect from the little cold spell we had earlier this week.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed this is a bloom on the magnolia.

It will be it's first time to bloom.

Tonight while you are reading this I will be celebrating the expectation of  a "new life". 

I will be joining my school friends in hosting a baby shower for a very special woman.

Can you keep a secret?  

I'll show you what is in the package.

I'm a little partial to "spring babies".

(my baby was born in the spring)

There is "new life" all around me....

                                                             and I am truly blessed.

The Tale of the Traveling Sweater

Knitting baby gifts for special  families in my life is something I do with great joy.  I know I have talked about this before.  This last creation was for the first grandson of my dear friends in New Hampshire.   We once lived in the same neighborhood many many years ago.  Their daughter was my daughter's first baby sitter.  Our family left the area moving to Boston only to return to find out they actually were moving to the Boston area and we were moving to Nashville.  Through twenty three years we  have continued to keep up, at first with Christmas cards, pictures and letters, now through the internet.    

This past summer we had the chance to spend a day with them while visiting Boston.  How wonderful it was to catch up on all the news, face to face.  We had a great time at lunch.  Afterwards we walked around stopping to chat only to begin walking again and chatting more.  Twenty three years vanished with a blink.   We shared pictures of our children and grandchildren.  We stopped for cannolis and talked more.  Much too soon the day passed and they needed to head back to New Hampshire.  During one of our conversations they shared the good news their son and daughter-in-law were expecting a baby boy.  Before our visit was over I was already thinking color combinations and designs for a his sweater. 

I think I shared the beginning of this project, oh maybe, sometime in August.   I love cables, but have never knitted a complete sweater in those tricky little curves.  I was so excited to begin.  There might have been a few complications.  I am not for sure if this was the first or the third time I took it back to the beginning.   If I am not happy, it always goes back to the beginning.

Knowing I had a few trips planned I knitted on and off feeling secure with my timetable.  I took it with me on a trip to St. Louis and finished the back.  I had great plans of knitting on the way to Sweden, but in my careful planning and packing I picked up the wrong needles.  It stayed folded neatly packed in a ziploc bag. 

The holidays put me a little further behind than I would have liked, but I was able to work on it little by little still confident I would have the sweater on its way before the baby was a month old (I always try to knit 6 or 9 month size).  Christmas afternoon, after all the excitement was cleared away and I was packed to leave for the beach, I once again had a block of time to knit.   I almost finished one sleeve before putting it down for the night.   I gathered all my supplies, being especially careful to pack all the tools I would need to finish.    I double and triple checked to make sure I had my pattern, measuring tape and a sewing needle packed.   Yes, I was confident this sweater would be finished before my feet ever touched the sand in Florida.  Ha!

December 26th would be the day to finish.  Not yet across the state line I finished the right sleeve.   I pulled out the smaller needles, checked the size, perfect.  Feeling sure of myself I  pulled out my yarn bag to take out the pretty aqua wool.   All I could say was, "You have got to be kidding me!".  Well, I probably thought a few other things as well, but I didn't say them out loud (I hope)  and I am not going to type them here either.  Yes, I had been so careful, I left the contrasting yarn back in my knitting basket by my chair (you remember, the chair the snake might have been sleeping under once upon a time).

 Yes, it took me a little longer than I would have liked.  The sweater was sent a few weeks later than planned,  but each stitch was knitted with pleasure and love.  (With all my lack of organization, I did have quite a bit of reading time.)  The sweater that traveled far and wide was finally completed, washed and blocked and sent on it's final journey last week just as I once again left for St. Louis with yarn and the correct size needles packed for the next special baby sweater.  You can be sure I had a check list.

Saturday evening I received an email from my friend.   The package had arrived and delivered to the babies parents.  I received another email just a few minutes later with an attached picture of the baby wearing his sweater.  I was very close to jumping up and down....

It fits!

(I can't wait to share with you the next project)

For Her It Had To Be...

"A faithful friend is a strong defense;
And he that hath found him hath found a treasure." 

                                                                                     ...Louisa May Alcott    

The gift has been wrapped, the card signed and all placed in a postal box, carefully sealed, addressed and shipped to Houston.

Yes, I've mailed my latest gift of love.  Before I show you the the finished product.  I want to share with you a little about my friend.

I have mentioned before I have a handful of friends who are very special to me.  I wrote about one several months ago.  Today I want to share with you a little bit about another very dear friend.

Cam and I have been friends for over thirty years.  We met when we both worked in the same office in Austin, Texas.  She was (and still is) a spunky redhead who pretty much shot from the hip.   She has a wonderful sense of humor and a laugh, well, if you are around when she starts laughing you just can't be in a bad mood, it is infectious.  She is one of the bravest, most loyal and honest people I know.   She attended my wedding, she was with me shortly after the birth of my daughter and she attended my daughter's wedding.

As I was knitting I started thinking, as I always do,  about all our years together.  She is one of those friends who appears when you are in most need of a friend.    Roger and I moved from Austin shortly after we were married. We were not happy where we were living and decided we would try to move back.  We found a house still under construction.    Now someone needed a job in Austin immediately.  With a newborn, Cam invited me to stay with her and her family while I looked for employment and until our home was finished.  The first day I remember being so discouraged.  The second day she sent me out and (she probably remembers this differently) told me to come back with a job.  And you know what, I did.    I remained with her until our house was finished.  Believe it or not we stayed good friends.

Cam loves babies.  She was meant to be a mother.   She has three wonderful children and two beautiful grandchildren; God really got that one right.  She was one of the three people I immediately told when I found out I was pregnant.   No one could have been more excited for us.  Each month on the day of my doctor's visit I would get a phone call from her checking on me.  I think she kept better track of my visits than I did.  When I hit twelve weeks I started hemorrhaging and had to be rushed to the doctor's office as an emergency.  I was told I would probably lose the baby and should be prepared to return to the hospital over the weekend.

Roger took me home and I settled in for bed rest.  Shortly after Roger left to go to a meeting, my telephone rang.  It was Cam.   She said she had called my office and when told I wasn't coming in she knew something was wrong.  She stayed on the phone with me and listened while I talked and cried.  She knew first hand what I was feeling.  She said I could call her if I needed her.  We hung up.  Before I could settle back down on the sofa there was a knock on my door.  I opened the door; I am sure you already know, it was my friend Cam.  She said she couldn't let me sit at home alone.  I can't remember how long she stayed, but I know it was several hours.  She walked with me through one of the longest days of my life, and I know Roger was relieved to know she was with me. (Just a note, that baby is now a beautiful twenty seven year old.)  That is my dear friend Cam.

I have so many wonderful stories I could share.  She is vibrant, talented and courageous.  One day she will email she is in front of her potbellied stove with a good book and two weeks later she is off to Israel or on some other adventure.   In my eyes she is fearless.  Her example is what gave me the courage to tackle Boston on my own.  Mostly... she is my friend.

I am not one to stick with blue for boys and pink for girls.  I like to mix it up some.  I try to knit something different for each baby.  When Cam told me her second grandbaby was going to be a girl  I knew immediately it had to be....

pink!

So, you might think this is the end of this story.  No, not so!  A couple of weeks ago, I get an email from my friend telling me her second son and his wife are expecting their first baby and they just found out it is a boy.  

So in honor of Cam, I've put on my 

celtic music  and, I think with a the name of Liam it has to be....

It's a surprise!

Cam is my friend, and I am blessed.

Baby Boy

In February I showed you a project I was working on while off enjoying a snow day.   I couldn't go into much detail;  I didn't want to spoil the surprise.  I never know who is lurking around my blog.

Be honest, I bet you knew all along it was a baby blanket.

This was so much fun to knit because I didn't know if I was knitting for a boy or a girl.  I love to think about the baby and the family while I am knitting.  Sometimes I would imagine a little girl dressed in pink all wrapped up in the blanket.  Other times I would think of a little boy napping on the blanket holding a favorite "lovey".

The wait is over.  A precious baby boy was born Wednesday.  All that was left for me to do was to gently lay the blanket in a box.

Wrap it in the perfect paper and ribbon fit for a Prince

and deliver it to my dear friend.

Welcome to the world precious baby boy.  May you always sleep peacefully  and have sweet dreams.   With Love!

(I can't tell you how much enjoyment I receive from this.)

Know When to Retreat

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."    -- G.K. Chesterton

I have eagerly been awaiting gardening weather.  I am almost certain I have been patient.  I've tried to be the voice of reason, assuring everyone spring would soon arrive, even when I wanted to beat my fist against the door screaming to get outside to play in the dirt.   I didn't whimper and whine when the temperature dropped from 81 to 48.  I didn't ask why.  Now it seems we have turned the corner, and I, like so many others, am under attack.  

Life is just like that.   At some point in time we all find we are being challenged.   The attacker may be a situation or a person.  It happens when we are most successful or content.  It is beyond our control. We fine ourselves fighting a battle where the odds are against us.   Our attacker is unreasonable, and he always knows how to hurt us.  We know we must fight back to survive.  If we choose allies and weapons wisely we outlast, and if not  defeat, tame our dragon.  And, we are stronger.

My weapons of choice in this fight are pictured above.  Add medication, my vacuum  and send the  mascara on a short vacation (pollen sticks to it); I am armed, because  I still "need" to plant.

newest additions to the garden

 Usually the best weapon is time and to know when to retreat.

I'll just bring the outside in, after thoroughly rinsing, of course.

And, just visit another one of my obsessions for awhile.

Pollen1/Bonnie 2

Preparations

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."  Louis Carroll

Yesterday the state was preparing for what was being called the snow event of the season.  The up to the minute models were showing we could double our present snow totals.  Warnings and watches were announced by noon.  Schools made their decision to close by five o'clock news time.  Store shelves were emptied. 

I spent the morning getting my children ready for Valentine's Day, knowing there was a  possibility I would not see them again until February 14th.  We cut out hearts for our cards.  Wrote "Happy Valentine's Day!  Love...".  We painted and glittered our treat bags.   We practiced writing our names;  we even had time to don our coats and play outside.  We took our time and had a very good day.   I sent the children home with Friday papers (we had a snow day last Friday and this Friday's attendance has yet to be determined) and hopes  of snowman building and sledding fun.

 On my way home, like my little friend above, I needed a few provisions to get through the anticipated snow storm.   

 

I have my priorities straight.  I first visited my favorite yarn store, because I needed this...

 

 To finish this.

sh-h-h it's a surprise

I also found my favorite knitting magazine to add to another little treasure I found last week. 

so many projects to ponder

So  while sitting in my sun room looking out at this

I may choose
to finish reading A Woman in White,
knit,
browse a magazine
or just sit and daydream,
because

I am assured
I will, soon enough, be sitting here
with beverage in hand,

once again, enjoying this view.

Enjoy today, tomorrow will come.