Short Story Long

  January is swimming along.  We went to the zoo a couple weeks ago, have been to walks in the park, to visit friends, and one day I convinced my middle kid to go pick up trash at the park with me.  And we put in a new kitchen faucet, which does not leak.  Currently, I have eight items captured and crossed off my annual photo list, which is better than usual for this time of year.  The weather has been mild, and the skies bright, and that always makes it easier for me to do photo-creating, whereas the cool and dark weather makes me want to sink into blankets and read or do knitting-creating.   I am working on sleeping better.  I am a night owl by nature, but it doesn't fit as well with the rest of my world to be up late.  Instead of sitting on the computer, watching or listening to something while I knit into the wee hours, I've been working on reading books, which I hear is better for sleep.  Not sure.  I am not so extremely tir...

HOW did I reformat my whole blog after I spent hours customizing it?  I clicked something irreversible and have not had time to go back through and edit it all again.   Moving on.  Happy autumn!  We're in the thick of it now, with leaves changing and the garden done.  Cool mornings, no more cricket sounds, and that light that gets a little lower every day.  At my house, we are cooking dinners inside instead of out on the grill.   We have spent too much time at home this year.  None from fear; mostly because the things we would do are not open, and possibly a bit of laziness.  It is easy to stay home and not do hair - or cut hair; not worry about matching clothes; not worry about timeliness.  It all blends.  I know you are there, too.  We have spent most of our church hours watching church online; it has been nice to have a quiet morning in pajamas, with hot drinks and fresh pancakes while we listen to a sermon.  ...

goldfinch harvesting sunflower seeds I have been attempting to understand the technical changes here, and have gone through just about every (Blogger) element I can figure out, and some that I can't.  Many of them are a little too clean and modern for me, too cold.  I probably read and adjusted even more than I needed to on this platform, and then didn't figure out some of the things I really wanted to.  What a nuisance!  Please bear with me as I try to get this space all together again. In the midst of the frustration of this project, on top of everything the world keeps churning up, I took some time to decide if I even want to blog anymore.  The answer is, yes, I do.  I like being here, I like looking back at projects I've accomplished, recipes I use often, etc.  I suppose this is why I can never talk myself into journaling on paper, because I sort of do it online.  If no one else ever reads these posts, I have it for posterity.  Yet, knowi...

I was going to show you some pictures of my lilacs, but Google doesn't want me to load them here?  Option B - share a link from Flickr.  Nope.  I guess it is time to find my own ... place to blog, instead of relying on Blogger.  I'm sad.  Like many things in life, it seems my options are down to two - tow the party line, or find my own way.   Edited to add:  Perhaps I'm not done, things have synced up. 

a walk around the block a prayer a real hug a Proverb a short nap a good stretch a glass of water a deep breath maybe a little chocolate

I was looking for a photo of an old knitting project, in my files, and sorting through the pictures, I was over-washed by a flood of memories.  Woven into all of those sweaters, hats and mittens are the memories of what was happening at the time: why and where I bought the yarn, who I was with, if I was in a class or teaching a friend, things happening in my personal life that made me laugh or cry through the stitching.  I miss the knitting world that  was  in 2008 - 2018.   When I came into knitting, I was a mother of three little ones, and needed a place where I was something other than a jungle gym or food service.  I took a knitting class, made friends, found I was great at knitting, and teaching, improved my photography a lot!  I needed that place.    In the last few years, my local yarn shop closed down, which caused my knitting group to splinter a bit; several of my knitting friends either stopped knitting or moved away. J...

If my blog comments are an indication, I'm not the only one who finds it is very difficult to "lie low" these days.  If we don't quickly reply to emails, texts, and have a passing understanding of the latest news, trends, scandals, etc., people get concerned.   It's as if there is a vacuum that holds us all against the lighted screens.   Much to their dismay, people with my cell phone number can confirm that I often leave it at home!    Between editing pictures, writing patterns, and searching for genealogy clues, sitting at the computer is more challenging..  However, once I can pull myself far enough away from screens to focus on real things, priorities realign in a way that allows tight muscles to relax.  There's nothing revolutionary, but here's what works for me.   -I turn off the sound on my cell phone , and leave it on a short wall where it can be plugged in to charge.  When it is silent, I can sometimes...

I've been trying to "lie low" for the month of January, and establish some foundational habits.  I'm still working on it.  And I'm still knitting.

Happy New Year! I had a little chat with my boys a few days ago, that we would be discussing goals on the first and last days of the month this year.  They may have these big, trudging goals of the school years going by, and feel like there's not much they can do but wait it out.  But these days are so precious, and I want them to stop and realize that they can be working toward something  now to build a more intentional tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes. (Of course, this is also a practical lesson for us adults.) In recent years, we have had nothing too exciting planned for New Year's Eve, and have opted for an early New Year's Day photo shoot.  This year, with the changing of the decade we were invited to some fun parties, but already had in mind to get out for sunrise, so that's what we did.  I don't know if it was amazing , but it was a beautiful, regret-free morning, and we will be back to this spot (see photo) in the spring.  ...

Grief, for a life that was lost, in a culmination of senseless turns.  But thankfulness for all the life around, SO many things, and knowing that God is worthy of praise, even on the bad days.  

Sit and sip a nice cup of tea with me, while we chat!  After refreshing my memory about the things I've posted this year (not much!) what I see is that I really need to get down to something interesting and uplifting for you to read. The past month and a half, I have been working on a turquoise sweater for a friend and knitting patron who lives in Illinois.  I'll write up a little more about that later this week - maybe, if I remember!  I've got a couple of other projects just off the needles - but no pictures!  I guess I'll have to round them all up and tell you about them.   In the meantime, I have been so busy, and this summer included so many things where I was either the hostess, or primarily responsible for the planning, or photographing it!  In the past fourteen weeks, I believe we have had two weekends at home together.  I know many people would think that's a lot, but I don't run well on busy .  You know, I'm not going ...

Ten years ago, I started blogging as an often-lonely stay-at-home-mom with very small children, looking to connect with other quilters and moms.  Over the years, I have made a few steadfast blog friends, was inspired to improve my photography, and give knitting a try!  Wow, sometimes the path of life takes a huge curve that you don't see coming.  I would never have anticipated how learning to knit would change my life.  As my kids have grown, as I've spent more time in my garden, and as I have become, let's be honest, completely consumed by knitting , my blogging has become hit and miss.  As I saw favorite blogs post their last farewells, I was reluctant to close my own, even when I had not much to say.  The shuttering of some favorite sites can probably also be contributed in part to the use of many other social media platforms, which left blogging in the dust.   However, the last two years of social media has left me completely burnt ou...

These days, I am  making new garden beds.  The old ones have been falling apart for a couple of years.  It has been nice to realize we've learned some things since the first time around.  We invested some tax refund money in better wood (cedar) and are making them taller, and closer together - we had quite a bit of wasted space between the last ones.  Tons of my garden pics here .   cooking homemade pasta, but not as much as I'd like. reading Ready Player One , by Ernest Cline.  I joined a book club, that my new-ish neighbor invited me to, in order to get to know her better.  She's usually out of town on book club night, so maybe I just need to invite her over for tea!  I picked this book up, then, off my stack, which was recommended by my oldest teenager.  If you like 80s pop culture, you'll enjoy it.  I want to finish it shortly so that I can take my kid to go see the movie in theaters, although we all k...

It's that time of year when I evaluate the past year, smile at good memories, and think on what I hope to change in the coming year.   As much as ever, it seems I'm searching for a pleasing place to rest my eyes and mind.  For me, the winter days inside can sometimes be a challenge.  I thought I would post some pretty colors in case you also need a pleasing palette for pause.   I am looking forward to sharing with you, soon, pictures of a revived project or two.  Till then, time for a nice cup of hot tea. 

We made our annual visit to the National Forest to cut down a Christmas tree last weekend.  This tradition is important in many ways: we like to spend time with family, we like to spend time outdoors, we like that we're helping our local forest service by thinning the forest - and we know firsthand about forest fires.   Most importantly, although I don't know of  a direct tie-in from Christmas trees to the meaning of Christmas, we are so blessed to celebrate the birth of Christ.  So if you're a knitter, and you're walking around in a high country forest, what do you wear??  I'll tell you!  ~ a qiviut blend hat, pattern Aisling .  ~ a wool cowl, my own pattern called Folsom Points ~ a hooded, long, wool and alpaca sweater, pattern Cobblestone Trenchcoat ~ some stranded-colorwork wool mittens,pattern Now with Thicker Frosting! ~ and don't forget wool socks! pattern, my own recipe Picture by my husband, and yes, we found th...

Early morning tea...   I recently read a discussion on Flickr about whether and how to capture steam (from food) and that it is often faked with smoke.  Not my first shot of a hot, fresh cup of tea; I'm thinking tea stays steamy longer than bread.  I enjoy all my senses getting involved:  the smell of the blend in the tin, watching the color disburse in the water, the sound of the sugar granules breaking the surface, the warmth of the cup, and of course, the taste.  Having tea is one of my favorite morning rituals.   I recently realized that my favorite variety of tea has begun an affiliation that, to put it simply, I find appalling.  And out of character - or so I would have thought.  I am heartbroken to lose this little, daily moment of savoring what is good, what is simple, what is home.  And I wonder, what should I do about it?  Does this company really mean that they've joined up with the anger and hate?  Or did th...

A bush full of marigolds:  When you're young, "old" people will tell you how fast time goes by.  And when you're a new parent, people will go on and on about how this stage "won't last forever" and you should cherish it all, even the annoying parts.  It's just amazing, though, how many things will not fit into the time I have.   It strikes me how much more I get done in a span of time if I turn off all social media and email.   I have been accused, more than once, of being completely out of touch with what's "in," and of being old-fashioned.  Tone of voice aside, it's not the insult it was meant to be.  The more life experience I have, the more I begin to see the value of quality over quantity.  Frankly, there are so many more valuable uses of my time than racking up a high number of Friends, which, let's face it, are actually Acquaintances.   If you wonder, here are some of the recent experiences causing my m...

Wow, I did not even post once a month, last year.  At the close of 2015, I was trying to wrap up some Christmas knitting - didn't happen, some commissioned knitting - didn't happen.  I usually have the Christmas tree down before New Year's...  Took two weeks before that happened.  I feel like I am just getting back on my feet after the holidays.  Those few days between New Year's and school starting up again leave me feeling like I am standing in a queue, waiting for Routine to kick in again.  So finally, I feel like we've pushed past the beginning of the year!  One thing I did manage to finish is the 115 in 2015 photo challenge on Flickr.  Finally.  Only took me four years to get one of those lists done!  You can check out my whole set here .  I do not love them all; I struggled with Addiction - ha, that's funny.  I had something specific in mind, but it seemed kind of weird to find someone that I could photograph with an...

Recently it was noted that I don't do a good job of keeping up on my blog.  So true.  And I really love my blog.  It has been a pivotal project in my creative life.  As a stay-at-home-mom with three very small boys, I felt isolated from other artsy-crafters when I began this blog, and isolated from friends in general.  And then I discovered blogging, and suddenly my world opened up.  This new-found world also changed how I viewed my photography - both literally and philosophically.  And unlike many other bloggers, I've never not wanted to blog, I've never wanted to stop.  I just... get busy.  I actually got so busy, I forgot my new password for awhile - yikes!   A little of what I've got going on...  Knitting like crazy, of course.  I just finished a hat design for a friend, which turned into a pattern, just in time for a deadline.  After that, I finished a smoke ring (cowl) design, which I want to keep, but won't. ...