Woolly Mutts

Countdown to Nashville: what to do with the knitting

I am fully in get-ready-for-Nashville mode.  Suitcases are out, checklists made, clothing decided upon.  There was one problem I had not dealt with, (until yesterday) how to pack the knitting.  Since this trip will have Amazing Husband busy in conference activities all day I need to be prepared for 8 hours of on-my-own time each day and what better thing to fill time but knitting, right?  In an effort to pack as lightly and efficiently as possible I'm not going to be taking my knitting bag AND since the flight is only an hour long I'm only packing a small project for in flight knitting.  That leaves at least two other projects in need of a home.  My solution came yesterday.  I went downstairs, rummaged through the fabric stash, and came up with enough good choices to sew three drawstring bags that can be packed in my suitcase or carry on.

Bag 1, the smallest of the three, holds the leaf edging for the pinwheel blanket.  Since the blanket is 450 stitches around, this edging is going to take some time. Pattern for the edging was found in Nicki Epstein's, "Knitting on the Edge".  Great book.

Bag 2, and most likely the one I will pack in the carry on, holds the Simple but Effective Shawl knitted using Briar Rose Wistful.  So beautiful and soft and the colors.....sigh. My intention was to have the shawl completed before we made this trip, but yeah, that didn't happen.

Bag 3 is holding all the baby goodness.  Mom and Dad to be will be finding out the sex of the baby while we are in Nashville and are going to conference call me in during the ultrasound (I am just nuts that I will be missing this) so that I can know right away.  If it is a girl (and we all know that it is) I have the yarn and pattern for that adorable layette on the cover of the book shown.  I also have a couple of skeins to work on little genderless hats.  If it is a boy (who we shall love just as much) I'll have to make a quick trip to the nearest yarn store for a grandma-loves-you boy sweater pattern and yarn.

Three bags with three projects that I can grab to sit by the pool, or in the shade or just hang out in the room and knit.  Yay! Now if Amazon will just deliver my copy of the new Sookie Stackhouse book for my vacation reading I will be all set.

Today is Memorial day and I was just listening to NPR's Fresh Air where Teri Gross was interviewing Donovan Campbell who wrote a book about his experiences as a platoon leader in Iraq. He was fascinating to listen to.  We have much to say thank you for to our Veterans and those still in active service. 

I think I'm almost ready.

This morning I went to the oral surgeon and got a clean tooth socket bill of health, (I was told I heal well for a fifty year old.  Made me feel sort of old.) got my hairs colored and trimmed a bit, picked up some shiny new knitting magazines and I think I'm almost ready to start packing.  I even have nifty new zebra lugguge with which to pack.  On Sunday, May 31, Amazing Husband and I are leaving for a week in Nashville.  He has a work conference to attend at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and I've decided to tag along.  Did you know that Nashville has it's own Parthenon? I did not.  AH will be busy each day so I am going to be a brave little toaster and set out on my own to discover Nashville. 

I've done my homework and have a couple of yarn stores mapped out, but I'd love any input on "not to be missed" attractions in the Nashville area.  It's my first visit to the area and I'll have nothing but time. 

In unrelated news.....Yay Kris, the new American Idol.  What a sweetie.

A garden is a lovesome thing.

We are having a Spring like none I can recall for years.  Glorious green is everywhere we look.  It is at this time of the year that I am especially pleased to living in a home for as many years as we have been. (30...I think.) The gardens have matured and changed, plants re-arranged like furniture in a favorite room.  We spent most of the weekend outdoors mowing, raking, making wintered gardens smile again.  We have almost two acres.  The back of the property is against a wooded creek bed and the west side is a large field.  All the land gives us so many opportunities to create different gardens and areas to enjoy.

I am particularly pleased with this garden and the space beneath the bench. 

The Sweet Woodruff, Lungwort, Catmint, and Hostas have grown together in a carpet of loveliness that makes me feel very "old English garden".  It's such a joy to sit on the bench and be surrounded by beauty.

Cooper especially enjoys the days spent outdoors when the whole "pack" is together.  He is growing a bit gray on the muzzle of late.  I guess gray hair happens to the best of us.

Over near the house in a shady area beneath a bush the Jack-in-the-pulpits are having a good year.  This is one of five and each one is a little different than the others. 

In yet another garden is a large Lady's Mantle.  I am always captivated by their ruffled leaves that draw the rain and dew down to the center creating small drinking fountains for insects and birds.  How perfectly nature takes care of itself.

I spent some time this morning trying to get a shot of the play of the light on Buddha's face. 

He resides on a pedestal among the artemisia and fern beneath the crab apple tree.  The lady's mantle pictured above is right at the base of his pedestal.  He adds to the general atmosphere of peace. Remember that you can click on any of the pics to see them larger.

Speaking of gardening, if you are on facebook, have you discovered the wonders of Farm Town?  Warning: it's a little addictive.  In a good way. :-) 

Things my mother taught me.

Over the years I have heard people speak about grief; the 7 stages, no time table...etc, and I understood, or thought I did.  In fact, I never had a clue.  I have decided, a little over a month since my mother passed, that grief never goes away.  It changes the way it effects your day to day life, but it's always there.  Right now I still feel the hot well of tears whenever I drive by her home or the entrance to the hospital, but I know that will ease.  There are days that I find myself angry with her for leaving me with the mess of her estate and days that I find little, sweet memories that make me smile.  It is a process without an end date and we each experience it in different ways.

At the funeral my sister began a theme of "what my mother taught me" and I thought that today I would take a little time to speak to it from my perspective.

My mother taught me:

*To be first.  Take the first appointment of the day, be the first test taker, speaker, dish doer.  Anything that you really have no desire whatsoever to do, be the first one in line to do it.  Then it's over and you can move on.  This also applies to bed making, bathroom cleaning....etc.  I've found this a very helpful life tool.

*It is ok to be nice.  If you ask anyone to describe me quickly the first thing they probably say is "she's nice", and I am.  So is my sister.  Life is a much kinder experience when you are nice and I have found that the "more bees with honey" metaphor is quite accurate.  I can achieve what I want or need by being nice just as well as being stern or bossy.  Nice does not mean that I'm a pushover (ok, I can be occasionally, but I'm working on it), it just means that I choose to be kind.

*To appreciate my own company.  I am perfectly ok with alone, in fact I often prefer it.  Part of this is because I am introvert and need the quiet times, but I am genuinely just fine by myself.

*There is solace and peace in a good book.  Amen, sister.  There is nothing like a good book (or even an ok book) to smooth out the edges.

*To bloom where I am planted.  Mother was a genius at making the best of any situation.  This can have a down side as I am now the master of "settling for".  I'll settle for almost anything if it seems the path of least resistance.  Amazing Husband has been helping me with this from our first days together. Making the best of a situation doesn't mean you can't ask for what you want.

*Whining about it won't make it better.  I think that speaks for itself.

*Making things right is more important than being right.  It matters little who was right as long as the situation was resolved fairly.

*To be curious.  My mother was the most curious person I know.  "I wonder why..." began more sentences than I can count.  At 89 years old, my mother had numerous health issues, but her mind was 100% intact and I think part of it is because she kept it working all the time. 

*To love and respect nature.  This is a big one....HUGE even.  My love for this planet grew from seeds that mother planted and I thank her for it.  The summers I spent in the north woods shaped who I am today more than any other event in my life.  If I am able to pass no other legacy to my children and grandchildren it would be this one.  The planet that we live on is filled with beauty and wonders that are such precious gifts to us and all we have to do is see them. 

and finally.....

*People are more important than things. A car, bike, book, paper, lip gloss, lunch pass, favorite shirt, over coat can all be replaced or done without.  The person involved is where you need to put your focus. 

Thanks, Mom.

All my life's a circle.

Are any of you old enough to remember Harry Chapin?  (I see your hand Trina. :-))  What a legend and all around good human.  His song, All My Life's a Circle has always been a favorite of mine.  If you are not familiar, or just want a little walk down memory lane, you can see a youtube video of it performed live here. We used to play the tape in the car on the way up north and sing as loud as we could.  Good memories.  And indeed, life is a series of circles, beginnings, endings, starting overs. 

As a memorial to my mother a group of my knitting friends went together and purchased me an overly generous gift card from one of the local garden centers so that I could plant a tree in mother's honor.  AH and I walked all over the yard and did research on tree after tree, she loved them all, and in the end decided that a tree wasn't it.  We were walking the spiral labyrinth remembering how mother used to enjoy coming out there after dinner, walker and all, and hope for a visit from our little bat buddy, Echo.  With that memory came inspiration.....a trellis.  And off we went.

And there it is, the perfect trellis for the entrance to the spiral.  Perfect.  I'm going to have a little plague engraved in her memory and attach it.  We are going to plant these beauties on both sides and someday it will be quite a show piece.

Mother's favorite color was blue and this was as close to blue as I could come in a clematis.  I think she would be happy.

I love how it sort of has a Gothic feel to it.  Ladies, I can't thank you enough for your kind, kind gift.  Each time I walk under it I will remember mother and give thanks for such wonderful friends.  I have been blessed beyond measure.

As with any job well done, it's always good to have help.

I know I'm home, but I'm not entirely sure how I got here.

Ok, yesterday I lied.  The wisdom tooth was impacted.  That came as a surprise to both myself and my oral surgeon, not that I remember much about the guy.  I'm clear on the "before".  He had a hard time getting the iv in my poor, now brightly colored, hand.  We talked about red hair and then.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......nothing.  I vaguely recall getting into the car and then getting out of the car, but how I made it from the chair to the car will always be a mystery.  Sign me up for the nighty-nighty fan club.  Good stuff, what ever he injected into the third-time-is-the-charm iv.

Yesterday, once I regained some awareness, was not so happy.  Ice packs and vicoden and lots of Amazing Husband TLC saved the day.  Today, if I don't talk or move my jaw much I'm really pretty good.  I took some Tylenol and that seems to be doing the job.  I was pretty impressed when the oral surgeon called last night around 9:00 pm to make sure everything was going alright.  Nice man.  I go back in 10 days to make sure everything healed well.  The next few days will be rest and heal which is probably a good thing since I've still got enough happy drug in my system to cause me to walk into walls.  People stare when you do that in public.  Not that I would care right now. :-)

A big thankyou to all of you who have asked after Samten.  He is much improved from his reaction to the flea/tick product.  We drove to Madison on Saturday and got a natural product.  Too soon to give any sort of review, but we haven't seen either of the little pesties and that has to be a good sign.  This pic was taken Saturday after he got his new summer hair do. 

Mother's Day

Hallelujah, it's the day after Mother's Day.  In the past week I have managed to brave the pain infested waters of my mother's birthday and mother's day, both the first spent without her.  I'm not sure I did so with any sort of grace, but it's a live and learn kind of thing.  Each day a new surprise of a memory or a regret, but also new reasons to be happy.  We took a few more bump pictures yesterday.  The 10 week shot is here.

I have to admit that I've lost the week count (Kysa, if you read this, post what week you're at in the comments, please.)  Isn't she lovely? Nothing like a baby bump to make a woman beautiful.  I gave her the necklace she has on as her first Mother's Day gift.  It's a Baby Belly Chime.  Mom wears it over the bump and as she moves it makes a quiet little chime.  All through the pregnancy the baby hears this chime and begins to associate it with comfort and love.  After birth the chime can be used to help calm a fussy baby or help him/her to sleep.  When it arrived I carried it around for a bit and I have to say that there is something calming about the tone of the little chime. 

 A little later today I'm going to have a wisdom tooth pulled.  At my last cleaning the dentist said it was time for it to go.  It has a cavity in it and has been giving me some pain, so out it goes!  Since it's only one and it isn't impacted it shouldn't be too big a deal.  I'm still not exactly looking forward to it, but AH will take good care of me.  I'm just letting you know in case the next couple of posts are .....shall we say.....entertaining.  It's possible I could be posting under the influence of lovely pain drugs. :-) 

Now back to your regularly schedule program.

Now that I am over being all like the-sky-is-falling and pity-party-pathetic, could we talk for a minute about the wonderfulness that is QVC? (I've got no connections whatsoever. Period. Nothing. Just one great experience after another.) I resisted the siren song of the QVC for many a year.  I was working or busy or thought it was a hassle.  I ooohhhed and aaahhhed at what others discovered by watching channel 27 (in our neck of the woods) or online, but I stayed strong and did not go there.  Ok, I'll grant you that it was probably better for my budget if I had left better-off alone, but I would also have missed out on the coolness, cause QVC is cool, baby.

First the basics; ordering is quick and easy.  I've only ordered online, but I have a friend who has the phone number memorized and insisted that ordering by phone is a breeze also.  What you order comes in a couple of days and returns could not be easier with return label provided.  All those things don't seem like to much to ask for, but we all know what can of worms can be opened by the dreaded return don't we?  Yes we do.

Now the fun! QVC sells almost everything.  Food, make-up, clothing, furniture, electronics, garden stuff, shoes, handbags, bedding. You can get a football themed bikini so that in the heat of summer you can remember the good times bundled up and cheering for your team. (You will notice that the suits for teams in colder climes are tankinis.  Not sure why.) How about some frizz control for your hair, or orchid earrings, or a cute gauzy tunic? They sell all this amazingness by giving you information.  Being an information junkie, this makes me ever so happy. They tell you measurements for each garment and they show you the garment on several different body types.  The sales people (or maybe they prefer "hosts") tell you when it might hit you near the "bad place".  (Seriously, they do.)  If you miss the item you want when it aired on TV you can go online and see the video.  It's like your own personal fashion show.  "Here's Susan wearing the black tunic with the white slacks and cute strappy sandals.  Brenda is in the white with skinny jeans". SO much shopping fun.  If you hit the website in the morning they will tell what is new today or yesterday and there are bargain lunch offers from 11-2 (I think). 

*Quick tip for other curvy girls out there; I've found that the Susan Graver brand fits my body type really well.  She seems to understand the concept of the....uh....womanly body.

The only thing that could make QVC any better is if they sold yarn.  Oh man, that would be awesome.

A few thoughts from the dark side or lack of sleep makes Holly crabby.

*It's going to rain today, which is a good thing, but can some times give me a sinus headache, like today.  It can go along with the pain in my wisdom tooth which comes out on Monday,(the tooth comes out, not the pain, but maybe the pain, too) but I'm concerned that the pain level will force an emergency extraction which will screw up the oral surgeons day and annoy all the other patients.  So far the Aleve is working.

*Grief does not play fair.  I do really well during the daylight hours, but the nights are not so good.  My IBS has come back in full force, which I sort of expected.  The attacks almost always happen during the night.  I also dream disturbing dreams.  Last night was sort of a ground hog day theme where every day I woke up knowing that my mother was gone, but find her on the fold-out sofa (which we do not have) and the visiting nurses or Hospice workers at my front door angry with me for forgetting they were coming. (Obviously I have issues with people being angry or annoyed with me.)

*I wish Mother's Day was over, sort of like my unhappy wisdom tooth, Monday is a long time to wait for something unpleasant to be over.  All the MD hype is everywhere, TV, internets....I can't escape it.  The first Mother's Day when you don't have a mother is a challenge.  Next year will be better.  This year will be ok, too, but a little harder to enjoy. 

*And, from the seriously self indulgent and whiny department: I really need to clean the house today and I REALLY don't want to.

So there it is, proof that while I try hard to keep positive, some days are easier than others.

I am officially a volunteer.

Today was my first day as an official volunteer at Just Goods.  Website is here, but you'll quickly see that it hasn't really gone "live" yet.  You can sign up to receive the newsletter, though.  Since I have no fear when it comes to computers, I'll be helping with the newsletter end of things when needed.  Today was pretty slow, but I did get to ring someone up and a semi truck almost came through the front window.  Aside from that it was pretty quiet.  New shipments of olive oil, candles, and coffee came in, which was fun to see.  I brought home a little bag of goodies:

Peace Coffee for Amazing Husband.  Mexican Bird Mountain Dark Roast, to be specific.  Ok, I'm a sucker for anything that says peace on it, but it's organic, shade grown, certified organic coffee.  Plus, the little turtle/peace sign on the front is pretty cute. 

A couple sets of taper candles that came in today.  I almost didn't post the picture because it in no way does them justice.  They are hand painted in South Africa.  The tag says,"The vivid colors and range of designs in these hand-painted candles from South Africa, the Rainbow Nation, reflect the variety of the landscape and its diverse cultures.".  Almost too pretty to burn.

Finally, this incredibly puddle of silk that is a scarf from India.  Thirteen dollars, people, good heavens, and all fair trade.  Purchased from people at a fair and honest wage.  Take that Walmart!

I'm going to have to try really hard not to bring a bag home each time I go in there.  There are textiles and jewelry and garden pots and.....good stuff. Feels good to spend time in a place that makes humanity a priority.