Woolly Mutts

Serendipity

During our quick trip through the Stitches market several weeks ago I made a local discovery: Carol Sunday. Seeing that she was located in Roscoe, I stopped in, said hello, and instantly fell in love with her pattern for holly mittens.

(I have borrowed these images from Carol's website and please go there and view all of her beautiful designs.)

Having a name like Holly makes one pay attention to holly items, and perhaps also makes one VERY picky about said holly items.  These mittens are just divine and presented themselves at exactly the perfect time since I am just about ready to jump into the wonderful world of color work.

So, back to our story, I purchase the kit for the mittens and she tells me that, regrettably, she does not have the kits for my chosen colorway, but can send them to me.  I reply that I would be pleased to drive up and pick it up when ready to save her the shipping fees.  We agree that she will phone me when it is ready.  Last week the kit was ready, driving directions were given, and on Friday morning I headed the short distance north to pick up my kit.

Carol and her husband Robert live down an idyllic, tree lined road in a 160 year old stone house that I fell in love with the minute I saw it.  As soon as I pulled in the driveway and had a chance to take in the wonderfulness that is the Sunday home I wanted to wrap my arms around it and give it a hug.  For me, who is admittedly quirky, it was perfection. 

Carol was kind and welcoming and allowed me into her studio (again with the perfection) where I picked up my kit.  She was even kind enough to give me a tour of the inside of her home.  After this lovely meeting I bid her farewell, went back to my car and discovered...

.....that my keys and cellphone were locked inside.  Grrrr.  I hate when I'm stupid.  Luckily Amazing Husband was working from home and Carol kindly allowed me to use her phone to call for my rescue.  While I waited Carol offered me tea, but I was feeling terrible taking up more of her day since she was preparing for a show that she was leaving for in a couple of hours (if I could get my stupid, locked car out of her way), so I asked if I might walk around her property.  "As you wish" was her reply, which made me adore her even more. 

The next 20 or so minutes were so beautifully spent that I almost believe that powers beyond me were at work to make them happen.  I walked up and down the dirt road as leaves fell around me.  I saw geese fly overhead, absorbed the cool breeze, and made the acquaintance of several of the resident kitties.  Carol came back outside and we visited a few more minutes before AH arrived to unlock my car and send me on my way.

I do believe that occasionally, if we are lucky and open to the possibility, serendipity happens and we make discoveries that feed the soul.  I do hope you'll visit  Carol's website and see her beautiful designs and fiber.  She is a talented artist and a genuinely nice person.  I'll keep you posted on how the mittens turn out.  I also purchased a kit to make the Sunday Scarf which makes very creative use of short rows.  Carol also has a designer page on Ravelry.

Goodbye to Summer.

I don't think that I could ever be truly happy living in a climate that did not have four distinct seasons.  There is something about each one of them that is worth looking forward to and for me, Fall is the finest of them all.  I love the cool evenings and the changing leaves; the way the earth is getting ready to go to sleep for the winter.  Yesterday I went out with the camera and took a few pics of the last faces of summer.

There are only a few traces of pink Echinacea left.  The birds have been busy feasting of the leftover seed heads. 

My mother used to call these "Indian Paintbrush", and though I'm sure that isn't the correct name, the colors are so intense that one could imagine them being painted on. 

The little blue flax are still standing strong amidst the other drying grasses in the labyrinth. 

The alien looking milk weed pods, of which we have MANY, are still a month or so away from popping open and letting their silky little seeds fly in the wind, but in the meantime they are making a nice shelter for a spider.  Spiders are always welcome in our gardens.

You may have to click this one to get the full effect of the mess the squirrels are making int he front yard under the oak tree.  We have a hard winter to look forward to if the squirrel behavior is any evidence.  They are literally risking their lives (the dogs would love the opportunity to spoil their fun) to spend as much time as possible in the oak tree gathering acorns.  In the process they chew off little branches of leaves that litter then entire front yard.  I don't really mind much.  I hope they can find enough food to get them through the cold months.

Today I am going in to the shop and we are going to completely redo the displays.  Move furniture, bring up new product and I will have my first opportunity to put my own stamp on the clothing section.  I think this is a more-than-on-day kind of job, but we'll do the best we can.  I'm so excited! 

Margaret and Helen

If my father-in-law were single....which, thank goodness, he is not and may I say that he has an incredibly wonderful and patient wife with excellent taste in books.....but if he were, I would hook him up with the articulate Helen of "Margaret and Helen" fame.  I think his brand of conservatism and her hilarious (though right smack on the money) liberalism would make for a heck of a good time. 

Unfamiliar with Margaret and Helen?  Oh people, you are SO missing out.  I recommend the FAQs, but the short version is that Helen is 82, has known Margaret for 60 or so years and they blog letters to each other about life in general.  It's mostly Helen, since Margaret prefers the phone, but each and every entry is a treat to read.  May I be given the grace to get old like Helen.  Please.

And, since equal time is the only fair way, FIL blogs here....or will again soon. He's been a little under the weather of late so stop by and send him a little comment love.  Might get him back in the blogging mood again.

19 days.

Following is the speed reader version of the last few days:

Weekend....house cleaning, laundry, a fast trip to Stitches where I discovered Carol Sunday and Sacred Laughter...lunch at Portillos.....a few episodes of Torchwood.   Treadmill viewing the last few days has been "City of Ember" which I highly recommend, especially for its Steampunk styling.  There has been lots of working from home, phone calls, plans for fair trade shopping trips made.....lots of stress over spending so much money that isn't mine. 

Busy morning and then to work at 1:00 where a HUGE Ten Thousand Villages order had just arrived.  Opened, tagged, organized, broke down boxes, wore myself out.  A homeless man came in begging to use the rest room and then disrespected it is so many ways I can't tell you.  Ugh.  Being kind bites you in the butt occasionally.  At least it was my boss who let him use it.  Got my first paycheck!!! :-) 

Celebrated a wedding anniversary with two of my favorite people on the planet...played some quick Plants vs Zombies, talked to another friend who had a fall in Target and NO ONE offered to help her. Something very wrong with that.

 Tomorrow I make my first shopping trip for the store alone.  Monday we are completely re-organizing the store to make room for all the new stuff coming in and tonight I'm a little nervous/excited about all the newness in my life.

Phew......and in 19 days (19 days!!) Amazing Husband and I will be going to the place pictured above to spend a few days breathing in Minnesota, watching the full moon out our window, and remembering what brings me joy and peace.  Bringing Mother along to commend her remains to the big lake.  She was the only person who loved Minnesota more than I do. 

I saw her face.

I have the day off today and Kysa and Josh kindly invited me to go along with them for the 33 week ultrasound.  The tech ushered us back to a little room and proceeded to apply the gel and get to work.  She measured Cambria's head, limbs, amount of fluid around her, looked at her heart and then gave us a look at her face.  A bit of the placenta was in an un-photogenic place, but we still got a good picture.

There she is!  I think she has her Daddy's mouth and her Mommy's cheeks.(so kissable :-)  )She wasn't moving too much, but she did yawn several times, which was just so cute to see.  The tech tried to get another look at the plumbing, but she had her little feet all curled up down there, so we are just going to have to go on faith that the first reading was correct and she is indeed, a she. 

Kysa has been having a few contractions, but the doctor wasn't concerned.  The baby was 4 lbs 12 oz today so even if she does come a little early, she should still be fine.  I'm hoping for a nice, healthy, full term pregnancy for somewhat selfish reasons since AH and I want to spend a few days in MN the first week of Oct.  As with all babies, we will be happy with whatever and whenever we get!

I love my job.

That, my dear ones, is a wind turbine on the roof of my place of employment.  Who has a job that is having a portion of it's electricity usage generated by a wind turbine?  Me!!  I can stand at the counter, look out the big front windows and see the shadow of the turbine turning on the roof.  I think this is the coolest thing ever.  I love my job.

I love going to our little 7th street store and making a contribution, not just to my budget, but to the world.  I love that the local green organizations meet in the listening room next store.  I love the art work that hangs there.  (This month the work of Ryan White is featured.) I love watching this kite sway above my head as I work.

I love the many and varied cast of characters that come and go.  Stanley, the head of Rockford Peace and Justice as well as RUM and his lovely assistant (sounds like a magic act, doesn't it? :-)) Michelle.  Michael and Dori and the guys from the shop next door.  The sweet brothers who walk down from the assisted living residence with their African canes.  Even the guy who came in yesterday, and left, and came in again, and left, and came in a third time and finally bought soap, all the while having a loud discussion with himself about who knows what. 

I love that each product in our store was carefully created by a person who was paid a fair living wage for doing so.  That in creating these products they must respect the planet and send their children to school and follow the 10 standards for fair trade.  I love that money spent at JustGoods returns to those workers and helps not only them, but our relationships with their countries. 

So, as I sit here cursing the newsletter program that we use to send emails to our customers because it just regurgitated something like 100 of said emails, I must remember how much I love my job and that small bumps in the road are easily navigated.  I hope. 

JustGoods is celebrating it's 3rd anniversary this week.  There is cake.  A BIG cake. Come on down and eat some of it so I don't have to.  Much. 

I need something to knit and oh, duh.

More specifically, I need to decide WHAT to knit.  Now that the baby knitting is over, for now, I'm ready to knit something for myself, but can't decide what.  In the running right now are:

Ysolda Teague's beautiful Ishbel in this blue, purple, green Schaefer Yarn sock yarn.  I just adore Ysolda's patterns and I seem to be particularly in love with purple right now.  There is quite a lot of purple in the yarn....this pic does not do it justice.  Lots of stockinette at the top and then some great chart work at the bottom.   OR:

Kristen Kapu's High Line Shawl.  Also a fan of Kristen's designs and LOVE the large leaf pattern in this.  The yarn is so purpley fantastic that I could just set it on a table and love it forever without every knitting it into anything, but I want to.  It's a Briar Rose special edition....sort of chunky weight in all shades of purple.  (Hi Chris!!!)  Should this pattern be a solid color to show it to it's best potential?  I don't know.  I'm at a knitting crisis crossroads.  Should I knit them both? Neither?  Ack.  Ack.

Is anybody out there knitting something that they are so crazy in love with that I might have to knit one, too?  Am I missing something amazing? 

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To put a bit of closure on my "you need therapy" post.....

I've been obsessed, of late, with this song.  Youtube would not let me embed the video, but I'd appreciate it if you'd head over there and have a listen.  If you haven't the time, the general jist of the song is oppression. When I first started listening to the song, and when I say I've been obsessed, I mean I've listened to this song over and over and over again and again, I couldn't identify why it resonated with me so strongly.  My love life is perfect, I don't have any addiction issues, well, unless you count organic chocolate.  The melody is haunting.....but what, what, what.....and then I really listened to the lyrics........

Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.
No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.

You hold me without touch.
You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain.

[CHORUS]
Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.
When I thought that I was strong.
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone.

[CHORUS]

I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on
The ground.
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down

Keeping me down.  Oh.  Mother.  I'll begin looking for a therapist today .  Thanks to all of you who patiently waited for me to get to this place. 

The end of summer. (YAY!)

Back when we spent every summer at "the lake", Labor Day was the official end of summer, and in my mind, it still is.  This weekend I pulled out the Fall door wreath, did a little cleaning-laundry-groceries, but if we're being honest, I spent the majority of the time doing this:

Plants vs Zombies.  I blame Jorge Garcia (Hurley on LOST). He blogged about his own personal addiction to the game a couple of times and curiosity got the better of me.  Once you start playing it's almost impossible to stop.  Consider this fair warning.  Amazing Husband has it even worse than I do....for almost 3 days he's been trying to keep his brains from being eaten with considerable success.  Me?,...I've been Zombie dinner many, many times.  I took a break today to do a little work (it's a labor of love) and weed through some growing paper work, but pretty soon I'll be back to spitting flaming peas at bucket wearing zombies.  Awesome. Seriously awesome.

Steps

One of the things about me that has changed since my mother's death, or perhaps rather more accurately her last months of life, is that I have become more fearful.  I'm sure a competent therapist could tell me why that is, but the reason doesn't concern me as much as my ability to rise above it.  I have found that where I was once a pretty brave little toaster, I now stumble a bit more often and question myself much more frequently.  I am also fearful for my health.  Considering the months of trips to various doctor's offices with Mother, I don't need to pay money to understand where that comes from.

Today I had my yearly girl visit with my nurse practitioner.  My next door neighbor used to call it the "under the hood check for women".  I've never had a bad pap or mammogram, but I was worried about this visit and after voicing this to my NP we talked about it for a bit.  I have to tell you that I love this woman.  She is fighting breast cancer herself so I think her empathy and compassion are real and born of life experience.  After some conversation she strongly suggested that I seek therapy telling me that the time spent with a therapist is like hearing yourself think.  Later in the day, when I had more time to consider the conversation, it occurred to me that this blog is rather like hearing myself think, and you poor souls are the audience to my own dialog with myself.  Just so you know, I appreciate it.  I have frequently planned to stop blogging about my experience with my mother and my personal grief process, and just when I do someone emails or calls and tells me how much my candid accounts have helped them cope with their own situations.  I'm glad about that.  We should never walk through the dark places without someone's hand to hold.

My "under the hood check" was fairly good.  There are a few concerns that need to be dealt with, but nothing life threatening.  I can move forward with the next step of that without too much concern.  I haven't decided about the therapy part yet.  My rational self knows that it certainly couldn't hurt, but my fearful self thinks it's somewhat self indulgent.  I haven't completely ruled it out. These past months have been all about steps.  Moving forward, upward, checking in with myself as I go and reminding myself that I am worthy of the bounty of goodness in my life.  Each new revelation is a step in itself.

For each of you that have continued to tune in and "listen to me think" I'd like to say thanks.  You are all lights along the pathway.  Namaste.

Things I am digging right now.

*Walgreens now carries the body care line from EcoTools.  I wish I could find a link, but as usual, I'm in a bit of a hurry and Google is not cooperating. Anyway, EcoTools first began with a series of eco friendly and cruelty free makeup brushes of which I use the eye liner brush.  (fabulous!)  Now they have this line of body care products that are 98% natural.  You can purchase a travel/starter set to see if you like them and right now there is a $2 off coupon right on the package.  I LOVE these products.  Reasonably priced, kind to the planet, and do what the claim to do.  Sort of a fruity/floral fragrance.

*We are a household that includes a few animals and I am a bit anal about how the house smells.  Thank you Yankee Candle for providing long burning, great smelling candles.  This year I found a new scent for Fall called Autumn Fruit. First of all, it's purple.  Purple.  Cool in itself, but the fragrance is delicious.  Fruity, sure, but also that hint of Autumn that can't be defined. LOVE!

*Garrison Keillor, in one of his lovely stories, talked about how in high school he was a sci-fi geek cause, well, at 17, earth wasn't really working out for him.  Earth works just fine for me, but I admit that I, too, am a sci-fi geek.  Not sure if Defying Gravity falls into that category completely, but it is about space travel.  Sunday nights at 9:00 central on ABC (that was a shock).  This television series is co-produced by Canada, Germany, and the UK and is shown on their tv line-up as well as ours.  Smart, interesting characters, thought provoking....I'm hooked.  It began airing early in August, but you can catch up on all the early episodes on Hulu. (Do you hulu?) I suppose I should not be surprised that ABC is already talking about cancelling it, but I sill have hope. 

*Baby Showers.  Kysa had her first, hosted by the lovely ladies above, on Sunday.  My sister Kathy is on the left and BFF Trina on the right.  It was a fun day and Kysa got some fabulous gifts.  I think there ought to be Grandma showers. :-)

*New hair.  I think I dig it.  The pic on left is the before, click to see larger.  It was LONG, but I admit that I was sort of attached to it.  Yesterday, after thinking about it for weeks, I took the plunge and had my hairdresser cut if off.  I still freak out a bit when I walk past a mirror and shorter does not mean easier maintenance, but overall I'm happy.  Regrettably, less hair does got give me more neck, but some things we must learn to live with.

*New jobs....of which I must get to.  Hugs all around!