Woolly Mutts

It's all in the attitude. Gratitude.

Another major holiday has come, been consumed, familied, footballed, perhaps capitalized with the masses, and gone.  I have a new friend recently transplanted from Canada and she is more than a little surprised at what a big deal Thanksgiving is here in the lower States.  And, I guess it is.

I've never had an issue with gratitude.  I have other faults (countless many).  I can occasionally be insensitive, I make things harder than they need to be, and, if we're being honest, I can be a teensy bit b*tchy.  (No, really, I can be.)  Grateful, though, I am in spades and always have been.  The concept of one day where we take some time to consider our own personal blessings has been a mystery to me.  Maybe a month of thankful commemoration, or 6 months, or every darn day of our lives?  My family rarely goes around the table being verbally grateful, which I understand is tradition at many tables.  Now that I think of it, it's probably to avoid the extended play version when it comes around to me, cuz kids, I am grateful for every, every thing.  Every blade of grass or leaf on a tree, every rain drop, or unexpected smile, or nice firm handshake, or hug from a loved one (or even a not so loved one).  When I wake up in the morning and put my feet on the ugly (seriously UGLY) brown carpet on our bedroom floor that is fraying at the door threshold I am grateful because it is so much better than the cold earth to step on.  I know, it's a little ridiculous at times, but I have rarely been in a situation where there hasn't been something to be grateful for.  Perhaps my ability to be in an attitude of gratefulness is my own personal port in the storm of life.  And, perhaps some desperate life storms are required to gain clear site of the blessings of life.  I don't know.  Maybe I'm just a little crazy. :-)

 

This year we have a few extra special things to offer thanks for.  Aren't those just the loveliest people ever?  (I apologize for the fact that our dragonfly looks like it's about to land on Josh's head.  My photography skills can use some work.)  Every time I look at them I choke up with thanks.  Each and every one of them is happy light in my life.  The two on the right, Karl and Santa, will be getting married in 2010 which tickles me no end cuz we love Santa to pieces.  (For the purposes of clarification, and because I know what it's like to have a holiday name during the Holiday season, to correctly pronounce Santa's name think Santa Maria, not Santa Claus.)  Though our numbers decreased with the passing of my mother in April, the two on the left kindly provided us with this little bug.....

 

....Miss Cambria Joy....seen here pondering the complexity of life.  Add to this the constant that is my Amazing Husband and a person could just burst with the bounty of it all.  It's been a tough year for me, but all of the sad just makes the happy more welcome.

So, we close the door on one holiday and open the door to the next. 

Miss Magnolia wants you to know that there are 25 days, 14 hours, and 27 minutes until Christmas.  Am I ready?  Not even close. As previously mentioned, I will make Christmas prep much harder than it needs to be, but I will take time to appreciate the season for the myriad of glories it is.  

Thanks to each of you, who take a few minutes to read my ramblings.  Hugs all around.

Most wonderful time of the year.

Don't you just hate those people that put up the holiday lights (or, egad, the tree) before Thanksgiving? Those crazies that can't wait for the first snowfall?  The very same ones that have the holiday music blaring before the trick or treaters are hardly out of the yard?  Yes, well, that would be me and I'm not going to apologize for it any more.

We put the outside holiday lights up last weekend.  I finally had the good sense to remove the fall wreath from the door yesterday.  It brought to mind that whole "drapes matching the carpet" thing.  It was Christmas on the roof and Thanksgiving on the front door.  Yesterday we put up the Christmas tree and did a bit more decorating of the house.  I start the holiday music in late October.  And do you want to know why I do all those things?  Because it makes me happy.  It's a simple as that.

The season of Winter warms me like none other and I know that there is something a little odd about that.  Here in the Midwest the lovers of snow are a very small minority and complaints about driving and shoveling and melting and slushing are loudly voiced.  Most of the time I keep my opinions to myself, or even, apologize for being the nut case out standing in the cold letting the snow fall on my face.  This year, I'm not going to do that any more.  I'm not going to be obnoxious, but why should I feel apologetic about being happy? 

Winter calms me.  It centers me, slows me, makes me take life at a better pace.  I cannot imagine living in a clime where I did not have a night before the fire to look forward to.  I love the lights, and the decorations, and the music (with a few exceptions like "Holly, Jolly Christmas" or "Deck the Halls".  It's a name thing.) and the glorious, beautiful snow.  Sure it comes with some inconvenience, but doesn't everything? 

So, all you seasonal grinches, I'll see your ba hum bugs and raise you a hallelujah.  I'm not insensitive to your plight, but it's not going to alter my joy because there isn't anything wrong with happy.  No, sir.

 

Btw, Sting has a new Holiday CD out and it's fantastic. 

Monday visit.

Look who came to visit me today! Little Miss CJ.

 

It's really hard to hold a camera and a baby at the same time. :-) 

Proof of Progress

It is way past time that I posted some sort of evidence that I am still knitting, (much less alive) despite my busier life of late.  An important element in my sanity equation is always having something on the needles.  In fact, I just now finished ripping out all 12 rows of my 241 stitch infinity scarf when I discovered a dropped stitch in row 3 of a yarn over row and every attempt to figure out how to fix it just made a bigger mess.  Some times you just have to rip...so I did.  More on that another time.  I'll cast on again this afternoon after I've had some time to forget the pain of the rip.

 

 

Project one is Noemi from the Berroco Norah Gaughan Collection Vol 1.  Ultra Alpaca Light.  Rav page here.  Loved this knit and was rather sad to bind off. Perfect pattern for those just beginning lace or chart reading.  I bought the yarn and pattern for this in Minnesota.  I think this might make a nice gift idea for a scarf lover on your list.  

 

Project two is Riverbanks and again with the love. The minute I saw this in the Fall Knitty I knew I had to make it. The construction is interestingly done, though not difficult if you just follow along and don't think too hard.  I can hardly wait until it gets cold enough to wear it.  Yarn is Silk Garden from my stash. Don't recall the color number. The second picture is more true to the color.  (I had no idea my nose was so big.) Rav page here.

 

Finally a pair of wild and funky mittens on that off chance that it will ever get cold enough around here to actually need mittens.  I used the "Olivia and Celia" pattern from Kristen Knits and I'm extremely happy with the sizing.  I have rather small hand and finding a mitten pattern that fits well is easier said than done.  I made the child's large/woman's small size with wonderful results.  Cuff is Manos (yellow) and Dream in Color (green) and the hand portion is Malabrigo; all remnants from other projects.  Lots of fun to do and super fast.

The weather here is making the majority of the population happy as can be.  I, on the other hand, am already listening to holiday music and scanning the horizon for snow.  Bring on Winter!!!

Purpose

I love my job.  I know, I am such a broken record about this, but each and every time I drive home from work I am just amazed at how much I have enjoyed my day.   I've had some great jobs in my life; library, yarn store...hard to beat books and yarn, but this job, this job just sings to me.

I love that on my drive in I pass the Cadbury plant and some days can clear my sinuses with one good whiff of whatever batch of gum they are processing that day.  I love that the drive takes me past the river and Sinnissppi park, and very soon all the holiday lights there.  I love the diversity of religion that comes through the door and the way each and every one is embraced by all involved.  (Makes me get all dreamy about the possibility of peace.)  I love the concept of fair trade, the commitment to green practices and general earth kindness, but most of all, I LOVE the people.

Poor Ernesto from Guatemala who was searching for the Rescue Mission because he drinks too much beer and how we all struggled with our poor ability to speak Spanish in order to help him on his way.  He made the sign of the cross and blessed each of us before he left, and honestly, I really felt that blessing.  Arthur, who is at least 80 and walks down to our store from the senior high rise at least once a week.  Yesterday he told us about the coat he was wearing that he purchased right there on 7th street in 1956.  He bought 3 African canes to add to his stylish collection and wrote his check so carefully in large print while carefully checking his math.  He jokes and flirts and I just want to hug him he is so adorable. All the volunteers who give of their time and hearts to help make the vision of fair trade real in Rockford.  I wish they all knew what gifts they are to me.

On Friday one of our suppliers came in to the store and it was my first time to meet her.  She and her ex husband (I could write an entire post about the complicated and fascinating relationship between those two) own a clothing and jewelry company in Nepal.  Noga is originally from Israel and her accent is incredibly beautiful to hear.  When she realized that I was an interested ear, she told me all about her early life and how she came to find herself in the US and then Nepal.  She spends half her year in Nepal with her boyfriend, Shiva.  Shiva is a guide in the Royal Chitwan National Park and they live just outside the park.  The land the park sits on has been in Shiva's family for some astounding number of years.  She had pictures and she was kind enough to give me this one.

 

Elephants!  Elephants all decorated and ready to participate in an elephant race that is held every year.  See the second one is still a baby?  When I voiced my concern that perhaps the elephants didn't want to race, she laughed.  They are wild and wander around the park and her yard and are apparently quite pleased to be the center of such attention.  She explained how the Nepalese love their country, including all the animals that live there and I could tell she really meant it.  So cool.  So, so cool. 

This job has showed me that I have lived a very cloistered life.  While I want see the world as one place we all live and not a series of countries and borders, my experiences with other cultures has been limited.  If this job does nothing else but help me to keep my mind and heart open I'll consider myself privileged.

Warning: possible TMI regarding my digestive track.

My intestines and I have never gotten on well.  I've had each and every unpleasant medical procedure to diagnosis the problem and the final answer is, IBS.  IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is a sort of clearing house for nasty digestive issues that have no real medical cause.  My gastro doctor says I am a gut reactor.  Nice.  Everyone has their weakness and mine happens to be my gut. Super nice.

I have drugs.  Drugs for going and not going.  Drugs to relax and drugs to rev up.  I hate them....would rather not take them at all.  The problem is, I hate suffering even more, so I take them when I must.  Over the years (and it has been almost 30 years I've been trying to play nice with my gut) I've learned a few tricks, but there were times when I got in such bad cycles that I rarely left home.  (Here comes the TMI) Cause when it goes bad it's not just a little inconvenient, it's curled in the fetal position on the bathroom floor sweating and cursing bad.  (OK, you can look now.)

A couple of months ago my doctor suggested that I up my calcium intake, which I know is a really good idea.  Problem is that, for me, calcium and my gut  are like the Hatfields and the McCoys.  No love there.  At all.  Choices, choices, brittle bones or unhappy gut?   Ah ha!, says my doctor, I have the answer.....gut bacteria of the good kind.  You take a pill (yet another pill) and it makes your intestines go to the happy place.  Really?   Hmmmmm.  So I go to the pharmacy, purchase the calcium AND a box of Align.  I bring them home and....look at it but don't take it, cause what if, instead of going to the happy place it goes to the bad place?  I mean, just because the doc says so doesn't mean it's always true.  Right?  (Back me up here.)

Two weeks ago I broke down and took the Align and guess what?  It worked!  It took a little over a week, but my intestines are indeed, in the happy place, or at least I think so since I haven't actually been to the happy place in a LONG time.  I feel good.  I haven't added the calcium yet.  I'll keep you posted on that one.  (I bet you just can't wait.)  

Moral of the story is; some times you have to have a little faith and just do it.  Now if I can only make myself open the bottle of fish oil capsules.  (I really hate fish.)

 

And, just in case you've forgotten that we have a new family member, a picture of Miss Cambria Joy in all her Halloween pumpkinness.  Not everyone can pull off orange, you know.  I've decided that I bore the daylights out of her cause she is sleeping every time I see her.