Go Set a Watchman...

This is gonna be a quickie, kids... I have a to-do list that's taller than I am!

Harper Lee...

I read this in exactly 24 hours. I didn't think I'd pre-ordered it, but I had, from Barnes & Noble. 

So Kid #2 gets the copy I just ordered from Amazon... 

OK, here's the thing (no spoilers).

Everyone's up in arms over the revelation that Atticus Finch is a racist. 

"What? Gregory Peck/Atticus Finch a racist?? NOOOOO!"

Hey, folks. 

Gregory Peck was an amazing actor, who also happened to be extraordinarily liberal in his beliefs. When he delivered that famous speech during Tom's trial, of course it felt like it came from his very being. Because it did. 

But he was, folks, ACTING. He played Atticus Finch. A noble character in Mockingbird, to be sure, but a character after all. 

And let's take a breath, get off the fainting couch and stop clutching our pearls. 

Atticus is EXACTLY the man he should be, for the period within which the book was written. I would venture to guess that most men of Atticus' stature in a "real" Southern town in that time period were also racists. 

They didn't want to see their society changed. They truly believed that the North was taking away their very way of life. 

Atticus being a racist is no more surprising than it ought to be. 

Everyone just breathe here. 

Read the book. 

What's probably not as surprising is that there ARE other manuscripts. Think about it. Harper Lee has a transcendent style of writing. Her way with words is unlike other writers. I always found it hard to believe that she had a one-off stunner in "To Kill a Mockingbird." 

The news that there's yet a third manuscript isn't hard to believe. Even if it's not a fully-fleshed-out story, I think it should be published. 

Her voice should not be confined to just one or two books, if indeed there are more of her words out there. 

Honey...

I have a friend who runs a honey operation. So I was able to hook up with her to get the first harvest of 2015 honey. This will be used for potica this fall, and I'm so excited to have local honey!

If you're in the area, visit their site and contact Jo if you want some lovely, locally sourced honey. 

This is why bees are important. Not because my friend owns this farm. But because for all our sophistication and mechanization - we need bees. 

Bees transport pollen. Plants don't reproduce without pollen. We don't eat if bees don't survive. 

And we really, really need to support local small farmers like Jo. I mean, honestly - when was the last time you looked at your food and truly wondered where it came from? 

If you don't have your own garden, you don't realize that while it's a ton of work, it's also a ton of satisfaction to grow your own lettuce, herbs, and other veggies. 

And if you're a meat-eater, how about contacting a local farmer to see if he or she has the ability to supply you? Yes, you'll likely pay a bit more. But you'll know where your burger or bacon came from. And it won't be Chile or China. 

We're in the breadbasket of the nation and it's time for a cultural revolt to bring us back to the breadbasket instead of the superstore. 

Random Picture...

This little guy will be a black swallowtail some day and I'm happy as can be to see him! I'm still trying to catch up with the Monarch (yay!) who's been flitting around my coneflower and dill. They're notoriously hard to capture, in my mind. Or maybe I'm slow. Which is fine - I'll catch a shot of him one of these days. 

This is last year's dill in the front garden, and we're just using what we can. It'll reseed itself and we'll trim it up for next year. But dill is a butterfly magnet, so go forth and plant, people!

Go below, in the comments, and let me know what's in YOUR garden!

I Found It!!!!

Well, not it specifically. But it close enough. The plain sock pattern. 

The one on Ravelry was the one in German on the Opal sock band. It's so basic that it's just about incomprehensible - to me, at least!!

This one, however, looks like it's from the "Teach Yourself Visually to Knit Socks" book that I have at home. But I downloaded it anyway and will place it on the "Nice Ribbed Sock" clipboard so that I have it in perpetuity.

Or till I lose it again. It's even got the correct heel. Whoop-dee-do!!

Otherwise, not much progress to report on the sock. Since I'm here at work on my day off, I've brought it and I've gotten about 1/2" more on it. And since it's on small DPNs, it doesn't look like much. But it's coming along. 

I'm actually itching to start another pair, but I'm resisting till I get this one done, and finish the Pink Sock. Perhaps after that, I'll either start on the next pair of hiking socks (worsted yarn on size 3 DPNs) or yank another ball of Opal out of the stash and start those.

That'll be my "gratification" project. And I'll also try to drag along the Before and After Scarf. I need to finish the peacock colorway and then start the lime-y yellow green part. I know - sounds bilious, but it's pretty alongside the peacock. 

And I will reevaluate the projects I need to put on the Project Graph. 

Exhausted...

I'm sooooooooooo exhausted. I got up at before-dawn:30 a.m. and had to get to work early. Mind you, normally Friday is my day off. But someone in our Facilities Department basically hates me, because they scheduled the HVAC folks in this morning. 

They tell me they'll be done by 2:30 or so - and I hope so. Not only am I tired, but I have a guitar lesson at 5 p.m. so I need to get my skates on and shoot across town. 

And of course, I haven't practiced. I've been too busy using the Sibelius program to learn the 18 songs we need to learn for Easter.  

Well. Ok. Four. Four songs. But 2 are in Latin. So that counts extra. In my opinion!

I know I'm really tired. Doc K (the instructor from yesterday's all-day class) handed me THREE squares of Ghirardelli "Intense Dark" Twilight Delight 72% cacao squares. 

He's a devil... In a very sweet, European way. He asked if I wanted one, and I said yes...then he gave me THREE, saying, "We share." 

Anyway, I'm doing pretty well on the new eating plan, but this chocolate is really singing to me now. I get that way when I'm really tired. 

Reading...

Remember a while back when I said that I do believe I'm depressed? I mean, I'm not just having a "bummer" day. I'm seriously not happy about stuff I should be happy about. I'm not at "crawl in a hole and drag it back over me" but I'm at "why don't I feel enthused or happy more?" 

And I'm not talking giggly-happy Pollyanna. I just want more joy in my life. 

I fake it really well. 

And I'm scared of meds because the side effects are really nasty.

Anyway.

I'm reading -- or rather, INHALING -- Yoga for Depression by Amy Weintraub. She's not only a Kripalu yoga teacher, but also a person who suffers from depression. My teacher took a class or two with her and was eager in her recommendation of the book. 

I may as well highlight the entire thing right now. Heaven knows, I've tabbed it. Almost as much as my Chicago Manual of Style.

She writes compassionately, clearly and with a lot of expertise. She's not writing as a know-it-all expert, but as one who has consulted those experts to inform herself as she writes. 

I can't wait to implement some of her techniques. 

If you're a yoga teacher or if you suffer from depression - or you know someone with anything from mild depression to bipolar disease to PTSD, it's a great book for them. 

So I'll work with what she suggests and see if I can find the light that I once had. Without resorting to either more medicine or medicating myself with food or solitude. 

I'm naturally a solitary person, though. I'd rather be home. I have a small circle, and I don't need - or want - a larger one. But lately, I just want to be by myself, and that's not healthy. 

Wish me luck, and yeah - I'll take prayers, candles, whatever. 

No stress, but I guess that means I need to make a SERIOUS attempt to get enough mat-space on my office floor at home because I've been a gigantic procrastinator; I really should, as a Yoga teacher, have my own consistent daily practice. And I don't. I have a weekly practice, and I usually go through parts of the sequence I'm teaching my students, but I fall short of my own exhortations to my students about "just doing a few poses every day."

Yoga...

Speaking of which, I'm going through a series on Feldenkrais - a way of moving your body. Similar-ish to yoga in that you note your awareness as to what your body is doing, but not like yoga in that the movements are very tiny for the most part. 

Very interesting, but not anything I'd like to teach or explore beyond the 5-week series. 

And I have an e-mail from my "Yoga for Seniors" teacher asking if I'd like to discuss where my teaching will take me.

I'd like to discuss it, but I need to answer the question for myself first - or at least have an idea. 

The Friend Situation...

As I've talked about here, I've had a tussle within myself (like I need it) about Old Friend. I'm talking "known since early grade school" -- we have FINALLY, tentatively, made a date to get together tomorrow after she's finished work. 

It'll be the first time in almost 2 years we've seen each other. Not for lack of my reaching out to her. 

Is it time to have The Discussion? Is it just something I figure we'll just deal with by limping along? Do I want to have a "bestie" (her term, not mine) who really is only interested in talking about herself? This is a very 90/10 friendship, as it happens. 

One thing I may bring up, if it seems appropriate, is that perhaps we should just exchange cards for birthdays and holidays. Gifts - I don't need anything else. Really. "Stuff" I have. 

I'll have to let you know if the visit comes to pass. 

Random Picture...

This is clearly a photo I shot this past summer, shortly after we walked off the minor Alp. This is at the very beginning of my paragliding adventure. 

My Jump

No, I can't really believe I did it, picture evidence to the contrary. But I'm awfully glad I did it. 

And yes, under the right circumstances, I could certainly see myself doing it again. 

I guess that since yesterday's post was so picture-heavy, I'm really light on them today. But there's nothing new to report that I haven't told you about already above. Not even a cute dog picture. 

It's still cold. The snow's still (sort of) melting, and there's progress on the Teal Sock, but it's very incremental. So we shall enjoy the view of the far side of Mt. Blanc and go from there. 

Three Cups of Tea...

...can change the way you see things with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Greg Mortenson wrote this book with David Oliver Relin - mainly because Mortenson is publicity-shy and doesn't like to talk about himself. Visit www.ikat.org - the Central Asia Institute's website. You need to read this book. He failed to climb K2, but he succeeded beyond anyone's imagination in his ability to educate children in the poorest regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan - yep, right in Taliban-Land. We don't realize how much we take an education for granted. And we don't know how much one person can do (either globally or locally) until we see someone doing it. Mortenson started his school-building initiative on his part-time wages as an ER nurse, and lived on a literal shoestring till he was funded by another climber who was impressed by what he saw Mortenson doing. Educating children. Think about that. Babies are not born KNOWING how to hate or fear. They are TAUGHT that. If you educate the girls, which was forbidden by the Taliban, though the Koran said that women need to be educated - if you educate the girls, the villages will prosper and the next generation will know that peace can only be achieved by educating yourself and your children. Peace can't be achieved at gunpoint. It takes $1 to educate a girl and ONE PENNY to buy a pencil. One penny. That copper coin we're thinking of getting rid of because it's 'bothersome' and 'useless.' Get your schools involved. Get your church involved. Buy the book. Read it. Pass it on. Or donate it to your library, since there are waiting lists to read this. And get yourself involved. Donate to the Central Asia Institute or start a community drive to raise funds. Nobody wants war forever, except the corporations who benefit from the dollars pouring into their coffers. We can teach peace. One school at a time. This book - this man - has proved that.