Mother's Day & Gun Violence...

Yes, those two are related today. Thankfully, not my own experience, but overall, with the school shootings continuing at an alarming rate, mothers are afraid to send their kids to school. And if they're anything like me, that also includes the mothers of the TEACHERS. 

When Kid #2 said to me, "Hey, I did this cool project over the summer...I painted bricks for each of my colleagues," I just thought he was experimenting. He's a stencil artist and loves to do murals. So, I thought, "Cool, I bet that's a nice idea."

Then the brick dropped, so to speak. "Yeah," he says..."we've been doing active shooter drills and I thought that my colleagues and I could either use the brick to break out a window to evacuate the kids, or chuck it at the shooter -- odds are that if we come close to hitting him, he'll duck and that'll buy us time."

Do you understand what happened to my heart? 

This kid has wanted to be a teacher since about 5th or 6th grade. His focus was honed early and he kept at it, a kid who often got straight As, and in high school, took as many AP classes as he could. He double-majored in college, every semester after the first one, taking an overload. His advisor tried to tell him to relax, but eventually she realized that he was in his element. 

He's been teaching nearly a decade now; and he'll tell you that teaching has changed drastically. But he loves his kids. Loves his classroom. Bonds well with his colleagues. 

And he has to worry about painting bricks to evacuate students or stun a shooter. 

What in God's name is going on? And when will it end? There have been TWO shootings of congress-critters and THAT hasn't produced anything near a civil discussion of gun issues. 

Will they wait till one of their kids is shot? Because THEN it will be important? Really? 

I've got news for you: MY KIDS ARE IMPORTANT. And so are YOURS. When you've got kids showing you how to do an active shooter drill, I have a problem with that. 

Yes, I'm old; the worst we had were tornado drills. Please - if you're going to comment and tell me that "times have changed," please stuff that in your rear end...Times HAVE changed, and not for the better. I hold my breath when I hear of a shooting. I worry about both of my kids. I had a discussion yesterday with Kid #1 and he said a good friend of his got the stuffing beat out of him because of a negative comment he made about the Mango Menace. A broken eye socket, broken nose, and cracked rib. 

What have we become when said Mango Menace can effectively tell his rabid horde that "shooting someone in the Panhandle doesn't count." What is this? A near-dictatorship? God, help us. And I don't mean that colloquially. 

I mean: GOD. HELP US. 

Gotta breathe. It's Mother's Day. I had a great day. Texts from both kids; church with a great organist; good movies, and knitting. Did a face mask and nobody screamed in terror (!) (that's a family joke...). Cleaned out a few things to give to the church rummage sale. Life is good. I have to keep telling myself that, and I have to keep being involved to make life good for as many people as I can. The older I get, the more I feel like that's my mission in life. 

The Knitting Situation...

Well. Progress has been made on the Chevron Afghan!! Yeah, bet y'all forgot about Kid #2's afghan. He hasn't. He reminded me about said "decade in teaching" and then proceeded to remind me that I told him I'd make it for when he was in college; then when he graduated; then when he moved out... 

Anyway, I finally got Caron's Simply Soft black yarn; I don't know what took me so long, other than just forgetting each time I was in the JoAnn Fabric store, I forgot.

I pulled this out last weekend and got two sections done (one each, red & grey) and then I proceeded to redesign the colorway for the entire thing. I'm adding a couple of black sections in the middle. I just have to balance the Red/Grey/Red at the end. I could, I suppose, do a whole swath in black, but I'm trying not to do that because of another project which I'll tell you about. 

Black is a stinker to knit with and I've even got an outstanding light, not to mention that my knitting chair is in the front window, which is a western exposure. It's just difficult. 

So I'm in the groove again and I figure I've got about 4 - 6 more sections to finish this thing. Each section is a 14-row repeat and it goes really fast once you get cranking. He may have it for Christmas or his birthday. We shall see...

Anklet socks are on the menu for lunchtime knitting. I was looking at these and I thought, "What are you waiting for??" I'm doing a really simple anklet - not a Rose City Roller or anything like that - just a 15-row ribbing (yaaaaaaackkkkkkkkkkk!!! I hate ribbing!!!) and then 3 - 4 rows of "sock leg" then the heel, then the foot. Simple, simple. This Opal Celebration colorway is going to be fun to knit with. Kind of like one of those "sprinkles" cakes. 

Speaking of lunchtime knitting, I changed purses and the knitting no longer fits. That's not cool, but honestly the bag weighed a ton and I needed to drastically lighten my load. So I'll just have to drag a separate knitting bag along, which is a pain, but otherwise these socks won't see the light of day for a long, long time. I'd like to wear them this summer on the bike trails. 

My prejudice about black yarn is going to come to the fore; I really try to avoid it. The darkest socks I did were navy blue, and honestly, it's a singleton -- I have yet to finish the mate. Mostly because it's small and it won't fit my leg comfortably. I know - I should frog it, but by the time I realized it was too small, it was done. Oh well. I can live with that, and chalk it up to an experiment with a pattern, which I will not do again. 

Remember the Multnomah Shawl that was Christmas knitting? Well, because of a misinterpretation of the pattern, which was totally on me, I need to tink back the lace part. The suggestion from my shawl group - which is a great idea, by the way, is to place markers at each pattern repeat of the feather & fan. Otherwise, the designer has some funky increases along the spine that didn't make sense till I saw a close-up picture of it from someone else who'd done the pattern. You'd think the designer would have THAT picture in her Ravelry notes??? 

So I get emails from Expression Fiber Arts, and Chandi had a great "beginner" shawl called Copland, and I found yarn on sale on the site so here's the project that will either blind me or be absolutely fabulous. Click on the link there, and watch. 

I probably should have done it in the colors she did hers, but I saw the brown yarn, which has lots of color in it (my pics don't do it justice) and it's called "Unconditional Love." In the pictures on the website, it's tones of brown with greys and black. Unfortunately, these two balls have NO black in them, which I didn't realize till I got them (not too jazzed with that). And all THREE hanks were, uncharacteristically, a mess to wind. I chose "Abyss" (their "about as black as we're getting") colorway to bring out the blacks in the Unconditional Love, but... As you can see here, in that first 3" section of brown, there's lots of color, and I'm liking it. The black is kind of killing me already. You do stripes, then a swath of the color, then more stripes. You can make this as large as you want. I'm only using the 2 colors, and I want this so that the recipient can swaddle herself in it. 

I'm actually liking the black + brown combination, and I think it's pretty classy. What do you think? 

The pattern is a simple 2-row repeat, and I did have to order some ADDI's - I didn't have a 40" cable. Yeah, went to Amazon. I won't get to my LYS for a while, and locally, there's bupkus. This needle is a 16" cable and it's filling up fast. The "spine" of the pattern is really quite clear and clean, just that it's too small and kind of curls right now. In another few sections, it'll be very nice. 

Build Me an Ark...

It's raining again. We're molding. I stopped by my local park last week and took these pics; as of two days ago, the picnic table was back on solid ground. But the water is moving fast, and it's dangerous on the roads as well as on the trails. 

And it's raining again - and will do so for the next 3 or 4 days. 

Today, I had planned a bike ride, which didn't happen because before the rain, it was in the low 50s. Yep, welcome "spring" again... It's too cold to ride - at least for me. Maybe next week. I need to get my "bike legs" back because I'm starting my 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training (yayyyyyyy!!!) and I need to get into some sort of shape. Biking, for me, is great exercise, even though it's mainly lower body. 

Biking is a moving meditation and I love it. But it's gotta be dry to bike! This picture is the canoe access. Ideally, you would walk to that platform and launch your vessel. 

That part, as of two days ago, was still under water. With this rain now, I'm not sure when parts of the area will dry out. The ground is saturated. 

We're lucky - we're flooded in some areas, but nothing like other parts of the country - or even other parts of our state. We'll count our blessings, hope our sump pumps keep working, and hold off on actual spring and summer footwear till it all passes. 

News on Tippi...

Princess Tippi Un Sigrid

Our two princesses posed for pictures. And I have news, sort of, on Tippi. She's been dealing with swollen lymph nodes for a few months; we've tried several things, including a cystology report that said at first it was benign. 

We have no news (yet) that it's NOT benign, but we did go to a vet who's a specialist. Our vet sent us. 

Two issues: she's losing weight like crazy, though she's eating like a horse. And those lymph nodes. 

The weight is a separate issue; her labs are wonky and the vet thinks she's got the doggy version of Irritable Bowel Disease - not that she's got the runs or anything, but she's not absorbing her food. So in my mind, it's like an autoimmune disease - Crohn's for dogs. 

She's a happy, energetic 12-year old dog. What the doctor calls a "Class A dog." I'll explain that. 

So the lymph nodes could be 2 things: Benign or malignant. 

If they're Benign, we have some options. 

Princess Quinn Un Gerda

If they're malignant, it could be 2 things: Lymphoma or metastasized from another area. 

If it's Lymphoma, it could be 2 things: The "bad" lymphoma or what she calls "Indolent Lymphoma" which basically is like prostate cancer: at her age, it's not what's going to kill her. 

If it's metastasized from another area, that's bad, too. 

So, the physical showed NO OTHER LYMPH NODES were swelled. There were no obvious masses anywhere that the vet could feel. This is good. 

She took a more aggressive sample to send off to Colorado State University for extensive tests. We'll know sometime next week. FYI, that cost us $1300+... To do a larger biopsy with a whole-body CAT scan would've been closer to $6,000. It sounds crass, but we can't afford that. If this biopsy tells us what we need to know, that's what we need. The biopsy has a 4% "unconfirmed" result, and to me, those odds are pretty good. 

Fingers, paws, toes, tails and eyeballs crossed. 

Rings, Eggs, and Rocks...

I've been looking for a "middle finger" ring that I could wear. I usually wear my great-grandmother's wedding ring, but I wanted to do something different every once in a while. These, I found on Amazon, for about $15. If they turn green, I'm not upset. They're stainless steel washed with Rose Gold. 

They're billed as wedding rings, and one has a teeny-weenie crystal in it. 

It's a cute set, with lots of texture, and it's comfortable. And rose gold looks good on my skin. 

One of our patients brought us eggs. She has chickens. Each of us got 6 eggs, and a feather from the "donor hens." Each of us got a separate feather... 

These eggs are soooooo good!! They're actually extra-large eggs, too. I was happy to have them to share with Hubby. We've been enjoying them, and recognize that they're a nice treat. 

At our studio, we had a Crystal Trunk Show. I usually get a good discount, for hosting, so I bought several things, a bunch of which are gifts, so I'm not going into a lot. 

But I will share this with you: a fossilized sea sponge that, when they cracked it open, produced this beautiful white quartz. 

This is Guardians of Nature, and they always have such cool stuff! I did pick up another piece of black tourmaline to put by my computer (helps avoid EMFs) and a green opal that I adore. I skipped a beautiful smoky quartz heart, because the green opal was calling my name. 

They had an amethyst Cathedral stone; 22 POUNDS of amethyst. Wowza. 

Check them out on Facebook. If you're local, they'll send you a schedule of where they'll be. Go see them. 

Great people.


Random Picture...

Just another shot of the sponge. Apparently, rock hounds have an instinct for these, because if I'd seen this in the wild, I'd have walked right by it. 

It looks kinda like a lumpy potato from the back side, but the quartz inside just glows white. 

I figure these crystals are my Mother's Day gift to myself. That and the face mask! I don't need a lot of stuff; I appreciate the beauty of the crystals, and I like having them around me. 

I had a great Mother's Day, and now I'm off to watch "I Remember Mamma" and knit some more! Have a great evening!

Oh, Poo....

Did you know that if you heat chicken broth too much it tastes like...boiled water? Well, it does. Why, you ask, are you heating up chicken broth? Flu? Tummy troubles?

Nope. Nothing that thrilling. 

I'm prepping for my "regular" colonoscopy/endoscope adventure. It's been a little over 10 years, and I'm a bit overdue. What prompted me was the combo of the food poisoning + the antibiotic for my Traitorous Tooth. Trashed me tummy fer sure...

So - in a hunt for "whatever else is going on," my gastro guy has scheduled this. 

I'm just as thrilled as you can imagine. The 20-minute nap is not the problem. It's the prep, the day before. And don't be fooled by the "weight loss." About 85% of it is water anyway. One matcha latte and I'm back to square one. With a sore bum...

Clear liquids, nothing red, and citrate of magnesium. Which some fool thought would be good "flavored." Ummmm. It's not. It's disgusting. 

I can't even have my "bugs" tonight -- that super-duper probiotic. Because, why? I mean, seriously, they're not gonna stick around. I've tried to avoid having them in yogurt because I didn't want the extra calories, but most times, that's the easiest way to get them down. The stuff in water tastes like yeast, which isn't pleasant. Once all of this is over, I'm hoping that everything (tummy included) is back to normal. 

I'm still going to talk to a nutritionist about the lingering symptoms of IBS. The gastro guy said that they could last for a long time. I'm still not sure what triggers it; just knowing that it's a possibility is really not fun. I don't know how those folks who live with this condition even function. 

I'll tell you though: the organic chicken broth I bought was kind of a genius move. The protein is helping my stomach. Last time around, I over-dosed on pineapple gelatin. I'm thinking that all that sugar was not a good idea. So I got the broth; it's fat-free, and I think next go round, I'll add a touch of olive oil to it. I'm not starving; and I've skipped plenty of meals. But I know with the reflux, I need to do something to keep my stomach reasonably happy, all things considered. And this helps. 

Birthday Goodies...

I had a birthday recently and several nice things happened. First, Scone Guy at the office brought scones for us! A few days before my actual birthday, but still... Mine has a decorated label-- well, they all do, but I thought this was terribly cute. 

And what was inside? Well. I did NOT share with Hubby. Call me cruel. But I didn't, so there it is. I actually traded with "C" in the office; he'd given me 2 of them with jalepeno peppers. Not happening, even WITH a decent gut.  These beauties are (on the left) a chocolate chip scone and two "bacon and cheese" scones. 

Ummmmmmmmm. I make a decent "double raisin + cinnamon" scone, but he's got the savory stuff down. The funny thing is, that chocolate one? He's allergic to chocolate. He's got no idea how they taste. Except when we tell him. We really appreciate the treats. And this timing was perfect. I was up to my eyeballs in insurance verifications, and was what my granny would call "stagger-blind" from an office with a set-up whereby I'm this|close to the monitor and frankly? I was kinda cranky and my eyeballs ached. These? Fixed me right up!

And to my own chagrin, I thought Hubby had forgotten (long story...). He texted me when I got to work to say, "I didn't forget - mornings are hectic" -- which they are, truly. Crazed. Insane. 

I had mentioned a while ago that I'd like a Morganite pendant. And this is what he came up with. I'm delighted. 

It's set in rose gold; matches my earrings and the ring he got me a couple of Christmas' ago. I love the tiny diamonds around it. I'm horribly hard on rings, so we do keep it simple with those - I'm either reaching into the bowels of a machine, pulling something from under or out of a dog, or gardening and forgetting that I'm actually wearing rings. 

I've worn it a couple of times and it's just a lovely, simple piece that means a lot to me. 

Then, since my birthday was on a Wednesday, we didn't go out anywhere. My mom kind of yelled at me, but he's got to get up before the chickens, and I get up WITH the chickens. Normally, both of us are fighting to stay awake past 8 p.m. 

Maybe after the "colon cleanse" is done, we'll go out somewhere. God knows, both of us will have earned it by then! 

But anyway, I was eating a sandwich I think. And I wondered if I'd saved a few of Kid #2's "Surprise Ganache Cookies." Lo and behold!! Dessert! 

And, Hubby doesn't particularly like them. He's honestly not a fan of chocolate; but he did ask me if I wanted a candle stuck in one of them... 

These are a "mistake" -- or more properly, an "experiment." Kid #2 was trying to make a rolled cookie, but somehow, the dough slouched a bit, the ganache held, but oozed beautifully, and he then dusted it with cocoa. 

Well. Yum. That is all. I told him that these were my "new favorite" and that henceforth, they were to be included. 

That's what you get when you're a competent baker. 

Knitting with Crystals...

Well, I don't knit with crystals. But I was knitting on the Diamond Smackdown shawl, and my eyes kept being drawn to my crystal bowl full of crystals. 

Good news: I'm past the half-way point and have started the decreases! And as luck would have it (whisper here, so as not to tempt the Knitting Gnomes...), I managed to work it so that it landed just about where it should on the scale, so it should be clear sailing to the end. 

The crystals? Well, there's a rather nice piece of Labradorite, several amethysts, an opal and a citrine + amethyst combination. Allegedly, citrine is "before amethyst" chemically. All I know is that the pale tone of this nearly crystal stone is kind of nice and oddly satisfying to hold. The Labradorite is that greenish hunk up there at the top left with a sheen to it. The opal is right next to it. The striated amethysts you can see. The clear lavender stones are at the bottom of the heart. 

Every so often, I take them in my hands and just meditate. I was an idiot and didn't put them out on the window sill for the blood moon, but I tell myself that we didn't really have a good shot at it anyway. The one window nearest? Our house has large eaves - so you can't see much "up" when you want to. 

One of my friends did "moon water," bottles of water that were set out in the moonlight. I figured that at 22* outside, I'd have had "moon ice," and that wouldn't have been cool. (see what I did there? pun?) 

Anyway, back to knitting. Still absolutely loving this. The decreases are coming along nicely, and I need to ask Hubby how to catch the sparkles of the silver threads running through this yarn. So far, I've had no success, but I'm sure I need to use the Big Camera to do that. 

It's smooth sailing and I'm so looking forward to blocking and wearing it. 

And like I said a few blogs ago - I seem to be monogamous with these projects after a certain point. I've got single socks to do and I really should start some "stash baby" gifts, just in case. But - I'm plowing along on this one. 

I've got another one in mind, as well as finishing a few WIPs that are staring at me since I've tried to reorganize my space. Which I should also be plowing through, since I'm sitting here, but my excuse is "bathroom calls." And I'm sticking to it. I have weekends to mess with that ongoing project of "I need my office back." It's a giant step forward that the laptop is now back here permanently. 

Blood Moon...

So, we talked about Hubby's and my schedules. There was apparently "the only blood moon of 2019" and we missed most of it. He said that at 4 a.m., it was "ok" but not red. I stayed up till a little past 9:30 p.m. and caught...not much of anything. I know folks got better pictures, but it is what it is. My phone's camera is crap, I'm telling you. I didn't buy it for the camera. It's a phone. 

But I tried to catch a bit of the magic through the tree, figuring that would help with focus. Nope. I will tell you, though, barring the freezing weather, I could've just sat and watched. 

To me, the moon is magical. There's a reason for all the lore, and the songs, and the tall tales. Last night, I saw the "face" in the moon and it was so big and so bright... I wish I could've stayed up to watch the whole thing, but 2 a.m. was way too late for me. 

On my drive to work this morning, though? The full moon was wearing a veil...the pinkish clouds were swathing Sister Moon, and the icy air captured some of last night's magic. 

I work in a fairly dull municipality, and often, honestly, I'm on auto-pilot on the drive there. I mean, I'm well aware of traffic because of all the freight -- too many trucks sometimes! But normally, I'm not looking up. 

Today, I had a hard time concentrating because I kept looking up. Sister Moon was in her lavender sky and I was just a-gog. 

The Women's March 2019...

Yes, we marched again this year. There's some sturm-und-drang with the national organization so my friends at Southwest Suburban Activists pulled together with a number of other grassroots groups and "Hey, kids, let's put on a march!" (2 points if you get the Judy Garland/Micky Rooney reference there. Three points if you can name the movie!)

I took pictures, as I usually do, and yet I still wanted a sign for the march. Mary Englebreit provided some beauties for the march, as she always does. This is the one I chose, and I also printed out the 11 x 17 version, which I'll frame and put in my office. It's black-and-white; I added color to make it more visible, and Hubby gave me a long stir-stick and put together a cardboard support, then "laminated" the whole thing with packing tape. 

I stuck it behind my neck as I was wandering around photographing the event. I must've been approached by about a dozen people. Many women wanted ME to use their phones to take pictures of THEM holding MY sign! A few folks wanted to take a picture - of the thing sticking out the back of my neck... Oh well. The point is...the sign. Here are a few more pics from the event...Your Random Picture(s) for this entry of the blog. 

The buttons... tons 'o buttons. 

 That'll teach you to call us "snowflakes."

As long as it's snowing, you may as well enjoy yourself before you march...  
 

 So many kids and parents... 

And the one that "won the signs." 

It Got Me Thinking...

...a phone call I had today with a researcher. Not one of those, "We'd like to ask you a few questions about dish detergent" researcher. But someone from a writer's group who asked for some volunteers for a project she's working on. 

She's a "confidence coach," and was working with women, mostly entrepreneurs, to enable them to grow personally as well as professionally. 

She said to me, "You sound quite confident and balanced."

Well. Let's just say I fake it well. Because it got me to thinking. AM I as confident as I project? Some days, I don't feel it. Some days, I've got the world by the tail. MOST days? I don't feel it. I feel like I'm faking my way through it. 

I'm confident in most decisions I make, in regard to the studio, at least. And I'm confident - for the most part - in the personal decisions I make. But I think -- particularly since I'm staring 60 in the face -- that I am re-evaluating a lot of things. I'm re-evaluating what I'm choosing. What I've chosen. And where I want to go and who I want to be. 

None of this is strange. I think there are landmark birthdays where you really get set back on your heels and you have to come to full stop and think a moment or two. For me, 30 was a piffle. However, 35 hit me hard. Forty was another piffle. I saw 50 as "finally grown up." But 60? I'm not sure how I feel about that number. 

I'm not buying the "60 is the new 40" crap. Because that's a tale we tell ourselves. It's a lot like the "prosperity gospel" stuff that the televangelists preach. The only "prosperity" is theirs because you're foolish enough to send them your hard-earned money. 

Yes, I believe that you should seek out positivity. But reality is a nice place to live. Not "reality" as in "reality TV" or... the current state of the White House and the Occupant... But "reality" as in, "Let's be realistic and look at both the profits and the pitfalls of what we're thinking about here. How do we best accomplish the task or the plan that we're looking at?" 

I have a sock yarn called "Unicorn Farts." It's a fun name. It's not the nature of the world. We're not here to believe strictly in daisies, buttercups, unicorn farts, and fairies. 

Yes, it's a big, beautiful, wonderful and wonder-filled world. It's also a world where animals are abused; kids are abused; women are abused; the planet is having a major meteorological hissy fit; two crazy man-boys are pushing us to the brink of World War III. "Thoughts and prayers" only go so far. 

Reality means we get down to brass tacks and become activists and advocates for the change we want to see. However that shapes up for us, getting on the phone, writing letters, standing for something and DOING something? Much better than daisies, buttercups, unicorn farts, and fairies. 

Autumn...

Well. That was a bust. It was 95 degrees today. In Illinois. It's the first day of Fall. Mother Nature isn't done with us yet. 

I met with my friend K who came back on one of the last flights from Puerto Rico. She's kind of a basket case, not knowing what will be left after this latest hurricane. I've asked her to teach some classes at the studio -- to bring some "normal" into an entirely abnormal scenario. She commented that this weather was "certainly weird." You could say that. It's almost October. 

We've had warm-ish Octobers before. But this is August. This is "chew on the air" weather -- Illinois folks are used to an August where you can sort of slice the air and gnaw on it because it's so sticky, hot, and heavy. Not at the end of September, though. Especially since, this past August, we didn't even break 90 degrees. At all. 

According to reports, we're having a "wet and mild" winter. We need "nasty cold freezing" to (a) kill all the germs we're not used to dealing with year-round; and (b) snow enough to raise water tables. 

We shall see. Mother Nature, on behalf of the sorry, stupid human race, I apologize and beg your forgiveness. Will you stop now? Thank you. 

Sunrise...

Today on the way to work, I was, thankfully, running early for once. I had to pick up a gift card for a raffle at the office, so I was able to scoot out of the house quickly. As I drove north on Rt. 53, I noticed a heavy ground fog. So I figured I'd nip into my new "favorite place"... the old swing bridge trail. 

And I wasn't disappointed. 

Well, I was a tad disappointed. This shot is at the base of the hill, and I had to skootch up a bit to get the sun in the shot. It's only on my phone. I need to grab the big camera and try again. Don't you love the light? It was beautiful. 

Knitting...

I'm still beavering away on the shawl; it does go quickly, and my animal Reiki-practitioner friend says she has the same yarn...which is really weird since this is a rather unique yarn company and what are the odds that a yarn that was a gift to me would be in someone else's hands? Either way, if she does have it, she's got another idea of what she can knit with it... 

I'm on the 6th point, if you count the first one. There are 18 points in this pattern. Still a little freaked out about the double yarn-overs, but so far, it's been a positive experience. The way the colors are laying out is quite interesting to me. When I had the hank just laid out, I wasn't quite sure how the grey would work into all of it. It almost looked like it was going to pool like crazy, but it really isn't. It's obvious there's a "plan" to the colors, but it's not - at least to my eyes - either a traditional self-patterning or variegated. That's what's going to make this unique. 

I've already eyeballed some amethyst sock yarn that may be the next iteration of this pattern. 

For me, knitting is "process" as well as "product." I mean, there are knitters who purely love the PROCESS of knitting. The act of knitting. If they never finish something, they're just happy knitting. Other knitters are "product" knitters. They want to just get the project done so they have a "thing" knitted. 

I'm a blend of the two. I like the process. It's meditative, even when I want to throw it against a wall. I like finishing, but I don't mind having 3 or 4 (or 5 or 6) projects on the needles. I'll get it done. Except for The Dreaded Teal Sock (yeah, I know...it'll get done), I really just go from project to project. I'm not wedded to any one project. I did put the Dr. Who project bag in the car and as I was waiting for a yoga class to get out (so I could get in to teach), I put a few rows on the Sole to Sole sock. It'll get done. 

I think that's my new mantra. "It'll get done." 

I need to knit or read to recharge my batteries. I'm rather introverted, though I fake the extrovert part. And when I come home, I want to just. Sit. I need quiet, and I need to recharge somehow. These solitary pursuits help me gather myself for the next "exposure to people." Does that sound horrible? I can't help it if it does. It's true. 

Random Picture...

So when I recently cleaned off the Arlo table (used to be where our canary Arlo resided), I put up the beautiful pottery bowl from my mom's friends and I put up my Buddha. This little guy used to rest on my desk in a prior office.  For what it's worth, it didn't keep anyone calmer there... But that's another chapter in the novel. 

Close to him are the Lake Michigan rocks, notice the heart-shaped marking on the one on the left. From the left, the next rock down is raw citrine, then a rounded, faceted garnet (middle). Up toward the right is raw jade, and then the other Lake Michigan rock. Over to the left, you can see a peek of my chalcedony bracelet. 

I was looking for a "tray" of some sort, and after rummaging in the closet, I came out with this Mikasa "cookie tray" that I got at a close-out sale with the thought that I'd give it as a gift. It's small -- too small for my cookie trays. But it's perfect, because even when I eventually gather more crystals/stones, they'll sit nicely on this little tray. I'm learning about crystals, but for me, it's not necessarily what their "powers" are. It's just that I like them. I find beauty in them, whether raw or polished or faceted. They're a "gazing point" for me. You take your "piece of quiet" where you can find it. 

Bit by Bit and Piece by Piece...

...just about sums up my approach to cleaning the house. 

Yes, I know. It's only Hubby and me. And 3 large hairy beasts (the dogs, a/k/a "The Girls"). And the occasional Kid who comes back. But only for a visit. 

Except now, Kid #2 is moving and is "temporarily storing" some stuff in our already-overflowing basement. 

Kid #1 has already informed me that, upon our demise, he's putting a large dumpster out in the front yard and sticking a "For Sale As Is" sign in the yard. Lest you think he's joking? He's not. And please - don't misunderstand. We're hardly in the category of "hoarders." It's not as clean as my mother or grandmother would want it, but it's not "Let's call the health department" bad. 

So today, after a couple hours at work, I tackled my Aunt Mary's sewing machine, a cabinet model that used to be the table for Arlo the now-dead canary. He moved from Aunt Mary's to the front window daily. So I also did his front window table. I also dusted the bookshelf and rearranged some stuff, dusted pictures, and lit a candle for a friend's daughter who's having surgery. 

The stuff on the sewing machine has been disbursed to various other locations, including the back room. Which, of course, is where Kid #2 is storing MORE of his stuff... (sigh).

Rocks in My Head...

So I went to the gem/rock show this weekend. As I may NOT have mentioned -- in my new job, my office is next to the X-ray room. Now, I'm not superstitious. But I don't want to glow; nor do I want to wear a lead apron all day! 

There are some rocks and crystals which, because of their properties, do protect against EMF. So I went looking. I bought a few pendants, and I have some to set on my desk. As you can see, I have a nice haul here. I had already had a bunch of tumbled amethyst. But I added a few nice ones to my stash. 

Crystals and stones are used in alternative healing, as meditation devices, and there are even people who "infuse essential oils with the power of crystals." Now, that's a step too far for me. My Young Living Essential Oils are pure enough, thanks!

The Rock Guy said to me, "Oh, there's black tourmaline (I knew that one), and hematite (ditto), and then there's shungite - the hottest thing out of Russia."

You mean aside from Nectarine Nemesis and his kid?? No, seriously - I had heard of the properties of shungite, and I found a few really pretty examples, so I got them. As far as EMF protection, the kyanite is also on the same order and it comes in a couple of different colors. I love black stones, and I love clear quartz. I also found a nice chunk of Iolite, a "water stone." 

I also couldn't pass up the lovely jade rock, nor the tumbled and ever-so-slightly faceted garnet. 

I did buy 2 rough stones for meditation, to put by my little Buddha. So, right in front of Buddha, on the left, is a cluster of citrine. Right - the November birthstone that's usually depicted as (so says Hubby) "urine yellow." It can actually range from nearly clear to a deep brown. This, even though it's hard to see, is a rich orange/rust. He couldn't believe it. And next to that is a rough green opal. 

On either side are the rocks from Lake Michigan. They're similar to the kinds of rocks we'll be painting at the studio for our "Yoga and Peace Rocks" workshop. I got a little bit of a head start on that with a painting project (see below). What I like about one of the rocks here is that, even though you can't see it - on the rock at the farthest left point? There's a heart-shaped lighter area. That was one I spotted right away and couldn't wait to grab it up and bring it home. I don't even care about the geological properties. I just think it's really neat. 

Peace Rocks...

I don't know if you've noticed them in your area, but around here, we're seeing "peace rocks" or "kindness rocks" around the trails. There's a local organization that's coordinating painting dates and you take your rocks home after they've sprayed them - and drop them where you want to. Usually, it's on the trails so someone else can find them and take the word or words to heart. And then they pass them on. 

Naive? Maybe. But it brings a smile to your face, and Heaven knows we can use more of that. And who knows? Kindness ripples. It's gotta start somewhere. 

So in August, we're going to hold a workshop. I'll lead the students in a short yoga practice (just some really basic stretches), a Metta meditation - which is lovingkindness, and then we set up to paint. Renee and Joy will bring both shale-type rocks and river rocks. And some will be pre-painted with a base color, so that all we need to do is use permanent markers and/or paints to write or draw what we want on them. They have a little "short affirmations" book that you can use to draw some quotes from, and obviously - small rocks, so small quotes! 

One of my students says she's already found a rock. She picked it up and placed it somewhere else. 

That's the idea. Simple. Perhaps incredibly naive, given what's going on in the world and especially in this country. But we have to make ourselves more mindful. We have to make ourselves more civil. One representative in Illinois is proposing "National Civility Day."

Oy... Everyone: news flash.... Be a nice human. That should cover it. 

Orchids...

I have twice been given orchid plants. One is in the studio, and it's having a bit of a rough go. I may have to move it, because it might be too warm where it is. This one is the one I had in my old office. I just repotted it today. I had to buy the orchid mix online because all we get around here is the soil - and I prefer to pot them in bark. I stick a couple ice cubes in there about once a week or so, and then we're good to go. I know that some folks put them on a large tray with pea gravel and keep it wet - "constant humidity" they say. In my experience, it doesn't matter one way or the other. It's mostly temperature, remembering to water it and having good growing medium. 

So this one is sitting on Aunt Mary's sewing chest, because the instructions recommended letting it be in a little less light for a few days. We'll see how this goes. But it looks lovely, doesn't it? 

This is really 2 pots in one. Each are stand-alone, but I noticed that the darker brown plastic one, which has holes in the bottom, fit nicely inside the copper-ish one, which is advertised as an "orchid pot." But with no drain holes. Together, though - they make one very nice container. As I recall, this is a white one. The stalk, though you can't see it, has another shoot on the end of it. We'll see if it blooms again. The one in the studio did re-bloom, so I wonder if it needs fresh bark. I'll be bringing it home and hopefully getting it freshened up. Maybe that'll give it a boost. Need to dig out Orchids for Dummies to see what's going on.

Knitting...

So you see it's a heel, and you see the gusset there. I'm liking it. Just a few more rows till I can just whip along on the foot. 

I haven't done anything with the sweater, which is fine right now. It's going to move along quickly - at least this body section. The sleeves may be interesting, but I don't know. It's been a long, long time since I did sleeves, especially set-in sleeves. These are also 3/4 length. And I'm the queen of short arms - so Heaven only knows what I'll have to do to finagle them. They "bell" out with the lace, so I'd prefer to keep them at the 3/4 length. 

I've been drooling over some shawls and shawlettes. I have some lovely sock yarn - fingering weight - that I really don't want to use for socks. I have a mulberry silk blend that - really -- I do not want to stick in a shoe! It's in an amethyst color-way with shades of blue, so if I do this right, and can find both a simple + complex enough pattern? Beautiful biggish scarf/shawlette thingie. I'd like to find something solid bodied, with a lace edge because I'm afraid that if the yarn flows like I think it will, the lace will muddle the color, or the other way round. It'll be too busy. 

For what I paid for the yarn, I want it to be the star of the show. I have 3 of those skeins (different colors and different dyers) - just so gorgeous that you don't want to make a pair of, let's face it, "disposable" items like socks. 

I also want to do a little "medicine bag" for my other loose stones. I'm going to see if I have more of Sonda's blue/white hand-dyed. I did a hat with that, even though it was fingering-weight (socks). It's a very light hat, and not suitable for heavy winter weather. But it's a nice one for Fall and early winter. I made a mala bag out of some of the leftover, and I think I may have enough for a medicine bag for the stones. 

Reading...

As always, re-reading the classics! So I was griping about Murder on the Church Council. And the ending was not cool. I mean, it made sense. But it was like, read-read-read, story-story-story and then, "Oh my God, we have to END this sucker" and BOOM! Denoument and over. What??

And seriously, as crazy as it may seem, the typos and inconsistencies bothered my enjoyment(?) of the book. 

So in between reading a book on the Episcopal Church, I started re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I want to see how they sanitized the movie. If you read it, Go Set A Watchman, the "missing" Harper Lee book, had Atticus as quite the racist. And that was purportedly the first draft of Mockingbird. And the movie? 

Well, Gregory Peck. Even though he was an incredibly versatile actor, I wonder if he wanted to be best-known for a role in which he was a virulent racist? 

I don't know, but much like Hitchcock's Suspicion - they changed the original ending because Cary Grant couldn't be seen as a villain. The original ending was purported to have had him killing off Joan Fontaine. But the ending was changed by studio bosses. 

I read that Cary Grant REALLY wanted to kill off Joan Fontaine, because he was tired of "always" being the good guy. But the studio didn't want to mess with his pristine reputation as the hero. 

And I don't know - maybe Gregory Peck said, "Let me do this - I have the chops and I need to do it." Maybe - it could happen - he said, "No, let's clean this up a bit." I haven't seen anything to lead me to believe anything either way. It's just a thought because I know that the book is never like the movie. 

But I have a theory. Everyone should re-read the things they read in high school English class, when they've got some living and some years behind them. That's the only way really (unless you were born an English teacher) to really appreciate what you read when you were a teenager. Even if you loved them the first time - read them again. 

You'll have a whole new experience when you do. 

Random Picture...

Where I went for the rock painting project was at a park. I had some time, since I had put the wrong time on my calendar and I was a whole hour early. It was ok - I had a book, though I wish I had brought my knitting! So I read and I sat. Turns out that I was in the wrong section of the park anyway, which I figured out about 10 minutes before it was supposed to start.

I found them. But in the meantime, I got this shot of the little lake there. People were fishing, and some folks were walking around the path. I have no idea what kind of fish are in there, though I suspect perch. 

It was a pleasant evening for nearly-August. Actually, it was nippy! At least for us in summer. The breeze ruffled the water, and the willow tree was skimming the surface. 

I didn't see any little fishes breaking the surface, but that's ok. I was more intent on framing a decent shot in the fading light. I only had my phone with me, so this is the best I could do.