Knits Now and Then

Blog Readability

2008-07-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

This was a fun test to take. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the icon to act as a link if you click on it, so I've copied the link separately. I'm pleased the reading level is at least high school - some days I feel I can barely write like a kindergartner. Me go now.
http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx

Minnesota on the Fourth

2008-07-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

We saw two Fourth of July parades last weekend. My Grand-girls decorated their bike and wagon and walked in kids parade - an annual event and it seems every child and parent in the county participated. This is a photo of about 1/5 of the crowd. The grand-girls are in there somewhere.

In the afternoon, we watched the "official" parade.

You know you're in the Upper Midwest when you see a line of bright and shiny tractors in a parade - lots of farms out there.

And here's a group of supporters for one of Minnesota's finest - Al Franken (remember him from Saturday Night Live?) He's running for Congress.

We cooled off with a dip in the huge pool at the Fitness Center. Again, tons of kids, but in this shot are only GD4 and S3. From the way he played in the water, you'd think he was another Grand-kid.

Here's a quiet moment - sunset on Lake Minnetonka.

And yes, I did get some knitting done - mostly on the flight and waiting in the terminals. I just missed my connection in Cleveland - I could actually see the plane moving away from the jetway - my incoming flight from Providence was stranded on the tarmac for 20 minutes before they could park the plane and the connection didn't wait. That was the last of a bunch of cumulative delays beginning with a late takeoff in Providence. Yuck! Anyway, here's the knitting, a lacy mohairish scarf which will be a Christmas present for a good friend.

2 FOs, 1 more started

2008-06-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

I've finished the small pair of socks, and I've started a matching (sort of) large pair. I'm really pleased that I was able to match the patterning across the ankle. This will be a joint Christmas present - yes, I've started early because I'm hoping to knit something for everybody and this will take some time!

I've also finished the pink linen tank top. It's just the same as the natural linen one I did last year - same yarn, same pattern, but I modified the lace border at the bottom. The neck looks a little loose - if it feels wrong when I wear it a few times, I might redo the crocheted edging and make it a little tighter. But I really like this pattern, and the top looks good under an open blouse or over a turtleneck. I won't wear a sleeveless top by itself - gotta hate those arm wings. How come some women have lovely slender arms until they're 90, and other like me get wings when they're 40? And I'm not really overweight either - well, maybe 5 pounds or so.

I started another lacy scarf. This is the same pattern as the rose Rowan Silk Haze I made a few months ago. The pattern is easy - only one lace row in every four. This is a good project for traveling because it's on circular plastic needles and there's no problem taking it on a flight.

I'm going to Minnesota to see S3 and his family over the Fourth of July weekend, and this will be coming with me. I wanted to get a small head start on it so I could get the pattern memorized again before I leave. I'm taking a ball of colorful yarn, some needles, and an easy pattern for a headband, and maybe the grand-girls will knit with me. I also hope to get up to Excelsior for an hour or two to do some antiquing. Big doings in that area last weekend - the LPGA US Open was held on a golf course not too far from S3's house.

Butterflies and Socks

2008-06-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is the lace butterfly made for me by D2 for Mom's Day. I have mounted it on a piece of floral tapestry and framed it in an embroidery hoop, and it hangs in my bathroom. The tapestry actually looks better in person, and why is it the butterfly looks off-center in the picture when it looked perfectly straight when I framed it. Must be the camera.... I love it, and it looks perfect on my trellis wallpaper.

I have made a sock! This is the first sock I've knitted since I made a pair of argyles for my first husband about 45 years ago (yes, really, and I think he wore them once.) It was fun knitting with the variegated yarn, and now I have to make another one. I think everybody is getting socks for Christmas. Family, beware of the dreaded Sock-Grammie!

Vermont Ferry

2008-06-16T09:57:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Hubster and I drove (well, he drove) up to Vermont - almost to the Canadian border) to visit with his daughters. I took my camera, but forgot to take pictures. The only pictures I took were on the ferry ride across Lake Champlain from Vermont to New York. Here they are. It was an absolutely beautiful day - sunny, breezy, warm.

We made a few stops along the way so I could shop for antiques. I could have stayed longer in Hudson, NY, but Hubster was hungry and didn't like any of the cafes that we saw in the antiques/art district of Warren Street. We got home in time to watch the last few holes of the US Open - there is a playoff today between Tiger (who else) and Rocco Mediate (he's really cute, but it's such a silly name).

At the Knitting Guild meeting on Thursday, I won about 20 magazine issues in the raffle, and managed to scan through almost all of them on the drive. I tore out the patterns and articles I wanted to save (quite a few, actually), and tossed the rest. I'm not in "save everything" mode anymore. I also did a few more inches on the peach scarf, and helped Hubster's daughter with her knitting project too. She's a passionate knitter, and it's fun to share the passion. I gave his other daughter the "Learn to Knit" I won at the KG auction - we'll see if that catches fire with her.

Not Much New

2008-06-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

I still haven't started the Sunrise Circle Cardigan that I bought the beautiful Debbie Bliss yarn for. I think it's because I still want to have it to look forward to. In the meantime, I'm through with the knitting for the pink linen tank top. I have to sew the side and shoulder seams, and crochet an edging around the armholes and neckline. Maybe tonight while watching Antiques Roadshow. This is what it looks like so far.

Since I'm procrastinating this tank top sewing, I started a scarf for a Christmas present. My friend Beth loved this color when she saw me making afghan squares for Warm Up America with it, so I set it aside for a scarf for her. The pattern is from Debbie Macomber's knitting booklet that corresponds to her novel "A Good Yarn". It's called Vera's scarf, a character in the book.

And here's a picture of our condo lawn with the grass finally starting to come in. Hubster is out watering everywhere almost every day - luckily we've had quite a few days of rain lately so he's gotten a break. He's the condo association president so he has taken on the responsibility of grass growth maintenance. Very few of the other 23 owners have a sprinkler/hose or the desire to water their own patch of lawn - they're happy to let someone else do it. You can see a hose in the picture below, and the rhodendrons are in bloom.

I know that's why people buy condos - so they won't have to do maintenance - but a few others (like me) have small gardens and still love to get out and dig. I'm very happy today to see that my peonies popped into bloom overnight.

And finishing off with a view of the hostas I planted all down the side of our unit. Big ones, small ones, all shades of green and white. This gets shade almost all day, and the hostas love it here.

Sidetracked by a Tank Top

2008-05-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have bought the yarn for the Sunrise Circle cardigan, downloaded the directions from Knitting Daily, and was all set to cast on, when I decided I'd like another tank top first. I had made one using a natural color linen blend last year, and it came out well, and I had enough of the same yarn in a pink shade for a second top. So now I'm more than half way through it already. This photo shows my progress as of three days ago - I've finished the back and have two inches of the front done tonight. I used a different lace pattern for the bottom edge this time. I love this color and this yarn.

I also did something I've never done before - I threw away (literally, right into the garbage can) the turquoise shrug I had almost finished. I just didn't like the yarn, didn't like the fit, decided I'd never wear it, didn't even want to give it away. So it's gone, gone, gone!

Hubster still can't believe I did that. I have a couple balls left - maybe I'll donate them or give them away - someone else might like this yarn.

I am a sucker for colorful yarn - I just bought only one ball of this last weekend. I may never knit with it - just add it to my collection of multicolored yarns. On the other hand, I'd love to see what a scarf made from this would look like. Maybe one row of Sitar, alternating with a row of a single color - dark blue might be good with it. We'll see.

Debbie and Me

2008-05-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Debbie Macomber was signing her newest book "Twenty Wishes" at Foxwoods Casino last night, and I went down to see her. I heard several comments from Foxwoods staff about what a nice lady she is, and she is just like her books - easy-going, not too complicated and a little bit funny. She gave a short speech first in one of the Ballrooms, then answered questions from the audience (about 250, mostly women). I bravely put up my hand and asked if there would be a knitting pattern book associated with Twenty Wishes, as there is with the other 3 Blossom Street yarn shop books, and she said there was. Later, when I finally got up to her table (long line) with my book to sign, she asked me if I was the one who had asked that question, and I admitted it. (Imagine she actually remembered my face out of all those people!) So she snuck a copy of that pattern book from under the table and gave it to me, saying "Don't tell anyone". (and since no-one reads this blog, I'm not.) She's got a fan for life in me. And she graciously consented to have pictures taken, so here we are. In case you missed a previous post, she knits and lives about 20 miles from S1 in Washington which is how I had connected with her. Another connection is that she mentioned in her little talk that she had had 4 children in 5 years, just like me.

Next is a picture of the wonderful lace butterfly which D2 sent me on Mother's Day. This was on the cover of an issue of Piecework magazine which I saw at her house in February, and jokingly said "Why don't you make that for me?" It's a project I would never tackle myself - way too complex, but D2 likes extreme needlework (you should see her needlepoint!), so she attempted it and lo and behold - isn't it beautiful. To give an idea of size, it's about 5" by 7". I'm going to frame it.

The big news at the condo is that we're having our lawns re-loamed and reseeded, after many years of crab grass being the only green to be seen. Here's what it looks like right now. But we have hope. The second picture is my small garden in front of our unit - a few perennials, including a wonderful peony, and some pansies and impatiens for spring color in the front.

Happy Spring! Flea Market season has started.

The Eyes Have It

2008-05-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

I don't have much time to post this week. Today was the day Hubster had Lazik surgery on his eyes, amazingly it took only about half an hour (I barely had time to read an article in People in the waiting room). Tomorrow we have to go back to Wethersfield for the doctor to check his work. Hubster is sleeping right now, hopefully for the rest of the day to help heal the surgery. He has an eyedrop and medication regime for the next week.

And my eyes are a little black and blue today, as I banged my nose with a heavy wooden shelf while packing the car after the Brimfield flea market. My show partner did very well, but I did about as poorly as possible. I probably won't be doing another Brimfield show - not much fun to spend two days alternately freezing and baking, and then not even break even.

Hubster Reunion

2008-05-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

I got my camera back from Canon - nothing but praise for their repair service! It was back to me in a week, working perfectly again, and under warrantee with no charge. Hooray! So now I can post some new pictures and update Ravelry.

Friday afternoon, Hubster's brother paid us a visit from South Carolina. Long time no see for these two. We went out to dinner and then I left them alone and the two guys talked until the semi-wee hours. I wasn't really listening to their conversation, but a lot of it involved politics, the job market, and the state of the world today - pretty different from what women talk about when they get together. Brother is younger than Hubster, but larger, as you can see in the official commorative photo below.

Now for the exciting knitting news. This is my completed scarf, using the pattern that Pat sent me, after I admired hers at the Knitting Guild. I've gotten compliments galore on it and two people want me to make it for them (I refused gently, but offered to teach them to knit.) They might get it for Christmas, though, who knows. I love it myself and will wear it a lot. It would be excellent in a heavier yarn also. Thanks again, Pat!

This is what I currently working on, and I can't wait to finish it, because I don't like this kind of knitting. I have to concentrate on every stitch. It looks like a real mess right now, but when it's seamed and blocked, it should look like the one in the picture. The yarn is from my stash, which I've had for ages. The blue scarf above was stash yarn also, so I'm making a small dent in what is in the boxes.

But I had to buy some new yarn for the next project. It's the Sunrise Circle sweater, and the yarn I got at almost half price at Webs is so gorgeously soft and beautiful. I haven't started the sweater yet, but every so often I just squeeze the yarn and pet it a little.

The next post will be about butterflies, grass and Brimfield.

The Cutest Model Ever

2008-05-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

My California daughter just sent me pictures of my GD5 wearing the purple cotton sundress I finished for her last month. It's a little big, which is good, and the buttons on the straps can be lowered to allow for even more growth. I couldn't choose which picture was the cutest, so I'm

including all three of them. Love the little ballet poses!

My camera had to be sent away for repairs - it's under warranty so I might get it fixed for free. I have pictures to take for Ravelry of new stash and new projects, so I'm hopeful I'll get it back next week - Canon Service promised to be quick - 7 day turnaround. I've started a turquoise cotton shrug, and bought some marvelous Debbie Bliss alpaca/silk for the Sunrise Circle Cardigan (almost 1/2 price at Webs!).

Another issue here at home is that our automatic garage door opener isn't working - in fact, most of the the whole condo's garage doors have the same problem. The serviceman worked on it for a while and concluded that something with a very strong frequency signal in the neighborhood is interfering with the signal from the remote. He tried to install several different frequencies in the door equipment but nothing worked. Hubster has contacted the electric company and the phone company and walked around to neighboring houses to ask if they had anything new which might be the cause of our problem, but nothing was discovered. Not a major problem, but definitely a nuisance.

Harlot at Webs

2008-05-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Yarn Harlot day at Webs in Northampton. It was worth $20 in gas to drive there and hear her speak. It's like stand-up comedy with a knitting theme. Her style reminds me of George Burns routines which I've seen on TV, where he just stands on a stage and tells stories and you are laughing softly all the way through, and then he leisurely gets to the punch line and it's just hilarious. Her point this year was that knitting induces a meditative state (Theta brain waves) which lets your mind go free and stimulates creativity and stress-relief. It's marvelous how she can make that so funny. Isn't it just great to learn that something you enjoy and results in beautiful things to wear or give away is also good for you! And didn't we learn last year that chocolate and wine are also good for your health? We can eat chocolate, drink wine and knit all at the same time, and become Super Heroes. The chocolate and wine has to be in moderation of course, or we'd all be fat drunks, and then how would we knit?

Here's a picture I took in a store window on Main Street in Northampton. You can see my reflection taking the photo. I had not heard of this movie but I definitely want to find out more about it.

Here's a picture of Stephanie signing her book. I took this picture because of the Red Sox jacket the woman is wearing, but now looking at it I see she has my hair, so maybe we can pretend it's me. I actually got a pre-signed copy this time - didn't want to wait in line for over an hour and she signed my book last year anyway.

The second photo is some of the mob scene at the Webs store after Stephanie's talk (which was at the Calvin Theatre) - you could hardly move in the aisles. Fortunately I got there before her talk when the shop was relatively empty and scored some beautiful pink yarn for my planned sweater, at half price! I would show a picture of it, but I stupidly dropped water all over my camera on the way home, and now it isn't working very well, to say the least. I did manage to recover the pictures I took, as you can see above, but I can't take any more until the camera dries out (I hope!)

New Projects

2008-04-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

Now that the Cobblestone is finished, I've been thinking about the next BIG project, and have decided on the Sunrise Circle Jacket, by Kate Gilbert. It's in the Spring 2006 IK, the one recent issue that I don't have, but it's downloadable for free from Knitting Daily - which I just did. Since I'm going up to Northampton on Sunday for the Yarn Harlot, I can look through Webs' vast inventory for just the perfect yarn. I'm planning on finding something spectacular and absolutely perfect on sale, of course. And I'll get Stephanie's newest book, too. With the price of gas now almost at $3.60, this trip will probably cost a fortune, but well worth it. After all, it's knitting!

A friend of mine recently bought a "Knitting Nancy" for her grand-neice to try out. This is the same thing we used to make with a wooden spool and 4 nails. It makes a long round chain. Wouldn't you know, we had the hardest time trying to figure out how it worked - the directions that came with the gadget were useless, so we gave up trying to follow them and just worked by instinct and memory. We also found a crochet hook would be a lot more useful than the metal stick on a handle that came with it. And this toy cost over $20 too. Granted, it was cutely painted, but I told my friend that maybe we should just stick to the good old spool and nails.

One FO, One New UFO

2008-04-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

First to all, here's the Cobblestone sweater, finished, washed and blocked, and finally modeled by Hubster, who is very satisfied with it (he better be!). I'm happy with it too. He's out at the Lion's Club meeting tonight wearing it - I told him I was not taking order for any others no matter how his friends begged. His will be unique in Putnam.

I have a lot of little projects in mind, but I don't know yet what the next BIG one will be. Here's a little project I just started last night. At Show-and-Tell at the Knitters Guild meeting last week, Pat showed this scarf, and I just fell in love with it. I've been looking half-heartedly for a pattern for a neckerchief-type scarf, but all the ones I've seen have a straight-across top, like a real triangle. This one has a curved top edge, so it will fit around your neck without bunching up in the back. Anyway, I asked her for the pattern, and she kindly mailed it to me, so here's my first few rows.

And by the way, I have already frogged this three times, before I finally got the pattern down in my mind. It's really easy - I just kept doing it wrong.

And this is how the striped scarf is coming along - a friend of mine really likes it so she may be getting it as a surprise gift.

This is under the Small World of Coincidences category - I was just talking this morning with D2, who lives in Los Angeles, about the AARP magazine cover of Jamie Lee Curtis, and how great she looks with her grey hair and honest wrinkles - no haircolor or cosmetic surgery for her! And D2 just called me and said: Guess who walked into my needlepoint class this afternoon? Yes, Jamie Lee Curtis! And she really does look great just as she is. Simple chic.

Sweaters and Feet (One of Each)

2008-04-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

It was Show-and-Tell at the RI Knitting Guild meeting last night. I had planned to have the Cobblestone sweater finished by then, but due to some unexpected frogging, that didn't happen. I brought it anyway and got some good comments about it. New member Marva wants to make one for herself so she was able to see the construction. This is the second sweater I've made recently (first being the Napoli by Norah Gaughan for myself) that has what I'm going to call "interior construction", sweaters that are knit mostly in one piece with circular needles, short rows and increases/decreases in interesting places. This is quite different from the way I've always made sweaters - knit a front, a back, 2 sleeves, and then sew them all together. I'm really liking the new way - it's more of a challenge and I like the way it enhances the fit. Here's the cobblestone so far - hopefully the next post will show Hubster modeling it.

So then I came home from the meeting and what did I find? See below.

This is Hubster's left foot, complete with bracey-shoe-thing. He broke a long bone in his foot, and would you believe it was because he was jumping up to swat a bug on the ceiling. He's now supposed to be resting his foot and walking with crutches, but of course he isn't taking that good advice. I warned him I was going to post this picture, but I don't think he reads my blog posts. Probably a good thing.

Live With It!

2008-04-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

I've been reading other folks' blogs this afternoon, and some of my favorites write reams of funny and interesting thoughts, on and on about this and that. Somehow I can't do that. I find it hard to write a non-trite sentence or two on a birthday card. I've often wondered how someone could write a novel - how do they think up all those words? And writing a self-help book - insane. I could probably say everything necessary in one paragraph, or even one sentence - something like "get over it!", or "so stop doing that if it makes you unhappy". D2 is a writer - she wrote a wonderful magazine column for a few years - so where did that come from? D1 writes well too when she gives it a chance. Anyway, this blog is probably going to turn out rather boring, except for maybe a nice picture or two once in a while. So Live With It.

Cobblestone Coming Along

2008-04-02T06:34:00.001-07:00

I'm getting near to the top of the Cobblestone sweater. It got a little complicated at the armholes as you had to add on the stitches from the sleeves to the stitches of the body, and then start doing short rows. The short rows shorten the yoke of the sweater (the garter stitch area) without obvious decreases at the neck - neat idea. All of this is done on one big circular needle, which avoids a lot of seaming.

The only "seam" I'll have to do is some kitchener stitch at the armholes. You can see this opening in the photo below.

I don't like the way you have to constantly stop and move the stitches around on a circular needle (especially since there were a LOT of them in this pattern). You have to do this with straight needles too but somehow it seems less interruptive. And at this point it's a huge amount of knitting to be holding in my lap, and there isn't any lap left to hold my book. But the end is near and Hubster might even get to wear it once or twice in April.

I've finished the Rowan Kidsilk lace scarf. I think it came out beautifully and I've gotten compliments when I wear it, but it was difficult to knit. The yarn kept sticking to itself or dropping off the needles, so I had to keep counting the stitches every few rows to make sure I still had 38, not 40 or 35. I had to frog back several time before I learned to become REALLY careful when knitting the lace row and row after that. It was a challenge for me, as I haven't done much lace knitting, especially with this fuzzy type of lace yarn, and I succeeded! Yay for me!

Also on the needles now is a diagonal striped scarf from some KW that was in my stash. The left edge looks a little lumpy but I can straighten that out with blocking - it's not mistakes in the increases.

FO anxiety is beginning - what will I do when the Cobblestone is finished? I need another big project.

Vicar of Dibley Knits

2008-03-29T17:54:00.001-07:00

Tonight (Saturday) is the night for one of my favorite shows - The Vicar of Dibley. It's one of those English comedies. I thought it was a religious show but I tuned in to it by accident and found out it's hilarious. The vicar is Dawn French, a very large lady who is extremely funny. And it turns out she has written knitting pattern books - who knew? I found them on Amazon - Big Knits, written in 1990, and Great Big Knits in 1993. I've noted the sweaters she sometimes wears on the show and she probably knitted them herself. Isn't it strange how you find knitting and knitters wherever you go!!

Easter in Indiana

2008-03-26T14:09:00.001-07:00

I spent the past long weekend visiting Son2 and his family in Indianapolis. It has been about a year since I last saw them, and a year makes a big difference in those grand-children. At least GD2 (age 11) and GS2 (age 6) still remembered me! We colored Easter Eggs on Saturday morning, making a grand mess (that S2 on the right), and went to Easter service on Sunday. Daughter-in-law was unfortunately very busy helping her mother and father who were having severe health problems, so I didn't see too much of her.

I had brought several balls of yarn and crochet hooks, hoping that GD2 would like to learn to crochet. She picked up on it quite fast, and was happily crocheting along while I knitted on my rose Kidsilk scarf.

I'd love to be able to teach her new stitches and help her out when she has questions, but I probably won't visit them again for another year (maybe sooner, who knows). But maybe when she's older, she'll remember that Grammie taught her to crochet, at least a little bit, just like my grandmother taught me.

I'm saving the pictures of the completed rose scarf for the next post.

Showing Antiques

2008-03-18T05:06:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, my show partner and I did an antiques show in Massachusetts. The trend in antiques in the past 3-4 years has been gently downward, so we weren't expecting much from sales at this show. However, we were pleasantly surprised to do a little better than we had done at the last two shows in this location. Not great, but better. However, the not-so-good news is that the show was smaller, only about half as many dealers as in previous shows, so we got a larger share of a smaller pot. I took a couple pictures of our space.

I spent some of the boring hours in the later afternoon knitting on my rose Kidsilk Haze lace scarf. A couple of ladies commented on how lovely it was (and I agree). It's a relatively easy Feather and Fan lace pattern, but the yarn is so thin and fuzzy that I find it hard to work with. I have to count the stitches about every four rows to make sure I still have 38, because it's so easy for me to knit two together or add one where it's not wanted. This is an older picture - I actually have about 3 feet done.

And now I'm off to work at the antiques show for the day, and I probably do a little knitting there when there are no customers needing help.

Flowers in Boston

2008-03-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

A friend and I took a bus trip up to Boston on Saturday to attend the Boston Flower Show. Some of the exhibits were amazing, with waterfalls, huge rocks, tall evergreens and flowering trees, and of course, thousands of flowers blooming away, not realizing that it's still winter outside. Just to walk in the Bayside and instantly get that scent - moist soil, flowers, flowing water - hard to describe how comforting that is to a spring-starved person. I took home a souvenir - a rock planted with succulents - well, not really a rock, but it looked like one. I think it's made of poured concrete, and there's a hole in the bottom for drainage. I like my little mini-garden!

Here's my other souvenir. Some people buy tee-shirts when they travel, I buy socks.

Below is a picture of the finished sundress for GD5. I'm mailing it off to California tomorrow. I told D2 not to tell me if it doesn't fit (at least if it's too small - she'll grow into it if it's too big). GD5's birthday is March 20 - she'll be an awesome five years old. That day is plugged into my memory, not just because of her birthday, although that's certainly the best reason to remember the date. Five years ago on March 20, our troops invaded Iraq, and that has definitely not been "mission accomplished", as was so proudly proclaimed by a person whose name I refuse to use. So let's end this day's blog with something actually accomplished, something that is not bringing more chaos into this world, and something I think pretty is darn cute besides - the sundress.

Sweet Dreams

2008-03-02T05:38:00.000-08:00

For the last two or three years, I have had frequent dreams that my fully grown-up children are babies and toddlers again. Some of the dreams have only one child, some have more. Most of the time, they are cute and cuddly, running around and playing nicely, sometimes they are bratty and whiny and crying (just like they were then). Last night's dream involved only one baby - a sort of composite of all of them. I was first holding him on my lap, and then he was drawing nicely with crayons and paper, sitting in a high chair. A sweet dream, and it was nice to be a young mother again briefly.

Two of my boys have birthdays this month, so that childhood in my dreams is getting even further behind us. Doesn't it seem strange sometimes to look at these adults and realize that you have actually created them, that you brought them into the world, changed diapers, rocked them to sleep, helped with homework, and so on and so on. And you never stop worrying about them.

Yes, I know there are only 4 kids in the "before" pictures, but Son3 (the big guy in the white shirt) only came along 6 years later.

March in Like a Lion

2008-03-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

Today is March 1, a day I love because to me it means the end (almost) of winter. And what is it doing outside today? Snowing like mad.

Hubster and I live in a condo. Our back deck looks out over a small wetlands. It's lovely in every season, and and beautiful when it's snowing. Here's two photos of the back "yard". The birds hadn't arrived at the feeders yet - we did have bluejays today - the first time I've seen them this year (and for several years actually). Hubster tells me that the bluejay population in CT crashed several years ago for some unknown reason, but they seem to be coming back.

The next photo shows our not-so-lovely front yard. Our condo is the end unit, and the snow gets pushed all the way down the driveway to end up in front of us. So there's this big ugly pile of sand-covered snow all the time confronting us when we look out the windows. We have one parking space in front (which we can't use now since it is covered by the snow pile, so we have to park one car several distances away), and if we have one more snowstorm, we probably won't be able to get in our garage unit as well. The joys of winter!! Although it is really beautiful today.

I'm working at the antique shop today - I'll be leaving in about an hour. We will be open, but maybe we'll close early if no intrepid customers show up.

Fine Oscar Moment

2008-02-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

I saw the Academy Awards on Sunday evening, and the high point of the event for me was Javier Bardem's acceptance speech. Short, to the point, and emotional. I loved that after a few brief thanks, he first apologized to the audience for speaking in Spanish because his mother doesn't understand English, and he then spoke directly to her in the audience for several moments. It must have been something special because he had her in tears. It was a lovely and gracious tribute, and I can't wait for his next movie.

Heeeeere's Meme!

2008-02-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

Here's my Meme, and the rules for passing it on. (I hope I did this right, Marcy.)

The Rules:- Link to the person that tagged you.
I got this meme from Marcy at http://myquiltsnstuff.wordpress.com.
Post the rules on your blog.Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.Let’s go:
1. During the week, I practically live on crackers and cheese. (We cook only on weekends.)
2. I love murder mysteries, especially the vintage ones like Nero Wolfe and Miss Marple, also Lovejoy (combining antiques with murders).
3. A great sandwich is peanut butter with bananas on toast. Peanut butter is also great added to BLT sndwiches
4. I often start conversations with comments to previous remarks, long after those remarks have been forgotton. Drives Hubster crazy (probably why I do it!).
5. I can’t stop the habit of biting my nails. At least, I stopped sucking my thumb when I was seven.
6. I don’t like air conditioning (although I do relent when it’s 95 degrees/95 humidity). I believe summers were meant to be hot.

Now I am tagging Debbie at www.calicokitty6.blogspot.com, Cindy at www.cindyknits.blogspot.com, Kimberly at http://www.somebunnyslove.com, Judy at http://smatterings.typepad.com, (I met you once at the RI knitting guild meeting), Barb at http://knittingrandma.blogspot.com (because I’m a Grandma too and I went to Nashville once), Honore at http://www.bygoneknits.blogspot.com (because I’m an antiques dealer and love vintage fashion). Feel free to play along with this meme.