November Thankfulness - Parties

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I was going to throw more parties, to honor the memory of Sarah Stephens.

This weekend, I'm having one, so I don't really have time to write a blog post, except to say that I am thankful for the opportunity to get together with my friends and celebrate!

Peace.  Party on.

November Thankfulness - Knitting

I know it's November, because I have been getting requests:  cabled hats, colorful mittens, and big chunky scarves.

So today, I am thankful for knitting -- the peace it brings me, the friendships it has allowed me and the pleasure my knitted efforts bring to others.

Currently, I have four projects on the needles:  a prototype chunky headband (that red blob in the basket), a Branching Out scarf made from local alpaca, a sweet lacy baby sweater in a soft green, and the previously mentioned big chunky scarf (the white blog in the basket).  There are several pattern variations out there for this seed stitch scarf, including this one knit end-to-end and sewn together, and this one  -- the Gap-tastic Cowl -- which one of our knitters shared last month.  I showed the pattern to Sarah, who immediately put in an order, and Maggie said she would like one, too.  And although you cast on 131 stitches and knit in the round, it's really a pretty fast knit with the Lion Brand Hometown chunky yarn on 13's.

Plus, I have taken the opportunity to practice my continental knitting.  I conquered the continental knit stitch a few years ago when I made myself learn two-handed color work, but have never perfected the continental purl.  I think after these two scarves, I'll have it.

As long as no one requests socks, it should be a pleasant knitting season!

Peace.

November Thankfulness - Sisters

Beside a well, one does not thirst.

Beside a sister, one does not despair.

           - Chinese Proverb

I am blessed with two biological sisters.  Two sisters-in-law.  Many, many close friends I consider sisters.   

I do not despair.  

Besides, when you get to go to work with your sister and dress like this,

despair is not an option.   And for the record, I was a Minion, not a bumblebee.

November - A Month of Thanks

You know that I believe there is always, always something to be thankful for.  Most days, that's an easy one for me -- I'm a pretty blessed girl, and thankfulness doesn't take too much effort.

Some days, however, like today, it's tougher.
When things don't go quite right.
When loved ones are suffering.
When it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But I know that light is there.  I know suffering ends.  I know things can and will be better.

So with that in mind, I'm going to try to blog something I'm thankful for each day in November.  OK, it's true that I am very bad at blogging every day, but I'm thankful that my friends understand that about me.

Peace.

This and That

 - Tuesday, during my little band's "set" at the Lutheran Home, my friend Susie brought me this card on the left.  How did she know it was just what I needed?

- In my last post, I referred to Chuck (Korean War veteran, candy maker, book writer and all around fantastic person) as a hero.  When we met yesterday, he asked me to remove the word "hero" from a sentence I had written.  I'll take it out of his book, but I'm not removing it from my post.  He masterminded (he'd hate that word, too) an escape from a North Korean prison camp and saved 36 men's lives.  Sorry buddy, that qualifies as a Hero on this blog.

 - This writing thing is playing havoc with my housekeeping skills.  OK, so I know I don't really have any housekeeping skills, but I've washed the same load of towels 3 days in a row because I keep forgetting to put them in the dryer.

- Writing's also playing havoc with my dog care skills.  I was hard at work the other night, and when eyelids tried to slam shut, I realized it was 1:00 AM and I hadn't let Zoe out.  She really had to go and launched herself off the front porch, but an abandoned cat who's been hanging around was annoying her, and she kept prancing farther and farther into the misty darkness to get away from him.  I called but she didn't come back -- I went inside for shoes and an umbrella, and called and searched all over the yard, but no sign of her.  I went in to wake up Will and tell him I was going to drive around the neighborhood to find her, and as we were headed out the door, up she bounced back onto the porch.  I was too relieved to scold her, but I sure would like to know where she was for half an hour!

 - After meeting with Chuck yesterday, I made a stop at the teacher store for Sharon then went to Jo-Ann Fabrics, just for a look-see.  I do believe it is the very first time I've left a Jo-Ann's without buying something.  Sort of proud of myself.

 - Knitting.  I whipped off a fluffy pink scarf on Monday for Jolene, a little sweetie in kindergarten who is moving back to Texas -- Bernat Boa in hot pink held together with some hot pink Red Heart on size 13 needles.  Jolene probably won't have too much need for a fluffy pink scarf to keep her warm, but I am guessing she'll use it for dress up, because she's just that kind of little girl.  I'll miss her.

I also have another Branching Out scarf on the needles.  This is one of my favorite patterns; I've knit it several times, and always recommend it to knitters wanting to try lace.  I visited a sweet little alpaca farm last week, and bought a skein of brown sport weight; it is working out beautifully in this pattern, and hope to take an hour or so today and knit a few more repeats.  Photo soon.

- Reading.  I'm not really reading anything but Chuck's book, over and over.  Oh, and a little Korean War history, too, but I think I'll go to the library today for a girly novel to give my brain a break.

- Last weekend, we had a visiting priest from Food for the Poor.  After noon mass at B'town, I told him a little bit about the plans for the Community Diner soup kitchen.  He said he was proud of the community for taking on the project and that he would pray for its success.  All I'm going to say is he must have some pretty powerful prayers, because things really took off this week.  Maybe not as I was hoping --I have lots and lots of questions -- but at least there's some sort of progress, and that's a great thing, right?

- I miss my husband.  

- And, because it is a dreary old day, and because my sister shared this with me on Pinterest, and because I have seen this very look on my own corgi's face, I send another little smile your way:

Peace.

A Real Live Writer

I started the month of September with meeting a real live author.  As in an "I've-sold-17-million-books" author, Diana Gabaldon.

I ended September with meeting a real live war hero.  As in an "I-am-finally-writing-my-memoirs-and-want-you-to-help-me" hero, Chuck.

And I think the primary reason I am able to help Chuck write (and to finally make my own book a reality) is something Diana said at lunch that day:  "I always knew I had a book in me."

So did I.  But I was always afraid to say it out loud.

Last week I went looking for my college transcript.  I didn't find it, but in the middle of my search, in the middle of my closet, in the middle of a box full of stuff from grad school, I found a book I had started writing way back when.  Like 1983.  And you know what?  It's not awful.  Kind of a Jodi Picoult-ish story, full of angst and tensiosity (it's a family word).  Although I'm not too interested in re-visiting that story, it gives me another reason to keep writing -- if I did it once, I can certainly do it again.  Plus, I'm a lot smarter than I was when I was 24, thank goodness.

I am also not as afraid of rejection as I was when I was 24.  My writing was rejected a lot back then, and it did take the wind right out of my sails.  (Perhaps it was because I used too many cliches. !)

Maybe all this blogging has also given me a boost.  Although I don't have a lot of followers, I know several people who actually look forward to my next post.

And maybe it's that my friends are standing behind me, giving me a firm push.  Last January, at her dad's funeral my college BFF Ann introduced me as her friend "the writer."  It shocked me a bit, because I didn't think I had mentioned my current ambitions to her.  I had, however, helped her through English 101 and 102, written her a short story as a Christmas gift one year, and written a song for her wedding.  I guess that qualifies.

Last Christmas, my pal Joannie gave me a journal for writers.

I think my friends are expecting big things from me.  And you know how I hate to let my friends down.

So, it's time to throw off my namby-pamby attitude about my skills and hang out my writing shingle.  (And quit using idiomatic expressions.)

I am a writer.

In that box in my closet I also found my thesis prospectus, all my notes and thesis research, a pretty boring but mostly well-written (did I just say that again?) 20-page linguistic analysis of politeness in Jane Austen novels, and a peer review of another grad assistant named James.  It's a pretty stellar review, and I wish I could remember James, because according to me, he sounds like a heck of a guy.  I think I will google him, or look him up on facebook.

But I might wait until we get Chuck's book published, so I can tell James that I am a Real Live Writer.

Peace.

To My Future Vintage Camper

Thank you, Shabby Blogs, for the lovely camper freebie.