Happy Things: A List

1. Tea, especially the first cup of the morning.
2. Books. Right now I'm loving Emma Bull and Anne Lamott.
3. The Garden. We've done a lot of work this year and things are starting to thrive. Right now we have tiny red baby strawberries, one small green tomato, a handful of jalapenos, and a crap ton of chamomile. The green peppers are also starting. The compost pile is also doing well which is interesting to no one but me.
4. Time Off. In a conspiracy of the fates, I have an unexpected extra long weekend. It is exactly what I need right now!
5. All of the above combined in sitting outside in the evening. It sounds cheesy, but when the sun is going down and the birds are singing, our back garden is a magical place.

Comments

The Work of Mothering

When I was pregnant, anyone I asked, and many people that I didn't ask, told me that having a child is both the best thing and the hardest thing that they have ever done. And that is exactly right! That is exactly how I would describe it. It strikes me that pretty much everyone describes it this way. It doesn't really tell you much though, and it leaves a parent-to-be looking for guidance, or a brand new parent looking for reassurance, a bit adrift. The description "it is the best and the hardest thing" seems like a nearly universally accurate way to describe having a child, but the particulars of why that is true, of how it is experienced, are very different for everyone. The particular way it is hard is different depending on who you are, and the particular way it is the best is probably different too. So I think we should try to expand on how it is the best and the hardest, even though it is hard to put into words. I've been on the other side of the question ...

"Write with no one looking over your shoulder."

Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. ~ Barbara Kingsolver

Blocking Virgin No More!

My latest finished knitting project was full of firsts. First time knitting with silk mohair, first (and last) time attempting to FROG mohair (basically impossible), first time knitting lace, AND (I'm ashamed to admit this) first time blocking. I promise the knitting gods I will block from now on. Shall I post some pictures? Well ok then. First, though, I should mention that I knit this from the pattern Crush by Alyssa Carlberg from Debbie Stoller's lovely book Stitch n' Bitch Superstar Knitting . And now, the pictures: First, the funny mid-blocking one: Then a soppy looking posed picture of me wearing it: And finally, the full on frontal view: Aside from the wretched frogging experience, this project was quite pleasant to knit. I really like lace, it makes a project much more interesting and I like the way it turned out here. Also, lace charts are fun to read. Unfortunately I finished this project at exactly the wrong time, so I'll need...

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