Chattin'

It's that day again.  The sun is shining today and the frost is white and furry on the rooftops.  Sunrise was an amazing magenta that covered the eastern horizon.  About the color of the inside of a blood orange.  Right now I'm gathering up my knitting and setting off to meet up with everyone who's hanging out at Patrice's place today.

 
 The conversation has already begun so I'll jump in and catch up with everybody.  Here we go...

How often do you wear a skirt or dress?  Way more often since I've lost weight.  It's kind of weird that skirts are not something I wanted to wear when I was heavier.  They would probably have looked OK but for some reason I wasn't comfortable in them.  Now I love them.  Skirts, that is.  I hardly ever wear dresses.  I think there's something too same-y about a dress that doesn't  appeal to me.  

Did you feel unmotivated after Christmas and New Years? Oh, you mean, like how I wished the holiday break would just go on and on?  It was really hard to get back to regular stuff after a pleasant two-week break.  I got very used to just doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.  

What was the last thing that made you say "Wow"?  Seeing my 7-year-old granddaughter in her just-off-the needles sweater.  It should have been big on her based on measurements taken at Hallowe'en but it was just perfect as long as she stays that size.  Must knit faster.


Do you shop with a list, or do you "wing it"?  Mostly I wing it.  Now that I'm older and my memory is imperfect I'm more easily distracted, I find I need a list if I have to buy anything out of the ordinary.   I'm not a particularly impulsive shopper so winging it is my preferred way to shop.  Just another of my 'don't tie me down' quirks. 

And now Patrice asks one of my favorites: what questions would you like me to ask on our chat?  I have a couple of requests...if that's OK.  I would like to know:


Which kind of competition  do you prefer to watch:  dancing, singing or cooking?


How many different addresses did you have while growing up?  


Thanks, Patrice, for hosting another chat.  They are always fun and if you'd like to join in , just visit Everyday Rurality and sign in. 
And, now, since the holiday is really over, it's back to work for me.

B-I-G step

Yesterday, I decided to join the e-ranks and stop my daily delivery of the newspaper.  My yearly subscription was up for renewal and, like everything else, it had increased by what seemed to me an outrageous unacceptable amount.  So, I went looking for what I could find online.  I did a very small amount of anecdotal research:  I asked my son who gave up his print edition a while ago.

This is the last newspaper that will fall on my doorstep - and it remains unopened.  Pass the hankie.  Actually, I thought the absence of this morning's paper would be more traumatic than it turned out to be.  Mostly the trauma involves guilt over being a part of taking away jobs.  I started my employment career as delivering newspapers and all three of my kids started the same way.  Like me, I'm sure they have mixed feelings about the work.  But, it's another tradition that is slowly fading away and I don't love being part of its demise. 

I found this online and I spent a pleasantly large half-hour browsing through the pages.  One of the interesting observations that I made was that I actually didn't skip around as much as I would have with the print copy.  Because I have to be intentional about the page I'm going to read, I found that I spent more time and read each article to the end.  Frequently, in print, I read about half-way through and decide I've had enough.  Or something more interesting catches my eye. 

Online, there are a lot of distractions - like ads -but because I'm so used to ignoring them while I'm circling around in cyberspace each day, it was easier to focus on what I was reading.  I thought I would miss some features that I always read: comics, letters to the editor, obituaries.  But, it's all available...either on the paper's page or elsewhere.  In fact, the comics just got more interesting because I can access the syndication pages and read a whole bunch that I don't find in the daily newspaper.  Not that I did, of course,  No, I selected about six that I really like and let the rest go. 

This wasn't a New Year's resolution at all but it sort of feels like one.  Weird, huh?

Sunday wonders - G

G is for Green.

Green is probably the main color of the West Coast where I live.  We have green all year round but there are times when the greens are especially beautiful...or unusual...or useful.

We live in a rain forest which is immediately apparent when we go walking through the mountain trails.  Look at the moss covering this tree.  It reminds me of the fuzz on a deer's antlers.

The brightest green these deer found in this spot was the paint on this wheelbarrow.  The fading green of the pea-vines caught their interest, though.

These playing fields are very green...

There are summer greens...

And early morning greens burnished by the rising sun.

Some greens are not leaves...

There is a beautiful tender green under the peeling bark of the arbutus tree.

My daughter's garden was crammed full of different greens last summer...

However,  Nature's garden produces my favorite flower with it's edible green leaves.  How clever it is to have so many greens which look good with any color.  And how sensible to have so many green that we can eat.  Now I can't wait for spring - and that first dandelion.

Saturday Stash

I've had a bit of a hiatus from blogging.  Well, no, that's not true.  I've been visiting everyone but I've just not felt that I had anything to say.  So this past week I've been knitting, of course, and reading.  Reducing those stashes takes time.  The pile of books is dwindling down.  Do you have books in you TBR pile that keep being left at the bottom?  This should tell me something, I think, probably that I should be sending those books to the thrift shop - nope, can't do it yet.

 My yarn stash is going down as I make quick progress on the Midnight Rose tunic.  Here it is almost to the armholes.  I can't get the color right - even outside the flash insists on going off.  And no flash is just as bad.  I gave up.   So just imagine a richer, darker version.  This is a fantastic pattern.  Very easy and all in the round.  

And, remember I gave myself permission to use new yarns.  No I haven't bought any yet.  I'm using one of my gift yarns...I guess when they come as gifts they become part of the stash, right?  Anyway, this was such a pretty yarn and it feels so good - definitely qualifies as a yummy yarn.   The colors remind me of how the desert in the Southwest looks after the hot sun has set.  The bright colors all kind of soften and blend.  The shapes of the rocks become more rounded but you can still see the textures and details.  So, all me to introduce the Desert Shadows Scarf.  This is my own pattern so I can't link for you.  I'll publish it on Ravelry when it's done. 

And, the freezer got reorganized this week.  And all the toys we've had for the grandkids were edited and organized.  Everything seems to be a stash around here.

I seem to be creeping up on my 1000th post...I can't quite believe that I've had that much to say.  In celebration - and amazement - I'd like to have some kind of giveaway.  Stay tuned.