Good Night, Irene

Any natural disaster is scary. I have been fortunate, I have never honestly been front & center to witness one. Hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, floods & tsunamis ... I have seen the devastation by way of TV & those images hit the both the heart & the head.

This past weekend, my husband & I (with our animals) were asked to leave the property we have just renovated. The renovation has been years in the making - and it was hard to leave it behind. We were fortunate - we had some where else to go. We were *really* fortunate in that nothing happened.

Prayers go out to those who lost loved ones & lost property. Natural disasters are scary stuff but at least with hurricanes, there is a prolonged warning. I packed a crate of treasures: my cremated pups, Motu & Diesel; my father's Bronze Star; a vase & a sculpture from my mom; a book from my childhood and my yarns.

If you are a weather stalker (yes, I am becoming one!) ... a most excellent resource is StormPulse.

I am hoping that this family weathered the storm too ...

Thank goodness for knitting, cell phones, good friends ... and wine! This is one weekend that I hope doesn't repeat itself anytime soon.

You Have Mail

Since child hood ... I have always loved mail. Growing up, I had an assortment of penpals ... I still do - waves go out to England & France! Nothing like pretty envelopes & cards in the mailbox - complete with beautiful stamps! Given the state of the US Postal Service - I am on a one woman mission to keep them in business!

One of my latest fascinations is Postcrossing. I am receiving & sending postcards from all over the world! To date, I have sent to Russia, Germany, Poland & the US. I have received lovelies from US, Taiwan, Germany & Canada. Seriously, who doesn't like to receive something other than bills in their mailbox?

I think that this is a perfect school or scouting project. What a neat way to learn about different places!! My latest received:

I have never been to Alaska .... but, I am sure glad this person is trying to keep the US Postal Service up & running too!

Simple

I am a total homebody and being in transition these last three months has been challenging. I still have a couple of more weeks to move, but I am working it all out.

To much of my time has been devoted to non-essentials. I have over worried, over thought and I even over did. (Never carry large pots of tomatoes after abdominal surgery.)

Simple, is good.
So are good drying days!

Seriously, who doesn't like slipping into their dreams on freshly laundered sheets drying in the summer sun?

But with each tick of the clock, summer is slowly giving way to fall. Football is back (yay) and The Knotty Sheep is open once again ... time to stock up on delicious hand spun yarns!! (The hand blended fibers will be in stock soon.)

And knitting? Check out the lovely progress on the Mariner's Scarf for the Christmas at Sea program. Love it!!

Charity knitting, once again!

One of the things I have really missed is the 'knitting for charity' portion of my creative time. I have not been focused enough to even give it a second thought. Shame on me!

There are so many persons in 'need' out in the world. The news is full of horror stories on a day to day (if not minute by minute) basis. It is sad, really, that the good stuff is hard to find. Time to step out of cardboard moving box and pay attention to somebody else.

Whilst on Ravelry, I came upon a group devoted to those on the sea. The Seamen's Church Institute. It is inter-faith and has been around since the late 1800's. Really ... how cool is that!

Scarves are needed and you can use wool as long as you label it as such. It must be marked as 'hand washable' too. If you have the inclination, you can find a wee bit about knitting for the "Christmas at Sea" program here.

What will *I* be using??? This handspun!! I think the green is befitting Christmas ...

Hopefully, this yarn will make a FAB scarf!!

Time to get BAAck on Track!

I find it curious the way things come & go. The way that some things are important and then, in a blink of an eye ... other things take their place. Or feelings for that matter. We can have deep feelings for something and then decide it didn't mean anything.

These past couple of months have been interesting. Things & feelings have come and gone. A major surgical procedure was done, and thankfully, I am no worse for wear ... better actually! And now, my family is slowly transitioning to a new state.

The latter has been a lengthy process - but a total learning one! Just recently, the dirt & mud has been scraped off my creative soul... and I am coming back! I have both painted & spun this week. Seriously, could I ask for more?? O yes!! I am blogging once again!

So ... this fabulous wool & sea cell was just finally plied and it is now finis!

Of course, I don't have that photo ... that would make things much to easy!!

But ... off to pack a little more. Things are really good!