March For Our Lives

Our day at the March For Our Lives in KC.  My grandson asked, "Grandma, you don't like guns?"  He has two, a water gun and a fart gun.

SPRING!!....sort of

Spring is here, although the weather hasn't felt like it. Yesterday's welcome was a cold and drippy day, (perfect for the pot of chili I made). Today is cold but the sun is breaking through.  In honor of  the first day of spring yesterday I bought a flat of lettuce.  The color alone was hard to resist.  I intend to pot it up and keep it on the deck just outside the door, easy to pull inside in case of future hard freezes.   Today's sunshine will make potting it up a nice project for this afternoon. 

On Saturday, in honor of St. Patrick's day I baked a Guinness Chocolate cake to take to dinner at our daughter's house.  Everyone loved it, except for me.  It turned out perfectly but it is a very heavy cake.  Regardless, it was a nice way to celebrate the holiday.  I've always loved St. Patrick's day but growing up in a Mexican/German household we didn't really celebrate it.  Marrying an Irishman and now my kid's being half Irish has made the holiday a lot more fun!

Also over the weekend I finally finished my poncho, an on and off again project I've been working on since fall.  I finished it, blocked it, and wore it to a birthday party on Sunday.  It did not turn out as I intended it to in the beginning.  I had to make adjustments to make it work.  Several times I considered ripping it out and starting  again.  And still I wonder if I shouldn't just start it over again.  Tough call.

The birthday party was for our oldest grandchild Olivia,  who just turned ten!  I think I was as excited as she was for this birthday.  I wanted her to have something in the mail so I painted her a little postcard.  I drove to the town where she lives to ensure it would arrive on her actual birthday.

Years ago I altered a Barbie doll into a Mexican sugar skull doll.  Olivia has always loved it and throughout the years has asked me to make her one.  This year when she asked again I thought at ten she was probably old enough to have one so I made one for her.  It's not a doll that would stand up to play so we'll see how she does with it.

Since this was a momentous birthday, I also wanted to give her a gift to commemorate it.  If you've read my blog or are a Facebook friend, you've seen me share the soft books I make for the grandkids on their first and second birthdays.  Since Olivia was turning ten, I made her a photo book from Shutterfly filled with pictures of her over the past ten years.  I spent an emotional two days putting it together and submitted it.  I was so excited for it to arrive.  But when I did get it and was thumbing through it I was horrified to find out that I had mistakenly left three pages blank at the back of the book!  

Days before when she was visiting she saw some of my poetry books I had left out on the coffee table that I had been reading.  Together we read some of my favorites.  So after much consideration, I decided to write her a letter in the back of the book.  I included some of the poems we read, along with my recipe for granola that she's been asking for.  It really turned out to be a lovely keepsake.  I'm so glad she liked it.

Finally, my photo for the small things yarn along.  The poetry books along with the three pair of evil eye gloves I'm knitting for the March For Our Lives on Saturday.  Have you seen them?   They are to be worn at the march like the pink hats were at the Women's March.  #evileyegloves.  

The Bear Project

Once again I bit off more than I could chew.  When I first saw these bears I thought it would be a cute and easy project for Valentine's day.  But I always fail to calculate the time it will take to make eight.  It took me three weeks of non-stop hand sewing to finish them. Some grandchildren got theirs well before Valentine's Day, some just after the holiday, and then some not until yesterday, (ten days out from the holiday).  I finished them in the order we were seeing each family, which is normally one a weekend.  So I suppose getting four families finished in three weekends was pretty good.

As always after a big production project, it feels good to get back to knitting and reading again.  I've been working on a cabled poncho since the fall.  Christmas and now Valentine's Day took large blocks of knitting time from the project.  This week I have to start on birthday gifts.  Olivia has requested a doll I've made before and her birthday is in two weeks.  So by the time I finish my poncho, it will most likely be too warm to wear it.

I try to stay a part of the Yarn Along on Ginny Sheller's blog, including a photo of what I'm knitting and reading.  Although I'm not quite sure how to include photos of books on my Kindle. Living in a rural area my closest library is a tiny one located in my small town.  Most of the books I read I check out through the Kansas City Library on my Kindle, (never leaving my house).  So a collage was what I came up with.  Unfortunately, my Photoshop edition is about ten years old and the collage feature leaves much to be desired.  I spent quite some time trying to find somewhere on the internet where I could make one for free.  If anyone knows of a good site for this I would love to know it.

The past week has been filled with ice storms and freezing rain so any signs of floral greenery are greatly welcomed. One of my orchids has bloomed again which always makes me feel as if I've accomplished a monumental feat.  My father was a talented, as well as prolific orchid gardener.  I miss having his advice a phone call away.  No matter the effort, I did not inherit his green thumb.

Make Art Not War.  This poster hangs not only in my home but in both of my daughters' homes as well.  We each got them for Christmas gifts, from each other, a funny story but not for now.  What I wish is that "feel good" catchphrases like this were all we needed to change the world. 

Many people have opinions on how to solve this "only in America" gun violence, myself included.   One way we all can make sure our opinion is heard is to vote. In order to vote, you have to be registered.  Text P2P to RTVOTE (788-683) to make sure your registration information is up-to-date.  I want to believe we've arrived at a tipping point and our young people are leading the way.

February 14, 2018

We were just home from a short and sweet trip to celebrate our Valentine's Day.  We spent a few hours at a local nature preserve and wetlands.  We were still in the driveway unloading a few purchases when our daughter (a high school teacher) called.

I could hear it in her voice, just from her hello, something was wrong.  She told us what happened in Florida.  We went inside to search the news.  Remember when a school shooting would be non stop coverage?  Those days are gone.

On a day to celebrate love, a horrendous act of hate and violence was perpetrated.  Seventeen people who went to their school yesterday morning as students and employees, were not going to return home.  Let me say that again, they were at school, a place where everyone should be safe.  But America, (and we think of ourselves of one of the great nations on the planet), can no longer keep our children safe.

Today my daughter's students are full of questions.  What will they do in her classroom when it happens?  "Ms. Jewell, would you take a bullet for us?"  Did we ever dream teaching would be such a dangerous job?

Gun violence is so common place, sooner or later we will all be touched by it.  Make no mistake, it's coming for you.  

Until then we are heartbroken.  We offer prayers to God.  Well God helps those who help themselves, and our legislators are standing in our way.

Valentine's Day will never be the same again.

Ties to Memories

As January is winding down, so has my production level.  Even though there's many projects to start, ones' with deadlines creeping ever closer, I find myself wanting to be quite still.  I've found I can spend quite a bit of time writing in my journal, staring at the bird feeder, reading and listening to books, and of course knitting while watching movies and streaming shows, all the while not feeling too many moments of guilt about not getting anything done.  I did manage to paint one watercolor, a Charley Harper bird study.  I'm considering it for my first attempt at rug hooking.

Otherwise, keeping with my current state of mind, I'm only doing enough housework to stay afloat.  Knowing that spring will be here soon and then I will be itching to give the place a good scrub makes it all seem OK.  Also, we had two grandchildren for a sleepover last weekend, and the next two weekends have scheduled sleepovers as well.  So really, what's the point?  All I need to do is make the place livable for the two of us until the next kid crew happily checks in.

What I have been happy to put my efforts into lately is cooking, because after all, we have to eat.  It started with the idea that I wanted to try to make homemade biscotti, and now I'm in love.  I've found that one slice with a cup of my favorite tea in the afternoon can really turn my day around.   Just a note about this tea, we first discovered it in the family waiting room at the birthing center where four of our eight grandchildren were born and we've been drinking it ever since. It's quite possibly the best tea you'll ever drink and does a remarkable job at soothing your soul.   

A few days later I had a dentist appointment.  In preparation to be kind to my sensitive mouth I wanted to fix soup that evening for dinner, but none of my regular standbys were sounding very appetizing.  Then a favorite from my childhood came to mind, French Onion Soup.  When I was a girl there was a department store in downtown St. Louis, Famous-Barr.  In their lovely tea room I would have lunch with my mother, feeling very fancy, eating the most delicious French Onion soup you could ever put in your mouth.  Nothing I've ordered or made since has come close, until now.  If you want to make a small investment of time for a huge return in flavor, try this recipe from Epicurious.  

Two days later on the night of the sleepover I made another childhood favorite, my grandmother's chicken and dumplings .   Making it for my own grandchildren sparked more fine memories.  Other simple tasks done mindfully, like shining my shoes, bring memories of watching my dad doing the same thing.  

I suppose now that I'm older I spend more time looking to the past.  When I became a mother, memories of my childhood guided me along, steering me towards (and away from) parenting decisions. I'm delighted that now with grandchildren, happy childhood memories frequently come to mind once again.  

Over the past weeks I have not been a total slouch.  I have risen from my chair to take winter walks, not only in my neighborhood, but for activism as well.   My daughter, granddaughter and I participated in our second women's march, lifting my spirits and renewing my motivation for change.  After a year of our current administration I had been feeling exhausted.  

Some things to share:

Book recommendation: When Breath Becomes Air.  Some background articles can be found  here: 

https://cupofjo.com/2016/01/when-breath-becomes-air-by-paul-kalanithi/

https://cupofjo.com/2018/01/lucy-kalanithi-john-duberstein/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/a-mothers-memoir-is-this-years-when-breath-becomes-air/2017/05/31/265e5b34-13cc-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.327e9fe8fcf3

Even if you don't do everything this article suggests, just reading it had me breathing deeper and feeling more mindful and connected.
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/declutter-your-mind-in-7-days?utm_term=pos-1&utm_source=mbg&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=180127

Finally, I bought these bowl covers to lighten our footprint. I love them.

https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/reusable-bowl-covers-set-of-8/product/18554