saturday a.m.

Knowledge of an early start roused me this morning. I headed out the door with Rose, she was attending the state Latin convention and I needed to get her to the designated spot to catch her carpool.

On my way back to the house I made a small detour to *Panera* thinking I could act as a morning santa clause by bearing a brown sack of fresh bagels for those sleepy heads at home.

The sunshine was spilling into every corner of my room and heart, making it aglow with the morning's goodness.

See me in the bottom left corner? 

Even the finches were basking in the lambent light.

glints of an April day

 Little things to share on this day in April. 

How my eyes gravitated to the purple verbena and salmon red azaleas in my backyard every time I glanced outside, what a splendid splash.

How I chased a very tenacious squirrel off the bird feeder as Charlotte laughed at me and his antics as he gleefully got away. I never realized how fast a squirrel could run!

 How I made a batch of granola today. It is just the way I fancy it: oatmeal, butter, honey, almonds, pecans, allspice and cinnamon.

This was after seeing the glass jar of granola setting prettily on Lesley's  counter.

 How I sat in the car with Charlotte this morning for an hour doing arithmetic while Rose had her horseback riding lesson.

 How I whipped together a tomato basil sauce to go along

with the beef and pork meatballs I made yesterday.

 How I watched a flitting chickadee feed on the dangling suet tray.

 How I read about Miss Read and her recent death. I have loved her books ever since an astute librarian back in the mid 80s suggested I read one of her novels; I believe at that time Miss Read was still writing one a year.

How I pre-washed some new cotton fabric to be sewn into summer dresses for Charlotte. I always pre-wash my cotton fabrics before cutting them out.

How I drank English Breakfast tea from a china cup all along thinking about the movie "Ladies in Lavender"where they are frequently pouring tea from lovely china teapots. I have added the soundtrack to this enjoyable movie to my next Amazon order.

opening a world

on my needles...

A certain young woman will be making a very good friend of mine a first time grandmother this summer. I am sewing and knitting for this little sweet self already. The knitted baby wash cloths pattern can be found here. (linked from Ravelry)

Another Amazon book order arrived via UPS recently. This afternoon I was sitting outside on the back covered porch knitting a simple pattern of a cotton baby wash cloth in blue, and a brewing storm drove me inside to the sun room. I just switched one wicker chair for another, while Rose finished  her piano lesson.

 Oh, I have not mentioned this before now. The girls' piano teacher has been coming to my house one afternoon a week to give them their weekly lessons since I  am now caring for mother in my home. This has been a tremendous help, the little things do matter. The freedom to leave the house whenever we want to is just no longer a possibility. 

This book was left laying on the couch waiting for me to find a quiet moment and I was almost shaking with anticipation as I picked it up and opened its front cover. I can tell already it will be a much favored book. It has the potential to take me places, to other worlds; a world of sheep in pastures green and wool being shorn in the springtime;  a world of multifarious yarn in  woven baskets, yarn in the hands with knitting needles creating, a rainbow of colorful yarns in open bins begging to be handled; a world of spinning wool rolags and various other fibers that might leave lanolin-laden fingers behind;

 a world containing countless information about the rich history of knitting.

 ...a world of happy things.

You may join Ginny and the rest of us at:

the Son arose

"Who being in the brightness of His glory, 

and  the express image of his person,

upholding all things by the word of His power,

when He had purged our sins

sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high."

                                                                                          Hebrews 1:3

(Finally posting again. Actually, this is part two, keep reading.... if you like)

preparing

Passion Week began with preparation in our hearts. Not unlike the signs of this season it carried itself along with the traditions that make our celebration of His Crucifixion, Death, Burial and Resurrection meaningful for us.

Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday Tea, a table set in the sun room  for 3:00 p.m., the ninth hour.

  Most of  the day Saturday I was preparing foods in the kitchen. I could not refrain from thinking about the disciples and how they must have felt on this day after knowing their Lord was arrested, condemned and crucified:
                       scared
                               disconsolate,
                                                 angry,
                                                        hopeless perhaps?

I pondered the significance of the foods I prepared for our feast to be served on Easter Sunday:

 the red bloodied meat of the lamb as I unwrapped its covering,

 with the trimming of its fat,

 placed in a buttermilk marinade with garlic and rosemary.

 Leeks and fennel sauteed in butter, to be added to the potatoes.

Promises made and fulfilled.

Once slaves, but now free.

Cloth napkins of pink linen ironed for our Easter table.

Sweet cookie dough rolled and shaped into crosses, butterflies and sheep. The white frosting colored with drops of red, pink and yellow. Pale pink sugar sprinkled.

Easter Morn will dawn.

home remedies

Against an evening of loosing all hope, the morning finally dawns with things looking immensely brighter. Peppermint tea and saltine crackers are popular in our home for the aid of restoring needed balance. And when the tea is poured from a little porcelain teapot and served with a bit of blossom honey in a Jemima Puddleduck teacup, the journey of rebounding begins with an extra touch of whimsical consolation.

A unwelcoming and cruel "bug" came creeping into our household the middle of last week and wasn't pleased until both girls and me languished for "a spell". Charlotte did receive some tender administrations though.

receiving and giving

 Even if the vernal weather has been pressing hard, my mind was stayed on the knitting of a pair of  wool fingerless mitts this week because I wanted to gift someone special . I began knitting them this past Sunday afternoon.

 Part of the fun of knitting and reading is finding someone to share like passions. Others must think so too, so without further ado, I am delightfully sharing with Ginny and her Yarn Along cohorts the completed mitts and a Interweave book called Gifted.

A box arrived at my doorstep last week containing the few books I had recently ordered. This book by Mags Kandis is filled with some wondrous knitting projects, most of which would make outstanding gifts. I am already dreaming and planning some future little things to knit or crochet, because "I love making stuff"(p. 9). And we all know the gifting and sharing of those things is part of the joy of creating them.

This is only one of the few devotional books I am reaping treasures from this Lent season. It was included in the same book order of the past week. It is small and can be carried along in your pocket, the accompanying Scripture passages are included in the back. 

here a comma, there a comma

everywhere a comma comma...

  I am thinking I might have a latent love affair with commas. I love using them! However, my desire to include them creates erroneous writing at times. They look so comfortable and contented sitting there in a sentence, but it is something like dancing a tango step in the middle of a waltz when used incorrectly. All this to say be kind when you observe my obsessive use of commas. Sometimes when I go back and reread my posts  I am downright appalled at my blatant ill use of them. But I can not help thinking how comfortable and contented they look hanging in there... sometimes they just need to swing on out of a particular sentence!

Another no no, 

yet another thing I am tempted to do.

saturday whims

It began with a breakfast eaten at a wrought iron table while sitting outside downtown. Some of us settled for sausage or ham biscuits, while I personally chose the tempting hot bar of eggs, bacon, potatoes, squash and asparagus. My dear one decided a portion of my scrambled eggs should not be dismissed a a great addition to his biscuit.

photo by rose

The day got rolling  along as errands and a little shopping took center front during the morning hours.

Ever since I first learned of this magazine, Jane Austen Knits, I have desired to hold it in my hands and  indulge in its luxury. Already a project has been chosen from its pages and a heavenly deep cerulean blue dyed yarn of a merino/alpaca blend purchased (you see it on the top right hand corner) to be knitted into this:

 a short stay.

 The knitting needles are a present for Charlotte. It is time for her to have a nice set upon which she can  knit and purl. I know and can attest to the pleasure of having fine yarns and needles while enjoying the art of knitting.

And I have plans for the Cascade Superwash to be knitted into a pair of fingerless mitts for the Hospice social worker who shows up at my back door almost weekly. She comes in carrying Mr. Putter and Penny treats. She is tiny in statue and her bright smile would lighten up even the cloudiest sky. She knew my father because she just happened to be our assigned social worker when he spent his days here with us; he always called her not by her first name, but Mrs. King. She mentioned to me one day how her hands always seem to stay cold, I know the feeling exactly and that is why you will find me wearing fingerless mitts often during the cold months. She might not get much wear from them this year, but hopefully her dear caring hands, the same hands that have so mercifully caressed both my mother's and my father's face, will stay warm during whatever winter months are in her future.

Happy Saturday!

love of an old cat

I read just last week how to determine the age of your cat, or dog too for that matter. Penny was born in March 1993 which makes her 19 years old in people years. Let's see according to the chart that puts her at the ripe old age of  92 years old in cat years. Yes, that is about where I would place her exactly with her limps, deafness and octogenarian habits.

She lives in the bedroom that has now become my mother's room. My husband has dubbed it the geriatric room, a stark statement of truth which seems mighty appropriate. Though I do miss her sleeping beside me these evenings.

She ventured out this afternoon while I was in the sun room.  Then she meandered back with arthritic finesse to a common spot in order to take an afternoon sunbath in the foyer's afternoon glow.

weekend specials

There are those times that I would like to think I could ease into my weekend. Rise up on Saturday morning with a day of adventure and anticipation in my spirit, full of things to do and places to go without any hurry or lack. Reality finds me, however, discovering my own streaks of adventure in much smaller ways and nine-tenths of it works out to be plain attitude in approaching not only the tasks at hand but all the little extras too.

But I was able to sew on Charlotte's Easter dress and it is almost at the stage of completion. After  Saturday's appointment with my buttonholer and a threaded needle to do a little hand sewing it only lacks the addition of two more buttons on the back and then we are on to the final hemming.

 

Charlotte has assisted in the design of this dress. She accompanied me to the fabric store and chose a white eyelet with a light blue lining. Together we came up with the embellishment, a stack of yo-yos with a trio of the tiniest strands of dangling pearls. She is a pearly kind of girl after all!

Witt and Claire joined us for dinner. Somehow the momentum of the evening rose without any photos being taken. But is was lovely and a vase of forsythia with a few daffodils was set amongst us. I am always on the look out for a delicious dessert for Claire to eat that is both sugar and gluten free because I love her and want to please her.

After a dessert of ice cream and these extemely delicious little chocolate treats, we played several rounds of rummikub. Then it was time for them to leave, time change would create a Sunday morning with a muchly felt hour stolen from us. 

And if you have not checked out Claire's blog you should. She inspires me with her creativity, food and words.