lifelong knitter

Wow

Snuck into the campus computerlab to see what all my blog buddies have been up to...I just HAD to after the marvellous maggi called me on my cell phone for my birthday and READ me my comments and then clicked over to Cari's and Lisa's and starting giggling and saying OMG, you HAVE to see this....
Wow! Photoshop is the seventh wonder of the world, I do believe!
Yesterday, as Daughter bird and I were Running (yes, Rachael, Running Round a LAKE is an amazing feeling!) and the sun was setting and the bagpipes were playing, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the Right Place for her to be. I was dreading the ride home, but now, not so much.
Blessings to all of you,
this day as always.
mwah!

Birthday

This is Sandy Poodle, reporting for S*same Str*et N*ws.
We have a br*aking story from blogland.
Three Knitters with Dogs and Blogs, share a BIRTHDAY today.
Cari from Dogs Steal Yarn, Lisa from BlogDogBlog and MY Mommy, from right here in Lifelong Knitter land.
Smoochies to all, and to all a good nite.
We now return you to our regularly scheduled Programming.

This is Personal

Here's what I WANT for my Birthday:
On August 29th, I will be the co-host for a Political Fundraiser. We worked long and hard for Edwards here in this State, and while I am a little sad to see him move on so quickly, I am excited to see him represent us so well. There will be live music, independent documentary films shown on the side of my friend's fabulous barn, good food, and a chance to participate in the Future of the Free World. You'll get to meet doctors and lawyers and poets and civil rights activists and ministers who ordain women, and well, who KNOWS, at least those are the Friends I have invited so far..... I'll be Knitting in Public, care to join me? I want to walk into that party with a fistfull of checks and be able to say *Look, we're Knitters, and we VOTE!*
I am putting my money where my Mouth is. Being Dutch of course, you will almost always encounter my MOUTH first....so here's what I believe:
I believe this election is critical. I don't want to have to pack my bags and move to Canada, or to Switzerland. I believe we can make a difference if we all pitch in and do our bit. I'm tired of seeing my fellow citizens, friends and family members stripped of their rights and killed in battle.
Email me for an invitation, and/or directions to the event. Give generously.
I believe in Democracy. Please support the process. Whatever your political persuasion, get involved, and VOTE.

The usual knitting blog will return to the regularly scheduled time next week when I return from launching the Daughter Bird on her College Adventure.
Namaste.

Silly Knitting

What's that you say? My new HAT is finally finished?

I LOVE it! Fits perfectly and those pom poms are delicious!

Hope this brightens your day in some small way...
Smoochies to you and yours!

Rain and Rodents

My children gave me an early surprize Birthday party last night at Chuck E Cheese. It hadn't begun to rain HARD yet, and they had a BLAST, running from game to game, eating pizza and chocolate cake, dancing with the larger than Life size Rodent, himself. After we cut the cake (and shared it with the children at the next table whose eyes were big as saucers....because we were having a Mommy birthday heh heh.....) the Boy bird noticed that there weren't any Presents to open. I ran out to the truck and got the Fedex envelope that had arrived just before we left the house. I handed it to him (the official opener of presents) He tore open the envelope and handed the card to his sister (the official dramatic reader of cards) and the wrapped package to me. They leaned in closer to see what Mommy got....
The Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton book...woooohoooo! Boy bird clapped and grinned ( he LOVES that Debbieduck!) and ran to spend his last few tokens. Daughter bird sat there for a moment, thinking, and then said
"Mom, do you think when I'm your age I'll have a best friend who sends me the EXACT book I've been wanting for my Birthday?"
GULP. "I hope so, sweetheart."
"okay, I'm gonna go cash in my tickets, now. Happy Early Birthday!"
We took the Boy bird back to his nest. By that time it was raining pretty hard. We drove home the Back Way, on the Cow Road. All the cows were hunkered down and it was eerily quiet. The sky was turning a spectacular shade of ORANGE and then, just after we pulled in the driveway and RAN into the house, it got Very Very Black. I saw the top of the tornado about four miles away. It was incredible. The power of nature, she is a thing to behold. It poured here all night long, with intermittent thunder and lightning and some gusty winds. I know we are only experiencing the very minimal outer bands of rain at this point....my heart and prayers go out to everyone who was in the path yesterday or in harm's way today. Be safe out there, okay?
Last night, for the first time EVER, I did not watch the entire parade of nations. I LOVED the Opening ceremonies, but the combination of the commercial breaks and Bob/Katie dumbdown version...I switched to the Weather Channel....and never went back. I'll be glued to the set for the swimming and gymnastics today of course, finishing the Pink Handspun goodie for the Poodle Princess.
Here's hoping you and yours are SAFE today.....
mwah!

Horsing Around

Aren't they gorgeous? I've never really outgrown my Love of Horses (although now I am at the age where I definitely prefer visiting the barn where somebody else has the privelege of getting up at 4am to feed and muck out the stalls and figure out how to deal with the flies).
Contrary to what might SEEM like a proliferation of endless cookie cutter subdivisions, there are still Places Left Wild, where people live in small wooden houses, crafted by their own hands, under groves of sheltering trees. The horses and dogs have the run of the land and have HUGE buildings for their comfort and safety. Chickens scratch, and flowers grow. Cats live fat and happy in the Barn. The tomatoes are heavy in your hand, and smell like Heaven. Rachael is right. The view from a trotting horse is the one that counts.

Kindness

I joined the Random Acts of Kindness ring, and thanks to the very patient and helpful emails from Brenda and Margene, there is a button over there on the side bar (sidebar?) DO click and see. LOVELY idea, that. In a perfect case of synchronicity, just as I was joining the ring, my doorbell rang and a package was delivered. I was running late, so I scooped it up and took it to the school shopping/lunch trip I had planned with Daughter bird. We found the appropriate shower shoes (after a lengthy scientific discussion about mold, mildew and other spores....) and went to Applebee's for lunch. They have new Weight Watchers items on their menu, and I must say that the Tilapia with mango salsa was GOOD. After my last physical I am, for the first time in my life, watching what I eat. Enough about that, back to the package. We ordered our lunch, and as we were waiting, I tore open the package. When I pulled out the incredible rainbow colored handspun....several people in the vicinity gasped. Next was a skein of pink merino superwash handspun for the Poodle Princess....Honestly, I felt like I'd won the Lottery. A small postcard (of a sheperdess, of course) noted that while the rainbow was originaly intended for the HUG, I could certainly use it however I saw fit.
This Angel of Kindness does not have a blog. She does however, fit right in. Take a moment to send a silent HUG to Amy, please.
The Picture? You want to see a Picture? Yes, well so do I! Bonnie and Charlie have sucked all the natural light out of my life for the next few days, and the flashy pics just do NOT do it justice.
I'll tell you what. When the storms pass through and the sun breaks out and a rainbow appears in the sky, I'll take a picture and post it, fair enough? Right now I'm late, I'm late.....

Walking Meditation

There is something about going for a long walk.....around a Lake (my compliments to whichever man Made this one...the local wildlife have certainly given the seal of approval) watching turtles sun themselves on the logs, a gorgeous Blue Heron walking gingerly in the mud, conversations about social justice swirling about us....
I forgot what it is like to really WALK. I try to walk in my own neighborhood, but invariably I get about half a block and someone stops me to chit chat about the School Board or the Proposed bypass or Recycling Day or, well, you get the idea. Yesterday was a chance to walk for the sake of walking, with people who are not only of sound mind, but in great shape....because they do these walks daily. They have incredibly busy, productive lives as Defenders of Justice. We talked about the importance of Walking the Walk. At one point, when the children who were with us asked yet another really observant question about the local flora, I realized how relaxed I felt. This adorable, very bright eight year old slipped her hand in mine and said quietly...."and later, can we KNIT?"
My heart is FULL.

Filling the Well

I'm off today on an Artist's Date, to fill the Well of Creativity. An intensely visual creature, I'm all about the Details. The BLUE spot on that butterfly wing flitting past me this morning in the garden. The ORANGE influences, creeping into my life of late, even appearing in my Charlotte. A true harbinger of Indian Summer, I hope. I have always been a Child of Summer, loving the sea and sand and SUN, but lately, my body simply cannot take the Humidity. My joints ache and complain, reminding me of every hard landing I ever took off of a balance beam or from the High Dive, or in a race car. I don't regret a moment spent gaining those aches, but in the waning moments of July, and through much of August, I look forward to Fall. The best way for me to deal with the pain, is to distract myself with something Beautiful, or a puzzle which Must Be Solved.
Tune in tomorrow to find out what I've gotten myself into......
Peace be with you!

Charlotte, v 3.11

Third time appears to be the charm, no? I'm well into the third color change, and loving this updated version. Whenever I'm feeling a little unsure that this blobby thing will become a Shawl, I cruise the blogs and admire the before and after blocking pictures of all the Charlottes in the Sisterhood. I'm toying with the idea of a different edging of course, putting the cart before the horse as is my habit.
I'm knitting Lace with Merino, in August. Will Wonders never cease?