Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Summertime

Summertime and the lavender is blooming. The tomatoes are growing and the basil is lush. Other than the bunnies eating the parsley and voluminous weeds due to lots of rainfall, the garden grows well. The herbs are particularly healthy this summer. I used to weed meticulously but have adopted more of a live and let live philosophy. I weed when I have time and the temperature/humidity aren't unbearable. I'd rather read or knit than weed. I resisted cropping Oscar's garden garbage can out of the lavender photo to keep life real.

While walking the beach in Connecticut, my daughter taught me to look for sea glass. I am drawn by the soft pastel colors of glass that wash up on that beach. Something about the pieces of sea glass remind me of aging. I have been tumbled about by wind and water and hopefully some of my rough edges have worn smooth. The opaque quality of the pieces remind me that every opinion or idea doesn't have to be crystal clear. That, sometimes holding a bit of ambiguity, looking at something from several points of view is desirable. I'm sure the metaphor could work in another direction too.

Anyway, I brought home a few pieces to remind me of a happy time spent with family. While flying, I knit on these ribbed socks. The yarn is soft and plump and came from a local yarn shop. Wouldn't the gradient make a pretty hitchhiker scarf? Not that I need another scarf as the sampler scarf is finished and ready to be blocked. I pulled out the cardigan I've been working on but need a longer needle to accommodate all the yoke and sleeve stitches. I have learned my lesson about respecting shoulders and arms while knitting. Purchasing another needle is better than sore muscles. So there is my rationale for a trip to the yarn shop.

I am enjoying listening to Where the Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens. The author's descriptions of the marsh and sea of North Carolina are beautiful. I love the way Owens weaves nature/place into the story's events and themes. I also admire her plucky heroine. With four hours remaining, I'm wondering if any of my ideas about endings will appear in the story.  I'm reading our book group selection, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. This fantasy story is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin with additional brave heroines. The book, driven by action/plot is readable but I may skip ahead to the ending. Fantasy is not my favorite genre.  I will be interested to see where the discussion leads us.

Click over to Kat and the Unravelers to see what others are reading and knitting. Enjoy these warm summer days. July will come and go before we know it. 

11 comments:

  1. I love your beach glass/aging comparison. A lovely image! I'm also a big fan of that lovely blue yarn you're using for the socks. My book group will be reading Where the Crawdads Sing next year. Enjoy your summer days! XO

    ReplyDelete
  2. I, too, love your beach glass/aging comparison. A great way to look at aging. Also like your thoughts on weeding (I'd rather knit and read as well). Your socks are lovely and a Hitchhiker is a very enjoyable knit (just sayin'). I read Crawdads and enjoyed some of it (her descriptions, but didn't care for the story all that much).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pretty socks and SLOW DOWN SUMMER! My favorite time of year! Today is blistering hot but supposed to be delightful tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beach glass is the best souvenir! I love looking for it.
    I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end of Crawdads, but I was totally wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very handsome socks.

    I lived near the beach in Florida for 34 years and never found any sea glass. It's possible I didn't know what I was looking for. I love you analogy to aging and I totally agree.

    The older I get, the less I know for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I simply adored Owens descriptive writing in Crawdads - and then I learned she is a zoologist and has spent years in Africa with her husband writing about life there. It clicked why the story was so intensely focused on the sounds and sights!

    I love your gradient socks, though! And, I can't wait to see your sampler scarf!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I also love your beach glass/aging/life metaphor. I will have to add Crawdads to my lengthening list as I have a real soft spot for good nature and place writing. Thanks for a lovely post and keeping life real!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was a week at Cape May and didn't find a single piece of sea glass :( I'm glad you did though!! Lovely sock knitting and your lavender is beautiful - we planted some up front and I'm waiting for something to happen.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for visiting my blog! I , too, love sea glass! It is a treasure and because of its rarity, it is precious to us. Great socks.
    I do like some fantasy books so I will try out Spinning Silver--since I like to spin yarn, it might appeal to me! lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks so much for visiting and posting on my blog! It seems as if we have quite a bit in common after visiting yours. Love those socks. Our next book club book is A Gentleman from Moscow. Fantasy isn't my favorite genre either! And I love looking for anything including sea glass when we go to the beach. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sea glass is indeed lovely! Glad you had a wonderful time in Connecticut with family.

    ReplyDelete