Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Walking into Seventy

Last Thursday was my seventieth birthday. I had a lovely day, talking and texting with my sweet family and friends. My husband brought me a bouquet of roses and I tried out a new spindle. Like most everyone else, I don't feel as old as my age. As far as I'm concerned, I'm as young as I feel. Mary Pipher in her book Another Country, wrote about two periods of age, the young old and the old old. Today we are fortunate to count ourselves among the young old with plenty of laugh lines and gray hair creeping in around the edges. I'm well aware that we could join the old old group at anytime. 

For the record, I have never colored my hair. I inherited my dark hair from my Mother. She didn't turn gray until after seventy. When my hair grays, I'll consider it a badge of honor. I also believe that old age is an honor. My mantra is each day is a gift. I aim to age with as much grace as I can muster. Along the way, I'll knit, spin, read, write, and enjoy my family and friends. I walk almost every day. Walking is a good metaphor for life, one thoughtful step following another with plenty of time to breathe and enjoy the moment. I'm walking into seventy with gratitude for each day. 

Today is a glorious early autumn day. When we left on our morning walk, the temperature was 59 degrees and the sun was shining. I wore a sweater. Some maples in the neighborhood sport a few red leaves. I plan to venture out again today just to soak up the day. I potted some bronze mums last evening. Saturday the temps are going back up into the mid-nineties and two weeks of summer remain but the season is turning to my favorite, Autumn. 

This Wednesday I''m linking with Kat and the Unravelers to post about knitting and reading. My birthday cast on was a shawl incorporating some handspun Cormo and a commercial yarn. I enjoyed playing with the yarns but the colors didn't work together the way I thought they would. I'm going to unravel the project and ponder what to knit with the handspun. In the meantime I'm making good progress with Norah's sweater. I put in some textured pockets and knit a light lavender lining for the pockets. When I finish the second sleeve, I will block the sweater and stitch down the pocket lining and trim. Then I'll knit the buttonbands. I made a little progress on my current sock project.


I listened to two audiobooks that I enjoyed. Both novels had two storylines, although The Keeper of Lost Things was more intricately done with short stories as part of one story. The Keeper of Lost Things also had a bit of realistic magic that was fun. One of the main characters was a young woman with Down Syndrome. It was nice to see her included. The Lions of Fifth Avenue contained some interesting history about the New York City Public Library and women's history in Greenwich Village, beginning in 1913. Both of these novels had strong but not perfect female characters and tidy endings. With so much going on in the world, two light novels with both of these features were comforting.  

I hope wherever you are, the season is beginning to turn with cooler calmer days ahead.  

Ravelery Links

Norah's Sweater

Couplet Socks

13 comments:

  1. I hope you had a very Happy Birthday, Jane, and enjoy a happy, healthy, and lovely year ahead. That is a very nice picture of you, confidently walking and making sure you keep moving. Norah's sweater is one I would have loved as a young girl, and I'm sure she will also. Keep spinning, knitting, walking, writing, and sharing your gentle and reassuring words!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Best wishes, Jane! Seventy looks lovely on you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your attitude toward aging is very inspiring! I think I actually might be more gray than you -- I take after my grandmother, who was completely gray by her early 20s. I'm glad to hear that your birthday was a lovely day and that you're getting some cooler early fall weather. Norah's sweater is adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happiest of (belated) birthdays to you, Jane! I hope this year brings you all of the things you love most. You are walking into your seventies in grand style! XO

    ReplyDelete
  5. No way! You are not 70! And if you are, 70 looks pretty darn good. I really like that idea of the two phases of "old" because I have noticed that myself. My friend Percy is 75, and she is nore energetic than anyone else I know. Looks like a great birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Birthday !!!!!
    Norah's sweater is just perfect. !

    ReplyDelete
  7. happy birthday to you and I love your attitude! May you be blessed with good health and happiness for decades to come!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy Belated Birthday Jane. I'm right behind you (turning 68 today). You look fabulous and I love that picture of you walking into your 70's. Great attitude and wishing you ALL the best.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday Jane! A few of my favorite people are your age this year. Here’s to many years of young old!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy, happy belated Birthday! Seventy looks great on you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy Birthday. I too inherited hair that has stayed dark. Infact my mom said I was a blonde as a child. (There are pictures) but my hair has gotten darker with age. That I think I can 'blame/credit' to my father who started out life as a 'white blonde' slavic kid and ended up with dark blond/brown hair as an adult. My mother said he had butter blonde hair when she met him. My mother's father on the other hand had dark hair into his 70's. So my hair is getting darker with a few (FEW) white hairs. I didn't think I was vain about hair, but I kind of like the combination of genes I was dealt.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Happy birthday! What a lovely place to be.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy Birthday, Jane! These words... YES! Aging is a badge of honor! Thank you for singing that loud and long!

    ReplyDelete