Mitten Adventures

Hello Gentle Readers. Monday, the high temperature was in the mid-seventies. Early this morning a light wet snow fell. Right now the sun is out and the temperature is just warm enough to melt snow from the tree branches. Still, signs of spring are everywhere. Under light snow cover, the yards begin to turn green. Red maples show the fringe-y looking growth that comes before the leaves open. Crocus bloom in the neighborhood and the daffodil spears grow taller.  

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers with a tale about a lost and found mitten. Early last week, Norah lost one of her "Pop Top" mittens. She emptied her back pack and looked for it in her at-home cubby of mittens, hats, sandals, swim goggles, and other necessary items. She looked in the yard and on the school playground. Jonah suggested she check the school "lost and found." She didn't know about "lost and found" so my daughter notified his teacher he'd be picked up at a different door so he could search the lost and found table in the gym. The mitten was no where to be found and she was sad. 

Saturday over Face Time, she asked if I could knit another mitten - "not for her writing (right) hand." According to Norah, it didn't even have to be the same color but maybe a little longer as her hand has grown since last November (3/4 inch to be exact). Well of course I could knit another mitten but thought a pair would be even better. Sunday I knit the first mitten. This pair has cream colored cuffs because I don't have enough leftover pink to make two full mittens.

Monday night they called again, all smiles, as Jonah found the lost mitten on top of a snowbank on their walking route to school. Misshapen and dirty but without any tears, it survived three days in the snow and a weekend of rain. Norah and Jonah are certain that, a la the picture book The Mitten, a little mouse or bird sheltered in the mitten during the rain. The pair has since been washed and according to my daughter came out looking reasonably well. In the meantime I'm finishing up the slightly longer pair and will send them off tomorrow. I wish all of life's problems had such an easy solution. 

This week I read Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato. I loved this quiet story of a loving mother daughter relationship that unfolds mostly over Skype. The mother in Brazil expresses concern for her daughter, an international student in Vermont while the daughter worries for her mother because she lives alone. The novel chronicles a gentle but heartbreaking and humorous view of the immigrant experience. The writing is lyrical but sparse in a way where every word counts. I know mother/daughter relationships can be difficult but I enjoyed reading about these two women growing into a rich adult friendship. 

And so rather than a photo of snow, I leave you with one of Spring. I am off to make either a batch of cookies or scones to warm up the kitchen. I hope March is treating you well.