Hello September

Hello Gentle Readers. Summer has one more story to tell on this early September day. Through next Monday, high temperatures will remain in the mid-nineties. I walk on the shaded sides of streets, shamelessly zigzagging back and forth in order to stay in the shade. If anyone asks, I'm claiming more steps. On one route, a large rose garden with many varieties blooms a second time. It is glorious. Monday I went out to snip parsley and basil for a pasta salad and found three small (monarch) caterpillars in the parsley. Since the two plants are small, I made do with basil. Our salad was plenty tasty. 

Today I link with Kat and the Unravelers. I finished the heel flap and gusset on the second the Bow-Tie socks. I also cast on some new projects. I have admired the "Same As It Ever Was" hats that Sarah knits from the pattern she designed. I gathered some leftover yarns and a pastel mini skeins to knit one from scraps. After completing the increases, I used helical knitting to blend the first two mini skeins. My only regret is, unlike Sarah, I don't have a Ruthie dog as a way to measure progress. I have plenty of yarn to make a nice hat but haven't decided whether I will mix the colors or knit all the pinks on one side and the blues on the other. 

I wanted to knit with this batch of handspun yarn. I ripped out my first attempt as the stockinette pattern didn't suit the yarn. Garter stitch at a looser gauge looks better to me. I cast on a favorite, the Rewilding Shawl. Helen Stewart's row by row pattern provides percentage of yarn used at certain points in the project which will be useful as I figure out where to use the yarns. My plan is to use solid colors to create eyelet sections. It's an adventure.

Today is my birthday and so here I am walking into my seventy-fifth year in my walking shorts and faded shirt. (All of the stuff in the background belongs to my neighbors who like that sort of thing.)  I am very grateful to be in reasonably good health but that could turn on a dime. In the meantime, I try to savor the ordinary days. My plan is to love deeply, enjoy my family and friends, seek beauty, read thoughtfully, write a bit, and engage with making that sparks joy and peace. I remind myself to focus on what I have and be grateful for those things. Every now and then I need to put my feet up in the middle of the day and so I try to accept this with grace. In the last few months, I've come to realize that energy is equally as precious as time.  At this age, every day is a gift to be unwrapped with care. 

I think it is quite warm most places in the northern hemisphere. I hope you can stay cool and take care in the heat.