Happy May Day

Flax Sweater

Happy May Day! Once upon a time, my dear Mom helped my siblings and I assemble and deliver May Baskets. Sometimes they were paper cups with pipe cleaner handles and other times they were more elaborate construction paper creations. We filled them with popcorn and small candies - gum drops, M and M's, and/or candy corn. The custom was to set them on the front porch, ring the doorbell, and then run so the recipient wouldn't chase after you and kiss your cheek. My Mom never wanted any child to be left out so we placed May Baskets in large dress boxes on the back seat and she drove us to the homes of classmates who lived further away. When Mom was a girl, she filled May Baskets with flowers from the yard and only a little candy. My children carried their baskets to nearby neighbor children. Today my Connecticut grandsons are delivering a few to church personnel, much to the recipients' surprise. Is this a Midwest custom or did children in other parts of the country also deliver May Baskets?

Yesterday light rain fell and today is gray and damp. In between rains, I weeded two perennial flowerbeds. The iris show a few buds and the lilacs are blooming. This week has been quite chilly but that will change. I am dreaming about planting tomatoes and basil after the last frost date. In the meantime, a healthy crop of weeds grows in the vegetable patch.

Since I am linking with Kat and the Unravelers, I add knitting/sewing and reading notes. I haven't finished any projects but I haven't unraveled anything either. This past week I finished sewing together the blocks of Norah's Christmas Quilt. The next step is to shop for fabrics for a simple border and backing. Slowly but surely. No deadlines makes the process much more enjoyable. I also knit on two little sweaters. I hope this baby sweater blocks flat. I have knit this pattern previously and had no trouble with a rolling edge so I am hoping for the best. Norah's Flax Sweater begins to look like a sweater. I rarely knit with the yarn/gauge specified in a pattern so I swatched for both projects in order to choose an appropriate size. I tend to knit a little bigger size as babies always grow. This new little one, due in August, is a second cousin to Norah and all the boys.

Louise Cardigan

I am almost finished rereading The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland. As usual, I had forgotten parts of the story. Emily Carr, the heroine and main character is certainly intrepid and unconventional. I may look for a little information about her. I am always curious about how closely historical fiction follows fact. I listened to The American Agent, the latest Maisie Dobbs novel/mystery. Maisie moves into World War II in this novel. Descriptions of the Blitz bombing of London in 1940 as well as Maisie's personal life, including a romantic interest and a child she is adopting are part of the story. Returning to this series is like meeting up with a good friend. The narrator is excellent. Time and tea with Maisie Dobbs are perfect for chilly spring evenings. Both of these novels are pure escape reading but sometimes escape is just the thing.

Welcome May. May the sun shine a little brighter on all of us. I am looking forward to flip flops, capris, and tee shirts. What about you?

Sunrise Sunset

April treats us to both warm and cool days. All are beautiful in their own way. A robin builds a nest up high in the birch outside my window. The male accompanies her as she flies back and forth with nest-building materials.

This April we attended a celebration in honor of my uncle's hundredth birthday. Although he is frail physically, his mind is sharp as a tack. He and his wife of 97 continue to live independently. At his party, they greeted a large group of family and friends. After dinner, he thanked his family and guests for their presence and told a little anecdote about the number of heartbeats in one hundred years. He participated in a Q and A with his six grandchildren. They shared a memory and asked him a question about his life and times. As an adult, this gentle man created and ran his own milking equipment and dairy barn building business. During that time, he invented a device to make life easier for dairy cattle and their farmers. He continues to be a presence in the lives of  his community, church, and family. We were honored to help him celebrate one hundred years. The next day we met my brother and sister-in-law at my sister and brother-in-law's home for brunch. We were joined by a niece and husband who are expecting a new baby in August. The family connections as well as the sunrise and sunset of these two lives made for a memorable Easter weekend.

My shoulder is nearly healed and I am knitting more stitches. This shawl is finished and I like it. I surely enjoyed knitting with the yarn. I omitted the tassels as I am not a tassel kind of girl. The picot edge is enough of a feminine touch for me. I cast on a wee little cardigan for my niece's baby. When using the Madtosh Merino Light yarn for other projects, I learned that it stands up to ripping and re-knitting so this will make a sweet but wearable sweater. 

I continue to reread books from my shelves. This week I am midway through The Forest Lover, a novel of historical fiction about Emily Carr, a Canadian woman artist. I am enjoying the story of this independent woman determined to be come an artist and paint the totem poles of Native Americans before they are lost. According to this story, Carr showed a good deal of respect for the indigenous people.

As I link to Kat and the Unravelers, the robin couple is still working. Rather the female is building and male is keeping watch. Above them, the sky is clear and blue. I plan to walk today and then pull a few weeds from the flower bed along the fence. The lilacs have buds and bleeding heart is blooming. They both need room to grow. Enjoy your week.

April Poetry

Spring urges us to see the world with new eyes. I'm not sure who chose April as poetry month but it seems fitting to me.  Poems are open invitation to think about something in a different way. New possibilities bring wonder to life. In honor of poetry month, I've been reading randomly from The Extraordinary Tide: New Poetry by American Women.  I am drawn to some poets more than others. A few poems are too rough for me but all are beautiful. I also respect the women who write from their hearts and experiences.

Projects by other makers inspire us to create. Now and then a poem I've read sparks one of my own. Several years after reading "Something Else" in Tether by Kirsten Dierking, I was with family at Homestead National Monument on an April day. I jotted a few notes about our walk on the trails. Later when I pulled them out, I thought of Dierking's poem. I have revised and refiled this poem many times. It is ready to be abandoned. Some famous poet (I can't remember who) said poems are never finished. They are just abandoned.

April at National Homestead Monument*

April 17, 2019

Be something else, the poet urges.

Walking a path through wooded draw, I touch

            bumps on hackberry bark,

            wide furrow of old oak,

            splinters in a hollow trunk.

Circling the prairie, I smell

            sharp edges of blackened grass,

            sulphur cell of butterfly wing,

            gusts of wind across the land.

Winding down the draw, I consider

            roots under my feet,

            earthworms chewing soil,

            dry leaves, and other debris.

Then, up in an oak,

            two coffee eyes above

            streaked breast of barred owl.  

             

Luminous beads, strung from tears,

            set in a head, that turns

            toward the prairie.

*copyright Jane A. Wolfe

Last night I finished knitting the Rewilding Shawl. This was definitely a process project. I enjoyed the knitting, the pattern, and the yarn base. I am not so sure about the pastel colors. I am anxious to see how it looks after a good soak and blocking. My shoulder isn't quite up to pushing a tighter gauge of stitches along a needle so I'll have to think carefully about the next project.

I am linking with Kat and the Unravelers where there will be plenty of inspiration for creating. However you celebrate Spring and your faith, I wish you a joyous season filled with new possibilities and inspiration. 

Easy Knitting

On a warm day last week, my husband helped me pot pansies on the front porch. Some beautiful Spring days have come our way. I love the color returning to the landscape. When the sun shines, the gray birch bark gleams silver and the blue sky is bright above the new green of leaf tips. The yellow of daffodils warms my heart. Spring wouldn't be spring without the ups and downs in weather. Today is down right brisk and some kind of precipitation, either rain or snow, is forecast for Thursday and Friday. I have two brave daffodils blooming. I may pick them and bring them inside. We might as well enjoy them for a day or two.

My shoulder is healing and feels quite a bit better. I've been reading more and knitting carefully. Thank you for your kind thoughts. I am still rereading books on my shelf. I finishing The Thirteenth Tale, quite the gothic tale. I can't say it's great literature but it was entertaining and I enjoyed the references to Jane Eyre. I don't think I'll read it again though - twice is enough. Currently I am rereading a book of short essays, An Unspoken Hunger, by Terry Tempest Williams. Williams is one of my favorite non-fiction writers. This book was published in 1994 so some subject matter is dated but her words and thoughts still carry a message for today. She writes of family, place, and the environment.

The Rewilding Shawl is coming along. The second color in the gradient is a soft lavender. As I've learned again, focus on one project equals progress. Over the weekend, I looked at Norah's sweater, checked the gauge, and then ripped back a few inches to the neck ribbing. The stitch count of the sleeve areas was incorrect. Rather than count stitches in every row, I ripped back. It was an easy problem to solve. As soon as my shoulder is completely well, I enjoy knitting on it.

Linking with Kat and the Unravelers this week. May the Spring flowers in your neck of the woods bud and bloom soon, if not today.

Early Spring

These early spring days swing between sunny 60 degrees and cold rain. Gentle rain falls as I write this afternoon. The neighborhood maples sport red fringe buds and the catkins on our birch are visible. We are planning a small landscaping project for warmer drier weather. On the next sunny day, I hope to pot pansies for the front porch. My husband will have to help as I have a sore shoulder/neck/upper arm. I have good but painful range of motion so I gently stretch, take an anti-inflammatory, and (darn!) knit less and more carefully. I hope to get over this latest ache in a week or so. My daughter, the physical therapist, reminds me inflammation lasts from six to eight days. 

I turned the heel and knit the gusset on the second pink sock before I set it aside to heal up this latest injury. After a few days of knitting hiatus, I cast on this mostly garter stitch shawl, Rewilding. I needed a project that would slide across the needles. The yarn was a Christmas splurge and a photo on a brighter day will show the true sunrise colors. I am anxious to finish piecing Norah's Christmas Quilt top and knit on her Flax sweater but for now I need to be patient with my aging shoulder.

I finished Letters from Yellowstone and enjoyed it immensely. Jonah and I are reading Curious George books over FaceTime. The curious mischievous little monkey reminds me and perhaps Jonah of a preschooler who wants to be helpful but can't resist fun and exploration. We have talked about pizza dough, different kinds of ovens, the birthday cake frosting flying out of the bowl, and more. He loves George and so do I. He also likes a good shovel. The story of the authors' escape from the Nazi's, with the manuscript is a story worth telling to older children.

I am linking with Kat and the Unravelers on this rainy day. I hope your April is off to a good start with some sunny days that favor a shovel.

Jonah, my Curious George buddy

Water

Clean water is the stuff of life.  Flood waters are devastating. Overflowing rivers created fertile farm ground in Nebraska and Iowa but floods also wash away rich top soil. Local readers and some farther away have read the news of flooding in Nebraska and Iowa. A perfect storm of record snowfall, deep layers of frozen ground and river ice, followed by rain and sudden warm-up created ice jams and historic flooding. The Spencer dam gave way sending a wall of water down the Niobrara River Valley. Lives, farms, cattle, homes, and businesses were swept away in the blink of an eye. Three-fourths of Nebraska counties are requesting assistance. Prayers and help will be needed for a long time.

The stories of neighbors and strangers helping each other abound. One day in Fremont, Ne., volunteers made 1000 lunches. A private flying company flew (at no charge)  stranded individuals, including parents separated from their children at daycare, at no charge. Dentists donated toothbrushes. Heroes and heroines walk in our midst.

Lincoln was safe and dry but came within in two days of losing water supply. Helicopters air lifted in 400 sandbags weighing 1500 lbs. each to protect the wells. Residents were asked to reduce water use by 50% for several days. We continued for another few days with a 25% reduction. I have never taken water completely for granted. However this experience made me think about third world countries where citizens haul water daily. I am mighty thankful to have a dry roof over my head and easy access to clean running water.

Spring has arrived with longer days and sunshine. Yesterday I walked in a lightweight fleece and noticed buds on trees. This morning the sun is shining and the March wind gusts. I am leaving shortly to spend the middle of the day with my sister. Lunch and chatting are the only things on our agenda.

Currently I am knitting on the pink socks. I sent a bunch of mittens to my grandsons. They like to wear "knitted up Grammy mittens" outdoors because they allow more movement than heavier water-proof mittens worn in the snow. Although mitten season is coming to an end, they may wear them this early Spring. If not, they will fit one of the four next year. As for me, I had a good time putting together yarn from previous hat and mitten projects. Knitting up mittens is also a way to hold those little hands across the miles.

I am currently rereading Letters From Yellowstone by Diane Smith. The novel, set in the late 1800's is written in the form of letters. The main character is a young woman naturalist who joins a Montana professor leading a group investigation of Yellowstone Park plant life. I am enjoying the slow meandering pace of the letters. I also am intrigued with the way Smith develops the storyline and the characters through letters. Letters, nature writing, a story about the west, a spunky young woman, and quirky characters make a pleasant read for me. 

Linking with Kat and the Unravelers today. I hope this finds you dry and safe. May the sunshine bring warmth to your corner of the world.


 

Just Around the Corner

The daylight-savings-time-change flipped the weather switch in my locale. Light begins to shift in February. This past Sunday, the daylight looked remarkably brighter to me. The sun sets in a slightly different position on the horizon. Melted snowfall of many inches runs down the street and puddles in low areas on the sidewalk. The earth tilts toward Spring.

Today I went for a short walk. I encountered two young boys on bicycles and remarked, "nice day to be out on bikes." One sweet little guy replied, "yes, the snow is almost gone, the sun is out, and it stopped raining. That is what I am glad about today." Amen. Being glad about sunshine means hope. Another neighbor was out with her children who were drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. We chatted a few minutes. She told me she found something green in her yard - a dandelion - but it was green! I love winter but am ready to welcome Spring. Change is constant and the dependable rhythm of seasonal change is reassuring.

I cast on a pair of pale pink socks in honor of Spring and I am knitting hope into every stitch. Hope for Spring, hope for the boy on his bike, hope for the dandelion, and hope that all children can get outdoors and be glad in the sunshine.

I am reading The Library Book  by Susan Orlean. I opted out of the audio, narrated by the author and picked up a hard copy. I am enjoying the general history and commentary on libraries in general. In my opinion, some of the many details about the LA library history could have been omitted. This isn't the most compelling nonfiction I've ever read but I am enjoying it and will finish.

Just squeaking in at the end of the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers. I hope your days bring a touch of Spring.