finding wisdom where it presents itself

sometimes the expressions on luna's face cause me to wonder...just where is her imagination taking her? if only she could speak "human!" still, i will try to follow her lead, and remember to enjoy the simple pleasure of a cardboard box....if she could speak the words, i know she would remind me to always take time to enjoy a sunny spot when it shows up....

and finding the simple pleasures is what we were doing the other day, making miniature pumpkin raisin muffins

as gooey a process as it can be sometimes! what fun! they were yummy and quick!

and, of course, i'm allowing myself to just go ahead and start a new project when the urge hits! this is my first fingerless "mitt" attempt. this yarn is fabulous, it's called karamea, and is so soft and springy and warm, these will be cozy. it is a blend of merino wool, alpaca, and possum, of all things....hmmm. who would have thought....? too bad the photo doesn't show the subtle variations in color, it's better in person. more later, with photos of the finished objects!

safe at home

i'm so thankful that those in my immediate circle are safe, and trying to keep it in my mind and heart to send prayers and good thoughts for those in haiti and other parts of the world who are struggling with the basics of life after a disaster. if you are a knitter, you may want to join knitters without borders and if you are not, you may want to check out doctors without borders. it is easy for me to get so wrapped up in my own world that i don't see much else. i'm thankful there are people willing to go where they are needed when a catastrophe happens. and thankful for my comfortable life and the safety of my loved ones.

a little catching up to do...

it has been a difficult year in some ways.

my dear friend judy died in early december from cancer. this is a photo of us a few months ago at our wonderful local yarn shop, cashmere cottage yarn , she was modeling her new cap. what a blessing it was to spend every wednesday afternoon knitting together with friends. i miss her, she was a great friend, and an amazing person, she leaves a huge hole in my life and it is a big change, an enormous loss.

and here is the picture of bliss, our cat aptly named luna who really enjoys reflecting sunlight. she has recovered well from her raccoon (known in our household as rac-ca-coon) encounter last summer, and this picture doesn't even show how well she has regained all the weight she lost during the ordeal! she has truly put on her fatty layers for the winter, and a luxuriant coat, all she is missing is most of her tail and a few toes and toenails. we are so thankful to have her!

since this was largely supposed to a chronicle of my knitting, here is one finished object. i have now completed two of these scarves and am working on a third, since it is a good take-it-with-me project to have in the car. i love the noro silk garden yarn, and the way the colors bounce off each other, but i wish the picture showed it up better. it is worked from two different skeins, alternating every two rows, each skein of yarn changes colors gradually. it is really fun.

the gaia shoulder hug is nearly done. i am working on the bind off/edging. my friend judy was a great encouragement for me to complete it, and my intention was to finish it in november, so hopefully soon.

on labor day weekend we went on a camping trip, and traveled by car to southern oregon/northern california. it was amira's first time camping, and she was very excited to sleep in a tent with a blow up air mattress. this was the morning after our first night, we camped at a place called ana reservoir on our way to goose lake.

this was taken near goose lake, alan ended up carrying amira for part of what was supposed to be a walk for all of us!

note the little ponies on the cake...amira celebrated her fifth birthday at a gymnastics place with 13 friends in attendance. lots of jumping and playing and cake. fun!

this year we carved pumpkins together, this was probably the most fun part, getting gooey...

christmas excitement....

and now, it's time to take down the tree.....*sigh*......and pack it away until next year!

that's all the catching up i'm going to do...hoping to start fresh and post regularly. wish me luck!

updated kitty news

it's been two weeks since we found miss luna kitty the morning after she wrangled with a raccoon. she is finally improving, having been back and forth to the vet, spending 6 or 7 of those nights there, and losing her tail after it became obvious she wouldn't be able to keep it. while that is sad, she finally appears to be be feeling better and that feels better to everybody here. our noche kitty, who only could hiss at her before last evening, spent a long time staring at her across the room yesterday, so that must mean she seems more herself to him, also. it's a good sign.

hanging in there

miss luna kitty is back from the vet...after spending three nights there, being put under anesthesia twice, and bandaged and shaved far more than she would have preferred. here are photos of her as she looks with her partially shaved body, bites, and purple bandages on her hind feet. i've left out the photos of the badly bitten tail and hind end. she has been drinking water, and i just convinced her (finally) to try a little canned food. amazingly, she is walking, she can make it up and down the stairs, and last night jumped up onto our bed and slept most of the night snuggled up to alan. her purr is getting stronger now that she has been home for a day and a half. noche is highly suspicious of her and won't get too close, but then, she does smell different than she normally does! here's to healing...

****UPDATE***6/13 when i took her to the vet yesterday to have her bandages changed, they found she still has a fever, and i was concerned about how listless she has been...they kept her and are starting her on more and different antibiotics, and doing more wound care. the latest news i hear, as of this morning, is that she may lose about half of her tail, poor kitty.


assorted non-news here includes amira pretending to be a unicorn (i don't know...), my newly sprouted yam-in-a-jar that hopefully will become a respectable vine, and we two being goofy for the camera last week

miss moon and the raccoon

Yesterday morning about 6am, after not coming in the previous night when called repeatedly, our sweet Luna kitty limped in the door, bleeding. She had obviously been bitten badly, her paws were a mess, and she had many punctures on her tail and back. Remarkably, her neck and head seemed to not be injured, and she purred when petted. After getting her in to the vet at 6:45, his suspicions that it had been a raccoon she had tangled with were confirmed when we found raccoon fur among the many tufts of white kitty fur on the back porch (where the fight had obviously taken place.) She spent the night at the vet, and this morning I am told that they found over 100 bites, she has a torn leg that couldn't be stitched up, just bandaged, and she has some broken toes. The good news is that she is alive and hanging in there! I'm sure she is uncomfortable, and it remains to be seen what the recovery will be like. Maybe I'll get to bring her home today, perhaps not. Even her absence for a day leaves a huge empty spot in the house. I'm thankful to still have her.

On Saturday I had cast on and began to knit my newest project, the Gaia Shoulder Hug. Taking it with me to meet my mother, my daughter, and two of my brothers at our local coffee hangout yesterday afternoon may not have been the best choice, however, because Amira whizzed by me in typical high-energy mode and accidentally pulled my knitting needle all the way out of the project. That raised my blood pressure a couple notches in a hurry. Thankfully I was able to work it back onto the needles successfully late last night, only losing a couple of rows in the process. Whew.

I see that is has been a couple of months since posting(yes, I had written one, just not posted it....hmm...) Highlights of the past month or so include treats at the Apple Blossom Festival, enjoying the rides at Youth Day, a day trip to Wapato Point, and for me, my second ever Fiber Tour! I took no pictures on this wonderful trip, but did manage to acquire some very nice sock yarn at a great price while touring Skacel in Kent, and bought some great novelty yarn and a couple of enticing patterns at Great Yarns in Everett. We had lots of fun on the bus with a book drawing that allowed "stealing" somebody else's book instead of keeping your own, and I scored this great field guide! There was plenty of knitting time on the bus, and a stop at the fabulous Eagle Creek Winery for a tour if one had the energy, and a glass of wine on the lovely deck under the trees on the way home. Aahh. What a day...what a treat!

certain signs of spring

today i was enjoying the many lovely sights of the season here:

forsythia in bloom;

real, actual, growing-in-the-ground daffodils blooming;

flowering pear blossoms;

beautiful dancing green leaves peeking out finally on the baby quaking aspen trees in our yard; the short-lived but lovely velvety-green tint the hills take on each year at this time;

and the strings of chairs and benches roped along the parade route in anticipation of the Apple Blossom Festival parades coming up the end of this month and first weekend of next. even the local newspaper has a seasonal chair count that is updated daily, today the chairs number 251, the ropes 6, and the benches 11, for an estimated number of reserved spots of 834. strangely enough, it seems to work out well, nobody steals the benches or chairs, and it is a source of entertainment and amazement. are we easily entertained, or what!? oh, yeah, and usually the apple trees are blooming somewhere about the time of the festival. it is a beautiful time of year to be here.

since soon it will be flip-flop and shorts weather, what am i currently knitting? wool socks, of course! the first one is done, and i must say it is my favorite sock project to date! maybe there will even be an opportunity to wear the pair before next fall if i'm really quick about knitting the second one. i did also recently knit a pair of cotton socks for my mother, who doesn't prefer wool. i'm guessing they may be the only pair of purple socks she owns, but i don't know that for sure.

today some people came to look at our house. i don't know if they are actually interested enough to make an offer, but the great thing about having somebody come to tour one's house is that it gave me a great reason to clean it all at once. very nice to come home to! it sort of makes it all worth the stress of not knowing whether you are coming or going. all is well.