Monday Musings

Time to get busy here!

I've done a couple things thus far today - read and cleared out my e-mail, checked into the Centre Daily Times newspaper online to see if there was anything spectacular going on in the "sort of" local news from across the mountain, got the dirty dishes cleared out, all Maya's princess dolls and assorted other toys picked up from the living room floor (and since the two little ones are at the babysitter's place this afternoon, the house will actually be semi-orderly and clean now till about 5:15 this afternoon).

Then I did my daily "blog tour" - going through the various blogs on my "links I like to read" list to see what some of my fellow blogger friends have to say about the price of tea in China today.

And, in doing that, I came across this blog after having read the bloghopping tour at East of Oregon's site today. Every Monday, she always does this "bloghopping" thing and posts little tidbits about the different, new and exciting blogs she's found that day. And the first one there really caught my eye - some lovely photographs of sights in Oregon, as well as seeing a really pretty hand-made shawl and a snapshot of a yarn shop too.

Now, anyone who knows me really, really well, knows that I have a severe affliction - it's called "I love yarn!" Ok, I am pretty much that way about fabrics, cookbooks too (although I don't cook near as much as my loaded down cookbook bookshelf would lead some to believe.) And I also love bookstores!

But yarn - oh my goodness, how I love that stuff. I enjoy knitting and crochet but am far from being an expert on either craft. My Aunt Mary - now there was a lady who could knit up a storm! She taught herself how to do it too about 59 years ago, before her first child was born and it was something that she became very, very adept at doing as long as she could still hold the knitting needles and yarn between her fingers. Some beautiful creations came forth from her hands over those 58 years she put in after first teaching herself how to knit and purl.

I remember, like it was yesterday, the first handknit item I received from her. It came to me as a Christmas present - I'm not sure now how old I was (perhaps 7 or 8) but it was a grey vest and it wore like iron! It seemed to grow right along with me and that wasn't a bad thing either because I really liked it and it went very nicely with so many outfits too.

For my high school graduation, she made me a gorgeous cardigan sweater - a bright, sort of Kelly green, medium brown and white striped sweater with a collar but no buttons - and it was an eye-catching sweater, to be sure. It was a part of my wardrobe for many years until it finally started to show too many signs of wear and tear - a few tiny rips or holes here and there and I finally had to get rid of it but I know I had it and wore it for very close to twenty years.

Each of my children, over the years, also was the beneficiary of many of Aunt Mary's projects too - from beautiful little baby and children's sweaters, to baby blankets and such. The last knitted items my girls and I received from her came to us as a surprise about two years ago when she sent us a packet containing four of the most gorgeous furry scarves ever! Three were adult size and the fourth, obviously for Miss Maya, was a pint sized pale pink furry little scarf which Maya looked lovely having it wrapped around her neck on cold wintry days and it will last her several more years too as it will be a long time before she outgrows it.
Although (unfortunately) you can't see the scarf on Maya in the upper photo, she had it on - all tucked nicely around her neck and inside her coat - as she was ready to leave to go to Christmas Eve Church services back in 2005. I thought I had a photo saved here someplace that actually SHOWED the scarf very plainly, but apparently I don't - or I don't have it on the computer yet at any rate if I have it here someplace.

Yes, organization is a wonderful trait and it's a darned shame I am sorely lacking in that one!

And, since I have knitting on the mind right now, I think as soon as I publish this post, I'm going to retreat to the sofa and knit some more of the scarf I am working on right now too.

But, one last thing for today - before I get to the needles and yarn. Yep, you guessed it. Your Bushim for the day.

"The great thing about America is everybody should vote." - Austin, Texas; December 8, 2000.

And, although I think he could have worded that a little better, the intent behind that comment, I do understand and agree with him wholeheartedly too. Only problem is, way too many people who could and should vote don't but it they did, think of the difference it WOULD make to our society?