New York

I am having a wonderful time in New York and as a result, have had very little time to post, but I want to share one picture from Friday.  

The Defiant Girl statue has been on my must-see list ever since I heard about her.  Can you tell how happy I am to be there?  I'll definitely post photos from my trip soon.  

A Slow, Hot Summer

 

   I took the advice many people gave me and decided to enjoy the slow pace of this summer.  It has been too hot to do much anyway, so why not?  I even did a little beach knitting finally.

As a result, I was quite rested when I talked to my dad last Sunday afternoon and found out my mom had had an "episode" and wasn't feeling well, which turned into a 48 hour visit to the hospital.  She had a TIA (mini-stroke) last June, but fortunately, had no permanent damage from it, other than a loss of confidence as a result of the fear of it happening again.  So when my dad said she thought it had happened again, I went to their house, and convinced her she needed to go to the ER, rather than waiting until the next day to call her doctor, which was her plan.  They ran all the tests, and it was determined that she had probably experienced a complex migraine, as opposed to another TIA, but since she also has an irregular heartbeat that seems to be worsening, her primary care doctor has decided to have her wear a heart monitor for a month, just to be on the safe side.  I'm really grateful that I was able to be available for her, without the distraction of work, and that it happened before my trip to New York.  She has pretty significant hearing loss, and even though she wears hearing aids, she still misses quite a lot that is said, especially under stress and/or when the doctor has a foreign accent.  

 

All the time I've spent sitting in hospital waiting rooms this summer has led to some significant shawl knitting time.  After I finished the Playground shawl, I cast on for Close to You, a pattern I'd wanted to make since last summer, according to my Ravelry page.  Although the pattern called for fingering weight yarn, I wanted to use this skein of Dragonfly Fibers sport weight instead, and so, of course, I did.

 

 

 

 

It didn't take long to finish it, and so I dug in the stash and found a beautiful skein of fingering weight and cast on again, to knit the pattern in the designer's suggested weight.  This is yarn from my knitting guild's retreat this past March, but I don't have the label at hand just now.m I love the subtle shifts of grey.

 

 

I leave Thursday morning for my New York trip, and needless to say, I'm really looking forward to it.  Hope to post a bit more frequently too!

 

 

Loose Ends

I find myself at loose ends these days.  This often happens to me on summer break; without a schedule, I tend to let the days slip by without a plan, in part, as a way to rest and relax.  But after a bit, I usually start feeling a little blue.  This summer is the first summer I have ever lived completely alone, and when I think about it in those terms, I am doing pretty well.  And yet, there are times when I'm so apathetic and listless, that I worry that I'm not coping as well as it seems.  I can't decide if I should put more structure in my days or if floating along is what I need.  I have been reading quite a bit, and continue to do a little yard work most days, but I haven't committed to doing any major projects around the house like I had planned.  I'm not closing myself off from my friends and family, but I'm definitely not as social as I was.  As an example, this is the first summer since I moved in nine years ago, that I haven't actively invited friends and coworkers over for Beach Fridays, and I can't really say why.  I have had a very few close friends come over for beach time, the ones who are close enough to invite themselves, and I've enjoyed it, but I just don't feel like doing the hostess thing.  So much has been written about the curated on-line selves we present, that I thought it was important to be honest about some of the not so pretty stuff.  Thanks for listening.  Now on to the pictures.

 

This is a rose from one of the bushes I pruned last week; I have a couple of these antique bottles and was happy to have a reason to use one of them.  

 I'm not sure if I've ever posted a photo of this part of my front yard before, but I took this picture after pruning this tree.  Again, I really wish I had a before photo, as this tree was a beast.  I don't know what it is, but I call it a weeping holly because prior to my pruning it, its branches hung down to the ground like a weeping willow.  This is the first time I've ever seen the ground around it!

 

Melissa went to Colorado and Wyoming last month, and brought back this tea towel from a vintage shop.  I think it's adorable.

 

 I finished the Playground Shawl for my friend; this is a picture of it before blocking.

 

 

 

And this is how it grew after blocking.  I was amazed at the size, until I checked my yardage again and realized I had used 680 yards of yarn.  

         

 And in an effort to work from my stash, I cast on another shawl right away.  This will be much smaller, as it's a single skein shawl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Gracie continues to enjoy sitting near me as much as possible while she naps, often on the arm of the couch.

 

 

And sometimes, she rests her tiny head on my knee.

 

But usually she loves to scrunch down on the back of the couch where it's a cushier place to snuggle.  

 

Hoping you are well and keeping as cool as you can in this hot, dry summer we're having.  And thanks again for stopping by.