Possible Bags

Have been keeping busy by clearing out some of my fabric stash. I have made "knitting bags" for many years now, sort of a stow and go bag that is a pretty carryall for the current knitting project. It is also a colorful bag that is easy to locate when knitting travels with you around the house. Sizes for the bags are variable, since I buy fabric remnants or 2/3 of a yard lengths, but the average bag size is 15"L x 12"W. The bags have a simple ribbon drawstring and are usually 100% cotton, so they can be washed. Obviously, they can be used for anything; I have used them for shoes in my suitcase, they also have organized kids toys on road trips. Anyway, shall be bringing about 25! to knitting club next week. Sitting at the sewing machine, cranking out these bags has become my current relaxing distraction activity, since the extreme heat this week has limited my gardening time.

Traveling Woman Shawl

Perhaps the name of this shawl is a portent of travels to come... I purchased this lovely pattern before I found the right yarn and added it to my pattern notebook, which is really just another version of a yarn stash, except it's ideas and paper. The pattern is available on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/traveling-woman 
I chose to do the pattern in Berrocco Boboli Lace, 350 yds, in color #4350 it reminds me of fall... both the leaves and brilliant skies. The yarn is a wool/acrylic/viscose mix of varying gauge, the thick bits aren't too lumpy, but the thinnest sections were very thin, think button weight thread. This was an easy and very satisfying knit. The yarn blocked beautifully and my new shawl will certainly be a lovely autumn accent to my wardrobe.

Resetting

Graduation is under my belt and I am just waiting for my diploma to arrive in the mail to close that chapter in my life. It is a major habit change to not log onto my university site the moment my laptop boots. In fact, the university site looks totally alien and empty without any classes queued. Add that strangeness to the fact that my desk is now clean! There are no more piles of notes, or textbooks strewn around. I threw out all the post-it notes and sticky tabs that were stuck everywhere, then returned the stack of library references balanced atop my printer. It took a full trash bag to organize the mounds of paper that had accumulated while I cranked out reports and studied for finals. I temporarily became an obsessive organizer and sorted through everything in my entire bedroom, once I cleared the desk area, then I started on the rest of the house. It is amazing how things get shoved aside when the busy-ness of life distracts.

So, the house, closets, kitchen and basement got a long delayed clean out and I got a streamlined environment. Then, I got cited for weeds by the Department of Community Development. Spurred by the threatening code enforcement letter, I transferred all my efforts to the yard. The lawn mower got fixed and used, a blueberry enclosure was created and we got to work trimming and detailing the gardens. Admittedly, both the front and back yards were looking neglected, so the violation letter was the "kick in the pants" I needed to get focused. Now, after almost a month of effort I am proud of the home that for the last six months I have merely sheltered within.

The blueberry shelter is constructed similarly to the small rose arbor I made last May in the front yard. See here http://dustoffurthinkin.blogspot.com/2015/05/new-rose-arbor.html Materials: 3-10' lengths of 1/2" PVC pipe; 6-2' lengths of rebar; 1 package of bird netting; and I found the 1/2" black plastic fencing under a workbench in the garage. Finally, a staple gun and some zip-ties/pipe cleaners anchored the netting to the fencing and the enclosure was complete. I also sulphured and mulched these six spindly blueberry bushes in hopes that next year we will have more fruit. Looks pretty sharp!


It has been very hot for early June 97F/36C, so the roses bloomed in about a week, then faded. The daylilies and the orange butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa) are the current bloomers. The hummingbirds have been buzzing around the yard with all the bright flowers. I have three feeders up, two in the front yard and one in the back to provide extra fluid for these tiny birds while we endure this extreme & early heat.

Big projects done, I have also completed a shawl and have been applying for jobs. While I am anxious to get to work I do appreciate this bit of extra time to re-order my life. 

Azaleas and Cherry Blossoms

The whole family returned to Missouri Botanical Garden for a lovely sunny and warm day celebrating my birthday over the weekend. Peak spring blossoms with the 80F/26.6C allowed for a pleasant walk through a beautiful landscape that refreshed our memories of previous visits while creating enjoyable new family moments. We spent three hours wandering the paths of the English woodland garden, touring the Henry Shaw house and taking lots of photographs of blooms in the Japanese Garden.

We finished the day at the Olympia Kebob House & Taverna  savoring Greek gyros, sharing dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) and yummy galaktoboureko, a custard dessert I prefer to baklava. Once home, the nap effect hit from all the sun, fresh air, and calming natural beauty combined with a full tummy and an afternoon of walking. One of the best family activities we have all been able to coordinate and uninterrupted by digital media or scheduled demands. Our level of relaxation indicates the power of the natural environment to sooth our busy human selves. It is so important to make the effort to connect to the seasonal beauty of the outdoors, take a walk in a garden, a neighborhood or on a local nature trail. The benefits are both subtle, yet amazing. We are smiling in all our photos and look back on the day with a smile...

Spring and Rebirth

MoBot Reflecting Pond & Chihuly Orbs

Spent a lovely, drizzly Sunday at the Missouri Botanical Garden. It was a wonderful three hour springtime walk and I was thrilled to be able to "naturally" ambulate. I think I am finally rehabbed from the ankle replacement of last May. Lately, I have been fighting the arthritis demon, but happily this too is resolving. This whole experience of prolonged recovery has tested both my endurance and patience. If nothing else I have learned that persistence does pay off... over time, oh and with a bit of pain, a few additional trials and more tears than I care to admit. So, this spring season seems brighter, sweeter and every bloom is a sign of celebration to me.

University is almost over! Graduation is May 14th and I will be walking independently across that graduation stage. Resumes ready I am already looking for jobs. Big steps, a little scary, but I am confident there will be a new path for me to walk.  

Adoption

Emma has been sad and seemed to be more anxious when we left the house and during thunderstorms. Spring in Missouri is just one thunderstorm after another with the occasional tornado and lots of noisy hail, so an anxious dog is going to be stressed for months. We decided to start visiting our local pound a couple weeks ago and Emma had a few sniff visits that were unsuccessful, but she did seem to perk up after meeting different dogs. We were hopeful if we found the right little female dog Emma would be receptive to sharing her space.

Our surprise at finding, then adopting a smaller, active and younger dog buddy is still part of our family adjustment, but Emma's co-dog is Trixie, a Yorkshire terrier mix. Emma always wanted to play with Wendy, who had no clue as to what dog play was, but Trixie plays chase and tug! Emma is exhausted but happy. There have been a few doggy snarls as Emma sets her boundaries on where to sleep and "don't jump on me" instruction, but Trixie, a 1 yr old, seems to be willing to comply. Us humans have had a few good laughs while they play in the yard, so the new dog is really helping to smooth away our sadness over Wendy's death. Spring should be action packed with both happy and exhausted dogs.

Spring Fever & Climate change

Warm sunshine on your arms, and pleasant breezes... Spring seems to have arrived! It was 74F/23C today, definitely warm for early March. I just got the winter salt washed off my car. The gardens are still full of brown leaves and dead stems, but some springtime bulbs are poking through. Just look at these cuties, crocus, and miniature daffodils. Rain is predicted for the rest of the week, but I think this is the earliest bulbs have bloomed in the yard.We will need to get out and start raking this weekend or we might miss all the pretty spring flowers.