Saturday, May 31, 2008

The Clap is finally a FO

After many weeks the Clapotis is finished. I really like it done in the lace weight yarn and the color is nice too. I must say that this one will be an only child. While I like the result, I found it very boring to knit. Only if I were in the mood for some major mindless knitting would I make another.

As you can see Gracie is extremely impressed.

There has been progress with the test knit sweater. I have only the sleeves and finishing to do. Should have be able to call it a FO soon. This one is going to be for myself for a change.

I just got this great book on cables. I think maybe my next project will come from this book. I has some great cable patterns. I enjoyed the Irish hiking scarf a lot so I am ready to do some more advanced cabling.

My friend Chelle http://www.hangingbyathinthread.blogspot.com/ blogged about experiencing a feeling of malaise. I think that hits it on the yead for me. I have been in this funk for the last two months (whining about it plenty). Things just were out of sync...well that is all over now. I met a friend at Margarita's after work Friday. It was nice to see here again; it had been a while. After leaving here I decided that I had done enough whining and I need to suck it up and move on. I am looking forward to June being a good month. Stay tuned.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Recent Activities

I think this is going to be the year for peaches. Aboutr 4 years ago I had a peach tree come up next to my deck stares. Not really in a good spot but I decided to leave it since it did come up by itself (probably buried by a squirrel). Year before last I had 3 peaches which were not of much size but tasted really good. Last year when the tree was blooming we has a late freeze and all of the blooms were gone so of course there were not peaches. This year even with all of the strange weather we have had I think the peach crop is going to be big barring any unforseen disaster.

This will be so fun. I have had several people tell me just to cut the tree down because of the bad location but I cannot bring myself to do it. I feel that if this tree wants to survive where it is I will do what I can to help it. I fill update the progress as time goes buy.

I am glad to have a long weekend. The best part is my friends are here from St. Louis. They have a graduation to attend in St. Joe tonight then leave sometime tomorrow to return to St. Louis. They are both in education and have a couple more days left in the school year to complete.

I am so glad they were able to come this weekend. I have kind of been mentally exhausted lately so it is good to have a diversion. I have had some personal sadness and disappointment the last couple of weeks that I will not go into because I do not what to get started whining about it since I do need to move on and leave it behind. I am ready to suck it up and move on.

I have been knitting but have nothing to show right now because I am still doing a test knit for a friend who is going to submit a pattern for publication. When this has been accomplished I will gladly share.

I also have some baby things to do which are always fun. I have several baby friends on the way this year so I guess I need to get started. Not sure what I will decide on as yet but will share when I decide (soon).

I guess I need to cut this short...I am going to a cook out this afternoon so I had better be on my way.

Monday, May 12, 2008

A friend share this with me so thought I would share it with you.

One morning on my way to work the sky looked like this. I just happened to have the camera in the car and as one of my favorite things is sky pictures. I just wanted to share it with you.

The New York Times
May 11, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Call Your Mother
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

The ad popped up in my e-mail the way it always has: “1-800-Flowers:
Mother’s Day Madness — 30 Tulips + FREE vase for just $39.99!”

I almost clicked on it, forgetting for a moment that those services
would not be needed this year. My mother, Margaret Friedman, died last
month at the age of 89, and so this is my first Mother’s Day without a
mom.

As columnists, we appear before you twice a week on these pages as
simple bylines, but, yes, even columnists have mothers. And in my case,
much of the outlook that infuses my own writings was bred into me from
my mom. So, for once in 13 years, I’d like to share a little bit about
her.

My mom was gripped by dementia for much of the last decade, but she
never lost the generous “Minnesota nice” demeanor that characterized
her in her better days. As my childhood friend Brad Lehrman said to me
at her funeral: “She put the mensch in dementia.”

My mom’s life spanned an incredible period. She was born in 1918,
just at the close of World War I. She grew up in the Depression, enlisted in
the Navy after Pearl Harbor, served her country in World War II, bought
our first house with a G.I. loan and lived long enough to play bridge
on the Internet with someone in Siberia .

For most of my childhood, my mom appeared to be a typical suburban
housewife of her generation, although I knew she was anything but
typical. She sewed many of my sisters’ clothes, including both of
their wedding dresses and boy’s suits for me. And on the side, she won
several national bridge tournaments.

My mom left two indelible marks on me. The first was to never settle
for the cards you’re dealt. My dad died suddenly when I was 19. My
mom worked for a couple of years. But in 1975, I got a scholarship to go to
graduate school in Britain and my mom surprised
us all one day by announcing that she was going, too. I called it the “Jewish Mother
Junior Year Abroad Program.”

Most of her friends were shocked that she wasn't’t just going to play
widow. Instead, she sold our house in little St. Louis Park , Minn. , and
moved to London . But what was most amazing to watch was how she used
her world-class bridge skills to build new friendships, including with
one couple who flew her to Paris for a bridge game. Yes, our little
Margie off to Paris to play bridge. She even came to see me in Beirut
once, during the civil war — at age 62.

The picture of her in Beirut makes me think back in amazement at what
my mom might have done had she had the money to finish college and
pursue her dreams — the way she encouraged me to pursue mine, even
when they meant I’d be far away in some crazy place and our only
communications would be through my byline. It’s so easy to overlook
your mom had dreams, too.

My mom’s other big influence on me you can read between the lines of
virtually every column — and that is a sense of optimism. She was the
most uncynical person in the world. I don’t recall her ever uttering a
word of cynicism. She was not naïve. She had taken her knocks. But
every time life knocked her down, she got up, dusted herself off and
kept on marching forward, motivated by the saying that pessimists are
usually right, optimists are usually wrong, but most great changes were
made by optimists.

Six years ago, I was in Israel at a dinner with the editor of the
Haaretz newspaper, which publishes my column in Hebrew. I asked the
editor why the newspaper ran my column, and he joked: “Tom, you’re
the only optimist we have.” An Israeli general, Uzi Dayan, was seated
next to me and as we walked to the table, he said: “Tom, I know why
you’re an optimist. It’s because you’re short and you can only see that
part of the glass that’s half full.”

Well, the truth is, I am not that short. But my mom was. And she,
indeed, could only see that part of the glass that was half full. Read
me, read my mom.

Whenever I’ve had the honor of giving a college graduation speech, I
always try to end it with this story about the legendary
University of
Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant. Late in his career, after his
mother had died, South Central Bell Telephone Company asked Bear Bryant
to do a TV commercial. As best I can piece together, the commercial was
supposed to be very simple — just a little music and Coach Bryant
saying in his tough voice: “Have you called your mama today?”

On the day of the filming, though, he decided to ad-lib something. He
reportedly looked into the camera and said: “Have you called your
mama today? I sure wish I could call mine.” That was how
the commercial ran, and it got a huge response from audiences.

So on this Mother’s Day, if you take one thing away from this column,
take this: Call your mother.

I sure wish I could call mine.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Sunny Sunday Morning

Now I call this Spring. The sun is out, I have the window open, and I am on a roll with Spring cleaning. I have done the kitchen, even down to scubbing the floor on my hands and knees. At least, after loosing some weight, I am able to get down on my knees and bend over far enough to reach the floor to scrub it. My knees still do not like it but it will be OK.

Now I am just taking a break to have a cold drink and blog before I start moving the living room furniture to it's Spring time position. Of course this involves vaccuming and dusting to complete the whole process. Meanwhile, the laundry is in progress with the bedroom next in line.

Maybe I will get some knittng in tonight. I am almost finished with the Clapotis. I have 3 more decreases to do then the last 13 rows and it will be complete.

While this has been an interesting experience, I have found it rather boring. I am not sure I will do another one unless I want to do it for mindless knitting in maybe a worsted weight. This one is a fingering weight so it is lighter weight. I used this yarn so I could compare it with the one my friend Mary is doing in Lorena's Lace.

I think my next project will be a sweater. I have not done one since the one I did for my sister at Christmas. I also have, of course some socks in the works. I am knitting them as tube socks then going back to do the heals. The tubes are done so I will probably do the heals in the next couple of days. I also have a baby thing to do that I need to get started on since the baby is due in July.

OK...I have rested enough. It is time to move furniture and get on with things. It is 11:00 and I am planning on being finished with my cleaning by 1:00 so I can go shopping with Susan to look for smaller closes and some shoes with leather soles to wear for dancing.

Yes I have started doing some salsa dancing and am planning on doing some east coast swing with my singles group. You may recall that my New Year's resolution for this year was to get out and socialize more. I think so far I have been working that directions. This along with going back to Weight Watchers (so far down 20lbs at WW plus 15 prior to that since October) has been my major accomplishment this year. In addition, I am trying to aquire perm employment so I do not have to keep looking for work every year. So if you know anyone in KC who is looking for a tech writer, business analyst, QA person keep me in mind.

OK, I am really finished again.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

On the Move

I have been checking out a different blogging tool. I think I like it better so come visit me at http://knittingfastasican.multiply.com/ . I am not closing this one down just yet so I may be back here soon.