Another Chapter closes

Our bookstore is being sold. At least I hope it is being sold. I much prefer that to closing altogether. The store has been open over two years now. So many things have happened there. I've made new friends, met new people, gotten interested in knitting, we've had parties there for all of our birthdays. Sometimes it's just a quiet place to sit and knit or to grade papers. Sometimes it's a good place to sit and converse among friends. It's the place to go every morning before school for a cup of coffee, a latte, a muffin, or a scone. I've met folks there to work on my computer, to play a game of scrabble, to study math, or study the Bible. And of course there are things only my barrista knows. We will all miss Glenn. But life is calling. I wish him well.

The balance of life

Have you ever heard the story about the young person who longed for better things to enjoy, but didn't have enough money to get the better things? It could be a surfboard, a camper, hunting accesories, stereo... To get enough money the young person gets a job with more responsibility and a better chance of advancement. Over the years the person does make more money and collect more things, but with advancement and responsibility there is less time to enjoy all the things. All those things aren't making them happy. Their life is out of balance. They should have accepted less things so they could have more time to enjoy what they had. So many areas of life are a balance. If I increase one area of my life, then another area decreases. There are only so many hours in a day. These things are tough enough to work out when I control the balance. When someone else controls the balance it may be impossible to get everything done. Then what do you give up: sleep? health? the roof over your head?

Senior Walk

What a wonderful tradition, Senior Walk. I was priviledged to join in as we walked our Senior across the field prior to the homecoming game. It's a wonderful opportunity to recognize them as they participate in their last season in High School. Way to go Seniors.

School Starts

I've been hearing all the preparations others are doing getting ready to begin another school year. Most stock up on supplies, get appointments and car maintenance done, get all clothes clean and ready to go, and cook food ahead to freeze and eat later. But the most important preparation is making sure I have enough yarn. The nearest yarn store is over an hours drive. The best yarn stores are nearly two hours away. I need to have several projects lined up, the yarn bought, the needles ready. School is stressful. We need time to sit, knit, and relax. Sure clothes and food are important. But yarn is a must have.

The Allibeth Knitted Backpack

I wrote this pattern and knitted these backpacks for my cousin's girls.

Materials: 2 rolls La Espiga Nylon String #18 200 g 180 meters
Circular needles sizes 9, 10 1/2, 13, 15
Size 7 dpns for i cord
Notes: I cast on and knit the base with size 9 circular needles


CO 35 sts (size 9 needles)
Knit 14 rows to create a rectangular base
Pick up 45 sts around the rectangle (5 sts on each end and 35 on the long side)
Place Marker
Rounds
1, 2 Knit
3 k2,k2tog,yo2, k2tog,k23, k2tog, yo2, k2tog, k9, k2tog,yo2,k2tog,k23, k2tog, yo2, k2tog,k2
4,5 knit
6 *yo, k2tog* repeat to end of round
7 knit
switch to size 10 1/2 needles
8,9 repeat rows 6,7
switch to size 13 needles
10,11 repeat rows 6,7
switch to size 15 needles
12 - 49 repeat rows 6,7
switch to size 13 needls
50-53 knit
54 *k2, k2tog, yo2, k2tog, k2* repeat to end of round
55-57 knit
58 bind off

make i cord 90 inches long (7 1/2 feet)

End of Summer

A watched pot never boils. .... is as exciting as watching grass grow/ watching paint dry. Time sometimes passes quickly while at other times it passes slowly. I can remember how it used to take forever to eat peas, but ice cream never lasted long enough. In school classes I liked would fly by, but those I dreaded took forever. The older I get, the faster times seems to pass. And now my summer break is drawing to a close. Clothes are prepared for the start of a new school year. I am starting to get up earlier and go to bed earlier. Summer has passed. One week from today I will be going through my schedule, checking where I will be the next morning. It seems like yesterday I was finishing another year.

Country Summer

I love summer in the country. Berries are gone now. Fresh fruit is still on the trees. Kids at the local swimming hole. Frozen treats for the bookstore/coffee shop. Just watch out for the rattlesnakes.

Rain

A plant in dry soil reaches it's roots down deep thirsting for a drink. But there is no water to be found. The plant continues on working to feed itself and grow, but soon the lack of moisture takes its toll. The plant begins to droop and show signs of stress. It reaches deeper, barely hanging on. The sun beats down. Normally the sun's rays would be welcome, but now it only strains the plant more. Finally the clouds come and the moisture spills down. The plant drinks in the welcome respite from all the work and soaks in the moist rain. Soon the plant is standing strong again. Perhaps a few leaves are gone. Perhaps there is some small scar from the stress. But the new growth will soon cover all signs of the previous stress. The plant will soon be taller and stronger than ever, unrecognizable from the plant that previously drooped and leaned over to the ground. So it is with summer. A welcome respite from the previous stress that weighs us down.

A Great Day

This morning I got to go by one of my favorite places, The Horse's Mouth Bookstore and Coffee Shop. None of my friends were there, but it's a great place to get a drink, browse the books and sit on the sofa a bit. I also got my garden started with three tomato plants. It was a great day. Hopefully we will get a little rain tonight.

Spring

Spring is here. It feels so good to see everything greening up and wildflowers in bloom. What was once dormant is now alive. It feels so good to be out working on my yard and my garden. I have all kinds of new hopes for my yard as I clear off my fence and turn over the soil for my garden. I have a new peach tree that I have wanted for several years. I am hoping the plum tree will bear a lot of plums. I am wondering what all kinds of plants I will put in my garden. I am looking at my front fence and wanting to clear out the area there to put in flowers. I have high hopes for now. I hope I can get it all accomplished. I still have a lot of knitting to do, but that has been set aside for the great out doors. Time to put away the winter clothes and pull out the summer clothes. Ahhh. It feels so good.

More favorite things

1. Feeling completely relaxed and worn out after mowing the yard.
2. Soft baby alpaca yarn.
3. Fabulous wooden knitting needles.
4. Migas.
5. Java Bean.
6. A brand new knitting project.
7. Chocolate.
8. A fuzzy soft blanket.
9. A day at the farm.
10. The Horse's Mouth Bookstore and Coffee Shop.

Chocolate

I have heard that diamonds are a girls best friend. I have heard that a dog is man's best friend. I heard that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. But for me, nothing surpasses the power of chocolate. The dairy people may ask us to behold the power of cheese. But for met it's still about the delicious goodness of a chocolaty treat. The person who discovered chocolate was an absolute genious. I love it in my malt, in my cake, on my strawberries, coated on cashews, peanuts, or pecans, drizzled on bananas, .... or even alone as a delicious sweet treat. It lifts my mood, and helps me escape the things that hold me back. When the going gets tough the tough eat chocolate.

Unstable Ground

I've never visited the Grand Canyon. I've been to some mountains and seen other views. The best places to stop and take it all in are high where the ground drops off and the view is clear out over a valley. But sometimes the ground is shaky and unstable. The ground around begins to crumble and fall away until there is nothing left on which to stand and nowhere to go. Then the fall is long and hard.

Elephants

I read somewhere about the community that elephants live in. The older elephants train the younger ones about how to behave. A community without many older elephants becomes more violent and much more trouble for those who live around there. If one elephant is stuck somewhere the other elephants come to help that one get loose. They depend on one another and they help one another. This is how God intended the elphants to live. This is how God intends for us to live.

Weebles

Weebles Wobble, but they don't fall down. Oh, to be a Weeble.

Home Sweet Home

The earth's surface is roughly 2 billion square miles. 94 billion square miles are land. The rest is water. The square mileage of the USA is about 3,794,000. How much of it have I seen? How much will I never see? I have visited parts of Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tenessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Guatemala. There is so much I have not seen. 100 years ago most people would not have seen that much. The world was huge and their world was so small. Some people traveled or explored. Armies conquered far lands, but many people never went to the next town. I am curious about far away places. I wonder how people live and how they look at life. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the historic places of Israel, Turkey, and Greece. I wouldn't mind visiting Eurpeon sites my ancestors came from. I would like to know more about Mexico and Canada. There are some beautiful places in Thailand and other eastern countries. Australia sounds interesting. It would be nice visiting friends in Kenya. But mostly I just like being at home. I am curious about other places, but not enough to actually get up and go there. I like my corner of the world just fine.

Trusting God

This past week has been a tough one. A friend of mine died this week and it has been difficult for most of the town. When she died we realized she had far more affect on our lives than we had ever realized. I can't pretend to understand why things happen. I don't believe that God causes bad things to happen, but I do believe He can bring good out of the bad. We have seen differences healed and people brought together more than ever before. I hope to see much more good come out of this tragedy. Though there are many things I do not understand, I do know I can trust in God. Habakkuk 3 :17 - 19 tells me this:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there be no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.

Blue Skies, sunshine, birds, trees, and friends. Feeding cattle, watching birds, and being with friends. Nothing else like it.

My Favorite Things

I don't have a lot of favorite things. I don't think I could possibly have an hour long television show telling everyone about my favorite things. But I do have a few things. I love my size 7 dark wood knitting needles. Those are my favorites above all the other needles. I love my blue Propet slip on shoes. They are so comfortable. I can walk around and stand all day with no problem. My favorite food is migas. When I have a bad day I come home and fix migas. It lifts my day. When I have a good day, I make migas. Any day is a good day for migas. Those are a few of my favorite things.

Real Life

Life. Some people are so full of life. They live life to the fullest and get all they can out of life. To some life is a white knuckle ride. But others throw their hands in the air, hair flying in the wind, face up drinking in the sunlight as they yell "look Mom, no hands." Those people are fun to be around. They climb the highest mountains, sail the seas, dive to the depths and take in every bit they can take in. They jump without testing the waters, they taste every aspect of life, they seem fearless. They are the ones who really know how to live. They set the bar for the rest of us. When life ends it was a life well lived.

New Years Resolutions

I don't know who invented New Years Resolutions, but I think it was a conspiracy. Perhaps it was a foreign power trying to keep us preoccupied during an invasion. Perhaps it was the predecessor of the computer hacker planting a virus in our society. Whoever it was, I don't appreciate it. How many people actually keep their resolutions past April? How many people make the same resolutions over and over each year hoping to actually make a change this year? How many people feel badly about themselvesfor not keeping them? I am not a fan of New Years Resolutions. If there were a facebook page I would dislike it. I have actually made one Resolutions I've kept: Eat more Chocolate. Mostly I find Resolutions to be a plague I should avoid, an exercise in futility, and a useless way to waste time planning. I have found one and only one way to overcome this monumental conspiracy. I gave it up for Lent.