Life is not a Microwave

Some things take time.

Gardens take time to grow from seed to plant. Water, sunlight and care are needed to encourage the plants to grow.

Children take 9 months to mature from seed to child. You do not push a button and get the baby all developed in a few minutes of waiting.

Traffic lights take a few minutes to change colors. Yes, you will survive with waiting patiently. No, you cannot turn left on red if noone is coming when the light is red. No, you cannot ride up the turn lane for miles to avoid waiting in the long morning traffic.

It takes a few minutes to turn left on a Saturday Afternoon.

Healing takes time. Physical healing, spiritual healing, psychological healing all take time. Things have to level out. Bonds need to be invented again and made strong through exercise and patient waiting and rest. Healing, tenderly nurtured in the beginning will stand the test of time.

Love takes time to develop into a relationship. You do not go to Match.com and find the perfect person the first time - meet and marry in minutes. Love takes time. I do believe in love at first sight - but the relationship that stands the test of time and survives all the crazy curve balls that life throws - takes time and tender caring.

Cash registers take time.

Face it folks, life takes time. You have to wait for things. Just because you can go from ice cubes to boiling water in 3 minutes does not mean that every event under the sun can be performed at such a speed.

As a society we have become to expect everything will happen at microwave speeds.

Not so much.

I suggest that the planet take a universal sigh and cleanse that thought from their brains and learn to be just a little patient with the person ahead of them in traffic, grocery store, gas station, parking lot, drug store, golf course, and even on the street when walking the dog.

It all takes time and in the beginning and in the end - that is all we have - time.

Slowly stepping off the soap box and going to sleep - it is time for that!

SO, LAST NIGHT I WAS AT CHURCH....

SO...

We have been attending a series on GRACE at church on Wednesday nights. The variety of ways that grace comes to you and can make you whole. I use my grace to do healing prayers during services at church. I found this gift one day when I was a little lost for reasons to attend church. Not had a problem attending since. You go to church - you get filled and renewed - and then you get sent out to use your serving of grace (which is immeasureable, really).

At any rate...

We were given and exercise to do for about 20 minutes. Read a Scripture passage and listen to what it says to you and pray with it... So I start, read the directions for the exercise through. Read the verse. Started to follow along... reading - then reading again - then the third instructed reading - I found these words:

Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,

"What do you want me to do for you?"

"Lord, I want to see," he replied. Luke 18:40-41

I cannot tell you how many times I have asked that question to people that we pray over. It was there sitting in the silence that I discovered a very sacred thing.


The healing happens when the person tells God what it is that He/She would have Him/Her do.


That one request from the broken to the divine heals the person, makes them whole.


They sit there as a child, asking the Father/Mother in response to the question:

"Dear Child of mine, what would you have me do for you today?"

And then we pray and if we stay out of the way, God hears the prayer, and the faith of a little child will help to heal them.

I have never seen physical healing on the spot. I have seen people turn over burdens and let God carry them because they are too hard to deal with alone. I have felt the heat and the warmth of the Spirit fill the room. There is an energy there that surpasses all other life experiences.

SO

When you pray

Hear the words: What would you have me do for you?

Then tell the Lord the truth, be honest and sincere, and wait. The healing grace will arrive to make you whole...

One secret - the answers to your healing prayers are never what you expect.

They are 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

times better.

THE SIGN SAID: CALL YOUR MOTHER

So I did:

Mom, I love you
Mom. I miss you
Mom, I sure could use a hug today

Mom, I love you
Mom, I miss you
Mom, We all could use your love down here today

Mom, I love you
Mom, I miss you
Mom, the world is in such a mess today
We sure could use some love down here
Please deliver some soon

Mom, I love you
Mom. I miss you
Mom, I sure could use a hug today
Mom, I tried as hard as I could to have a great life
Mom, I think you would be proud too
Mom, I am happy with my family and many remind me of you

Mom, I love you
Mom. I miss you
Mom, I sure could use a hug today

So this is the song I sang as I rode down the road. The lyrics continued as I beseeched her to help us fix the world we live in because I feel we have made such a big big mess... I asked her to visit some of the hurting places and heal their wounds from her chair in the heavens...

I did call on my Mom. It made me feel better just to sing her this crazy made up song and say the word again like I was calling her once more.

I HOPE YOU CALLED YOUR MOM ~ I SURELY WOULD HAVE IF I COULD HAVE

WHAT TAKES UP YOUR TIME?

Since my last post which I think was about 12 days ago - it could have been a lifetime. Lot of life has passed over the road. I took apart the garden to one big flat square of soil. Many things moved to new homes and deer fence is going up soon.



My husband had some "procedures' done to assure his health. Come back in 5 years - so all of us over 50 know what he had done. He also heard my favorite Bingo call "B-9"



We have seen another great concert by Tom Rush who gave us the "Remember Song" and a great night of music. Tonight we heard Steve Chapin and John Wallace who played all the great songs of the Chapin band. Yes, even Taxi! They even sang one of our old favorites: Two Sleepy People ...



Then there is the basement project!





There was a day spent (could have been 1.5 hour activity, but you know how long home repairs really take) in the basement fixing the sagging upstairs floor. The pictures say everything. This project did not turn out exactly like we had researched, The floor did not budge, but obviously the double 2x4 did bend. And the pipe that we used beat the sawsall. It was not a great day for tools.

So we have this project on the further research list and it will get done eventually.

The washer got new dogs. The dog got another bath. The lawn got cut and the gardens are definitely taking great shape. The DH has been very busy. We have finished out turns as helpers at Sunday School and we are taking a Wednesday night class on Grace, Prayer and the Risen Lord! We are helping relocate hobby supplies from a life time collection of crafting.

There have been many once in a lifetime moments and I have loved them all.

Somewhere running around my head is a story about Mint Faith. Not ready for prime time.

There has been plenty of time spent watching the pundits. I am ready for the mud slinging to be finished now.

I have had some good very good conversations about what the heck is going on with my life. I think I have been in such a continuum of change that my life was spent riding the waves and surfing along. No big deal I have won the surfing contest for my age bracket. What you say? There was no contest? Sit down - it is my game and I made the rules and I won.



It is the beginning anticipating season of gardens. The seeds are under the grow light and it is getting more exciting every day.

Little knitting, some months are like that, yeah they are!

Do yourself a favor.

Live your life with all the colors in your crayon box.

Staying inside the lines is optional.

At the end of the day - give yourself an A+.

Hang the picture on the wall and tell yourself - good job - well done - bring on another day - I will be ready in 8 hours!

Digging in day - a WOO HOO day!

Today it was suppose to rain - but who ever believes the weather people. Noone predicted this either!

While driving to the cat sitting location - I needed sunglasses and thought to myself - this is some odd kind of rain!

So I started the day with a cardio workout because I decided that the medication (that the doctor and I do not agree upon) was making me way to lazy and I did not take it last night - guess what - I could actually do almost 30 minutes of cardio - quick shower - swallowed my cereal and medicine and off to get the nails done - Who Do VooDoo - is a great shade for me.

Now this presents a problem - you sure do not want to do yard work with a fresh manicure - so we went to the bookstore - where I needed the sunglasses for the travel once again.

Peanut Butter and Jelly - all time favorite lunch - and I cleaned the hot tub and refilled it. All of a sudden I heard the Rototiller - - - woo hoo! And I checked the mail - woo hoo! Seeds all kinds of seeds!

So sport fans - it is gardening season for sure... now to be patient enough for the soil to warm and the earth to be properly worked and relocated and mixed with amendments - I promise to try and be patient as I can be. But it does not count if you grow things under the lights in the basement now does it?

I am suppose to be doing laundry and folding clothes - sigh - maybe just one load and then to knit - I am almost to the sleeve island border - - - woo hoo again!

It surely is a woo hoo day!

March socks of Araucania hand dyed yarn

I started with on skein of Araucania hand dyed yarn - I would tell you the color but the dog chewed the label - I used Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters Book One pattern Veil of Leaves which produced these lovely textured socks:

I learned Cobblestone Cuff; Star toe and have almost mastered Judy’s Magic Cast-on.

The picture does not do the lace pattern justice but if you thought, I was going to ask anyone to model them – you are crazy – I loose socks that way!

My April socks may be short ones as time in the garden will be more important than anything.

Time to get the beauty rest Queen City Chess Tournament comes soon enough.

Just a little progress

There are strange acronyms in the knitting world!

• TINKING is kniting backwards (repairing mistakes)


• UFO's which are unfinished objects


• WIP's which are works in progress

Now there is a fine line between UFO's and WIP's. I prefer to call items in that status ON HIATUS...

So there is this FLAK2 that I have been talking about bringing out of Hiatus. I did and the third start is the charm for sure.

I made a few changes to the pattern and I stayed with the changes so not they are part of the pattern and you may never even notice them. I remember how the cables flow - the timing of the twists and I remember how much like a river knitting cables really is - to me at least.

I love it - water is my favorite thing to be around - to play in - to swim in - to drink - just love water... and so my FLAK 2 is taking shape.

Here is the front section half way to completion before I begin the sleeve gussets...

Now I that I am about to start on skein three of the sweater I find myself counting the hours until I have an hour to work on the sweater... It really is compulsive at times...

The weekend is over... I am tired... I did some mandatory housework - laundry - vacuumed the front room - cleaned the bathtub - fed the birds and that was pretty much it... guess I had best get some other things done as there will be company coming for Easter!

SIGH less sweater time!

Houston, we have a problem!

It has been a week!

I went to the doctor for the inevitable weight and BP check. Good on the weight and bad on the BP - so there is a medicine roulette we will play for a while... no big deal just a season of life I am sure.

About two weeks ago as I was knitting I smelled what I could only describe as something burning. We did not discover anything smoldering so we let it go. The next day I went to do my daily ablutions and the light and vent fan did not work. I shrugged and proceeded with the day. I mentioned to the mister who said "OK, I will look at it."

Well the days went by and I would ask, "Did you look?"

Well the days went by and eventually I had asked enough that he did look and start to investigate. Yesterday the process resulted in a little dry wall eruption and today the picture says the rest. It is a 30 gallon trash can filled to the brim with the most obvious of reasons that the shower vent and light did not work. Electical spagetti! We find this quite often in this 1950's bungalow, whose occupants have done cowboy wiring, open splices and the such.

So now there is no ceiling in my bathroom at all. The vent hole opens to the outside and it is very chilly in there. So the mister and I will be sharing a bathroom for a while... We will see how this works as we have not shared a bathroom since the kids left the abode about 8 year ago and we have always had seperate grooming areas... which we still do, so stayed tune sports fans it may be the most interesting adventure we have had in a while.

Tonight I will post pictures of progress on FLAK 2!

Go hug and electircan!

WHAT TO DO WHILE BEING SNOW BOUND

1. Shovel snow
2. Take a shower because you are wet and hot and cold
3. Clean your Dyson Filter and Canister
4. Get dog out from under your bed where he has chewed up two giant rolls of toilet paper
5. Shovel snow
6. Take a shower because you are wet and hot and cold
7. Cook a roast
8. Knit on FLAK2 sweater
9. Shovel snow
10. Take a shower because you are wet and hot and cold
11. Knit
12. Do Laundry
13. Watch How-to TV and realize they are working in shirt sleeves and you have two sweatshirts on
14. Watch all the Red-Winged Black birds at the feeders you just filled up because you know that they need the food.
15. Laundry
16. Dry sweaters because the heat is going to be on anyway
17. Send pictures of snow to children
18. Text message with your kids
19. Be reminded at 10:15pm that it is Spring forward weekend and now it is 11:15pm just that fast
    
20. I sure did enjoy my day of captivity!

DO OVERS

There is a lot of talk about DO OVERS in Florida and Michigan.

I can understand but it worries me because the only time I ever want to DO OVER anything is when it is F*U*B*A*R. Now the thought that our election system is in that state really worries me.

Now why would I ponder DO OVERS? Because yesterday when I pulled out the FLAK 2 sweater I was working on I saw that I had completely run amuck on following the correct repititons of the patterns involved in the sweater. Now had this been an area under the arm, on the bottom edge, I may have fudged... but no it was front and center. So at 9pm I decided that this sweater deserved a DO OVER and I unraveled the yarn, the DH neatly balled it up for me, and alas here I am on my third attempt to Get'er done!

Rumor has it that the third time is the charm. Let us hope so!

OK then! The weather people have decided that 10 inches of snow would be a good idea. I bought two packages of chicken, Oreos, milk and some Ivory soap for dishes. Figured with that combo we could live for days...

Some emergency preparedness - I can hear my friend in Montana just shaking her head! I may need to borrow her rescue dog if we really get all those inches and it stays cold (giggle giggle giggle).

Off to the day. Have a good one - take a moment to thank the Lord for all your many blessings!

Almost gone - February

I am finishing the things on my January list

• maps
• socks
• working on sweater
• diet and exercise
• being of good cheer

So I am glad I had things to accomplish and for the most part I am happy with myself.

Now if I could get my socks for February to post on the SAM5 blog I would be even happier.

I checked the rice link and played the game for 800 grains of rice... fun stuff if you have not played...

Sleep beckons - Thursday and Friday and it is the weekend again - and a concert to see again this weekend - seems my #2 granddaughter is in a honors concert with some local choirs - I love concerts - how fun this will be to watch - reviews after the week ends....

February - Saturday - Get 'er Done!

SATURDAY
I am tired of February.

Off to trim toe nails on Itty Bitty Cat who is quite the feline!

I am teaching Sunday School and we are making prayer beads Episocopal style and I love the whole hour I spend doing this. Prayer is my stronghold and always has been. I pray a lot during the day and church has never been my singular spot for prayer. I pray always in traffic. I pray when getting on and off the Interstate. I pray in the garden the best as I compost a lot of stuff into the soil.

Currently the soil is buried under too much ice.

Oh and there is an adventure tonight - we are off to see Larry the Cable Guy! Get 'er done!

Confession is good for the knitting!

I had put Lori's sweater in Hiatus for a year. I needed a year to clear my head.

Now I know I proofed the pattern when I laid it out - I know my pattern could not have purposely skipped a whole column - but I did - so even last night when I was exhausted and after reattaching the shoulder saddles to the front for the third time - I just stopped and looked and counted and looked again - - - in all my sorrow from all the things that went on about me - - - - I simply did not add in the filler stitches on the left side of the pattern - so I was unable to get the start I needed...

So tonight on a clean sheet of paper I have laid out the neck front again and this time - with a few added stitches in the ditch between the cables - I will have even numbers on both sides and life will go cabling along - - Oh Lord of Twisted Stitches I Pray!

TomorrowI will be teaching Sunday School - the lesson is Prayer and we will be making Prayer Beads - so I will practice my prayers while I stitch - you do realize that both knitting and cross stitching are my deepest form of prayers - all my stories are placed there and woven neat - unlike the reality that we traverse each day.

Healing prayers to my daughter and my sister - they both have big ouchies!

Dear Lord - father and mother to us all - be with my daughter and my sister as they heal - give them your patience - give them the energy to mend and knit the bones and tissues back together in wholeness and health. Oh we do indeed pray.

Rest up - Monday cometh!

So, I was walking the dog

The weather was actually balmy outside. There were pockets of fog that you walked through and the fog made the night not so dark, almost grey like.

I was thinking about how a year ago it was 10 below zero in Cleveland and we were staying in a hotel having just buried my Dad. I was thinking how BK died today and is in heaven now, at peace with no more pain or struggle. I was also thinking how much my daughter will miss her and I was glad that it was not 10 below zero tonight.

My next thought was how Dad would walk Charlie every night.

Then, something very strange happened. Jackson stopped and started acting like someone was there petting him, tail wagging, head up, happy to see someone. I did not see anyone in the area or on the street. It was calm and waves of fog were about me. I felt Dad’s presence and then I heard these words in my mind:

“BK is with us now. She is fun to be with. She loves music and art. She is perfect. Thanks for sending your very best to us. We will be gone for a while now travelling. We will be OK. We have museums to see, great Symphonies to hear and trails to hike. We may even teach her to like Jazz."

I heard Dad chuckle and the conversation was over.

That quick Jackson went back to walking like no one was near.

The weather started to chill, the fog lifted, and the wind started to blow.

We were home and the peace inside from those moments will be palpable for a while I am sure… I think life will be grand now. I think everything is going to be OK...

SUNDAY - FEBRUARY - NEW THINGS TO LEARN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SISTER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

My sister is on Vay-Kay and I think it is the best gift she decided to give herself.

My neice posted a great poem for meditation on her blog spot A LITTLE LIFE

I am going on another long walk with the dog and Mister today

We are trying a different service for church today - a U2charist.

My feelings on that will be reviewed after we try it out.

I can guarantee it will either keep us young or make us feel old.

I am hoping for the first.

The cause I support - just not sure about the venue - I need a certain amount of silence in my prayer - but maybe I can learn a whole new way to pray!

I am open and willing that is for certain.

OK, then, off to conquer the great day....

What really determines a pair of socks?

Top sock is Classy Slip-on from Betsy Lee McCarthy. Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn. Knit from the top down. This sock is to be finished during the CNN debate tonight and then the MSNBC Countdown program.

Bottom sock is Foxgloves from Cat Bohrdi. Knit in Yarn art. Knit from the toe up.

Now why knit two socks together at the same time - so I had a visual example of what it would look like - I am a visual learner. I also like to have a challenge. Bottom sock will be finished this weekend as I have decided to ground myself - stay home and knit!

Google does not want to load this to the blog tonight – too much democracy taking place! So this is really my February 1 posting - but I did get under the wire on SAM 5!
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So what kind of day did you have little girl? Well it started when the yogurt exploded in my purse. Then it leaked on the new seat covers in my car. So the cats thought I had a milk bottle for them in my purse – sorry to disappoint you. I have carried yogurt in my purse in the morning ever since yogurt became the staple that it is today during the late 1960’s and NEVER have I had one explode.

I am not trying to compete with anyone on bad days, but really, I almost went home and went back to bed. I persevered onward. I took care of the cats and went on to the job. Where my plans for the day were redirected by people who do not feel the passion I do for outreach and education of women.

Onward I went and finished a lot of to-do’s and then came home to an absolutely divine dinner. Now the debates have started. The side I am on is not necessary to express, I just love the discourse. I hope that they decide to answer the questions tonight.

Google does not want to load this to the blog tonight – probably all those people watching the above event on-line!

()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()

So how is your family doing? My middle sister is on a well deserved vacation to Florida and New Orleans. My daughter is in Hocking Hills for a little get-a-way with her husband. We are staying home and enjoying several years of Christmas presents: Chairs, hottub, yarn and books.

***********************

Friday was a bit rough too - but I decided that if I could pull a U-turn on a busy street as a habit of life I could just about conquer a crappy day. And so I did. I also wore these great socks that I finished last night

Now I have decided to finish the other pair, start again on DD#3's sweater and teach DD#2 how to knit (at her request)

That is a wrap... Sweet winter dreams

Christmas 31 days later

So in the balmy 47 degrees of this fine Saturday we removed this door

And we installed this door

It is very nice to not have the stiff breeze run through the front room

I took the pictures with my new cell phone. I may have to look into getting the picture either larger or better focus or something. We will decide after we see how the blog publishes.. Who'd a thought that when I thought that Polaroid pictures were so modern - that one day I would be taking pictures with a phone...

OK on to Joe and socks = = = rumor on MSNBC is that Obama won SC and that forcast after only a mere 15 minutes after the polls close...

One more thought - there are people in my world that are hurting tonight - Some people I do not even know except I have heard their story - - maybe sit in silence with them and have the Divine shine some love down on them...

Socks, nuttin' but socks

All weekend long

Socks - two patterns at a time

One to think about and one to just knit.

One to do from the toe to the top.

One to do from the top to the bottom.

I should have two pair by the end of the month.

Might be a personal best.

The 17 high degrees were a big help today that is for sure.

*************

On other matters - DH is reading a book called Rich Dad, Poor Dad - sounds interesting - what we teach our children about money....

DH also got a book about Audacious Hope... that I will read. A C.S. Lewis book - so there may be fewer socks in February - but more reading - sigh. So many things and so little time.

*************

Itty (cat) was fine today. Her mother told her I was coming to take care of them and Itty bit Mom - she was equally aloof with me. Somehow she managed to pull the food dish to the center of the rug area in the front room. I am pretty sure that was not in the rules as approved.

****************

Looks like NY Giants agains NE Patriots - might be a good game to watch... Sorry Green Bay!

**************

Monday beckons

And now we wait...

I belong to a great group of internet friends who are amazingly into herbs.

We share ideas on growing them, drying them, saving them and using them.

We have people who distill them.

We have people who earn their daily bread by selling them.

There are some amazing educated herbal authorities that weigh in from time to time. I have learned about such things as Oregano Oil and Holy Basil from them.

Currently we are having a winter swap. One small tablespoon of herbal blend of your choice, some instructions, all inside a #10 envelope. I have received three so far. The condition of the herbal packet upon arrival helped me determine how to package mine.

Here they are all enveloped and addressed up! I even found a Post Office open on Saturday really near my house.

And here is the mailbox - ready and waiting!

On another note - the husband and friends are doing a project for a church group and I have had the day to myself so far - I have to feed the birds - we are suppose to get to a whole 4 degrees tomorrow... so maybe I will have socks to show you tomorrow... maybe... right now there is a map to do...

Waiting, sometimes patiently...

Good Knitting Year 2008

2008 = a great knitting year

A few names are common in my house. Chris, Joe, Tim and Keith are words used daily and I have three girls and two grand daughters. These are neither their significant partners nor family members. They are not the family pets or local friends. These are talking political heads. They are full of comments about the day to day (hour to hour) of running for President 2008. They have countdowns, numbers of the day, constant banter and are great sources of little known facts about the Democratic process. The constant comment of these people keeps me quite entertained while I knit. It makes for lively discussion between the mister and I. We really enjoy the season of talking political heads.

I sincerely hope that come spring that the campaigns allow time for gardening, otherwise I am not going to he a happy camper and may have to have a radio in the garden tool bucket with me.

I remember as a child watching the scratchy black and white TV and the speeches by such people as Dwight Eisenhower, Charles DeGaul, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. I remember marches in Selma, Alabama and on the park at the Lincoln Memorial. I remember how sad it made me to watch people be fire hosed in Selma and in Mississippi when all they wanted was the same simple life I was living. I had parents, siblings, a father that worked and a mother that stayed home. I did not realize what hate and prejudice were until many years later. The two talking head at the time were David Brinkley and Chet Huntley. I do not remember them explaining very well what that was all about in a satisfactory manner. I do remember a reverent silence after the clip.

I am addicted to watching what they say. In fact at night I get my "Chris Fix" while exercising. I am always amazed when they are on target. Of course, in the last week they all ate their fair share of humble pie as New Hampshire made history in the results. Of course, I am not going to say who my candidate is because that has not really been determined. Another reason to watch and listen.

One think I do know is that knitting and Monk Marathons are dangerous. If I am too caught up in the Monk Episode I loose count of stitches and rows and that creates TINK-ING (backwards knitting) which makes me sad! House is another TV show that I will never knit through again. House takes all your attention – all the time!

Further details in the knitting world, I have finished one sock from the Beverly McCarthy Sock Book and I only have to do one inch of trim on the Cat Bohrdi sock. I know it is two socks and they are different socks but they are a pair and it is only 13 days into the year. I call that reason to celebrate. That will put me ahead of my goal for a Sock a month goal.

I have a few more goals for January. I would like to start February with no projects left on the table. That means I need to finish 2 topographical maps of Jerusalem and 30 Dove kites. I explained this goal to my Granddaughter when were doing some recycling this weekend. It is not much, but it is a start.

Well that should be enough links to keep you interested in what happens in the off hours of the day. I have someone I read called the Curmudgeon. He is in Chicago where rain cold and snow are almost as powerful as the politics.

Rest and relax snow cometh ...