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| Bittersweet Visitor |
| 08.14.04 (4:40 am) [edit] |
Goodbye, my Summer
Fair thee well~
As I have surely
loved your quell.
Your sights
your sounds
your every pleasure.
All I'll hold
and all I'll treasure.
Would that I could
know you more~
though Autumn's
rapping at my door.
~Denim
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| Double Shot of Lemonade |
| 08.12.04 (9:53 am) [edit] |
You know the old saying...when life deals you lemons, make lemonade...
I've been finishing up a small landscaping project that has been sitting unfinished, all summer long. It all began with this clump of volunteer trees that grows in the middle of our yard. When my in-laws lived at this place, my mother-in-law used to comment that she had wished that the trees had been removed in their early stages. You see, they are those pesky Chinese Elm that seed themselves all over this area. It isn't that they aren't nice trees, but you can bet your mulch bags that they will start to die, branch by branch, a very slow death.
These trees have long been an eye sore until it finally dawned on me that I could create a little nook with them. So I've been digging up the sod, planting perennial geraniums around the base of the trunks, covering the soil with plenty of mulching, adding a border, and placing a garden bench and wrought iron glider in the midst. Even when these trees reach the point that they will need to come down, the remaining stumps will continue to provide a place of interest. And who knows. I just may start spreading out this area by adding bushes, here and there.
Make the most of the moment, wherein you find yourself! :wink:
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| Just the Berries |
| 08.11.04 (4:25 am) [edit] |
I've firmly decided that raspberry picking is a cathartic venture. Searching under leaves and digging deep into the branches for those bright, ripened morsels can be such a reward in and of itself. The reward isn't without its own bit of pain, however. Thorns, scattered along this far-reaching journey, threaten to poke the fingers and scratch the arms of the eager intruder in the process. Even so, thorns won't stop the most determined of raspberry pickers. The thorns can serve to caution the picker to move carefully, be watchful, and keep one's focus on the target.
The prize, after all, is worth getting past a few barbed benchmarks. :wink:
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| Casting Out and Tying On |
| 08.10.04 (2:15 pm) [edit] |
I attended a one-day educator workshop today. The following transpired, most unrelated to anything having to do with the workshop!
You know, God has a way of nudging me in proper directions, and He uses the coolest ways in which to do so. Like the self-striping finger yarn that was working up into the sock that another woman in my carpool was knitting, so was the forming of the fabric of a brand new bond.
As the conversation between this fellow knitter and myself ran the gamut from the latest in designer yarns, to knitting magazines, and to her inviting me to accompany her to the next knitting club gathering at the end of the month, I continued to weave thoughts in my mind. Little does she know that I've had designs on visiting the church that she and her family happen to attend. Little does she know that our knitting just could draw me to follow through with that visit, once we've stitched together at her knitting club.
Stitches added, continue with pattern. Add a stitch, one experience at a time.
God is so patient in adjusting my tension, unraveling my mistakes, and reworking a new shape with me. He takes His careful time with me, for which I'm ever thankful. :wink:
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| A Designer's Label |
| 07.30.04 (1:20 pm) [edit] |
As I may have alluded to before, some of my friends don't really seem to "get" why I spend time knitting. It's much quicker and easier to go purchase sweaters and other wearables at the store. Besides that, my garments will lack that significant label which separates it from the rest. That sign of status.
While there's nothing wrong with shopping the labels, there is a part of me that avoids it. Maybe it's because I am attracted to uniqueness. Any pattern at the hands of a creator can be changed ever so slightly for the sake of designing something different. Simply choosing a different yarn, or rearranging the stitch types that make up the pattern, can effect a new look. Plus, there is nothing quite the same as the feel of something that has been knit by hand.
Likewise, each of us has been fashioned uniquely. While we have been patterned in His image, none of us has been copied to be exactly like anyone else. Nevertheless, we have the Designer's label, which is unlike that of any other.
This one's worth noting.
The most precious of anything is that which has been created at the hand of a designer.
:wink:
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| Banning all Hormones |
| 07.29.04 (10:40 am) [edit] |
Really, why would anyone want to replace the hormones that they've lost? And why would anyone want any in the first place? All they do is wreak havoc with one's bod.
Take mine, for example. I think I'm starting on that ultimate roller coast ride, where one day I'm all full of energy and the next few I'm whipped before I even climb outta bed. Feeling as though I'd completed 100 reps of upper body free weighting the night before, my neck and shoulders ached, this morning, with all the glory that should only be attributed to such a workout. Further, if I'm going to FEEL as though I put in this workout, then I ought to be able to reap the benefits of well-cut muscles, full strength, and total vitality.
I recently learned that drinking gallons of water per day will revive the brain and energize the body. Think I'll just drag my little self out to go purchase one of those new 10 gallon sipper mugs. Lifting one of those things has got to start defining my biceps, don'cha think?
Note to self: Embrace this age today, for in 10 more years, I may need to think fondly of these memories. :wink:
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| The Second, Third, and Fourth Leg |
| 07.28.04 (5:19 am) [edit] |
With fascination, others have watched me fingering my yarn across the needles. In particular this summer, three young ladies have asked me to teach them the basics of knitting.
I suspect that only one of these may carry a torch for the craft, but that's a start.
When we cross paths with others in our lives, we would do well to knit together the things that connect us. :wink:
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| First Legs in a Legacy |
| 07.28.04 (4:45 am) [edit] |
As a girl, every night I used to climb up and sit upon the arm of my dad's chair. At some point in time, my dad thought that he should teach me how to knit. It wasn't that he, himself, spent time with knitting. Rather, I believe that he simply felt that he should share with me the talents that his mother--my grandmother--had possessed.
So with a pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn, we began to knit row upon row of the simple knit stitch. My interest was such that my parents enrolled me in knitting classes at the local Knit and Purl shop.
Well, as kids often do, I lost interest after completing my first scarf, two pairs of slippers, and the better part of a purse. Alas, the needles were packed away for good.
Even so, the flame from that first spark never completely died. Here it is, over 30 years later, and I have recently rekindled my interest in knitting. They call us "reborn" knitters, I believe.
Little did my dad know that what he had shown me in my childhood would bring me such pleasure today. I can envision him up in Heaven, beaming with a glow that parents often get when they observe their children doing something that's pleasing to their eyes.
For my dad, who cast many a purl before me....Dad, I caught 'em. I caught 'em. :wink:
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| In Defense Of Middling |
| 07.27.04 (7:48 am) [edit] |
One of our friends was thinking aloud, this past weekend, about the fact that he wished that he were in his early 20's again. Oh for the days of prime physical condition, all-night fun, sleeping in until late......ahhh, he was reflecting.
Call us dull, but Dear Hubby and I remarked that we were glad to be in the here and now, and I've since pondered further on this subject.
Life's journey will certainly have, upon reflection, roads that you'd love to travel again. Memory roads have their purposes. On the other hand, there are footpaths that I, for one, am glad to have behind me. Covered over with brush and bramble, there is no need to retrace them. I have my souveniers which tell the story.
Wisdom cannot grow deep if we spend our time trying to relive our lives. We were meant to move forward. We were meant to make the most of the moments wherein we find ourselves.
Besides, if ever I need to feel younger, I only need to chat with my mom.
Mom: "Well, Denim, what did you do this past week?"
Denim: "Oh, besides spending five hours on the riding
lawnmower, I..."
Mom: "Denim, please. I worry about you. You know,
there was this guy who was mowing the lawn on
the USD campus, and something flew up and struck
him. And he died."
Denim: "Jeepers, Mom. :roll: OK. I'll stop mowing,
right here and now. I'll just tell Mr. Denim that
the yard will just have to go dormant. Many he
can turn the cattle loose in it before winter...
Tell me, have I at least graduated to peeling
potatoes with something other than a butter
knife, yet?"
Don't look back. Never look back! :wink:
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| Evening Reflections |
| 07.26.04 (4:49 pm) [edit] |
And so it is, that I come to the cooling down that evening brings. I can get used to evenings like this. A retirement of day.....relaxed, calm, and quiet. A time to reflect.
I could say that I coulda, shoulda, woulda today.......though summer seasoning only sprinkles its flavor but once a year. And summer should be savored.
A slowly marinating Monday isn't a bad
thing. :wink:
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| Backyard Bounty |
| 07.26.04 (10:32 am) [edit] |
I'm spending a fair share of the day watering and weeding. We are definitely in need of rain again, as the rasberries and strawberries are dry. I just love our fruit garden, even though it takes good care and tending. Berry picking can be so relaxing, as long as the mosquitoes aren't around.
Just two years ago, we didn't have this spot in the yard. I was just thinking today, as I was out there working, that the only time I used to spend back there was when it was time to mow. Little by little, however, I'm carving out little landscaped nooks. Maybe in 10 more years, I'll have it all set up the way that I'd like.
Paradise may already exist in your own backyard. :wink:
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| My Perfect Summer Weekends |
| 07.26.04 (5:10 am) [edit] |
Hello! I'm new and am lookin' forward to sharing a few with you.
With the addition of a screened in porch to our lake cabin this year, I now have the perfect spot to sit and knit. This summer, I've completed several eyelash and homespun yarn scarves, finished my cropped black jacket with funfur collar, and am just beginning a few new projects.
Ach! After figuring out that I did the whole back to a new sweater incorrectly, I'm having to start over. I'm also going to have to use smaller needles. :oops: :oops:
This wouldn't be the first time that I've had to start over on something. This is an other cropped vintage sweater that I'm doing up. I'll try my hand at button holes for the first time.
Another first is my attempt to design my own swimsuit pareo. I'm using #15 needles and Cotton-ease yarn, to get a lacey look. So far, so good.
Anything is possible on a porch! :wink:
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