My granddaughter is wondering (out loud) on her Facebook page today why people go back to their ex(s). I have an answer. Because it is hard to make changes...it's easier to just hold on sometimes. We don't want to make mistakes. Saying good bye is hard. We say good bye all day long. Not everything we say good bye to needs to be permanent, though. Good bye cup of coffee, good bye favorite TV show (until next time)....lots of little good byes. No matter how much we practice good byes, they never make the really big good byes easier.
Deep violet, plum...whatever your favorite shade of purple, it is a color of richness. At one time, this 'richness' was literal as only the very wealthy could afford garments with the hue of the once difficult to obtain and expensive to produce dye. Have you noticed how your attention is drawn to a deep purple garment on an individual? One might conclude that even today, purple carries the subtle tones of wealth, royalty and even power.
As a child, I was driven into town to exchange purple sweaters given as gifts by my apparently more broad minded cousins. Then, I had no idea why. I liked them and would have been delighted to wear them. Now, I know it was my mother's attempt to not have me appear 'uppity'. Luckily, times have changed and so has purple's reputation. Purples are everywhere with it's smorgasbord of shades to choose from...indigo, plum, grape.
Our online Etsy shop The Dreamy Dahlia carries several items in purple and it's various shades. If you are a veritable purple enthusiast that won't be satisfied with a purple hat and scarf, you may want to visit The Purple Store.
We all have things that we may have done differently over the years. I would have treasured things that were handwritten more. I have lots of samples, but I let slip from my grasp hand written recipe books by my mother, the childish scrawl from my son's second grade school projects, letters exchanged with my now husband of almost 42 years from when he was in the Navy. One's handwriting is like a snowflake...so many are close in appearance, but no two are identical. While we savor for the day a hasty 'r u ok' text message from a loved one, we will treasure their personal handwriting for a lifetime.
We've heard that expression probably all our lives. Some of us can identify with it saying "the trip is ALL the fun'! Other's might say the whole object is the destination itself. Relative to crafting, some of us enjoy the process while others enjoy the product. I'm a process person. I'll happily rip out twenty five rows of crochet just because I've spotted a stitch a ways back that I think is a little too loose. Identifying whether we are a process or product person can actually be a guiding force in our lives, helping us decide what makes us happiest.
Today I was on a crochet site reading how much the addition of diagrams has helped those who crochet and have dyslexia. Dyslexia is defined as a learning disability. This first got me thinking about how lucky those with dyslexia are to have the addition of diagrams to work from. Then, I started to think about if crochet was first presented in ONLY diagrams. I would not be a crocheter! I don't get diagrams, I get the printed pattern. From my understanding, diagrams look to me how the printed word looks to those with dyslexia. So, is my understanding of the printed pattern right and the addition of the stitch diagram, which appears to be added as an after thought, wrong? Actually, I think right and wrong depends on which foot the shoe is on. Or which way we first experience things in life. Maybe the old adage "if at first you don't succeed, try try again" has more meaning than on the surface. If at first we don't succeed, try try another method. Diagrams, maybe...
I read an article in the news the other day that ONLY 30% of 10th graders can put the following in order according to size: United States, North America, California, Los Angeles. I think this is more a commentary on the times then it is on a teacher's ability these days. At least I think they still teach geography.
Back in the middle of the 20th century, they had these big pull down maps that took up almost the entire blackboard space. Anyone who was around at that time and in school might remember how they would suddenly snap and roll up on their own volition scaring the begeebers out of the teacher and kids in class. At that time, we were totally reliant on paper products. Paper maps, paper bound books, paper to figure out our math...you name it, if we used it in school it involved paper. This led us who came from that day and age the marvelous ability to recognize states, countries, etc. simply by their outline!
The kids of today....which include my own 40 year old kid...don't know what they are missing. They find their way around with 'turn by turn' directions on their smart phones, or someone urging them over their GPS to 'slow down for a left hand turn in exactly 100 feet'. On the other hand, they can find their way around and I can't. If it isn't written on a 8x11" piece of paper, I just don't get it.
While we are smack dab in the center of a strong heat wave, it is hard to think of the cooler (cold?) weather that comes with Christmas. Many of us entertain ourselves with the sales, decorations and fun of Christmas in July, though! The one sure thing, just like death and taxes, is that the earth will keep spinning with it's axis leaning further and further away from the sun bringing us (eventually) cooler weather. Christmas brings a more charitable nature upon us humans and a reason to do good. Here's a guy named Ernie with cause. He was able to put himself in the emotional shoes of the homeless in Grand Rapids, Michigan with some hats. With tags with various messages on them like 'take me, I'm free' Ernie had one simple goal...to help someone keep warm no matter who they are. What a reasonable expectation.
This hot July (and August, September, Oct....) I'm working on some hats and scarves. I'm going to take the train to downtown Charlotte, North Carolina and without fanfare or expectations...and hopefully without arrest...I'm going to put them in very reachable places. Without political bias, without religious overtones, and with just the reason being that I can, I'm going to try to take myself out of the center of my own universe, join with others doing the same thing, and show some compassion by helping someone keep warm.
I received my new order of yarn colors yesterday. I'm going bold this coming season with deep violets, bright sunny citrine gemstone yellows and pretty blues. Pictured here are the only 'neutrals' I had ordered. It's the beginnings of a 'going to market' bag. These taupe and lace colors are very pretty indeed and a delight to work with. I've discovered a new brand of yarn that is super soft and works up beautifully.
I've been thinking very seriously about having a small...make that super small...raised vegetable garden next year. I guess next year would mean planting it in early May '12. Why raised? Because the knees I was given in the middle of the 20th century didn't come with a guarantee and they aren't working these days too well and I can't exchange them. Why super small? Because I'm hoping the neighbors don't notice it because the Home Owner's Association appears to frown on our turning our backyards into farmland. Why a garden at all? Because I used to be a very successful gardener back in the latter part of the 20th century and it's never too late to be the grand farmer I might have been. Also, I've been reading a lot about my 'global footprint', lately, have discovered my own is atrocious and possibly I can do something about that. So, I've been keeping a journal of the shade that our fence casts.
My vision is for the garden to be on the left side of the yard.
Unfortunately, the full sun appears to be mostly on the right side. I guess I can be flexible...even if my knees aren't.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."
~George Eliot
I like this quote. Lots. As we get older, it is reassurance that there is a very good reason to look forward to tomorrow. It's also self deceiving to think that it can be 100% true. I want to play my violin in a professional orchestra. Am I good enough? No...not anymore but with work, I might have been at one time. Somewhere in the latter quarter of the 20th century maybe. What it isn't too late for is the 'essence' (the intrinsic nature) of being what I might have been. Working at playing what is hopefully beautiful music on a daily basis. Getting out my violin, tuning it, picking out music that is completely playable by me....now, in the 21st century. I can still have the essence of having been in that orchestra because it is never too late. Well, yes it is...but not exactly.
This hot July (and August, September, Oct....) I'm working on some hats and scarves. I'm going to take the train to downtown Charlotte, North Carolina and without fanfare or expectations...and hopefully without arrest...I'm going to put them in very reachable places. Without political bias, without religious overtones, and with just the reason being that I can, I'm going to try to take myself out of the center of my own universe, join with others doing the same thing, and show some compassion by helping someone keep warm.
I like this quote. Lots. As we get older, it is reassurance that there is a very good reason to look forward to tomorrow. It's also self deceiving to think that it can be 100% true. I want to play my violin in a professional orchestra. Am I good enough? No...not anymore but with work, I might have been at one time. Somewhere in the latter quarter of the 20th century maybe. What it isn't too late for is the 'essence' (the intrinsic nature) of being what I might have been. Working at playing what is hopefully beautiful music on a daily basis. Getting out my violin, tuning it, picking out music that is completely playable by me....now, in the 21st century. I can still have the essence of having been in that orchestra because it is never too late. Well, yes it is...but not exactly.