Storytime

Sometimes a photo says it all.
Other times words come into play.

Creeds on the Winter Solstice

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As the teen sleeps in on this dark solstice morning, I’ve been catching up on podcasts. On Being’s “Conversation in Music with Carrie Newcomer” really resonated — the minute the episode ended, I tuned in to the unedited version. And I’m already planing to give it a re-listen today as holiday preparations continue.

Life has been, well, messy of late. Too many days and weeks of the sort that leave you drained of energy and spirit. Rest assured, the knitting hasn’t stopped even though the blog went on a long hiatus. But the performance of “I Believe” and Krista and Carrie’s reflections on the “so very holy” details of life left me wanting to start a conversation with my blog and Facebook friends.

If you were to write a creed of the earthy details you hold to be true, what would it include? Here are my shared favorites from Newcomer’s song (video below if you want to give it a listen):

  • I believe in socks and gloves knit out of soft, gray wool.
  • I believe a summer tomato is a cause to rejoice.
  • I believe in the kindness of strangers and the comfort of old friends.

Here are a few musings from me:

  • I believe in the steadying feel of wool winding through my fingers and the metal clinking of needles matching my breathing.
  • I believe my pets are Wim Wenders angels that more than earn their keep.
  • I believe in the sacrament of good chocolate melting on my tongue.

What do you celebrate as “so very holy” in your world?

12 Candles

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Wow. How did that happen? How did we go from this…

my sweetie

…to this in such a flash?!

birthday-skirt

Yesterday, Izzy celebrated her 12th in style. (Nice of the calendar to cooperate and give us a Saturday birthday.) She started the morning making the skirt she’s wearing above at a class courtesy of Autie and Uncle. (Side note: The fabulous fabric at Crafty Planet now has me itching to start sewing again.) Then we headed to Target Field to watch the Twins beat Kansas City (Izzy’s choice instead of a party this year).

twins-gameLast night she declared it a great birthday. (Violet still holds the title of best birthday present ever — and I’m guessing will for many years to come.) What a great 12 years I’ve had being her mom!

Enough Already!

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Last Friday, I awoke to this view outside my hotel window in San Antonio. Sure, I had to work all weekend, but it seemed a fair trade since it was spitting sleet and snow in Minnesota when we headed out to the National Science Teachers Association.

san-antonio

Much of that mess had melted by the time my plane touched back down on Sunday afternoon. And it continued to melt over the next few days. Since I like to think of this blog as family friendly, I’ll skip sharing my initial outburst at awaking to this view today.

minneapolis

Two thing helped cheer me up…slightly. 1) I’d already arranged to work from home today. 2) Izzy gleefully grabbed three FOs to layer up for her walk to the bus.

That said, I’d like to make it loud and clear that as much as I appreciated Minnesota bringing the knitting weather this fall and winter, I’m ready for spring. Now. Enough already and (hopefully) enough said.

Counting My Blessings

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If I were a more disciplined person, I’d keep a gratitude journal. And if that journal did exist, today’s entry (like so many unwritten others) would focus on the blessing that is my daughter. Just look what Izzy was busy putting together this a.m. while she insisted I stay out of the kitchen.

breakfast

That’s coffee, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and her highly successful experiment: banana-cinnamon buttermilk pancakes. (Totally planning to crib that one.)

11 and countingThis past week marked our 11th homecoming day.*  While we celebrated the milestone on Monday, today I am once again reminded of just how lucky I am that this wonderful child was sent my way.

* On January 23, 2002, Izzy and I traveled home together from Guatemala.

Home Sweet Home

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We’re not completely unpacked and settled, but we’re getting there. Enough so that I didn’t feel (too) guilty enjoying the first lazy Saturday morning in months. And yesterday morning was a gorgeous one — sunny with a hint of chill in the air. So nice after July’s record-breaking heat.

I hadn’t realized how much I missed our three-season porch until I grabbed a cup of coffee and a book, laying back on the loveseat with the backdrop of blue skies and leafy old trees. After finishing up the highly enjoyable The Age of Miracles, I even knit for a good hour. Ah, bliss…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not alone in loving this cozy spot. Both kitties have gladly taken up their porch perches again. (Chloe can be seen peeking in on the right.) And anywhere there’s a lap and a view is just perfect as far as Violet is concerned.

Life is pretty sweet these days and I’m feeling truly blessed. When I made the decision to move back to MN without a job lined up, I was filled with anxiety…tempered only so slightly with the knowledge that I’d been freelancing and saving for the transition and was fully prepared to take whatever contract work I needed while looking for my next gig.

How sweet and unexpected that the universe dropped a dream job in my lap. While the challenge of building a new website is daunting to be sure, I’m loving being back in the world of education and being back at an organization with some of my favorite people in the world. All this while surrounded by family and dear old friends. Bliss squared.

Now, a good six weeks in, I’m finally feeling rested enough after the crazy transition — left my job in ABQ on Friday, drove with Izzy and the pets all weekend, arrived in Minneapolis Sunday night, and was at work Monday a.m. at the new job — that I can start to take moments like yesterday morning. I even blocked a shawl in the afternoon. Photos and that update soon.

Life Part 2: Where We’re Headed

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By this time next week, we’ll be on the road. Destination? Well, here’s a photographic hint.

Mosquito repellent and a book of dog sweater patterns…. Yep, Minnesota! After 3+ years in Albuquerque, we’re headed home. This time, though, the “little CRV that could” will have three pet carriers. May the travel gods of animal spirits smile (or at least not frown) on us.

It’s been a spring of tough decisions (and, as you may have noticed, miles and miles of comfort garter stitching). Thing is, despite a good job (the one that brought us to NM) and some of the best friends Izzy and I could ever hope to make, we belong in Minnesota. (I’ll spare the laundry list of family/personal reasons.) By April, I knew it was time to say goodbye.

We’re excited, not to mention relieved happy that our well-loved home in Linden Hills awaits us. A nice reminder that sometimes the universe has a good reason for dropping obstacles (bad real estate markets, property management struggles) on our path — and that even without those obstacles, the path is always winding.

Life Part 1: Where We’ve Been

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Long time no blog. In addition to a big freelance project, life with the kiddo has been keeping me (happily) busy.

This past weekend, Izzy skated in a competition, something she’s long wanted to do. Here she is before her first event, a bit nervous but so much more relaxed than I would have been.

Can’t tell you how pleased I was to discover the whole thing was more celebration than competition. Medals for everyone! Izzy got a 3rd place and 4th place, which are already proudly displayed in her room. We went up to Santa Fe the day before (her practice ice time was an ungodly 6:45 am on Sunday) and visited the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, which I’d yet to see.

A few weeks earlier, we celebrated Violet’s second birthday with a hotdog dinner and new toy for the birthday pup. (Yeah, Izzy was pretty tickled by that “bad to the bone” embroidery.)

And last, but certainly not least, Izzy, Violet, and I took a vacation over the Easter holiday. We headed south to Carlsbad and spent five days hanging out in the desert. It was the perfect combination of exploration and unadulterated relaxation. Our base camp was the most charming little cabin with a porch swing (that saw some knitting) and a table inside for ongoing Monopoly games.

We went to the International UFO Museum in Roswell (a hoot, well at least I thought so).

Made an unscheduled stop at the Smokey the Bear museum (yes, it does exist) when we happened to drive past it.

We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, where we saw just a few animals out in the midday sun but some spectacular scenery…

… and a few hard-to-categorize indoor exhibits.

The best outing, though, was Carlsbad Caverns. And given that we spent nearly three hours taking the hour-long tour, I’m thinking the rock collecting of Izzy’s early youth was no passing phase; might just have a budding geologist on my hands.*

* Clearly the iPhone flash is not intended for cave photography.

The St. Paddy’s Day that Was

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While I take a photo of Izzy every St. Patrick’s Day* this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

The day started off just fine. We got to the ice rink early for her private makeup lesson (Izzy’s competing in the Santa Fe Skatefest this May for the first time and we had to reschedule Thursday’s session after her coach hurt her knee). They started putting Izzy’s program to music for the first time and the kiddo got in an extra 1/2-hour practice. Then a break before the warmup session and her group lesson.

Five minutes before class started, Izzy fell hard on her wrist.

We spent the next 3+ hours at Urgent Care, where thankfully there was a volunteer manning the gift shop so Izzy got the above string cheese and some other ala carte lunch items while we waited. Even though it meant having to cancel our lunch and hanging out in Old Town with Jane and Nina, I’m still looking upon the day as fairly lucky — it’s only a sprain, not a fracture or break. Phew!

Today is a movie and nap day for Izzy. And while I’d hoped to blog my finished Spectra, it’s only just now blocking and will have to wait until next weekend for a photoshoot with my recovered model. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of the latest WIP — taken quickly this am while there was some sun and before the Grapes of Wrath winds (40 mph gusting to 67 mph) picked up and starting turning everything a dusty brown and will most likely succeed in blowing the blossoms off the trees. Ahhh, spring in Albuquerque.


* Izzy’s birth mother’s birthday is March 17. Each year I take a photo of Izzy as a way of honoring her and keeping her in our thoughts.