Thursday, December 29, 2011

Bourdain be not proud

Luckily, the opportunity to sample the local dish of wild game meat-- tatoo -- passed me by.

The smell in the kitchen was divine -- all garlic and seasoning peppers and thyme. But the idea of putting a bite of this ugly little creature in my mouth was beyond my ability.

However, you should know I was prepared to. I wanted to experience all the food and life different than my own. But we took a bus into town instead and I was gone for most of the preparation and the consuming. Praise the Lord and pass the peanut butter. Whew.

I do still have a bit longer here though. If it comes my way, I shall meditate on the fearless foodie, Anthony Bourdain, and put my superhero cape on and have a bite. Maybe even two.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Lovely and beautiful with a slight chance of quirk

Nutmeg ice cream: Brilliant.

Nutmeg salad dressing: Swoon. (This I believe I can recreate, so never fear the food-lovers in my life.)

Christmas eve: 11:45 p.m. walking through St. George's looking for a bus when a small car picks us up. Man driving takes his hand off the wheel every few seconds to dance to Christmas music playing in his car. His partner, a man I would guess in his late 80's early 90's, clearly drunk off of rum and season cheer, sings the words he can remember.

Water on the bus ride home (clarification: bus here means a Volkswagen mini-van made to seat 12 comfortably. Not the case in this country. Here it can seat up to 19. The adverb comfortably left out.)

Christmas is a party here. Literally. Christmas night we went to a dance hall complete with bar and Soca band. In the basement of the local Catholic Church whose crosses were cut in half by Hurricane Ivan in 2006. The concrete and granite crosses still remain at the top, just severed from their perch.

It's a strange and lovely time of year here. If today wasn't an official holiday and busses were running, I'd head out in search of some more nutmeg ice cream.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas Eve Morning

Started morning with fresh hot tea: blades of lemongrass mixed with slivers of ginger--all boiling in a pot.

Shortly after a walk down the road where a lost goat with newly-sprouted horns grazed by the side. Frootloops littered one portion of the walk--a clear indication of excited children playing out front. 

A few feet later, I meet the beekeper. With cutlass in hand, he skims down the side of bushy hill as if the steep slope and loose dirt are as solid and sturdy as flat pavement.

At the end of the street live Beekeeper's father who, in his greying dredlooks and permanent smile, make the whole world, just for a moment, seem genuine and happy.




Airports

Grenada, by far, is home to my favorite airport. Last night, upon arrival, i wasbgreeted at the arrival gate with a rum drink specail to the island: Sorrel. this drink makes an appearance once a year to celebrate the holiday season.

So far, every time I have traveled here, I've been greeted after 30+ hours of travel with some specialty rum. I'm not yet able to describe the relief and joy this has on a weary travler's spirit.

One Saturday, my editor at the time was arriving too late to come in and finish (or even begin is most likely the case) the weekly Sunday editorial. This was years and years ago when blogging was only just beginning and the first rounds of the mobile device, the Blackberry, had arrived on the scene. Yet, the next morning I read one of the wittiest and sharpest observation pieces he had ever created. Monday morning I asked him about the deadline. "I typed it out on the Blackberry pad. From my cramped coach seat on United, FYI." He wrote a 1,300-word editorial with only his thumbs.

In 2010, I listened to Steve Jobs give the introductory speech introducing the world to the iPad. In this talk, he mentioned how a cover of the New Yorker was created using this device. And then showed the cover to the audience. I gasped in appreciation for this work of art and wished I hadn`t allowed my supscription to The New Yorker run out.

Today, I sit waiting for a plane, admiring the strange large red bunny hanging from the terminal ceiling at the Sacramento Airport. I'm eating blue cheese hot chili fries from Jack's urban eats, and thinking on mobile devices and these two artists who used them for extreme contribution.


For Christmas this year, I received an Acer Iconia tablet--a generous gift from my mother. And now I find myself on a journey to spend Christmas in a foreign country. I'm thinking I should attempt to humbly marry the two and see what comes ...

Monday, November 7, 2011

The toy maker and the arranged marriage




The act of making a stuffed rabbit, or elephant, is sometimes a strange and lonely endeavor. And still, full of possibility.




Introductions are made gradually. Comfort, no matter how soft the wool, comes slow. Much like a new town with new neighbors; the husband in the first week of an arranged marriage; a young student transferred to a class mid-January. Eventually, routine sets in, and town hall, the wife's face, the playground, is so familiar you wonder how it is that you were so uncomfortable in the first place.




And the toy appears and sets his own name and you look at it, ready to make another.




How could it be that this small white or grey or brown rabbit wasn't a part of your life just a few short weeks ago?








Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Notice of suggestion:

To all landlords: The question should not be how big the dog is, but how the creature is maintained, and to what extent are they trained and excercised and generally taken care of. The question should be directed towards the dog owner and THEIR habits. Please and thank you.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

No tears

Small businesses close. I don't see this as anybody's failure. If anything, the "For Lease" sign out front makes me sigh with relief and think, Wow, look at that. They tried something and made a go of it and now get to move on to something else. One dream down, next one to conquer.

I think the same for conglomerates as well. We all said farewell to Borders this year.

Look at all the adventure ahead, everyone. Just look.

Introducing the world's newest (and sweetest) synchronized swimmer:



Thursday, October 20, 2011

You'll find it in time

We could use the cliche', "Like riding a bike," to describe memory. Or, we could turn to Ann Patchett's new novel and hear how her character, Dr. Swenson, so aptly describes what happens when the rote-memory-mechanism is fired in the brain:

"The brain is a storage shed. You put experience in there and it waits for you. Don't worry. You'll find it in time."

Indeed, no fretting. The ease with the action performed once comes back. Comforting, no?

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Better late

Seven months ago Generosity melted the heart, stole the stage and delivered the punchline.

Took this long to recognize its actions they were so graceful and flawless.

Ever so grateful I got a glimpse at all.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Andaman Islands






There is a forest, far from here, on the under side of the equator and the opposite hemisphere, where trees and elephants stand so tall and stoic, both with ancient bark and skin. Hikers often mistake the pachyderms for a tree because they appear so still and so quiet, thereby going unnoticed.

I've only seen photos on glossy magazine pages. The resemblance is haunting and remarkable -- so much so that for a moment you believe your life will never be the same.

And then, you learn this elephant also happens to swim. After learning this fact, you know your life has changed.















Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Watermelon

Watermelon has healing minerals. This message comes from the Caribbean.

It could be true, and I'm not one to inspect a sentence like this any closer for fear of disproving. I'd rather believe it.

However, I'm more of the opinion that it's pineapple skin and ginger root juice that can cure. And that's based upon personal experience from a morning after one too many shots of rum.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Business Advice

To all businesses, small and large; to all CEO's, Presidents, Owners, and Managers; to all who are listening with intentions of opening up shop:

One must respond to each and every inquiry. Whether it be advice, suggestion, complaint, request, or compliment-- respond. Whether the customer's word arrives to you by email, snail mail or voice mail, proper protocol says response and/or contact must be made within 48 hours, no matter how large or small the correspondence is, or from whom it comes.

Companies with really stellar customer service already practicing this: (I've had personal success with each one.)

Lantern Moon ( Knitting needles tarnished, they sent new ones immediately.)

Life is Good (Sent one knitted sock and a letter. I promised to send matching sock once they hired me. They did not hire me, but I did receive a call from an executive applauding my knittig capability.)

American Airlines (Had terrible difficulty obtaining a ticket to Grenada; they stepped in on behalf of Orbitz and took care of ordeal.)

Cold Stone Creamery (Just a letter about how I adore cake batter ice cream and was saddened to exit the freeway on a road trip because I saw a Cold Stone Sign but the business had since vacated.)

Response within a timely manner allows for positive reputation and continued patronage. And if you do not have the time or inclination to respond to every piece of correspondence you receive, then hire someone specifcally for this task. Please and Thank you.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Daydream

The woman at the counter attempts to make happy, summer small-talk, they way any well-trained Starbucks barista does.
"Pick a number between one and 10," she commands. I think this relates to something the two coffee experts on shift just read in Oprah Magazine, but I can't be sure because all I can think aobut is picking up a roasted corn and bag of coconut turnovers on the way to La Sagesse.
Island life dictates every thought, at least in my head, these days. Even a coffee order is a distant second to the snacks one can purchase along the streets in Grenada.

Daydream

The woman at the counter attempts to make happy, summer small-talk, they way any well-trained Starbucks barista does.
"Pick a number between one and 10," she commands. I think this relates to something the two coffee experts on shift just read in Oprah Magazine, but I can't be sure because all I can think aobut is picking up a roasted corn and bag of coconut turnovers on the way to La Sagesse.
Island life dictates every thought, at least in my head, these days. Even a coffee order is a distant second to the snacks one can purchase along the streets in Grenada.

Monday, June 27, 2011

No Ugly Scarves, Please

"What would you like for your birthday this year?" asked her aunt.
The girl thought a moment or two.
"Gainful employment; more sun; a book deal; a great shade of roseberry lipstick; an Italian Chopped Salad from Trader Joe's."
The girl smiled after reciting her list. She had just purchased the lipstick and the salad. Two out of five, she thought, now that's not bad. Happy Birthday to me.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

little dancing rhinos


"The thing about beauty is that it will be there, shiny and quiet, whether you see it or not. So aren't you lucky to see what you saw today?" asks the ballerina rhinoceros piroetting and plieing away ...
.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Purpose

Not all feathers aide in flight; some are just for decoration.

Not all letters need response; some simply need to be written.

Not all yarn needs to become a sweater or hat for warmth; sometimes a wee animal is the result of the knotting.

And not every dream needs to come true; some are imagined to keep the spirit active.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Um, so are you telling me to wait?

Anyone else seen the new television commerical for the iPad?

I'm not understanding the marketing ploy here. It seems simple enough: the voice-over questioning what word a doctor would use to describe the contrapion, then a child, then a musician and all the workds make sense: intuitive, progressive, magical, blah blah blah.

But then at the end, after all of these inspirational one-word platitudes about how marvelous this invention is, Apple says if they had to describe it, they would say, "Just getting started." Um, so are you telling me NOT to buy it now, but rather wait because the iPad 2 is just getting started and the next one and the one after that and the one after that will be so much better, lighter, more magical?

"As for us, we are just getting started, so save your money until we create something even more incredible."

"We are just getting started, so no need to rush out now, because the iPad will only get better."

"We are just getting started, so wait until we've perfected."

We all know as consumers and lovers of this invention (I've written six letters to Steve Jobs requesting one -- sometimes as a gift and sometimes in exchange for literary or written favors. He's ignored all.) but this commercial does the opposite of what we know marketing to do -- it doesn't inspire me to buy one. It inspires me to wait.

Is this what they had in mind? "Don't purchase our product, but rather wait a year or two." Could be clever, and beyond my economic scope to make sense of this.

In the meantime, I guess I will wait. After all, I'm getting pretty darn used to it at this juncture.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Little guy




Sometimes there is nothing to do but create a little creature. Like a tiny goat.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Don't Forget

The etsy storefront is on sale, but only until April 30. Just a reminder.
Click here to go shopping.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Tiny love letter


This is just a note to say nothing, really, other than I like what I learned about you today.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Olfactory Notes


Sometimes it begins with a love story,and sometimes it just begins and love happens to be involved.

This scent is poetic and dreamy and all the things people who have a deep respect for whimsy and romance need to smell.

Felicitaions, Monsieur Demachy. You have me dreaming of what it must be like to be a perfumer now.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sale

Hello all -

All purses and hats in my etsy store are on sale from now until April 30th. To see the lowered prices and snag a last minute warm-weathered frock, click here.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

All one can do

Resumes sent; letters written; wishes spoken; prayers offered; attitude adjusted. All by 11 a.m. Now, c'mon universe, throw some magic to match the efforts, if you please.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Addendum

Actions speak louder than words, yes, but it may be more important that your actions match your words.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

sun

Watching the sky and thinking thinking thinking I see the clouds very close to covering the sun, again, and then I notice them lean a little to the left and travel on, and I sigh with deep gratitude that it shall stay bright for at least a few minutes longer.

little bits of research sparkle

from an interview read whilst doing research. From beloved children's novelist, Kate DiCamillo:


"Also, I suffered from chronic pneumonia at a time when geographical cures were still being prescribed. I was born near Philadelphia and, after my fifth winter in an oxygen tent, the doctor gave my parents this advice: take her to a warmer climate. We moved to central Florida. There I absorbed the speech patterns and cadences and nuances of life in a small southern town. I did not know it at the time, but Florida (and pneumonia) gave me a great gift: a voice in which to tell my stories."

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

When in doubt make an elephant



(The things that sometimes come out of our mouths ...)

" ... Well, maybe none of my anger matters. Maybe I should just try to keep the faith and concentrate on the good feeling about the outcome, and go for a walk and knit an elephant."

Friday, April 1, 2011

The power of 10

It seems the first full month of spring has me list-making, fact-checking, story-telling and goal-orienting. Tomorrow: first 5K of the season, so it's off to a great start.

Something else to accomplish: selling 10 knitted items before April 30. So, if you'd like to be the owner of this little guy:


Or this romantic handbag:


Or a flower pin to celebrate the season:


Go to my etsy store sometime soon and pick up something sweet ...

Secrets meant to be discovered. Eventually.

Listening to the happiest of music looking at the happiest of photos, she draws elephants in her journal pages and thinks about the zoo, smiling, when she finds a picture the friend who gave her the notebook drew. It was a secret, apparently, not to be discovered until the pages were open.

Blue ink pen. Two stick-figure girls in triangle dress on a beach with waves, sun, crab and palm tree. The only picture dear friend ever draws.

There they are, on a beach, smiling. Happy.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A little circus story

As she walked to the booth she was to work at the county fair that afternoon, she passed a trailer marked, "World's Tiniest Horse." To the immediate left of this trailer were balloons hanging and drawings of a marsh. In all capitol letters the title read "World's Largest Alligator."

Admission to each was one dollar. She thought maybe it was a bad idea for these two to be parked so close together, and that all the dollars they generated may not be worth the potential tragedy.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Hers is Tuesday; His is Wednesday

Tuesday is her favorite day of the week. Good news, happenings, conversations, surprises always seem to arrive on a Tuesday.

Wednesday is the case for him. His day is Wednesday.

She loves having different favorite days. It's good to have similarities, she believes, but it's a requirement that the best day of the week be different. That way, joy and and anticipation last longer, and hope extends.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Item of the Week


Happy Week to all. Pictured is the featured etsy storefront item. This week, anyone who purchases this handbag will receive this hat to match:






low. To purchase and receive this lovely set click here

Friday, March 25, 2011

Strangely Happy



While reading "The Invisible Bridge," and listening to a hard morning rain fall atop this room, I am reminded of "Great Expectations," perhaps my favorite classic novel.

"The Invisible Bridge," by Julie Orringer, is thick with character, sentence structure, foreign words, and anticipation, and I've not yet made it to page 50.

Enchanted, I look forward to going back to the story. So much so that I am confident in my premature recommendation. Go get it and delve in. Make sure the sky is grey and rain is falling when you crack the spine. This adds to the classic feel, I'm sure.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

where monkeys use manners

This morning has her thinking on that warm December day when she saw her first wild monkey.

His uncle waited patiently by the car as she walked around taking in the street, the rainforest, the small lake which reportedly had no bottom.

Walking back to the car, she watched a monkey climb down from one of the trees to the railing which boarderd the lake. He patiently sat next to the woman selling spices. Spice seller talked and laughed as monkey waited, just sitting there, until she handed him a banana. He stripped the fruit, ate, and handed her back the peeling.

This is the first morning the girl knew life on this island would insure her favorite sort of magic: the quiet and pure kind.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Perfect little alcove


On a day that required a certain amount of inspiration, I went looking in this small town. I came across a doorway, complete with a string of lights above an abandoned chair and table, set up just for me, bunny and Greta Pancake.



On a day that required a certain amount of inspiration, a chair, table and string of lights were set up on a quiet alleyway.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Yarn Bowls

Stories unravel like balls of yarn. Sometimes they roll out smooth and easy and sometimes, quite unpredictably, they knot up when we aren't paying attention, needing to be untangled before storyteller can go one step further.

The human spirit does this too -- impossible knots seem to arise when we aren't paying attention.

Stories and spirits need yarn bowls.

Happy Monday


Hello, hello and happy Spring to you!!!!!!

The item of the week is pictured above. To purchase, click here.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Bunnies for sale


When all the scarves get too clausterphobic, and the hats too tight, and the need for sun too desperate, nothing left to do but knit toys.

Inspired by, "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane," I set off with the goal of creating my own Edward. Now, I'm sharing.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy Thursday

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you ...

To celebrate this Thursday, any item purchased or special ordered on the etsy store front, a small green token of appreciation will be sent along ...

Happy shopping, happy greenness.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Assuredness comes calm and quiet

"No shadows, no doubts," she says to her lamp-lit bedroom before closing the book and wishing the sweetest of dreams.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Item of the Week

To celebrate the coming of spring, and all new adventures related to, I'm introducing my "Item of the Week" promotion on my etsy store. When the Item of the Week is purchased, a free gift from Purl Through the Back Loop is sent along with it.
Below is the featured item of the week -- a hat to celebrate the promise of sun soon to come.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Knitting in Grenada

Just like that the sky twisted from sun to rain and back out again. They grey never stays long enough to wreak havoc and dull the spirit, and that is just one of the happy little secrets of this tiny place.

That, and how the weather will tie itself in knots, and loosen them all on its own.

Knitting is a natural hobby for such a locale. The activity is related to the weather.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Shopping

Looking for something to do this Saturday afternoon? Go shopping: (click on grey words below to enter store.)

Circus flowers make all happy!



And remember, purchases made in this store get this love-sick pilgrim closer to the island life ...

Friday, March 11, 2011

Distance.

My most favorite people, my closest connections, live hundreds, some thousands, of miles away from me.

This brings about a natural state of loneliness. Interestingly enough, however, the distance often doesn't matter. The connection still there, the tenderness still felt.

I think it took me a bit too long to learn this. Let's just be thankful I finally did.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There are little spots of beauty and quirk here in this tiny town, and while the grey sky and small population can make one feel a bit clausterphobic, I do love the sporatic sidewalks. Sometimes, for a house length or two, one is walking on a moss-covered, cracked and un-even sidewalk. Then, quite magically and like a Shel Silverstein poem, the concrete path ends, and grass or road ensues. And even though the town is only five blocks long by two main-streets wide, the side walk ends a total of six times.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Open for business

Hello all you lovely ones --

My etsy store is happily open for business. Unfortunately, I made a few errors along the opening-storefront-way, which apparently cannot be fixed, such as the name.

I titled the store Purl Through the Back Loop, in conjunction with this blog project, but the name is actually girlwithsheepdog, like my email and facebook, and other projects.

So, click here, have a look around, do a little shopping if you so desire.

Thanks for strolling by ...

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Second-guessing

Second-guessing is what will throw you on a typing test, not your ability or talent for speedy hands at a keyboard. Nope. Second-guessing is the biggest hurdle.

This is true for everything. Ev. Ry. Thing.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Definitions

Still, and always, thinking of home. Is it a place, a location where we sit and sigh and say, "Ah, this feels good with lots of comfort and happiness?" Or is it a person, one we return to daily, yearly, weekly, and sigh and say, "Ah, you feel good with lots of comfort and happiness?" Or is it people -- friends, loved ones, random and surprisingly quick spirits we pick up along our way -- which make us sigh and say, "Ah, this feels good to talk to you, giving me lots of comfort and happiness?"

Could it be all three, and we don't feel complete until the three abovementioned home-factors meld? However, that may be too much to ask for -- a perfect blend of space, love, and support system? Or, do we most likely have it and are so busy searching for home and our various definitions of it, that we ignore abovementioned?

Big storm last night. The kind where rain falls so hard and with such fury I feel sorry for the roof as that pounding must hurt. It's also this sort of storm that aids in thoughts and dreams--erasing some, creating others. And while I hate winter, really really hate it, and even though I feel terribly uncomfortable in the place I currently reside, I do love the sound of crashing water, even if it's coming from the sky. For the storm duration, I felt comfort and happiness and ease and thought, Ah, this feels good.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Note to self

When all else, fails, create something pretty:

(Okay, not that anything is failing, but sometimes, we must remember the things we create.)

(Also, this item will be in my etsy store, for all of those wanting the ruffle-Anthropologie-inspired scarf. This will be the only one for a long while.)

Monday, February 28, 2011

Have faith

All you get to know sometimes -- no, most of the time -- is that things will work out.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Etsy update

Many of you have been inquiring about the status of my online etsy storefront. I'm happy to report it's very close to opening. My goal is to have it officially up and running by the middle to end of next week.
Wares to be sold there: flower brooches--small medium and large:



Lace flower hats:


And scarflettes:


A couple of patterns will be available as well in the late spring for any of you interested in making the items.

Stay tuned ...

Friday, February 18, 2011

No need for rulers or yardsticks

Sometimes it doesn't make sense to measure love. The bigness of it is very easy to see ... if you are looking.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Color

“The colors you wear are so drab, so muted,” the 14-year-old girl told me last time I was there. I looked at her in that bright green and purple skirt and brown tank top and smiled. “My wardrobe may not have much color, but that maybe because all the brightness is in my head.”

With her in mind, I picked up two different colors of yarn yesterday, for two different projects, specifically for me. One for a sweater and the other a scarf. Perhaps by the time they are finished I'll be on her island teaching her how to knit in bright colors (with cotton yarn as the tropics will be too warm for wool.)

Monday, February 14, 2011

The mill, the tavern, the Caribbean-nation flag

The town where I currently live has a population of 784. Three miles south is the nearest "bigger" town with a population of 7,000. You must drive through this town to get to the nearest "city" with a grocery store. On my way there, in 7,000 population town, I pass the mill. Across from the mill is the local tavern, and adjacent, kitty corner fashion, to the tavern is a second-hand store. Hanging in the middle of the front awning of said second-hand store hangs three flags. The one in the center is the Grenadian.

If this isn't a sign I don't know what is.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Soon

"It sucks to be so far apart," he says, "Just know that I am there with you. at least my heart and spirit."

She thinks about this while staring out at the sheep and laughs. "Hmmm, well if my heart is there with you and yours is here with me, then we still are 5,000 miles apart."

"Soon soon soon is all I can say," he replies as he looks out to the Atlantic ocean view from his veranda, and she smiles before hanging up the phone.

Saturday, February 12, 2011


What does one do when in a new place while waiting on new friends? You make them out of wool.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Contribution

Sometimes the contribution is small, and you have to be okay with that. Sometimes you won't be privy to see what it is you are contributing, and you have to be okay with that too.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Satchels and Dreams

I. Love. This. Bag.



This is any knitter's dream satchel. I think I shall dream of carrying it with me next time I go to the island ...

(for more great pictures and other bags, patterns, knitting accessories, visit www.jordanapaige.com)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Focus on the things which make you happy, and make plans on how to get there. Use post-it notes.

Today, this is the room I'd love to be in. All freaking day. Right down to the Penny-Farthing Pillow:

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Perspective

Funny how absence puts everything into perspective. Like how nothing is more important than love. Nothing.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Returns

Flocks of birds flying too high to recognize are heading back north. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, soar above this tiny town and then are gone.

I wonder if they fly a little faster when heading north. I wonder if they are giddy with the thought of returning home. I imagine the first-year migrators a little pouty and indignant in the autumn when they have to leave all they know.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Giving away

The more you give away, the more you receive in return. I've noticed this quite a bit throughout my life thus far, but most incredibly this year.

And, because sometimes random ideas pop into our heads and we hang on to them until they become some sort of gospel, I set out in January to make and complete four items: A sweater, a wrap, a scarf inspired by anthropologie and elephants, and knee socks. I set out to make them with the sole purpose of giving them away. Two of the items have already made the journey to excellent homes. But I still have two left and I'm just not sure where they belong, or whom they belong with.
What I do know: They go to someone directly related to my life. No churches or fundraising raffles. These two things have a bit more personal specificity about them, but I can't elaborate any further because I've made it such a quandary. Perhaps there is too much alone time on this little plot of land.

Any ideas?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Mermaids and Shower Caps

1. Faculty member gives you going away gift: a journal with a cover that looks like mermaid scales.

2. Read tiny article in Feb. 2011 of O Magazine about woman with no legs who tells children she is a mermaid before jumping from her wheelchair into ocean to swim. A company eventually makes her a wet suit fitted from waist down that looks like a mermaid fin.

3. Dear dear friend tells you she knew Tuesday was going to be good when she began the morning with a swim where an 8-year-old sported pink goggles and swim cap and looked like an old woman.

There is a theme here so you think and think and think and begin a design inspired by mermaids and shower caps:

Thursday, February 3, 2011

hobbies

So lately, seems I've developed two new hobbies: waiting for last-minute miracles and watching for signs.

Both past times can make you crazy. Everything, on certain afternoons, can be a sign. And if the miracles don't happen, then it's easy to convince yourself the Universe and all the holy powers in it are out to teach a lesson.

And, as with mastering any hobby, waiting and asking take finesse and decorum. Try to go through your days with ease and remember to only throw your fits in private. If someone sees the crying mess in public and asks why all the tears, the answer won't proove that hopeless as the emotion, and you may look a bit foolish.

As for signs, don't demand them. That will only make the power you are asking indignant. Only at the most desperate of times will the strongest signs present. After they do, it is your responsiblity to hang on to them and remember what they showed you.

In the meantime, if you know how to knit, make a hat or begin a sweater. If you bird-watch, go find out which species are migrating back north.

Or contact a dear friend and tell them about the signs you collected today. When all else (seemingly) fails, they will remind you of the signs, and that following intuition is always the correct choice. Always.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Add to the beauty




Move with inention, whenever possible. Add your beauty with even more and see what happens.

Some days this will be difficult. Some days creep slower than others, no matter how constant time moves, and all one can do is move through it. In these moments, we are clogged salt 'n pepper shakers, still sprinkling tiny and sporadic bits of beauty, or watching for the small specks.

Move with inention, whenever possible. Add your beauty with even more and see what happens.



And some days are huge and sunny and happy, and stories and people smiling are easy to come by. These days it is the beauty that adds to us.








"You bettter put some beauty back while you got the energy." -Ani Difranco

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Don't Prop Sorrow: A True Little Love Story (excerpt)

... Knitting and traveling and writing letters become past-times for this girl, and in Alaska one year on her way to a zip line course, she meets a fellow from the Caribbean island of Grenada. They fall in love and vow to stay together, but economy makes it tough.

Five weeks ago, girl visits an Anthropologie after Grenadian leaves because her dear friend can think of nothing else to cheer this lonely one up. Friend finds sad girl staring at a papier mache elephant head. She is inspired and sees it hanging on her home in the Caribbean. If only she could do something online which allows her freedom to be with her love permanently, and to be constantly inspired by the ocean. And banana leaves. And a grandmother who slaps her elbow from under her chin and says, “Quit propping sorrow. “ Girl thinks this brilliant. As brilliant as the layout of an Anthropologie catalog.

Girl goes home after Anthropologie visit and cannot stop thinking of the elephant head. She knits a hat and scarf that remind her of said elephant.

In the meantime, she sends letters, dreams big, knits only items that inspire her, and plans for island life. Worries about how to meld a cold-weather hobby involving wool with warm, humid temperatures.


Monday, January 31, 2011

Welcome

We are always where we are supposed to be.

Didn't I see this embroidered on a Mary Engelbreit hand-towel about fifteen years ago? Or perhaps it was a Goethe chapter in a philosophy text book.

Still, it's true. We are. It's especially important to remember this when we make big changes, big moves, seemingly strange commitments.

I could wax poetic for hours about major life changed and pretend I am a life coach and cheer on those of us who bravely take a leap into the unknown, and how the brave are rewarded and change is good for a stronger spirit, but I'd rather lie in bed longer than I should. Or knit a hat. Or a bunny.

Change is hard and saying farewell to the comfortable seems like nothing but a ridiculous mistake made too late to take back. Until one day you are at the library checking emails because your new home isn't wireless just yet, and you run into a woman you've met only a handful of times in previous visits. She greets you, all 4'11" of her, and randomly asks if you knit.

"Are you kidding? Other than sleep, that's all I do," you want to respond, but the proper communicator in you is aware this would be an inappropriate answer.

"Why yes, I do," is all you say.

"Good. Be here Friday at 2. There is a knitting group who would love to have you."

So you go hom and take stock of the yarn and the books and the bags of projects, and think that what you could use is something new, something beautiful, something shiny. Something warm because this new place in the Pacific Northwest is so cold. A sweater perhaps. Something comfortable.