Cultural Spring

...sort of...knitting a pink elephant:

Spring Things

Like walks in the woods, picnics, and road clean-ups:

An Emergency Sweater for Dog

My adorable niece, on one of her way-too-rare visits, had a little souci: her beloved dog was stark neked. Auntie had made her a sweater: could she not make one for dog? I told her we could solve that problem lickety-split. Between serving Easter dinner and refilling glasses, I grabbed two leftover sock skeins, in pastel rainbow colors to satisfy the request for "puw-puw, pink and owange,") and holding two strands together, made a teeny-tiny dog sweater:

She wanted buttons; so the opening is on his belly. Don't you just love it when the duty that calls is one that requires knitting?

Senior...

No tears, they rust a keyboard like nobody's business. Besides, I've been intermittently sniffling since August when I completed her "transcript" or summary of a lifetime of books, play and work. So, here are photos of Cate, my first-born, senior prom, senior portraits, and friend with whom she will share an end-of-homeschool-on-to-college party: (pass the tissues, I will miss you, darling).

Photography credits (and many, many thanks) for the portrait photos go to Joe Maciejko.

Speak to the Beauty

With each passing day that I am a mother I realize one thing; I do not have all the answers, in fact, each new day has the potential for fresh, shall we say, "circumstances", just to remain positive and not say "disasters", and each one needs a brand spankin' new response. 

Tears dried and caveat aside, there is beauty and pure goodness in each child (and in most adults as well). When I yell or accuse (also called reminding the kid what they did or did not do, again), this addresses only the ugly, the unworthy, or perhaps simply my perception of the actions I am reprimanding. 

I want to encourage the kindness, honesty and beauty within. Gentle, respectful treatment is the only way to speak to the love just waiting to reach out from my child's heart, if only it is not squashed by mistrust, impatience and anger. Right this minute, with the house quiet and peaceful, I take a breath and remind myself to honor the true child within.

Easter Joys

A Good Friday bike ride with my husband, discovering new parts of the bike path, along my favorite park and suddenly, around a corner; a beach, wild and sandy with driftwood branches, just outside the city.

Not this one, but remarkably like it, all cold and cloudy, but with no one else there. Good Friday-ish.

Family! The best part of Easter, thank you, all,  for coming and making it wonderful.

Early a.m. anticipation...did the bunny show up this year again? Did he leave anything good?

Even the oldest children are out and egg-hunting (I love it!):

There was artwork all week, first the blowing and waxing and dying of Pysanky eggs:

Camo Hoodie and Dragonfly in Amber

I love the Yarn Along hosted by Small Things; in which we share what we are reading and knitting (or crocheting); two of my favorite activities!

Here are mine from this week:

I am re-doing the sleeves and adding a hood to the first boy sweater I ever made. The Cascade 220 has held up beautifully through the years, it's just the style that needs an update. Photos of finished product forthcoming. The book is the second in the Outlander series...sigh. Not exactly intellectual fare, but not stupid either, and lots of history from the places my daughter and I visited in Scotland back in 2010.

What are you knitting/crocheting and reading? Please share, let's try the system that Ginny is using over at Small Things; post a photo on your blog or Flicker or Google and post the link below to share. I would love to see what your projects are, both literary and woolish!

PS This is post number 1000! I did not see it sneaking up on me, so I had no plans for a celebratory event...but I will think of something soon!