things i have done

1. tubing down river
2. camped out on a secluded island
3. hitchhiked across country
4. danced til dawn (most of my young years)
5. rv'd across the states and canada
6. lived overseas for 6 years
7. lived on maui with a hawaiian family of hula dancers
8. sailed in the gulf of mexico
9. swam with a pod of dolphins
10. stayed at celebrity's house
11. swam by moonlight
12. saw the sunset on the pier in key west
13. stayed in a haunted house in queen anne, seattle,wa
14. fished off of a ricktey wood bridge in destin,florida (a long time ago)_
15. took my granddaughter to the immensely beautiful aquarium on maui
16. attended a luau hosted by my hula dancer roommates
17. did karoke, sushi and saki all in one night
18. fell backwards off of a 7 hand horse while riding doubles
19. had my fourtune told at the bottom of the teacup in new orleans
20. slept in the desert under the stars
21. slept on a flat roof in miami under the stars
22. sailed around miami bay at night
23. won tickets to a conference via a radio station on maui
24. have had several poems published

half of summer

here it is almost july 15th; where i grew up in ft. walton beach, florida
this is the time of year when they celebrate half of summer. it is quite
the party! i miss the annual billy bow leg festivities. billy was a local
pirate and he is honored by the city with floats, parade and of course
drink specials. i miss the ocean and white sand, sand dunes and crunchy
hush puppies. even so, here in the great northwest i have views of the bay
of bellingham, mt.baker, the twin sisters mts. and most of the islands.
my knitting continues to increase as i would love to contribute to the
dulaan project this year. this organization distributes hats, coats and
warm apparel to the people of tibet. this is dear to my heart as the tibetans
are as self-sustaining as possible even with the political arena withholding
from the local people the necessities of life.

summer solistice

i often question as to how i am doing and often i anwser "fine"
i have a mental process that helps me focus on the positive; i
tell myself i am great and i smile. whenever i am down i do this
over and over until i am quite convinced that i am just wonderful.
this mind over emotions is and has been one of my most challenging
things to understand. sure, i know that good mental health also promotes
good body health more over i know how as a woman life's little ups &
downs can be jolted into further degrees by womanly cycles yet, now
that i am older it is not as difficult. fear is an enemy that creeps
in if you are not aware and it will steal away any strength that you
may have. that is why everyday i assure myself it is a good day to be
alive.

divine timing

it has been a long time since i have posted mostly because i miss having access to downloading photos from my digital and without a pc at home it is going to be much longer before i can display any of my knit and/or other creative projects. however, a room with a view has been inspirational and i truely enjoy where i live; by the sea is where i love to be.

changes, changes everywhere

haven't had the pc at home to add some great photos of current
knit items. but, have been busy knitting pillows for my new
apt. it's been a long time since i have had my own place; i am
so looking forward to shopping for things to replace those things
that i've given to my daughter for her house. life is good!

happy first day of spring!

i love the cherry blossoms and all the bulbs in full bloom. lots of color!
the air is fresh & still crisp with a hint of winter's coolness.

fun with the little ones

i have spent the weekend knitting my shrug & spending quality time with each of
my grandkids. jaiden, our little guy came by so we did the playground, computer games, watched cartoons and had little conversations. taylor, the eldest came by last night. we watched matilda and talked about this & that. this morning isabelle came with her mom & she entertained me as usual. she's so alert; it's scary to see how much she knows. i am so blessed with joy & i am thrilled to be able to spend time building relationships with them while they're young.

bell shrug & cable purse

belongs to another blogger

this is the shrug that i am half way through making. the pattern came from another knitting blog.i made another cable purse, but i haven't been able to find purse handles that suit it. i'll be finishing my shrug by the
wk's end. can't wait to wear the lovely bell shrug.

word cloud

flowers & the tropics

found these prints on line & love the vibrant colors.

shrugs

i love shrugs and with the help of my secret pal i have started a bell shrug in
the mocha cotton blend. with spring being somewhat cool here a shrug is just the
thing when i work indoors and need to go outside for whatever. i'll post pics soon.
i love the way the texture of this comfy fiber is just light enough that i can wear
over a tank. am 1/3 of the way done and am excited about finishing & wearing it.
i am so grateful for the free pattern from www.beatknitpattern.blogspot.com

a list of things i'd like to do...

hot air balloon ride. it doesn't have to be over paris but, it would be great if
it were. ice fishing in winter in a little hut with a kettle of tea. learn to make
very flaky pastries. have more fun time with my family. sail under the night stars to a great tropical isle that has a coral reef enticing enough to dive for. go to tibet & sit with the artists who make the sand art; chant with them & watch the magic come alive. go to more theme parks with the kids; they love it so much.
ride a gondola & dine at sunset... it doesn't have to be in venice. experiment more in the kitchen & variate textures of foods more. paint with oil; learn to crush stones to make color.

remnants & creations

finished a panta in purple cotton; fuzzy photo, i couldn't stop laughing.
have had a thing about recycling and so i used remnants of yarn that i had
acquired to make a cable purse. it's fully lined with black panne. it holds
quite a bit and is easy to care for. tonite i cast on the shrug with the
mocha cotton blend from mariposa, my secret pal. i'm pretty excited as this
a unique blend.

thinking of retirement

BF & i having been talking about where to go to live
out our best days. we've been thinking that living on
maui would be our best choice. i miss the warm air, the
easy sounds of the waves and mostly miss my sense of
peace whenever i am there. i love the way i feel when
i am outdoors full time. these things make me think
that it is good to move on leaving behind all the things
that i think are important for now; life has a funny way
of making you change your mind.

Patons

this pattern is the best i've seen for cozy comfort &
stylish chic; red is always a good color for winter. can't seem to get the pattern to download. the symbol means
longevity. i have a black & white comforter from korea
that has this symbol. i would love to make this if i can
only figure out how to get it!

Happy Valentine's Day

I have a real sweetheart for my SP- she has sent me post cards from all over
the United States and has enhanced my yarn stash by 50%. I love the calendar, Mariposa. I didn't mention it in my email to you. I have great plans for the
purple mohair- a french beret and for the mocha cotton I plan on making a shrug
from Interweave. Thanks so much for your awesome taste and generosity. Have a
loving Valentine's Day!

travels, culture & food

i fell for the personal peek into the culinary world of venice & tuscany. marlena lets you into her life & shares all the secrets to good food; her enthusiam spills into her love life. she is a wonderfully gifted woman.

early spring

it has been so sunny for the last few days that i wonder,is it an early spring?
also, bulbs are opening up, trees have early buds and the temperature has been warmer than usual.

mary frances

i collect all kinds of hand bags and love to make them. for christmas i was gifted a unique mary frances hand bag; a piece of artwork. i definitely love to use it & show it off; it has some disadvantages in that the beads & what-nots aren't geared for abuse. none the less what an inspiration!

nature is spectacular

this movie had me in awe, in tears and in terror as to how the emperor
penguin endures what nature dishes out. considering that penguins mate only
every 4 or 5 yrs. it's a wonder they manage to survive at all. i would
have appreciated this movie as a science film when i was a kid. my grand-
daughter has seen it too, and was deeply moved. yet, she showed no signs
of distress as nature isn't good or bad, it just is.