Walking

For the first time in my life, I am without access to or use of a car.  For the past three months, I have been walking or riding the bus.  This has given me a new perspective on many things, including the taken-for-granted daily use of a car.  Before, one of the most anxiety-filled moments of my daily life was the fear of my car breaking down or needing major repairs.  I was "diligent" about maintenance to the point I actually caused one of my mechanics to have a panic attack.

However in several ways my outlook has now changed.  I appreciate certain things I either was oblivious to or ignored completely.

I have discovered that one of the most useful items in my day is the sidewalk.  Before, it was there and I crossed it on my way to the store (in my car) or walked my dog on it.  I now realize what a marvel the gift of a sidewalk is!  I don't have to walk in the street, I don't have to walk on the lawn or in the weeds.  And my feet stay drier when it rains.  Sidewalks are wonderful.

Another unexpected but deeply appreciated revelation, is the kindness of others.  Strangers will stop and ask if I need a ride.  My friends will ask if I need to go shopping.  When there is a meeting, not only will one but often two or three people offer to pick me up.  My neighbors stop if they see me walking and offer to give me a ride to anywhere I want to go.

And busses!  I hadn't ridden a bus since I was in grade school.  These are air-conditioned, the seats are comfortable and they are very, very clean.  Since I am a senior, I can ride all over the county for a dollar.

Pepper

I have a dachshund named Pepper.  He is very sweet and quite the character.  He likes to sleep wrapped up in a blanket--winter and summer.  He tucks his head against his shoulder which is very cute, although I have never seen a dog do this before.  He likes all of his treats and has an inner alarm which is set for his treat time!  He is a noisy little guy, but we are working on this and he is getting better.  A man on Craig's list listed him and when I called, he brought him over.  Pepper is nine years old and I have had him for about 18 months.  We both like to walk, so every evening we go for a long walk then come back and have Happy Hour.  We sit out on the patio, he gets a pan of fresh water and I get a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.  He seems to feel that is the highlight of the day and I completely agree!  Of course, in the winter we have Happy Hour in the house.

Earrings

I have been tatting some earrings and ice drops this week.  The group Ice Drop Addicts has inspired me to work more on my tatting and I may even try to develop my own pattern!

The earrings I made are very simple and quick, but they are fun and I think my friends will like them.
I am still trying to import pictures to this blog.  I will probably have an album-full at the rate I am going!

Saturday

I am still trying to include pictures here.  So far, I have been able to e-mail them to my computer but am still not savvy enough to import them here.  I will find someone who is more computer proficient than I am to help me.  I am also loosing posts before they are published, but that is not really a problem,  it's just getting used to the program again.

The Tuesday afternoon knitters are a wonderful group.  There are some very talented ladies in the group.  They are all interested in helping with charitable programs so next fall we are going to have a table at one of the craft shows!  This year we donated yarn, needles, books and other craft items to the yarn shop in Grants Pass to help with the Access food bank yard sale.  

It is still smokey this evening.  The fire in Redding, CA, is still burning and someone told me that over 1,000 homes burned.  My heart goes out to them and I will continue praying for them.

Have a good evening!

Back on Line!

It has been a long time since I posted on my blog but will try to catch up. I still live in Medford, Oregon. We formed an new knitting, tatting and crochet group that meets in a branch of the local library. We have from 5 to 25 attend every meeting so it is lots of fun and always different! One of our founding members left us. She got married and moved to Australia! Not only was she a wonderful knitter but also a needle tatter.

Here is a better picture of the doily I am knitting.  It still bleaches out the color but at least the stitches are clear.  I am going to put it on a circular 16 or 24" as it will be easier to manage.  I found several two-needle doilies in the Ravelry website, I think I will try one of them soon.

Knitted Doilies

 

I started knitting a doily last week.  The pattern is in an old Mon Tricot magazine (July, 1970).  The finished doily will be a large oblong.  Shortly after I started this doily, I found the doily in the upper picture at one of the crafter stores here.  Knitting a doily is much harder and much easier than I thought it would be.  The hard part is starting it.  I used a crochet cotton thread that was way too small and had a terrible time with the center.  This doily is worked in Knit-Cro-Sheen so is much easier to knit.  At this time, there are five size one double-pointed needles, eventually I will either have to buy a circular 16" size one needle or go to several more double-pointed needles. 

I have knit doilies before, the first when I was still a teenager.  I made three, one for my grandmother, one for my mother and one for me.  I will put a picture of the finished doily on next time if I can photograph the picture in the magazine.