Category Archives: Idle Chatter

I am Good (Enough)!

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rockandrollfebruary1976

Yes, that’s me at the piano in my preppy sweater!

A million years ago I stood at a piano in rehearsal for a high school theater production. I was singing “Midnight at the Oasis” (among other things) and it was quite the challenge for me to be sexy and sing at the same time. No, really, it was. My teacher, Frank Best, worked with me a lot. How to walk, how to hold the mic, how to get off the side of the grand piano gracefully …

A couple of weekends ago I attended my 40th high school reunion. I’m not sure how 40 years have passed that quickly, how it’s been 30 years since I stepped foot on the campus. How it’s been 40 years since I’ve seen classmates who meant so much to me. It’s funny how life gets in the way of friendships. And it’s wonderful to pick up where we left off. My theater besties and I returned to the theater all these years later and remembered our shows together and others who didn’t come to reunion this time. It was magical.

Brian back at the old grand piano (that I slid of gracefully.)

Brian back at the old grand piano (that I slid of gracefully.)

Reunited. I wish Sharon had been in this picture, too!

Reunited. I wish Sharon had been in this picture, too!

One classmate shared the picture above and others from the school newspaper on Facebook prior to the reunion. What a good memory this brings forward along with some emotional baggage that I’m ready to discard. A couple of friends commented on how they remembered that show and my song. My number one fan commented that my singing “was one of the true wonders I have witnessed in my life. No lie.” This made me smile. (And blush a little bit.)

It’s difficult for me to accept compliments although I’ve gotten much more adept as I get older. I have come to realize that I really am smart and talented. Back then I certainly could sing. (If I tried, I might still be able to sing today!) “Midnight at the Oasis” was a big hit with the audience. I felt very proud of the performance and yet my father could only say that I’d done “pretty good, Monk”. Falling short of a resounding compliment and making me feel like I’d fallen short of making him proud. So, today I’m dumping that old weight that said I wasn’t quite up to snuff. I did a really good job. If people are still remembering my performance 40 years later, I did a really good job. I can be proud of my performance and know that it was truly a special moment in time. My father’s reaction was more about him coming up short than me.

I did an excellent (memorable) job. I am good! I am smart. I am enough!

Gone Knitting.

A Good Yarn

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hatWorking in a retail store, you get to meet a lot of people. Some of them make a mark in your day. A mark that is worthy of re-telling.

Yesterday I met a man who fits that bill. He came into the shop, an older man, probably in his 70s and very dapper. Slacks pressed, button-down shirt pressed, too. A blazer and hat similar to the one at left.

His eyes sparkled and he was purchasing some suede patches for the elbows of another blazer that he wasn’t ready to part with over a couple of small holes that had worked their way onto the elbows. He complimented our shop several times and said it was like stepping into the good old days. (The shop, to be fair, has been in the same family for 65 years and it is a bit like stepping into the past!) His tailor had sent him in and his friend got him there with no wrong turns.

I asked him where he was from and he said, “New York” area. He told me he had been called to service when 9/11 happened. Working for FEMA. He showed me his ID. I told him that I had worked at the World Trade Center in the early 80s and how that day hurt me personally even though I was miles and miles away.

I thanked him for his service both to our country and to the city that was my home and is now the home of all three of my children. He held my hand and thanked me, a glint in his eyes and a smile on his face. Maybe it was because I was cute (that’s what N. said) or maybe it’s because he was pleased to have been recognized as a veteran. I don’t know. He said he’d be back again and I hope he will. I hope I’m there that day. But I will remember that encounter in my little yarn shop with gratitude.

Like the three lady friends the other day, I wish I had taken his photograph.

Gone knitting.

Three Cheers (for the Red, White and Blue)

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Yesterday I spent a wonderful day learning something new.

The Class Sample … this is what my quilt will look like

The Class Sample … this is what my quilt will look like

I took a Flag Quilt class at the Cotton Cupboard in Bangor, Maine with a friend and we had a great time. It was my first ever quilt-making class and it was a positive experience for this  once-a-failure sewer!

I’ve made a few other quilts in my life. I made several Amish Tied Quilts back when my children were little. One for each of them and a few others interspersed. They are funny to look at today … my color choices “date” the quilts with the exception of the eldest daughter’s which is red, white and blue. My quilt already shows that I was into the black and yellow “bee colors”. I have all of them here in Maine and one day they’ll go to the kids homes … when they all have room for a quilt.

My Log Cabin Quilt … finished and on our bed

My Log Cabin Quilt … finished and on our bed

The last two summers I worked on a Log Cabin quilt which I finished and had quilted at Quilt Divas in Rockland. I love it and it’s on our bed.

The quilt that I’m working on for this class is a throw quilt and it’s got several things going on. It’s straight piecing, some appliqué and some curved sewing. I’ve never sewn a curved seam in my life! I felt relatively adept at the cutting and straight sewing although one of my classmates gave me a couple of new tips that I really appreciated. The appliqué I had done once and that was alright. I have a lot more stars to appliqué so I’ll be a professional when they’re all done! The curved sewing will take me awhile … and is my biggest challenge.

Curved seams … I did pretty well. It just takes time

Curved seams … I did pretty well. It just takes time

When I was all done, I was sore and feeling successful … I had only screwed up one star square (and have to cut a few other pieces to be able to finish my quilt) because I hadn’t been warned about making sure the squares were not all facing the same way. Fortunately I have extra fabric!

I will keep plugging along at it and I will show the pictures of the final project …. whenever I get it done (and quilted.) Since it’s a throw, I’ll plan to quilt it myself.

Gone knitting!

I’m a Mainer Now!

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Welcome to Maine!

Welcome to Maine!

Well, we did it! We moved to Maine. Our house in Florida is sold, we have driven forEVER (four days) and we are here in our happy place.

The cars are unpacked, all my yarn is in totes and bags and boxes and is ready to have me knit with it. But first I have to do a little settling in … find some clothes to wear, clean the kitchen for use the next couple of weeks, clean the guest house cabin where we will live over the course of our house-building process and then move our stuff up there.

We have to do a test sleep up there because I recall that the bed we bought for the guest house was reported to have a sink hole in the middle of it (one person slept there?) and I absolutely refuse to fight an uphill sleeping battle for three or four months! My sleep is too important to me to sleep in a less-than-perfect bed!

Tomorrow night is my knitting group and I’ll be happy to see the ladies! And there’s a tea party at my LYS this weekend. Best get my work done so I can go relax and visit and knit!

Gone cleaning!

 

All my Yarn is Packed

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Of course this isn't all my yarn!

Of course this isn’t all my yarn!

It must be an unwritten rule that knitters (ok, fiber people?) pack their yarn first when going on a trip. I know that’s my process for packing. So, when preparing for a move, the first thing I did was plan what yarn I would take and with what patterns. Makes sense, right?

My yarn is safely packed in the car with my swift and winder and all of my needles. My WIPs are on my desk, just in case there is some time today for knitting. I will make some time.

Movers arrive at 8am.

We’re moving to Maine!

Gone knitting. (OK, I’m getting dressed and drinking some coffee.)

Extra Large Box (of yarn)

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IMG_4512You may know that we are moving from Florida to Maine later this week.

So, this weekend is focused on finishing our packing. We’ve packed our master bedroom closet except for the clothes that we’ll take with us. I will have one suitcase full of my hand knits, of course!

Next on my packing agenda was my atelier. When the yarn is in its bins, it doesn’t look like a bunch. But what I forget is that the bins lie! I filled one “extra large” moving box full of my worsted and bulky yarns. I have another big plastic bin of fingering weight and several bags and boxes of the rest. It’s going to be like Christmas again when I get to sort the big mess back into their bins!

I dare not think about what I have invested in all the yarn! I’m going to try to stick to my strict yarn diet and knit from my stash for awhile more. I’ve pulled out several sweaters worth of yarn for knitting this summer and some socks and various other patterns and yarn. I just know that my Maine knitting friends are going to have projects that they’re working on that I want to knit … and all my stash will be in storage.

I’m eager to get started with the move to Maine and the building of our house so I can set up my new atelier!

Gone knitting.

Knitt-ah. N. A person who knits (in Maine).

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I love knitting. I love teaching people to knit.

In my next life, I want to work in a yarn shop or around yarn and teach knitting. I have come to know that I am a really good teacher and I know my craft well. I want to use the passion that I have for teaching and learn more about yarn and fibers. Working in a yarn shop will help me get there.

That next life is coming screaming around the corner on two wheels!

For Sale!

For Sale!

Our home here in Florida is on the market and we are looking forward to moving to Maine. It’s where we feel most grounded. N has had the constancy of the house there in his life for all of his life. We were there are crazy-in-love teenagers. We started our life together with a summer there after our divorces. It is home. The old house is coming down to make way for a very similar house that we can live in year-round. N will be hammering and sawing and nailing. I will be compiling my list of classes that I can teach and going around to meet yarn shop owners to  put it out there that I would like to teach in their shops. I also want to send a note to the LYS shop owner I know whose shop is closest to our house to see if she’d be interested in hiring me to work in the shop part-time and to teach some classes. All of this will be happening sooner than I can imagine. Life continues to zoom past at an increasing speed!

I’m putting it all out there. Being open to the ideas that may be created and open to the suggestions of my peers. I want to visit the markets and fiber events as a blogger and knitter and teacher. That’s where my heart is leading me and I’m choosing to follow my heart.

As our house sale comes together and the move starts to be planned, I am so grateful for the wonderful life that I live. My friends and family who support me (and us.) Life is so good!

Gone knitting.

1500 Miles and Cloudy … with a Chance of Enjoyment?

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December 27, 2014 Belgrade, Maine

December 27, 2014
Belgrade, Maine

Thank God yesterday looked like this.

Today looks like this …

December 28, 2014 Belgrade, Maine

December 28, 2014
Belgrade, Maine

There is a trace of snow and the lake is only semi-frozen but it’s still my favorite place to be. We decided to eat out and to sleep in the bedroom since it’s not particularly cold this year. The baseboard electric antique heaters from the 50s are working enough to take the chill off the bedroom and the electric blanket was even too warm for N last night. We both turned it off after it warmed the sheets. Climbing into cold sheets in Maine in the winter when you live in Florida is sheer torture. The wood stove is keeping the house a toasty warm and we’ve managed to wash faces and brush teeth with water carried in and using a two-bucket method (one for fresh and one for dirty).

My least favorite part is this …

The dreaded outhouse … or "chick sales"

The dreaded outhouse … or “chick sales”

As a nod to my willingness to camp and use the outhouse for a couple of days, I got the sweetest gift at Christmas … a fleece toilet seat cover for the outhouse seat. While it may seem silly, it really does make it more bearable and it’s good to be home!

Gone knitting (or out to breakfast)!