Birthdays

Well, I'm now 59 years and 1 day old...6 years to go until I'm "officially" old...I think that starts at 65, right? State of mind? I'm 35. For some reason, I've always felt 35. My knees and hips tell a different story, but in my mind and heart, I'll never hit 40. What's that saying? "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?" I love that one. Makes you think about what's really important in your outlook on life.

I've known some people that at age 20 were mentally 70. They'd quit finding excitement in life, in meeting new people and trying new things. And you know - looking back - a lot of those same people had quit reading. Read to keep your mind open, to learn new things, to remind you why you hate bigotry, why you love mysteries. Read, read, read.

And now that I'm writing a blog (I know, not as often as I should), I understand what my mom has been saying for years. Along with reading - keep a journal. Take a minute or two everyday to write down what happened during the day. How did you feel about it? Did the day make you think? Did it frustrate you? Writing seems to help put it in perspective. Struggling to find the right word also helps in the struggle to find the true center of any problem that you encountered...and finding the center helps find the solution.

But enough philosphy. The picture above is the bouquet I got from my daughter and the vase and the chicken are presents from my mom. Helen also got me a gift certificate to the Yarn Stash in Burien, so I'll be shopping there this Tues.

Been busy finishing some knitting:

1) the pink Breast Center Scarf (for Valley Breast Center) and the blue/brown swirly scarf I've been working on for - what - 3 months? 4? Anyway, done! And done is GOOD!

2) my red socks that I can't even remember when I started them ( from the Little Box of Socks some cool patterns in there.)
Finished a cheater quilt:

And started a new quilt that I'm REALLY excited about.

This is the fabric...

You stack 4 repeats on top of each other and cut into 3 1/2 in squares. Each stack of squares become a block...for this quilt I'm using those blocks as the center of stars.

I just LOVE doing this. Each block is a total surprise. Here's the tentative layout.

So - on the cheery yellow/green colors of springtime, I'll sign off and get a few more stitches in before bedtime.

This, that and the other thing...

Well, it has been forever since I've written...mostly because of computer problems, partly because I've just been really busy.

As to the computer - well, I'm suffering through. I don't know what's wrong - a friend's husband suspects I need a new hard drive - so in a couple of paydays, I'll give that a try. (Right now it's property tax paydays, so extra $$ is already gone.) But today, it seems to be in mood to let me write, so I'll grab the opportunity while I can.

Also, I'm writing while the AAA gentleman is out looking at my battery. I had plans to go fabric shopping with my friend Amber - to a couple of shops up north. But when I got in my vehicle to leave for her house - nothing! Not even a buzz. Quieter than the house before Santa comes when not even a creature stirs...Enough poetry. Suffice to say, glad it happened on a Sunday instead of 6 am tomorrow when I'm leaving for work!

So we'll see what this costs. Just had oil changed, tranny fluid drained and filled and while the car was up, discovered I needed new tires. So might as well add a battery or alternator to the pile of expenses. I hear it running tho, so gonna go check...be back later....

****************************

I'm back - $120 poorer, but with a new battery so I can get to work tomorrow. Enough said. Except for - I really like the mechanic's shop where I go - Kelly's Auto Repair. It's so nice to find someone you can trust. It takes some of the pain out of the payment.

Anyway - my work schedule has been weird, but I have gotten some work at home done, too. Got my shopping bag finished. I really like how this turned out, made from some cotton/linen I had in my stash. Holds quite a few skeins of yarn - made for our LYS tour coming up in a coule of weeks. I've made one modification since I took this picture, I added fabric to the handle to stabilize it a bit. Makes it not quite as stretchy.

And I finished a couple of quilts...

I'm working on a quilt that I have on the design wall, and have one that I'm just about ready to put the binding on...so more quilt pics soon.

I'm almost done with my Knitting Olympics sweater...just one short sleeve to go, so the end is in sight...only - what - 3 months late? See this is why I don't do sports. Runners don't wait 3 months for a team member to finish, and they have very little patience for people who are sidetracked and distracted as easily as I am. I can work on 3 to 4 quilts and several knitting projects at the same time, hard to run in 7 races at the same time. I'm just not single-minded enough to be an athelete.

Enough for now - more to come soon I hope. I think the work schedule is calming down. And my life has to calm down a bit to get ready to visit my mom in SD in June. I should have some wonderful pictures for you then...Hill City is having a sculpture show!