by Kat | Dec 7, 2020 | General, Looking Back
I enjoyed Bridget’s Virtual Advent Christmas story and I thought, well… I have a sort of similar story to share. And although I do not remember any of this story, I have heard it told and re-told and re-told! Plus..I have the proof that it is true!
I have a cousin, Bill, who is 6 months younger than me. I had looked for a photo of the two of us together, but alas, I could not find one. Instead I found a photo of me when I was about 2-ish (I think!) That is the face of determination, Gentle Readers!
That haircut?? Courtesy of my dear Nana!
This story takes place all the way back in 1961… our (mine and Bill’s) first Christmas. I was almost 1 and Bill was just 6 months old. My mom had gotten him a small teddy bear for Christmas, but she made the fatal error in letting me see the gift before it was wrapped. As the story goes, I was obsessed with the wee bear. I asked about the bear lots…and lots…and lots! Out of sight did not mean out of my mind! So it should have come to no surprise that just as we were all getting ready to sit down to eat, I walked in with the little bear. (Personally, I think the quiet should have been a huge clanging warning bell, amirite?) however, as the story goes, I found the wrapped box under the tree and helped myself.
Then the battle began… my mother wanted me to give it to Bill and I was having none of it. They say there were all kinds of tears and yelling (me crying, my parents yelling…) until my nana weighed in. And in her immortal words, as she loved to retell it… “it’s your own damned fault,” she told my mother. My nana in her wisdom ended the fracas, I had the bear… Bill had the box (?? I honestly don’t know if poor Bill got anything from us that year!) and dinner started with no more arguing! Ha!
That bear though… he was the dearest little friend, and as you can see… he was very well loved. Today, he sits in my living room, a humorous reminder my first Christmas…
It just can’t be December without the Virtual Advent Tour!
I want to thank Sprite for hosting Virtual Advent… I love participating and even more; I love reading all of the posts!
by Kat | Dec 4, 2020 | General, Looking Back
November is chill, frosted mornings with a silver sun rising behind the trees, red cardinals at the feeders, and squirrels running scallops along the tops of the gray stone walls. — Jean Hersey
This quote is almost my November… while there are no gray stone walls here, the squirrels run races on the power lines as they hurry to bury another acorn or two!
I really like November. The skies are different, the air smells different, and the sunrises and sunsets have moved to new spots on the horizon. Outside it feels like everything is settling in as it tucks itself in for a well-deserved rest until spring. And this year my November very much felt like that…it had a different look, there were different smells, mornings start quietly, and evenings settle into a comfortable rhythm as we wind down the day.
It truly helped to focus on “living as if this is all there is” and better still, November brought the promise of a spring. It is much easier to be patient when you can begin to see the glimmer at the end of the tunnel!
Let’s look at my November in pictures!
The Best Part of the Month —
Hand’s down November 7th was the absolute best part of the month!
Something New —
PA had new voting machines, so I made sure I had the PA Voter Hotline number at the ready! We also had our first dusting of snow, our first hard frost, AND some new spinning!
Best “Oh, Wow” Moment/s —
The glowing patio thanks to the sun and a few leaves remaining on a bush… my picture on the 28th does not do it justice.
What I did well and What I can do better —
I am thinking about the future of these look back posts… several times during the month I reached the end of the day and realized that I did not take any photos that day. I feel this need to “get something” but… is that done well? or Can I do better? I am not sure. Lots to think about, but I will absolutely end the year with one more installment!
That was my November! I hope yours was good as well!
Now… a tiny post script… things are bad right now, Gentle Readers…hospitals workers are over their limit and many have reached their breaking point and there is no reprieve. We have reached the grim milestone that every minute 2 people die from coronavirus and we are not yet seeing the Thanksgiving peak. Honestly, if you can stay home, stay home. Get your groceries delivered… really. Do it, it is a necessary evil right now. We need to do everything we can to help hospitals not be full. Do some holiday decorating, and spend some time appreciating how lovely it all looks by staying AT HOME!
by Kat | Dec 2, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
I am writing this on Tuesday afternoon from a wintery white South Hills of Pittsburgh! Yes, December 1st brought winter and I truly love the first snowfall of the season! The few inches we were supposed to get were exceeded before noon and still it continued to snow.
Good thing I have plenty to occupy my time with, lol! But it’s the time of year when I can’t really share what I have “in process” so I am sharing some things that are helping me learn.
I so admire the yarn that Sarah makes, and I have had this bit of fiber for some time now (sorry, no tag and I have no clue where I got it from) but it is the most vibrant colors so I am going to spin it end to end… trying my best to not muddy the colors. I am about half way through the braid and so far, so good on not muddying the colors! Then comes the hardest part… chain plying, which has never been something that I am proficient at, but Sarah gave me a pointer and I am going to try her suggestion!
The other thing I am working on proficiency with is crochet… oh boy, the struggle is real with this craft! How it can seem harder with just one hook versus two needles, I do not know but it is not easy nor does it feel at all natural. However, I can now manage to make 3 circles (up from ONE!) each evening.
Two things to become more proficient at and it is only the second of December!
The reading was just wonderful this week. I don’t remember who first read Cher Ami and Mr. Whittlesey, but I am so glad I added this book to my reading queue!
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey: A Novel by Kathleen Rooney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love history, but I know little about WWI and I knew even less about pigeons and WWI. Nor have I ever listened to a book told from a pigeon’s perspective, but now I am asking myself why not? This is an incredibly engaging story that was easy to get lost in and hard to put down! I did ration my listening to prolong the joy of this story.
If you like history, this might just be the book for you! I highly recommend this story!
Frosty The Snowman in the header photo is inching his way to being vintage! He is 31 years young, and he is one of my favorite Christmas things! My kids ask every year, “is Frosty out yet?” He also was thrilled with the snow today!
As always, if you wrote a post to share please leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Dec 1, 2020 | General, Words
I am joining Honoré again this month to share an update on my word.
Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen Hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is. — Mary Anne Radmacher
I think I have finally gotten to the part of my word where I have finally “given in” and accepted that this word and this year were just the most challenging companions. Ever.
I had thought that my 37th year was the most challenging year ever (even without a word). I thought I’d never beat a year of Christmas Pleurisy, three wee children getting tonsillectomies (at.the.same.time), the same three children getting chicken pox (again at.the.same.time), and a Thanksgiving Eve Emergency Hysterectomy, just because. But looking back… I think that year was much easier.
November showed me how to “live as if this is all there is” though… I will give it that. And in doing that, I learned about things I don’t need to “live as if this is all there is.” Lots of things. Material things and abstract things. Things I should have physically and emotionally Kon-Mari’d long ago (especially the emotional things!)
Physical Kon-Mari is much easier than Emotional Kon-Mari, trust me. Those emotional things? Well, I did not hang on to them in case they might start “sparking joy”!! I hung on to them because being the martyr gives one a non-starter…that powerful you can never beat this chip!
However, nine long months of Pandemic Life means that eventually, you have used all the cards, every last chip and you have to open a new deck. November was open the new deck month for me. I started the arduous process of letting go of things that I have been carrying far too long, especially in Pandemic Life! So I stand here today finally realizing, after months of avoidance, lots of things I don’t need! And in doing so, I began to see exactly what I do need and that perhaps, is what Intentional Living is all about.
I also spent some time contemplating my “Word Journey” and a couple of words keep showing up and they bring some very curious possibilities. (Maybe not ones I am ready for… oh boy, lol)
So where do I go from here to close out my year? Well, my goal is that at the end of this month I will be able to share that I managed to do all of Mary Ann Radmacher’s quote (maybe not all at the same time, lol) And I think December is JUST the month to attempt that!
How about you? Did you and your word have a good month? Are you thinking about a word for next year? I want to know!
You can see all of my Intentional Journey here.
by Kat | Nov 25, 2020 | General, Unraveled Wednesday
Greetings Unravelers!
Today my feet are tucked inside the below socks… cozy and warm and just in time for the return of the chilly weather! These socks are from Kate Atherley’s Twitter KAL and they were so fun to knit. There were different techniques for the heels and toes, and I truly love the fit. I have another skein of the sock yarn (in a lovely Christmas-y red…) so I think I will make another pair to gift!
AND!!
There was a bit of sewing completed! It took me the better part of two days, but I do indeed have a finished bag and I love it! I used a remnant of heavy weight linen I had purchased years ago, and as you can see, I did not have enough for all the parts, but I like the front pocket being different. I also did not have any twill tape, but I did have a piece of bias tape left from another project. I added an extra interior pocket from the heavy weight linen to put a scissors, and just like that it is done and I have filled it with a project! The instructions were clear, well written, and all in all it was easy to make! Which has given me confidence to attempt the patchwork bag from the latest issue of Making.
The other making I will be doing today is to make a pie for our humble little Thanksgiving at home.
The reading has really slowed down, which is not a bad thing… it means I am sleeping well! However, I did finish a lovely little book of poetry. Yes it was small (only 80 pages long) but it was full of such beautiful poems!
Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Glück
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The room was as I left it. There was the bed in the corner. There was the table under the window. There was the light battering itself against the window until I raised the blinds at which point it was redistributed as flickering among the shade trees
This little book was full of such incredible poems. Poems to linger over. Poems to ponder. Poems to hold on to.
I highly recommend!
And that, dear friends, is all I have for this week! I will be back next week Tuesday to join Honoré with my little word update! If you are celebrating Thanksgiving… I wish you one that fills you in unexpected ways.
As always, if you wrote a post to share leave your link below and thank you!
by Kat | Nov 23, 2020 | General, In This Moment
There are a few times in life when you leap up and the past that you’d been standing on falls away behind you, and the future you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you’re suspended knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself. — Ann Pachett, The Dutch House
Oh boy, another Monday.
It seems like last week the world began to be more topsy-turvy, and overflowing with uncertainty. I cannot get Danny’s voice out of my head because how he describes it is exactly so! The footing has fallen away, and the firmer future is still 58 days away. So here I am, suspended in knowing nothing and no one… not even myself.
I don’t like feeling so helpless with this uncertainty. One thing that is definitely certain – this virus is here and active. Sadly, not everyone gets that, or is it really that not everyone cares? But out in that “not everyone cares” world, are those I hold most dear. There they are braving places where the virus is like a speeding train… work. And I am truly at a loss this morning. Honestly, I am just so damned mad at people, ALL THE PEOPLE!!
I was certain that there would be no magic to fix all of this, but then this morning I heard this poem by Joy Harjo and as I let the words wash over me, I felt the tiniest crack in the dread… the uncertainty.
To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear;
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion.
See you all back here on Wednesday… I am excited to share some FINISHED THINGS with you!
