by Kat | 7 days ago | General, In This Moment
It has certainly been A Week has it not? I am not a person who worries about things beyond my control… but 15 days into a New Year and I am worrying about all the things. People… so many people. Places… so many places. And things… as in what new things will pop up over night that will increase my worry level?!
So I am seeking escape… I know, I am well aware of the insane amount of undeserved privilege I have to do that… because all that worry… well, it does not change anything. (Nor apparently are any of the calls I am making to my elected representatives… that whole representative democracy thing? Yeah, it’s not working so well right now.) But I digress… back to The Privilege of Escape… I am doing that, full on.
“Trust remains the coin of the realm in politics. A President who is trusted, by the people, by the congress, by the press, by foreign countries, is a President who can get a lot of good things done.” — David Gergen, West Wing, Season 3, Episode 18
To aid me in my escape from reality, I have been watching The West Wing for the first time, yes you read that correctly…I never watched it originally. Steve says this was my Era of Not Knowing Anything… i.e. having 3 kids all very close in age meant that much of the world twirled by very oblivious me for a considerable period of time! Anyways, I am well into season 3 and episode 18 kind of stopped me in my tracks. (In fact, I immediately rewatched it!) It is a “reality infused” episode with a bunch of actual White House people (including President’s Carter and Ford) inserting some timely quips. I don’t know how timely they would have been when this episode first aired, but let me tell you… the quotes were timeless as their relevance today is shocking. (This quote particularly struck me as I realized that most all of my worries focused on the lack of trust in our current government that is being experienced by a lot of people all over the world!)
Anyways… I thought perhaps you also might not have watched West Wing. Perhaps you were in the same time warp I was in back when this was on television… or perhaps you did watch it then however maybe you need to rewatch it now!! And, as luck would have it, all seasons are available currently on Netflix. It is very good TV… the writing… the acting… it is just so good! (and it will give you something to do while you wait for the next episode of The Pitt! Ha!)
Be gentle with yourselves and spread some kindness as you go about your weekend…oh, and if you are queuing up The West Wing, let me know!
See you all back here next week!
Header Photo by Zulfugar Karimov
by Kat | Mar 7, 2025 | Finds, General
Like many of you, I am more than a bit overwhelmed by the Tsunami of Chaos and Doom that daily causes alarms to go off in my brain. Overwhelmed seems a bit of an understatement… but I am so overwhelmed (and this is with me avoiding all the news, any “breaking” news updates, and selectively choosing which news to consume…) I cannot even imagine how I would feel if I was ingesting all of the things I am avoiding!
But being overwhelmed is not the only thing… I have this weighty doom that keeps feeling more and more weighty and more doom-y as the days go by.
I realize these are not fun things to open a blog post with… but this is my reality right now. (I remind myself of this as I struggle with bladder issues… there is lots of stress in our lives right now!) Finding calm has been a priority and a challenge.
Log Cabin, on the right, and Log Cabin In The Woods, on the left. (Or it will be after I have added the tree today!)
I am so grateful for the 100 Day Stitch Book right now… It is The Thing that occupies my brain most days and it is the thing that brings the most calm! I am just finishing up page 10 so I have reached the halfway point of my 100 days… 10 more pages to go! My next 2-page “layout” is going to be highlighting crazy quilting… which, btw, I have never done. But I have long been fascinated by the technique and while I don’t have any velvets or silks to add, I am very much looking forward to having two pages that the spotlight will be on the stitches! I plan on learning some new stitches over the next 10 days as well. All good things to keep my mind focused away from the chaos.
And thanks to some random Doom Scrolling I have a couple of things to share with you all today!
The first one, Derrick Downey Jr and his squirrels… the most fun on the Instagrams right now. Really… (And Franklin loves Derrick and his Squirrels as well!)
My other new favorite is from an old favorite.. JM Hirsch (who I have loved for his Freezer Door Cocktails) who I know love even more for the F’d Up Sh*t I Found at the Liquor Store. (And he finds some of the most F’d Up Sh*t! LOL)
That’s it from me for this week as I try and find pockets of calm in a tsunami of stress. Happy Friday everyone… I wish you all a very good weekend!
by Kat | Aug 14, 2020 | General, In This Moment
I cannot remember the last time I shared what is my “current world” (small as that world is these days) So here you have a little slice of my world!
Celebrating —
K-A-M-A-L-A…. oh my gosh! Yes, there were tears and cheers! I am so thrilled! But honestly… watching Kamala debate Pence in October will be a must see event! Ha! But we have reached the 80 day mark, people. 80 days!! Although, I think these next 80 days are going to be a really rocky ride… but I will take a moment to ask you all… are you registered to vote? Have you applied for your absentee ballot? 80 days will go a lot faster than we think!
Anticipating —
I am a huge proponent of my local library and usually I don’t mind waiting my turn for a book… that is until I listened to Isabel Wilkerson talk about her new book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. After listening to this and then this I don’t think patiently waiting to read this is an option. Now to decide, physical book? Kindle copy? Audible?
Contemplating —
Some weeks ago, I made myself a promise to *finish my plethora of in process projects before starting anything new* but boy… the new MDK Field Guide has some amazingly yummy things in it! I can’t get the Aperture Stole out of my head and I am itching to make it however, I have not bought any yarn… yet.
Harvesting —
I had a brief lull in bean production, but that has resolved and now I am back to picking an overflowing handful every day. And so.many.tomatoes! I roasted some cherry tomatoes yesterday. And have shared more tomatoes with neighbors… But I think the end is near for the plants. This heat has really put the garden on “fast forward” it seems. My containers look like they do after Labor Day and the tomato plants are about “done” so I don’t think I will have the luxury of a September garden that is producing anything significant.
Over —
This unrelentingly hot summer. Since Memorial Day we have only had 20 days where the temperature was between 70 and 80 degrees (no days below 70 at all) and 61 days of 90+ degrees. Steve has not mowed the yard since mid-June. I am not kidding you. We have had virtually no rain to speak of and it is so dry. It’s not that I want to usher in the next season early, but boy do I need a break from these endless days of heat and humidity. (And really… a week of soaking all day rain would be so welcome!!) The weather person (whose reliability in forecasting is really not good) says that next week no temps above 80…. I have my fingers crossed!
And with that… this week is a wrap! I hope your weekend is exactly what you need!
by Kat | Sep 6, 2019 | General, In This Moment
I have been spending a good bit of time thinking about how to reinvigorate me as I contemplate my blog. I keep circling back to the less is sometimes so much more concept as I have contemplated this space. I know that we all have a finite number of minutes during the week and frankly, time spent on a computer or digital device sucks a great number of those minutes from our lives each day – so do you really need one more blog post to read every day? Truthfully, I just don’t have anything edifying to say every day! I don’t have a million fun little anecdotes to share nor have I gone to any exciting places to fill you all with travel envy! As you can see in my monthly “looking back” posts – we are truly homebodies and are most comfortable in our home. But finally – and perhaps most importantly – the tipping point to these blog changes is a result of my word – focus – this year. That word is having such a dramatic impact on my life as I have spent the year working through how to focus on my life, my days, and the things I do!
I do so love TGIF posts, but lately I have found them to feel a bit rote at times. So, Friday’s are going to take on a bit of a different theme here at AsKatKnits. I am going to use them to share things that will close out the week – my week, and usher in the weekend.
This week brought lots of changes – visually and physically:
I eased back into walking. My ankle has been feeling better, not perfect – but better enough to take modified walks.
I picked the last of the raspberries on Wednesday morning and made the final bit of raspberry jam for the year.
Signs of a fading summer are everywhere – the green of the trees is fading, and some of the leaves are beginning to dry and curl. The burning bushes in my front yard are beginning to show signs of the coming color around the edges of some of the leaves. I wish I could say that the grass is showing signs of slowing its growth pace, but as yet, that has not happened. Even the skies look different in these waning days of summer.
The Farmer’s Market is also slowly changing as fall fruits and vegetables are beginning to show up!
And, amidst all of these gradually changing things, I am spending my days welcoming these tiny changes – being aware of them – and reveling in them. And, those three things have helped me appreciate, and stay focused on the immediate rather than wishing for what comes next.
Yet, to tell you that I am not thinking about “that next thing” would not quite be true. Last month Joji published this pattern and I have not been able to get it out of my mind. It has filled my creative thoughts as I ponder what I have in my stash that might work. It is also keeping me focused on finishing Reagan so I can cast on sans guilt! I also don’t have Morinne Short and Sweet out of my system yet and have plans to knit another one this fall!
All in all, I feel very accomplished as this week draws to a close – which is just what I need to welcome a “list free” weekend! I hope your weekend list has little on it as well! Have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
