Happy New Year! (Almost)

I know it's traditional to do the whole retrospective/resolution thing. Problem is a stink at resolutions (making or keeping) and I stink equally at paying enough attention in a twelve month span to recap anything. So instead we'll do a week in recap, and resolve...well...nothing.

The holidays made things go by very quickly. I was treated on Thursday to a visit from Miss Em. She and her mom and soon to be brother (long story) Isaac stopped by for gift exchanging and Chinese food eating. Em made a new friend. She fell hard for Marvel, and spent a lot of time dragging him around and riding him and hugging him. She also has a penchant for books, so she and Girl read quite a bit. I am glad that Meg is practicing any child-rearing skills she may have on Emily and April and Aidan. They are entertaining, enjoyable, and perhaps most importantly RETURNABLE. She has proven that when her time comes, IF it comes, she would make an excellent mother. Makes me all proud. Prouder still at her determination to, oh, finish college and get married first. I am now debating getting Em a Marvel of her own for birthday...but there's so much other stuff she could have and Marvel could be a 'Melissa's house only' kind of thing...maybe I will content myself with tiny boots and an itty bitty cowgirl hat and some toy kitchen parts or something. Or more books. This is one smart cookie, as 22 month old babies go. She reminds me of Girl, which is hysterical if you know that Kristie said she could have a girl "...only if it's a girl like Meg was." That she managed to strike the jackpot and get a Meg-like kid is too funny.

We had a visit from April on Saturday. We got to babysit her twice in one day! We had a blast. We gave her her cupcake hat. We had a few bottles, and did a little napping and changing of the diaper. Awesome. You know you're a grandmother when changing diapers is fun. She's such a beautiful little thing, and I adore her to bits. She was very well-behaved while here, although I hear from her mom that she's not so sweet and peaceful at 3AM. I remember sleepless times with her dad. We had an old black and white TV with rabbit ears that was broken so the image was sideways (vertical?) and the TV could really only be watched if you were lying on your right side or if the TV was on it's side. I remember spending a lot of nights trying to sleep on the couch with Dan beside me doing his best imitation of a Very Awake Baby. Oh, that cat? He loves her. If she wiggles or whines he's right there, glaring at me for being remiss in not anticipating her every need. Hannah was the same way with Aidan. It's the coolest thing. (Yes. Disney Si and Am pajamas and the Brad Paisley shirt Mr W. won me in Portland. So I am in my jammies. We're looking at the kid, remember?)

Lest you think I've forgotten knitting in favor of Pseudo-Aunt and Omie activities, observe: I finished Mr W's quick and easy 2:2 ribby toe-ups today. The yarn is Franklin in Mountain Spring (closest thing to a Mr. W. colorway we've got going on there), with some navy blue Jawoll reinforcing yarn at the heel. I noticed his Lorna's looked a bit frayed, so thought maybe I'd extend the life of his socks a bit. This is one of two pictures...the other has him very Tinkerbell on toes after Girl informed him that he was doing it wrong and needed to get up on his toe more. If he didn't read this occasionally, I'd post it. But we don't want to make him squeamish. We may need him to pose more in future (especially since I cast on another pair for him as soon as the first were off the needles. Toe-up again, Brooks Farm Acero, and going with me to TNNA I have decided. Airplane knitting. For the. um. airplane. ride. with the. xanax. and the wine. yeah. it'll be great. sure.)

I also swatched and sketched. Or swatched last week and sketched this week. Started drafting patterns for these three swatches; two vests and a sweater. I am still not sure which is going where. The yarns are Colrain, Sheffield and Sheep Three. They all may end up self-published. Or they all may end up sold. Or a mix of the two. I debated submitting one of the vests to Knitty, but since the deadline is January 5th for spring and since I have not even cast the thing on yet that seems presumptuous, even for me. There is a limit. My fingers can fly. But miracles are a bit beyond me. Four days to write, knit and photograph a design...if I could embrace it as a challenge and go on the offensive it might work. The Colrain jacket I am planning to self-publish. That is sort of a hard and fast decision I made when I first saw the inspiration. It's a keeper I think!

Last but not remotely least I received a little package in the mail today from a certain blogger who was born on January first. Perhaps you've heard of January One? and Spin-Out? Always a fan of a worthy cause and with a particular soft spot for agriculture and humanitarian causes, I donated to Heifer for Spin-Out this year. Well, who needs Santa when there's Cara??? Even after I managed to inadvertently delete her first email in a haze of celebratory Christmas bliss (tequila, anyone?), I still managed to win! Check this out -

Much Awesomeness!
One skeins of Sundara Sock in Raspberry. Mmmmm. Two hanks of Capistrano Fiber Arts in a limited edition color that is VERY me, like super really very me. It looks like berry chocolate mousse, and we all know how I feel about that. Then there's a Sock Pal Bag from Mad Caterpillar, complete with simple sock pattern, darning needle and kitchener instructions and stitch markers. Last but not least a huge (whopping whackload) of Hello Yarn Mixed Berry Fat Sock - 512 yards. It is so big I cannot decide what to do with it. I just ogle a lot. Also included was a Hello Yarn magnet and small sheep (loved the small sheep nestled in the yarn) and a Spin Out magnet, two samples of Soak, and two photocards from Hello. It was a good day to be me!

Now I will go eat bad food (chocolate chili sirloin steak, garlicky mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts followed by tortilla chips, Smartfood, dinner of champions!), watch stupid movies, and maybe crack some champagne and lower a candle from the rooftop at midnight. Have a Happy and SAFE New Years Eve, and catch you in 2008!

Kin I Git A Yee-Haw???

*First, because what else does one say at a Toby "Testosterone" Keith concert besides Yee-Haw?? And second, I finished the Minimalist Cardigan (stats: the yarn is discontinued Filatura di Crosa Trilly - cashmere and silk, half of each! - and Ella Rae Palermo, color 02, which is used as a contrast for the front band and rib on the sleeve. I did this because I thought I did not have enough Trilly {8 balls} to make it all the way. I was wrong, but love the contrast anyway) in the nick of time - cashmere and cowboy boots just...go together. So Toby Keith was actually fun. And if you repeat that I know where you all live and I will find you and...oh, forget it. The truth is that after my second appletini it didn't matter so much any more that I would have cheerfully bought a copy of Natalie Maines' delightful t-shirt (girl just spoke her mind and what a can of something else she opened up) a few years back, or that I consider TK to be...well, a bit, ummm, over the top?? Or that all of his music seems to revolve around three basic themes: gettin' some, drinkin' some or smokin' some?? It just became one three hour joke, and I just sat back and enjoyed it. It was loud and coarse and everything you expect from TK. And I wasn't the only one...I saw fins in the water, people - Buffet fans love Toby Keith?? Who knew. I could post the picture I got of Mr. W...naaah. That'd be mean. Poor man. Couple of beers and the next thing you know you're singing Toby Keith tunes wearing a cowboy hat, and your wife's a blogger, and the camera's on...that'd be exploitation. It'd be evil of me, truly evil. Anyway, it was an interesting life experience that I might even, if the tickets were free, repeat. Since they were free this time, and since it was a delightful evening out (no dog, cat, kid, dishes)...why not?! I like this place - The Meadows, aka the Dodge Music Center in Hartford. Because we didn't pay for the tix, Mr. W. felt OK about paying for spiffy parking. I would do that again also. Totally worth it. $20, car was right out front. Easy in, easy exit. Lovely. I want to go back...but there's nothing till spring (sigh). I feel lately like I am reliving the youth I missed while parenting and going to school and working and doing what needed to be done. The last little bird is perched on the edge of the nest and my foot is heading toward her little tail feathers. The time has come for me to let my hair down and have a little fun. My job is nearly finished here, the whole baby food mill, diaper scrubbing, potty training, educating, frog catching (hey some of this was a heck of a lot of fun), goop making, child training thing is winding down. I am ready to kick back a little.
Now about my discipline switch...just for a couple of hours, no biggie, I jumped off the knitting wagon and jumped on the sewing wagon. See, there was this class Katy and Pete wanted to take, and they needed just one more person to sign up so the class would run and so I said yes and here's the result - very fun and cool reversible messenger bag that I promptly came home and gave to Girl. I want to make another one now. I kinda messed with it. I missed the first class, so went by Katy's email, and it worked out well. Then last night in class I decided to be weird with the flap, so instead of making it rounded or straight I kinda did some weird wave thing, and top-stitched it. I love it. They went for a beer after at the Beer Can Museum, which apparently is something I've been totally missing out on. Who knew??
Oh, knitting right? I got some of that - aside from the finished Minimalist Cardigan which I ADORE (silk and cashmere, half of each!!), I also got moving on the Sheep Shop baby set. The yarn is Sheep One, a single ply worsted yarn in these edible colorways. I don't remember which colorway this is, but I promise to post more on that when it's done - done. For now it's nearly done, needing final finishing and the hat which is about half done to be added to the pile. I am contemplating bootees since it's moving along so well. The pattern will be available from Sheep Shop at some point in the future. It's so cute...makes me wanna procreate(not).OK, thanks to the weather I lost my internet connection last night so now I can tell you that the colorway is G123, the yarn is Sheep Number One knitted at 4 sts to the inch on a US 8 needle. The colors are warmly autumnal, which right now blends with the mood and weather. We've got trees turning but the temperatures yesterday were in the 80's. Go figure. This is New England. If you don't like the weather right now, give it ten minutes.
Special gift arrived yesterday (muchos gracias gifter - now I can truly be the grandma I was always meant to be), just in the nick of time for Grandma-hood Part Deux - somehow I managed to make it this far in life without ever laying my hands on Knit Baby Head & Toes or Knit Baby Blankets, but edited by my editor Gwen Steege. Now they're here and I feel a sudden compulsion to find worsted weight yarn in bumblebee colors...or maybe the ladybugs...actually my next-up really should be machine washable shower gifts for the little cuss...
Speaking of Little Cuss. Back for his third appearance this year, Tucker-Man has adapted very well this trip - no voiding on my furniture or floors, no destruction of yarn, no chasing of cat. He does have a problem with feathers. He finds them in the yard (they are everywhere) and snaps them up. Snap being the operative. Jaws of Death the boy has. He also has a compulsion for exploded milk weed pods which, being fluffy, must needs be VERMIN!!! I can't have my treadmill any more. He's decided the only way to keep me from turning it on (he hates the noise) is to stay on it. Permanantly.


*that is a Stewart's Root Beer in my hand in case you were wondering.

A Cowgirl's Day Off

Everyone knows that after a long week on the range a cowgirl needs a day in which to relax. Chill. Kick back and have a little fun. After a week of riding the knitting pony and finishing one project for the store, I decided to switch over to my water pony for a day. As a true cowgirl I have a whole herd of ponies for every occasion. There's the trail pony, the road pony, the highway pony, etc. My water pony is getting long in the tooth so to speak. So much so that the company that created her is out of business. She's a Walden Naturalist. Ironic, because when you're in her that's how you feel : at one with nature. She was also a boat ahead of her time in terms of green production, using 100% recycled plastic materials. Any-who, Mr. Wonderful slapped the water ponies on the Civic and off we went. One of our favorite paddling spots is Tully Lake in Athol. In reality the "lake" is a reservoir; Tully is an Army Corps of Engineers project that was created in 1949 as part of a network of "flood damage reduction" dams. This project, which completely altered an existing natural habitat, is justified (allegedly) by the projected savings of $3 million dollars of damage during heavy rains in 1987. In spite of the complete alteration of the ecosystem in the 50's by the introduction of the dam, the area is relatively pristine and up until the last 5-6 years usually felt undiscovered. It is a wonderful, peaceful place to paddle, camp, hike and fish, especially during the week or off-season if you're not into the social boating thing but more into the tree-hugger thing (that'd be me). This is not a state that can continue forever, and threats constantly loom on the horizon for development of the area surrounding the lake. The Friends of Tully Lake work tirelessly to save the area around the lake from sprawl. I hope they succeed. I know the area is desperate for economic growth, but I don't think destroying Tully is the way to get it (stepping off soap box).
If you drive up a bit from the main reservoir parking area, there's a road (Doane Hill Road) that leads to a parking area for canoe and kayak launching. There's also Doane's Falls which are a bit notorious. A dangerous stretch of waterfall, the place is a sort of ritual rite of passage for idiotic teenagers out to prove themselves above the rule of nature. Warning signs and scary stories of dead kids abound. If you put in at the Tully River launch, and head up the river you'll eventually find yourself at Long Pond. First you'll need to navigate some tricky bits where beavers have altered the flow of the river. Generally, and somewhat tragically, the beavers are controlled by the government. We've significantly reduced most beaver predators (wolves, bears, fisher cats, bobcats, cougars, etc), so their numbers can become unhealthy without a lot of effort on the beaver's part. Long Pond is very alive with avian life. Birds swoop low over duckweed and lilies competing for the best bugs. Herons are often seen there - we saw a Great Blue yesterday. I love being in my boat, especially on quiet days. In the last ten-odd years we've had some amazing experiences in our kayaks. I've always loved the Ashuelot for heron-chasing. In one trip we saw maybe 10 Blue Herons fishing...or was it the same bird over and over? We'll never know. Once, on the Connecticut, a Bald Eagle came down not more than 20' off the bow of my boat, scooped up a huge fish, and headed off to a nearby tree where her mate waited for dinner. It was surreal, and amazing, and made me cry. We've had many beaver sightings, my favorite being the young beaver who have not yet learned to duck and run when humans approach. Turtles, water birds of all kinds...and once a fox along a river bank.
Really I was looking for a sweater. Paddling in the wilds is sort of a mental cleansing. Sometimes things come to me while I am hiking or paddling. I was hiking once and saw a sweater that I can still see, though it has not managed to get itself knitted yet. It's still in there. I finished the Colrain jacket, and I love it. Now I have to come up with a Northampton garment. There was a plan, but it's not going to work, so I am back to the drawing board, which can be a good thins. Oh. I did promise pictures of the Colrain Jacket. Here, I'll throw two out - front view and back view. I actually think I may be in love with this garment. It's making it hard to come up with something else, under the heading of "tough act to follow". I've got some plans percolating. These two pics are the best I can do with the camera issues around here, and I suggest clicking on them, because it's really a pretty bit of knitting. Whatever I do with the Northampton needs to use color. It needs to be less structured. It needs to be...as thrilling as this jacket was, which I so doubt. Because I really love the jacket. I'd have to say of all the things I've done it's pretty well top o' the heap to date. Both garments - this and whatever I do with the Northampton - will appear in the next Valley Yarns catalog which I think is "fall". The yarn for this jacket is, I think I may have mentioned this before, Valley Yarns Colrain-Which-I-Love. Like I've said before in person it is edibly luminous. Luxurious but cheap, and God knows I love a deal. Someday maybe I'll get time to knit me one of these.
Wish me luck. I am off to draw for a while. I am all swatched out. Cuff to cuff with stripes? Top down something? Bottom up something? Jacket? Pullover? What to knit, what to knit.
Remember Annie and Gerry and Hannah and Max.
P.S. - for those who appreciate irony, the Water Cowgirl cannot swim. Yes, it's true. Sink, like a rock. Hence the jacket. I rarely paddle without it, especially in any water above my head.

Sweet Cowgirl Weekend

It all began innocently enough...a trip to Maine to shop and visit the ocean. A night away from home with Mr. Wonderful, walking sandy but cold beaches, trawling outlets for good post-inventory President's Day Weekend deals. And we did get some deals. It ended like this - tequila and toilet paper. And if someone can find the significance of these items resting together I'd like to know it. And in between? Oh My! There was driving, SPA Spin and Knit visiting, shopping, dining, beach-walking, rock-hopping, more shopping, driving, nerves, a pile of people, pictionary, presents (one made me cry), posters and outhouse signs, cake and ice cream, hats, boots, guns, good friends, loving family and one concerned dog.
It went something like this...dream sequence music, wavy image.... Mr. Wonderful and I headed out early Saturday morning for Portland, Maine to visit the SPA Spin and Knit gathering. Although not originally a part of our weekend plan, when Persnickety told me about it I figured I'd check it out. I hope to spend my whole birthday weekend there next year. Have wheel, will travel. People come to sit and spin, or knit, or weave, or bounce babies, or talk, or crochet, or laugh, or all of the above. There was a vendor hall with some great stuff; Grafton Fibers where I once again resisted a batt - but it's getting close, and The Merlin Tree where I once again resisted a Hitch Hiker, but that too seems close. Or a Joy. I am torn. It's a $$/DT/ST/$$ quandry. I love a DT. But the ST Hitch Hiker is inexpensive. But the Joy folds flat. But it costs more. But it's a DT. And I adore Ashford wheels. But the Hitch Hiker is so cute. See the problem?
We did not stay long, just long enough for me to know I want to move in next year, dragging Mr. Wonderful and a loom, and Persnickety, and anyone else we can manage to convince. It's just a nice recharge, grass roots, simple, open-ended fun event. Next we went shopping. Well, actually we detoured to the water first. I can't be that close and not see it. We stopped in Wells to take a quick look at the ocean, and take nutty close ups of sand and sea plants and rocks and bird tracks and such. I tasted the water, took some more pictures, wandered, and then eventually got cold enough to prefer shopping.
My first stop was at the Coach outlet for one sole purpose. At the Superbowl Alter-knit-ive Party, Stephanie L had this little Coach handbag. It was all patchwork and adorable, and I wanted one. But maybe a bit smaller. I figured that unless I hit the lottery, lost my marbles, or Santa came early I was not likely to get this little baby. But there it was...reduced from it's original outlet price by an additional 40% making it $80-ish with tax, and I knew I had to have it. One only turns 40 once. Cowboy boots and Coach bags seem right. I doubt this will be a lifelong trend, but for now I am digging it. I love this bag. It's funny, because nothing else in the store spoke, called or whispered to me. AND if I had never seen this bag on Stephanie at the party, I never would have entered a Coach outlet. I love it. Hold wallet, cell and keys perfectly. And it's so pretty!
There was more shopping that first day, but not a huge amount of actual buying. We had a lovely lunch at a place called the Lobster Barn on Rte 1. Very quaint and charming interior, very much a barn, I loved it. For those more local to me, it was sort of like Gould's Sugar House, only closer to falling in on itself. The food was very good. I can't remember if we shopped before the lunch or after...Anyway, we had a dinner reservation, so left Kittery and went to check in at the Hampton Inn in Wells. I love Hampton Inn. I love that they are all the same. I know that's not the point of leaving home and all, and in terms of scenery and food and activities I like things to be different and unusual and new. But when the time comes to rest my head upon a pillow for the night, I enjoy the predictability of a nice chain hotel and lately that chain as been Hampton Inn. After changing and sprucing up a bit we headed out for dinner at a place called Jonathans in Ogunquit. Oh, my yum. Little slow service, but not painfully. It was a little crowded for a February weekend and I think that may have caught them off guard. The food was very good. For my entree I chose Kathadin Lamb - made with lamb raised at their farm in S. Berwick, ME, which was excellent, served with green beans and gratin potatoes. Mr. Wonderful had . . .some kind of cow. I don't remember. I was too in love with the lamb to care. We went back to the hotel, and slept. In the morning we packed up and headed for Nubble Light and York Beach(es) to wander till the outlets opened. I love the way the sun lights the water first thing in the morning on the Atlantic coast. I want to dive in, or sit and get lost in it. I did sit for a while, but the rocks in Maine are cold in February and eventually your butt freezes solid and you know it's time to move on. We crawled over the rocks, another favorite activity but one not intended for cowboy boots - I was determined to wear them all day. It's a childhood problem I have. Girl even made a sign about it. But that's for later. After wandering for a while amid sea gulls and waves and rocks we headed inland for more shopping. OK, now remember this is my birthday, did I mention that? I turned 40 at 8am on Sunday February 18th. 40 is one of those milestone events, the kind where people have a party for you, which they did. And what a party! I did not
know that many people could fit into my house. This is just a small representative sample. There were more, in the kitchen and the dining room and the outhouse. But I only got one good picture because I was the birthday girl, and that carries certain responsibilities, you know! The Sweet Cowgirl Party was sweet indeed. Between my best friend Kristie and my most beloved daughter Meg…well, I really don't know where to begin! We walked into a house decorated with people in cowboy hats, strings of cowboy lights, crepe paper, and general pleasurable chaos. I saw some people I have not seen in a long while, met some new people (Girl. invited boys. from school. She's old enough. to invite. BOYS. from school. Three of them.) Possibly if she'd gone to normal high school this is something I would have confronted earlier. But she didn't and I haven't. They brought me a most excellent gift, "The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses" by Paul Goble, and even wore cowboy garb. They seem like nice boys...even if they ARE boys. Let's see, what else...
Oh, we played Pictionary. There was a huge stack of cards encompassing various
parts of speech – “Things Melissa Likes to Do” (verbs), “Something about Melissa” (generous adjectives), and “Stuff Melissa Loves” (my favorite nouns) I think. And a bit tough too, like "kayaking" was made into "flat-water kayaking" to make it a bit more challenging. This is the tie-breaker - team 1 and team 2 battling it out for the basket of glorious prizes (like beans, toilet paper, and tomato paste). Tracy is trying desperately to convey "Rare Beef" to the onlookers. I think she did an excellent job. Kristie had to tell me twice to stop giving away the answers. Hey, she made the margarita! It would have been safer if I had not read the cards first, but just handed them out. Eric, stepson #2 got stuck with “Gone With the Wind”, one of my favorite movies. He’s not exactly artistic. Kathy got “hike”, which was entirely too easy for her, and I hope to have a future party at which she sucks down a glass of cactus juice followed by a tougher clue.
We had a booze-stuffed piñata, the indoor pull-string type, and a list of piñata words – if anyone said one of the words on the list, I had to pull a string. Persnickety’s girls, Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 really seemed to have a handle on which string I should pull to make it fall apart. I had a suspicion, but pulled whatever color caught my eye for a while. Eventually I gave in and pulled the right one, but not until after they’d suffered some torment. After the kids were done sorting out the candy and key chains, a select group of adults (I am not going to name names here...no I am not… {cough}Persnickety and Cindy!) converged on the remaining bottles of booze and had at it.

Persnickety's DD#1 apparently enjoyed the wasabi peas a great deal. She's shown here releasing all sorts of endorphins. It is my personal hope that we have a new convert to The Way of The Hot Things. Next thing you know I'll have the kid here lapping "Sudden Death" off toothpicks. Then I will corrupt her sibling...heh, heh, heh...WORLD SCOVILLE DOMINATION!!!!
Here, Uncle Zoom and Grampa Dan share a quiet moment in a discussion about infant walkers, while UnCool Guy - husband of Persnickety and father of her DD's #1&2 attentively watches the barkeep in the next room. He's clutching that bottle of Opa Opa pretty tighly there. Hey. Huccome UnCool Guy is not wearing a Cool Cowboy Hat?? Oh, Wait, that'd be kind of oxymoronic if we let UnCool Guy wear a COOL hat.
Kathy, most beloved friend, you will never ever ever know what it meant to me to get this gift. This is the coolest gift ever. This is Marvel the Mustang, who was my best friend when I was little. Nothing can stop a girl in cowboy boots as long as her faithful steed is by her side. I plan on taking Marvel on the road with me for the "promotional tour". I still giggle when I think those words, you know, "promotional tour"! My dad put him together for me, and Aidan took over from there. He took my sheriff's badge, my gun, a hat and my horse. All he needs are the boots!
In all this was an excellent birthday, a phenomenal party, and I need to think up an excuse for another one, maybe in the fall when we can be outside or on the deck, and grill some stuff, and hang out...Now for some thanks -
First to Kristie, shown here in the only picture of me that we managed to get - that's my red hat from Happy Hooker sticking out over the back of her serape covered person. Best friend, amazing party planner. It would not have happened like this without her.
Megan, my much-beloved daughter, who broke her big toe on the Monday before the party necessitating my knowing a bit more than I should have so that the house would be cleaned and the fridge empty. It was a nasty looking injury but in true cowgirl style she sucked it up and forged ahead, buying party platters and writing the most flattering things about me on this timeline. AND I did not have to pay her! It was all out of the kindness of her little heart. A teenager said nice things about her mother JUST BECAUSE! I am so lucky!
Mr Wonderful, aka Toby Keith. Dig the hat. I love the hat. In fact I think he and I should invest in a whole matching wardrobe of cowboy hats. He socialized all evening long, and stayed awake to clean up while I sat in a chair and drank a glass of wine and watched. AND he emptied the car, AND, a half a year ago, when I said "Honey I think I want to write a book about socks..." he said "OK", just like that, like it would work, and it was ok, and it'd be great. AND he loves me.
Brendon SWEPT! Thrill a minute at this party, I saw Brendon using a broom for the first time ever in my presence. The oldest of our four kids, Brendon and his girlfriend Leighann (artist extraordinaire) came out just for my lil' ole' cowgirl shindig and once again, like at Girl's grad party, helped clean up until their eyes were falling shut.
What I've learned this year -
-Once a cowgirl, always a cowgirl.
-Age is relative. I am forty. FORTY! And I am finishing up my first book, watching my daughter work her way through college, and getting ready to begin a really cool adventure in promoting this book. I feel so lucky and so blessed by the people in my life, by the support I've received in the form of parties, hugs, listening ears, and one awesome mustang.
-Blessings fall like rain on parched ground, and some days they seem too much for one person to deserve or own. Take them anyway. They are intended for you. If you walk away from them, you're giving up, missing out on the best of the best of what and who you can be. I never thought a year ago my life would look like this, or be what it's becoming. As it's come I've taken it all in, one step at a time, and I am so thankful to God for letting me have it all.
-You can live your dreams. You just have to make it happen. It may not be as fast as you'd like or even take the form you first imagined, but it will all unfold if you just take one step in that direction and see where it leads. Then another step, and another and so on.
I am going to go pat my pony and tell him all about my party and the horrors of final proofing, which really is about as fun as labor, only no one's gonna hand me some squash faced infant to love and nurture for the next 22 years. Hey, maybe that's a good thing... I promise there will be more knitting VERY soon - the book goes to bed on Feb 23rd, and after that I plan to do nothing but PLAY for DAYS and DAYS. (with Marvel, and my sOx-shooter)