Unraveling

Answers

Below are my answers to the interview thing that you've probably seen on other blogs. Vicki is my interviewer.  I just want to say how proud I am that she's approaching two weeks smoke free. Way to go, Vicki! I volunteered to be interviewed by her because I think Vicki rocks. Not because of the no smoking thing, either.  She is an interesting knitter. And I like to read about her projects, her girls, and her life.

If you would like to be interviewed, let me know in a comment to this post. (Say, "Interview me!") The rules are posted below.  I'll respond by asking you five questions here in a subsequent post.  They will (probably) be different questions than the ones below. You will post the same rules when you answer my questions on your blog.

The Rules:

1. You will update YOUR blog with the answers to the questions.
2. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
3. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Vicki's Questions/My Answers

1.  I admire your strength and confidence and it is no more evident than in your unique, playful, fun style – from PJs to work clothes.

Who gets the most credit for influencing your sense of personal style?

Whoa! That's a flattering question.  I want to say me, me, me.  And I think that's partially true.  But really, there are three people who've been very influential.  First and foremost is Mom, an expert seamstress and facilitator of an adolescent's clothing fantasies.  In the olden days, Mom could put together fabric and trim with style, so I could express myself in "classic" yet individualistic fashion.  Nowadays, she is still a classic and comfortable lady.  And every once in a while she gives me the ultimate compliment, "You look great!"  Next is Pamela.  When we were building costumes for theater, it was always a challenge to keep up with her stylish opening night outfits.  Twenty-five years later, we are still chums and still giving each other advice and support for our personal style choices.  I admire people who are willing to express themselves, stand out and have fun with what they're wearing.  Which leads me to Ellen Hauptli, my friend and a designer of one-of-a-kind wearable art clothing.  I've been buying clothes from Ellen for at least ten years - probably more - and I never have buyer's remorse about something that comes from her studio.  Most garments are comfortable, colorful, whimsical & practical.  And some could even be viewed as classic.  But always stylish and different.  Worth the price.  And, hey, Mom even has a few of her pieces.
Wait, I thought of one more!  My daughter, Eva.  She will advise me buy things I might never have considered.  I don't think I've ever regretted one of those purchases.  You know, keeps me young and all that.  Plus, you want to talk about your personal sense of style.  This girl has got it and then some!  And then there's Ron, who gives me PJs every Christmas and views my eccentric style with bemused tolerence.

2.  I think you like to party!  You seem to effortlessly pull it together, whether it’s a CAMP dinner or a St. Paddy’s brewhaha. Tell me a story about how “effortless” it is; you know, “I thought we’d never get the show on the road because…”

Well, there was the time when we didn't get the show on the road.  The one time in twenty-nine years we didn't have the St. Patrick's Day party.  I think it was 1994. Ron's aunt was dying and he was helping his mother and dad with all the things that need to be done and I was a student at UC Berkeley.  I had a paper due that day, Ron was gone a lot, we had two young kids, yada yada yada, and we realized we just couldn't handle it. We also realized we didn't have to have it.  It was such a relief to come to that realization.  So we sent out "unvitations" to let everyone know, and invited ourselves over to my sister's house for corned beef and cabbage.  You know what?  People came anyway. But we weren't there.

Here's the point: it's  NOT effortless.  We plan and fret and work hard but a lovely evening with friends is worth it. And, you know, somebody's got to do it...

3.  What is your favorite food a) at a restaurant, b) to make from scratch, c) for a snack?

a) Sushi Special at Ginza Restaurant (Broadway between 3rd and 4th in Oakland).  I go in there for lunch and they always ask, "The usual?" Yup.  It's my usual.
Plus, I will always order the Creme Brulee in any restaurant if it's on the menu, especially if I haven't tried it before. I have to compare it with the Creme Brulee - the one that I had at the Union Hotel in Benicia in the summer of '95.

b) Pancakes from scratch, preferably buckwheat or corn/rye with maple syrple and blueberries and three slices of bacon or a sausage patty.  Yum.

c) Lundberg's rice chips or Trader Joe's Spicy Flax/Corn chips. 

4.  "Summer vacation" and "summer home" used to have a more literal meaning – some people would actually spend their whole summer at their summer home! Where would yours be located?  (Anywhere in the world and money no object, of course.)

Northern California coast.  Near the beach.  With redwood forest and a source of fresh water (a stream or a spring).  Close enough to home, yet far enough away to be awayyyyyy.  Nice place to knit and be cozy.

5.  What's at the tippy-top of your "I'd Like to Make That" knitting project wish list?  (Again, money and time no object, nor even "skill level" if you believe in that sort of thing.)

First off, I'm dying to make the Ribby Cardi.  I'm so jealous of those who've already done it.  I have the yarn, but I'm finishing up "Christmas" gifts and Dulaan knitting.  And I want to get started on  brother Tim's cashmere blend pullover and a hoodie for Owen, and socks for Linda and Bill and...  What's a girl to do? There are so many cool projects, yet so little time.

But, secretly, I had a yen to make the IK Wedding Gown the minute I saw it in the Summer 2003 issue (See it Here).  Lordy, that's a pretty garment.  But I'm already married and last time Eva and I talked about it she wanted an orange wedding dress, with "tiger" ears and a tail.  Not that she's getting married any time soon (and not that I'm encouraging her to).  Maybe I should just make myself the skirt.  Good use for some Kidsilk Haze. Sigh....

Thanks, Vicki.  That was fun. Now it's off to bed.  'Night all!

Eggs-ample

This week, I'll bet everybody's cholesterol count rises substantially, given all the extra eggs rolling around from Easter festivities over the weekend.  Let's see, what's for lunch? Deviled eggs? Egg salad? We dyed none. So for once in a very long time we have no colored eggs languishing in our fridge - but our neighbors, Charlotte and Danielle, dyed a basketful with tumeric, blueberries and coffee.

Gorgeous, no?

It has been raining off and on since Friday but it did not rain Sunday morning, so we were able to have our traditional Easter outdoor brunch with our next and back-door neighbors.  We weren't able to whip ourselves up for an Easter egg hunt, due to the dwindling kid population (most of them have grown into adults!), but the sun finally came out for the diehards who stayed and chatted.  The rain returned, however, and thwarted a late afternoon walk.

I stayed in for the rest of the day and finished this hat:

and turned the heel on the second of Vivian's Christmas socks:

...while I watched the first disc of American Dreams - Season 1.

And, to bring the post back around to the title, I had soft-boiled eggs for breakfast this morning.  I've got to keep up with those of you who just can't throw those little buggers away.

Just Post, Baby!

It's been either knit or blog this week. Time's been that short. So knitting won out when I had free time. I went over to Jill's to knit on Wednesday night.  It was a full house, a chatty crew was knitting away by the time I got there. I worked on the Coronet that I started at Janine's Dulaan knit-in.  I finished it this afternoon and since then I've been trying to finish a pair of lace socks that should have been done by Christmas. I've turned the heel and am on my way to the toe of the second sock. It won't be long now, Vivian.

Yesterday, my friend Michelle came over to learn how to knit. First, we had to go to Article Pract for needles and yarn.  And then we had a knitting lesson.  She is a very apt pupil and picked up the long-tail cast on and continental knitting pretty quickly. 

I've been going through the photos from St. Patrick's Day and working on an album. You can check out the album in process on the left sidebar. It's taking longer than I want, which is why I haven't posted on the blog in a while.  I've been writing something in my head, though, and realized I've gotta just post or I'll loose the thought. The photos can wait.

Last Tuesday Margene mentioned the Yarnmaven's post about hands, which hit home with me too.  It reminded me of the time I looked down and recognized my mother's hands coming out of the sleeves of my shirt.

I could hardly believe that I had become old enough to have my mother's hands. I wanted to look at my hands next to Mom's hardworking hands and revel in their similarity. But when I did, hers were very different from mine. Age appropriate.

So, these aren't my mother's hands.  They're mine. These fingers understand how to hold yarn and sticks and make something useful and beautiful. They can tap out sentences, without having to look at the keyboard. When I work in the garden, they get nicks and scrapes and dirt under the fingernails. Maybe I should take better care of them, but I probably won't.  Like my mother's clever hands,they are most happy when they are doing something and they are never still for very long.

My mother's hands taught mine everything they need to know.  Thanks, Mom.

PHEW!

It has been a very full and thankfully long weekend. We packed enough activity for three weekends into Thursday and Friday alone (and boy did we have a good time!). Yesterday I rested most of the day. I needed it (Maybe I should say I knitted it?) And today I feel back to normal, ready to get back to blogging, and ready to face the work week.

Let's see, where should I begin? With thanks, I think. On Thursday, these treats arrived in a box from my Secret Pal:

Lovely organic teas, jelly bellies, See's St. Patrick's Day Potatoes (they have nougat inside!), 2 balls of very cool Calypso yarn (from SWTC), two balls of (very warm) green Baby Alpaca  (from Plymouth Yarn), and a beautiful shamrock suncatcher. Wow. My Secret Pal knew just what I needed! This gift box will keep on giving for a while. And the suncatcher, which looks lovely hung in the kitchen window, will be a St. Patrick's Day fixture for years to come!

THANK YOU SECRET PAL! You're the greatest!

And thanks to our nephew Jeff, his wife Charity, and their two boys, Billy and Ricky, for filling our empty nest on this first childless St. Patrick's Day in 23 years. It took a bit of the sting out of having our kids gone to have you here, guys. And we couldn't have been ready EARLY without your help.

Teaching the boys to make Irish Soda Bread was one of my favorite parts of the day:

And going out to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park the next day with you was really a treat.

We also had a knitting lesson and there were lots of snuggles, but the best moment of your visit was at Frank Olivier's Twisted Cabaret on Friday evening, when Jeff got pulled out of the front row to dance with Frank, as one of the Frank Brothers, wearing a tutu. You were a good sport, Jeff, and I will forever regret not bringing my camera.

As if all that wasn't enough, the big surprise of St. Patrick's Day came at about 5:30, when some guests arrived EARLY. I was working myself up to being irritated at their early arrival. After all, the party doesn't start until 6 p.m. Don't they know that the last half hour you're frantically pulling things together at the last minute, no matter how ready you really are? Then I saw this face:

This is Holly. We've been chums since high school.  She's lived in Seattle for at least twenty years and had never (really? never?) come to St. Patrick's day at our house before. All irritation washed away in that moment.  It was a jaw-dropping, heart-filling surprise like no other.  Her family's in California to celebrate her niece's wedding and they took advantage of being here to come to the party! Woo Hoo! Holly brought along her husband, Gary, and sister, Linda.  Big fun.

Thanks Holly, Gary, and Linda for the wonderful surprise!

There's lots more to share.  I just got a load of party photos from my brother Mike, which I want to post.  But for now, I'm off to another social engagement.

So long!

Cool

We had some spectacular weather here last Friday that had some people really complaining. I didn't mind. I wore sandals to work. I took a walk to the farmer's market and got flowers. I liked it.

Saturday the "natural air conditioning" kicked in. The fog rolled in and stayed all day. Cool. But did it have to stay in all day? Couldn't we at least have sun for a few hours? On our day off?????

We had sun again on Sunday, and again Monday although it was windy and there was lots of dust/pollen floating around. Today it was better: sun, no wind, warm but cool enough. Not that I spend much time outside. But that's cool.

So it's been hard to blog. I've been...busy. I'm getting ready for my big party. I've gone through my address book, sent invitations, remembered (Jeez!) that I forgot someone, lingered over the names of people who've moved away or died. I miss them. I miss my kids. They're both so far away. And this is the first time...blah, blah, blah.  You already know about that. I just miss 'em, you know?

And I miss Gayle. Last year we walked around together in the early morning dropping little green invitations around the neighborhood. This year...no Gayle. Did it alone. Doing a lot of things alone these days. Really thinking a lot about the best friend thing. But I'm cool. Just a little blue. Some days bluer than others.

But on Thursday I will be green. Not green with envy or feeling ill. But raucously, blatantly, proudly, celebratorially GREEN.

By then most of this:

will be in here:

and it will be appropriately festooned.

This load of garden crap:

will have gone to the dump.

Schatzi, Zelda, and Snooty will be on an overnight at the doggie hotel and spa.  Corned beef will be simmering in a 40-quart pot on the stove, cabbage in another 20-quarter, the oven will be full of baked potatoes, and helpful friends will be slicing homemade irish soda bread. We will break a pinata.  We will sing about those we've lost, and those who are far away in foreign lands.  We will be corny and mushy and probably sing late into the night.

So honestly, I've been blue but I've also been thinking of how cool things are.  For instance, on the same day last week I received these from Guys Who Mean A Lot To Me:

On the left is an enameled Celtic Knot pin (made by William Spear) from Dad.  And on the right is a little square of fabric from Christo's Gates sent to me by my brother, Timothy.  Pretty cool, eh?

I have had time over the last couple of weeks to finish three items for the Dulaan project:

Cool?  Naw, WARM.

But what I'm really trying to work myself around to writing about is how cool I think my kids are. Sure, I miss them, but both of them are stretching themselves - way far away from what is comfortable for them. Eva has this gift for languages. She has the ear. She studied Spanish in middle school. At thirteen she started studying Japanese (she still does - on her own). At fourteen she invented a language. Then when she studied French, she would get bored in class and translate the lesson into Japanese. At sixteen she lived in Japan for a year. She studied Hindi when she was in London. Now she's learning Chinese in China. When she was in high school, I can remember thinking she was a lot like one of those interesting girls I always envied when I was in high school. Quirky? Yes, but so incredibly cool. I was never that cool. And there is nobody else I'd rather watch a movie with than Eva.

And Owen? He's cool, too. An interesting combination of very sensitive and very practical. The kind of guy who will ask for directions. Or ask for help when he's looking for something in a store. And sensitive in a good way, not a girly-man way. He takes his committments seriously and follows through. And he seems to feel comfortable talking to anyone. Even grownups. And now he's off studying German in Germany and reading The Golden Compass and A Clockwork Orange  - in German. He's so cool he's cold.

Oh, I could tell you stories.  Silly stories, funny pee-in-your-pants stories, stories of frustration and angst, sad stories, adventure stories, unbelievable stories, and many more believable and familiar stories. But we've all got stories about our kids and jeez, I started this yesterday morning and it's almost tomorrow.

I guess what is most important is that I miss them both.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<THIS MUCH>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
But I want them to live their lives not mine.  I have what I need. I may not always have what I want.  But that's life and I'm living it. I'm cool.

Bad

I only have one thing to say:

Bad Dog.

My Reward

It's Friday. I walked every morning this week. Five days of getting up at 6 a.m. and walking with the dog. Pollen, puffy eyes, and all (sniffle/wheeze). I ran into Rachael and Lala this morning. On their way to get coffee. They had Harriet and Miss Idaho with them. They are all so darling, especially at 7:30 in the morning. This never happens. There are no coincidences. It was my reward.

Ups and downs

Well, I know for many of you it's snowing and cold.  Here, that is not the case.  It's 8:15 p.m. and its 61.5 Fahrenheit in my back yard.  I don't mean to rub it in, but honestly, it is bloomin' glorious.

Literally.

Here are some photos taken on my morning walk:

This, and more is coming your way, honestly.  And soon!  But also, (sniff) what's coming your way (cough) is what comes (wheeze) with the bloomin' glorious blooms (snorffle).  And that's pollen, darlings.  We have it big time.  Thank goodness for Claritin, otherwise the early spring we have here would be unbearable.

And by the time your spring has sprung, friends, our hills will be turning their familiar golden hue, our spring blossoms will be spent, and the fog will start rolling in.  Summer here is downright chilly.

So be patient.  Your spring will be glorious, especially after the winter you've had.  There is an upside and a downside to almost everything.

Not Amused

Did everyone get the e-mail from Lion Brand, promising to "create a Homespun pattern to match the poncho Martha Stewart wore for her return home this week?"   WTF?!  Did they ever think about contacting the very nice woman who made the poncho in the first place?  Who is still in prison? Worst example of crass commercialism I have seen in a long time.  Am I surprized? No. End of rant.

Pajama Sunday

It's Sunday.  I'm in pajamas.  Pajama Day!  I am sorely tempted, however.  The weather is so beautiful.  It's even warmer than yesterday.

I could think up some excuse to go somewhere.  But, really, I ought to follow through on my pajama commitment.  After all, Grace and Joanna said they'd join me.

So, I had my breakfast in the kitchen

and I'm off to watch a double feature of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.  I may twist my own arm and watch Maria Full of Grace, too.  Movies, knitting and a few small chores are on my agenda.

Come with me!  You know you want to relax.