Well, I did not think that I would post again until after the holidays & when I rec'd this tonight from my dear pal S, I had to share it.
For your KR Retreat folks, this is S w/the beautiful, shiny, long, brown hair that is often is a braid.  Thank you, S, this is lovely.

Hi Martha,  I read your blog today about all the Christmas "stuff", and wanted to forward this to you. Howard Thurman was a mystic and theologian, who embraced the Quaker ideals.

               THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

Howard Thurman

Hoping a blessed holiday for your and yours.

Isn't S a peach?

Everyone seems busy this time of year w/one thing or another - it's the gift stuff or card stuff or travel stuff or work stuff or all of the above.
The commercial aspect of the holidays is a turn off for me - it's never been the be-all & end-all anyway & somehow as I log more years on the planet, the buy-buy-buy aspect of this time of year seems foreign to me. I love catching up w/folks & I love giving something to someone for whom I care deeply. And yes, I tip the folks who keep my life running smoothly - like the guy who delivers the newspaper & the lovely woman who cuts my hair.
But all the car ads & diamond ads & all the other ads so on make me feel out of the loop w/that part of our culture. It seems that more folks are feeling that way - many are not however. There is no right or wrong - it's just what works for you!
We have sent cards & I have more of them to do. A goodly number of email greetings have been sent this year & that has felt satisfying.
The big ticket item for me is the business of my job - professional pet care sitters are swamped this time of year. Good to end the year w/a financial bang & not w/a whimper, ya know.
Let me wish you all a joyful holiday season - may your time be spent in whatever way you like - by yourself, w/friends, w/family, w/companion animals - whatever makes you happy.
As we head to the New Year, I wish for you lots of love, good health, joy, hot cups of yummy tea or coffee, good books that capture your imagination, belly laughs, creativity, great yarns & fiber, time to use those terrific things, light & more love.
See you in the New Year.

Wouldn't it be great to have lots to share about all the knitting I have been doing? Yes, it would. Would that be true?
To quote the fabulous Jon Stewart & "The Daily Show," maybe not.
OK, definitely not.
It's one of those weeks.
The Spirit Trail shawl may make it into the Guiness Book as one REALLY HUGE shawl. At the fiber night last week, Purlewe said it could be used as a lap robe - thanks for that good idea. Originally it had been an idea for a gift for a particular friend & now w/the tho't that it could be a big shawl or a lap robe. I have changed my mind. Another pal will get it instead & the original recipient will get a shawl that will be more manageable & more shawl-like.
My pal Purlewe & my pals at the Tangled Web gave me great advice on the Tossed Salad sweater: thank you, Purlewe & at the TW, the Divine DJ & A. I had some problems w/just how BIG it looked on me. Granted I have only done the bottom first few inches but oh-no-Mr.-Bill, it looked & felt too big. Did I mention that the stripes are horizontal? (Run, kids, run!) Purlewe had originally made the excellent suggestion to decrease a bit on the sides at equal points vs. frogging it & starting over. Then the TW crew said they tho't the same thing. OK then. Soon I will try that.
The barn raising quilt top is 1/2 done. Yea!
We had 3" of snow yesterday - enuf for schools to be closed, enuf to be somewhat of a pain in the buttocks, enuf to make me be very careful. Most of it is melting or has melted but the cold night temps & windy conditions are keeping it in the frozen state for our early AM travels.
For all of you who are dealing w/snow & rough travel conditions, let's be careful out there!

The 1st snow of the season made an appearance this AM. There's just a bit of the white stuff, enough that folks should take better & slower care when driving but alas, are not doing either.
Since I have very little work-work to do, I can spend time on other things.
Yes, chores are getting done. (Should I have asked you to sit down for that news?) Things went like this.
~~Started the coffee - must have caffeine in the AM. I admit it: I am hooked on it.
~~Filled the three bird feeders while wearing my PJs - put a coat, scarf & gloves on as it was windy & chilly.
~~Vacuumed the entire house! Holey moley, I do hope you were sitting down when you read that! We have a forced air furnace & between the cat fur bunnies & human dust bunnies, momma mia, it's a spicy meatball.
~~Found Natalie's favorite cat toy while I was vacuuming. There were a few toys that came to us along w/her & her bro, Jeremy, from the women who rescued them - this toy whom I call Fishie was one of them. She LOVES this little stuffed toy - she just brought it to me for some play time.
~~Did some laundry.
~~Am making elegant white bean soup. Soups could be one of my food groups - I love them! This one is from my most well-used cook book, FAST VEGETARIAN FEATS. Most people have never heard of it - it's the tippy top coolest & best book. All the prep time for the meals is 30 minutes or less - I love Rachel Ray & her 30 minute meals. Martha Rose Schulman was on the scene before her however.
~~This afternoon A & I are going to see "Good Night & Good Luck" - looking forward to that. It's been a month of Sundays since I saw a movie in an actual movie theater. Think we have picked a good one to see. We'll also, I hope, catch a meal out in a restaurant - what a good treat that would be too!
~~Hope to do some knitting this evening. Have been working on the Tossed Salad sweater & am deciding to frog or re-do. Will head back to the Tangled Web this week for some excellent expert advice.
On the to-do list for the week: sew the blocks for a large lap quilt which is currently 1/8 done, work on a crib size quilt for a baby to be named later (you know, like in a sports team trade - the player to be named later), knit knit knit, wrap holiday gifts that will be mailed to Atlanta (hey K & T), get some yarns ready to mail to a pal for no reason other than I think she'd like them, continue to clean out & organize stuff in the basement & in the kitchen.
Ah, and another to-do: start the holiday cards! Yipes.