You say it's the new year? We have been coughing our way through it: I have bronchitis & Sweet J, a sinus infection & wicked cough. It's gotta get better. Like many of you, I love turning the calendar page & thinking of the possibilities that lie ahead in addition to the year we had. In no certain order, for 2013: ++ love more, fret less. ++ listen with elephant ears to hear more. ++ tap the creative juices in all avenues of my life: sew a baby quilt for a dear pal's new daughter, knit & knit more FOs, make another sweater for me (finish the one I am doing & begin one from some beloved Briar Rose yarn). ++ have calm knitting to do plus knitting to excite my little gray cells. ++ make my knitting ADD work for me in a more positive way. ++ gather my friends around me more ++ aim to see the sun set as many days as I can - I do love sunsets. ++ attend a regular knitting group. ++ love my beloved Sweet J & her kids in as many ways & as often as I can. It feels good to say good-bye to 2012 & the losses we suffered: so much gun violence, hit & run fatalities, the fire to a much adored pal's home-to-be, the so-called cliffs we almost went over. The beauty was there too - Clara's Great White Bale, our friends' new daughter, Boy M doing some really good stuff in college classes, Girl M rowing for the crew team & being awesome & strong, Dad getting though a bout of pneumonia & being on the mend, Girl Cat Natalie pulling through some health problems that could have gone the other direction, some long time pals welcoming the 1st grandbaby, President Obama & VP Biden's 2nd term (my home state of Ohio putting them over the top - I do love Ohio at times like this!). Wishing you joyful noises, peace, prosperity & good health.

What a month it has been ...

March has continued to be full for us & as I hear from my close pals, very full for just about all of us.
~~ Mom died on 3.17. She had ovarian cancer & went downhill pretty rapidly after her surgery in January. The last few days at Hospice sound pretty rugged for her & for Dad. She wasn't conscious & before that, she didn't recognize folks on a consistent basis. Dad is a sweetheart & is pretty easy to do lots of things for - as SJ says, he's appreciative, sings the praises of those around him & is a sweet man. He's 86 (Mom was 85) & they had been a couple since freshman year of high school. SJ was able to fly out to Ohio to be w/ me & to help out & she fit right in. My Dad thinks she is the greatest thing since screen doors - me too, me too.
~~ Whew, I just exhaled.
~~ Let's close out w/ some "up" news - had some house stuff done - the chimney liner is in. I have emailed a local garden service to get some help w/ the back yard. Some of the electric work has been done by A. Have 2 plumbers to call for estimates for some work. Have some referrals for a furnace tune-up service. Have more items cleared out. (This helped me to be in practice for the HUGE job that awaited us last week-end at the home of my folks!)
~~ We worked so much on stuff on Ohio that I did almost no knitting while I was there. Of course I tho't I'd work on some of the garter stitch scarf projects I took. I was just so plain flat out exhausted that I worked only on SJ's 2nd sock.
~~ The ab fab Purlewe (& Sweet Sue) had helped me sort a bunch of singleton skeins & I now have cool-combo scarves to knit as future gifts. Thanks again, A & S - you continue to inspire me as friends & knitters.
~~ My wheel has been sold & I will be working on sending it very soon.
~~ The Two Old Bags bag is felted & I am glad to have done it. It is pretty huge which is what I wanted to have. The next one, which is in the final few rows!, will be smaller.

If you have a couple of extra good tho'ts that have gone unused, my Dad could use them. He's a good guy & he's a hurtin' pup right about now.

There's a new kid on the blog market

and she is the most fabulous Morgaine. Her blog is Spin For Peace ...thoughts on spinning, fiber, magic, peace, equality.

We love her! Step over & visit her if you have not seen the blog yet. Thanks to Sweet Anjeanette, aka Purlewe, for turning me onto the new kid on the blog market.