Sailors' Knots is FINISHED

This is where the payoff is, I suppose. When you can't recount how long ago you began a project (I know it was a stitchin' night at Creative Cottage in Madeira - wow, how many years ago THAT must be, since the shop's been closed for a bunch of years...it used to be a monthly treat back then, now just a fond memory, with all but one area shop gone out of business....but I digress). Still, it's never a good idea to try to start a KIT at a stitchin'; just too many distractions, and too much gossip to listen to. So, I'd brought it home barely started (somewhere in the clouds), using the wrong shade of blue I realized later, when I pulled it out of my stash, and took it up again. It's taken two summer trips to Maine, and alot of patience on those sails, but here it is:

Still here....

Just a quick post to show my progress on Crypt Club (see prior post). It is really a fun stitch, albeit a lot of BLACK and A LOT of 3/4-stitches (which you can see by clicking on the pic) ....

Yesterday, I had the whole day off so it was re-watching almost all of Season 2 of Damages, cuz Season 3 starts tonight, and backstitching on Knots.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

When I saw this design, I knew I had to stitch it. I really don't need anymore projects, as you know. But I love, love, love it when a designer comes up with something SO UNIQUE.

It's called The Crypt Club by Prairie Moon. I've joined my very first SAL at Stitching Under the Southern Cross, and we are supposed to start on January 1, and finish by Halloween 2010.

My chart and fabby (32 ct. Thunderstorm) have arrived, and I'm gathering up my DMC (the silks would be way, way over my current budget).

So, in between backstitching Sailors' Knots, I'll be stitching up this fine looking bunch!

Tying Up Loose Ends

I always find the end of the calendar year, even amongst the hectic holiday activities, a good time for reflection, contemplation, and assessment. Certainly 2009 has left me with quite a bit to reflect on and assess!

A son getting established, a daughter looking ahead to graduation, travel from coast to coast, aging parents, a roller-coaster love life, celebrating a new political landscape, and juggling two jobs, all have comprised what seemed like a year of multiple fronts. To be sure, it has been mostly exhausting and occasionally exhilarating.

All things considered, I can say it's been a pretty remarkable year, in that I still have my house, my health, my friends, and my bliss - cross stitching - which, through trial and trouble, has always managed to keep me sane.

Thankful

While it is easy to complain about this crummy economy, idiotic politicians, rude customers, and poor management, this is the week we should all be counting our blessings, right? Ok, here are mine:

I am thankful that I have.....

A Roof over my head (although I would prefer to downsize)

Food to eat (although hardly any time to cook it)

Two jobs (although I wish I didn’t need the second one to make ends meet)

Great kids who need me (although they sometimes find it hard to admit it)

and, Wonderful Friends (who are ALWAYS there) !!

I'll be taking this to Thanksgiving dinner, along with a bottle of wine, of course:

Pumpkin Swirl Loaf

Here's my progress on Knots. Hope to get some serious stitchin' done over the holiday...

Bookish Ambivalence

The levy for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County passed this week. Although, generally speaking, I take this as good news, I do have ambivalent feelings about the future of public libraries.

My professional career began over 30 years ago as the Town Librarian in Gorham, Maine, a sweet little bedroom community outside Portland.


I broke new ground in my two years there, by being the first librarian hired from outside the town of Gorham (Mainers have such a phobia about those from "away"!), and by overseeing, along with the Board, the remodeling of the basement into a new children’s room (an even bigger deal!).

I wanted to be a librarian since I was in junior high. It’s in my gut. But, boy, have I seen a lot of changes, both in the profession, and in American society’s view of the role of libraries, especially public ones. By and large, I think libraries and librarians have done a remarkable job of embracing new technologies, but, at the same time, I wonder about the future role of the public library as a repository of knowledge and as a sanctuary for readers.

My current moonlighting job in a retail bookstore has reinforced many of my suspicions. I see parents and students rushing in to buy the next required book, usually at the last minute. I see men and women settling in with a stack of books and magazines, sometimes for a whole morning or afternoon. I even accept returns on books within days of purchase from customers who boldly admit that they’ve read them and so are done with them. And, if we don’t have something a customer wants, I am frequently tempted to suggest they try the library (it beats sending them to our competitor, right?).

So my thoughts are these. Are bookstores now supplanting libraries in the minds of parents, children, old folks, young people, men and women, as the first place they think of when they want/need something to read or a place to read? Will the public library remain only as an archive of knowledge, and a community center for the immobile inner city poor?

I am glad the library levy passed, because, through a reciprocal regional agreement, I have full borrowing privileges at the branch near my Warren County home, and I frequently go to the downtown Main Library on my lunch hour. But, if it had failed, I cannot help but wonder if the Library would see that the writing is on the wall.

A Rich Life

I've been thinking a lot about getting through difficult times. To say we are all tightening our belts is an understatement. The word prioritize has taken on a whole new meaning. We are learning, for some the hard way, to appreciate what we have, to delay gratification, and to keep "to do" lists and wishlists. We seem to need to "one-up" a co-worker, or friend, with tales of money woes. Yes, misery sure does love company.

But as a student of history, I know that our forbears have been through times like these, have persevered, have discovered their inner strengths, have unearthed hidden talents, and have forged friendships that will last well past these challenging days.

Maybe it's time to re-define what it means to live a rich life, a life filled with friends and family, humor, appreciation, and contemplation. We will have spent a great deal of time kicking ourselves for past errors in judgment, for living only for today and not planning adequately for the future, for keeping up appearances at any cost. Hopefully, we will have also discovered that some of those former priorities feel just a little hollow now, stacked up against what we have come to count on as sure and constant.

I was cashing out a customer today at the bookstore who was buying three or four British cross-stitch magazines, so we got talking. I gave her my opinion that, even though they were expensive, she could be spending money on worse things, like booze and cigarettes. Of course, if I didn't stitch, I told her, I'd probably take up smoking!

Here's my start on the Old Salty Santas. So far, I've found all the DMC colors in my stash.

I'm also progressing on the third sail of Sailors' Knots. This piece sure has taken a lot longer than I ever thought it would. I remember taking the kit to a stitch-in at a local shop several years ago. That shop, like so many, has now gone out of business.

That Ole Black Magic, aka Startitis

Yes, I fell under the spell again. Came across this great Old Salty Santas chart (in my stash, which is a good thing), and decided I just HAD to kit this up. It's nautical and Christmasy all-in-one. I'm going to stitch it on 14 ct. Misty Taupe Aida (like the model, yeah I'm like that). Aren't they just adorable?!

Found a real treasure on eBay this past week. I had a saved search posted in there for the Oberlin Gettysburg cross-stitch chart, hoping for the one with just the word, like the other state and city ones, but got "BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG," which I think is way cooler, especially for a history buff like myself. It has real significance for me this year, since I walked Pickett's Charge in June.

And, finally, I am making good progress on the largest and last sail. I have mounted it in my stitching stand, and that has made it alot easier to stitch (and easier to photograph, too! )

Memories

With each October, comes increased Breast Cancer awareness and for me, that means memories, some horrific, some warm and loving. And, as I think about others facing cancer, I am reminded of dear friends who saw me through it and are there to this day. When my friend Marianne heard about my diagnosis 16 years ago, she told her husband she just had to see me in person. So she and Joe came down from Toledo to see me in Montgomery. Here we are in my driveway (me in my wig, overcompensating with way too much make-up!)

The following spring, as I was finishing up with chemo, they came down to Cincinnati again, this time to hear my son Nathaniel sing with the Cincinnati Boychoir during May Festival. Here we are on Fountain Square (I was sure skinny!). And, yes, she is still great at accessorizing with scarves!

Marianne and Joe lost their dear Westie last year. He had been Joe's dog before they got married, and brightened their days from 1991 to 2008. When I saw this design stitched on khaki fabric, I knew I had to stitch this for them. I gave it to Marianne this past week, when she was in town for our librarians' meeting.

Here's to great friends, warm memories, and to Finding a Cure !!

Past and Future

This week I attended a two-day retirement (ha!) and financial planning seminar, and all I have to say is: “Can I have a do-over??”

The amount of information imparted was like having buckets of water dumped on me. I’ve spent the weekend making to-do lists and reminders. I need to sign up for a Medical Flexible Savings Account, and, when Open Season comes around, sign up for a dental and vision plan. I need to check my fund allocation on my TSP (the govt’s equivalent of a 401(K)), and I need to get some debt paid down. Yikes!

Last Friday was my parents’ 56th wedding anniversary.

I’m a honeymoon baby (Sept. 18th to June 24th) and I’m told my maternal grandmother was really nervous that I would arrive too early. Oh, the morals of the mid-50’s!

Scared Silly is finished, too.