Seasons...

And so it goes,

As the wind blows,

The seasons will flow…

The dirt is on the move. Yes, the wind is blowing again today. I look outside and see my neighbor’s yard fly by my house! I invite you in and you can leave me a note on the television, the table, the window sill and even on the floor. There’s dust everywhere! It wouldn’t matter if I rushed around wildly with the Pledge. In a few hours there will be a light powder covering all exposed surfaces.

Dust!!!

Out here things seem to lean. We can tell which way the wind blows most often because the trees slant that way. We just deal with it. You have to put your head down, sunglasses on, and lean into the wind. Our chickens even lean when the wind is blowing. I heard once that if the wind stopped blowing out here for half a minute all the chickens would just fall over!

A tree in the front of the house

Don’t worry about your hair. Just step outside and you’ll get a new hairdo! You’ll get dirt in your eyes and sand up your nose. Keep your mouth closed or your teeth will be gritty. Hang on to your belongings. If the wind gets hold they may end up in the next county! And heed the skirt alert. We don’t all make a pretty picture like Marilyn did!

There’s no ‘cool breeze’ to this wind either. Temperatures are already three digits and it’s not even summer yet. The rainfall, none since October, is in the negative numbers, measuring less than zero. Walking outside is like opening an oven door. Add the sandblast and it’s not a pleasant experience.

June 8 at 6:00pm

Is there any relief in sight? Not until we get a break in the weather. I heard the news call it ‘global weirding’ because of the extremes across the states. While we are hoping for rain others are hoping it will stop. We all just take it, one day at a time.

And so it goes,

As the wind blows.

The seasons will flow,

To help you through your birth,

As you spend your time on earth.

In the wind.

Sometimes summer knitting is a challenge for me. Out here, especially, even a light scarf can make you sweat! I knit in the air conditioning most of the time so the knitting isn’t hot. It’s just the finished projects! I did get some fun yarn on a trip recently. I just don’t know what to make with it!

Thomas Kvist Lambada, 165 yards

Kind of like light ribbon

Mango Moon Chakra, 75 yards

Built in beads...a necklace type thing maybe?

Any ideas?

And so it goes,

As the wind blows.

And so it goes,

As the wind blows…

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Summer has come and passed,
The innocent can never last.
Wake me up when September ends.

Tomorrow it’s October. Summer has come and passed. Where did the time go? Wasn’t it just January, with people making resolutions they can’t keep? Now it’s officially fall.

I’ve heard that the older you get the faster time seems to pass. How can that be? There are still 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year. We have the same amount of time we’ve always had. So why does time seem to fly by?

Bryce being Superman

The kids when they were little...just the other day.

I remember being a teenager and wishing to be older. I think we all did. When I get older I’ll…you fill in the blank. I got older. I did what I wanted to do. But there was always something more. I’d still wish to be older.

At some time you reach a point when you feel you are old enough. Maybe it’s 25. Maybe it’s 30. For some, it could be even older. You no longer want to be older. Instead, you’d like to be younger.

I know people who live in the past. Their glory days were in another era. They aren’t satisfied with how things are now so they live those days, over and over. That wouldn’t work for me. I don’t want to go back and relive high school or college. Some of it wasn’t all that fun. I don’t see the point in staying the same. It’s a lot more exciting to experience new things.

Maybe that’s why time seems to pass so quickly as we get older. We’ve done a lot of the things we couldn’t wait to do. Now there doesn’t seem to be a lot to look forward to, for the average person that is. Part of the anticipation of something good happening seems to make time go slowly for me. When I’m waiting, time seems to crawl. If I’m not looking forward to anything, I’m not anxiously waiting for something to happen and before I even notice it’s here.

I got an email from a dear friend I grew up with. We were talking about a school mate who passed away. At the end of the note he said, “Fewer days ahead than behind.” It’s a bit scary to think about but it’s that time of life. The things I want to do had best be getting done. And I don’t know if there will be enough time.

I read recently where one of my knitting friends had designated another to finish her projects if she should die and leave them incomplete. Once I was asked to finish something that wasn’t done before the time came. It was to be a surprise gift for the daughter it was intended for. It’s a little eerie to pick up the yarn and needles that were someone else’s. I deciphered the notes she’d made to figure out where she was in the pattern. It wasn’t an easy task, but I completed it. It was satisfying, in a way, to know I’d helped her out and that the personal gift she’d started with love was completed and delivered.

I have a lot of unfinished projects lying around. I have a lot I haven’t started yet! But there isn’t anyone who will finish mine. They’ll just go wherever unfinished projects go. I’ll just hope they end up in the hands of someone who cares. So…better stop now and get busy!

 

At the end of September the knitayear will be halfway done. September also marks the end of the summer strip. Day 179, September 26 was Alan’s birthday. I made him a cake, the same one that was the first I ever baked him, and it made me reminiscent of the years that have passed. I picked a gold yarn for all of the golden years that have passed. Day 180, September 27, started the workweek. I worked with the doctors but for the first time had a very low turnout. Maybe it was the topic. Maybe they were just busy. I was a bit disappointed but the people who did show up enjoyed the session. I picked pink and blue variegated yarn because it reminded me that sometimes things work one way and sometimes they work out another way. September 28 was a good day, a trip to Balmorhea, substitute training and the late night. I got it all done and was feeling pretty dynamic. Bright green marked the day. Day 182, September 29, we came up with a plan for the workshop we are all so unsure about next week. I feel a lot more reassured that things will go well and chose a rust yarn that fit my mood that day. Finally, September 30, the end of September and the end of the fall strip of the knitayear! It’s the halfway mark and I feel complete, because I’ve stuck to the project this long. I picked pale green, which called to me and seemed to be like the end of the fall. It’s the last shade of green showing before things get brown. All in all the time has passed quickly. I have to admit I’m not as enthusiastic as as I was and I feel like I’m in a rut trying to describe my moods. That seems to be the hardest thing for me, but then anything to do with self always is. I’m anxious for a new start and the new strip that starts in October!

Summer Strip of Knitayear

Ring out the bells again,
Like we did when spring began.
Wake me up when September ends.