Category Archives: Recreation

Nasty Drivers and Spoiled Fish

For reasons I don’t want to go into (mostly because they’re boring), the past couple days have been rough for me. I am raw and short on energy and patience. At a stoplight, I had my right turn blinker on. It’s an option to turn right on red (unless there’s sign prohibiting it). I was about to turn when the driver behind me honked. So I didn’t. That’s the kind of mood I’m in — something mean within digs in its heels. She honked again, and I saw her gesticulating in the mirror. I waited until the light turned green and went, and waved at her as she roared past me all the distance of one block to turn left; she flipped me the middle finger through her sun roof. I know it’s not mature or honorable behavior. I don’t like it in myself. This all happened within a mile of my home as I returned home from a nice outing at the park with a friend. I know, I should have walked instead — except here there’s a risk we’d be run over by the same driver. Such is life in an overpopulated area. Grrrrr.

I got home to cook the salmon I bought yesterday to find it had turned bad. It smelled fishy, which is a sign of very old fish. The whole fridge smells funky now.

Bean is starting to arch her back and thrash and scream when something happens she doesn’t want, or when something she wants doesn’t happen. Toddlerhood tantrums already?

I got NO time to myself this past weekend (except for one nap, but I’d like some awake alone time), since we had family errands and housecleaning and some social commitments. I also have very little say over my schedule as far as when things happen (nothing is much in my control), even on weekends.

Something I started to knit I had to frog (“rip it” out) because I made a mistake and couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

What’s so very bothersome to me is the way incidents such as those in the first paragraph stay with me, and how a sour hatred toward humanity rises up in my throat when I’m feeling this raw.

Cranky, cranky, cranky. Will someone show me some love in the comments? If you need incentive, here’s one:

loves the fan

Zigzag

In an attempt to break out of my safe little rut, I tried a new pattern. It’s not as though the stitch is difficult; it involves binding off and picking up stitches, but I’d never tried changing directions before. This is an accent scarf, and it’s intended to be worn to jazz up an outfit. It’s not designed for warmth (and considering it’s 102.6F right now, that sounds just right). I don’t know the recipient yet. I might use it as a gift. Or maybe someday I’ll try to sell what I knit at least to recoup the expense of the yarn. The skein was 130 yards and cost $15, which is on the pricey side for me. (Anybody want to buy a scarf? I should open an Etsy store.)

zigzag scarf

Before Morning Nap

One thing I’ve noticed about having a child is that one parent typically takes the majority of the pictures, which means more time spent behind the lens than in front. That would be me. My sister intends today to get some shots of me with Bean. This was one from the early morning. I look pretty perky for 7 a.m.! (Bean and I arose at 6:10.)

before morning nap

Outside Inside

Outside the air quality suffers. The haze is thick, the scent is acrid. Smoke is visible at about a half-mile. It’s very odd, as the sun shines through, the sky is gray-white, and the horizon is obliterated. There are about 800 wildfires burning in Northern California (last I heard). So we aren’t going on many walks or park dates at this time.

Inside, Bean continues to charm, amuse, and endear herself to us. When I read her Sandra Boynton’s A to Z book and get to the “K, Kangaroo Kissing,” she makes the kiss noise. She crawls around holding onto a small toy or sock with one hand. Sometimes she tries holding something in both while crawling and pulling up and finds this challenging. She is pulling up on everything and terrorizing the cat. I think the fourth upper tooth is finally breaking through. She chews clothes, toys, fingers. Bean feeds herself Cheerios now with good dexterity. She is all-around wonderful!

Her aunt LR arrives on Sunday for a week. We’re looking forward to lots of bonding.

The New Homemaker

I’ve discovered a new blog and resource portal that will become a staple of my reading: The New Homemaker. I was doing research on the origin of “Susie Homemaker” (which I’ve not yet found because I wandered off into this new discovery). From the About page:

Who is the New Homemaker? She is the person who has discovered that having both partners in the work world is not “having it all.” Children, elders and the community have been sacrificed for two generations to the crazy notion that households can run themselves. Well, they can’t, and never have. Working parents have struggled valiantly to “have it all,” but are increasingly saying “we’ve had enough”; someone has to be home. Even single parents are exploring ways to spend more time at home and less at work, or to work at home.

Unexpectedly at home, the New Homemaker now finds herself completely unprepared to run that household, with few resources to turn to. Skills and knowledge housekeepers took for granted for centuries have been lost in just 50 years’ time. Traditional women’s magazines are filled not with solid homemaking advice and resources, but with diets, celebrity interviews, horoscopes, romance quizzes, career advice, fashion spreads and the like. Where help is available it’s frequently packaged with religious advice that may be appropriate for some women but hardly all, or even most.

I could print the entire manifesto here, but I won’t. You should read it, however. It speaks sense.

A Story — Or Two Dozen — Before Bed

This is how we spend 40 minutes or so before a nap. We sit on the floor with me right behind her. She pulls a book off the shelf, I read and set it aside, and she pulls another, and another, etc. until she yawns and rubs her eyes or bursts into tears for no obvious reason. Then we cuddle and rock and she drifts sweetly asleep.

a story -- or two dozen -- before bed

You can see a bigger picture (if you’re curious about the titles) here.

Losing and Gaining

In 2004, I posted briefly about the firing of Deborah Voigt from a role at the Royal Opera House. The reason? She was considered too fat for the role, particularly because she couldn’t fit into a little black dress that was part of the contemporary production.

She had gastric bypass surgery and has now returned to the role. She said she didn’t have the surgery in response to being fired.

“I did it because I wasn’t feeling well, because my knees were hurting, because I would cross the street and feel as though I wasn’t going to be able to catch my breath,” Voigt told “Good Morning America.” “Because, ‘Oh my lord, I might have to sit in that chair at dinner and there are arms on it. And will I fit into that chair?'”

I’m really glad she’s lost weight to improve her health and general well-being. I continue to think that it was a shame she was ever fired in the first place.

What do you think?

Oh Little One: Four Haiku

Oh Little One: Four Haiku

That brave little neck,
the stem of a sunflower;
your brain is blooming.
—–
Your luscious curved cheek
is a small apple that begs
for tender kisses.
—–
The tree sapling back
nourishes roots and branches;
may it grow mighty.
—–
Hands touch but don’t clutch
like curious mice seeking
their fortune in cheese.

–Kathryn Harper

she loves books

How I love her!

Aspirations

At the yarn store I started realizing the enormity of the project. I was going to need almost thirty balls of wool. That’s a lot of yarn. That’s so much yarn that when I told the yarn store lady what I needed, she let out a low whistle and gave me a look that told me that she thought that maybe when I’m not knitting oversized afghans I amused myself by trying to pick up marbles with chopsticks. It’s so much that she had to go into the basement to look for two cases of the yarn in question. As she stacked the yarn on the counter she seemed a little incredulous. This should have been my first warning: When a person who sells yarn for a living thinks that maybe you’re buying a lot of yarn — well, it’s a sign. A different sort of knitter would have taken that as a hint. Me? I thought she was a knitter without aspirations.

–Stephanie Pearl McPhee, Yarn Harlot: the Secret Life of a Knitter

Big Day

Today has been a day of accomplishment for Bean. She is now crawling on hands and knees; the army crawl still gets used, but she’s definitely using the other method, especially outdoors.

But that’s not all!

As of today (who knows what neuron finally developed?) she claps her hands. Sing the “If You’re Happy and You Know It” or play Patty Cake and that starts a round of clapping. So cute! She looks very proud of herself, and delighted. And when I say “kiss kiss” she makes a kissing noise. At the playground the 2-year-old son of a friend gave Bean a kiss on the cheek. He loves babies. When he attempted to give her another one, she turned her head as if to try to kiss him! We had a good laugh — and a glimpse of the future. (Eek!)

But wait! There’s more!

She drank from her sippy cup. At first I helped by holding it, but soon she grabbed it and ended up consuming 3 ounces of water from it.

Bean also played in the park sand today. She didn’t put it in her mouth. She desperately wanted to put a toy that was in the sand in her mouth (the wheel of a little dump truck) but I’d say no and redirect her. She went home with socks full of sand and dusty clothes. I think we’re entering the days of daily baths now.

A Photo Of Something Other Than My Daughter

Since Bean was born, very little else has captured my eye, and I’ve not taken the time to learn all the tricks my new camera offers. However, I was out this morning watering our backyard plants, and the new light coming in (one benefit of the Oleander removal) inspired me to grab the camera. I took a number of shots that I’ll be posting here.

This photo is a close-up of a rusty cat ornament that I’ve owned since my early days living in Austin. The spider web threads caught the light and thus my attention.

cat ornament

Busy Hands

I’ve been knitting small items. I’ve got four done, and I plan to get at least four more made. I have a draft post for Bean’s ninth month, but I can barely stay awake at this moment (it’s only 8:24 p.m.!) so it must wait.

basket weave dishcloths

Cascade Pima Tencel on size 7 needles

KIP Day

On June 14 will be the third Worldwide Knit In Public Day. From the website:

Knitting is such a solitary act that it’s easy to knit alone somewhere and sink into your work without thinking about all the other knitters out there. Neighbors could spend all their lives never knowing that the other knits. This a specific day to get out of your house and go to a local event (with your knitting in tow) just for you and people like you. Who knows you might even bump into your neighbor! Consider this a spark, to ignite a fire; getting all of the closeted knitters out into fresh air.

In the past some people have used this event as a means to show the general public that ‘not only grannies knit!’ and while that’s great and all, keep in mind that without those ‘grannies’ we wouldn’t have the wealth of knitting knowledge that we do.

WWKiP Day is really about showing the general public that knitting can be a community activity in a very distinct way. In some places there are many different knitting groups that never interact with each other, on WWKiP Day they come together in one place, making them hard to miss.

When I started knitting it was already so popular that it doesn’t seem like a too-solitary activity to me. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that some of my friends own a yarn store and live and breathe all things knitting-related. Not everyone has that, though, so I can see the point of having the day. To find one near you, check this link.

Snuggle Up

In 2006 I began knitting for the Snuggles Project. I was working for Hands On Bay Area; I wanted to establish a monthly project where creativity was involved and also allow opportunities to socialize and build friendships. It started off well, but when I left the job the project lost momentum. No problem. It’s something one can do anywhere.

The point of the Snuggles Project is to knit or crochet small blankets to donate to animal shelters. I have a lot of machine-washable yarn (it was donated), which is what shelters need. When I want to knit but am really tired (or want to talk with others instead of keeping track of a pattern), I knit something simple like this:

snuggle blanket 3

This Snuggle is 17 x 17 inches and was knit with one skein of Lion Brand Wool-ease Thick n’ Quick on size 13 needles in the American Moss Stitch pattern.

I’ve got another one started. You’ll be seeing posts on this project often.