Saturday, April 28, 2007

Another lovely but chilly day


Frida enjoying the sunshine.









"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles."
Anne Frank



"Karin" is an early rhodie. We also have one named "Anna" planted for our daughter, which blooms later.





The clematis is " Helsingborg" It's wending it's way thru Salix "Flame"
Had to buy that one since I had been there.
The crab apple is called "Everest" and was given to me by friend Diane a few years ago. I so admired the one in her yard. In the Spring it's loaded with beautiful blossoms which turn to lovely salmon colored fruit. It is one of my favorite trees.






















Worked in the back yard some this afternoon. Found I hadn't put this ceramic birdhouse away for the winter. Fortunately it didn't crack. It was made by local artist Marissa Motto at www.marissamottoceramics.com
Friend Chelsea designed the website and does some of the painting for Marissa. Very whimsical pieces. It would be nice to get a few more birdhouses some day.














Almost done with the CPY Mitered Shawl. Will have Anna model it when she comes home from a horse show down in Oregon.

Nu har jag börjat att sticka ett par strumpar. Garnet är "Claudia's Hand Painted -Blue Sky" Det ser ut som svenska färgar ! Det är mjuk merinoull. Jag har inte stickat strumpar på några år. Sista par var latvisk beskrivining av Nancy Bush.
The sock pattern is "Ruffles" from Fancy Image Yarn.


There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 21:18 NIV

Thank you LJ

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Friends













It was so nice to go out to the mailbox and see a package from Sweden. Thank you Irene ! I love it ! Chocolate and yarn-what more could a woman want ! That was so thoughtful. I sure hope we can get together this summer when you are visiting family here. I'm eating the chocolate as each picture loads.

My co worker Debbie has been so nice too. We were reminiscing about listening to Dr. Demento on the radio 30 years ago and which songs we thought were funny. She ordered the 20th Anniversary CD set. We listened at work yesterday and were choking with laughter and tears at "Fish Heads", " Star Trekkin'", "The Ballard of Irving", "They're coming to take me away, Ha-Haa", and more. Our boss popped in to see if we were alright. Laughter can be the best medicine.












But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.
~William Shakespeare














One doesn't know, till one is a bit at odds with the world,how much one's friends who believe in one rather generously, mean to one. ~D.H. Lawrence

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

More to be thankful for......

A package came in the mail today with this fabulous headband from Sirkka Könönen. What a lovely surprise !! Shown here with Anna. I absolutely love her color work !












The weather has been strange. Last Saturday there was a hailstorm which lasted for 15-20 minutes with the biggest chunks falling from the sky I've ever seen. They are predicting more plus thunderstorms. The Spring flowers are blooming in spite of the chill. I'm trying to focus on the loveliness of the new growth and appreciate how fortunate we are to be surrounded by such beauty.













For winter's rains and ruins are over,
And all the season of snows and sins;
The days dividing lover and lover,
The light that loses, the night that wins;
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909)
Atalanta in Calydon (1865)










I am grateful for my children. Each stronger than their mother making me smile with their humor and energy.


Friday, April 13, 2007

Fantastic !







































My Sirkka scarves came this week. I'm in heaven ! Fantastic colors that practically leap out of the pictures !






















Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Spring has Sprung




Was so surprised to wake up yesterday morning and see an inch of snow covering the yard. I think it's the first time I've seen snow in April in my lifetime here. Yes, I'm a rare native Washingtonian ! Hail, Emmet Watson ! Sunday I spent some time taking pictures in the yard appreciating the beauty of the day.

























This is the cupboard again painted by my mother years ago. I now use it for my yarn stash. The decorative sunflower like design is quite cheery.

"The better part of happiness is to wish to be what you are."
Desiderius Erasmus

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Mitered Shawl and reminiscing.........

Making slow progress on my CPY Mitered Shawl pattern.
It's pretty relaxing and about as much as I can handle
with my brain being fried !







This is my late father Cecil V. Lowe. What a character. This will become knitting related later in the story ! He was waiting for the bus one day and a Mercer Island Reporter photographer stopped to take his picture as he thought he had quite the unique face. He wanted to be Scottish in the worst way though I have yet to prove it thru my genealogy research but that didn't stop him.
The surname Lowe is associated with the clan MacLaren so he had kilts made in that tartan and learned to play the bagpipes. He loved music and also played the violin, mandolin, dulcimer, and accordion. He took all five of us kids to our music lessons and stayed at every one of them so he could listen and learn. He also loved his hobbies of wood carving, blacksmithing, clay sculpture, and stained glass. He was quick with a story, quote, quip, joke, you name it. He loved to wear his tam, bad polyester suits, and Swedish clogs-a unique look !

Years ago I tried spinning some yarn on my great grandmother's flax wheel and knit him a tam. Well, not knowing anything about spinning, the yarn was so tightly wound I broke a needle. That turned into a pillow ! I knit him a pair of socks with the Swedish word for father " Far " into the heel. He quipped " Does that mean you think your father is a heel ? " He wore that pair out. He died too young in 1984 and we still miss him terribly.

He was the Special Education Director for Bellevue Public Schools. He helped Governor Dan Evans with the Equal Education For All bill in the 70's I believe..
Around 1988 a woman named Chris Heaton wanted to build a playground/park especially for handicapped children. When she proposed this to the school district people kept telling her it would be a great memorial for my father and told many "Cec stories". She said he sounded like a gruff bear of a man with a marshmallow heart. She envisioned a statue of him as a bear playing the bagpipes, wearing a tam with glasses. It was made by Washington State Artist Richard Beyer who is locally famous at least, for the statues " Waiting for the Interurban" in Fremont. He did a wonderful job depicting our father. The little bear cubs represent the kids who were in the program and had passed. The one cub is holding it's paw in a typical Down's Syndrome way. The park is located in front of Sherwood Forest Elementary School on the Eastside. It's called the Cecil V. Lowe Memorial Park -For Cec and his kids.
I really liked Mr. Beyer's work before so it was wonderful to have him create this. There is a book about him called " The Art People Love - Stories of Richard S. Beyer's Life and his Sculpture". One of these days I'm going to go try and find most of the ones in the book and see them for myself.

My Dad had a sign outside his office that said " If I had to live my life over again I wouldn't have the strength ". Some days I feel that way, but other days it seems like a rather amusing anecdote. He had his faults to be sure as we all do, but I'm thankful for the unique and interesting upbringing this provided me.



On the Scottish theme this picture came from the Knitting Zone e-newletter. It is very lovely and if I didn't have so many projects already it would be fun to try.