Lycklig Resa !

Daughter Anna, nieces Elisabeth and Jessa, and sister Tina ready to leave for the airport on their Scandinavian adventure ! Wish I was with them !
July 19th












Taken in Dalarna by Cousin Per Ingemar
July 24th






















Koigu KPPPM 105D
Reminds me of an antique Victorian Christmas - faded velvet, burnished gold, the tree,......



What Is to Come

WHAT is to come we know not. But we know
That what has been was good--was good to show,
Better to hide, and best of all to bear.
We are the masters of the days that were;
We have lived, we have loved, we have suffered...even so.

Shall we not take the ebb who had the flow?
Life was our friend? Now, if it be our foe--
Dear, though it spoil and break us! --need we care
What is to come?

Let the great winds their worst and wildest blow,
Or the gold weather round us mellow slow;
We have fulfilled ourselves, and we can dare
And we can conquer, though we may not share
In the rich quiet of the afterglow
What is to come.

William Ernest Henley

Lavender Festival

...To lift the spirit, cheer the heart and make all sweet.

Kind friend and coworker Debbie treated me to the Lavender Festival in Sequim this past weekend. It was so relaxing and alot of fun. Eight Lavender farms were on the tour, plus a street fair in town. Everything made with lavender-cheesecake, ice tea, ice cream, BBQ sauce, lotions, soaps, candles, plus much, much, more. The fields were beautiful and the fragrance wafting everywhere smelled lovely.
We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast on a farm which has been in this family since 1870. We sat in the evenings on the big wrap around porch with a view of the Straight in the distance, knitting and watching the cows meander about. The smell of salt air is so wonderful. Ran into Port Townsend for a few hours and checked out two yarn shops. I managed not to buy anymore thank goodness ! Debbie picked up some Misti Alpaca to make a hat for her daughter.

A little pink amongst the lavender.







Hanged up in houses,
it doth very well attemper the aire,
coole and make fresh the place to the delight
and comfort of such as are therein.
~~By John Gerard, 1597.~~

























My lavender products-linen water, honey, lavender citrus lotion, and candle.



Mother Alpaca and her nine day old son.






Debbie knitting while waiting for the ferry.







This came from Leena Riihivilla while I was gone. I couldn't resist ordering them ! They are beautiful.

The sun feels good

Det är en ny lugn dag. Min lilla damm med vattenfall låter
behagfullt i bakgrunden, medan jag skriver. Vädret är perfekt. inte för varmt, inte för kallt.
I morse plockade jag lite smultron att ha i min smoothie. Dessa små
bär smakar så gott. (REALLY edited by PI)









Proverbs 18:4
4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Ordspråksboken 18:4
4Orden i en mans mun äro såsom ett djupt vatten, såsom en flödande bäck, en vishetens källa.















Gallica ; Rosa Mundi
12th Century
Named after Fair Rosamund, the mistress of King Henry II of England
(Heirloom Roses)





Portulaca grandiflora ; Moss rose









Feverfew ; Tanacetum parthenium







Haven't progressed much with my knitting. This yarn is from my stash. I bought it at the Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat Marketplace. Lovely yarn created locally by Rainshadow Farm. Don't know why I'm in a purple phase !











Evelyn suggested awhile back that the nystpinne is an excellent way to wind up scrap yarn. Thanks again Barbro !




Knitting

Love dies
Knit one
Purl one
Cast off.

linda jenkinson

This sums it up !

Leviathans

Anna, Ryan, and Marc are on the annual 4H Natural Resources Whale Watching trip on San Juan Island right now. It is a wonderful opportunity to see these wonderful creatures. It is awe inspiring to see them breach, swim under the boat, spy hop, and more. Cell phone service is pretty non-existent so haven't heard if they've seen any yet. They have the digital camera so no picture taking for me until they return on the 13th. Ryan started a painting of this sunset. It is looking wonderful so far.

Picture taken by Lee on San Juan Island 2006

A heart's sunset

Out over the ocean, its waves are silent where they lay; a magnificent orange orb of fire drops down to be swallowed by the ocean.
The orb's spears of light slice through the water.
Down and deeper it cuts
This is the magnificent beauty of the sunset.
Everyone has one in there heart.
Can you find your sunset?
A priceless sight that the heart can conjure,
as the orb seeps below the horizon, to the signify the dawning of the new day.
The new day will bring new changes and people.......

Natalie Vail


Pictures courtesy of the Center for Whale Research














Psalm 104:25-26

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Psaltaren 104:25-26

25 Se ock havet, det stora och vida:
ett tallöst vimmel rör sig däri,
djur både stora och små.
26 Där gå skeppen sin väg fram,
Leviatan, som du har skapat att leka däri

Happy 4th of July !

Climbing Rose "4th of July"


We ought not to look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear-brought experience.
George Washington

Välkommen Irene !

It was lovley to meet Irene this week ! We went to Let it Rain Yarn, Village Yarn and Tea, Ben Franklin Crafts, and to a knit together at Mary's house. Lovely conversation, food, and a chance to see each others projects.




















Thank you Irene for the lovely skein of yarn that Barbro dyed, and thank you Barbro for the fun mug !




"I get by with a little
help from my friends."
- John Lennon





An especially hard week emotionally. Caring friends and family help how they can to salve the wounds. Why can life be so painful at times.......



Varför är du så bedrövad, min själ, och varför så orolig i mig ? Hoppas på Gud; ty jag skall åter få tacka honom, min frälsning och min Gud.

Why are you so downcast, O my soul ? Why are you disturbed within me ?
Put your hope in God , for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God. Psalm 44:23




David Austin rose " Graham Thomas" and Geranium "Ann Folkard"


"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles, to be sure but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."
- George Eliot

Time on Camano

A kind friend lent me use of their Camano Island cabin for four days. The cabin sits on a bluff looking west over the water towards Langley. No phone, no cell phone service, and no TV - lots of peace and quiet in a beautiful setting. Plenty of time to read, knit, and explore the island , unfortunately I forgot the camera. One evening as the half moon reflected on the water I lay on the sofa listening to the haunting soundtrack of the movie " The Straight Story " It is the most poignant, gentle, and thought provoking movie I have ever seen.

Lucent Evening

Watching silent ripples play,
And ebbing waves dance,
I sit by the placid sea,
Lost in mesmerized trance.
Soft dabs of colour,
On distant walls of horizon;
A thousand auric shades,
Painted by the setting sun.

Collage of unsung melodies,
Resonate across the evening sky;
A lone sail in deep sea,
With masts full open, passes by.

Mystic breezes carry in,
Fragrances from the past;
Forgotten memories come fleeting,
Even as time slips in haste.

I wish time stood still,
This moment it would spare;
But some things are not meant to be,
And life goes on, wonder where.

Written by Ritesh Nair




I worked on my Ullcentrum shawl and this "Appaloosa Hat".
I found the pattern on www.kidsknits.com (to make this Nordic they sell all Dale of Norway yarn !). I changed the pattern to try and match the colors of DC, my mini Appy. I was going to embroider his official name on there but " Storm of the Century " is too long ! I'm going to try and duplicate stitch his Leopard spots on to finish. When he was born he had alot of black on him but he has the "greying gene" which means he will eventually turn all white except for the large dark spots.





















Kids knits












Wild strawberries or Smultron came up thru the broken concrete patio






Sweet Mock Orange

Seven degrees of Nordic

I love the DPN holders. What a great idea !
Seven degrees of Nordic knitting hmmm.... I received this CPY Panda Wool as a gift because of a Mitered (Domino) Shawl I was knitting. The sock pattern came thru a Swedish website called

http://www.garnkorgen.se/

Gratis mönster på Internet ( free pattern on the Internet ) but is from Michigan !

http://stitchesofviolet.blogspot.com/2004/12/old-shale-two-yarn-sock-pattern.html













Miniatyrhästar Sammy och Poco















Clematis " Dr. Ruppel " winding thru the vine maple in the backyard.















"But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. "
Thomas Jefferson

A chilly day

Slow progress on my Ullcentrum shawl. Very simple pattern which is good for me with my mindset these days. Feels lovely.

Our yard looks best in the Spring and early Summer with the rhodies, roses, and others at their peak. After that everything peters out ! My friends make fun of me for choosing plants because of their names ie: "Anna", "Karin", etc.. How can someone with Swedish heritage NOT have this rose in their garden though !

"Lichtkönigin Lucia or Lucia, Queen of Light " 1966

See how the buds are tinted with orange like a candle flame then open to a beautiful yellow.







“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
Henri Matisse


Friend Cindy introduced me to Antique Roses when we first met 16 years ago. Yes, most of them only bloom once a season but what a show !
This one seems the color of French Vanilla ice cream, Ghislaine the color of peach ice cream.

Albéric Barbier 1900











Ghislaine de Feligonde 1916

















Anna and Morris foal "Seven"

Another Proud Mother Moment

I received an e-mail last week from one of the art teachers at Snohomish High School with great news.Ryan had entered three oil paintings in the district wide "Night of the Arts" festival. His Järvsö Church painting took first and his Växbo Kvarn Mallard painting took third. The superintendent wants to buy the church painting for $300 to be part of the permanent art collection of the school district ! It will be professionaly framed and have a plaque with his name etched on it. Ryan was so sweet, he told the teacher he couldn't agree to selling the picture until he talked to me. He knew how much I love that painting. It's hard for me to let any of his art go but this was too exciting. We'll have a digital image taken of it and put on canvas like paper.

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge ." Albert Einstein

Thank you Carol and Cathy !


From the museum in Härnösand.














This Sweet Briar Rose was said to be a favorite of Shakespeare. It's leaves smell sweetly of apples when brushed.