Ten on Tuesday: Mood Lifters

This week's Ten on Tuesday is all about lightening your mood...

 1. Buy yourself a nice bouquet of flowers.

2. Get a little love from the cat. Even if she won't let you pick her up and give her a squeeze, she loves you.

3. Have some comfort food. One of my favorites is a nice bowl of Cream of Wheat, because my grandmother used to make it for us.

4. Enjoy a sunset by the water.

5. Watch a favorite movie. I like Meet Me in St. Louis, even when it's not Christmas time.

6. Listen to some good music that makes you smile. For me, that's The Weepies.

7. Rest. Don't climb into bed and never leave, just close your eyes for a little while. When I was sick I learned how to rest, and it's served me well. Our bodies and spirits need it, especially when we're overwhelmed or blue.

8. Look up.

9. Have a knitting-in-your-pajamas day.

10. Celebrate yourself. Don't ever forget to do that. ♥

Ten on Tuesday: College

Ten Things I'd Like to Have Known When I Started College

I went off to Moore College of Art in Philadelphia in September of 1972. Thirty-eight years ago. When I think of it that way, it feels like a long, long time ago! Looking back, I'd like to have known...

1. ... that homesickness was temporary. I wasn't sure I could make it to Thanksgiving.
2. ... that I could have brought more stuff with me. I had two cardboard boxes, a suitcase, and my quilt.
3. ... that I wasn't going to be the only person who felt like a fish out of water.
4. ... that studying art all the time was not the same as being one of the good students in Mr. Motovich's art class in high school.
5. ... that I could have switched majors and it wouldn't have been a crisis. To this day, I think a Textile degree would suit me better than an Art Ed degree.
6. ... that I was strong, stronger than I gave myself credit for.
7. ... that I really was creative and artistic, and that I could believe in that.
8. ... that I was attending a women's art school in a time near the beginning of the women's movement, and that I would be taught by many amazing women artists. I would have asked a lot more questions, and paid a lot closer attention.
9. ... that you can never have too many art supplies. Just as in knitting, the right tools are everything. And I would have liked to own a set of Dr. Ph Martin's Concentrated Watercolors.
10. ... that I would be assigned a roommate who would become my best friend, and I mean best friend forever. I would have been more myself, sooner (who knows, that could have backfired on me). By now, thirty-eight years later, Judy and I know each other well enough, I think.

Fiddling

It's in the air. I can feel it — summer is winding down. In just a few weeks it will be over. Are you sad? I'm not, much.

Because my job is so stressful during the summer, I always try to make a survival plan, but I rarely manage to carry it out. This year, though, I think it's working. I've been putting my feet up, getting plenty of sleep, and eating healthy summery foods. I've tried to keep my work hours on the normal side, and I take frequent breaks (even if I do still grab lunch while I'm working at my desk).

And, boy, have I been knitting! I don't knit every day; sometimes I come home, vegetate, and go to sleep just after dark. Sometimes I knit the evening away, and before I know it, it's past time to go to sleep. I have interesting projects going on, and lots of ideas, so knitting has kept me entertained all season.

After a few false starts and lots of grumbling, I settled on a pattern for my KBOW Woolalong project for this month. The August fiber is Shetland, so I ordered some DK Organic Shetland from Garthenor. I was a little impulsive about my choice, so I had a hard time finding a project that suited the yarn — I'll admit it, I was really cranky for a while on Thursday — but in the end I decided on Nora Gaughan's Here and There Scarf from Scarf Style (please excuse the cloudy day photo). So far, so good!

I also started a Stepping Stones Scarf in the same yarn I used for Herbivore. The leftover yarn was just sitting there, so what else was I supposed to do? I've been wanting to make another one of these for a long time, too. It will make a nice birthday/Christmas present for a friend.

I upgraded my blog's design this morning (you know, just because I thought it would be fun to spend a few hours tweaking CSS colors and bits of HTML code). I like it, but of course I'll find more to fiddle with. 

To make myself step away from the computer when I'd finished (but was still waffling on a few unimportant issues), I went into the kitchen and fiddled with a blueberry drop biscuit recipe. They turned out well. Baking with blueberries seems to be another part of my summer survival plan!

Ten on Tuesday: Bacon?

Ten Reasons to Love Bacon

1. It's salty.
2. It's crispy (at least that's the way I like it).
3. Bacon goes with eggs, and I love eggs.
4. It smells soooo good when it's cooking.
5. BLT's aren't possible without it.
6. Neither is Cobb salad.
7. They serve it at the Eveready Diner in Hyde Park, on the way to Rhinebeck.
8. If I'm going to eat meat, I may as well enjoy some bacon.
9. Since I don't eat bacon very often, when I do, it's a special occasion.
10. Where would this Ten on Tuesday be without bacon?

Ten on Tuesday: Road trip!

This week's Ten on Tuesday topic is "Ten Things to Take on Vacation." Vacation? I've almost forgotten what one is! No, not really, but my time off never happens at a "traditional" time of year, like Summer or Thanksgiving or Christmas. That's when I'm busiest at the bookstore. So I take my days when I can grab a few, usually in the Fall or early Spring. 

I love a good road trip. What do I pack?

1. Knitting. An easy-peasy project, plus one that requires a little more attention. And maybe one more, just in case.
2. My iPod and iPhone. There are always a few audiobooks on mine, along with my music.
3. A book to read, not just listen to. And a book of crossword puzzles to help me fall asleep at night.
4. The basics, like my toothbrush and toothpaste, and enough underwear.
5. My own pillow, if possible. If I'm staying in a hotel, the pillows are not always comfy enough.
6. My laptop. I like being connected. I just do.
7. My camera, along with the cord that connects it to the laptop, and a spare battery. I don't want to miss anything.
8. The GPS that Judy gave me for Christmas after I got lost in The Bronx on the way home from the KR Retreat last year. It's as much for her peace as it is for my peace of mind, since a panicked call to her office that ends up with a coworker giving me turn-by-turn directions to find my way out of there should happen only once.
9. Warm socks and gloves and an extra sweater. If I'm driving, what's an extra tote bag or two? I want to be warm enough. And if I get lost in The Bronx again, I won't freeze.
10. A little bag of trail mix, apples, crackers, and stuff like that. And water. See rationale behind #9, above. You just never know. 

All grown up

This is a picture of five of my many nieces, taken in July 1991. I found it stashed in a drawer, and it's been making me smile. 

They're all grown up now, in their twenties, and out in the wide world. One even has a family of her own. They're remarkable women, and when I look at this picture I see it in their little-girl faces. I'm proud to be their auntie!

I blocked Herbivore this morning — it's been perfect blocking weather, comfortable and breezy — and it dried in no time.

I think I'll wear this scarf a lot this winter.

The rest of my Sunday off was spent enjoying the weather, knitting on a little baby hat for a friend, and relaxing. The August People have arrived, and it's nothing but full-on intensity at the bookstore from now until Labor Day. I can handle it as long as I have lots of simple knitting at my fingertips. I'm thinking about a Ruffled Baktus...

... Or Hawthorne, from the new issue of Twist, but it might be a bit complicated for this time of year. Plus, I was sure I had the yarn called for in my stash, but I must have been dreaming. Oh well.

Wishing you a week of perfect weather and knitting that never frustrates!