Posts

My First Tattoo

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Over the years, I've pondered getting a tattoo. As it became a trend, it became less of a draw. Until recently. The Humane Society of Genesee County has collaborated with Millennial Ink for a fundraiser. I considered doing it last year, because I'm an advocate for animal welfare. I finally participated this year. I had made a decision of the available designs, and then realized that it was a lot larger than I anticipated. So I went with this design. I haven't shared it with many people. About every other day, I think, "why, why, why?" So far I shared it with my nephew who has several tattoos that have deep meaning for him, my best friend who thought it looked phallic, and a classmate who was surprised that my first ink wasn't dedicated to my late husband. Too late now, what's done is done. It actually looks pretty good, didn't hurt much, and seems to be healing just fine. So maybe I will be getting those 3D monarch butterflies to honor my mother

It's Been Awhile

It's been so long since I posted that I don't remember html anymore. The world has changed so much, and blogs seem antiquated. I'm not on TikTok, barely on Instagram, and continue to be a regular on Facebook. It must be my age. The kids keep moving onto other trends, but I decided to return to a place where I can leisurely express myself.

Happy Birthday, Vanessa!

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This blog has been on hiatus, but when I got the word that a surprise birthday party was in the works for Vanessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twist , I had to participate! Vanessa has got to be one of the most imaginative and kind bloggers I've encountered. She is generous to a fault. The world needs more people like her. I've not managed to acquire one of her adorable elfin babies, however, I have in my possession, this wonderful print: It's really coming in handy as Winter holds Michigan in its frozen grasp. Lovely summer memories of the fireflies swirling outside my deck. Enjoy your special day, Vanessa. You brighten my world!

Finally -- A Finished Object

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A lot of thoughts have been swirling about in my mind for several weeks now, but nothing has felt urgent enough to share with the world. Knitting has been on the backburner for awhile, however, a few weeks ago I completed a prayer shawl I made for my cousin Nancy. She's starting her last round of chemo next week, and hopefully it's the magic cocktail that will boot lung cancer out of her life for good. I love the idea of prayer shawls, but I have a hard time with the execution. It's not totally mindless knitting, but my mind tends to wander when I'm following such a simple pattern. I realize that each stitch is infused with prayer and meaning. Unlike some of my other dilettantish behavior, it was important for me to finish the shawl and send it to her. I really wanted the warmth and love to envelope her. When I started it over the Christmas break (yes, it was that long ago), I chose the Wildflowers colorway of KnitPicks' Suri Dream . Hope, Spring, New Life! I felt

Think Globally, Act Locally (and Globally)

One World-One Heart still resonates with me. I subscribe to the weekly Knitter's Review newsletter. This week Clara Parkes mentioned a donation drive, for the survivors of the bushfires in Victoria, Australia. It's inspiring to see how fast people respond to the needs of others. In addition to the good feeling of helping another person out, your receipt for your donation is also your raffle ticket for some neat knitting-related gifts. The local angle for me is that no matter how down and out one can be, generosity pours forth from people. Last weekend a fire swept through an apartment complex in Fenton, Michigan. Fenton is a suburb of Flint. The trials and tribulations of General Motors continue to afflict the people of this area, because its been the biggest employer for over 70 years. Generations of people have worked for GM, and the local job loss is astounding. Despite the devastation in peoples' employment and income, the swift response to this fire and its survi

I've Picked the Winner!

Thank goodness for random number generators and Lisa's suggestion to use one. I did make the mistake of printing out all the comments and almost ran out of ink. Whew! That was a close one. I'm happy to report that I was able to reach Jody , and her package will be winging its way to her shortly. What a delightful event this was, and it will continue on for me. I still have many OWOH blogs to visit and revisit. Hugs to my new friends, and especially to Lisa for starting it all.

It's Official!

One World - One Heart is officially over (at least in the Eastern Standard Time zone). What a touching experience, and rather overwhelming, too. I'll be doing the drawing later today. More later!