Hope...

I planned on a 45 minute walk today, but when the British guy on my phone said “Foity fiiive minutes thuty seconds,” I wanted to keep going.  I wanted to continue to enjoy the 65-degree air.  I wanted to keep experiencing the feeling I had deep within me.  Hope. 

The overnight temperature started it all. With windows open, the din of the air conditioning unit was replaced with a chorus of crickets.   A sunny, brisk morning followed.  As soon as I stepped out of the door for my daily walk, I felt like I could breathe again, taking in a fresh, cool breeze, rather than being struck by a wall of heavy, hot air.     

The first thing I noticed today was the new drop-off for the church pre-school across the street.  Balloons marked the entrance to welcome children back to something that represents school for now.  Today is also the first day of virtual learning in our school district.  I loved the first days of the school year.  New Weejuns loafers, new uniforms, new books, new teachers, new fall TV shows like, The Monkees, and of course a new start. The first days of school brought hope.  Even though it’s not what we all want today, the semblance of school and the dedication of the teachers brings hope to me.  I wish that for the students too

There was a good showing of strollers this morning around the neighborhood.  Babies and little ones are the epitome of hope.  They are too young to have specific memories of this trying time, but their parents will tell them. They will pass on what they learned about love, dedication, and resiliency. 

My neighbors have a gigantic Biden sign on their fence.  When I look at it from my driveway, I see the sign, their fence, then gigantic sunflowers peeking over from their neighbor’s yard.  The blooms are enormous-the size of dinner plates.  Somehow seeing the political sign with the glorious flowers behind it made me think of better times ahead.   Republican John Kasich spoke at the Democratic National Convention.  Just that gave me hope that both sides will see the importance of working together to solve some of the most daunting issues of our lifetimes.  I know I’m a dreamer, but I’m allowed to hope.

At noon today, I will cheer on the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Yes, watching hockey has given me hope.  Sounds silly.  I’m not even a huge hockey fan.  But seeing successful Bubble Basketball, Bubble Hockey, and F1 Racing, allows me to look forward.  Seeing sports has added back a welcome touch of normalcy in our household. It’s also added hope.  It’s not just that I’m finally sitting in my living room watching the Blue Jackets rather than competition shows on Netflix, but that these organizations pulled something off that most people doubted could happen.  I think there must be lessons learned here.  Can we replicate any of these strategies in safely returning us to normal?

I hope I can attend a Jackets game next year.  I hope I can feel comfortable having coffee or dinner with friends.  I hope I can soon safely travel to see my family.  Those things still feel impossible for me right now, and it gets me down.  But on days like today when I feel full of hope, I’m thankful.

I wrote this about a week ago, but was reluctant to post it.  Somehow it felt too personal, maybe even too positive.  While I find hope in the first day of school, I’m aware of the hardships many Americans are facing.  I understand how difficult the new school year must be for countless students, families, and teachers.  I shared and posted my feelings so it might encourage someone else to look for hope.

In just a short week, much has changed for me. A family medical emergency (14 hours away by car) made me worry about when I’ll be able to safely travel.  The Jackets lost. It’s miserably hot again.  So while things aren’t so rosy, and my walk today was just awful, I know there will be another day just like last Wednesday soon!

 

Throwback crochet...

While I've crocheted for years, I just recently decided to try doilies.  I don't think they're one of the hottest decorating must-haves, but I have found vintage patterns that can work in my retro ranch.  I used to think doilies were too intricate and complicated to crochet.  Many patterns are beyond my skill level, but there are plenty of easy ones too. Crocheting a doily can be a long-term project with lots of repetition, which appeals to me.  I find them very satisfying to complete.

My love of crocheting began when I watched my mother crochet tiny clothes for my short-haired brunette Barbie Doll. It was like magic.  She sat down with some thread, and hours later, I had a new dress for my doll.  My favorite outfit was a slinky variegated green evening gown.

When I had my daughter, Emma, I bought her a Barbie.  I also bought a wonderful book, Crochet for Barbie Doll by Nicky Epstein. The book had 75 cool outfits to crochet for my daughter’s new doll.  As a youngster, I was obsessed with my Barbies.  I spent days and days with Virginia Novak setting up elaborate houses and surrounds for our dolls.  Then we played with them for what seemed like weeks at a time. Those fond memories made me eager to get started on the new clothes for Emma's doll.

As children will throw surprises at you occasionally, my daughter delivered a big one. Emma had no interest in dolls. Stuffed animals like, Fat Cat, Tutter, and Miss Kitty ruled in our household.  She enjoyed looking at the Barbie pattern book, but that’s as far as it went.  I never made clothes for her Barbie.

All was fine, though.  Better than fine, actually. At an early age, Emma thought I could make ANYTHING. I was enlisted to fashion interesting, sometimes unconventional Halloween costumes for her, make clothes and furniture for her stuffed animals, and help with any of her elaborate projects du jour.  I so loved our collaborations.  I continued to crochet...just not Barbie clothes.

My most recent crochet project was a doily for my friend Vicky.  I found a huge box of vintage crochet thread at a garage sale.  The colors were beautiful. The photo shows only about half of my haul. 

For Vicky's doily, I chose a throwback pattern with flowers that reminded me of sunflowers.  The yellow crochet cotton I used looked warm and went well with the pattern. 

Pattern info: Filet Runner by Darma Bregoli in Magic Crochet Magazine, April, 1985.

There are great websites these days to find vintage and throwback patterns for doilies, potholders, doll clothes and more.  My favorite is Ravelry.com. 

While I was mostly self-taught with some help from my Mom and a little old Italian lady, the resources on the web today are amazing.  I find oodles of inspiration and sites to teach me new stitches and techniques.  If you have never tried crochet, now is a great time to start.

 

Green onions...

Today is one of those days.  I’m not very motivated.  I’ve tried to paint, but haven’t liked anything I’ve done.  Being at home so much is difficult.  For me it manifests in milling about aimlessly and bored even though there are literally 100 things I could be doing.

I usually brighten though when I go outside to check on my plants. When I was a twenty-something, I was amused by my neighbors who methodically looked over their yard each morning. One or both of them came outside toting a cup of coffee. They stopped to admire each bed. I didn't understand their behavior because I hadn't yet discovered my love of gardening. Now, I too survey my yard daily. I take my coffee sometimes. And younger neighbors probably think I'm strange. I love being outside and find peace and satisfaction in yard work.

I’ve failed at a vegetable garden in the past, so I stick to container edibles and flowers throughout the yard.  Some would think that examining my plants each day is like watching paint dry, but there are exciting changes daily! 

A few weeks ago, I looked at my dill plants.  They had tiny caterpillars all over them.  The next day, the caterpillars had chomped so much of my dill, they had practically doubled in size!  Sadly, a few days after that the “Catch of the Day” for the neighborhood Cardinals was plump caterpillar.

Today, I checked on my green onions.  I am so happy with my green onions.  I grew them from scraps!  The satisfaction of eating a fresh green onion knowing that I grew it myself for free,  just makes my day.

I have no idea why it has taken so long for me to learn that you can grow all kinds of veggies from kitchen scraps. Thank goodness for the internet.  The simple idea popped up on one of my searches. I had to try it.  Here's how:

You save about a quarter of an inch of the bottom of the onion.  You plant it in some good potting soil, and keep it watered.  Magically, in a few days, you’ll see a new onion sprouting out of the middle of the tiny bit you planted!  You need to plant the roots, and leave a little of the white part above the dirt.  This is one of the paintings I didn’t like today, but it shows about how much onion you need. 

This has been rewarding for me.  The leek scrap I planted recently has new growth on it! You can also plant in water.  If you want to give it a go, here are a few sites with details: 

http://www.eatingwell.com/article/290729/how-to-grow-fruits-vegetables-from-food-scraps/

https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/gardening/outdoor/scrap-gardening