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Text of the page (random words):
i do and see but for now i m just making little notes and concentrating on revising poems that are already written submitting work that is ready to go out into the world and finishing up stories that never quite made it to the final draft and i m thinking about the christmas knitting i have planned the yarn is picked out bought and wound into lovely balls but i haven t decided which patterns i m using for my dad and brother yet i ve already started my mom s present but it requires concentration so progress is slow in the meantime i m about halfway through dennis second sock and i just finished the third teacup and saucer for the tea set i m knitting for emma and kate that leaves one more teacup and saucer the pattern only calls for two of each but then how would our whole family be able to enjoy the tea parties the teapot sugar bowl and creamer they re pretty quick to knit but since it s going to be a surprise i can only work on them when the girls aren t around and you can imagine how often not that happens i also joined the get felted knitalong and contest over at romancing the yarn and have been eyeing my stash to see what i can felt i have some lovely tweedy yarn i got last year to make fuzzy feet with so that s one project i m also hoping to make the felted mancala board that s been lurking at the bottom of my project list for months i ve been reading neruda s odes to common things which i got with part of my recent poetry prize and i m really enjoying it there is an economy and simplicity of words to these poems that belies the depth of their scope and insight other things i ve read lately include poetry international fence and a wonderful memoir i picked up in baker city oregon over the summer called i only dress the wounds notes of a country doctor by ted merrill it is one of the best books i ve ever read by turns funny profound heartbreaking disturbing and always life affirming sitting here in the quiet i m struck by how much i ve accomplished lately not big things not for the most part measurable things there s been no changing the world here or maybe there has i ve focused on my family even more recently trying to make sure the girls get my time and attention when they need it i think it shows emma is doing great in school and loves being a brownie girl scout kate adores preschool and gets more joy out of swimming lessons than ought to be allowed by law we ve been doing some family fun things reading together swimming at the pool taking walks doing art projects that is bringing us all closer together maybe our little corner of the world is better maybe that s enough 5 comments tuesday october 31 2006 happy halloween it s halloween it s halloween it s halloween the moon is full and bright and we shall see what can t be seen on any other night skeletons and ghosts and ghouls grinning goblins fighting duels werewolves rising from their tombs witches on their magic brooms in masks and gowns we haunt the street and knock on doors for trick or treat tonight we are the king and queen for oh tonight it s halloween jack prelutsky 5 comments wednesday october 25 2006 the adroitly placed word i m thrilled to announce that my poem taphonomy won john vick s adroitly placed word award many thanks to john for promoting poetry as a spoken form and for supporting poets with this prize if you haven t already checked out his site take a few minutes to read and listen to some of the fine poetry there 10 comments sunday october 22 2006 good things i ve noticed a surge of gratitude among bloggers i regularly read lately michaela gabriel had a blast at the vienna lit festival and is overflowing with creativity her happiness with life is contagious patry francis celebrated 25 years since meeting her husband by going back to the spot of their first date she often documents the details that give life texture and joy whether it s by collecting acorns to compare and describe or by drawing connections between the people she encounters and ourselves deborah ager finds pleasure in motherhood whether moving at full speed or stopping to cement a moment of family life she also treasures time alone even in the smallest increments and draws inspiration from the rhythm of life around her stephanie pearl mcphee the yarn harlot has shared the joy of her recent wedding as well as the deep sense of satisfaction that comes from hard work after finally completing her wedding shawl her labor of love demonstrates the sheer exhiliration of creating something with your own two hands i m thankful for clear autumn days that give me the chance to stock up on sunshine before the long oregon winter begins i m glad i took emma swimming today and shared what she called the most fun ever as well as the chance to snuggle with kate this morning when i invited her to crawl into bed with me after her early morning potty trip i have yarn and knitting needles and that always makes me happy i love it when the kids are in bed the dishes are washed the laundry is in the dryer and the day sloughs away so it s just me and dennis sitting down being together and yes i m ecstatic about writing i m almost finished with my 7th round of 30 poems in 30 days and it feels great i have a poem up in the new issue of the pedestal magazine and i couldn t be more thrilled because it s one of my personal favorites i hope you ll read it if you get a chance those are just a few of the things i m thankful for what about you 5 comments tuesday october 17 2006 sock update sock progress has been slow but is starting to pick up my mom was here visiting last week and i barely touched the needles the whole time the weekend saw some good knit time in front of the tv though one of our local stores has dvds on sale and we got the first 4 seasons of buffy the vampire slayer for 16 99 each it s perfect for knitting plus if i use wood needles i have a stake at the ready just in case i stayed up way too late last night finishing up the first of my husband s socks i was terrified while knitting that the foot was way too huge but it fits him just right and i m happy to report that blue moon was able to supply me with another skein of blue brick wall so he ll actually have a pair if i ever get the second one knit i also started a pair of socks for myself with socks that rock in siren song i had originally planned to try toe up with this yarn but wasn t happy with the results so i ripped it out and started over now i m using the baby cable rib pattern from sensational knitted socks and i m really pleased with it finally in other sockish news i received my prize from romancing the yarn s sock hop contest yesterday this is sock by lisa souza in the earth birth colorway and it is gorgeous i am totally loving the colors in this yarn i m contemplating the best pattern to use for it simple stockinette ribbing lace i d love to hear suggestions from other knitters in the meantime sock on 9 comments tuesday october 10 2006 poem autumnal exposé it s colder this morning than it has been the moon sliding like ice high in the sky and the breeze catching at my exposed ankles with the nip nip nip of tiny kittens too weak to harm too curious to stop chasing the leaves that have fallen it s cold enough to hint whispers into the air with every breath but like the neighbor s secrets they turn to vapor in the sunlight and float away unspoken 5 comments saturday october 07 2006 story bella the cat bella the cat likes to sleep in summer she curls into the cool embrace of the sink in the guest bathroom since orit hardly ever has company bella can remain undisturbed in the basin for hours until the sun goes down and the house starts to shed its heat then she comes forth slowly stretching her limbs to shake out the drowsies before walking to the bowl of food beneath the kitchen table bella never runs no matter how hungry she is routines change in the fall when sunlight slants farther into the house through the front window bella abandons her reclusive summer retreat for the sun warmed wood floor of the front entry she likes to extend a lazy paw toward the hem of orit s skirt each morning pretending to delay her they both know it s a game orit stamps her foot and exclaims in surprise anyway sometimes she even drops her books and kneels next to bella proffering coos and cheek rubs in contrition for leaving bella doesn t mind when the days turn colder except for thursday afternoons when orit does her grocery shopping the wind bites at her every time orit opens the door to bring in another bag so bella scampers away to the warm spot on the desk behind the computer departmental parties are bella s favorite part of winter though it takes her a while to get used to the noise and smell of strangers drifting through the house most of orit s students like cats bella makes sure to change the minds of those who don t when orit brings geoffrey home for winter break bella sniffs the corners of his suitcase and licks the green residue from his toothbrush he always pets bella when he visits with long smooth strokes from the top of her head to the tip of her tail but those are usually short visits on weekend mornings while orit is getting her coat or in the evening while he waits for orit to serve dinner at the formal dining table geoffrey s never stayed so long before when the trees begin to bud bella spends hours motionless on the back of the armchair crouched low as she watches every returning bird that flits into the backyard a cracking sound emanates from her throat and her tail twitches with the coiled energy of her leonine ancestry later orit scolds her away from the long white web that dangles in the closet but not before bella has examined the large tennis shoes and oxfords that now rest beside orit s high heels and pumps they smell of strangers human and feline spring cleaning chases bella from room to room her feet leaving a trail of small circles across newly vacuumed carpet geoffrey carries box after box into the house slipping cat treats from his pocket to her as he comes and goes he tells her about falling in love lets her lick the stranger s odor from his hands and repeats the name kasparov bella loves to snuggle into her warm bed after orit pulls it from the dryer now there are two beds instead of one bella the cat likes to sleep it s harder this summer with so many little ones stumbling underfoot always scratching for a teat she looks wistfully at the empty sink above her before grabbing the last kitten by the scruff of the neck she carries it to join the others in a squirmy insistent mass while kasparov patrols the hall sometimes stopping in the doorway to scent his family bella watches him pass his arrogant tail high in the air his footsteps softly annoying in their free wandering then she jumps into the bathtub with a grunt shoves her wriggling children aside and stretches out for a long cool nap 2 comments tuesday october 03 2006 squish breast jpg originally uploaded by plip1 october isn t just for socks it s also national breast cancer awareness month i just had my first mammogram have you had yours 3 comments monday october 02 2006 socktober october is here and it s all about the socks lolly is hosting socktoberfest a monthlong celebration of socks there are no requirements or rules just a chance to get together talk about knitting socks encourage others in their sock projects and share photos of socks in all stages of progress over at romancing the yarn it s not too late to join in the sock hop and knit a pair for yourself or maybe that cold footed fella in your life check in daily for updates tips and photos of men desperate for a good pair of handknit socks those who signed up before october 1 were entered in the sock hop contest and i was excited to find out yesterday that i m one of the winners i ll post a picture of my prize when it arrives this month i hope to finish the pair of socks i ve been working on for dennis i m now on the fourth attempt because i can t for the life of me seem to get the size right i m using socks that rock in the blue brick colorway and working a 2x2 rib down to the heel for myself i d like to try knitting a pair toe up i have a smallish skein of socks that rock siren song and it would be hard to know how long to make the leg if i started from the cuff down i also have extremely wide feet and i suspect that going toe up would allow me to create a better fit then of course there s the lorna s laces in lorikeet that i ve promised for emma the socks that rock in celestine that i just got at the oregon flock fiber festival a week ago along with the cedar creek socks pattern and a whole ton of sock yarns just waiting to be used and let s not forget my prize from the sock hop contest i ll probably cast it on as soon as it arrives yep it looks like it s going to be a great month for socks here s to socktober 4 comments tuesday september 26 2006 be your own picasso feeling creative mr picasso head lets you play artist with a blank canvas vivid colors and picasso forms check out mine and make your own 5 comments monday september 25 2006 emma news today is the final day of emma s fundraiser for school so far she s done pretty good even though my mom one of her aunts and dennis and i are the only ones who ve bought anything we bought a lot this fundraiser is specifically to help the school purchase new computers and software today is also emma s first day of girl scouts and she couldn t be more excited even though i was never a girl scout way too shy i m delighted that emma is interested in it i think it s going to be great for her 5 comments tuesday september 19 2006 school update and fundraiser emma is really having a great time in second grade we saw the principal at the back to school picnic and she remarked on how great emma is doing so far we just found out last week that emma s class is having a student teacher this year she ll be in the classroom helping the regular teacher for three days a week this fall and then next spring she ll take over teaching full time under supervision of the regular teacher i m delighted since this basically means that emma s class has two teachers last friday emma also came home with a fundraising packet school has barely started and already they re putting the kids to work raising money of course these days the onus falls on the parents because the kids aren t supposed to go door to door to sell stuff to strangers feel free to click the link above and take a look at what they re offering the money goes directly to emma s school and this year they re using it to buy computers and other technology thanks 5 comments sunday september 17 2006 the fruit loop yesterday we drove up to hood river and took the fruit loop which is a scenic 35 mile drive through orchards forests and farmlands there were stunning views of mt hood lush rolling hills covered with apple and pear orchards fields of lavender and curious alpacas there are 31 farms with fruits stands country s...