Banished!

I like to knit.  I have knitted since I was a young girl.  I finished my first real project, though, when I completed an afghan, which I still have. I was in high school. The afghan was small squares sewn together. It is very warm, but mostly it stays in a trunk.  I am not sure why. I should use it.

I have knitted a lot of other things over the years: mittens, ponchos, scarves, funnels, sweaters, afghans, baby blankets, baby ensembles, mittens, boots, hats, dog sweaters, bathroom ensembles and I am not sure what else.

When I worked at Catholic Family Service in Lubbock, so many years ago, the director and I were talking about my habit of either taking copious notes at staff meetings, or doodling. I told her it helped me to concentrate if my hands were busy, and at home, watching TV or listening to music, I often knitted. She invited me to bring my knitting to staff meetings, if it would help, understanding that the brain could still concentrate, and even concentrate better, if the hands were busy.

That stared me taking my knitting to conferences, seminars and workshops.  I know it disconcerts some speakers. One speaker even made a comment about it during the presentation. I usually try to tell speakers I am not trying to be disrespectful, but it helps me to focus. They seem to understand. I still do that.

There was a time in my life when I stopped knitting:  knitting hurt my shoulders and cramped my hands.  I missed knitting.  I got some "hand aid" gloves http://www.amazon.com/Thergonomic-Hand-Aids-Support-Gloves-Extra/dp/B000B836NO more than 20 years ago, and started knitting again. (I still have these gloves, and wear them when I am doing marathon knitting.) I also realized that I had to drop and relax my shoulders when I knitted. I was in business again.

Now I have three cats.  The oldest cat, Sake, never was interested in my knitting, really.  She might grab at the yarn, but was easily dissuaded that it was not a toy.  The middle cat, Haiku, likes the moving yarn, but can be directed away from the yarn.

The youngest cat, Taki, is barely educable, and knitting is not one of the things I have been able to educate her about. I miss knitting. I have several projects started, and only work on them when I can be comfortably outside, or at a workshop, park event, or away from the house.  I have tried putting the youngest cat in time out, but the lesson lasts for a week or so, and then we are back to struggling about whose yarn is this.  I hate to keep putting her in time out.

Some time ago, I decided I could close myself in the computer room, while I was watching TV or listening to music, and knit. I never implemented the plan until tonight.  I did not close the door to the computer room all the way. Eventually Taki and Haiku made their way into the room. Haiku wanted to play with the yarn, but was dissuaded easily.  Taki was not.  I told her several times a loud and ferocious "No."  She did not seem to understand.  I told her I would banish her from the computer room if she interfered with the knitting. Of course, I did not expect her to understand. Every time she came at the yarn, I re-directed. This occurred over 40 minutes or so.  By the end of this time, she did not still "get it" but she was less insistent on attacking and playing with the yarn.

The Thanksgiving weekend is a great time for me to work on knitting projects:  I like to watch the Macy's Parade, the Lady Raiders play a basketball tournament of two or three games that I can listen to on the radio, and who knows what else is going to happen. 

I am going to use my new knitting strategy:  Banishment from the computer room, unless the kitty can behave.

My Most Important Credit Card

I am probably like many of you and have more than one credit card.  I have one that I use the most, and reap the rewards from usage.  I have one that I use when my primary card is not accepted.

I was at the library Saturday morning, fishing for my library card, and I realized that that is my most important "credit card."  Think about it. A library card opens the world to us. It gives us the opportunity to travel in time and space. To meet new people, and revisit old friends.  It gives us the chance to learn all sorts of things. It offers westerns, war stories, romances, mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy, to name a few genre.  The Lubbock libraries used to have art work to check out (I do not know if they still do or not.) The Lubbock library has computers for public use and wi-fi is available for your own device. You can get ebooks from the library. You can get sound recordings, books on tape or CD.  You can get videos and DVDs. If the Lubbock library system does not have a book, it can generally be found through the inter-library loan system. Until just recently, this was a free service.  But, at $2.75, it is a bargain.

Do you have a credit card that provides you as much as my library card provides me?

Saturday, I was looking for a specific book, and could not find it at the Godeke Branch of the library.  Tonight, I went to the Mahon branch, and immediately found the book for which I was looking. When I tried to check out, I could not find my library card.  That was very disconcerting to me.  It was like losing a real credit card.  The librarian said they could check out the book using my driver's license.  She was training someone, so while they were doing that, I continued to look, and sure enough, the library card was misplaced in my wallet. That was a relief.

But, the librarian also said that if I could not find my library card, they could cancel it and re-issue a new account.  Just what a credit card company would do, if I lost my credit card (with a new account number, same as the library.)

Yes, indeed.  My library card is my most important credit card.



 

Passion

I used to be passionate about things in my life.  Certainly, when my relationships started with my ex-husbands.  But other interests, too:  NASCAR racing; birdwatching; my dog Mack; even my job as a correctional social worker; Lady Raider basketball; rhyme and meter poetry.

I still have lots of interests: brass bands; reading; knitting; Lady Raider basketball; Yankee baseball; Red Sox baseball; Texas Tech football; NASCAR; birdwatching; kayaking.

But I do not seem to have passions anymore. I am not sure why. Nothing stirs me for more than a few minutes.  Many things stir me: patriotic music; sports; books; work; my cats.  But the passion is gone.  Is there something wrong with me? 

It Is Raining!

When I went to a meeting tonight, there were some distant clouds, but nothing well developed locally. When I left the meeting  at about 7:30 PM, there were thick, well developed storm clouds over the north of the city, and fair but cloudy skies to the south. I was hoping for rain.

I checked The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/ about 8:45 PM and it showed showers over all of Lubbock. It must have been virga, because there was nothing on the ground, at least at my house.

I have been working on the computer, and checking the outside weather.  No rain, until this last check about 10:10 PM, probably 45 minutes after the last check.  The wind is up. I can see the lightning through the north facing window behind the computer.  The thunder is distant and rumbling low.

I am just grateful for the rain.

There are so many things for which I am grateful:  I have caring family. I have a job I like and at which I am fairly proficient.  I realize I like the members of the board of directors of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock, the meeting I attended tonight.  I am proud to be on the board of the agency, which was the reason I moved to Lubbock in 1977.  I have caring friends. I have caring co-workers. I have the company of wonderful cats. I have developed contacts for  a couple of book clubs. I love to read. I have other hobbies: kayaking, knitting, cross-stitching.

There is so much good in my life.  And rain tops it off!

Better Reading

On Facebook, a friend posted a list of 100 classic books, to see how many we had read.  I could mark 22 for sure.  Some of the titles were so familiar, I was sure I had read them.  But I was trying to be honest with my self.

I had decided a while back to try to vary my reading and get some non-fiction books.  I read one non-fiction book since then.  I have 5 mysteries sitting in the house now, 4 by one author.  I like to read series in order.

I think I want to work on more classics, too. Even if I read one this summer, one is better than none.

Enthusiams Abounds

I went to a meeting of the Llano Estacado Audubon Society http://www.llanoestacadoaudubon.org/ tonight. I credit my friend, Dixie, for my presence.  Although I am a member, and receive the newsletter, I generally forget to mark the meeting on my calendar, so forget to attend the meetings.  Dixie sent out a reminder this week. Yeah! Dixie! The topics were the Great Backyard Bird Count http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ and Ebird http://ebird.org/content/ebird/.  Steve Collins, who presented about Ebird is a regional reviewer.

Ebird has been set up in conjunction with several professional/academic organizations to collect birdwatching information from the beginner to the most experienced. The data inputted is used by scientists. It is a way to manage your personal birdwatching list, share birdwatching information, find rare birds in your area, find birding hot spots, share birding hot spots and so much more.

Steve did a wonderful presentation about the many features about Ebird, including how unusual sitings are verified or invalidated.  Steve was obviously very excited and interested in Ebird, but was not so ego invested that he could not accept information and input from others. He was genial and open to the group. It was a great presentation, limited only by time.  His enthusiasm really did abound!