Twenty Things Meme

I did finish the String Theory socks yesterday and the weather report for this weekend is good so i hope to have pictures for next week. Not only that but I'm down to the last sleeve on the Baby Ferris. By this weeked that could be finished as well and they could both be on their way to their respective new homes in NY. I rewarded myself for finishing the Nutkins by casting on a new pair of socks in some lovely Claudia Hand Paint in Caribbean Blue. I don't have a specific pattern in mind, I'm just starting with a toe and seeing where it takes me.

I've seen this meme around a few places this week. I think Carole did it first but I've seen it on a bunch of other blogs too.

1. Explain what ended your last relationship?
Who can remember? I’ve been married for nearly 16 years and we were together even before that.
2. When was the last time you shaved?
Last Saturday. It really needed to be done.
3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.
On my way to work
4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Reading the news
5. Some things you are excited about?
An upcoming trip. MDS&W and all the great fairs and festivals coming up. Starting my garden plans.
6. What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?
None! I’ve never liked the stuff.
7. Your prom night, what do you remember about it?
My pretty mint green dress. Missing the boyfriend I started dating a week or so earlier – who was not my date.
8. Do you have any famous ancestors?
Not really.
9. Last thing received in the mail?
A letter from my sister. She loves snail mail.
10. How many different beverages have you had today?
Just one – a cup of tea.
11. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?
Occasionally. I kind of hate them and I’m most likely to hang up and wait to get an actual person on the phone. Just bein’ honest.
12. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Not really. I take pictures. I soak up the rays. I read books. I knit.
13. Any plans for Friday night?
I can’t recall. How sad is that?
14. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
No. I’m not a huge fan of being in the ocean in general. The salt feels icky and the sand goes in places I’d rather it didn’t. I do like to look at the ocean though.
15. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
Never!
16. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
Yes. I don’t need to add any more to the mountain of laundry to be done. Besides, I’m clean when I get out of the shower so why not.
17. Describe your keychain(s)?
Aside from my keys, I just have a medallion from the 2005 Rose Parade and it all hangs on a strap embroidered with DQ’s school name. Go Rams!
18. Where do you keep your change?
A little bit is in my wallet but most of it is on the bottom of my handbag. There’s a lot of it there.
19. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
The last time that I couldn’t avoid it. I hate public speaking so I’ve blocked it out of my mind.
20. What kind of winter coat do you own?
I have a few but I don’t love any of them. The one I wear most is a black Eddie Bauer parka-like thing. I’ll need to address that before it gets cold again.

That's it.

Thank Carole

I really had nothing for today but a pile of randomness and a bit of a political rant. Lucky for you that I read Carole's blog before posting. Instead of whining about the election and related issues, I've got a little sock meme. I think it's way better - don't you?



This mosaic only shows a few socks that seemed notable to me - my first, my most recent, my first from my handspun, a favorite. If you want to see all of the socks I've made you can click this link() for a slideshow. I hope that you do click on it because I wasted a lot of time putting it together.

When did you first learn to knit socks?
I started in January 2006 – the same time I started my blog.

What’s the first sock you ever knit?
It was the Jaywalker in Socks That Rock. It’s pretty clear where the inspiration for my first foray into socks came from.

Favorite Sock Pattern?
There are so many patterns out there and I’ve really enjoyed a lot of them but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Here There Be Dragons. That’s one of the few that I’ve knit more than once.

Favorite needle method?
I started with dpns and quickly graduated to 2 circs but my favorite method by far is Magic Loop. It’s much easier to manage and I don’t worry about losing needles which is important for a travel project.

Favorite sock needles?
KP 1’s or 2’s in a 24in circ.

Who do you knit socks for?
Anyone who will properly appreciate them. Most often I make them for my girls but a few close relatives have scored some too. Even Bruce has scored 2 pairs which is saying a lot since his feet are gi-normous. Making socks for him requires a huge time commitment.

How many pairs have you knitted to date?
The total so far is 28 but the breakdown is kind of funny. I got off to a fast start in 2006 and made 15 pairs but in 2007 I only completed 2 pairs. I’m back to socks in a big way this year with 11 pairs so far. There are 2 second socks and one first sock on the needles riht now so I suspect that, at the very least, I’ll match my total for 2006 this year. I may even surpass it.

What is on your sock knitting to-do list?
There are several patterns rom the Socken Creativ list that I really want to do and Bruce is waiting impatiently for another pair but I the only thing I can guarantee right now is that I’ll start testing the SM3 patterns that are sitting in my inbox. Yes, it’s that time again.

What kind of socks to you like to knit-
Striped? Not so much. I’m just not big on stripey socks.
Colorwork? Eh, on occasion. My stranding sucks so I usually stay away from this.
Plain Stockinette? Ahhhh, the comfort sock. I’ve just made one for the first time and it’s so nice. I’ll definitely do t again, and again, and again.
Cabled? I love cables!
Lace? Yes please!
Anklets? Not so much. I like my socks low but not quite anklets.
Knee Socks? That’s a huge commitment and I’m just not up for it at all.
Solid colors? Yes, but semi-solids are even better. I love a sock with jus a little depth to the color. Bright and crazy? Maybe. For me I like quieter socks but I just can’t resist the pull of a wild skein. Such a dilemma.
Faux Fair Isle (the yarn doing all of the work)? Nope.

Tag a few sock knitters here: No tags here – just an open invite to anyone who wants to share.

Bruce Has His Say

Others have noted it before me but blogland is really quiet lately. I suppose that it's a summer thing. Everyone goes on vacation from home and blogs. Memes are made for times like these when you're wrapped up on lengthy projects and feeling relaxed. No drama or major occurrences to write about.

I saw this little interview meme on a few blogs recently and I found myself wondering what Hubbo would say if I asked him the same questions - so I did. Here is what he said.

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
Bruce: Warm feet?

Me: Really?
Bruce: No, I like how happy it makes you.

Me: Awww. What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?
Bruce: The yarn is taking over the house.

Me: What is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?
Bruce: The sweater you did for Reed and the Shawl you made for your grandmother.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
Bruce: Yes! More expensive than my hobby.

Me: Interestingly that brings me to the next question. Do you have any hobbies? Bruce: Golf & softball.

Me: And you think they’re less expensive?
Bruce: Absolutely!

Me: What about the fantasy football?
Bruce: Still cheaper than all the yarn in the house.

Me: So, if we compared money/time spent on hobbies, who would win?
Bruce: You. You do your hobby every day.

Me: Do you have a stash of any kind?
Bruce: What do you mean stash? What is stash? Extra golf balls?

Me: How about the growing collection of golf clubs? Or softball t-shirts?
Bruce: I didn’t buy the golf clubs.

Me: They’re still taking up a lot of space
Bruce: Your yarn takes up more

Me: Has my knitting in public ever embarrassed you? Honestly.
Bruce: No. You haven’t tried knitting in synagogue yet. Really, no.

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?
Bruce: Koigu? Is that right? You like the merino wools but you don’t really have a favorite.
Me: Good answer.

Me: Can you name another knitting blog?
Bruce: Carole Knits, Scout’s blog, the Yarn Harlot. I’m thinking of starting a blog for husbands of knit bloggers.
Me: Haha, I knew you'd say those.

Me: Do you mind that I want to check out yarn stores everywhere we go?
Bruce: Occasionally. I think I should get points for finding a yarn store to get you a treat when I was in NYC recently. I even found it on my own in the middle of everything.
Me: Yes, that was really nice.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?
Bruce: Yes. It gives you your gauge.

Me: Do you read Knitting4Shirley?
Bruce: Yes.

Me: Have you ever left a comment?
Bruce: No

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?
Bruce: Clean and cluttered are 2 different things. It might be less cluttered. I wouldn’t have to think of building a fiber room.
Me: Fair enough.

The picture above was taken earlier this week. It's a gladiola that I totally forgot about. I didn't even notice the stalk growing until the flowers were just about to open. What a nice surprise.

Treats

Earlier this year I was invited to take part in the Special Swap and the theme of the forst one for me was Sweet Treats. I really wasn't sure what to expect at all but it was fun putting together a package for my pal. Friday afternoon I got home and found that my treats had arrived. It was obvious because Stacy had decorated the box with a big sheep and a yarn ball. The whole family was curious about the contents.

The treats that Stacy collected for me were perfect and what you see here is only part of it. Not pictured is a tin of hand balm and a copy of The Knitters Book of Yarn. I actually had that book out from the library and returned it the following day. My daughters marvelled at how Stacy got me so perfectly. I love Smarties, Twizzlers and all things lemon. And don't you love the sheep Pez? It is almost as cute as the little tape measure dressed up as a cake and the stitch markers with cupcakes on them. Then there's the yarn. I adore this yarn. It is so beautiful and soft. I could go on and on but the bottom line is that this package was perfect and it made my day.

I also think that a certain meme making the rounds right now is a bit of a treat. It's fun because it's all about pictures and as someone observed recently - I like pictures. I went into flickr to do the meme and I was amazed at some of the creativity that I saw there. It's kind of inspiring.

The variety of pictures to choose from was wonderful. For some answers I was very literal and for others I just went for pretty or fanciful. It was great fun and I strongly recommend it if you haven't done it already.

The Concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Hillary
2. What is your favorite food? Goat Cheese
3. What high school did you go to? Commack South
4. What is your favorite color? Green
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Johnny Depp
6. Favorite drink? Iced tea
7. Dream vacation? Greece
8. Favorite dessert? Ice Cream
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Happy
10. What do you love most in life? My girls
11. One Word to describe you. Creative
12. Your flickr name. I had to get a little creative with this one.

Socks, Books and Stuff

Yesterday was day 2 of the stormy weather and I had such a hard time staying awake all day but I still finished a few things. One was a book and the other was a sock. Here are 2 of the socks I've been working on. Can you guess which one is finished?

The book I finished is Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay. It's a thriller like the first two in this series but it's also a departure and I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the first two. This installment deals with the origins of Dexter's Dark Passenger - the thing inside him that guides him to kill. My problem is with the I like thrillers but I'm not really into demons and the occult. I wish that Dexter could just go back to ridding us of evil doers and pretending to be human.

I recently came across Ten on Tuesday while surfing and I like the idea so I signed up. Here is my first one:
10 Things I Love About My Life

1. My daughters - they rock my world and I cannot imagine a life without them.
2. My husband - he is my partners and supports me in all that I do.
3. My family - my siblings, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins - they're all so important.
4. Friends near and far - this is one of those things that you appreciate so much more when you don't live near your family. Good friends are a comfort and they make where ever you are feel welcoming.
5. Home - buying our house was a big deal. It's not big but it's ours and every wall we paint, every tree or shrub we plant makes it more of a reflection of us.
6. The DC Area - there is so much to do and see here and we really do take advantage of it.
7. Creating with my girls - not only do I knit, I dabble in all kinds of crafts and my daughters share my creative drive. We cook together, sculpt with clay, play with fiber etc. It's so much fun to teach them how to do things.
8. My job - having a job that challenges me is great. Librarians supposedly have a high job satisfaction rate and I know that's true for me.
9. Travelling - I don't necessarily need to go far, in fact, we take lot's of road trips in the car. I just love seeing places we haven't been to before.
10. Entertaining - I love having big gatherings and I'm so happy that my friends like coming to them. The other night we finished dinner and sat around talking until someone finally noticed that it was 11:30. I love that people are so comfortable at my house.

Wednesday is for Answers

So, what did I buy and what were those other 3 movies. I’d hate to leave you hanging so today is answer day.

Over the past two years or so my stash has grown by leaps and bounds. It’s really a little embarrassing because it has it’s own furniture and it’s already outgrown it. I’m knitting it up as fast as I can but still… I think it’s multiplying. There is no good way to justify going to the Homespun Yarn Party. Oh, wait, I’ve got one – I was supporting local fiber artists. Yeah, that’s it. That’ll work.
I went there with spinning fiber in mind and I made an instant beeline for the Loop table. She had such beautiful batts. It was hard to limit myself to 2 but I did. The reddish braid is C-eye-ber Fiber. It was so hard to get near either of those tables that I consider those purchases major victories.
When I got home and showed the family two funny things happened. Stinkerbelle tried to abscond with the lighter one. She wants to felt it. She’s got great taste but she’s out of luck because it’s all mine.

When hubbo saw them he asked what I was going to make with them. Um… yarn. He said “yeah but what will you make with the yarn?” I told him that sometimes that’s enough and he looked at me like I was nuts. The idea of making a beautiful yarn and enjoying it as such is clearly foreign to him.

Although it wasn’t really in the plan, I bought a bit of yarn at the party too. The bluish yarn is from Storm Moon Knits and the other 2 are Woolarina. Just look at how different they are. As I looked at my purchases and thought about what I look for in a yarn and how my fiber desires have changed, I was struck buy how different these yarns are. With all of the people out there creating batts and fiber blends, the dyers and the spinners – there is such variety. The interpretation is so different from one to another. For example -you’d think that there would be more overlap and repetition between the sock yarn dyers but look at these. Could they be any more different.?

Movie Meme
I had so much fun putting this together and I figured that you’d all get them in a heartbeat. It turns out that it took a few days and there are still 3 left over. Here are the answers.

1. If you were happy every day of your life you wouldn't be a human being. You'd be a game-show host. – Heathers Can you tell that I’m an ‘80’s throwback? Perhaps I should’ve used a different quote like “Dear Diary, my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count.” That just seemed too easy .
4. You probably got it all figured out, Corey. If you start out depressed everything's kind of a pleasant surprise. Say Anything See what I mean about being a throwback? This is another movie from the same darn year – 1989. What does that say about me?
6. A real loser is someone who's so afraid of not winning he doesn't even try. Little Miss Sunshine I loved this movie so much.

Growing Things and a Game

I had something all planned for today but now I go to put the post up and I find that flickr ate a few of my pictures. Here is an abbreviated version of the post I planned along with a fun meme instead.

I’m finding that the combination of my new camera and a pair of sneakers is fairly potent. If the weather is nice and I remember to bring them both it then the walks I take during lunch can stretch far beyond what I plan. (oops!) That’s exactly what happened during lunch yesterday. I was going to show you a few growing things like the magnolias in front of the White House. There are flowering trees and shrubs all over DC. I thought that they'd make a nice accompaniement for another growing thing - the new sock that I’m working on.

Here’s the sock. It’s the Wishbone Socks For Knitting pattern by Nancy Bush that’s in the March/April 2008 issue of Piecework. The yarn is Elann Sock it to Me 4 ply in Claret. This yarn was so cheap that I couldn’t resist but so far it knits up really nicely. It’s wool and nylon so it ought to wear well.

Here’s a meme I’ve seen a bunch of places. I think that I like it because it’s more interactive and game-like. Have fun.

Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

1. If you were happy every day of your life you wouldn't be a human being. You'd be a game-show host.
2. I would sell my grandmother for a drink - and you know how I love my grandmother. - Philadelphia Story (Amy pegged it as High Society, which was a remake of Philadelphia Story. Close enough.)
3. I will eviscerate you in fiction. Every pimple, every character flaw. I was naked for a day; you will be naked for eternity. - Knight's Tale (Meghann)
4. You probably got it all figured out, Corey. If you start out depressed everything's kind of a pleasant surprise.
5. Ever since I was a child, folks have thought they had me pegged, because of the way I am, the way I talk. And they're always wrong. Capote (Krista)
6. A real loser is someone who's so afraid of not winning he doesn't even try.
7. I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she's filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I'm collating so I don't see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven. - Office Space (Sprite)
8. Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. - The Shawshank Redemption (Sarah)
9. Oh, I don't know, Charlie. Unlike you, I never expected "the thunderbolt." I always just hoped that, that I'd meet some nice friendly girl, like the look of her, hope the look of me didn't make her physically sick, then pop the question and, um, settle down and be happy. It worked for my parents. Well, apart from the divorce and all that. - Four Weddings and a Funeral (Kelly)
10. I appreciate this whole seduction thing you've got going on here, but let me give you a tip: I'm a sure thing. - Pretty Woman (Sarah)

Random Thoughts

No matter how great a weekend is, it’s always too short and even the best visits leave me feeling like there was more to say and do. It always seems that I should have planned better and done more. Thankfully, there is always next time but right now the feeling of let down is intense.

Maybe it’s just the approach of Summer that’s throwing things off. My calendar is filled with end of school year events for all of the activities that my girls take part in. There are dance recitals, parties, and musical productions. My oven will be in use constantly to provide food for all of the events (when did I volunteer to make scones?). As if that wasn’t enough, the Drama Queen told me yesterday that there are only 15 days left to the school year. How can we be that close to the end of the year?

Is it any wonder that I’m feeling a little random? Hmmm… perhaps it’s time for 7 Random Things. Someone has promised (threatened?) to nag me until I do mine. Ok! Since I’ve got no exciting knitting content and I’m feeling rather random anyway, here they are.

The Rules: Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

• I love decorating my house and I think I’m not bad at it but… I’m really slow to make decisions about it. How slow? When we bought our house I told hubbo that it was my “house with possibilities”. Eight year later it’s still mostly the same as it was when we bought it because I can’t decide on where to start my upgrades.


• Once I make up my mind – look out. It may take me a while to get there but once I figure out how a big project will work, hubbo had better run for cover because it’s gonna happen fast. Many years ago, I wondered aloud one night about how hard it world be to remove all of the carpet (as I started to pull up an edge) and expose all the wood floors in the house. Suddenly, at 9:30 on a Monday night, hubbo found himself joining me on the floor removing all of the carpet, padding, and countless staples. He never knew what hit him.


• I love road trips. Every year I drive my daughters to sleep away camp in North Carolina. Its 9 hours each way and I don’t mind it one bit. On the way down we talk and enjoy each other’s company. On the way home I listen to the radio, enjoy the scenery and think about stuff. It’s nice to have a little time alone – as long as it isn’t raining. I hate driving in the rain.


• I drive too fast. I love to drive and I’m pretty good at it but I have a bit of a lead foot. It’s a little odd though because I don’t drive fast because I’m in a hurry. I can sit in traffic without too much stress just as long as it’s not caused by people doing dumb stuff like putting on makeup or talking on the phone. I drive fast because I like the speed. I think that I may have been a race car driver in another life.


• I also listen to my music too loud (except when my kids are around – I’d hate to damage their precious ears). How loud? Well, if I’m driving down the street there’s a good chance that you’ll hear me before you see me. Just be thankful if it’s the radio you hear because I sing with the radio in the car and it’s pretty scary.


• I love the veggies that most people hate. Broccoli, spinach and brussels sprouts are my favorites.


• I’m a people watcher. I think it comes from all of the years I spent as an art major, learning to carefully observe those around me. I just find people pretty funny. There are the people who wear clothes that are too old, or young for them. And there are the people who wear stuff that is too big or small for them. People carrying kids in tote bags, people who take off their shoes and socks in inappropriate places. These are all very funny and terribly amusing to me.

I'm not going to tag anyone because I suspect that I may be the last person to do this. If you wanna do it then feel free.

Have you ever....

We’ve had a few issues at home that have stalled my knitting a little. It’s nothing major – just the usual kid stuff. I’m thisclose to finishing the UFO I mentioned yesterday and I expect it to be blocking by the time the sun goes down today. I have something fun on my wheel too and I plan to finish it off just as soon as I to the blocking. As if that wasn’t enough, the fiber that I dyed last weekend should be dry by now too. I can’t wait to start spinning it up.

Since I have nothing really exciting to share knitwise (and few brain cells to dedicate to coming up with something) I’m falling back on a meme. I guess that’s kind of lame. I saw it at Margene’s first and now Kristi did it too. The rules are that you use bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing. What about the stuff you’re not sure about? Hmmm…

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down (never considered it but it sounds like fun)
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money (does bartering count?)
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone elses handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Not too shabby for a relatively new knitter.

R

A few weeks ago Kristi had a great post about the letter C. I enjoyed reading it so much that I asked her for a letter. She gave me an R and I've been working on this post ever since. R started out as a really tough letter for me so I asked my family to suggest some R words. They were happy to help and I learned that my daughters have great vocabularies and that they watch way too much HGTV (they suggested refurbish, redesign, reconstruction). Even so, many of their ideas made it onto the list. I may be the very last person to do this meme but if you would like your own letter just let me know in the comments!

Presenting, the letter R...

Red – One of my best friends in New York, who introduced me to hubbo, loved bold statements in color and design. I preferred things a little more subdued. Her favorite color was red which she called a “power color.” I now see that she was absolutely correct. Red is powerful indeed! Over the years I have come to appreciate it more and more – red cars, red jackets, red sweaters. Of course the arrival of my favorite red-head had a little something to do with that.

Read – I cannot imagine my life without books. As a child I was well known at my local library I would go there and borrow piles and piles of books. Between the two of us, my sister and I would do fabulous things for the library’s circulation and would stay up reading long past bedtime. In school my teachers would occasionally confiscate my library books because I just couldn't stand to put a good book down. Today I’ve turned my love of reading into a profession and become a librarian. I love it. This is the perfect career for me.

Relax – I really wish that I could relax but it seems like there is always something that needs doing. Do you know what I mean? If ever I did find the time though, I know just what I’d do. I’d grab a good book, a tall glass of iced tea, some tunes, my knitting and rest on a chaise by a pool, river, lake or ocean. Any body of water will do.

Relocate – This year is a big one for my family because in July it will be ten years since we relocated from New York to Virginia. It was a move that we never expected but it has been the best decision we ever made. Moving far from your family teaches you a lot about yourselves and life in general. It forces you to go out and create a new "family" for yourself. We have been extraordinarily lucky to have made some good choices that rewarded us with a tight group of friends that make our life rich and satisfying.

Renovate – Two years after arriving in Virginia we bought our first house. I can still remember describing it to hubbo as my “house with possibilities”. It still has possibilities but I remain paralyzed with fear so the renovations that we want so badly are still little more than a dream. Maybe this will be the year that they become reality.


Reptile – Ahhhh, our dear Frankie. As I’ve said before, I never would have imagined having a reptile for a pet. Turtles aren't warm or furry or cuddly but... they are so amusing. Anyone who's been at our house can tell you that Frankie is very much a part of things. It might even be said that she runs things to a certain degree. When you come home in the middle of the day she splashes around loudly to let you know that you're not welcome. When you awake in the middle of the night to the sound of banging, it's not a burglar, it's Frankie rearranging her tank.


Rugelach – Yum! This Jewish pastry is a huge favorite around our house. The dough is spread with chocolate, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts or some other sweet treat and rolled up into tasty cookies. I've never made it but I'd like to try.

Ripe - Is there anything that says summer more than a bowl of ripe berries? I love fruit - pineapples, cherrys, oranges, grapefruit, apples but the berries are my favorites - strawberrries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries. This year will be the second for the blueberry bushes I planted on the side of our house. It was something I'd always wanted and I can't wait for them to bear fruit. DQ, hubbo, and I will have blueberry smiles all summer long.