Sunday, January 28, 2007

Sick Sunday

I have a cold and I am feeling "froggy". I noticed that I was getting said cold last night when my throat began to get sore and I got all the other tell tale aches and runny nose. This morning I woke up feeling worse, but I persevered to get up and ride out to LAX and then to Starbuck's to be fortified with plenty of coffee so I could make it to church.

Why were we at LAX? Because Chaplain Dan called about 10pm last night to say that,although he was finished with drills for the weekend and was flying home from Las Vegas via LA, his flight to Phoenix was cancelled. So John drove right out there and picked him up and brought him home to sleep here. We drove him back to LAX this morning so he could try to get on an early flight standby. I'm happy to report that he is safely home from his week of training in the Bay area and Las Vegas and with his sweetheart.

Except for a 2.5 mile walk to the north of us along Venice Blvd past the cemetary and Loyola High School, I have been sitting in a chair and knitting or reading or just sitting feeling miserable all afternoon and evening. So I don't have any photos of the afghan. I'll try really hard tomorrow.

However, I want to mention that, unlike Roxie, the author of the blanket pattern, I have difficulty with the concept of unplanned and random. In the past, I have been sadly disappointed in projects in life and yarn for which I didn't adequately plan, so I am a bit of a plan control freak now. I happily knitted a row of brown diamonds, then a row of white/cream, then a couple rows of the Aran heather cream yarn from Blarney Mills. I suddenly realized that I will not have enough yarn to make a symmetrical pattern. This of course threw me into a fever induced tizzy. After a few hours of puzzling over this problem, I realized, "OK, maybe it won't be symmetrical, and maybe I will hate it when it's finished, but IF I name it and PLAN a bit of randomness it into the afghan, it may turn out alright."

So, in honor of the beaches of the world that I have walked and I love, this will be the Beach Blanket, with all shades and types of sand and pebbles represented in the design. I hope that as you look at the designs in the afghan you will see the beach...

photos as soon as I can hold the camera, focus and shoot.

On a totally different note. Although I am not usually a fan of devotional readings by mere men, at the recommendation and gifting of the book by a friend, I am reading the daily readings in Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning and I am finding them both comforting and challenging.

2 comments:

roxie said...

First, let's address the cold. Poor baby. You DESERVE to snuggle and pamper yourself! Stay warm, drink lots of fluids. I find Zicam actually does reduce the duration and intensity of a cold. I prefer the nasal swab delivery system, but there are lots of alternative methods.

OK, the unplanned blanket: Right now, right this very moment, give it to God. If you get a nudge to put a beige square a third of the way through a grey row, listen to it. This blanket is not for you, it's for God and you will be doing it the way He wants you to, OK? Now, when you are admiring a sunset, are you critical because it isn't symetrical? Ok if you can love an assymetrical sunset, then why can't you open your mind to loving an assymetrical blanket? Give it a try. Practice admiring and appreciating the imperfect. How bad can it be? It's only yarn!

Willow said...

I am cuddled up in my robe and I'm drinking warm tea between sneezes.

As usual, you get to the heart of the matter. Of course! It's God's beach, his sunset, his blanket. Big step here to ADD assymetry. I'm off to do it!