When You Can't Walk-

you can still knit

1. a cabled hat

2. coffee cozies

3. a pair of Girly-Girl Socks

4. and a child's striped pullover sweater.

And you can crochet

5. a granny square blanket.

and maybe some other granny circle-squares.



There are many productive ways to use your time when your doctor says, "No driving yet. And limited walking." 

It's important to find ways to be thankful in every situation.

Thank you, Susanne, for hosting Friday Fave Five.  It helps me remember each week to look for areas of thankfulness and gratitude.

Thankfulness This Week

It's Friday and that means Friday Fave Five, a time to contemplate the best things that have happened this week.  Susanne provides this opportunity every week for us to remember our Weekly Favorites.

1.  My friends (and husband) who have driven me to the doctor(s) and to classes this week.  Without them, I would never have been able to begin teaching my writing classes this week.  I'm truly grateful for my husband and friends who have helped me so much!

2.  My favorite new fashion statement:  a big black boot to hold my swollen, sprained ankle steady without (very much) pain.  It goes well with my silver crutches.

3.  These quotes from Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J. Foster.  Foster published this book about Christian Simplicity in 1981.  In reference to Matthew 6:22--"If all within us is honed down to the single treasure of Christ and his Kingdom, then we are living in the light of simplicity."  "With our eye focused on Christ the Center, we are to live with glad and generous hearts.  This is simplicity."

4.  One thing I've done while I've been sitting around this week is look through my files and files (and files) of photos.  I've found flowers and shells and beaches, photos I've taken for the past 6 years.  But the photo that touched my heart most was this one of our kitty Angel who moved to San Diego with Mama Mia after she was married but went on to kitty heaven three years ago.  Angel was the BEST kitty we ever had.  What a sweet memory.

5.  The best news I received all week was this text from my daughter in law regarding my Army Captain Chaplain son, who has been deployed over the past year: "He is officially home."  For that, I am truly and completely thankful.

Summer Memories

Surf

Sand

Sea shells

Memories of summer to hold when the rains come



Painfully Quiet

The past seven days I have not ventured out beyond my door except for two doctor appointments.  It has been a painfully quiet week of elevating and icing my swollen and bruised ankle.  Finally this morning I decided that if my ankle hasn't healed in a week, then maybe, maybe, I ought to have my doctor have a look at it.
Incredibly, I was able to get in immediately to see the doctor because of a cancellation.  And just as incredibly, a friend was available to zip over, pick me up and take me to the doctor's office.  I am so thankful for

1. a timely appointment and

2. friend in need who is a friend indeed

Immediately, I was sent to the x-ray lab and now I am awaiting the results.  Maybe, maybe my ankle is broken, but maybe maybe it's 'just' a sprain.  I see that I was wise to call the doctor.

However, the entire week was not lost in a morass of pain and pain-killing pill popping.  While I was doing all that elevating and icing, I also spent my days working on lesson plans and

3. I am as finished as I can be at the beginning of a school year.  When I was bored with that, I played around on my laptop,  learning some new tricks, organizing files and deleting others that I no longer need.

Through all the hopping, crawling, grimacing and learning to handle the neighbor's borrowed crutches,

4. my wonderful and patient husband has waited on me, washed dishes, cooked meals and done laundry, all while he was working his own very full teaching schedule.

5.  Mostly I am so very thankful that his position provides health care for us so that when mishaps happen, we can simply pick up the phone and call the doctor.

That was my painfully dull and quiet week here at Willow's Cottage.  It was a week to be reminded to be careful what you wish for.  I had wanted a quiet week at home to focus on the essentials.  It seems I got just that.

Thanks to Susanne for providing a venue for posting Friday Fave Five every week!

Added later:  the diagnosis is 'severe pain sprain', so now I'm just waiting until Monday afternoon to see what further measures need to be taken.

Also, like Ellen, I am having problems posting on many blogs.  If you wonder why I haven't been around to read your FFF or other posts, I have been.  Unfortunately, whenever I submit my comment, I'm rejected.

End of Summer Special

Sadly, it is truly the 'last day of summer'.  Labor Day in the US has always marked the change of seasons from summer to fall because it is traditionally 'The Day Before School Starts'.  With schedule changes, the traditional beginning of school is no longer really the day after Labor Day.  In fact, my daughter in law has been teaching for two weeks, and The Professor's semester has been in session for a week.

However, I wish to honor the 'real' end of summer with this presentation of

The Beach Umbrellas of August



The Quiet Week

It was a quiet week here at Willow's Cottage.  Most of the noise came from the covey of quail which have been scurrying around on our back hill, most likely searching for dropped seeds.  One other fun bit of noise came from my computer one evening when our son skyped us again from Indonesia.  We were able to 'see' the view of the green green hills which surround the neighborhood where he is living and even hear the tropical birds chirping.  With her usual perfect timing, our MamaMia phoned so she was able to say hi to her brother from her cell phone to my cell phone to my laptop to his laptop.  Don't you just LOVE technology??

Anyway, as I was saying, our mostly quiet week was still filled with joyful and satisfying things.  I look for these little examples of joy to share in Friday Fave Five.  This little exercise helps me to be watchful and grateful for the blessings of my week.  Susanne hosts this EVERY FRIDAY.  That takes a lot of dedication on her part and I truly do appreciate her taking the lead on this each week.

1.  Every year, on the Thursday before classes begin at Cal State Univ Channel Islands, the lovely people who work in the library host a faculty and families back to school reception in one of the university library's courtyards.  Every year, The Professor and I happily attend and spend a couple of pleasant hours eating wonderful catered dishes, drinking excellent wine, and dipping strawberries, bananas and chocolate chip cookies into the chocolate fountain while we chat with the other faculty and families.

2.  After that rather filling dinner, we strolled around the library lawn and the rest of the campus.  Because the university is nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains near where they descend to the Pacific Ocean, it is natural that most of the grounds are planted with California natives.

I love the bunch grasses! (Well, yes, this one is bluish, but yes, I did doctor the color just a little bit.  But wouldn't it be wonderful if it really were that blue?)

3.  On Saturday, we loaded up our bikes and drove to Ventura and rode the bike/walkway along the beachfront.  It was a perfect day for a bike ride.  Cloudy but not cold.  Breezy but not too windy.

Past Surfers Point

Beyond the pier all the way to the  harbor.

And back.

4.  I've been crocheting.  I had some skeins of leftover wool from a project I knitted for my master knitter certification.  In my quest to use up my yarn stash this year, I decided to see how large an afghan I could make with the four colors-pink, purple, green and cream.  Forty-two squares.  Each 4 1/4 inches across.  A 6 x 7 square design.  Without the edging, the afghan will be 'about' 26 inches by 30 inches.  Not very large, but it will still be 'lap-size'.

5.  My neighbor, who is also my friend, had never been to our little indie coffee shop in town.  So on Tuesday morning we dropped in there for coffee and the best biscotti I have ever tasted!  We agreed that this little shop is the perfect place to meet up every week for a little study session.  Oh, the coffee's great, too.

That was Willow's Week.  I spent the rest of my hours sitting here in the cottage planning lessons which happily are mostly finished. 

How was yours?

Addendum:  Shortly after posting this, I somehow, I really am not sure how, I fell (tripped, stumbled, was a complete clutz?) and severely sprained my right ankle.  It looks like next week will be another Quiet Week around here.