Remembering

Remember with honor.

Three flags fly above the Ronald Reagan Library.

My father, uncles, husband, son, and son-in-law.

Looking Back At The Week

It seems like Friday arrives so soon every week.  As The Professor often states, "Time flies."  Here I am and it's the end of the week and I am running a little late for Friday Fave Fives.  What has happened to make me grateful?  Here are some random thoughts.

1.  I love my local library.  This week I returned two books, and check out, let's see, (counting in my head), three books.  Oh and I renewed a fourth book.  All for free.

2.  Speaking of books, my daughter bought me a book for Mother's Day. It arrived this week.  Oh, I'm a happy mama!

3.  Where I live there are many places that have been used (and are being used) as movie sets.  Often when we are driving along the coastal route, we will see movie set trucks parked at the beach.  Sometimes, roads are closed as commercials are being shot.  Old Westerns were often filmed in areas within 20 miles of Willow's Cottage.  One such place is Paramount Ranch.  Appropriately named for Paramount Studios.  At this time, it's part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.  Every May, on one Sunday, the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest and Festival is held there.  And every year for the past eight or so years, I've taken my spinning wheel and sat in the Western town on the iconic porch and spent my day spinning and talking with people.

 It's a busy time.  But oh so fun!

4.  After that crazy busy day, I was glad to stop off at my favorite restaurant and pick up a burrito and come home and crash.  After I ate my burrito.

5.  Another perk to living where I do is easy access to various renowned museums and centers.  Like the Getty Center and Getty Museum.  And Reyes Adobe.  And all the Los Angeles museums.  The Ronald Reagan Library may be the closest center to us.  We've been there several times to visit with friends and to see special exhibits.  Right now, an exhibit about Genghis Khan is there.  So we decided to visit RRL this week.

Gotta love the Imperial passport!

"I am the emissary of the Khan. If you defy me, you die."

model of a yurt

Where there were sheep there were spinning wheels (drop spindle).

I hope you will take some time this weekend to contemplate your blessings.  What are you thankful for?

As Promised

Here are photos of the vest I finished last week.  Finally, I took it off long enough to get some pictures.  I wore it all day when I was spinning at a festival on Sunday.

The pattern is Artisan's Vest by Green Mountain Spinnery, copyright 1995. (It was older than I remembered. According to their website, the pattern is still available for sale.)  I made the smallest size and changed the edging on the neck and sleeves to match the hem which was different in the pattern.

The yarn is Telluride by Classic Elite Yarns.  I love the color!  Spruce.  Fiber content is 82% alpaca, 12% linen, 6% Donegal (synthetic fiber slub used to make yarn look like tweed).  I love the yarn, too!

This vest is simply perfect for me!

May Is Moving On

Hello from Willow's Cottage!  May time is in full swing here and obviously The Professor and I are keeping busy.  What am I thankful for this week?   Here are my Friday Fave Fives. Link to Living to Tell the Story if you wish to join in.

1.  World's  Best Neighbor knows I love my garden.  She had been invited to the Conejo Garden Club's May Tea, so she asked if I would join her.  I knew the hostess for our table, so I accepted  the invitation.  It was a lovely afternoon spent outside in a lovely garden. (And I met a new friend, too)

2.  Then WBN invited us to a luncheon where the speaker was an Army Chaplain (recruiter) who attends her church.  Knowing we have a son who is an Army Reserve Chaplain, she thought we would enjoy meeting him.  We did, and we found out we know some of the same people.

3.  This time of year, I am in my garden every day.  I pay lots of attention to my veggies, but I'm also drawn to the flowers.  Veggies don't make great photos, but California poppies do!

 4.  A  few months ago, someone who was moving passed on to me a pot filled with gerbera daisies.  I transplanted them into other pots, but plants being what they are, the daisies popped up in that first  pot again.  Not that I minded.  This pink bloom has been gracing my kitchen window for at least two weeks.

5.   I finished knitting a vest I began on my trip to Ohio.  Immediately, I put it on and wore it to one of those events I mentioned above; I didn't even block it first or sew on the five buttons. I love it so much!  No photos yet because--I'm wearing it all the time.  I plan to sew the buttons on today and then I'll photograph it.  I promise.

So there is Willow's Week in five easy steps.  I have so many other things I'm thankful for, but I had to choose.  There was the installation of a new floor loom, the gift of a favorite book I wanted, a lunch date and coffee date with friends.  I'm so blessed!

Friday Fave Fives for Mid May

Happy Friday!  It's been a bit crazy, but I am finally writing out my Friday Fave Fives for this week although what I choose to focus on has been circling in my mind the whole day. 

1.  Sunday lunch out with The Professor and his sister.  After church on Sunday, we were chatting in the church courtyard and The Professor finally said, "Why don't we just continue our chat over lunch?"  So we did.  I love that my sister in law is also a friend.  She told me that even though we usually only see each other once a week, knowing I was out of town, she just missed me.  I'm so blessed with wonderful 'in-laws'.

2.  I love our walks.  Saturday afternoon we decided to revisit one of our favorite walks--Hill  Canyon.   The wild flowers were blooming their hearts out.

2.  Even walking in the neighborhood we saw the wild correopsis blooming on the mountain above us.

  

4.  One afternoon, we drove into the San Fernando Valley and since we had a few hours to wait, we decided to walk in Lake Balboa Park.  We had never been there before, so it was a fun adventure.  The park covers about  80  acres with a lake in the middle of it.   Considering that this park is in the middle of an area of LA that is almost completely suburban housing, the park is a well used and loved place.

And there was an abundance of wild life.

5.  The reason we were in LA was to attend a memorial service for a college friend.  Yes, it is a fave because the service was one of rejoicing even in grief.  Our friend was truly a man who loved his wife and children and mentored many men as a pastor and friend.  It says something about the person if  the chapel is so full that every chair and pew was filled and there were people standing in the back.  Rest in God's peace, my friend.  Well done, good and faithful servant.

May Days

It's MAY!  Happy Month of May!  And Happy Friday!  Which of course means Friday Fave Fives.  Here are my favorite happenings for this week.

1.  NOT hearing the words May Day May Day on my flight home was a fave.  Nuff said.

2.  But May flowers are a fave.  Here are some I found in my garden and the neighborhood this week.

3.  May Gray.  It's a thing in Southern California. That has been the weather most of this week.  Actually, we kind of like the  cooler temperatures the low clouds bring before summer gets hot.

4.  World's Best Neighbor texted me one morning and offered coffee.  So I popped up to her place, but we ended up going to a local coffee place because she had a gift card she wanted to use.

5.  Finally, my PAL loves Star Wars.  Here she is in a  "May the Fourth be with you" costume.

Cutest  Princess Leia in any universe!