Flying

As in that's what the past week has done.  It has flown by so very quickly.  Was it really a whole week since I wrote a blog post?

Where did my week go?

1. On Sunday, The Professor and I drove to Long Beach (second largest city in Los Angeles County) to a church we were part of when we lived in LA.  There was a special informational meeting after the service which we particularly wanted to attend, hosted by the group Ugandan Lambs through which we have sponsored a boy from Uganda for the past seven years.  The meeting was wonderful on so many levels--seeing old friends, learning what has been acoomplished in Uganda in the past year, hearing the vision for the future of the these precious orphans, even receiving a letter and photo from 'our boy'.  We connected with a very special friend for lunch--she even found a great restaurant, The Veggie Grill, where we could all find something tasty and yummy to eat.

2. Our week has ended with a house guest brightening up our lives.  Our daugther in law (she who we call The Princess) drove over to spend a few days with us.  Already, we have laughed and laughed, watched The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (with Ingrid Bergen), sat around and shared our favorite new books, and enjoyed a couple of special meals.

3. This morning we were here:

picking these:

4. On a whim, we decided to drive to Ventura this afternoon.  Our original goal was to cruise through a few thrift stores.  None of us are shoppers, but we do love to poke around in the used books sections of these shops.  We walked in to ONE book shop on the way to the thrift store and never left until we had found a total of (ahem) eight books.  In my defense, I will state that this amazing little shop had a treasure trove of Newbery Award Books.  Because I am always looking for the award books to fill out my collection and achieve a life goal to own and read every Newbery Award Book, I was delighted to find THREE more volumes.  These books were especially exciting because two of them were hard copies, and if they weren't first editions, they were certainly orginally purchased the year they won the Medal.  Inside the covers, the original owner had written "Newbery Award Book-- and then the year (1955, 1947)".  I just had to have those books because I felt a close kinship to the owner since she obviously also collected all the winners through the years.  I am now within SEVENTEEN books of having them all!  I'm so pleased that we gave in to our whim and then serendipitously strolled in to that little book shop.

5. Speaking of books,  I read about a new (to me) author on another blog and then found some copies of his books at our local library.  I enjoy novels placed in historical settings, so I am looking forward to reading Sarum, the Novel of England by Edward Rutherfurd.  With just one week of classes left, I am looking forward to a wonderful summer of reading!

This week passed so quickly and happily, filled with little moments of gratitude and pleasure.  I'm sharing these Five Faves for Friday's Fave Five and linking to Susanne's blog. Thanks, Susanne, for hosting us each week and offering us the chance to focus on our fleeting moments of thankfulness.

A Week in May

This has been a crazy weather week here at Willow's Cottage.  Rain?  In Southern Calfornia?  In May?  Finally, the sky is clear of rain clouds although the wind has still been whipping things around.  Wild weather or mild, I find things to be thankful for every week.

1. Can I ever say too much about my local farmers market?  I don't think so!  The Professor and I shop there every Saturday morning we are in town.  Each week, the vendors greet us, ask us if we want 'the usual' (usually we do), and then as they hand us the produce, they thank us and drop an extra little something in, a cucumber or apple or carrot.  Nothing tastes better than organic, fresh, in season, locally grown produce!

2. Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest and Folk Festival was great! On Sunday, I attended with The Professor.  Actually, I spent the entire day NOT listening to bluegrass music.  My spinners/weavers guild volunteered to demonstrate--spinning and weaving--so I took my spinning wheel and--spun--fiber while he wandered around and enjoyed some truly fun music. I spun and spun all day while groups and herds and gaggles of people strolled past, stopped and watched and said, "That's so cool!" (or other words to that effect).  Watching demonstrations of a 'lost art' evidently fascinates people. The muscial atmosphere was joyful.  There's something about bango and fiddle music which makes everyone want to dance.

3. Sometimes, spectators spy an item in my basket of handspun samples that they particularly like.  Sometimes, they ask if it's for sale.  Sometimes, it is.  Sometimes, I am willing to sell it.  Always, I assure them that all profits will be sent to a non-profit organization. I will be sending a check to Generate Hope this weekend.

4. The school year is winding down to a close.  Yesterday was the last day for two writing groups.  Who was more sad, the teacher or the students?  I'm not sure.  We've had a fantastic year.  Evidently, my students have other talents besides writing.



5. Spending hours in my garden is theraputic for me.  Even when the time is invested in pulling weeds, I find my mind relaxing and resting.  Birds sing. Lizards bask.  Ants race.  My body finds its rhythm in reaching, grabbing and pulling.

Have you experienced any favorite activities or received sweet gifts and notes this week?  You can share your Fave Five at Susanne's blog.

Musings about Yarn

I spent all day Sunday spinning.  Spinning yarn, that is, not bike wheels.  When my spinners/weavers guild sent a sign-up for demonstrating at Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest and Festival, I knew I HAD to volunteer.  Held at the old movie set spot, Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, it was the perfect place to spend a spring Sunday.  Of course, The Professor offered to tag along and help carry my spinning wheel and provide nutrition (read: hot chocolate) when I needed it.  With my hands and mind deep in to fiber, I spun and spun, showed boys, girls, teenagers, men and women how yarn is created.  Other demonstrators were weaving, spinnning and making bobbin lace.  Perhaps it was just the crowd, those who love bluegrass music also love hand made anything, but we were busy all day long.

Now that I'm back home and settled in to teaching, correcting, and planning for the last weeks of classes, part of my brain is still focused on yarn.  It's hard not to be thinking about fiber when it's everywhere around me at home.  Currently, I have a nearly finished cap lying on the ottoman in the living room.  Made from variegated blues and grays handspun super wash wool, it's a feast for my senses--touch and sight.  In the family room the cap's matching fingerless gloves are waiting for me to make a change in one--I miscounted rows early in the pattern and one glove is longer than the other.  And you know, usually, hands are the same size, so I need to change one.  There is also a skein of yarn snuggled up next to the gloves.  It's waiting for me to cast on and make it in to a sweater for one of my niece's twins who are scheduled to make an appearance in a couple of months (or less, knowing twins).  But that's not all the yarn that's around Willow's Cottage.

There is, among many other yarns and projects, a sweater languishing in a paper gift bag. I spun the undyed brown Cowichan wool into a fine yarn a few years ago.  It sat there waiting for the perfect pattern to appear magically.  Finally, I decided to design a pattern myself.  I used the Charmed Knits pattern for the Weasley Sweater as my inspiration.  Instead of a plain stockinette stitch I worked the whole thing in ribs with occasional simple cables.

The sweater is nearly finished, and guess what.  I don't like it.  The neckline is too wide--I wanted a wider neckline so the wool wouldn't sit up against my sensitive skin and make me itch, but I over did the wideness.  I've tried all kinds of fixes but it's just not working.  Also, I have to ask myself why I keep knitting wool sweaters when most of the year it's just too warm in my climate to wear it.  I already have the wool, and I want to be a good steward of my resources, so I endeavor to use up what I have.  I think, finally, I've admitted to myself (and now to the world) that I need to unravel this thing and start over.  Maybe it won't be a sweater again.  Maybe it will become hats, scarves or socks, or even an afghan.  I certainly have enough of the stuff to make an afghan. 

It gets dangerous around here when I begin overthinking my yarn projects.

Short Trips

Blogger's problems have kept me from posting Friday Fave Five in a timely manner.  However, I have finally been allowed back online and am posting FFF and linking up to Susanne (if she is back online now too).  Gratitude and thankfulness are the focus of this weekly post.  Here is what has made me grateful and thankful and just plain smiling-happy this week.

I've never kept secret the fact that I love to travel.  This wanderlust of mine is shared by my husband (and children--we taught them well by example and participation).  While I do love simply being at home, I also enjoy short trips to keep the travel bug in balance.

1. On Friday late in the afternoon, we gave in to the urge to wander.  Packing a quick picnic supper and grabbing our jackets (a wise move it turns out), we jumped in our Honda and headed up the highway to the nearby beach town.  It was a gray and misty evening; sometimes you couldn't tell where the ocean ended and the sky began out at the horizon.  Most of the beach goers had given up and gone.  But the pelicans!  The pelicans were patrolling the coastline in formations of three, four, five and six member squadrons.

They were dive bombing, searching the area for unwary schools of tasty fish.  (Do you see that kamikaze pelican in the right background zeroing in on its target?)

Occasionally, a single pelican would break formation to inspect a suspicious intruder.  This bird was keeping pace with the human matching stroke with flap as he scrutinized the black wet-suited surfer.

2. Mother's Day was spent quietly.  The children duitfully called to wish me a happy day.  Whenever they call, it's a happy day for me.  In the evening, we decided to escape again for a couple of hours.  Another picnic of peanut butter sandwiches, veggies and coffee was packed and we headed back to the beach, this time to the closest sandy spot near our house.  The wind was nasty, so we opted to stay in the car and just enjoy the view of Mugu Rock and the coastline, sunny this time.  We searched for pelicans (I could gaze at pelicans by the hour!)  but the only birds around were the seagulls which I also find amusing and interesting.  But there was ONE whale cavorting in the sea just off shore and we watched it for a long time as it breached, blew water from its breath hole and submerged again and again.  A beach sunset is a wonderful way to end Mother's Day.

3. As if that wasn't enough traveling for a week, I hopped a commuter train on Tuesday morning and rode to Los Angeles Union Station.  A friend and I had arranged to meet up there and spend the day walking around LA.  After a short stroll through Olvera Street (the birthplace of Los Angeles, located across the street from Union Station), we headed toward downtown.  After all these years of living in and around LA, I had never noticed the Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.  So we walked into the courtyard.  I was mesmerized by the bells (and the jacaranda trees blooming out their lovely lavender flowers in the background across the street).

Then we strolled past the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  I do wonder though why there was a car parked by the front doors.

This building baffled us.  Was it an office building, apartments or condos?  A storage facility?  My best guess is that it's a movie prop left over from one of the Terminator movies.

My friend left to return home and I had over an hour to wait for my commuter, so I discovered a coffee place right in Union Station (!), ordered a soy hot chocolate, walked through the waiting room, sat down in this elegant courtyard, pulled out my knitting and pretended that I was in an exotic far away place on a grand adventure.  Which, you know, I really was. Los Angeles is truly an amazing city!

4. The rest of the week I've been happily returning home after teaching my classes and picking up a fun new book to read.  My son knows me well and shares a love of fantasy with me, so of course he knew that this book would please me greatly as a Mother's Day gift.  Book One of The Kane Chronicles, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.  It's a kids' book, but I'm loving it, especially after reading the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series.



5.  Other reading material I'm enjoying this week is the British edition of Country Living.  A student's mom receives a subscription to the magazine and when she's finished with it, she passes it on to me.  I read it and then give it to Donna, the lady who owns the local tea shop.  Currently, I'm four months behind, so I'm reading a little each day this week.  Country Living British style is a beautiful magazine, a feast for my eyes and satisfaction for my wanderlust soul.

That's what I've been wandering around doing this week.  Have you had any adventures?

Three Fun and Fantastic Links From My Meanderings on the Web

This free e-book is the best single source I've found that explains the changes I've made in my diet and my reasons for doing so.  Healthy Eating Rules by Christianna Pierce.

Miss minimalist recently published this post concerning the aftermath of the tragedy in Japan.  I wish everyone in the entire world would read it!

My husband pointed out this story in our local newspaper, commenting that it's ONE way to declutter your belongings.

It's MAY!

1.  Yes, Disneyland and California Adventure are certainly happy places.  At least, we were very happy while we were there.  Mickey looked down benevolently at us from many vantage points.

These swings reminded me of my childhood summer days spent swinging, pumping as hard as I could and flying as high as possible.

Undoubtedly, my favorite California Adventure ride was Soarin' Over California.  What an exhilirating way to view the beauty of my adopted state~in a simulated hang glider.  No photos of that since, you know, I was holding on to the safety bar on my seat.  All the usual rides were still great: Space Mountain, Grizzly Rapids, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise...

The best part was still being with my boy and his lovely wife.  Whatever they did, we wanted to do it, too.

2.  Another activity we shared with them was the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books which was held this year at USC. That's University of Southern California, not University of South Carolina.  When my parents were living in Columbia, SC, I visited them, saw all those USC shirts and marveled at the number of University of Southern California fans there were on the East Coast until my father smirkingly pointed out that SC meant South Carolina.  Anyway. We reveled in the piles and piles of books on any and every subject we could imagine.  All of those books! 

3. But that's not all, no, that's not all!  Our Grad Student son happened to be in LA for the weekend and joined us for the day and for dinner at a local Indonesian restaurant in Culver City.  There is no better cuisine in the whole world than Indonesian!

4.  All wonderful Spring Breaks must come to an end, and so it was back to classes this week; but that's OK because I love my job!  I love it when the students waltz in saying, "Hi, Mrs. Willow! We missed coming to class!"

4. Spring gardening is underway.  We've been eating our homegrown lettuce for two weeks now.  The lavender is outdoing itself in bloom production.  I. Love. Lavender.  Sadly, lavender doesn't love The Professor.  So all the lavender lives outside.  But it's beautiful, isn't it?

Well, that was Willow's Week this frist week of May, another edition of Friday Fave Five.  These five expressions of gratitude are just the highlights of my week; it's how I choose to focus my memories--on being thankful.  If you want, you can join Friday Fave Five at Susanne's blog.

Special Times and Happy Places

Welcome to Friday Fave Five, Willow's Week in review.  I missed posting my faves last week.  And I really do mean that-- I missed the opportunity to share with others what I choose to focus on during the week--events and happenings for which I am grateful and thankful.  I was mostly offline, meandering around my home and wending my way south almost to the international border with Mexico.  But I'm back this week and linking to Susanne's blog to post my Friday Fave Fives.

1. Spring break:  two weeks.  Sitting in my favorite comfy chair reading several books, cup of coffee and knitting project nearby, for hours and hours: priceless!

2. Spending Easter Weekend in San Diego:  four hours driving in the car, some of it along the most beautiful coastline in the world.  Saturday afternoon baby shower for a friend and Sunday morning Easter service: priceless!

3. Walking on the beach: two hours.  Strolling with my girl and her dog:  priceless!

4. A train ride from San Diego: $32.  The views of the Pacific Ocean from the train windows:  priceless!

5. Friday we will be playing at the Happiest Place on Earth with #1 Son and his wife!  Receiving comp. tickets to Disneyland and California Adventure:  mega bucks.  Seeing my son for the first time in almost eight months: priceless!  (This explains why I may not get around in a timely manner to visit other participants in FFF, but I'll do my best.)

Happy Times and Happy Week!  Do you have anything fun planned?

Partay! I'm on Spring Break. Bak son! (ala Christopher Robin)

A Pleasant Surprise

Ok.  This has to be my BIG FIRST fave five this week.  Blogger allowed me to upload this photo:

I decided to try adding a photo tonight figuring, "What do I have to lose?  If I can't upload a photo, I'll click where directed to read up on my options."  Imagine my shock when the photo simply and easily uploaded! 

I love looking at this picture of the fishing boat which was cruising (do fishing boats cruise?) off the coast of Faria Beach State Park because it reminds me of all the wonderful sunny days I have spent at beaches around the world from Oregon and California to Florida to England to Indonesia.  And if you know me, you know I love the beach.

Secondly, blogger allowed me to upload this:

This is the Plain Vest from Pickles website's list of free patterns which I mentioned in a FFF post two weeks ago.  I chose to experiment with a second photo and added this vest because it makes me think excitedly about my plans for next week when I'll be spending a few days in that wonderful city of San Diego, visiting my daughter and son-in-law and attending the baby shower for their friends' new little girl who will be born soon and hopefully wear this little pink vest when she's about a year old.  Isn't it just the cutest thing?

Because I'm not one for pushing my luck, I think I'll stop with the uploading photos.  I have NO IDEA why these photos were allowed to be uploaded tonight.  But I'm not complaining.

Now then.  Third Fave Five.  Last week, The Professor commented that he was surprised that I had not mentioned an important event from our week.  I replied that I had hinted at it when I added the little phrase about selling a big item via Craig's List.  Well.  We bought a car and then sold our old one.  Truly, it should be a fave because I do love my newer Honda CR-V, my little Silver Bullet.  Better gas mileage.  21,000 miles.  Higher visibility.  And most important of all, our bike rack will fit on the back without sagging and scraping the pavement whenever we hit a low spot (once we get the hitch installed).  Maybe, just maybe, this will be the last car I ever have to purchase.  One can dream...

When I logged on to a clothing website yesterday to check sizing for a pair of slacks I wanted, I discovered to my great delight that the slacks are ON SALE for HALF PRICE right now!  And free shipping!  So I bought myself a pair of summer slacks.

Last, Spring Break!  Two weeks off!  That says it all.

That's my Fave Five for Willow's Week.   Did you have any fun and exciting surprises?  Do tell.  If you want, you can link to Susanne's blog HERE.

A Week's Worth

Since I have not made any attempt to decide how I intend to handle the abrupt cessation of photo posting here at Willow's Cottage, this is another week of using only words to describe the happenings here in our very windy coastal community.  Thank you to all who left me information about how to alleviate the photo block issue.  I'm still evaluating my options.

1. I have the loveliest of neighbors!  On Tuesday, my neighbor who is also a wonderful friend (Hi M!) dropped by in the middle of her busy day and gave me an hour of her time to measure and pin four (4!) pairs of cropped pants.  I have a bad habit of purchasing cropped pants even though they are too long for me.  It's not really that they are too long, it's that I am too short.  Have other petite sized women noticed that cropped pants are still several inches too long, ending not at your calf but more like just above your ankle?  Anyway, Marvelous M used her dressmaking skills to keep me from looking quite as dowdy as I usually do in the summer.

2. Spring planting in our garden is progressing.  We've marked out some squares to attempt our version of a Square Foot Garden.  So far, we have planted six heirloom tomatoes, kale, (more) lettuce, spinach, (more) basil and (more) parsley.  In my opinion, you can't have too much parsley or basil in your garden.

3. I received a birthday book!  My sister-in-law and I share, among the many many other enjoyments we have in common, a love of all words written by Madeleine L'Engle.  The latest volume she sent me is Walking on Water, Reflections on Faith and Art.  And tucked in to it was a bookmark painted with an original watercolor lavender spring violet which she created especially for me!

4. Isn't it FUN when to find a forgotten book on your bookshelf?  As I was dusting a shelf last Saturday, I noticed little blue book titled The Church of the East; it is actually an edited and condensed version of the very large two volume tome titled Nestorian Missionary Enterprise by John Stewart (published 1928). I know when and where we purchased the book as it was part of a homeschool curriculum, but I had no memory that we still owned it. (Here is where I confess to having lately developed a deep and insatiable interest in Christian Church history.)  Immediately I pulled it off the shelf and placed it lovingly and excitedly on the TOP of  my stack of 'I am planning to read this really soon' books.

5. Last, and certainly not least, because anything chocolate ranks quite high on my list of loves, I have been indulging my cocoa cravings with Trader Joe's (Vegan) 72% Swiss Dark Chocolate bar.  Do you shop at TJ's?  It's the 3.5 oz bar wrapped in the bright green cardboard.  On the back, it states, "Best before 03.03.2012".  I don't think I need to worry about the expiration date because this chocolate will not be around that long.

There were many more little and large events that could have made my Fave Five list (like a major Craig's List sale and a quick stop at the local garden nursery for some pink petunias), but I think these five are certainly a week's worth of blessings.  I'd love to hear about your week!  You can link up at Susanne's blog Living To Tell The Story or just leave a comment here.

Editor's note:  you may recall that I mentioned a book review I was planning to post.  If you are interested in reading a review of LowCostHighImpact Photography by blogger Steve Johnson, scroll down to the next post which I published last Tuesday.

Low Cost High Impact Photography--a Review

Are you the photographer who uses a point and shoot camera and thinks that you need a fancy-shmancy professional camera to take really great photos? Do you want to learn how to maximize your skills with your current camera without spending any more money than the cost of a new e-book? Then Low Cost High Impact Photography by Steve Johnson is the book for you!


Low Cost High Impact Photography was self published in digital form. I appreciate that because I can sit anywhere I have my laptop computer, pull up the book and reread just the section I want to remind myself about such as how to maximize lighting to take a night photo. Because he was an artist before he became a photographer, Steve's way of looking through the camera lens is different from any other professional photographers I've encountered. He doesn't take himself or other professionals too seriously and that is refreshing. In addition, Steve is very approachable. When I didn't understand a term he used in the book, I emailed him and he responded very quickly with a simple and direct explanation. How many authors do you know who would do that? Please understand that the lack of understanding was not his fault but that I am a newbie to photography. Self published books better encourage relationships between author and reader.

The book is composed of three main sections besides the introduction and conclusion, Equipment, Technique and Aesthetics. In the Equipment section, Steve discusses not just cameras but also the very few other items a photographer might need to take stellar photos. The Technique chapters appealed to me less but I think that's because I just need to move my learning curve up a bit to appreciate what he's written. After reading the Aesthetics section, I gained a different perspective on what is 'beauty'.

The Low Cost part of this book is what impressed me most. Steve has given me the confidence that I don't have to spend bundles of cash to take really great photos. There are many money saving ideas scattered throughout the book. Reading Low Cost High Impact Photography made me want to grab my camera and practice everything all at once and take pictures of everything immediately which of course was not possible or a good idea. But having been exposed to these ideas and new ways of looking at objects has given me months of learning and experimentation to look forward to. Scattered among the more than 100 pages are tidbits of everyday wisdom, Steve-style. My favorite was "Good photography is about removing the nonessential clutter". Maybe that's obvious to most people, but it really resonated with me. What is the most important part of good composition? I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the book to find out. But I'm going to begin thinking about it every time I point my camera at a subject and click that button. It's exciting to realize that I have so much more to learn about photography, and it's not going to cost me any more cash than I've already spent on my camera and a few basic companion pieces.

At the end of Low Cost High Impact Photography, Steve includes what he calls Photo Essays, some real life examples of his own work, and tells the stories of how, where and when he took the photos. In simple story telling fashion, he explains the photographic and creative processes. Is every photo museum quality? No. Are they all really good photos of images that he enjoyed photographing? Yes! And that's what I love. Low Cost High Impact Photography is a book written by a real guy named Steve Johnson about taking real photos for real people who also take real pictures.

You can purchase Low Cost High Impact Photography on Steve's website/blog MinimalistPhotography101.com.

I want to let you know that I am not making any income from writing this review other than happily receiving my copy of the book without cost.  Just tell him that Willow sent you.

Knitting the Week Away

I had intended to focus my Fave Fives on some knitting projects I have been working on this week.  This afternoon, I photographed them and planned my post.  Imagine my dismay when I uploaded my first photo and received this message: "Whoops.  It looks like you are out of photo storage."  Hmmmm, after five and a half years of blogging, I am unable to post a picture.  Evidently, I have hit the dreaded 'you gotta pay for it' limit.  Now I will have to decide what I intend to do.  In the meantime, you will have to use your imagination when I describe my five favorite knitting projects of the week.

1. A friend is expecting a little girl next month.  I've been busy.  Taking a simple kimono pattern and changing it to my preferences, I knitted a 6 month size white baby sweater which has straight sleeves; the front pieces cross and taper to a point at the waist.  I knitted in a little button hole and sewed on a blingy button at the left side.  Since I always use a washable fiber for anything baby, this is made from white Red Heart Soft yarn and trimmed with a deep raspberry crocheted edging.

2. Then because I had plenty of left over raspberry yarn, I cast on for a neck down raglan sweater in size two.  This little cardi is knitted in dark plum and raspberry stripes.  I must have a thing about crocheted edges right now.  Since I don't know much about crocheting, I am guessing that I made what would be called a picot edging around all the edges. It's--oh sooo sweet.  Three little buttons near the neck line will hold the sweater closed.

3. The knitting blog Pickles has a darling vest pattern which is a free download for size 1.  I used a dusty pink acrylic yarn and added two bright pink, purple and blue buttons.  You can see the pattern here.

4. In February, I had made myself a little beanie in a bulky navy yarn.  It was a simple garter stitch knit but it fit just perfectly. I added a cute crocheted flower at the edge and wore the hat last month when I was visiting my daugther in San Diego.  Since I like to use up my left over stash, I made a second hat and decided to gift it to the little sister of one of my tutoring students.  She's 7 this year and has strawberry blonde hair.  That hat was just begging to go home with her.

5. I've had this Shauna cowl on my needles for a few weeks.  Knitted in seed stitch on size 10.5 needles, it should have worked up a lot faster than it did. But I finally finished it.  I love it in the turquoise Spa yarn I used!

How did you do?  Did you 'see' my knitting?  It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  I did not write anywhere near 1,000 words, let alone 5,000 to 'show' you my five knitting projects but I hope you have brilliant imagination skills to compensate.

Have you run in to the 'can't post any more photos' problem on your blog?  Any insights here?  Comments, commiserations, recommendations, and ideas gladly received!

Obviously, not being able to post photos is not going to make my Fave Five list this week.  But I decided that a lack of pictures would not prevent me from writing about what pleased me and gave me joy.  Thank you, Susanne, for hosting Friday Fave Five every week!

Lessons from Nature

My thoughts have been drawn to springtime this week like a young man's thoughts which are turned lightly to love.  What has nature's example taught me?  These five lessons are this week's Fave Five from Willow's Cottage.

1. Beauty often lies in the details.

2. Never under estimate the power of a storm.  Southern California has been slammed with back to back rain and wind storms this week.  While we are used to the occasional three day rain storm blowing in off the Pacific Ocean, the storm on Sunday was unusually violent.  Trees were toppled on the nearby golf course, in local neighborhoods, and along the freeways.  Rain turned to snow in the coastal mountains closing the main freeway route from the San Joaquin Valley into the Los Angeles basin.  At least two of our neighbors sustained damage to their homes, and we all lost our electricity for a while on Sunday evening.  While our little inconveniences are NOTHING compared to what the brave people of Japan are suffering, this storm was a timely reminder of the power of wind and rain.  It was not your typical little spring rain storm.

3. This little ground squirrel exemplified an interesting quality-the refusal to be deterred from his goal.  While we were taking a break in our twelve mile bike ride along the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, we propped our bikes up near a picnic table, sat down and ate our bag lunches.  Mr. Squirrel wanted to share.  He was hungry.  He was determined.  Whenever we shooed him away, Squirrel Boy returned and crept ever close, even climbing up my bike tire to reach the table's bench and hopefully snatch a crumb from my peanut butter sandwich.  He was persistent!

4. The white heron taught me a lesson, too.  He was perched on a truck cab in the lot where we parked our car while we were biking.  Although cars drove in and out past the grey truck, the heron never moved.  He turned his head back and forth a few times but he stayed right there on the truck looking decidedly bewildered and out of place since we were several hundred feet away from the river bed and even farther from the beach.  He seemed to be thinking, "Uhh, this doesn't look much like the beach.  But the pelican told me to fly south."  I was reminded of the truth that even if you are sincere and adamant in your belief, if you're wrong, you're still sincerely wrong.

5. Finally, the sagest advice I took away from this week came from the humble seagull.  Always make sure they photograph your good side.

Have you learned anything this week from feathered friends or wacky weather?  Share it!  And if you want, join Susanne's Friday Fave Five at her blog Living To Tell The Story.

Lessons Learned

I know not to brag about an 'easy and quiet week'.  I should have known better.  What was I thinking?  After writing about my quiet and simple week, I ended up with two whirlwind weeks.  It wasn't anything in particular.  No, I wasn't ill.  Yes, all was well.  It was just busier than I expected.  We knew that the crazy last week of play rehearsals for The Professor would be followed by the insane performance week, and we had mentally prepared for it.  I had even prepared some easy fix and carry meals ahead of time.  What we did not expect was a car situation.  Sadly, his little green commuter Ford Focus car had an engine owie which necessitated a prolonged stay at the mechanic hospital.  It's still there.  That one little change in the schedule meant that we were sharing a car during The Professor's busiest two weeks of the semester.  As you can imagine, the result was not an easy and quiet week (or two of them-in a row).

Happily, this week has been quite special in spite of the busyness.  It's my birthday!  Yes, I really was a St. Patrick's Day baby.  Often, I'm asked why my parents did not name me Patricia.  They thought about it.  In fact, I had an Uncle Patrick, born on March 17th, who was quite incensed that I wasn't named after him.  But in the end, another name was chosen and even my middle name doesn't reflect any of my (small amount of) Irish ancestry.  Even so, I love having been born on St. Partick's Day.  Wonderful legacy.  Green beer.  Shamrocks.

Before The Professor and I embark on a quest to try the green beer in the new Irish pub in town*, I want to share my Fave Five which obviously will center around my birthday. *Update on that-- already at 4pm there was a dastardly long line of people waiting to gain entrance.  It was loud.  It was chilly.  We didn't feel like waiting, so we opted for a very quiet (oh, I think I needed that) and delicious meal at our favorite Thai restaurant.  Sadly, there was no green beer, but the Thai iced tea was totally tasty as was the pad thai.

1.  My birthday week began on Saturday with a day long hang out time with a special friend who drove up from one of LA's beach cities.  After a yummy lunch at a locally famous fish and chips place, we strolled around the Ventura Harbor from one end to the other and back again.  I love that place.  Boats. Water. Seagulls. Pelicans. Herons.

2.  Celebrations continued on Tuesday at a lunch in Culver City with my beautiful and wonderful daughter-in-law.  She, her sister, their friend, and I met at Royal T Cafe, a very hip sort of tea cafe.  Culver City is home to Sony Pictures Studios and other buildings belonging to various film and TV studios, and the shops and clientele reflect that.  My usual route to and from the main city in LaLaLand is Highway 1, or Pacific Coast Highway, which I mention often as you know.  On Tuesday, the tide was low, the pelicans were abundantly flying and diving for fish, the movie sets were camped in the beaches' parking lots, and the sun was peeking in and out between the rolling fog banks.  It was a perfect cruisin' day.

3.  Birthday greetings make me so happy!  I've received phone calls from sons in far away places and daughters, too, and a certain precious grandson.  Real cards have arrived in my real mail box, delivered by real postmen.  Oh joy!  I love receiving real mail!  Emails and facebook posts have brightened my day!  Starbuck's even sent me a coupon for a free drink.  Presents are fun, but personal messages remind me that I'm loved and appreciated.

4.  Pressies from my students are always so precious.  One young boy brought me a small bouquet of jasmine blooms which he picked himself, placed in a little plastic juice bottle, and decorated with a green ribbon.  How sweet is that?  My assistant presented me with a lovely personalized card and a real shamrock plant.  I had been considering purchasing one at Trader Joe's the other day.  Don't you think that a St. Paddy's Day girl should always own a shamrock plant?

5.  I've spent some time between lesson prep, chauffeuring, and paper correcting, sitting on my sofa and reading (and knitting of course) because I've decided this year that it's OK to do some things I want to do, just because. I devoured a short volume titled Becoming Orthodox in just two days.  Also on my reading pile are four books by Madeleine L'Engle, her Crosswicks Journal quadrilogy.  I've begun reading the first in the series.  Another book I'm reading is Low Cost High Impact Photography which is an e-book by Steve Johnson.  In a couple of days, I'll be posting a review of the e-book, but I'll just say here that this book is completely revolutionizing how I think about and do photography!  For me, a day with even a few minutes spent taking pictures, reading, or knitting is a happy day indeed.
 
So there it is, a recap of two hyper-weeks.  Writing it down makes it seem so mundane, but really it wasn't.  It was perfectly incredible.  Perfect and incredible.

How about you?  I'd love to hear how your time has been while I was holed up here in Willow's Cottage not communicating much with the world at large.  I've linked this up with the Fave Fives at Susanne's blog. Thanks, as always, Susanne, for hosting Friday Fave Five.

March Begins With Small Things

You know how some weeks are just quieter than others?  On the positive side, I probably needed a quiet week after my very exciting week in San Diego.  Quiet weeks can be good. 

When your week is not so busy,

1. you can attend a cast party with your husband.  The Professor is moonlighting as the Technical Director of the university's performing arts department's spring production.  I've met most of the upper classmen/women who have acted in plays other years so it was fun to hang out with them for a few hours.

2. you can relax and read in the evenings while your husband is attending rehearsals.  Gallons of Trader Joe's Bedtime Tea have been consumed.

3. you can knit and knit and knit.

4.  you can begin to dream about this year's garden.  Kale.  Heirloom lettuces.  More tomatoes.  More onions.  Lots more parsley.

5.  you can vacuum the house and clean the bedroom closets without disturbing anyone else because no one else is in the house.

These were small things, most likely insignificant in the greater scheme of life's dramas, but they gave pleasure and joy to me.

What small things brought a smile to you this week?

You can share them here or post at Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.

Gaslamp Quarter

After several rainy, cloudy days, the sun shined on San Diego.

Downtown is not too small, not too large; it's just right.

Especially the Gaslamp Quarter.

This Greely storefront was built at the end of the population boom and beginning of the bust.  In 1888, the population of San Diego plummeted from 40,000 to 16,000.  Read more about San Diego's time line here.

Every American city had a Woolworth Building.

New buildings are being constructed in Downtown San Diego.

Older structures are being renovated.  Some like this lovely hotel have elegant 'legendary style'.

I have always been fascinated by the juxtaposition of old and new buildings.

I wonder what is being built here.

If you ever visit San Diego, I hope you will enjoy a wander around San Diego's Downtown Gaslamp Quarter as much as I did.

The End of the Second Month

The second month of the year is nearly over.  Here at Willow's Cottage, I am anticipating the arrival of March.  Even so, each day and each week is a wonderful gift and I choose to appreciate every opportunity to be thankful for the little things in life as well as the big things.  Susanne hosts Friday Fave Five as a way to focus on being thankful every week.  Check in on her blog to join FFF.

Here's what happened around Willow's Cottage this week.

1. The plum tree is blooming!  Spring is coming! 

2. I spent five days in San Diego this week visiting my daughter and son-in-law (and the puppies and kitties), and during most of those days, it rained.  So all my plans to hike with the puppies and walk the beaches did not materialize.  On Monday the sun finally shone on San Diego.  I strolled the streets of the Gaslamp Quarter and wandered down past the courthouse toward the bay while my daughter was at work.  The view from her fifth floor office is amazing!  I hope to post more downtown/GasLamp Quarter photos this weekend.

3.  Downtown San Diego is thriving and bustling.  There are restaurants on every corner and in every block of the Gaslamp District.  The Mission Restaurant on J Street is a place you won't want to miss for breakfast or lunch if you ever visit San Diego.

4.  Amtrak's Surfliner train is a great way to travel.  I scored an ocean side window seat and enjoyed the views as we chugged through San Diego, Solana Beach, Oceanside, San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, Los Angeles County and on into my little Ventura County.  Come back later to see more photos of the Pacific Coastline.

5.  The best part of traveling, even for a long weekend, is coming home.  As I disembarked from the train, there was The Professor waiting right in front of the station in our little blue car.  I ought to have been wearing my red shoes so I could have clicked them three times and exclaimed, "There's no place like home!"

That was Willow's Week!  How was yours?

On the Run

Instead of sitting quietly in Willow's Cottage on Thursday evening, I was rocking my way to San Diego on the Amtrak Surfliner.  Visiting my daughter this weekend, I knew I'd be late posting on Friday Fave Five.  But as the saying goes, "Better Late Than Never".  It is never ever too late to express gratitude for the week's blessings.

1. A week ago, our weekend included a fun evening with friends that began with a yummy dinner of black beans and rice, fresh asparagus from the farmers market and gluten free chocolate brownies, all prepared by my green thumb friend who grows the most incredible square foot garden.  My contribution to the dinner was these strawberries which I had purchased that morning at the same farmers market. They had been picked from the local fields earlier in the morning.

2.  There was knitting.  While the others played bridge, I knitted.  Then, during the week's evenings, I knitted.  Finally, I photographed two of the finished projects.  The fingerless mitts are made from a pattern that MinimalistKnitter asked me to test knit.  The result was a very comfortable pair of mittens.  You can get the free pattern from Robyn's blog here.

The photo on the right is a hoodie/scarf I knitted for my soap-making friend Laurie.  She investigated all the yarn options at Joann's and chose this Angel Hair yarn.  Then she said, "I want a hat that has the scarf attached to it."  I remembered seeing the perfect thing in Homemade Handknit years ago and went searching.  Basically, all you do is knit a very long scarf about 9 inches wide, fold it in half and stitch down one side from the center fold for 8 or 9 inches. That's it.  Because the yarn was so very fluffy and beautifully variegated, I chose a moss stitch pattern to show it off to best advantage.

3.  Obviously, a phone call from my far away military son will always make my fave five list.

4.  After a week of hot high winds blowing in from the desert to the east of us, the gentle rains coming from the ocean to the west of us have been a welcome weather respite.  We don't have to water the plants, and I had a great excuse to not wash the car.

5.  Saving the best until the last, I am spending my long weekend in San Diego with my daughter, son-in-law, the two puppies and two kitties.  If the weather cooperates, we'll be taking a couple of hikes with those doggies, walking along one of San Diego's marvelous beaches, and maybe finding a great restaurant meal.  The only downside to this little weekend visit is that The Professor can't join me since for some obscure reason his university does not take Presidents Day off.

 Remember to stop for a few minutes every day to reflect on the good things (and ignore the difficult moments).  As usual, Susanne will have her link for Friday Fave Five posted on her blog for anyone who wants to join FFF.

Sweet Thoughts

It has been a busy week but one filled with great gratitude.  I like to pause quietly at the end of the week and remind myself what made the days better.  Thanks to Susanne for hosting Friday Fave Five where I link up and share the best of Willow's Week.

On Friday and Saturday - yes, all day, both days - I attended a seminar/training led by Precept Upon Precept Ministries.  Based on the completion of the training -20 hours of pre training homework (!) and 15 hours of class time -, I am now qualified to lead discussions of the Precept Studies.  That was a long but beneficial weekend.

While I was studying and learning, The Professor kept the home fires burning, did the laundry, cooked our dinners, purchased our fresh fruits and veggies at the farmers market.  We make a great team, don't we?

The mother of one of my students is very observant.  She noticed that I tend to wear blues and purples and that I love anything fiber-related.  So she created this felted heart pin especially for me, and her daughter gifted it to me this week for Valentine's Day.

My own little white and yellow flowers continue to bloom.  In December, a friend who lives in Santa Barbara offered me a cardboard box full of discarded bulbs from her garden.  I popped them in the ground and waited to see if any of them would grow.  They did.  Aren't they so sweet?

We are very selective (picky) about soaps that we use.  Because of sensitivities to fragrances and chemicals, here at Willow's Cottage we only use the handmade old fashioned soap that my friend Laurie makes and sells.  We were running out of soap, so I emailed her an SOS for soap and just like that! she sent off a box of unscented goatsmilk soap for us.  What a great friend!

That was Willow's Week!  How about you?  Anything special in your week?