Production!

Wow!  This has been a week of many accomplishments and finished projects.  I'm not sure what came over me, but I was a busy little Willow and crossed several things on my summer to-do list. Not to worry.  I know this will pass.  Maybe it's knowing that we will be off and flying again on the weekend which spurred me to action.  I am thankful for a productive week.  Frankly, I needed one since I've been rather lazy so far this summer.

1.  In clearing off a section of my kitchen counter (that nemesis is constantly recluttering itself), I found some cards I hadn't sent off to various people for various occasions.  So I sat down and wrote those notes and mailed them.  Wedding: check.  RSVP: check.  Graduations: check.  Email reply to handwritten note: check.  Typed reply to handwritten note: check.  Oh, it felt so fantastic to finally finish those letters!

2.  Two knitting projects off the needles.  Here is one of them.  A sweater for our Little R so he has a sweater knitted by Meema, too.

Red Heart Soft yarn.  Size 8 needles.

Oh Handsome Winter Sweater, size 3

Pattern by pickles.no

And I even mailed it!

3.  I completed a couple of gardening projects.  I repotted some root bound plants and in the process cleaned up my little potting area.



4. In the middle of the week, I decided to set a goal for myself to weave at least 1 inch of weft on my loom every day. Here is the weaving I did--about 3 inches. 

5. No week would be complete without a couple of great quotes:

"The richest person is not one who has the most, but one who needs the least. Are you content with what you have?" (from someone's facebook page)

"This year I'm letting the Joneses keep up with me!"  (The Professor)

So this has been Willow's Week--so very productive!  What did you accomplish this week?

Thanks to Susanne for her faithful leadership in hosting Friday Fave Five where I've added my Fave list for this week.

More San Diego Windows

Another skyscraper in San Diego with windows and (gasp!) doors onto sky high balconies.

I tried checking on some websites to identify what building this is (and the building in last week's WWDD), but I wasn't able to identify either one.  Because the photos were snapped from the middle of San Diego Bay on the Coronado Ferry, the angles of the buildings are different from the skyline photos I found.

Did you notice the circular window on the top floor?

Photographing architectural features is so much fun!

Here is the link to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.

Travel--There and Back Again

Having been away for most of the past two weeks, I have had much to catch up on including participating in Friday Fave Five with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story (click the link to add your own FFF to the list).  The purpose of FFF is to practice gratitude for the wonderful gifts of grace we receive daily.  I find it to be an excellent exercise in thankfulness as I look back and  focus on the positive events in my life.

1.  Summer break always involves traveling to visit my children.  What mother does not LOVE spending precious moments with her kids?

 We had less than twenty-four hours to enjoy The Grad Student's company before he headed off on another summer's worth of adventures in other parts of the world digging for bones, shards and other ancient artifacts. (Yes, really and truly, that's what he does.  Isn't he lucky to have such an interesting job?)

We enjoyed a quick stroll around the Los Angeles Farmers Market on Fairfax where we know we will always be able to find our favorite drink of all time: es cendol. It's a sweet coconut drink we learned to loved in Indonesia.

After that, we met up with a couple of his friends and devoured a fantastic feast of Ethiopian food (one of our absolute culinary faves), said our farewells, knowing he was flying out of LAX just a few hours later.  We do know he arrived safely at his dig site but internet and phone access are seriously scarce out there so we don't expect to hear from him often. (In this case, no news is usually good news.  As long as I don't receive a call or visit from the US embassy or State dept, I can assume he's alive and well.)

2.  Just a couple of days later we hopped back in our happy little Honda CRV (love that car!) and drove to San Diego to see our youngest girl and her family.  We always have to visit the San Diego Zoo--it's tradition.

3.  This time, Little R had a preschool field trip--a ferry ride from Coronado Island across the bay to downtown San Diego and back again. So. Much. Fun.  The trip is only about fifteen minutes each way which is just long enough to enthrall a little one but not too long to bore him.

4.  Of course, at Willow's Cottage, knitting constantly commences.  On the needles right now are no less than four projects.  But this one is off now, finished, and on the shoulders of T.  Once I gave it to her and she was off and running, there was almost no opportunity for a photo op.  I did catch a quick close up shot of the Fair Isle design on the body of the sweater.  A top down raglan cardigan with a hoodie, knitted in Red Heart Soft yarn on size 9 needles, this Knitting Pure and Simple sweater is a perfect fit for our girl.

5.  I could mention all the wonderful walks and quiet reading hours of the past week, but what jumps out at me as a fave during the past few days is the generosity of a friend from my spinning/weaving guild.  Debbie had taken a non-working weaving loom that I owned and was ready to part with, fiddled around with it, and with the help of another friend, FIXED IT.  Then, she offered it back to me!  Not only did she graciously return it, but she also spent almost a full day with me teaching me how to work it, warp it and weave with it.  That is true generosity!

What moments stand out to you in the past weeks as events of thoughtfulness, generosity, gratitude?

The Colors of June

June's color palette

A Whimsical Window in San Diego

Now this is a whimsical window:

a skyscraper in downtown San Diego has a window at the very tip top of its tower.

I wonder who lives up there and gazes at the pelican's eye view of San Diego Bay.

Linking to Toby's Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors

Windows and Doors

In honor of Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee, I chose a photo showing the windows in St. Paul's Cathedral which was taken in June 2008.  (yes, back to London again)

Here is the link to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.

June First

Wow, it really is June!  Already.

And it's Friday, the first one in the month.

Time for Friday Fave Five hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Now that summer break has arrived, I am excitedly organizing my summer plans.  Trips to visit family, days off to play at the beach, books and more books to read, sweaters and more sweaters to knit. 

1. I began my fun filled week with a walk along the beach in Ventura where the wind surfers were out in the water taking advantage of the high winds.

The walk included this guy, Lord Surrey, my favorite pit bull puppy.

2. An advantage of having summer break is the freedom to take a day trip during the week.  On Tuesday, The Professor and I drove to Claremont (east of Los Angeles) to visit the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden (RSABG) which features native California flora.

Sometimes RSABG places scupltures in meadows and small gardens.  This summer there are BUGS.  Big bugs.

I kept thinking how delighted our little ones would be to see them.

The garden also features unusual native plants such as this boojum tree.

Manzanitas are not uncommon but their red bark is distinctive and truly stunning.

The garden is situated in the foothills of the San Gabrial Mountains which you can see in the background behind the Our Lady's Candles.

3. The following may not seem like a favorite event for the week.  What I value about it is The Professor's steady and calm actions when he discovered this guy behind our house after we returned from our excursion -- a young rattle snake about 14 inches long.  He was just basking in the early evening sun and seemed disinclined to move.  Since we couldn't get at any defensive or offensive weapons (like rakes and shovels) without risking disturbing him, we called 911 to contact animal control.  A fire truck arrived rather quickly and the five firemen expertly and carefully executed their duty to remove the snake.  That's my fave--prompt and serious removal.  Earlier in the spring, our local newspaper had published an article warning residents who live near the mountains (we do) to be aware that this has been a season of unusually high numbers of baby rattlers hatched (abundant rain two years ago=more baby rabbits last year=more mama rattlers hatching more babies this year).  As you can imagine, we have and will be very careful and cautious working in our garden from now on.

4. There are happy animals in my garden, too, such as this feral ginger cat who decided that my Iceberg rosebush was a delightful spot to grab a little nap as long as I kept my distance.

5. What flowers say 'Southern California Summer' to you?  In my garden, I know it's almost summer when the jasmine and the hibiscus are blooming. 

Note:  This week I discovered proof that people have been taking my photos and posting them on other websites.  I have been aware for a long time that this is a wide spread problem on the internet and I suspected that my photos were being 'appropriated'.  When I was checking my 'sitemeter' account, I followed some trails and found my photos on more than one site. My reason for mentioning this is to ask what you do if/when you find your pictures posted without any permission from you or credit given for your work?  I have a notice on my sidebar that all my photos are copyrighted but obviously that doesn't mean anything to people who take them and post them.  I would appreciate your thoughts/opinions/ideas/suggestions about what to do.

WWDD #26

Back to the archives.

Trip to London, June 2008

The soaring windowed roof of King's Cross Station

Along the wall just below the junction with the roof, you can glimpse the windows which look like this:



Linking to Toby's blog.

Fave Fives Mid May Style

Friday Fave Five.  May 25, 2012

1. The jacaranda trees are blooming!  All year long the jacarandas just stand around in the parking lots and parks and along the streets not receiving much attention.  They're just--there.  But. In. May!  They burst into bloom with riotous purple.  When the jacarandas are blooming, Southern Californians know it's spring.

2. Becoming Minimalist scores again.  This post about Raising Justice-Minded Children is a must read for every parent, every grandparent, every aunt or uncle, every adult.

3. Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Festival happens every May.  My spinning/weaving guild is always invited to demonstrate our skills.  This means free entry, an opportunity to bring our spinning wheels and looms and share these ancient arts with everyone who stops to watch us.  I'm constantly amazed at how popular our gathering always is.  We seldom have time to grab lunch or a coffee break.  I love it.  I spent all day Sunday sitting on a porch in the Western town on the old Paramount (Studios) Ranch in Agoura Hills.  If you ever watched a Western movie, you probably saw the buildings where we were.  Although I carried my camera in my bag, I never had a chance to pull it out, but I was asked many times if I would allow my photo to be taken while I was spinning.  So there are lots of photos of me at the festival but none on my camera.

4. Spinning--I began spinning some white alpaca fiber.  There's not much to be photo worthy yet--one spool of cream colored string does not an exciting picture make.  But soon it will grow into two spools and then a skein of plied yarn.  Soon.

5. Last but certainly not least, my summer break has really and truly arrived!  I corrected all the last assignments and mailed back all but three as I am waiting for the mom of the three siblings to send me their new address.  After dropping off the envelopes at the post office, The Professor asked what I wanted to do to celebrate.  I chose a quick trip to the library for MORE BOOKS and then an order of soy hot chocolate to help the sense of relaxation settle in.

This has been Willow's Week.  Thanks to Susanne for hosting Friday Fave Five which gives us an opportunity to focus on being thankful.

Two Years Ago

Manhattan Beach

California

For All Those Nosy People

Roxie, my knitting and spinning mentor (who would also be my weaving mentor were I still living in the fair state of Oregon) asked what my current creative project idea was cuz 'nosy people want to know'.

So here is a clue for those nosy people who care.

Long long ago, more than three years ago, I was considering the possibility of knitting a project using some handspun yarn which I had dyed with Kool-Aid.  Yes, dear reader, Kool-Aid, Drink-Aid and other types of Liquid-Sugar-and-Artificial-Coloring-Aid can be used for dyeing fiber (wool works best).  I dyed mine in the microwave.  That's Twenty First Century Style dyeing.  It works well.  Remember all the clothes you ruined from spilling your drink and getting stains you couldn't wash out?  Yep, it works really really well. Throw a skein of wool into a microwaveable bowl, cover with water already adulterated with one or two packages of UNSWEETENED Kool-Aid and cook on high for nine minutes.  Check every three minutes and stir carefully to ensure that the dye soaks into the entire skein.  When most of the color has been absorbed, allow the water to cool, remove the yarn, and rinse in vinegar water to set the color.

Anyway, I had dyed several skeins of wool in different flavors of Kool-Aid and wrote a blog post about my intentions to knit something with it.  I just couldn't decide what.  I even asked for suggestions.  This post and this one recount my contemplations.

I did begin to knit swatches and even cast on and worked a couple of inches of a sweater.  The main background color I had chosen was the green and well, it looked awful.

After allowing the project to languish for months in that state, I just pulled it all apart and stuck the yarns back in the wicker basket.  Later, I moved the skeins to a dresser drawer in the guest room closet.  I decided to ignore it all except for occasionally grabbing one of the skeins to use for a bunny dress.

Fast forward almost three years.  I decided that this project was not going to defeat me.  (Who said knitters are the most optimistic of all people?)  Finally, I think I have figured out what the problem was.  Too much color.

I have some UNDYED handspun yarn which is not from the same fleece but most likely from the same type of sheep which I think will work well for the main color.  Last week, I checked out some library books with  fair isle patterns.  After pouring over the possibilities, I think I will try some swatches and maybe, just maybe, I'll have a winner--a fair isle sweater that I will actually wear.

Stay tuned.

Winding Down

Within a week, I will truly be on summer break.  That's something to be thankful for!  Since it is Friday, I am pausing in the space between end of classes and all papers corrected phases to reflect on a well lived week.  Here are my Friday Fave Fives:


1.  Last week of classes for my writing/composition students.  We had fun playing a form of Jeopardy which I created especially for the classes, and of course, there were snacks brought by ambitious, creative cooks. 

2.  This week a friend finally flew to SoCal for a conference and tacked on a few days after to visit me.  We were friends in college and have maintained our friendship through the years.  It was great to show her my part of Southern California because even though she had grown up in LA, she had never seen the area where I live.  (no concrete jungles)

3.  Sunshine.  I love living where the sun shines most of the time, and I don't want to take it for granted.

4.  My garden.  It loves sunshine too.  The lettuces are producing profusely (think: great salads!), the zucchini is threatening to take over the tomato (Who will win the war?), and the basil is growing like a weed (think: pesto!).  Pictures will be coming.  I'm still in last-week-of-school recovery mode.

5.  More baby hats knitted.  But the creative juices are beginning to bubble and boil.  I have cast on for a new project and the yarn for a second project is sitting on a horizontal surface waiting.

May Flowers

All those April Showers have brought May Flowers.

 And May Blessings.  Here are Five Faves for This Week.  Brought to you by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Ms. P is (one of) my teaching assistant in my composition classes.  Her main responsibilities are to collect, organize and begin to correct papers.  In addition, she is learning how to teach by observing.  I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to be a role model for her.  When we travel to and from our classes, we chat about whatever happens to be on our minds.  One day this week, we were discussing math.  Her comments about geometry (which she understand and enjoys tolerates) were hilarious.   She doesn't love algebra. She loves Comic-Con. She dyes her hair pink--just because. Maybe, she wants to be a teacher.  Certainly, she makes my workdays easier and fun.

2. This email from a student:  "Can you bring the checklist for Book Report week 1 to class for me? I don't dare ask my mom to, she already has printed it out twice."

3. During the time I was awol from cybersphere (tell me you missed me; tell me you noticed), I spent several days playing Meema to this Not So New Boy.

Visits to parks with the 'cousins'.  Blueberry picking at the ranch.  Train rides.  Hours spent reading and rereading Steven Kellogg's wonderful and enchanting picture books.

4. Brain dead knitting.  You know how sometimes you hit a wall of creativity?  You just don't have any more ideas or plans?  If you're not a knitter, you still know what I mean.  There's nothing in the brain; you don't feel like starting anything new and exciting.  It's a passing phase, fortunately.  Lately, I've been doing a lot of brain dead knitting.  The local hospital's newborn cap supply closet will benefit.  Making itty-bitty baby hats is so easy and allows me to enjoy the easiest of knitting techniques.  Knit. Knit. Knit.  Over and over and over again.  It's soothing and allows my knitting brain to rest until it's ready to be creative again.

5. Simple meals.  I guess I could call them brain dead dinners.  The Professor and I know how to cook. In fact, we're both quite good cooks.  But sometimes, we just want a simple easy week of meals.  Pasta and marinara.  Brown rice and black beans topped with green salsa and guacamole.  Generally, we prefer our meals simple and uncomplicated.  Several evenings this week, The Professor took over the 'meal assembling'. It's not really cooking because the cooking has already been done.  But it's not really leftovers either.  It's just--simple and nourishing.

How about you?  Anything catch your notice and remind you to be thankful?

This Last Week of April Showers

It truly has been 'April Showers' here at Willow's Cottage this week.  It is unusual to say the least that we have rain in April.  And this week, it has rained several days.  Although I appreciate the benefits of the rain, I'm looking forward to May Flowers!  I appreciate the blessings that God brings me each week, also.  Here are five:

1.  I love this video of my hometown which a Portland friend posted on facebook.  I watched it with great fondness for the beautiful place of my childhood (and a decade of my children's childhoods).  I remember the views.  In the video, I saw the steps I sat on as a young girl at Washington Park and gazed at Mt. Hood.  Seeing the bridges reminded me of driving with my brother across the Markham Bridge in his new black convertible, top down, my long blonde hair blowing in the breeze.  Great memories of growing up in a wonderful city!

Finding Portland

2.  I read This post at becomingminimalist and want to share it with everyone.  In so many ways it describes my journey through the years.  Since early adulthood, I have walked the voluntary simplicity road which is now called 'minimalism' by most people.  Voluntary simplicity or minimalism isn't involuntary poverty; it's choosing to live simply with only what best graces your life.

3.  On the subject of minimalism, simplicity and decluttering, this week I met in real life a wonderful woman whose blog I've been following for a long time, for two years (shortly after she began blogging in March 2010).  Colleen of 365lessthings.com who lives in Australia has been on holiday in the US for a couple of weeks with her husband, and they had a long layover in Los Angeles.  After emailing back and forth, we decided to meet at The Getty Center for a few hours.  Just think, if the internet didn't exist, if we didn't have similar interests, we would never have met!  I'm so glad we did, both virtually and physically.

Willow and Colleen at The Getty Center

Los Angeles in the background

4.  A gardening mystery contest.  What flowering plant is this?  I know; do you?

5.  This magazine is my absolute favorite!  Country Living, British edition, is a delight which I enjoy monthly.  The mother of one of my students receives it from a friend who subscribes to it.  After she has read the current issue, she sends it to class with her daughter to give to me.  It makes my day!  I read it avidly and then pass it on to someone else, sometimes two someone elses, and it eventually ends up in the hands of the lovely lady who owns the local tea shop All Things Tea.  Each issue is read, treasured and passed on to at least four people.  I know I live in a mediterranean climate and the gardening advice is mostly useless for me; I know that it's geared for the English market and I live in the US;  but I love it and read it cover to glossy cover every month.



These are just five favorite events in Willow's Week.  I take joy in searching for positive, pleasing things in my life.  It just makes the week go better.  Thanks to Susanne who faithfully hosts Friday Fave Five, and thanks to all the other people who post their faves to encourage the rest of us.

Whimsical and Delirious

When I was strolling through the museum at Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades last week, I watched for fascinting doors and windows.

Here is an interesting sample.  The Getty Villa is essentially a museum built as a replica of an ancient Roman villa. The Romans loved bright colors and ornamentation.  The outer court walls are painted with images for examples.

Which are the painted doors and windows and which are the real windows?

The real door leading to the kitchen gardens.

Linking to Toby's Whimsical Windows and Delirious Doors.

Things That Make Me Smile

Looking for happenings in my week to make me grateful, I choose to focus on what has happened to make me laugh at least smile a little bit.  It's Friday and time to write my Friday Fave Fives and link them to Susanne's blog.

1.  Sometimes I am ambivalent about teaching.  I love to teach but in the spring, particularly after Easter Break, I am weary and am ready to retire.  I'm sure most teachers experience the same feelings of ambivalence.  Then I have a week like this one.  My students obviously took time to write carefully utilizing the skills I've taught them, and their paragraphs show their love of writing and the advances they have made in the past eight months.  Listening to them read their stories, I am encouraged.

I don't teach for the income;

I teach for the outcome.

2.  Last Friday, I went with friends to visit one of my favorite Los Angeles landmarks: The Getty Villa.  The Villa is a replica of the Villa de Papyri in Italy which was commisioned and financed by J. Paul Getty to be used as a museum. I never grow tired of returning there.  I love to wander through the museum and around the gardens.  It was gray and raining, but that didn't dampen our spirits or interest.

The pond near the gift shop was still beautiful in the rain

Oh yes, I could enjoy this kitchen garden!

3.  The Beatles.  Love their music!  Tonight at the university a Beatles Tribute Band called Paperback Writer performed in the large area in front of the library.  For two wonderful hours we watched people of all ages dancing, rocking, singing to those tunes memorialized by The Beatles and sang along too to "Hey Jude" and "Yellow Submarine" and "Penny Lane".

4.  Things that make me laugh.  On the way home from the university this evening, The Professor spied an unusual sight.  He spotted an opposum cravenly cowering, standing majestically, squatting by the side of the street near our neighborhood.  We seldom see possums around here, at least not live possums.  Usually they're road kill.  Possums, as you may know, are not noted for their large brains or high intelligence.  In fact, possums have notoriously tiny brains for the size of their bodies.  Jokes about possums abound.  So we wondered--had the possum already crossed the road or was it waiting until the traffic waned (our one and only car in sight) to dare the dangerous road crossing?  You know the joke about possums?  Question:  why did the opossum cross the road?  Answer:  We don't know. No possum has ever made it across alive.  Poor possums--I always laugh when I see one; they're just so dim witted.  I admit it; I have a weird sense of humor.

5.  Plants for my garden.  Last Saturday, we ordered four heirloom Sungold cherry tomato plants for the local hardware/garden shop.  Some years, for some unknown reason, the order isn't filled. So just in case the store wasn't able to fill our order, after class today I stopped by another garden center and bought four heirloom Sungold cherry tomato plants and two Roma plants.  That's six tomato plants, in case you're counting.  When I arrived home, I noticed there was a message on my phone.  The first garden shop had called to say that my order for the four Sungold plants had arrived.  Oopsie.  I now have ten tomato plants. And one rather small garden plot.  So if you live in hollerin' distance of me, and you would like a tomato plant, let me know :)  I have a couple to share.  But really, you can never have too many fresh home grown tomatoes...

That was Willow's lovely Week.  How about you?  Did you do any spring planting? Enjoy some good old rock and roll?  Have a hearty laugh with a friend?