Falling in Love again - for real this time

When I was a teen, I thought I knew what love was. It was being happy all the time and looking forward to spending time with the object of your affection. However, as a teen, love was a somewhat temperamental thing and when my plans didn't work out the way I wanted them to, I would abandon what I'd been convinced I loved and move on to something else.

With time came maturity and patience and I am revisiting loves of the past. Trying to make amends. Trying to make it work this time.

I blame a couple of fellow Facebook and Blogger friends. Their enthusiasm and pictures made me want to turn back the clock so that those many years would not have been wasted.

So it was with a little trepidation but with great desire that I purchased a set of crochet hooks and some yarn.

You see, when I was a teen, I joined my mom in some of her enthusiasms. I could sew some, embroider some. I never was much of a cook or an artist. But when classes in crochet were offered at her favorite fabric store, Mom thought this would be a fun thing to do. We went. And once I understood what we were doing, it was pretty easy.

But as I've said before, my patience levels at that time were not what they could have been. I cranked out a few placemats and lumpy baby blankets, and a granny-square afghan that fell apart pretty quickly. And then I quit.

Fast-forward 35 or so years and I've got friends enthusiastically crocheting all kinds of marvelous things! Baby clothes, blankets, hats, scarves... and I felt the itch to try it again myself. I wondered if I still remembered or would I have to relearn with the YouTube videos I suggested someone else try.

It's like riding a bike! I didn't forget(or my fingers remembered) and once I had crocheted a scarf with the one hook and skein of yarn I'd purchased, I was in all the way.

The scarf wasn't perfect - I'd forgotten how easily I lose count of stitches, but it looked good enough that my son asked if he could have it.

Then I went and got MORE yarn and a package of hooks. I got several different yarns of varying thicknesses and slickness and decided to try a hat next. I concentrated on even rows (using a trick so I wouldn't have to count - different colored yarn at the end of each row, threaded in the last stitch before the turn so I'd know where to stop when I got back there) and consistent tension and I wound up with a nearly perfect little rectangle. Then I ran out of yarn - judging from the size of the rectangle, I'll probably need two more of those little skeins. But it's going to be a WARM hat!

I'm glad I've learned a little patience and perserverance in the intervening 35 years. Perhaps this time when I start a relationship with my crochet hook, it will last for the rest of our lives.

Fun Monday - Staying Cool

I'm  hosting Fun Monday this month, and I thought I'd start off the month with a topic on everyone's mind - the heat!  There was also the alternative of what to do with kids during the summer, but it doesn't look like anyone took that one.

Living in Florida, heat is a reality.  Add to that high humidity and you get a mix that makes it darned near impossible to get anything done unless you're some kind of heat freak (hello, Darling Man).  I'm not that kind of person and neither is my son.  Florida heat makes us practically melt when outside.  Thank goodness for air conditioning!!!!

The problem with AC, though, is that it's wicked expensive to run, especially at the temperatures I'd like to keep it set to, so we still sweat a bit and sit in front of or under fans.  Evaporation helps keep us cool!

The other blessing/curse we have is an above-ground pool.  It's a curse because it's a lot of work to keep up and expensive to maintain.  The blessing is obvious though - it's COOL!  And really, the work in keeping the algae out and the water clean requires that you be IN the pool, so it's not really that bad either. 

There are hot activites in store for us this year.  I'm going to be commuting to and from work on my bicycle (however long it takes).  I will be smart about it and make sure I'm hydrated and that I stop when I need to to avoid being overheated.  My husband and son are starting a morning exercise program - biking or walking every day.  They will be smart too.  But I still think that when we're done doing those hot things, the pool will beckon most fetchingly!

Only two people signed up to play this week...  If you want to join in, leave a comment and I'll add you to the list!

Faye
Jill
Joangee

Hope for the World

Why did I ever have a child?

And the whole congregation fell apart laughing...  That was the opening gambit our priest threw out today.  Of course everyone wonders this - especially when your child is throwing a tantrum in the middle of the store or giving your the silent treatment or just being a crabby pre-teen.  Why did I ever have a child?????

There was a baptism this morning, a baby a few months old.  Old enough to protest when it was time to be sprinkled.  Old enough to object to being anointed.  And when it was time to present her to the congregation, her friendliness with the priest before the service disappeared as she clung to her mother.

Father R was non-plussed.  In fact, there was a bounce in his step and a joyful note in his voice that I hadn't seen before.  It was catching.  I listened to the sermon with interest.

Most people don't really think about why they want a baby.  Is it an urge to have a piece of you that belongs to the future?  Is it DNA?  There are so many arguments against having one.  All you have to do is look at the world around you.  Bad economies.  Homelessness.  Crime.  Pollution.  The world is going downhill and why on earth would you want to bring a child into such a place?

But of course, there is the reason.  The one reason that actually makes sense..   Children are the one hope the world has.  Every child born has the possibility of being the one who discovers the cure, who invents the clean technology, the one who turns the world around - into the place it could be. 

I didn't think I'd ever have a child.  I never actually tried to have one, though I'd managed to get pregnant several times.  I lost every one and thought that was it for me.  Which was okay, because really, who in their right mind would bring a child into this world.  And then, the happy accident that became my son - and I saw all the possibilities for him and for the world begin to unfold. 

In the service today, we the congregation vowed to help this child be all that she could be.  My responses to the charges were heartfelt and I think it was that way for a lot of the people there today.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone took the same attitude toward every child?  

With the help and care of every person, each child really could be the hope of the world.

Fun Monday assignment for June 6

Hey!!! I'm hosting Fun Monday for the Month of June!

School is getting out for the summer, so for Monday, June 6th, I want to know how you and/or your kids will be spending the next couple of months. Or, you could tell us your favorite strategies for staying cool!

Leave a comment if you want to play and I'll add the link!

Faye
Jill