September 23, 2007
All hail the golden light of fall!
When last we chatted, it was about our love for autumn. You will now see that it is a bit of an obsession with me. Therapy may be needed but I will remain in denial and just love it to my heart's content!
When Lucia mentioned the golden light as one of her favorite things about fall, I had a bit of a head smack moment! OF COURSE! The GOLDEN LIGHT! That is one of the things that makes fall look so beautiful, in my humble opinion. And I wondered if I could take a picture that would justify the beauty. I'm not sure if I did, but here's my take on:
The Golden Light:
(Please forgive how many times I actually use the phrase "golden light" in this post)
To see the golden light shining through the trees makes me happy! This is the thing that will give me a stiff neck as I stand with my head thrown all the way back, losing my balance to drink it all in!
Again, looking like a nut to my neighbors. You'd think they'd be used to it by now?
The church across the street from me looks absolutely heavenly lit with the golden light. You can almost see why this would be seen as a personal message from above, can't you?
Positively golden. And glowing.
Cue the patriotic music! Who needs the rockets red glare when we have the golden light? Really.
And the shadows? Made from the golden light, obviously? Positively, well....golden! (light) Hollywood could not duplicate this look!
And then?
If we're lucky?
The light will then turn pink:
And that, my friends, is why I love fall so much.
But you know that it's not the ONLY reasons. I have more. And I'll share them too.
Question is? Will you read along?
(golden light?)
~~
Life's been wonderfully busy. The porch is finished. WOOT! We have been busy scrubbing the porch chairs and table so we can sit out there. Even after scrubbing to within an inch of their lives and a good bleach job? They still look so shabby out there on that wonderful porch. Next spring, we'll be investing in new ones. Poor old things, rejected because they are old and well loved. Good thing no one does that to me!
And Derek bought a new car. Be still my worrying heart. It is a Dodge SRT-4. If you don't know what it is? It is FAST. And red. Did I tell you how fast it is? I worry. If you have a bit of time at the end of your day, please cross fingers, toes, eyes and anything else that can be crossed to wish for some Derek safety. If only that golden light could help me out on this one.
Someone at work asked me WHY I would let him buy such a fast car? He is 21 years old after all.
I know. He's 21. And did I tell you about his birthday? No I don't think I did. I was so exhausted and uspet about the whole thing.
Well, for those that don't know, the legal drinking age is 21. So, at midnight he went out with a bunch of friends to celebrate his first legal (notice I keep saying LEGAL?) imbibing of the spirit. And everyone bought him a shot. Or two. After all, who doesn't love to celebrate a birthday? And he had a LOT of shots in a little bit of time. Silly boy, er man. Needless to say there was some sleeping on the bathroom floor and some..well. That's enough details. You can probably imagine the rest.
So I have a son that is 21.
And I did not tell you that he is not going back to school. He really really had a great time there. But let's just say that he did not spend many a night burning the candle oil in the library. So now he has a full time job that he is loving with a major cable company that is really good to it's employees, which is rare to find nowadays.
And Bethany? She did not go back to UNH because she did not want to continue on the path to being an athletic trainer, which makes little to NO money per year out in the world and UNH is EXpensive. She wanted to go to school to be a radiation tech but the local programs were full. Which is a conundrum. She enrolled at North Shore Community College in their travel and hospitality program, to be a travel agent. Even though a medical job is her dream. She felt she had to do something. And she hated it. (who could see that one coming, raise your needles) To make things worse? Classes were in Lynn. That's right, the city of sin, never come out the way you went in! (This is not to say that Lynn doesn't have it's wonderful places. It does. But it is a rough town. And it scared Bethany. She is less scared of Boston, honestly) So, 3 weeks into classes, I come downstairs ready for work one morning and find her all puffy eyed and sobbing on the couch. She told me how miserable her classes were making her (she was used to university caliper classes and these were quite insulting to her, for instance, spending a whole class explaining what latitude and longitude were) And how she hated Lynn and how she really wanted to go into Radiation science of some sort. She works in the local hospital (in food services) and she knows that the hospital is her kind of thing. So, follow her dreams she must. Don't you agree? She went to Lynn one last time that day and unenrolled in classes. So for now, she is working a lot and taking an EMT class. And thinking of applying to Suffolk University for Radiation Biology.
Color me impressed (which would be GOLDEN, just for the record)
My point in telling you all of that? (Are you still reading? Extra bloggy points for you) (bloggy points are worthless and can not be turned in for anything) Last year, remember how I was so miserable that everyone had left for college and it was so quiet around here?
Yeah.
I'd pay money for a little quiet right now. And less laundry, and mess, and snack litter.
File this under: Be careful what you wish for. You might get it. Not that it's a bad thing. They are good people. If I do say so myself. But the worrying is kicked up a notch. I was good at tucking away the worry when I could not see them everyday.
PHEW.
My fingers are tired. (But not golden)
Derek in his new car (red one) at the RACEWAY, picture taken by my husband. I could not bear to watch. At least this is controlled speeding, right?
~golden light, golden light~
September 17, 2007
There is a crisp in the air! You know what that means? APPLE FARM!!
There are so many reasons to love a beautiful fall weekend like the one we just had.
What are your favorite fall things?
~~~~
as always, click any picture to Flickr it up!
September 14, 2007
The view from the porch
This is what is left of the tree that fell on my car. A huge pile of debris that is taller than I. You can see the tree in the back of the pile with the fresh cut from the fallen limb. I've got to say, about all of that experience: (and you can quote me on this)
"That was weird"
Weird. Weird experience.
The car goes to the insurance adjuster tomorrow to be appraised for damages. Honestly it is not as bad as it could have been but there are many deep scratches and some small dents in the roof. And it's a lease car so it must be fixed. I think it's looking pretty good for having a tree sitting on it.
How about a couple of before and after porch photos?
I love to see the difference!
Before:
and more before:
And
AFTER:
I'm over the moon in love with it all! Sure, we're poor. But we have a great porch to be poor on. The best part? No painting. Ever. It is a composite material that is maintenance free. Right up our alley~ Next up? New gutters for the house and then a paint job. Our home will still be blue. I love having a blue house. I mean, really. A sky lover like me? How could I live in any other color house?
~~~
Other than that? I'm knitting slowly but surely on the Helgi's mittens. And blogging has been difficult for me. Which makes me more than sad. So, I'm thinking I'm going to do a bit of a photo blogging for a little bit so I can work on getting my groove back. I hope the groove still exists.
Fingers crossed for a groove, please.
September 08, 2007
The day that a tree fell on my car!
This morning, around 9:10, I heard unusual sounds that went on and on. They were loud sounds. Popping and snapping kind of sounds. Unlike any I have heard before.
The sounds? Were the sounds of a tree cracking and falling.
ON MY CAR!!!
Where's Waldo type of "Where's my car?". My first thought (while all the cracking and popping was still going on) was to move the car out of harms way. So I grabbed the key and ran outside. And realized it was not something that was reasonable. The tree was still moving and too much was sitting on the car. So, I did what any sane and reasonable, capable woman would do! I stood on my new porch and cried "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD" over and over.
I mean, what would you do?
But the scariest part? I mean besides a car that may be potentially crushed? Is this:
It was laying on MY NEW PORCH!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!
But this tree story does have a happy ending, as long as you are not the tree. My car? Scratches and a small dent. Fixable. Totally. The porch? Just had branches sitting on it. It could have been worse. No one was hurt.
The tree:
And that is all a good thing. Now? I must await the tree surgeons.
September 07, 2007
Sunshine on my front porch.....makes me happy
That's one confused kitty. Fig doesn't get why the other day, it was not good to stand on the porch ribs and today? It's okay to walk all over it.
The front porch is almost done. Coincidentally, so is our savings account!
It needs railings, front lattice work, the yard is a holy mess, so is the house. And I couldn't be happier!
Well, there's always this:
And if THAT doesn't make me happy, nothing will.
It's a good day! New porch! Walking up the front stairs! Helgi's mittens (in the yummiest of all yarns called Alpaca Fiber Exchange) and it's Friday.
September 03, 2007
Does she knit? Or doesn't she?
I almost thought I was done knitting! I did not feel it at all. You would think something like this would make me feel the knitting joy:
Gryfindor sock made for a baby that is having a Harry Potter themed life. (Beginning of life, anyway). And it's cute! I feel zero excitement.
Night after night I would avoid that little sock and it's non existent mate like the plague.
But I would walk by this yarn:
Which is called Alpaca Fiber Exchange in the colorways Cream of the Top and Cocoa bought at Newbury Yarns on my outing with Dave and Norma and cannot be found on the internets to link. No link. Over it? good.
This yarn is the softest yarn, giving cashmere a run for it's money. Although this was a bit of a cashmere price, but money? It does not bring happiness. Alpaca yarn CAN bring happiness and I will stand by that statement and fight to the death about it if I have to.
I got in my head that I should do another pair of helgi's mittens with it. Helgi's mittens were my absolute favorite mittens to wear. And I lost them. LOST, did you hear me? Forever lost. ~big dramatic sigh~ Every time I passed this wonderful yarn, it spoke to me. Helgi's mittens, please. And I fought it. And couldn't feel the love for anything else.
It was in the background. Helgi's mittens.
I tried to knit on these:
Fleece artist thrummed mittens which would make me very happy come the Cold New England Winter Weather. Which is sooner than we all think (thank bob). BUT. I cannot find the ball band pattern that I was following. Yes. Yes, I could knit it any old mitten way. But this thumb has some kind of freaky Fleece Artist way about it and I can't figure it out by looking at it. Sure, sure, I can rip it out past the thumb part and start anew. But that? Seems like so much ENERGY right now.
again with the ~big, dramatic sigh~
So, Helgi's mittens it is. Sometimes we cannot control our creative impulses. When I feel them, sometimes I try to resist them. I am not going to resist. I have now cast on and feel excited.
Which is more than I can say for Fig, trying again and again to be let in or out through the blocked off front door, leading to the porch construction.
Set in his ways, that Fig. Much like his human.