Giving thanks

'Tis the season. I hope all of you, no matter where you are or who you're with, take some quiet moments to count your blessings. All the problems, craziness, and sorrow will still be there when you're done counting, but it does help to think about more positive things for awhile . . . every day.  😉

Our Thanksgiving plans were late in the making (such are the complications of blended families), but in the end we gathered at my MIL's house for dinner yesterday. My contributions were homemade crescent rolls (a perennial request), one of Costco's giant pumpkin pies, and a rather impressive, if I do say so myself, salad of homegrown butternut, radicchio and escarole from a neighbor's garden, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and feta. I took my knitting along for any down-time, but didn't work on it until we returned home. My short-term goal to get through the colorwork yoke before the calendar turns to December, and I think I'll make it. The horses have been revealed; I'm pretty tickled with it!

before the fancy salad bowl

Last Saturday night we were blessed by our son's thoughtful and generous joint birthday gift, tickets for all three of us to a Straight No Chaser concert at the Elsinore Theatre in Salem. I've been singing scraps of songs and grinning on and off ever since; it was fabulous, great fun as always. And I love that they encourage taking and posting photos and videos, so here you go:

I am thankful for getting some more medical stuff taken care of this year, since after my knee replacements my out-of-pocket obligations have been met. After five weeks of PT for my sciatica without resolving my symptoms, I was referred for a lumbar MRI and was able to get in for that right away. Now I'm trying to get into a pain management practice for a consultation (at least) and possible treatment (likely an injection) before the end of the year.

I am thankful for beauty. The sensory feast of fall is abating, but it is still lovely to me in its more muted phase.

entrance color, before the 'fall'

HUGE, beautiful mushrooms just up the hill, seen on a walk with Poppy

Mt. Hood, across the Willamette Valley, taken from horseback

all of these are from just one changing sunrise

I'm not counting blessings that haven't happened yet, but I'm encouraged by an email exchange with someone interested in buying three ewes. That would be a boon in several ways, including being able to merge the 'barn ewes' with the bigger group, and easing the demand on our too-meager hay supply.

Speaking of sheep, I've been swapping out tight coats for bigger ones as I can. The other night Bitta got a fresh coat, and even though it was after dark I snapped photos of her and Bauble mid-side. Considering that Bitta is black and Bauble is a black gulmoget, the photos turned out surprising well!

Thankful for the readers of this blog from . . .

Proximities

The proximity of these three hens fluffing in a sunny spot is not random. They are the pullets I got from a friend, who raised them from chicks. Toffee Bits, Honeybun, and Snowcone  (L-R) are my friendliest girls and still hang together.

Proximity has been on my mind. Two of my good friends have had close calls recently, one with a near-heart attack (she had lifesaving quadruple bypass surgery) and one with heavy police activity (culminating in SWAT team and K9 involvement) right next door. Having these things happen to those you care about is unsettling (more so for them, of course), a good reminder to take the time and effort to connect with them while you can.

I mentioned the proximity of this year's Christmas tree in my last post. On a related note, several landscaping plants in close proximity to our house look like they are decorating for the upcoming holiday:

Given the proximity of our first frost, time in the garden was on today's to-do list. I knew I had a couple young zucchini in there and probably some small green peppers, but found a lot more of both than I expected, plus a couple of tomatoes to ripen on the counter. So delighted to have this late bounty of fresh produce to cook with! I also pulled and stored all the tomato cages and water lines, and pulled some of the plants. There's a lot more left to clean up and clean out, but I'm hoping to recruit some help for that.

I joined my first-ever knitting club, a birthday present I gave to myself. Knitting Wester Ross by KDD (Kate Davies Designs) features a pattern release every Friday, and an essay about this mesmerizing area of the Scottish Highlands, complete with exquisite photos and video, every Sunday. I will likely never get to visit Wester Ross in person, but these offerings and the associated  Ravelry group have me feeling a proximity to it. Right now I'm too busy knitting my Dala sweater, spinning my Inglenook fiber, and anticipating the arrival of my holiday fiber snacks to think about knitting any of the patterns, but the two released so far are beautiful and will be tackled in the future.

first half done

second half well underway

That's it for now from . . .

Fall's siren call

I know, I know; I said I'd try not to get caught in an avalanche of photos/topics anytime soon. But my favorite season draws my eye a thousand times a day, and I can't help but try to capture some of its beauty.

But I did promise a spinning and knitting update, so I'll share that first.

I swatched for my Dala Sweater on November 1, did the maths for my skinnier yarn, and started knitting soon after. I dyed my white yarn with Tropical Punch KoolAid and am currently working the charted section. I've found knitting with fine yarn on 2..5mm needles isn't as challenging as I feared as long as I wear my bifocals and have good light.

I've also been spinning the Inglenook Fibers Bat-In-A-Braid (BIAB) that I'm going to ply with my silk hankies single. This project is way outside my  spinning norm, and I am curious to see how the finished yarn turns out. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the spin!

I've also accumulated more IF fiber (My Preciousssss) thanks to the gift certificates some sweet people I proxy-shopped for have given me. Lots of lovely spinning to look forward to – some day!

The next spinning project, after the IF singles in progress, will be the Jenkins Junkies Holiday Snacks I signed up for on Ravelry as a December spin. This was such a fun project last year that I wanted to do it again. I also signed up for my very first 'knitting club,' Kate Davies' Knitting Wester Ross. Call me crazy if you want, but with the release of just the first pattern and blog post, I'm already thrilled.

Now back to Fall's siren call. Pertinent info in captions.

Our power went out for several hours on November 3. We enjoyed the quiet evening!

On a street in Salem, traveling from my PT to visit someone in rehab.

Poppy getting cozy.

A stereotypical fall scene from our deck: bright green, gold and gray.

First look at dawn from our bedroom window; more from deck below.

Our front Japanese maple in full flame.

Another look towards the valley.

I meant to transplant this fir years ago. Now it's too big and will be our Christmas tree.

My view when Poppy stands on me to look out the window.

Mt. Hood seen from Stella's back higher up our hill.

View from our bedroom.

Rick and Brian have continued to work on the shop, laying slope-stabilizing blocks outside, and building a storage loft inside. Rick moved the remaining milled wood purchased last year into the woodshed.

I think all of the above – the fiber, the spinning, the knitting, my animals, appreciation of the Creator's beauty – are semi-conscious mental health exercises. And I'm okay with that!

That's all for now from . . .