Guess Who and a Water Fowl Convention

Last week I spent some time with my family in Illinois. My nieces learned to play Guess Who, and they loved it so much that we must have play 20 games or more. If you're not familiar with it, here is a pic.








Spring is FINALLLY here! We've shoved the snowblower to the back of the garage and I certainly don't expect to need it anymore. Since the lake is finally thawed out, I've seen so many water birds in the past 2 days. Yesterday I saw a pair of ducks and a pair of little birds that my mom thought might be loons. Then I saw a pair of Canada geese. Then, this morning, I saw 2 swans enjoying a swim. I guess that's what happens on the lake in the spring.

Early this morning I actually felt rumblings from an earthquake that was centered somewhere in Illinois. I was fast asleep when my bed started to shake enough that it woke me up. In my sleepy state I just figured it was really windy outside but after seeing the news about the quake, I think that must have been what woke me. WEIRD!

International Spring Break Trip

It is Spring Break week here. I guess it is always the first full week in April, which seems really late this year. I spent the weekend at my cousin's house in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Crossing the Ambassador Bridge is always thrilling!

My cousin, Tim, is a choral conductor and I wanted to get to one of his concerts and spend time with him, his wife and kids.

I don't think the custom's agent believed my story. She asked if I'd ever visited them there before and when I said "no" she asked why I was going there now. When I told her that I was going to a concert, she wanted to know what concert and the exact location, as well as where in Windsor my cousin lives. I must have looked like I was coming to party or something.

It was something of a party atmosphere at their church, St. Mark's by-the-lake Anglican Church where they had Hockey Jersey Sunday. Canadians really love their hockey! Nearly everyone at church had on a jersey. A brass band played the Hockey Night in Canada Theme Song and everyone sang O, Canada. I only know, "O, Canada! Our home and native land!" I guess I'd better study the words for next time.

The choir concert was great fun as well. The University of Windsor Singers and the Women's Chamber Choir did a great job. Very entertaining.

Feel Like Yawning?

Okay, so it is FINALLY warm enough to go for a walk outside without freezing my butt off or slipping on the ice. The lake just completely thawed out on Tuesday. When I walk alone, I like to listen to music or to podcasts. Today I listed to an NPR Story of the Day Podcast called The Quest to Design the Perfect Yawn. I learned that 55% of people will yawn in response to simply hearing someone talk about yawning. I am undoubtedly one of those people. As soon as the topic was announced on the podcast, I started with the yawning and it continued repeatedly for the entire 7 minutes of the podcast. When I even thought about writing this post, the yawning started up again.

What does this say about me? I get 8 or 9 hours of sleep every night. I shouldn't be tired, but it sure doesn't take much to make me sleepy. Test it out on your friends and family. See if just talking about yawns makes them yawn. Read more or listen to podcast for yourself by clicking here. There is a school science project in here somewhere...

Happy Feet

I love to send little surprise packages to people. They often include something knitty. Today I received a surprise package of my own. A pair of Knitting Girl socks. Thanks, Sher!









I am working on a secret knitting project right now, but I can show you something else I made. What used to be a wool sweater is now a felted handbag.

Wrapped Up in Love

The following is from an email I received from a LYS (local yarn shop). I just like how they describe why we knit, or at least why I knit.

…why do you knit? Do you ever wonder what makes you knit?

Today the sun is shining – or at least it is shining at the moment, and the minute I see it, my fingers itch towards my needles. Why? Because my heart is happy and I want to knit. But, isn’t it also true that when we are the most tired, the most stressed, the most…well, the most anything, we feel compelled to knit? Why is that?

We think that it is because knitting is good for the soul.

...knitting is so much more than just needles and yarn. It is so much more than the simple act of moving stitches from one needle to the next. It’s even more than the amazing and satisfying thrill that you get each time you take a long piece of yarn and loop it and bend it and twist it until a sweater leaps off your needles.

Something happens along the way. Along the way our skills and confidence grow. Along the way we meet new friends. Along the way we learn new things. Along the way our hearts grow together – in very much the same way that our stitches knit together. Even if we knit by ourselves in the quiet and solitude of our homes – we are part of all the knitters that have come before us and all of the knitters that knit today. It doesn’t matter if we knit in groups or by ourselves, we all belong to a community of knitters!

Knitters will never be strangers with each other. It’s not possible. Because we share the same heart. And we know that the most important thing in the heart of a knitter isn’t the knowledge – it isn’t the techniques – it isn’t the skill – it isn’t the biggest stash – it’s one simple thing. Love. And, perhaps that’s the answer to our question. We knit because we love. Period. We love to knit. We love others. We love yarn. We love learning new things. We love the bonds we form through knitting. We love the laughter. We can even love our mistakes. (Someday we may even learn to love gauge…although we can already hear some of you saying that that’s pushing it!)

So then, with so much of this love in our hearts – doesn’t it just make sense that our finished objects reflect that love? Which is probably one of the biggest reasons why we knit for other people, isn’t it?

We knit for our family and friends because it makes our hearts happy to know that they will be wrapped in the stitches that we created just for them. It makes us smile to know that their hands will be warmed with our knitted mittens. Why else in the world would we knit socks for someone with really, really large feet? Because of the little glow we get when they wear them – for the way their faces light up when they receive our knitted gifts. They know, don’t they? They know that they’re wearing more than just a pair of socks. They know that they are wearing a tangible expression of our love for them. (From Handweavers Inspriring Yarn Shop, Kalamazoo, MI)

If you are in the Kalamazoo area, Handweavers is offering some upcoming opportunities to knit for others. Check out their website for more info: http://www.handweavers.biz/.

Here Comes the Sun

Yesterday it was nearly 60 degrees!! I think it's just a tease because we could easily still get a winter blast but for one day it seemed like spring might soon be a reality. I was even motivated to do a tiny bit of yardwork.

While exploring around, I found this:

How did it get there? Very strange.

Even with the sunny day, we still have some patches of glittery snow. It seems fake sitting in patches when it's too warm for even my Polartec vest.

Enough Already

It's snowing again. That's all I have to say about that.