Great White North

Ok....I had intended to keep writing while away....my sort of adventures, but this trip to Michigan took an unexpected turn.  My dear friend Rick (too many years to count) had a heart attack Friday evening and my thoughts have been preoccupied with his well-being.  I almost lost him.  But, he is off the respirator, sitting up and doing so much better.  His memory is suffering, but we keep prodding and hoping that soon the short term stuff will stick.  I am so thankful that he is doing so well.


Now...I am abandoning Rick to his mother and heading to Canada tomorrow...please let the border traffic be light and no, I do not have weapons, liquor or beef jerky to declare.  I'm looking forward to seeing my aunt, uncle, cousins.  I will try to post from there, but not sure how my time will work out as I'm sure I'll be knee deep in family fun.

Just a note....the lace scarf is coming along GREAT.  No pics yet...I'm waiting until I have it finished, but it looks great so far and I've managed to repeatedly pick up every stitch I dropped....yipes.

Happy Dominion Day to the Canadian family and Happy 4th to the Yanks and a very Happy Birthday to my dear, Ashlyn.  Happy 18th, Sweetheart!

Roses

Ok....so, I've taken pics of Mum's roses which are gorgeous...always.  She was just saying last night, "I was supposed to feed my roses on the 15th and didn't."  Perhaps this is why my roses don't look like hers?  Perhaps they need a schedule?  These are just a few pics of my favorite one...enjoy!  Tomorrow, the lilies...

PS....last night I joined the knit night at Beyond the Rainforest in Grand Blanc, MI.  What fun!  Thank you to Sue, Margaret and Jill for the laughs and being so welcoming.  I hope to see you all again soon!  If you haven't been there before, run in and check out the groovy yarn Sue has....mmmmmm!

Photos from some of the projects I completed for Mum.  I hadn't taken pictures when I gave them to her last year. 

English 101

Ok...so yesterday I had lunch with Linda, my dear friend of many years and former English teacher (junior high....eek).  It was Linda's birthday and I hope she had a wonderful day....we had sushi, so that couldn't have been a bad addition to the celebration.  As usual, I talked her ear off trying to catch up and as usual, the conversation closed in on books.  Linda has recommended so many books that I have loved and it seems whenever we chat; online, phone, in person....we always come around to book recommendations.  I love this part of our conversations.  I love that we have similar taste in material and that she is so willing to share, because you know that books and reading are all about sharing.  So we swapped titles until we meet again.  Linda is one of the reasons I constantly think about moving back to Michigan... 

So, Happy Birthday dear Linda....if I move back, will you knit with me?

A Little Wine and Renee...

Ok...so I spent the evening last night with my cousin Renee...just hanging, drinking wine and catching up.  I did get to meet the neighborhood dogs...this is quite the dog walking neighborhood....and dinner from BadaWest.  All around a great evening.  It amazes me how when I look at her face, I see everyone in my Dad's family...how does that happen?  Ok....I know HOW it happens, but it still amazes me.  What I need to know now is how she got the tiny person genes and I got the amazonian genes?  How is she wearing a size 5 shoe and mine are size 10....although, I do have pretty groovy shoes regardless of size.  I think the petite genes where on one size and the athena genes were on the other and when the time came, they didn't care to mix.  It's one of the things that makes us different when there are so many that make us alike.  Here's to childhood of Sundays under the dining room table playing with Renee and Greg.

Experiment is Complete...

Ok....so the sheep shop experiment is complete and turned out great after 6 starts...eek! 

Next on the needles is lace, not big orange lace, but tiny lace weight alpaca, tiny lace scarf, tiny size 4 needles (actually big for this type of knitting) and lots of holes...I love it so far, but I still have 300 yards to go, so we'll see how much I love it next week, or the week after that, or the week after that.....

So....comment about my friend Carole, who has just changed her Ravelry photo to a sticker that says, "i knit so i do not kill people"....love it!  I think the irony that she is using two pointed needles to deter her from killing is great....and Carole and the laughter that I'm sure comes from her as she does this (because she has a great sense of humor and fun)...is perfect.

Random thoughts about the last week or so...

1.  Driving into Chicago on a Sunday afternoon should be joyous, except for just before a Blackhawks game during the Cup Playoffs.  Now I know for all of you Hawks fans, it was ok to sit in traffic for an extra 1 1/2 hours to catch that, but for this Wings fan, who had been on the road for 8 hours already, yelling at the Garmin wasn't enough of a release....so I did what I do, I took pictures....see all the red tail lights.

2.  While in Chicago (north side, no hockey game), I was able to see my friends David and Joe...I can't express how it filled my heart to see these boys again...to talk and catch up....to notice that we all need reading glasses and to remember being younger, being silly (which really hasn't disappeared) and being friends...that never goes away, thank God.  A few pics from dinner with David and touring with Joe...

David and I on the beach in Evanston...Blurry and dark on purpose...makes me feel better.  We've agreed, no photos....I wish I had one to post when we were near this spot together in 198????...you know, a long time ago.

 Millennium Park

City from Lake MI                                                        Strolling Navy Pier in search of pirates

 

Joe's Pirate Buddies                                                         Joe and Giorgio 

 Yes Ashlyn, it looks like an ocean                                The Kristin shot...drinks from the Hancock

3.  Hanging at a spa in the middle of a waterpark, in Wisconsin, with the girls (no kids, drinks, a pool, lunch and Paco)....what a great way to spend a Friday.  Paco sure does get around.  Remind me to tell you who he is some time.

4.  Driving from the Wisconsin Dells to Flint....much better with a ferry ride across Lake Michigan.  Was good to sneak up on Muskegon and be on home turf.  The nap wasn't bad either.  Ok...it was.  I was one of the last cars to board, which meant one of the last ones to get a upstairs for a seat.  I managed to find one, but not what I was hoping for.  I was looking forward to a window seat, enjoying the lake ride and a read followed by a nap....this was not to be.  The people (man and daughter) were sitting inside and were in and out every time I fell asleep...what is up that I'm still miffed about this and people's lack of courtesy.  Every time I fell asleep, he tapped me on the shoulder, woke me up and I had to get up to let them in or out.  I sound old, but I really don't understand people these days.  We're so used to being isolated with our email and texts, that we have no idea how to behave with actual people any more.  This rant isn't over, but for this page....enough is enough.

5.  Sushi with friends is the best.  Now don't get me wrong...when you have to get your sushi on, it can be done alone, but the sharing is more fun.

6.  My brother is a cool dude and I love hanging with him.

7.  My Mum is a cool chick and I love hanging with her.

8.  I was in a dressing room in TJMaxx (no, none of those things worked for me), while listening to a woman have a conversation with another woman on speaker phone, while trying on clothes...this was a new one for me.  The conversation was about phone gal finding herself, which apparently she couldn't do in Flint, understandable, but now everyone knows, which is probably the main reason she had to leave.  I wonder how many other people in Flint have heard her life story over speaker phone.

9.  Happy Father's Day to my Uncle Nick.  I'm so glad I've had you in my life.  I ate a coney for you.

Ok...so I think that catches us up.  I've finished reading Sookie #10 and have moved on to "The Girl Who Played With Fire"....and my last thought this morning....I love Nashville, but it's not 97 in Michigan.