Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, love divine; Love was born at Christmas, Star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead, Love incarnate, love divine; Worship we our Jesus: But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token, Love shall be yours and love be mine, Love to God and to all men, Love for plea and gift and sign.
~Christina Rosetti 1830-1894
So many people have written such lovely Christmas messages on their blogs and websites. My favorite this year was written by Carrie at The Parenting Passageway: A Christmas Mood.
A merry Christmas to all, and may God rest you in his perfect Peace.
I think I may have finally succombed to holiday madness. After rolling, cutting, baking, and decorating one hundred forty sugar cookies with the kids yesterday, I brainlessly threw my watch into the silverware basket of the dishwasher. My husband found it this morning with water sloshing around inside its crystal face. It gave him quite a chuckle.
I think I know what I'm getting for Christmas :- )
I saw these mugs on Soulemama's blog, and thought they would be nifty gifts for my children to make for their friends and grandparents. We went to the dollar store to buy our mugs; they had a very nice selection. I decided to skip the step with the graphite paper. Instead, we free-handed our friends' names by copying one of my favorite fonts, Stripes and Bubbles. We filled each mug with an envelope of Starbuck's Hot Cocoa, mini marshmallows, Hershey Kisses, and a candycane for stirring. They were a quick, easy, inexpensive gift, and fun to make--a good last minute gift idea.
Today, we went to the woods and decorated a tree with edible ornaments for the critters: pinecones spread with peanut butter and rolled in birdseed, apple and orange slices, and nuts. The air was crisp and invigorating. I brought my camera, but forgot my memory card, so I don't have pictures to share. You'll have to believe me when I say that the sky was clear and blue and filled with the chatter of migrating birds, and that there was a skin of ice already forming on the pond. We saw geese, ducks and swans, and admired the architecture of the deciduous trees. The few people we encountered in the woods with their dogs seemed happy. We were too.
I brought my last Christmas box to the post office today, and there was a line. In front of me was a woman who was maybe ten or fifteen years older than I. I saw her get out of her car, a very snazzy red Chrylser 200. So I said to her, "I love your car--everything about it, but especially the color. My husband needs a new car, and I'm going to tell him about yours." Just that little bit of friendliness opened such a lovely window into this woman's life. In the next seven minutes I learned that she doesn't have any children of her own, but is an enthusiastic and involved aunt. Every year she gives each of her nieces and nephew a special Christmas ornament. This year she dug out some old photos of herself and made ornaments that coincided with what's currently going on in her nieces' and nephew's lives. For example, one of her nieces is getting ready to receive First Communion, so she made an ornament with a photo of her own First Communion. Another niece just attended her first winter ball at school, so the lady gave her an ornament of herself dressed for her first winter ball. Her nephew loves airplanes, so she gave him an ornament with a photo of herself flying her plane.
I am a very shy person, but this year I have forced myself to be more friendly and "make contact" with people. I had such a pleasant exchange with this lady at the post office, that I found myself happy to be waiting in line :- )
This morning I awoke with this carol playing in my heart. This version, by Legacy Vocal Ensemble, is the loveliest that I have heard, and the accompanying images are deeply soul-stirring.
On Friday mornings in December we visit a local nursery to walk among the fresh cut Christmas trees and breathe in their dark and spicy fragance. We stuff our pockets full of cracked corn to feed the Christmas goats (and llama). Afterward, it's hot cocoa at Starbucks. These are the small moments that I live for :- )
In the past few weeks knitting has been about Christmas. This little toy set Is a gift that I knit for a friend. The toys fit inside the little knitted sack :-) The tomtens were made from this pattern, and the mouse and sack were knit from patterns in this book. I used O-wool Balance (50/50 cotton/merino) for the white, and Plymouth Select (superwash merino) for the green and red colors.
All through Advent I've been reading books about the Blessed Virgin. I love this book about the many apparitions of Mary and the miracles associated with them. It's difficult for me to express how deeply inspired I am by the accounts in this book.
Monday was the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We made a pinata that we painted to look like the world, and had a Mexican supper of fajitas, rice, and beans. After supper I read the story of Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe to my children. The next day, my oldest son told me that he was very moved by the story. He looked up the details of the blessed Tilma and was amazed by what he learned.
"For me, prayer is the heart's impulse, a simple gaze toward heaven. It is a cry of gratitude and love, from the depths of trial as well as the heights of joy. Finally, it is something great, supernatural, that expands my soul and unites me to Jesus."
The day after Thanksgiving, Luke and I looked out the front window and saw this cardinal aglow in the morning light. The rest of the house was still asleep. The carndinal looked like a colored leaf, the tree like stained glass. On another branch was a robin (truly, there was!), and on the ground beneath was a squirrel. It was a splendid sight.
The first two weeks of Advent have been filled with:
:: walking in the woods with bags of seed and crusts of bread for the cold birds and critters.
:: decorating!
:: knitting little gifts for friends, and hats for the troops
:: reading books about the Blessed Mother and reflecting on her character and holiness. This week, I am really enjoying this one.
:: going to our town's tree lighting festival
:: shopping for Christmas and birthday gifts (four of my five children's birthdays fall in November, December, and January)
:: visiting a local nursery to walk among the Christmas trees and feed the Christmas goats
:: making a Jesse Tree with Luke. Ours is a simple green triangle of poster paper hung on the wall above his little table in the kitchen. We have been coloring the ornaments found here, and using the readings found here.
Today was a very full day. There was storytime at the library in the morning with Luke, and then after lunch Seth and I drove into Boston to spend the afternoon comparing ancient sculptures at the Museum of Fine Arts. We've taken three trips to the museum this semester, and every time it has rained. I'm glad to be home now with a steaming hot cup of tea, and my book and knitting beside me :- )
A couple of weeks ago I saw this quote on Kortney's blog, which led me to The Illumined Heart, by Frederica Mathewes-Green. What a wise, beautiful, encouraging and insightful little book for those who desire a deeper understanding of the ancient path of Christianity. I liked it so much that I put several of Mathewes-Green's books in my queue at the library. Today I started reading, The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts, in preparation for Advent.
I haven't been knitting too much because of the pain in my hand, but of course, I must knit a little :- ) I'm making s l o w progress on my Tea Leaves Cardi. I'd say I'm about three quarters through the body. Yesterday I put it aside so that I could begin knitting caps for the troops. This is a project that I am working on in conjunction with my church group, The Friends of St. Anthony. Once a month the Friends volunteer time to pack care packages with HOTS (Helping Our Troops). It's cold in Afghanistan this time of year, and the troops need wool knit caps to keep their heads warm, even under their helmets. HOTS provided the pattern, a very simple stockinette hat with three tows of 1 x 1 ribbing around the edge. I'm using Plymouth Select Worsted Merino Superwash color #12. I hope to complete a hat every other day. I'm experimenting with different ways to hold my needles to help alleviate my hand pain (and I'm being very mindful about keeping my hands loose). Do any of you knitters have some helpful tips?
“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” ~ Mother Teresa
This morning we sat quietly in the kitchen after putting peanuts out on the deck, and waited for our furry friends to come: one, two, three! This one is the littlest and the boldest. He hasn't yet learned that there is much to fear in a suburban neighborhood. He comes right up to the glass door, even with our big black dog on this side wagging his tail and smiling and wishing to play chase.
The smallest, quietest moments are often the happiest.
"The bread you do not use is the bread of the hungry. The garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of the person who is naked. The shoes you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot. The money you keep locked away is the money of the poor," said St. Basil the Great. St. Ambrose agreed: "There is your brother, naked and crying! And you stand confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering."
p. 89 from, The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation, by Frederica Mathewes Green
Right now I'm trying to take each day as it comes and be thankful for it's work and for it's bread. I'm trying to be a good steward of my time each day, seeing every minute as a gift, an opportunity to serve and love, which has made me more productive and cheerful. I am trying to abide in Christ the only way we can: moment-by-moment, day-by-day. If I look ahead I lose all perspective. Joy is in the moments: the baby's eyelashes, the toddler's happy song, dust motes sparkling in a sunbeam, the smell of good things cooking and baking, the feel of wool between my fingers, companionship and laughter while playing a board game, cold cheeks while walking in the woods, the homey smell of wood smoke from my neighbor's chimney, the warm feeling of helping a friend...
Progress on my Tea Leaves Cardigan has s l o w e d this week due to pain in my right hand. The large joint at the base of my thumb is really sore and my entire hand is weak. I have a regualr physical scheduled on Friday, so I'm going to mention it to my doctor. I hope it's not arthritis :- (
Since I can't knit (much), I've been reading more. I'm thoroughly enjoying Miss Read's Fairacre series. I'm also readingMy Life With the Saints, which is excellent--very engaging.
I'm also enjoying walks in the woods. Last weekend's snowstorm (all melted now) gave me a sense of urgency to get out there before the woods fill up with snow.
Skogskyrkogården Sweden on All Saints' Day Photo: Michael Cavén/Flickr
Gradually I found myself growing fonder of these saints and developing a tenderness toward them. I began to see them as models of holiness relevant to contemporary believers, and to understand the remarkable ways that God works in the lives of individuals. Each saint was holy in his or her unique way, revealing how God celebrates individuality. As C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity: "How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerers have been: how gloriously different are the saints."
~James Martin, SJ, My Life With the Saints p.6
Today is All Hallows Day (or as we call it in the United States, All Saints Day). Tonight, Christians throughout Europe will leave candles and flowers in cemeteries to honor all the saints of Christ, both known and unknown. I have heard that in Poland the cemeteries are lit up with thousands and thousands of candles. Can you imagine what a holy light it must be? I think it is a beautiful tradition.
Last night, I was getting ready to serve supper (which was chicken and gnocchi with butternut squash), when I noticed that it was snowing out. A couple of hours later, at 8:30 pm the power went out. Since I have spent the last few days cleaning out the basement, I knew just where the candles were: the lowest shelf, right at the bottom of the stairs. I carefully felt my way down into the deep darkness, sat on the cold cement floor with a box of kitchen matches on my lap and lit candles. My older children came down the stairs one by one to carry them up. I am always surprised by how much light one little candle gives.
Photo by my son Seth
At first, it was exciting and fun to sit in the candlelight together But, after two, and then three hours, we began to worry about the fish. We were right to be concerned. Around 11 o'clock, Big Joe jumped out of the tank and onto the floor! (A six feet drop.) Zachary thinks he needed oxygen. The rescue effort was stressful and intense. At one point his fins were caught in the net. He is a gold-spot rabbit fish with poisonous dorsal spines, so it was challenging to get him back into the tank and untangled from the net without getting stung, which would have required a trip to the emergency room.
This is Big Joe :-)
The power came back on at 12:45 am.
This morning there were about four inches of heavy wet snow on the ground. We were sad to see so many trees down on our street. One after another of them were badly damaged or completely felled like this one. They are all young trees, about twelve years old and twenty-five feet tall.
I made waffles for breakfast this morning, brushed off the car, shoveled the drive, and went to Mass. In the afternoon, we had a pumpkin carving party.
But, outside it looks more like Christmas than Halloween!
One :: The first snow of the season happened last night. It was thrilling, wild, and lovely--and, a little frightening; it's so early. Since such things have been recorded in Boston, it has only snowed in October four other times. Thankfully it was just a dusting :-)
Two :: I am cleaning out my basement. There are seven people in my house, and it's the place where things land when people think they still want something, but they don't want it now. I've been at the job for two days, and I'm not done yet. There are spiders down there. And centipedes. :-0
Three :: Tea and cake are nice.
Four :: I wish that the yarn I chose for my Tea Leaves Cardigan was not such a dark shade. It is really difficult to see the pretty yoke details. However, I do love the yarn and the color. It's darkest plum with lovely tweedy speckles throughout. The rows in the yoke are l o n g. I can't wait to separate the sleeves tonight.
Five :: Bunnies make great pets. Our English Lop is gentle, affectionate, funny, and sweet. I wish that I hadn't hesitated so long to get a rabbit. I had heard nothing but bad things about them: they are stupid and bite and scratch. Lies.
Six :: I picked up Village School by Miss Read at the library this week after being reminded of Miss Read's books by Kyrie in her lovely blog series on the ordinary arts. I want to read the whole Fairacre series this winter.
Seven :: Is there anything better than a bowl of hot, buttery popcorn with a steaming cup of hot chocolate while watching a favorite television show?
My daughter A made this creepy, chocolatey, Halloween cake today. Yum!
Yesterday it was clear and crisp, the perfect day for an autumn leaf walk and a bit of history at The Old North Bridge in Concord. This old wooden bridge is the place where the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired.
There were old trees there that were surely standing during the colonial period. Perhaps colonial children climbed them, too.
Near the bridge a couple stood together hand-in-hand while a minister read them their vows. They were getting married! Their wedding clothes were woolen coats, scarves, and boots. They had no witnesses or guests other than the ducks and geese, the chipmunks, the trees and sky. And, those of us who were also out enjoying the day. The couple looked very happy. My children and I thought it was a very beautiful wedding.
At home we ironed the leaves we collected between sheets of waxed paper and cut them out to hang on the windows.
Some days are so golden-bright, that I feel powerfully and completely connected to God, man, and nature; all that is, and all that ever was.
I will try this day to live a simple, sincere, and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike faith in God.
In particular I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer, work, study, physical exercise, eating and sleep which I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me to be right.
And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord God my Father, in Jesus my Savior, and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen
(From Forward Day By Day, a booklet of daily Bible readings and devotions published by the Episcopal Church).
One:: A golden October day playing chase in a corn maze, picking pumpkins, and buying mums to decorate the front of our house.
Two:: Eight balls of Silk Road yarn, by Jo Sharp, color Emporio, and a pattern called Tea Leaves, by Melissa LaBarre for Madelinetosh.
Three:: Waking up in the early morning while it is still pitch dark, and seeing the quarter moon hanging brightly outside my window.
Four:: Two children who won't use the upstairs bathroom because of the "lady monster".
Five:: A very sweet bunny who makes us laugh and smile.
Six:: Reading bedtime stories that feature the Big Bad Wolf, who frightens us and makes us laugh both at the same time.
Seven: Making and playing with playdough on a rainy day.
Kool-aid Playdough Recipe
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 Tablesppons oil
1 cups boiling water
1 packet unsweetened Kool-aid
Mix first three ingredients together. Add oil. Mix Kool-aid and water. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. When cool, knead with hands until smooth. Store in air-tight container.
We are Americans. We have the right to protest peacefully. Why are the police in cities across the nation harrassing and arresting un-armed citizens? Over 125 cities are participating in the Occupy Wall Street protests. The protesters are workers, retirees, students, mothers and fathers, clergy, military men and women, young people and old. They are your neighbors. They are you and me.
This movement has been criticized for not having a clear focus. Yet, the message is crystal clear: Get Big Business Out Of Government and Politics. Just as Martin Luther had a list of 95 Theses against the Church (and no one accuses him of being unclear), so the Occupy Wall Street movement has a long list of malfeasance against current government policy. To list just three:
The unemployment rate (the US is short 20 million jobs)
99% of Americans are struggling to make ends meet in an economy where jobs are scarce, pay cuts are common, and a four year college education costs about $100K per student.
If you are not outraged, then you should be.
If you care about freedom, please watch the following video. If you care about this issue, please consider sharing it with everyone you know:
or Geo, Cookies, Flopsy, or Bugsy. We can't decide on a name. We've just been calling our new bunny whatever name pops into our head at the moment :- )
We got her last Sunday when she was just eight weeks old. She will be a "house bunny", which means that she is not caged--although, she does have a cage. Her cage is her den, and the door is always open (well, almost always. We confine her when we go to bed and when we leave the house; this is for her safety). She learned to use her litter pan in only three days. No accidents since then. We are keeping her confined to the kitchen for now, which is the most bunny proof room in our house. Today, we had to trim her nails, which went pretty well considering that both she and I were terrified.
Her fur is very soft.
Her nose is very twitchy.
Her ears are very long.
I've always wanted a bunny.
(Just thought I'd say that :-)
Ever since reading The Call, by Yannick Murphy this summer, I haven't been able to stop thinking about bunnies. She made them some sound so sweet and appealing.
Here is a 15 second video that I took of her nibbling on one of her toys the day after we brought her home.
It has been a very full week--so full that I haven't had any time to write a blog post or do much laundry (there is a mountainous pile to be done). I do have a few happy things to report:
The Whipporwill Shawl is off the needles. I just need to weave in the ends and block it (why do I always put off these tasks?)
My son has received a volunteer position at The New England Aquarium--the only 16 year old this fall!
I'm on book #3 of the Nell Sweeney mystery series.
We have a new pet bunny. She's an 8 week old English Lop (these are the bunnies with the really l o n g ears that drag on the ground--adorable!)
Okay, let's talk about that last point :- ). I really hope that some of my readers will consider taking a peek at "The Harp". There are some great poems and stories to read there. Sarah and I would love to get more people writing and particpating. It's all just forfun--completely judgment free. Take a look at the current prompt and just let your brain play with it. You can write anything, in any format, any style, any genre. (Kids can participate, too!) Email it to Sarah or me, and we will put it up on the site. It's that simple. Why not give creative writing a try?
This afternoon, when I should have been vacuuming, I wrote a little story for the new prompt. A few days ago, another internet friend submitted a story for Prompt #4 (it's perfectly fine to write something for any prompt that grabs your attention--you don't have to stick to the current one).
I'm in the final section of the Whipporwil shawl for my daughter. This has been such a fun knit, and much quicker than I thought it would be. Hopefully it will be blocked and ready to photograph next week.
My friend Annie sent me a book of short stories called, Lucy's Eggs, which I am enjoying. And, I started the second book in P.B. Ryan's Nell Sweeney series. This one is called, Murder In a MIll Town. One of the things that I find annoying about reading series books is the inevitable re-cap of past events and characters at the beginning of each book. I wonder if the authors think that it's important, or if it's something that publishers require them to do in an attempt to make each book stand-alone. It really destroys the pacing of the story. But, I love Nell Sweeney's character and the setting of this series enough to suffer through the re-caps.
Today our power was out for almost two hours, which sent us rushing off to the nearest pet shop to find a battery powered air pump for Z's fish aquariums. He said that if the power was off for much longer than two hours the fish would die. Unfortunately, the pet shop's electicity was out, too. The traffic lights were also out, making driving quite hazardous. Happily, by the time we got back home the power had been restored, and there were no fatalities, human or aquatic.
I spent the morning editing a story for a friend who is taking a univeristy fiction class. She and I grew up next door to one another, and the story was based on her memories of when her childhood home burned down. I was three years old when it happened, and she was five, yet we both have pretty vivid recollections of it. I remember being woken up in the middle of the night, the sky flickering orange-bright, casting weird shadows on the walls of my bedroom, my father's strong arms lifing me. I remember the fire engines filling our narrow lane, how loud they were, and how big. My family went across the street to my uncle's house. My aunt made me hot chocolate and toast. My cousin Judy was asleep upstairs and couldn't play with me; I was disappointed. I was wearing a pink blanket sleeper. It had lost it's softness and was covered in pills. When I read my friend's story of her memories of the fire, I cried. There were things that I had forgotten, like how her sister had to jump from a second story window and broke her leg, and that her asthmatic brother was hospitalized with smoke inhalation. Her family had to live in a rented house for almost a full year while their house was being re-built. I had forgotten all that. It's funny, the things you recall, and the things that you don't.
Today was the first sunny day of the week. I'm still waiting for the trees to burst into color. It seems late to me. I did see a large V of Canada Geese high in the sky this afternoon, heading south for the winter. Does the fall foliage seem to be on schedule where you live?
This red-tailed hawk has been hanging around our yard playing hide and seek with the chickens. Luckily, our dog has kept him from coming too close, but I know that he is a real threat. I don't want to lose any of our hens now that they are all good layers.
For the past week, every evening after supper when the dishes are washed and put away, we turn off all of the lights in the house except for the one over the kitchen sink, and our whole family plays hide and seek. The rule is that you can hide anywhere you want on the first and second floors (the basement, garage, and attic are off limits). It is the most fun I've had in a long while--I feel just like a little kid. It's quite thrilling to hide in the dark and search for new hiding places. We play until everyone has had a turn being the seeker. In my family that's seven rounds :- )
Sometimes I find myself researching odd bits of things, which often find their way into the stories I write. Currently, I've been interested in chatelaines.
Chatelaine is French for, "Mistress of the castle".
In the 18th and 19th centuries, women in charge of their estates wore a decorative clip of long chains holding important household items about the waist. These items were things like the key to a pantry where valuable tea, spices and food were kept; a small notebook; sewing items; a magnifying glass; or maybe a watch, nail file, or compass. The earlier waist-hung items were referred to as "equipage", later evolving to "chatelaine" in the early1800s
The chatelaine, while still having the useful purpose of organizing the household, also became a fashion accessory that was often given as a wedding present from a husband to his bride. Sewing and needlework were an important part of a young girl's education and these accessories were ideal in organizing notions. Chatelaines were made of silver, brass, steel, leather, or fabric, depending on the financial status of the household. There was a decorative clip that attached to the waistband with three to seven long chains with clasps suspended from it. If you've seen "The Others" with Nicole Kidman, she is wearing one.
Chatelaines were also called "necessaires".
Isn't this Victorian drawing by John Leech 1886, entitled, "How to Make a Chatelaine A Real Blessing to Mothers", both humorous and charming?
Here is a (rather creepy) photograph of two Victorian ladies wearing chatelaine style purses at the waist:
I find this ribbon brooch style chatelaine appealing:
One: I went out looking for my daughter’s cat this morning, as he didn’t come home last night. I found him dead on the side of a road not far from where we live. He was a beautiful, affectionate cat, only three years old. Three of our four cats died this year. I wish that we had never let any of them outdoors, even though cats love being outside.
Two: I downloaded Murder in a Mill Town last night, because I finishedStill Life With Murder, and loved it so, but, I forgot that I borrowed This Life Is In Your Hands from the library. It’s a memoir about a family who were followers of the Nearings (that famous back-to-the-land couple). I know that this book tells a tragic story, and I’m not sure that I’m up to reading it right now, so I might just send it back to the library. However, I did love this passage on p.4 of the Prologue:
Three: “We lay in the shade under the ash tree, gazing up at the crown of leaves and listening to the sounds of the farm--birds calling, goats bleating, chattering of customers at the farm stand, and whispers of tree talk.
“When you focused on the leaves fluttering in the dappled light, they vibrated and shimmered into one, becoming a million tiny particles. You felt a shift inside, and you began to vibrate too, on the same frequency as everything else. All secrets were there, all truths, all knowledge. You had to scan with your heart to find what you were seeking. It might not be spoken in words, it might be hidden in rhyme, in song, in images. You knew the tree and the earth were the same as you, made of particles like you, come together in a different form. You loved it all as you loved yourself.” Oh, yes. Amen.
Four: There are 20 eggs in my refrigerator right now, all from our chickens. Tonight I’m going to make omelets, acorn squash, and toast for supper.
Five: My best friends are my children. I’ve been burnt pretty badly by friendships I’ve had as an adult with other women. I'm a lot more careful now about friendships.
Six: I’m glad it’s autumn. The days are really getting shorter now, which I love, since I am an owl by nature and enjoy long evenings.
Seven: One of my favorite scenes from one of my all-time favorite movies:
Last weekend my family was out-of-town for my nephew's wedding. My two older sons were groomsmen, and they were so handsome in their tuxedos. The wedding was lovely, but when we got back home we all came down with colds. This week has been full of laundry, bills, sniffley kids, and a few appointments. One of them was for a new haircut for me. I let my stylist have her way with me, and she went really short, the shortest my hair has ever been. It's a change, but I think I like it. There's something about having really short hair that is kind of liberating.
Goodreads now offers recommendations for what to read next, based on the books that you've read and reviewed. One of their recommendations for me was P.B. Ryan's, Still Life With Murder, which is out of print, but available as an eBook. I think Kindle offers it for free; I paid 99 cents from Kobo. All I can say is: Wow. What a story--what characters! Still Life With Murderis a mystery set in Boston in 1868. It is rich in historical detail, yet compellingly vivid. I really like P.B. Ryan's straight-forward storytelling style and multi-faceted characters. This is one of the most entertaining books that I've read this year. I will definitely be reading more from P.B. Ryan.
The whipporwil shawl is coming along nicely. I didn't bring it with me on our our weekend trip, as I knew that I would be too busy visiting with family to knit, but this week I'm making good progress on 'section two". I just started working the second band of contrasting color. I think it's going to look really cool when it's finished.