Last night Perry and I had a mini-Seder. We sang the traditional songs, drank the wine, read the verses (most of them, anyway) and joined millions of other Jews in remembering the importance of freedom from bondage. In our Haggadah it is emphasized that it is the responsibility of Jews to do the work of caring for those less fortunate. I fear that in our country today we are ALL becoming less fortunate, due to the drive by a minority to put the greatest wealth in the hands of the fewest: those who already hold the greatest wealth.

I have said it before, and will say it again: MY personal wealth has never been economic. I am grateful for all of the friends I have, and have had, for the opportunities to learn, to work, to sing, spin, knit...

I remember with great fondness Seders of the past, when good friends gathered at our table. Perhaps someday we will celebrate in that way again, with friends and my daughter seated at the table with Perry and I....This is one of my fondest wishes: to sing the old songs, say the old words, and drink four glasses of wine in the company of friends and family united.

This is the guardian of my garden. She is a "junkie" made by a young man who was ten at the time (now twelve) who has been welding since the age of seven. He will be burning off some of the rust, and sealing her this year, so she can stand guard over my weeds, flowers and veggies for years to come. She silently watches as butterflies, birds, cats and, sadly, woodchucks come and go.... and sometimes sees the deer and turkeys. She watches the hawks silently, and the mother cats taking their kittens to and fro, worrying about their safety. She will be joined by other totems and works of art this year.... planning a garden loom, and likely to spend a great deal of time weeding errant black raspberry plants, "Tree of life" and bishop's goutweed from the garden. She is a treasured gift, and I am inspired to bring beauty where there is chaos, in her company! For today she watches over the potatos I planted yesterday, encouraging them to grow despite the cold and dreary day!

These are the guardians of my shop. Sadie, the queen, is black and white, and adjusted well to the interlopers. Purl, the grey longer haired kitty is flighty, and belongs to cats, not to people. She prefers to be invisible, despite her obvious beauty. Mojo is, like the athletes I remember from high school, a better athlete than intellectual. He doesn't care: he loves to protect Sadie and Purl, and loves his life!

I took the wheel outside today to photograph the alpaca I am carding and spinning today. The alpaca's name is Catwoman, and the richness of her greys, browns and silvers is only exceded by the richness of the luxurious softness of her fleece. The white fiber below hers is from the same farm, from an alpaca named Diamonds are Forever. Below that is a bag of Cormo/Romney. On all of these the crimp and the staple are beautiful for spinning, and I will be busy and happy for WEEKS.

This is Cormo/Romney, a gift from Laurie (Thank you SO much!) That I look forward to spinning, dyeing and possibly knitting for sale in the shop. It has BEAUTIFUL crimp, and the staple is lovely... When the weather is nicer I will scour it, dry it, and get ready to card.

This is fleece from an alpaca named catwoman. I will spin a pound, keep a pound.... in my possession right now is over a pound of this lovely grey, and four pounds of beautiful white... lovely to spin and card, just a wee bit more vegetable matter than I prefer, but more than compensated by the luxurious feel of this fleece!

Im halfway there to getting the hang of this blogging thing: I'll be all the way there when I am posting pictures that aren't dark and barely visible... but I want to talk on about the joys of today.

Lately Saturdays haven't been very good business days... (along with most other days, in this harsh economy) but today was different. It began with a couple of drop-in knitters.... Julie and Jan... and delightful conversation. Then an alpaca farmer brought me two fleeeces with a pleasant arrangement. I will spin a pound, take a pound, spin a pound, and so on. There is some lovely white that should take dye beautifully: hand-dyed for the summer, perhaps to match the Romney/Cormo from Wednesday. The fleeces are lovely... he wants the dark grey... and will get some of the white as well... no money trading hands, and each of us satisfied with the arrangement. (sigh of contentment.)

Two customers came in, one from Hamburg, one from Fredonia, delightful women who forgave the messiness of the shop (kids, spinning, cats.. oy!) each finding yarn and accessories to delight them. YAY! My good friend and landlord was in, and I was able to give him an installation of rent, and engage in delightful conversation. He trimmed the fur on Purl, who, although not delighted during, seemed rather pleased afterward. She is a beautiful cat, but NOT particularly sociable. She thinks she smells sulphur in my presence.

Finally, I was able to return home to a good cup of brewed coffee (Thanks to husband Perry) and to get outside between raindrops to plant a couple of dozen potato plants. I've never had luck with potatos, but this could be the year!

This has been a long harsh winter. Three deaths, Dick, an old friend, Greg, a former student, and Terry, another old friend.... passed on, most recently Terry. Another friend lost a daughter, and still others I know are dealing with difficult illnesses. I struggle myself trying to break old habits to deal with Type 2 Diabetes. The two surest signs of spring, Pesach and Easter are imminent, and with them I hope to feel the rejuvenation of spring: To watch the natural world bursting through the dirt, fighting off the stagnation of winter. I hope to match them in energy and enthusiasm: To mourn the dead, attend to the ailments, and move forward in joy. On, today, to carding, spinning, knitting, and singing, to prepare to sing tomorrow at UU. I will celebrate the sound of rain on the windows, knowing that it is the catalyst of spring. Joy to all!

I'd like to have a LONG talk with the person who named that hairy invader "Tree of Heaven." Obviously it would be a theological conversation predicated on the question: just how do you imagine heaven if you believe an invasive, aesthetically weak hairy branched introduced species (thanks, Japan.... i believe knotweed and kudzu were gifts from you as well)heavenly?? I think it is more illustrative of Satan's minions, ever multiplying, ever appearing in unwanted places, invading (of all places) MY GARDEN. Isn't it bad enough that Bishop's goutweed (not the pretty, variegated form) and gopher spurge come to the party unbidden? Wasn't I blessed with a colony of glossy-coated veggie eating, ground disrupting woodchucks? They practically held hands and SKIPPED through my gardens last year, devouring great quantities of veggies intended for my freezer..... and now.... Tree of Heaven? Many years ago a high school chum suggested that the first such tree was Tree of Heaven.... no, I insisted, it's sumac. I like sumac..... the lovely red spires, the flaming leaves of autumn.... I was wrong. HEAVENLY? i think not.

I am drinking my new "health beverage," and am trying to incorporate it daily. A tablespoon of honey (local is best) is stirred into a quarter cup of hot water and stirred to dissolve. Half a lemon is squeezed in, and a half-inch piece of ginger is added straight through my garlic press, which keeps the tough fibrous parts, and allows the juice and bits of digestible ginger through. It is topped off with cold or warm water.... never hot... heat is said to kill the inflammation soothing enzymes.... to fill a sixteen ounce glass or mug. It is tasty, the local honey is good for allergy issues, the lemon helps balance the alkalinity that's good for the body, and the ginger... antibacterial, anti-inflammatory... just GOOD. I am acclimating to this daily, to hydrate and promote good health. It is the first of many changes to come.

I am waiting impatiently for the advent of sprouting. My peas, and my chard are not yet peeking above the soil. I will wait. My onions are looking good, and I'm hoping that what I see are lettuces coming up and not just weeds.... still waiting, time will tell.

I was given a fleece yesterday.... Romney/Cormo cross. I'm delighted (thanks, Laurie!) and will photograph the scouring, drying, spinning, plying and dyeing. I unrolled an alpaca felt batt that i began last fall, and set out through the winter.... it's LOVELY. I felted the curls, uncarded, and it reminds me of the lovely bark composite paper that came, painted, from Mexico in my childhood. I haven't seen them in years, but taking my cue from that, the tree of life will be the theme for this, and It will be needlefelted and highly decorated. I am eager to begin.... likely this afternoon! I am still spinning the white alpaca, and am dreaming of dye... alpaca, finn/dorsett, romney/ cormo..... onion skins and various weeds? or... commercial acid dyes for vivid color? I will decide. My little matryoshka babushka pattern has been popular in the shop.... but a customer came to me with errata. I am humbled. I always try to avoid error, but sometimes I need test knitters to help me see what i miss on my own. Thanks again, Laurie.... you've been a good friend with both generosity AND valuable criticism.

Finally, politics. Last night President Obama gave his speech proposing his budget intentions. How lovely it is having a president who speaks like a grownup, to a grownup audience. He has my vote in 2012.... as do ANY Democrats who run. I believe a Socialist Democrat (non-Marxist) agenda is the best this country could offer. I am both disgusted by the anti-union, anti-woman behavior of the tea party, and encouraged by the response: They will not be likely to maintain a House majority with the kind of miserable behavior they've demonstrated. I guess, sadly, we just needed to see.

The day is glorious, the sun is shining.... and I am on to making the best of the day!

Early Garden

I toyed with the idea of posting today's effort.... but seemingly barren dirt is no joy to view. Newborn photos will follow when sprouting occurs. I planted lettuces in pots today... endive, Mesclun mix, and arugala. I'm hoping for baby lettuce salads in two or three weeks..... I also planted red mustard and sugar snap peas this morning, hoeing, preparing the space in the beds, and trying to teach Cinnamon and Raffi that the beds are NOT play space... They have tilled where I planted the peas and the chard with their romping.... so far nothing growing there, but I know that growth happens where it can't be seen before it happens visibly.... and that it's on ITS timetable, not mine... so I am patiently waiting, and trusting that the dogs have not disturbed the growth too terribly. This, also, was my excercise today.

I am drinking ginger tea daily. It has a reputation for being healing for inflammation, and recent evidence supports the idea that type 2 diabetes is an inflammatory disease... so.....it is important NOT to heat the ginger above 140 degrees, to keep the effect of the enzymes intact.... so, with lemon (rumored to be alkalyzing... who knew?) and a bit of honey, i indulge in ginger tea, hoping that it is a wonderful addition to achieve good health.

An important part of my health is my intent to Spin, Dye, and Promote "Grown and Made in Chautauqua county" this summer. To that end, I have LOVELY white alpaca on the wheel.... although this picture is a bit dark (why was I awake at 5AM?) it clearly shows some of the second bobbbin.... so, this weekend, I will ply.... and continue carding. I'm waiting to hear about some Corriedale and Cormo... my drum carder will have a workout! I will chronicle it's processing to post here and in the shop!

Today we will find out if the government shuts down.... I pray that the Democrats do not cave in to unreasonable expectations of the Republicans.

Beating down the chaos....

I found the battery charger for my camera..... the lost library book.... and the determination to try to commit to a photographic journal of some before and after.... with a during on occasion. I will try to photograph my gardens' growth... reclaiming some flower gardens, maintaining some vegetable gardens.... being in the sun, the green and the air. I will try to get my home in order.... it is not lovely right now...... and I want to make it lovelier. I will try to get my diet and exercise under control.... easier with gardening, birdwatching, dog exercising, etc. And I will prepare and freeze for next year from the season's abundance. This worked well last year! I will photograph and chronicle some of my knitting and spinning... I have been disorganized, and think my life might be more enjoyable with more order.... just thinking... And I wil write... blogging will be a way for me to validate my need to put my thoughts "on paper" in a manner of speaking. Words, photos, the garden, nature, art.... I will try to chronicle it all.

Crazy World.....

Some days it seems as though everything I know is falling through quicksand, and grasping at what I am CERTAIN of is impossible. I find it reprehensible that there are people (Fox News, perhaps?) trying to stir up anti-Muslim sentiments to the extent of encouraging otherwise patriotic Americans to rally against a Mosque two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center bombings.

Has the site of the World Trade Center become hallowed ground? Certainly. But we are AMERICANS. We not only BELIEVE in freedom of religion, we have included it our most important treatises: It is the FIRST AMENDMENT to the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION. If we truly value our freedom, as a nation, we will TREASURE the right of AMERICANS to worship as they choose. There is no proposal to build a mosque on the site of the World Trade Center, but two blocks away.

New York exemplifies what America stands for: It is truly the place where all cultures and religions are represented. It was not only Christians who died in the World Trade Center that day... it was Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and others as well. We need to remember all of the lives lost that day, and honor them as Americans by honoring our Constitution: Let the Muslims worship freely in America.... and Just as we caught Timothy McVeigh, a Christian Extremist who bombed a building in Oklahoma City, we must catch anyone... Muslim, Christian, Jew... who wishes to destroy what we believe in.... let's not make it easier by abandoning our beliefs: Freedom of Religion: Let freedom Ring!

Dealing with Hate. Mine.

All appearances to the contrary I love gardening. Those milkweed plants are intentional. Really. I love watching the butterflies dance in my garden like living flowers... and the smell of the milkweed flowers is heavenly. Obviously the downside is how rangy the plants get, and I always feel a bit guilty... I know most of my neighbors think I'm crazy... for all the time I spend out there, they think my garden shouldn't be so... well, MESSY. I guess I agree, for the most part... but when I sit out on my swing and admire the progression of the flowers.... bliss. I can easily... TOO easily... look past the rangy milkweed, the progress of the Bishop's goutweed.... and admire the irises, the daylilies, the roses and the hostas.

Which brings me to the subject of what I hate. Woodchucks. I am certain in some rosy world that all of God's creatures serve some purpose in some great plan. I despise woodchucks. They have unceremoniously destroyed my Zucchini plants, and are working their way through the garden as though it was placed specifically for their gastronomic pleasure. Mine. MY gastronomic pleasure was the intended purpose of my garden. Although down the road is the "Almost Free to Good Home Zucchini Stand," I wanted MY zucchini. mine. I harvested two before the leaves began to disappear. The woodchucks ran from the garden snickering last evening when Cinnamon the golden retriever ran toward them. She can't get into the fenced in garden, but apparently the despicable vermin can. The mildly scientific/artistic part of my nature was almost pleased... one of the two running woodchucks was melanistic.... a glossy black coat. The other looked ridiculously healthy as well... perhaps zucchini is good for fur and hair... it has certainly done them no harm.

And so here I sit... seething with disgust. I am rooting for coyotes. May they be fruitful and multiply. Darlene saw some coyote puppies playing on her deck next door... perhaps by next year other neighbors will be complaining that the coyotes are baying too close to civilization. I will be feigning sorrow at the passing of the woodchucks, one of the coyotes' favorite foods, and delighting in a more fruitful garden, wondering at how I could have harbored such hate for one of God's more defenseless creatures.

I am a woman obsessed. Always. Obsessed with fiber, and the myriad things that can be done with it, obsessed with the landscape of Western New York, Obsessed with my shop, my pets.... and for the last two weeks I am obsessed with raspberries, dark, black raspberries. They are full of anti-oxidants, they are sweet, tart, and flavorful, best shown off either warm from the bush, or in dark, sweet black raspberry pies. My freezer holds nine quarts of the things, near the rhubarb and the strawberries that await in suspended animation for the months where they are none-too-available. My husband, believing he was doing good, took down some of the still-laden bushes. I simmered. I saw in the freezer the space for those quarts .... unfillable. I share, of course, with the birds who originally brought us these bushes, and I share with Cinnamon, the golden retriever who came to us last year, already almost five years old, and as quirky as we are. Cinnamon harvests raspberries herself, standing with me as I pick, taking whole low-growing clusters into her mouth and rumbling them there, so that the ripe fruit can drop into her mouth. She will, of course, take a berry from me if I offer, but she seems contented to forage for herself, leaving a stray red hair here and there clinging to the thorns of the bush.

Casting On

I've had a wonderful year and a half, setting up my yarn shop, filling it with the things and the people that make knitting enjoyable. I am in a tiny town called Brocton, halfway between Erie PA and Buffalo NY. Many people wouldn't notice the town, let alone my shop... but those who have found me seem pleased. I am a knitter, crocheter, weaver, spinner, and potter. Of course, i meddle in other crafts as well, when time allows. I am focusing on lace in my personal life, on eight inch squares for sampler afghans in my store. I play guitar, play with my golden retriever (raffi) and dabble in writing (three books barely in progress, guilt, procrastination and nail-biting.) When I set out to name my yarn shop i called it Woolgathering. In retrospect it's sort of sad, realizing that i believed it to be original. One yarn representative told me she knew of seven shops with that name. I hope she's exaggerating. I hope to post some simple original patterns as time goes by.... i'm new to the idea of posting... ultimately, if this begins to feel less alien, i may put my shop on the web... for now, just little old me.... um.... not so little... maybe just old me will suffice!