Roses Just Like Mama's

I feel so blessed to live in Texas. We have such a long growing season, which means I can enjoy my roses just a little longer. When I was younger, my mother's favorite rosebush grew orange roses. Since orange never was my favorite color, I'm sorry to say I didn't fully appreciated how beautiful they were. As I've grown, and hopefully matured, I've learned to love all colors, including orange. Last year (or was it the year before?), Dave and I were shopping at Atwoods. I, of course, was browsing through the gardening section, when I found this beautiful orange rosebush. It reminded me so much of my mother, I just had to have it. It didn't really bloom this year, and I was beginning to think I'd lost it, but I'm happy to say that it still lives, and has produced these beautiful, citrus scented blooms.

Illusion Of Peace

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."-Psalm 42:5

I couldn't have asked for a more calm afternoon. After Dave left for his remote, I heated up some left-over soup, then sat on the back porch to eat it. As I sat there, I began to take notice of all the peace surrounding me. Morty was napping on the back of a porch chair, while Maybel was sleeping on the foot stool. Annie, out of hiding for a good portion of the day, watched us from the bedroom window. As I looked out at my yard, I begun to appreciate the gift of living in a state with a more moderate Fall season. I watched a bumble bee sip from what's left of my annual pentas and my autumn sage. My roses have begun to rebloom, giving me one more flush of color before going to sleep for the year. Gentle breezes rustle the trees, causing the first round of fall leaves to flutter to the ground, while outdoor cats claim the sunniest spots to bask in the warmth of the day. I really have so much to be thankful for. What I don't understand is why my heart can be so unsettled on such a perfect, peaceful day...

Getting Back To Life

Today has been a pretty normal day. Since I'm a night person, I normally lay in bed until Dave comes home for lunch. He came home a bit late, but not too much. I pilled Annie, and made the bed. After Dave left for the TV station, I heated myself up some low-fat pizza rolls, which I ate outside on the screened porch. In fact, I spent most of my afternoon out there knitting. Around 2:00, I watered the potted plants in the front yard, fed the cats, and rinsed out the coffee pot. Next, I gathered up the empty cat dishes, and put them in the sudsy water to soak, then I took the load of towels out of the dryer. Now, here I sit at my computer, a cat in my lap, waiting for Dave to come home from work. I know it's pretty routine, and makes for a boring post, but maybe that's what I need.

By Popular Request

Here are some photos of the yarn I bought last weekend. My sisters have mentioned wanting to see my new yarn, but when they visit me, I seem to keep forgetting to show it. First of all, I must apologize for the tantrum I was having when I wrote of our plans. I was still pouting at the time, so please forgive me for my smarty tone. The truth is, I had been saving my money since we planned this trip, and had $135 dollars to spend on yarn. When we got there, Dave gave me an extra $40, so I was in yarn shopper's heaven...
There is a shawl pattern from the second Mason-Dixon Knitting book, that I've had my eye on for months. It calls for Kidsilk Haze, a kid mohair and silk yarn put out by Rowan. I had planned to buy enough of this yarn to make a shawl, then enough Noro Silk Garden to make another Noro Striped Scarf. When I got there, I discovered that Woolie Ewe no longer sells Rowan yarns, but Sue helped me pick out a substitute yarn called Kid Seta, which is simply Cascade's version of the same blend. I couldn't decide if I wanted to use the green and burgandy color combo, or the chocolate brown and blue, so I got them both. Then I went over to the Noro section, and picked out enough Silk garden to make my striped scarf. Again, I was having a hard time picking from two color combos, but I managed to chose one, and headed for the check out counter. After, I made my purchases, I was told that I'd earned enough points to get $25 off my next purchase within 30 days. Since I live 100 miles away, and knew I couldn't get back within 30 days, they let me make that next purchase right then. So I got enough yarn for that second scarf after all. I know it was an extravagance, but when you consider the amount of high end yarn I was able to purchase, I really didn't do so bad.

Feeling A Little Stronger

I haven't written in the last couple of days, because my heart just hasn't been in it. Truthfully, my heart hasn't been in anything for a long time, but yesterday was a good day. We went to church that morning, and to Caleb's (my cousin) housewarming party in the afternoon. He cooked hot dogs on the grill, and we ate sitting under the trees in his backyard. We were all so happy for him about getting his first home, and everyone was in a good mood. He got so many nice gifts, including some soup bowls that belonged to my mom, some utensils that belonged to Aunt Kathryn (his grandmother), and some dishes that belonged to Ina (another cousin, also gone to Heaven). Dave and I gave him a gas heater we no longer need, and I fixed him a kitchen-themed care package. This is my third time to put together a care package, and I'm especially proud of how this one turned out. His colors are blue and brown, so I included the two ballband dishcloths I knitted a couple of months ago.

Gonna Buy Yarn

Yes, I know I had a goal to use my stashed yarn until the end of the year, but after the past couple of months, I just don't care. Dave and I didn't do anything Tuesday, so we're going to Celebrate our anniversary Saturday. We're going to Dallas to our favorite Chinese restaurant, then over to plano and The Woolie Ewe. We'll hit Costco last before heading home. Folks I need this more than you know. I need to get out of this house and out of this town, and yes, I'm going to buy yarn. Maybe even some expensive yarn...

Do It Anyway

I'm not a big Country music fan, but I can't get the words to this Chorus out of my mind. The song is called "Do It Anyway," and it is sung by Martina McBride.

God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway