Knowing right from wrong.

I'm completely jonesing for Magnolia Bakery cupcakes.  (and apparently I'm not the only one in this house who is - just saying).  If we were in New York I'd already be down on Bleeker Street deciding between white cake and red velvet.  (oh heck I'd pick red velvet if it was available we all know that)

But we're not in New York.

Someone (not mentioning names) found the recipes for both the cupcakes and icing online.

Yippee!

But...

(and how in hell can this be possible?)

I do not have enough butter in the house to make them.  Butter!  I'm a butter fiend!  I love real butter.  I buy it every month from a dairy on the food coop.  It's delicious.  It's creamy.  It's real butter.  But apparently the cows were not cooperative this month and not enough butter was on hand to fill my coop order.

sigh.

big sigh.

Is it wrong to drive twenty plus miles at nearly 9pm to the closest grocery store to buy enough butter to make Magnolia Bakery cupcakes?

sigh

Just say NO!

In 2006 Hershey bought socially responsible chocolate company Dagoba.

In 2007 Clorox bought socially responsible personal hygiene company Burt's Bees.

In 2006 Colgate Palmolive bought the primarily vegan Tom's of Maine personal health care company.

Now Hershey wants to purchase British chocolate company Cadbury.

DON'T DO IT CADBURY!!!

On another note, Chris despises when people say "bless you" or some-such equivalent when he sneezes.  "Why do you want someone bringing attention to that loud honking noise you just made and the fact that you now have a handful of snot to deal with?"he asks.

His new idea is to say "bless you" whenever anyone farts.

I like it!

A Birthday Read or Re-Read

Today is the birthday of one of my very favorite authors - Margaret Atwood.  

Ms. Atwood writes on issues of importance: the rights of women, patriarchal religion's influence on women, the politics of food, and environmental issues.

If you've never read any of Margaret Atwood's poetry collections, short stories, or novels might I suggest you pick up a copy of one of the classics.  My favorites include The Edible Woman, Surfacing, and of course, The Handmaid's Tale.  If you're a long time fan as I am, isn't it time for a reread?

Happy Birthday Margaret Atwood

 and thank you.  

Keeper of the Flame

“Keep the fire going,” was Christopher’s parting advice today as left for a day in town running errands.  He needn’t have told me. 

My day consisted of researching health insurance options online and making phone calls to health insurance brokers in search of a reasonable alternative to our current individual policies.  It’s not easy.  Some online sources requested only a phone number, zip code, and number of employees.  One broker actually took information over the phone.  Others didn’t return my messages. 

Back in a former life I did this sort of thing annually for a mid-sized firm of 20-40 employees. I have a feeling it was easier than trying to locate a health insurance company that might be willing to cover two people who have a small farm business will be. 

After deciding the day was shot and no one else was likely to return my calls, I knit two rows on my llama shawl.  While the pattern is lacey it will be a warm shawl, not a showy fancy delicate shawl. 

Throughout the day, I added a log now and then to the wood stove.  Admittedly we have other sources of heat in our house but the wood stove allows us to keep the temp set low and use natural resources.  During the days that our house was being built Chris cut and I stacked wood  when other chores were light, especially last winter.  Earlier this fall a big sycamore fell beside the house.  Chris sectioned it up and made quick work of adding it to our woodpile and the woodpile at his father’s farmhouse across the barnyard from us. 

As I write the temp is forty degrees F.  When the sun sets the temps will dip lower, possibly to freezing. Snow is expected in parts of our state.  While forty degrees isn’t terribly cold, I have taken my role as Keeper of the Flame serious.  By five pm I’d restocked the wood on the porch that will feed the fire through the evening and into the next few days.  The woodpile is covered by tarps to keep the wood dry while the trees are bare of leaves. This weekend several inches of rain had fallen and large pools of water had settled into the low spots of the tarps.  After I was happy with the wood on the porch, I released the bungee cords that held the tarps and made spouts to allow the rainwater to escape, then readjusted where I’d taken off logs to try and create natural spouts so the next rain wouldn’t pool so much.  I swept off batches of wet soggy leaves from the tarps that were level with my head by climbing on the lowest timbers.  My leather gloves were wet and dirty, as was my barn coat by the time I’d finished.  But I felt satisfied with my task. 

All the while I worked I thought about the myth of Vesta, Keeper of the Flame.  Vesta was the virgin goddess of home and hearth in Roman mythology.  Throughout history women have been given this task – keeping the fire.  It reaches much further than my keeping the wood stove fired up, it is about keeping the family fed, the family warm, the family healthy, the family safe.  Historically, without fire how could any of those be accomplished?

Now as a feminist, I find no problem with these responsibilities.  In fact, I generally enjoy them although they are not mine alone in our house.  Today rebuilding our woodpile, replenishing our dry wood, and now gathering the ingredients to make a big pot of chicken and dumplings, and tonight as I again knit on the big cozy llama shawl -

I honor Vesta Keeper of the Flame.

Mantra

I just wrote this line in an email to a friend.  It bears repeating.

What I want is to sit and knit in front of the fire.  Hike in the woods.  Knit some more.  Drink cocoa.  Knit, nap, repeat.  When the sun goes down switch the cocoa to wine - eliminate the nap.  

So what are you repeating these days Dear Readers?

Hand - Dyed

First offerings of the hand dyed yarn have been successful and more hand dyed lace weight will be ready.

Within the next few weeks the first online purchasing will be available over on the lavender website.

But for now...here are teasers.

Each skein unique, but all are rinsed in a gentle bath of lavender.


Silk, merino and alpaca...

  Now don't you want to knit something?

NYC - photos

I have no belief that I can recapture our week long visit to New York City  and adequately blog about it.

Chris took photos with his camera, I took photos with my camera, Chris took photos with my camera, and sometimes Strangers took photos with my camera.  I journaled on most days but some days were even too busy for that.

So here's what I'm offering... photos with captions.  No running commentary or detailed travelogue, or even chronological ordering.  Maybe occasional comments.  That's it.

First comment - There is a space - people - sound distortion/impact when you jump from an isolated farm to a real city.  And then the same thing happens in reverse when you return home.  It can mess with you.

Second comment - From the very beginning New York City (or as it was known New Amsterdam) was founded as a multi-cultural city/port.  I think that is the key to understanding New York.

By no means was English the dominate language I heard while visiting.  I could not say there was a dominate language at all.  I like that.

We stayed at the Larchmont in Greenwich Village.  A small studio room, bathroom and shower down the hall.  It's perfect - location and size.

The foliage was at peak and lovely.  Central Park in the rain.  Now I know why New Yorkers carry such large purses and messenger bags - it's for the umbrellas.

The first Jewish Synagogue in NYC, now surrounded by the Asian communities.  

  

The Magnolia Bakery.  

OHMYGODSGOOD cupcakes. I had four.  Yes four! I was not the only one.

 Who you gonna call?  Ghostbusters!

Remember the sign Christopher found for me last month?

We found one for him!

This was taken at a open air market on Fifth Avenue.  I wish I could have seen them setting this up.

Katz Deli - fantastic sandwiches!  Wicked crazy crowd in what one would think was chaos but the legendary deli has it all under control.

 Order the corned beef on rye - you won't be disappointed!  Remember that scene in When Harry Met Sally?  You know the one - the orgasmic one.  It was filmed in Katz Deli.  I swear she had the corned beef.

I love the tall skinny buildings - especially the brightly painted ones.

For the knitters: while walking in the Chelsea District we saw an art installation with faux sheep and reflecting waters. Two yarn establishments were visited (Chris has photos - I was busy fondling the yarn), first was School Products where I bought yummy baby camel yarn, second was Habu Textiles where I bought exotic yarn that shall not be discussed here.  Both of these were "quests" that really paid off because we had no other reason to go to the garment district and we found out what's behind those obscured windows on the upper floors of the tall skinny buildings.

One day we took the Ferry to Staten Island, and not just for the view.  Chris knew of a guitar shop on the island that he wanted to visit.

  

In Union Square there was hoopin' spotted!  Hillarey was on my mind often - not just for the hoopin'.

Below is the only photo I have of the parade.  NYC's finest gathering about two hours before Mama Donna Henes was to lead the Greenwich Village Volunteer Participant Parade.  After this I stuck my camera in my pocket and just enjoyed the evening!

We visited Washington Square Park numerous times - for the music, the dogs, just walking through and sometimes just to people watch - day and night.

Sunday was spent going across the city (and Central Park several times) as we watched the marathoners.  Chris read that two million people came out to watch the marathon, one million to watch the parade the night before.  

For Mom, I took lots of photos of Chinatown...

On Friday, our final (though partial) day we wandered the streets of Greenwich Village.  We had hot dogs at Gray Papaya, and then one last cupcake from Magnolia Bakery.  This photo was taken not after that final cupcake but after the third cupcake near Rockafeller Center.  I had red velvet.  It's my favorite.

(Sis - I thought of you making them for Roger.)

You can tell I enjoyed the red velvet cupcake by my refusal to open my eyes and return to the real world after that last bite.

Elemental

While Autumn has been quietly advancing I feel as if I have been rushing about and too busy to enjoy the beauty, the colors, the brisk air, and the wind.  But not for long.

The wind - Le Vent.

If you are a fan of the movie Chocolat, or was one of the people who do such things in the correct order, read the novel Chocolat by Joanne Harris, fell in love with the novel - then saw the movie - you'll appreciate the sequel, Girl Without a Shadow.  Vianne Rocher is now in Paris with daughters Anouk and Rosette - but still running from/with le vent.  She is trying desperately to establish a new life, hiding who she was from herself and the world at large.  A common theme for women who have been burned by public misconceptions whenever they do not conform or behave by societies rules of wear this, don't speak your mind, hide your true feelings....it's a long list.  I recommend buying or borrowing both novels for pleasurable and thought provoking reading.

Terra Firma

Chris and I are leaving the farm Monday and flying to NYC for a week's vacation.  We both have bits of mixed emotions about leaving - the farm is at its most beautiful right now with leaves changing color, trees becoming barer and opening up spectacular views, and animals preparing for winter.  I love this time of year - anywhere but especially on the farm.  But New York will be lovely as well and we've got a folder full of places we want to go, things we want to see.

The night before Halloween we'll go to Kris Waldherr's gallery for tarot night and I'll see friends from the days when I wrote for The Beltane Papers magazine.  Then on All Hallow's Eve we'll be in Greenwich Village enjoying the costumes that a funky and fun neighborhood has to offer.

My daughter Hillarey and her partner Lance will be spending Halloween in New Orleans this year.  I'm sure we'll meet for a Halloween and costume comparison when everyone's back home.

Shifting Waters

This week I spent several days in the studio dyeing yarn.  Playing in color, watching clear water change to subtle or rich colors.  I let mood inspire my choices and a most satisfying time was had.  Pale silk was transformed to cranberry and vibrant purple, very fine lace merino becomes a pool of warm pea soup for winter,  organic fingering-weight merino now resembles whipped pumpkin and autumn sumac.  Each skein was rinsed in lavender water, long regarded for its moth repelling properties as well as its fragrance.  At our final two fall shows we'll add a small offering of Lost City Knits yarn to the lavender stand and test the waters of this new venture.

Warmed by the Fire

Some of you may know that Chris and I do not have a TV in our new house.  Or actually we have an old TV upstairs for Netflix movies but no station reception.  We like it that way.  One of the glories of fall and winter for us is watching the fire in the wood stove.  Hours can pass and the beauty of the colors behind the glass front wood stove will warm our bodies and calm our spirits.  Reading a good book,  or knitting a simple project in front of the fire are joys that we never take for granted.

One of the new yarns that I dyed this week was for me, fine lace yarn the color of raw sugar to match beads purchased at The Bead Merchant that resemble little bits of warm molasses (those on the right only).  The pattern is Shipwreck, a circular shawl with lace motifs in the center then a large border of simple knit-one yarn-over.  Miles of mindless border stitching.  Perfect for travel knitting as well as sitting in front of the fire.

edited to add: The beads have changed.  These just were not large enough and do not slide well...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Eighty-one years ago a wonderful thing occurred.  Melba Louise was born to Ida (Conn) and Floyd Hillary Gibson.

Here's a look at some of the great photos of my mother, Melba Louise (Gibson) Bell.

This is one of my favorite photos of Mom, taken I believe when she was in High School in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.

Mom and Dad (Edgar Bell) with Mom's best friend,Virginia Furr (aka Aunt Ginner)

My maternal grandmother, Ida (Conn) Gibson, Melba (Gibson) Bell, and my sister Londa (Bell) Floyd.

Mom with her baby sister, Johnnie Mae (Gibson) Morgan.

Here is another of Mom with my sister, Londa.  Don't you love that suit!

I have no idea where this photo of Mom was taken but possibly outside a variety store that she and my father owned in the early 1950's.

Mom as a car model in sailor buttoned short-shorts.

If I could whistle I would!

Another one of my favorite photos of Mom.  Isn't she lovely!

Three generations.  From left to right -

Londa (Bell) Floyd, Denise Bell, Melba (Gibson) Bell, and my daughter Hillarey Dees.

What a line up!

I love you Mom.

Traveling Shawl Update!!

And the big knitting news --

A winner for The Traveling Shawl has been chosen!!!  Sherry of Northern Minnesota was chosen at random to receive the completed Traveling Shawl.  

If you're a new reader to this blog - The Traveling Shawl is a lace shawl project that has traveled across the US being worked on by a knitter in each of the fifty states.  My friend Kay designed the shawl and I have served as our representative to Komen for the Cure.  

Please take a few minutes to visit The Traveling Shawl blog to read about the amazing women who have worked on this project.  But don't stop checking the shawl blog because our winner has a story to tell as well - her journey is forthcoming along with more photos.   

It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - don't forget your mammogram and don't let the women you love forget.