Unraveled Wednesday: 4/9/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a little more progress on the socks.

I'm at that stage when you say (or at least I've told myself), "I'll just knit down this foot, knit the toe, and then I'll be done!" The process that I've told myself will just take a little while will, in fact, take me a little while longer. I've been knitting monogamously on the sock because I know that if I put it down to work on the Hitchhiker, I will likely never finish the socks. So I'll keep plugging along in hope that I can finish them by next week and get a good start on the Hitchhiker.

 

I've been busy catching up on ARCs and library books, so I finished three books this week. I do kind of go on in my reviews, so I'll review them on Friday. 

What are you making and reading this week?

 

Signs of Spring

I had to take a quick walk up to the post office and I was surprised at how many things I saw that show spring is really on the way. It's only 38 degrees and there is a cold rain as I'm writing this but I think you'll still be convinced that spring is arriving in central NJ.

The gazebo may not look especially springy, but they did take down the Christmas decorations on Friday so that's a sure sign. There are lots of Easter decorations; I couldn't miss some of them even if I wanted to.

And of course there are plenty of flowers and trees in blossom. 

 

But one of my favorite signs of spring is when my neighbor calls the guys who spread new mulch in his yard and they carefully mulch around the old bag of topsoil in his ivy bed . . .  for the third year in a row. 

 

Now I know spring is here!

Invasives, Pollinators, and the Oldest Independent Bookstore in PA

Last week I went to visit John's sister and her husband to help with some scheduling issues they had. My niece was traveling so my SiL was staying with her son and making sure he got to school, that there was someone at home when he got home from school, and then there was some nagging about homework to be done. My BiL also had to be driven to cardiac rehab that was an hour away, plus we hadn't seen them since his big open heart surgery.

It was great to see how well my BiL Bill is doing, gaining more energy and strength every week. He feels he'll be ready to return to Silver Sneakers at the YMCA in the next few weeks. It turns out that fourth graders don't seem to have nearly as much homework as I recall my own kids having, but I wasn't going to resort to searching my grandnephew's backpack. We did play quite a bit of Animal Crossing and being the "Grand Aunt" that I am, I gave him a million bells (Animal Crossing currency) to pay off his mortgage. 

But it wasn't all transportation and child tending. While we were in Williamsport for cardiac rehab, I got to browse the oldest independent bookstore in PA. Otto Bookstore was established in 1841 and is still going strong. They had a wonderful selection of books and it was so enjoyable to browse a real brick-and-mortar bookstore, something I haven't done in a long time. I was overcome by the book fumes and bought myself hardcover copies of The Comfort of Crows and The Backyard Bird Chronicles. I don't often have the opportunity to support an independent bookstore, but it was a win-win for me. 

 

We also attended a native plant and pollinator workshop. (The photos from that aren't the best because I was taking pictures of projected slides. Sorry; I hope you can read them.) I learned some new things, like Burning Bush, Norway maple, English Ivy, Pachysandra, Butterfly Bush, and Common Periwinkle are all invasive species. These plants are all quite common in my neighborhood! Our town cut down all the Bradford Pear trees that were lining Main Street and there was a big outcry, but now I understand why they got rid of them.

I also learned that there are many Native Bee species that are responsible for pollinating about one third of our crops. They tend to nest in the ground or in hollow pithy plant stems.

I might try making a bee house if I can gather enough hollow plant stems. I think this will be a good simple project as spring approaches, and it might even make me feel as good as supporting an independent bookstore!

It's National Poetry Month!

And we've got Hope! To celebrate National Poetry Month, several of us are sharing poetry with you on Thursdays in April. Today's topic is about something we can all use more of, wherever and whenever we can find it - Hope. 

 

A House Called Tomorrow

by Alberto Rios

You are not fifteen, or twelve, or seventeen—
You are a hundred wild centuries

And fifteen, bringing with you
In every breath and in every step

Everyone who has come before you,
All the yous that you have been,

The mothers of your mother,
The fathers of your father.

If someone in your family tree was trouble,
A hundred were not:

The bad do not win—not finally,
No matter how loud they are.

We simply would not be here
If that were so.

You are made, fundamentally, from the good.
With this knowledge, you never march alone.

You are the breaking news of the century.
You are the good who has come forward

Through it all, even if so many days
Feel otherwise.  But think:

When you as a child learned to speak,
It’s not that you didn’t know words—

It’s that, from the centuries, you knew so many,
And it’s hard to choose the words that will be your own.

From those centuries we human beings bring with us
The simple solutions and songs,

The river bridges and star charts and song harmonies
All in service to a simple idea:

That we can make a house called tomorrow.
What we bring, finally, into the new day, every day,

Is ourselves.  And that’s all we need
To start.  That’s everything we require to keep going. 

Look back only for as long as you must,
Then go forward into the history you will make.

Be good, then better.  Write books.  Cure disease.
Make us proud.  Make yourself proud.

And those who came before you?  When you hear thunder,
Hear it as their applause.

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Rios, Alberto. "A House called Tomorrow." Not Go Far Away Is My Name, Copper Canyon Press, 2020.  

You can read more about the poet here.

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Be sure to check in with Kym, Kat, Sarah, and Vera (there is a linkup below) for more poetry full of hope today, and join us next Thursday for more poems in celebration of National Poetry Month. (And remember that any time is good for poetry, not just Thursdays in April!) 

Unraveled Wednesday: 4/2/25

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with a bit of progress on the pair of socks. 

 

I did cast on with the Wollmeise for a new Hitchhiker, but haven't gotten too far. I'd like to finish up the socks soon(ish) and concentrate on the Hitchhiker but I've got loads of laundry to do, lots of seeds to start, and too many ARCs that I need to read, so it will take as long as it takes. 

 

I finished Emma Pattee's debut novel, Tilt, a gripping narrative set against the backdrop of a massive earthquake in Portland, Oregon. The story follows Annie, who, at nine months pregnant, finds herself stranded at IKEA when disaster strikes. With no means to contact her husband and the city in chaos, Annie embarks on a perilous journey to find him, encountering both the depths and heights of human nature along the way.

Pattee's portrayal of Annie's internal struggles while making her way on buckled highways and past crushed buildings—her reflections on a faltering marriage, unfulfilled career aspirations, and impending motherhood—adds depth to the survival narrative. The novel effectively captures the protagonist's anxieties and desires, making her a realistic and relatable figure for many readers.

I found that the novel's pacing occasionally faltered, with the non-linear narrative and some of the introspective passages slowing down the otherwise tense story. Additionally, certain inconsistencies, such as descriptions of Annie's attire, may momentarily disrupt immersion. But Pattee's prose is well-written, so I could imagine Annie's sunburn, intense thirst, and the horrific magnitude of the chaos. I started reading the book without any idea of the storyline and found it quite unsettling, but that was mainly because it was such an intense subject. The ending felt incomplete and open-ended.

Overall, Tilt is a compelling exploration of human resilience and vulnerability in the face of catastrophe. While it has its imperfections, the novel's raw emotional portrayal and thought-provoking themes make it a worthwhile read. Three and a half stars but I couldn't round up because of that ending. 

 

What are you making and reading this week?