Begin As You Mean to Go On

My Grandmother used to say "begin as you mean to go on", and I always think of her and this saying as each New Year begins. When I was a young child, I took it very literally -- that at the stroke of midnight I should actually be doing the things I wanted to continue doing. Decades later, I think of it more figuratively. I do happen to be knitting at midnight, and while I hope that there will be plenty of knitting in 2020, I also hope that peace, happiness, health, and contentment figure largely. 

And maybe 2020 will be the year I don't have to pretend.

Sometimes Monday ...

... is a day to stop in say hi!

This is just a quick post to say hello. I hope you've all enjoyed a nice Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, or simply a pleasant end of December as 2019 winds down. I meant to be back to posting at the end of last week, but we've been taking advantage of John using up vacation days to make some spontaneous short trips. We've traveled to NY to visit Justin, and when you read this, I will be on my way to northern PA to spend some time with John's sister and her husband. We've had a delightful week and a half of spending time in unplanned, fun, and free-spirited ways! 

We won't be back until Wednesday, so I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year. I sincerely hope that 2020 is filled with peace, hope, health, joy, and contentment for you!

Sometimes Monday ...

... is a relaxed day to knit and take it easy.

My to-do list has dwindled, and all I have to do is walk up to Main Street and get some truck magazines, lottery tickets, and cigars for Justin's stocking. (He smokes five/year when he's fishing in the summer.) "Wrap" is also on the list, but that isn't a big deal because of all the Christmas bags I've made through the years. It will take me about ten minutes this afternoon.

I decided against a tree, real or artificial, this year, and it's been quite freeing. I do miss displaying our special ornaments but for now, I'm happy with the owls in my Norfolk island pine. 

So today is a quiet day, in which I hope to finish knitting my last Christmas hat, and maybe even return to a bit of selfish Hitchhiker knitting. I'll be back at the end of the week. I hope your holiday week, whatever you are celebrating, is filled with moments of peace, joy, and contentment.

Sky Watcher

It was a week of opposites here, at least in terms of the sky.

We had sleet and freezing rain at the beginning. It was a bit treacherous but we were left with beautiful blue skies and sparkling ice on everything once it cleared.

The end of the week brought sudden and intense snow squalls that darkened the sky to a flat gray and dropped a couple inches of snow in a short time. The blowing snow made it difficult to even see my (crazy?) neighbor who was out with his leaf blower during the squalls. Forty mph winds made his efforts useless (but amusing to me!)

I hope your weekend has more blue sky, but less gray, ice, and snow!

Three on Thursday

The older I get, the less I decorate, so the decorations that I do get out of storage and clear of dust have to be important. These all fit the bill beautifully and it makes me happy to see them displayed, so here are three of my favorite decorations. 

These are tomten that my parents brought back from a trip to Sweden. I have eight of them, but these four like to hang out in the ceramic archery tableau that Justin made. My mother retired from the postal service with big dreams of traveling. She and my father went on a trip to Sweden, met relatives, and had a grand time. Shortly after they returned my mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and she didn't get to travel anymore. These tomten remind me of the importance of doing things when you can because time is never guaranteed (plus they look cute and mischievous!)

This sparkly sequined ornament is not really my style, but when Ryan was young and before Justin was born, we used to go to church rummage sales. He picked out this ornament kit, and when he was not willing to part with it, we bought it, brought it home, and put it together. It's not perfect, but we had a good time together, and I think we did pretty well considering one of the crafters was only two years old. It reminds me of the sweetness of that two-year-old and that good enough can often be far better than fussing over perfection.

Our nativity set is full of memories. John built the manger out a clementine box (back when they were wooden) and some plywood. You can't see them very well, but the kids helped paint a star and there is also an owl painted on the rafters inside. We found inexpensive figures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the three kings, a shepherd, and animals that we liked, and the boys were happy to set them up, finding just the right spots for all of them. 

It turns out that Justin had stolen a "holy raccoon" figurine, but we didn't discover this until much later, and he has graced the nativity ever since. At some point, Ryan added the "holy hedgehogs" so they also have a place of honor next to the raccoon. Not exactly traditional, but they remind me that the message doesn't always have to be conveyed in the usual conventional way. 

What are your favorite decorations? I hope they hold lots of memories for you and bring you happiness!

Unraveled Wednesday

Joining Kat and friends for Unraveled Wednesday, today with two non-Rikke hats. One is done, and I hope to finish the second one later today or tomorrow. 

After that, I would be quite happy if I could complete just one more Rikke hat. It would be for Justin's girlfriend, and since they've been together a year, it's about time I knit something for her. I'm not sure she'll even like a handknit hat, but I think I'll enjoy knitting one for her. 

I finished two books last week, but neither one was really the book for me. How to Be a Good Creature had some wonderful naturalist observations on animals like emus and octopuses, but there were many more jarring memories of the author's grief at the death of her pets. The Night Circus was a truly intriguing premise, but for me, it failed to live up to its initial promise. I'm currently reading a pre-publication copy of The Red Lotus. I've been reading this before bed, so you can possibly understand my slow progress. As always, you can click on individual books in the sidebar on the right for more detailed reviews. 

What are you making and reading this week?

Embargo

When I hear the word embargo, I usually think of trade bans, economics, and political circumstances between countries. But a different type of embargo has been happening since November 1, and if you are a library patron, this is affecting you. 

Poudre River Public Library

Elkton Library

Macmillan Publishers has recently introduced a "1-copy only" embargo of all their new eBook titles for the first 60 days of publication. Because of this change, we will not be purchasing any Macmillan titles until 60 days after publication.

The above statement appears on the website of two different libraries where I am a patron. Kym has talked about this before, and as a librarian, Carole is dealing with the headaches and finances of ebooks every day. There are new purchasing models so that instead of libraries having perpetual access to each book they purchase, they have to re-purchase the books after two years. Macmillan Publishers is going as far as to impose an eight-week embargo on public libraries for the purchase of new ebook titles. Libraries may only purchase a single copy of new ebook titles during the first eight weeks of its release. I think most of us have noticed an increase in wait times for ebooks. While lengthy wait times are not solely due to Macmillan's one copy embargo, it is a contributing factor. When it comes right down to it, Macmillan is limiting public library access. 

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Here's the truth: Limiting access to new titles for libraries means limiting access for readers like you. 

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So what can you do? Go here and sign the American Library Association (ALA) petition demanding ebooks for all. This may seem like a relatively minor thing now, but it particularly affects readers with disabilities who may not be able to just stop by the library to pick up a hard copy. While Macmillan is the only major publisher to currently institute this policy, things could get much worse if the other four major publishers do the same thing. I can't imagine any publisher instituting similar convoluted and expensive policies on print books, and I don't think it's fair to deny access to ebooks. 

Thanks to Becky, who sent me the ALA link and asked me to share this on the blog!