Unraveled Wednesday: 6/13/22

I'm joining Kat and fellow Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday with more mundane and boring baby washcloths.

They're not terribly exciting, but they are just right for meditative hot-weather knitting. No two-color ones have been knit yet, but that should happen in the next couple of days, and then on to the Baby Surprise Jacket.

As dull as my knitting was last week, I did have a few reading revelations. The first was with The Transit of Venus. When two reading friends whose opinions I trust call The Transit of Venus "the most compelling, satisfying book I’ve read in a very long time" and say "I am astonished at Hazzard's use of language, sentence structure, foreshadowing, and the depth of her characters," I pay attention. I made my local library get their copy of The Transit of Venus out of storage, and I eagerly started reading. I kept waiting to get to the parts where I couldn't put the book down, but 147 pages in, it was a relief to put the book down for a final time and return it to the library. I wanted to love it, and I've put it on my "try again someday" shelf, but this is not the right book for me now. Maybe someday I'll try again and it will be a better fit. So giving myself permission to stop reading was the first reading revelation. The second revelation has to do with The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys. I think Jane originally recommended this book and I put it on my list after reading The Lost Garden by the same author. I just finished The Evening Chorus and it was exquisite. It's a quiet but commanding book about how three people, a man, his wife, and his sister, deal with life during WWII in England and afterward. Humphreys writes beautifully about love and loss, but it's really a story about nature's constancy during a time of unspeakable human ruin. I'm tempted to re-read it immediately but want to just sit with it for a while.  I also finished a pre-publication copy of Lucy by the Sea. There were no real revelations for me here; it's the latest in Elizabeth Strout's novels about Lucy Barton. I have enjoyed all the other books (especially Oh William!) and also loved this one. Lucy is by the sea because of the pandemic, but Strout has filled this book with more wonderful insights from Lucy about loneliness, grief, longing, loss, resilience, and the human condition. I hope Elizabeth Strout keeps writing about Lucy Barton because I will gladly keep reading.

What are you making and reading this week?

The Scents (Sense?) of America

I've started doing most of my grocery shopping at Walmart because my local grocery store was always out of something (usually several somethings) and prices seemed to be quite a bit higher than at Walmart. It's not my favorite place, but I do look for ways to entertain myself while I'm there. Sometimes these things make me just shake my head and other times I laugh out loud. Yesterday was a laugh-out-loud kind of day when I passed a display of candles on an end cap. I had to go back to read the fine print and take a few pictures. 

This bright yellow candle caught my eye and I needed to take a closer look.

What does Chicago smell like? It's not deep-dish pizza, the Chicago River, or Lake Michigan. How about Green Floral, Water Lily, and Apple Blossom? I don't personally associate any of those with Chicago, but how about some other locations?

Wait, the Appalachian Mountains smell like Green Floral, Water Lily, and Apple Blossom, too! That might be a little closer to the smells of the Appalachian Mountains than Chicago, but I'm betting that Chicago and the Appalachian Mountains do smell quite different.

How about Bergamot, Rose, and Vetiver for the Grand Canyon? I don't think so. They couldn't include sage as one of the scents? Vetiver is described as earthy and woody, so that might be okay. 

But look, Austin also smells like Bergamot, Rose, and Vetiver! I was only ever in Austin once a long time ago and it smelled a lot like sulfur. I was told it was because of the oil fields, but that doesn't sound like an enticing candle scent. 

Los Angeles smells like Salted Sea Spray, Aquatic, and Moss. Maybe, but I think Walmart is just running out of descriptors. Is Salted Sea Spray really different than Aquatic? What does Aquatic smell like? 

Miami is Mango, Starfruit, and Neroli. Looks like maybe they came close on this one. Neroli is described as citrusy and floral, so I can almost imagine Miami smelling like these.

But I saved the worst one for last. The Rocky Mountains smell like Marine Moss, Citrus, and Driftwood. I've been to the Rocky Mountains and none of those things are found there. Really this one is the best because it made me laugh the most. I can just picture some poor person at the candle factory who has been charged with describing these "Explore America" candles. At the end of a long, hard, day of candle-making, they just throw three words into the mix so they can finally go home. I also imagine this person as somewhat geographically challenged so they don't understand that Marine Moss, Citrus, and Driftwood just aren't part of the Rocky Mountains (at all)!

I am easily amused, but the whole idea of exploring America by way of candle scents is one that I might expect to find at Walmart. To be honest, the candles all smelled the same to me, kind of like strong old lady perfume. But thanks for making my shopping trip a little more amusing, Walmart!

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Be sure to stop by Carole's blog today as she is doing the first of our promotional posts for the current Read With Us book, Sorrow and Bliss. You've still got plenty of time to get a copy, read it, and join us for the discussion on September 13th!

Weekending

How was your weekend? I hope it was good and you accomplished something that you wanted to - whether that was relaxing, reading, knitting, or laundry and cleaning the kitchen. (Those last couple aren't terribly exciting, and yet somebody still has to do them sometime. It's usually me. )

I worked in the kitchen much of Saturday, taking care of garden produce. This wasn't exciting either, just hot and not very photo-worthy. I blanched and froze two and a half gallons of snow peas and four quarts of string beans, took care of eight zucchini by making two dozen zucchini muffins and freezing six cups of grated zucchini, and made a big batch of Napa cabbage and ramen salad. (If you make it, I don't toast the ramen in butter, and when I make the dressing, I make twice as much, but halve the amount of sugar and oil. I also don't boil the dressing, I just mix it up in a mason jar. YMMV, but I love the taste of the dressing and could happily eat the salad without any Napa cabbage in it! I don't even mind it on the second day when the ramen is soggy.) There were two dozen muffins there, but Justin stopped by on his way to fish in the Delaware River and had a couple. (I'm probably lucky he didn't eat more.)

John's oldest sister came for a visit and brought me a stunning orchid cactus. I think I had given her cuttings from mine about a decade ago, but my original one has since died. It's wonderful to have a thriving and blooming orchid cactus again, kind of like mine is back again. (Please ignore any porch railings in the photo that need to be painted and/or replaced. That's a home improvement story for another day.) 

I was thrilled to find this hibiscus bud beginning to unfurl on one of my oldest indoor hibiscus plants. (The original story of this one is here.) It hasn't bloomed in a couple of years, so I'm grateful for this blossom.

This is a second hibiscus with the same Polish heritage. When I got it four years ago, it had a serious infestation of whiteflies, and I wasn't sure it would survive. I never got rid of the whiteflies completely, so I sprayed it again this spring and then made the mistake of leaving it outdoors in too bright sunlight too early. Many of the leaves got burned and dropped off, but I'm also grateful that this one looks like it's making a good recovery. The original owners of these hibiscus, Joe and Vicki, have both died, so I want to be extra careful with these living reminders of two lovely family friends. 

So that was my weekend with a nice visit, a lovely gift, lots of work, and still some time to knit and read. I hope your week is off to a good start!

Unraveled Wednesday: July 6, 2022

I'm joining Kat and fellow Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday for some potato chip knitting with the new yarn I received last week. It's just a small stack of unexciting washcloths for my nephew and his wife who are expecting their second son in October. That gives me plenty of time to finish a bunch of cloths in the teal and knit a Baby Surprise Jacket in that lovely deep purple. I may through caution to the wind and use both the purple and teal together in a cloth or two. Wild times!

I'm still reading The Transit of Venus. I'm finding it slow going but will continue because I trust Kym and Debbie's recommendations. It doesn't help that I got distracted by The Latecomer and The Rose Code. The Latecomer was a truly interesting five stars for me and The Rose Code is a diversionary novel while I wait for The Diamond Eye from the library. 
What are you making and reading this week?

A Full Year

I started using the 10% Happier app to meditate a while ago, and once I realized that it was doing me some good, I stuck with it. There are days that I don't feel like meditating, but it became a habit, and my day just doesn't feel complete if I haven't meditated. 

There are plenty of meditation apps available (just search the Google Play or Apple Apps store) if you want to give it a try. Some are free, some offer free trial periods, and I encourage you to try some to see if it's for you. 

I've meditated every day for a full year and I can honestly say that I'm happier and healthier for having done so (at least 10%)! I've gained self-awareness, learned skills to help manage stress, increased my patience, learned how to look at stressful situations from a new perspective, lowered my blood pressure, and increased the quality of my sleep. Here's to another year!

What Can We Do Now?

So what can we do now that Roe had been repealed?

I can re-state the things that you have all heard before:

• Vote for candidates that support abortion. Emily's List is an organization involved in getting Democratic, pro-choice candidates elected to office, and NARAL has a list of pro-choice candidates. 
• Contact your representatives to let them know how you feel. 
• You can also donate to Planned Parenthood, NARAL, ACLU, or the pro-choice organization of your choice. 
• This one is new to me - the National Network of Abortion Funds. From their website "Abortion funds are independent, grassroots organizations developed to support the specific needs of their communities. Whether it’s funding procedures, abortion pills, transportation and lodging when travel is required, childcare, doula and emotional support, or other needs voiced by people seeking abortions, funds are finding innovative and compassionate ways to get people abortions they want and need." You can search the website above for local funds, and here is an article explaining "Everything You Need to Know About Abortion Funds".
• AidAccess - Provides online consultation for abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol. Depending on what state you live in, the medications can be received within a few days. Other states may require prescriptions from European doctors and delivery of the medications from India to you within 1-3 weeks. Their FAQS provide very complete information, and you can also support their work with donations. 
• A guide from Cosmopolitan on how you can do something, whether you have time, money, or neither. 

Is Abortion Illegal In Your State? A Comprehensive Guide

Resources to Protect Reproductive Rights After the Overturn of Roe v. Wade

A Guide to Abortion Resources in a Post-Roe America

I started looking for resources and specific examples of what to do when caring commenter Becky noted on Monday that "Living in a backward red state, I am unsure of how I can fight back, but I am certainly ready to do so. My elected officials are unwilling to represent any but the ultra-conservative, even though I live in a much more liberal city. I am researching what I can do, but if anyone has ideas, I would love to hear them. I think at present the best I can do is try to get the candidates running for local District Attorney to make a commitment not to prosecute women or healthcare professionals involved in abortion."

Like Becky said, there are blue-city prosecutors in red states that have vowed not to press charges against patients or providers, but that is still a long way from obtaining a safe and legal abortion. 

I'm not going to pretend that the picture isn't bleak for someone living in a red state. I happen to live in a state where abortion is legal, but that is now true in only about 20 states. 

So while many of us are enraged and want to do something, in reality, there may not be much we can do in the short term. I think Becky's idea about talking to the candidates running for DA to commit to not prosecuting women or healthcare professionals is a good one. A few caring people, even a whole liberal city, can't overcome the whole red state. Don't forget, forces have been working to get Roe repealed ever since the June of 1973 ruling. We have to be in this for the long haul, and take whatever steps we can. Each one is important, however small it might feel. I participated in a NARAL-sponsored event on Tuesday evening making phone calls to get out the vote for Josh Shapiro, a candidate running for governor in PA who supports reproductive freedom. Making a few phone calls doesn't feel like a big thing, but Mr. Shapiro's opponent, Senator Doug Mastriano, seems dangerously Trump-like (or possibly even worse). 

This is just a small list of resources and possible actions, and I would love to hear any other ideas you might have in the comments. Keep in mind that this is not just about abortion, it's really about medical care. Fertility treatment, contraception, mental health, and cancer care could all be affected, along with other nonenumerated rights down the road. It's important (but you already knew that). 

And for when it all becomes too much, I'll leave you with this NYT article: How I Build a Good Day When I'm Full of Despair at the World. 

Fired!

I got fired last week. It's not quite as bad as it sounds, and in many ways, it was actually a good thing. 

A little background information first. We bought Justin a house. This is something we have wanted to do for a long time. We bought a house for Ryan in CO in 2013 (back in the olden days when real estate was not a circus), sold it in 2021 with quite a gain, and used the proceeds to buy another house in PA. John has always wanted to be able to start both kids out with housing, so we've been looking for something for Justin for quite a while. 

We finally found it - 10 minutes from Justin's work, at the end of a cul-de-sac, on an acre lot with a creek at the bottom of the back yard, and bordered by county open space on two sides. Deer, rabbits, and other wildlife are regular visitors. The seller grew up in the house and when his father died, he wanted it to go to someone else who would appreciate it. It's a 60s-era house in need of some updates, but that's perfect for Justin who cares more about where his house is located than whether it has granite countertops, a kitchen island, and an en suite bathroom. 

John has been at the house for several days sanding and putting polyurethane on the hardwood floors, taking care of some plumbing issues, and getting a radon remediation system put in. Justin's girlfriend, Jess, will be living there with him much of the time, and she decided she wanted to paint some rooms. I'm engaged in the ongoing process of learning to keep my mouth shut, so I didn't blurt out, "But the sellers just painted all the rooms a lovely pale grey-green that will go with everything!" We all went to paint, and I was assigned what I thought were some easy tasks - above the taped baseboards, in the corners, and around the electric outlets that had the covers removed. All the places where you can be a bit sloppy before rolling the big sections of the walls.

I had done my painting in two bedrooms and went to make some lunch on the grill. When I came back after lunch and asked what I should do next John told me to go knit. It took me a couple of minutes to understand what he was saying, but he thought that I had done such a poor job on everything that I painted in the morning that he had to re-do most of it. I was fired, and have never been so happy to receive my pink slip! (I really hate painting!) I left the paint crew to go to the rug remnant store to give them measurements for some rugs that Justin is having cut and bound. This job was perfectly within my capabilities. :-)

You can see I was working with a very nice pale green before I was summarily dismissed. Next time we go to the house I have placed myself in charge of wet-mopping all the dust that John generated from sanding the floors and I will also be thoroughly cleaning three bathrooms. These are tasks I excel at and won't have to be fired!