Unraveled Wednesday: 2/22/23

I'm happy to join Kat and fellow Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday with a completed Sophie Shawl. 

It doesn't look like much stretched out on the patio, but it's soft, warm, lightweight, and just what I had hoped for. I've worn it a couple of times and am quite happy with it.

I was trying to decide what to knit next and worked a few rows on a few Hitchhikers but I just wasn't feeling it. I had worked out an almost foolproof system of an easily reset counter and a progress keeper to make sure I increased where I was supposed to on the Sophie Shawl, so I decided to take a look in my stash. 

I found this "special" yarn that I've been saving and wondered if it might work. I bought this yarn 11 years ago during a trip to Montana. John and the boys were waiting in the car and I ran into Mountain Spun (they have since closed) in Helena looking for some sock yarn. They didn't have any sock yarn, but I couldn't resist this off-white 100% alpaca worsted weight. I bought all that they had, and have tried to use it for two different cowls and two different shawls, but none of those patterns were right. 

But look, I think it wants to be a Sophie Shawl! So I'm happily knitting with lovely, soft, special yarn. I may need to finally buy a scale so I can tell when I've reached the halfway point and begin decreases, but that seems like a small price to pay to not mess up special yarn. 

I was late to The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois party, mainly because I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to a book with over 800 pages. I needn't have worried because reading it was never a slog and felt like a much shorter book. Even after finishing this layered, complex, and heartbreaking book, I've found myself wondering what happens next in Ailey's life.

I also finished a pre-publication copy of Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. I'm not usually a fan of romantic comedies, but I do admire Curtis Sittenfeld as an author and Romantic Comedy didn't disappoint. It's the story of Sally Milz, a 36-year-old comedy writer for The Night Owls (think Saturday Night Live). She sees herself as "a mild-mannered woman of average intelligence and attractiveness", but due to a divorce and rejection by a fellow writer, she's also got some insecurities, and many of the sketches she writes reflect these. The first section of the book takes us through what I imagine is a fairly true-to-life portrayal of what the week is like producing a live late-night sketch comedy show. The host and musical guest is Noah Brewster, who Sally assumes is way too hot for him to be attracted to her. This may not be true, but Sally self-sabotages herself. The second part of the book happens two years later and consists of an email exchange between Noah and Sally. This happens during the pre-vaccination stage of Covid, and even though I was initially skeptical of this part, I came to enjoy it the most. Both characters display a lot of wit and thoughtfulness, and the story proceeds from there. It was a four-star read for me and will be published on April 4, 2023.

In the "I should have known better" department, I also read I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I had never heard of the author before but the book's title was so arresting to me that I had to read it. My mother and I were like oil and water and rarely agreed about anything, but I have never been glad my mother is gone. My two-star rating is not a judgment about McCurdy's story, her relationship with her mother, her mental health, or anything that she has gone through (and it is A LOT). It is simply my opinion of the book itself and how it was written and edited. The writing felt flat, robotic, and very repetitive, and the book felt like it wasn't much more than a chronological recounting of what happened with very little thought or reflection. Definitely not for me!

What are you making and reading this week?

Read With Us: Why Knot?

Kym and Carole have both given you their take on why you should read our current Read With Us selection, The Shipping News, so I've spent some time wondering what other reasons I might come up with. How about knots? 

The author of The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx, writes in the acknowledgments section of the book: "Without the inspiration of Clifford W. Ashley's wonderful 1944 work, which I had the good fortune to find at a yard sale for a quarter, this book would have remained just the thread of an idea." She's referring to The Ashley Book of Knots, an encyclopedia of knots written and illustrated by sailor and artist Clifford Ashley. His book contains 3,857 numbered entries of knots, including instructions for tying, uses, and histories. It's one of the most important and comprehensive books on knots. This might sound a bit odd, but Proulx uses it interestingly. 

Most of the chapter headings have pictures of knots and knotting quotations, as above. This is the first chapter which serves to introduce the reader to the main character, Quoyle. He is described as having a "great damp loaf of a body," and his "chief failure, a failure of normal appearance." Quoyle has had a fairly awful life and this continues through the beginning of the book, but I'll let you read and find out more about Quoyle for yourself. 

The knots are interesting to read about and give clues about what might happen in the chapter. I've been looking for my own copy of The Ashley Book of Knots for a quarter at all of the yard sales I've gone to for the last 30 years but haven't found one yet. 

The book is currently available on Amazon in hardcover ($24.75), paperback ($11.59), Kindle ($12.99), or Audible (1 credit). The book should also be available at most libraries, and of course, you can check with check your local bookstore for a copy. The audiobook is available on hoopla if you have access through your library, and this means there is no hold queue! Edited to add: Sarah has kindly noted that the audiobook available on hoopla is an abridged version, so please be aware of this. 

Our book discussion day for The Shipping News will be Tuesday, March 21. Kym, Carole, and I will each post discussion questions on our blogs that day, and then at 7:00 pm Eastern time we’ll be hosting a live book discussion/meet-up on Zoom.

I've waited for almost 30 years to talk about The Shipping News, so I hope you'll Read With Us and join the discussion!

Sometimes Monday ...

 ... is a day to tell your husband to leave the wall alone!

So this really happened on Sunday. I saw a deer tick on John's back, and when I tried to remove it, it was well bit in. I did get it out, but he wasn't sure whether it was from when he was in the woods last Monday or on Friday. Either way, he still had a deer tick bite with the tick attached for at least 48 hours. He didn't feel like waiting for a dr. appointment on Monday, so I took him to a local urgent care.

He hadn't been there in several years and they had redone the waiting area. This is a pillar covered in small bits of stone that aren't exactly flush; they almost look like they would fall out if you bumped them the wrong way. John felt it necessary to stick his pen knife blade in and report to me that the stones were an inch deep and well-seated. I just kept knitting and pretended I didn't know who the wacko was sticking his penknife in the wall.

I used to take the kids there when they were young and one or both of them inevitably got strep throat on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I often had to tell them to behave in the waiting room (even though none of us are good at waiting). I didn't know I would have to admonish John in the same way. But he's got three weeks' worth of doxycycline now, so I guess it was worth it. 

I hope you had a good weekend and your Monday is off to a good start!

Friday Letters

Today I'm taking my virtual fountain pen in hand to write a few Friday letters. It's been a while, but I've learned you can't force Friday letters. Let's open the mail ...

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To the victim of this heinous crime,

I hope that the ongoing investigation has yielded a satisfactory outcome and that these three known criminals are safely behind bars. To suffer the loss of half a box of Fruity Pebbles, a half gallon of milk, and half a loaf of bread is truly a tragedy and I hope these miscreants have been apprehended, you have been adequately compensated for your losses, and your Fruity Pebbles are now stored under lock and key.

Sincerely,

A fan of Fruity Pebbles

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Dear Joby Pool,

I often read and listen to NPR for their in-depth reporting, but I think they have been guilty of sloppy journalism in reporting your story. I have questions and since they weren't answered by NPR, I would like to ask you. The first of these is why? Secondly, why did you steal a whole semi-truck full of so many eggs? Thirdly, what were you going to do with them? I have been known to buy a Cadbury egg or two at Easter time but never from a stranger off the back of a truck. Lastly, did you at least eat a few yourself? I do hope so and hope that the court goes easy on you.

Wondering,

A Cadbury egg fan

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Dear Paediatric Health Professionals.

You are true medical heroes! To take an important medical question like "How long does it take for a small ingested object to pass through a child's digestive system?" and subject yourselves to swallowing Lego heads to reach a scientific answer is indeed valuable medical research (and I mean that sincerely). I love how you took the question, designed the experiment, standardized your measurements, and wrote and submitted it to the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. This is a wonderful story and parents everywhere can be reassured since you have done the research. 

Sincerely,

Someone who feels sorry for Patient B

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Here's wishing a wonderful weekend for all of you!

A Gathering of Poetry: February 2023

 

It's the third Thursday of the month so I'd like to welcome you to A Gathering of Poetry.

I've been spending some time in the kitchen, making room in my recipe box by clearing out recipes that I will never make and those that weren't big hits. I've also spent some time looking through my mother's recipe box. For someone that didn't like to cook very much she sure had a lot of recipes. Many of them are neatly written with a fountain pen, and there are also plenty of splatters.

When I Am In the Kitchen
by Jeanne Marie Beaumont

I think about the past. I empty the ice-cube trays
crack crack cracking like bones, and I think
of decades of ice cubes and of John Cheever,
of Anne Sexton making cocktails, of decades
of cocktail parties, and it feels suddenly far
too lonely at my counter. Although I have on hooks
nearby the embroidered apron of my friend's
grandmother and one my mother made for me
for Christmas 30 years ago with gingham I had
coveted through my childhood. In my kitchen
I wield my great aunt's sturdy black-handled
soup ladle and spatula, and when I pull out
the drawer, like one in a morgue, I visit 
the silverware of my husband's grandparents.
We never met, but I place this in my mouth
every day and keep it polished out of duty.
In the cabinets I find my godmother's 
teapot, my mother's Cambridge glass goblets,
my mother-in-law's Franciscan plates, and here
is the cutting board my first husband parqueted
and two potholders I wove in grade school.
Oh the past is too much with me in the kitchen,
where I open the vintage metal recipe box,
robin's egg blue in its interior, to uncover
the card for Waffles, writ in my father's hand
reaching out from the grave to guide me
from the beginning, "sift and mix dry ingredients"
with his note that this makes "3 waffles in our
large pan" and around that our an unbearable
round stain—of egg yolk or melted butter?—
that once defined a world.

====

Beaumont, Jeanne Marie. Burning of the Three Fires, BOA Editions, Ltd., 2010.

You can read more about the poet here. 

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Thanks for reading and joining us for our monthly Gathering of Poetry. Be sure to visit Kym and Kat so you can gather more poetry and you can add your link below if you would like to share one of your favorite poems. The more the merrier!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Unraveled Wednesday: 2/15/23

I'm happy to join Kat and fellow Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday, with a Sophie Shawl very close to completion.

I've spent a lot of time working on it over the past few days, and I thought I could get it done. But even though it looks close, when I did the math, it turns out that I've still got 72 more rows to knit.

They are very short rows, but I was losing daylight for a photo yesterday, so I figured it was better to take my time, block the shawl, and show you a finished shawl next week. 

But I've got some books to tell you about this week - all four stars and very different from each other, but they are all quite good in their own ways. The first is Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein. The author set out to make a sweater from scratch during the pandemic by learning to shear, spin, dye design, and knit a sweater. It was sometimes back-breaking and sometimes frustrating, but I admire the author's efforts. The subtitle says it was the world's ugliest sweater, but after searching online for a photo of it, any knitter would recognize the hard work and lessons learned in making it, and I think Ms. Orenstein should be proud.

The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly by Margareta Magnusson and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico were both fun and entertaining. I'm not sure I learned anything new about aging but I did like Ms. Magnusson's advice about enjoying gin and tonics. 

And then there was Fight Night by Miriam Toews. Jane recommended it and I'm very grateful because I'm fairly sure I would not have picked it up on my own. The slightly different cover and a book that consists of a long letter dictated by nine-year-old Swiv to her absent father don't sound like something that would work for me, but it was one of the best things I've read so far this year. I appreciated Toews' ability to write about loss, dysfunction, and humor so much that I read Women Talking. It's completely different from Fight Night but is another incredible book. Toews took the real-life story of women being raped in a Bolivian Mennonite community between 2005 and 2009 and wrote Women Talking as "both a reaction through fiction to these true-life events, and an act of female imagination." I don't think I'll watch the movie (the book made me furious enough), but Toews is a stellar author. 

What are you making and reading this week?

The One Where I Explain the Raccoon

I included this photo of John's family in last Friday's post and lots of people wondered about the raccoon. 

Raccoons were a big part of John's life growing up, so I didn't even think about it when I used this photo. That is John holding the raccoon and his name is Scamper.

I need to explain some details about Scamper. Someone gave John's father a baby raccoon that they had found and John's Dad brought it home. From the best John can remember, that happened in 1969. The raccoon was really little and his eyes weren't even open, but they fed him milk with an eye dropper and eventually oatmeal thinned with milk or cat food. 

This is the first Scamper in 1969. They built a cage for him but he quickly figured out how to escape and would scamper up the drainpipe to the second floor where John slept with his brothers and come in the window. John really loved Scamper and even though the whole family fed him, John considered him "his" raccoon. Scamper would ride in a basket on John's bike and do almost everything with him. They kept Scamper for the summer but thought that it would be unfair to continue to treat him as a pet once the kids were back in school, so they let him go. This wasn't difficult since he knew how to get out of the cage and their house is bordered by acres of woods, so Scamper went back to the wild. 

These two photos above are from the summer of 1970 and Scamper is back! Well, not really. John is a little hazy about how they got another raccoon, but they did and his name was Scamper 2 for about 10 minutes and then he was just Scamper. They all loved having another raccoon and John's mother was often the one to make his oatmeal and hold him. 

This is John's younger sister in the fall of 1970 holding Scamper and their cat. They let Scamper 2 go back to the woods, until ...

Scamper returned! (Again, not really.) John has no idea how they got a raccoon for a third summer, but it happened. This one was more of an adult and seemed to enjoy sitting in the living room with the cat. Scamper went back to the woods in the fall, and then the process started all over again in the first photo from 1972. 

They didn't have a raccoon for the summers of 1973 and 1974, but it happened one last time in 1975. 

This is John and his younger brother playing with Scamper by his cage in 1975. John had raccoons for five summers, and even though they were different raccoons each year they were all called Scamper. If John could have a raccoon here in New Jersey he would but it's not legal and just not right to keep a wild animal. He has said that even though they put the raccoons in a cage, they all figured out how to get out quickly and stuck around for most of the summer because they could always get food. Knowing John's mother, she probably made their oatmeal with plenty of brown sugar. 

So that's the story of why John is holding a raccoon in the initial photo. Scamper was a big part of John's childhood and a big part of the family.