Tempus Fugit

Blossoms

Here we are and it is almost Spring and looking back I see I haven't blogged since the Summer. Well my friends it has been a long hard winter. I, like so many of my countrymen, got consumed by the Presidential Election back in November. I was disappointed in the results, not because the candidate I favored lost, but because a candidate, to my mind, who represented the worst we are as a country won. I had hoped we might have been turning a corner in race relations, and protections for those who have suffered abuse. It hurt to see a candidate who espoused bigotry, and misogyny come to the fore It hurt as a survivor of abuse to see an abuser take the highest office in the land. It hurt as an immigrant to see someone soon to be our leader calling for border walls and advocating the separation of families. It hurt as the widow of someone who had a 'preexisting' condition to see a person who wanted to go back to the way things were in healthcare be put in charge.Unfortunately that is where we are as a country. I spent a lot of the winter angry, frustrated and hurt. I couldn't understand how so many of Christian friends and neighbors could have voted for someone who seemed to be the antithesis of Christian values. Along the way something happened I started putting my anger to use. I attended a protest for the first time in my life. I started emailing and calling my representatives in Congress and I got down on my knees and prayed. I didn't pray for things to turn out the way I wanted; but I did pray for what I needed to do. I put everything back in God's hands and stopped trying to wrest the control away from Him. I live in a country that despite its flaws, still allows me to speak freely. I have learned to take extra care with my speech so my words are a reflection of my faith. I have learned to take extra care with my actions so they too are a reflection of my faith.

Winter is almost over. Spring is coming and I have a bunch of projects, books, and travels I want to share with you. I have many of the Bumper's adventure's I want to share with you. I have missed blogging. I am glad to be back.

There and Back Again A Canadian Holiday (part 1)

The Bumper's favorite view

A fairy house

I think I have recovered from the jet enough to write about our vacation trip to Vancouver British Columbia Canada. We went for the wedding of Nana's friends daughter. I was nervous about this trip for a lot of reasons. Firstly the Bumper and I had to get our passports, which in itself was an adventure. It was very hard work getting the Bumper to stand still for the photo. Secondly this trip was also the first time the Bumper has ever been on an airplane.  Thirdly because this was a sort of homecoming for me. We left Vancouver just after the end of my fourth grade year, and I had not been back since. I have long said Vancouver was my favorite city in the world, partially because it is situated in that sweet spot between the mountains and the sea, and partially because Vancouver  become had enshrined in a golden haze of childhood memory; I wasn't particularly keen on destroying the illusion. As it turned out I worried for nothing.

We left early, 5:30 am , on Thursday morning we were all too excited to sleep, which was just as well since the Bumper had a little trouble popping her ears once the plane took off and I had t8 o give her chewing gum to help teach her how. Unfortunately the Bumper persisted in kicking the seat in front of her for the entire flight. I was so embarrassed! I made the Bumper apologize to the lady when we landed in Vancouver. Upon arrival the Bumper was less than enthusiastic. She'd somehow gotten it into her head Vancouver was going to be a giant theme park with a roller coaster right out of the gate. I had to explain it wasn't that sort of vacation. She wasn't immediately won over.

Water Fun

He used to be smaller and I used to be taller

On Friday we met up with Nana's friends R and G and their son S. S and I hadn't seen each other since we were little kids. I admit I was half expecting a curly headed little boy in overalls. Um no! He grew up and so did I, we did that weird double take thing when we realized who we were, we then proceed try and cram thirty years into two hours of catching up. The Bumper took to S right away and he was a very good sport about it. The highlight for her that day was when we went to a local playground with a water park. The Bumper promptly got soaking wet, which continued as a theme for the rest of the week.

Perfect Day for a Wedding

The next day was the wedding. I am a sucker for weddings anyway and this one did not disappoint. It was held at the University of British Columbia boathouse on the Fraser River. My biggest fear was the Bumper would want to jump into the river, but she managed to restrain herself. In fact when Nana's friend R offered a life jacket for the Bumper I promptly refused knowing the Bumper would take it as an open invitation to get right in! Even though the wedding is supposed to be about the bride and groom (I wish them a long and happy marriage), the Bumper and two other little boys her age hit the dance floor and completely stole the show!  I think five years old is the only time you can cut in and steal a person's date it be perfectly acceptable. The Bumper even took a turn with the groom!

After the excitement and drama (the Bumper got carsick on the way back to the hotel) of the wedding we took a couple days just hanging out  going to visit old haunts, such as Simon Frasier University, Burnaby Mountain Park, new to us since it had not  been built when we lived in Vancouver, Lake Alouette-- where the Bumper had her first experience swimming in a lake and I was able to take a couple of long walks by myself. We also took a brief tour of Trout Lake Community Center, our favorite picnic spot, and the apartment play ground where we used to live.

View from Burnaby Mountain

I think Tuesday was probably the Bumper's favorite day. We went hiking at Lynn Canyon, where she braved the suspension bridge and went for a swim in a pristine natural pool.  Tuesday was also the only the heat wave broke. The day the Bumper went swimming was 15C (59F), but she was willing to brave the cold with S and had a ball doing so. We finished off the day by going to a community pool where the Bumper's bravery was rewarded by a long soak in a hot tub.

Yummy Blackberries

The last day was spent going to iconic Stanley Park and seeing the Totem Pole exhibit, having one last dinner with R and G, followed by a walk on a local tree farm. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures, but the Bumper had fun running races with R and G.

All in all the trip was resounding successes. I loved seeing the Bumper's reaction to the enormous trees and slugs in the Pacific Northwest and she thoroughly enjoyed picking blackberries every chance she got.  My favorite part, however was not the scenery, but getting back in touch with friends and making new ones along the way. We will definitely be back.

Kim
p.s.
More pictures are coming soon!

Happy Independence Day!

Inspired by the wonderful Yarnharlot, http://www.yarnharlot.ca/,  for this year's Independence Day celebration I am posting a few of the things I like about living in the wonderful United States. In no particular order:

1. Freedom of the Press- I'm a writer so this one is obligatory.
2. Freedom to practice my religion without government interference.
3. Separation of Church and State- see number 2.
4. Our National Parks- I'd like to visit all of them; have some beautiful wilderness in the country.
5. The states are United and we its citizens can move in an out of them with ease.
6. There are three major mountain ranges within our borders: The Appalachians, the Rockies, and the Sierra Nevada.
7. The longest river is the Missouri River, but the biggest is the Mississippi.
8. Four of the five great Lakes, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and Lake Superior share a peaceful and prosperous border with our northern neighbor Canada.. Lake Michigan is the only one that does not border Canada.
9. Our national bird, the bald eagle became the symbol for our country in  1782.
10. The bald eagle was take off the endangered species list in 2015.

May all you have happy and safe 4th of July.

Kim

Bring on the Summer

The Bumper gets her green thumb from her Nana

The Bumper's last day of pre-k is tomorrow. She is excited for summer vacation to begin. The Bumper is not a morning person (except on Saturday) and it has been a struggle to get her to school by 8am every morning. I am looking forward to the break from that at least.

The Bumper has a a wonderful school year, but not without some rough patches. She is a very high energy little girl and behavior no one would blink at in a boy often gets question when she does it. That being said she got into trouble the third day of school for yelling at her teacher. Her teacher however is very savvy in the ways of wee ones and quickly figured out the Bumper had misbehaved because she wanted to get sent home. So her teacher and I came up with a better way to deal with her disobedience. If she misbehaved in class she would not get to play on the playground at recess or after school. For the most part this worked very well all year. This school year also taught me I am the parent of THAT child. The one who makes other parents shake their heads and raise their eye brows, but that is a post for another day.

This summer we are going on a trip out to Vancouver B.C. Canada. It will be the first time the Bumper has ever flown. I am nervous, she is thrilled and asks about it everyday. She has began X-ing out the days until we leave. Unfortunately we do not leave until the end of July. It is going to be a long wait!
I have been very busy meeting personal writing goals for my novel. Writing is hard work and has not left much time for blogging. Still I hope find some balance this summer and I am looking forward to spending time with the Bumper and just slowing our pace down a little.

Kim

Lazy Weekend

I spent a very relaxing weekend at home with the Bumper. We stayed in most of the day, watching movies, playing dolls, and putting together puzzles, Saturday except for in the late afternoon when I decided a bit of fresh air seemed in order. We wandered over to the local school yard where the Bumper happily climbed, swung, and slid; until raindrops splattered our faces and we ran for home. She won. I am still recovering from a cold, but the Bumper had no mercy and ran full tilt.

Sunday was Palm Sunday. I normally enjoy the recreation of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, followed by a reflection on the passion and crucifixion, but I discovered yesterday that an empty stomach, a head cold and a hot church are a bad combination. I nearly passed out right in the middle of service! Fortunately a quick trip outside in the cold air, made me feel much better and I was able to take Holy Communion. Still it was embarrassing and I hope not to make a repeat performance anytime soon.
Palm Sunday also marks the end of  Lent and the beginning of Holy Week and Easter. I thought about what my small sacrifices might have meant in the larger scheme of things. While it isn't much, I am still glad to provide an example of cheerful sacrifice for the Bumper. She is watching, even when I don't think she is. After church I headed over to my knit and natter group, but no one was there. So I sat in my car and knit by myself listening to the rain fall. I can't recall when I have had a more peaceful two hours.

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, and this morning ice covered the car. Oh well, it is better than last year. I am hoping the cold snap will be brief and we will have a warm Easter Sunday. Of course here in the Mid-Atlantic anything can happen weather wise and usually does!

Kim

Reading in Bed

Enough already! I am seriously sick of being sick! I feel like every other blog entry goes something like this: Hi, I'm back. I was sick. Today I took a walk. Six months later. Hi, I'm back. I was sick. So on and so forth. Urgh. On the other hand being bed bed ridden  does have it's compensations. I got to catch up on my reading list. Here is what I have been reading in the last couple of weeks or so (honestly I've been sick so much I've lost track of time)

1. Booker T. Washington: Black Leadership in the Age of Jim Crow by Raymond W. Smock.
 This was one of my Black History Month Reads. It turns out I knew next to nothing about this pre-civil rights era leader and founder of the Tuskegee Institute

2. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup.
 To find a narrative written by a man who had been born free and sold into slavery is nothing short of a history buffs dream. It did not disappoint.

(Yes I know we are well into women's history month, but I have been sick so a little slack is warranted.)

3. Susanna's Dream by Marta Perry
An Amish romance. Well written, not heavy on the mushy stuff.  The story focuses on family connections and community, while the romance is in the background. Great if you like that sort of fare, which I do.

4. Missing Your Smile by Jerry S. Eicher
Another Amish romance, I'm on a roll here, again well written and it deals more with faith issues, plus reading romances written by a man offer a different perspective.

5. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
This is the second in the Outlander series and I am hooked. I am such a sucker for historical fiction. The writing is fast paced, intricate and character driven with enough history to keep it fresh and interesting. A little graphic in the sex department more my tasted, but I just skip over those parts if I find them disrupting or repetitive. 

6. The Mill on the Floss by George Elliot
A classic that has been on my to read list forever, because it is one of those works of literature that as an English major I'm supposed to have read but hadn't gotten around to reading. Getting used to the style is the hardest part, mid-nineteenth century affectations get on the nerves of this post Hemingway reader. It does make me very grateful to have been born in the twentieth century where my options as a woman are far less limited.

So what is on your book shelf, or night stand or bathroom counter dear readers?

Peace

Kim

Restless

Bare Trees

I've reached the point in the year where I am restless. I am tired of winter and ready for spring to be here. I am ready to go outside for walks and to soak up some sunshine. I am ready to send the Bumper out with her Nana into the garden and flowerbeds to begin Spring planting. I will gladly take allergy medicine just as long as I can leave my jacket, scarf and gloves behind. We have had unusually mild winter, which makes it all the more aggravating and I know winter is not done with us yet. Sure the calendar says there are only three weeks until the first day of Spring, but last year we got a snowstorm on that day, so I'm more than a little skeptical.

I just love a white picket fence

Spring also means the feast of the Resurrection is close at hand and our Lenten fast will end. I am looking forward to a family get together and singing Alleluia in church. Until then we have lots to occupy us including an auction fundraiser at the Bumper's school, Stations of the Cross and Meatless Fridays.

To get rid of some of my restlessness the other day I managed to go for a walk. The day was warm and sunny it felt so good to be outside. As I sit typing this the temperature  outside has dipped to uncomfortably just above freezing. I am glad I got out when I did-- before the next round of stormy weather.

Hope you are enjoying yourself wherever you are and whatever your weather.
p.s.
Does anybody else get restless this time of year?

Kim

Dear 2016

Dear 2016,
 Here we are on the first day of a brand new year and in spite of having another nasty cold I am feeling pretty optimistic. I am looking forward to seeing what this year holds. It is hard to believe it has been five years since I started this blog. When I started the Bumper was not yet born and now she is five. I am excited about watching her grow even more. I feel so fortunate that I get to share her adventures with her and I hope there will be plenty in 2016. This year am hoping to improve my knitting, crochet and sewing skills. I have several projects I have finished which have not yet been photographed. I am looking forward to finishing my second novel this year. I had to start all over at the end of November, but I don't mind because the story is stronger than it was before. I also want to improve my physical fitness. 2015 was a year of illness and inactivity. I want 2016 to be the year I get active. As always I want to grow closer to the Lord, but this year I am going to be more mindful of the example I am setting for the Bumper.
What are your hopes for the new year?

Happy New Year!
Kim

p.s. I also hope not to wash out for Vegan MoFo!

Catching Summer As She Hurries By

Marigolds are loving the rain!

They say time flies when you are having fun, well it also flies when you have an active four year old. This summer has been all about ice-pops, sprinklers and parties. We are enjoying ourselves tremendously, but it has left very little time for blogging. The Bumper is in summer camp every morning, swimming three times a week and digging in the dirt with Nana. We have also been making the birthday party rounds. So far every weekend in July the Bumper has gone to a party and there is no end in sight. Superheroes are the theme among the pre-school set, but Bumper has wanted to wear princess dresses. When one of her friends challenged her about her choice, she promptly replied "Princesses are superheroes!" I am not going to argue with that.

Because one thing at a time makes too much sense.

I have been busy writing on my novel and I am super excited, the writing is going well and I am starting to like my characters. I am still working on my second sock; I started a dishcloth, and a blanket. 

This Sunflower says perfectly how we feel about the heat!

The weather here has been hot and muggy. We have had lots and lots of rain, great for the grass; not so much for the mower. Remembering how cold it was this past winter, however, I am not complaining!  For the most part the past few weeks have been too hot to play in the day, but since daylight still lingers past seven in the evening, there is plenty of time to go outside once things cool down. Bumper loves stalking fire flies in the long tall grass at the back of our yard. I like watching her, it never fails to put a smile on my face. This is also prime reading weather, and while I have been indulging in a marvelous mystery series revolving around knitting, Bumper has been patiently listening to her read along books and coaxing extra bedtime stories out of me!  Bumper has told me she can't wait for winter to comeback so she can play in the snow and eat maple sugar candy (syrup snow). As for me I am enjoying these rapid fire days as best I can, even if it is when I flop into bed sweaty and exhausted.

Hope, wherever you are, your summer is going well.
Kim

Spring Walk

Way back in mid-April we had spat of good weather, and I went for a walk around our neighborhood. I was feeling a bit down that day, and I find taking a walk often gets me out of my negative head space. On that day I was in no particular hurry and I did not have anywhere pressing to be. Nana was watching the Bumpers, so I was free to meander as I pleased ( I really enjoy days like that because they are few and far between). As I walked along tree lined streets festooned in an array of blossoms, I couldn't help but feel very thankful.  Usually when I go for a walk I am in it for the exercise and hurry along hardly noticing my surroundings, but on that day I stopped frequently taking lots of pictures.

I took the time to explore, discovering along the way hidden trails in the park, geese nesting, front yards with white picket fences, a fire station with our country's flag flying in the brisk breeze.  There were times I just stopped, stood still and smiled. It took awhile, but I realized I felt happy. Such a small thing, but there it was.  Little by little and day by day I am recovering more of myself.

P.S. Still in a mad dash to finish the hat and booties.

Kim

Busy

School is out, and I am busy. Busy keeping up with the Bumper, busy knitting my second sock, busy making a hat and booties for a friend's daughter's baby, busy writing two short stories and a novel. I have been so busy that blogging has slipped way down on my priority list. I find that I miss it. So here I am back again.
The Bumper is also busy. She is busy painting, dancing in the rain, playing, running in the mud and just being a kid.
Nana is busy putting in the garden, emptying her office of twenty years, and trying to adjust to being retired.
Busy is good. Busy keeps me from being bored or dwelling on unpleasant thoughts, busy also prevents silly arguments and fruitless battles of will, but busy can have its downside. I have been so busy I have neglected my prayer time, the time I spend reading the Bible and being in the Lord's presence. It occurs to me that I shouldn't be quite so busy that I forget Jesus.  Yet once entered into I find busyness takes on a life of its' own. This summer I want to find balance between busy and still. Between construction and contemplation. No small feat when caring for a little person who wakes up busy and doesn't stop until she goes to sleep.  This weekend will be spent in busyness with friends and family, but I a going to try and slip away and be still for just a little while.

Kim

Sick Day -- er-- Week

This Blog postponed due to illness.
See you when I get better. I have been to sick to even knit, crochet or read ( if you know me in RL you know how serious that is).
I'll be back next week.
Kim

WIP Wenesday

I wanted this to be a wordless Wednesday with nothing but the pictures of my finished craft projects, but as I did not finish any of them that is not going to happen. So what I have instead is a W.I.P. (Works In Progress)Wednesday. A jumble of all the things I current have on the needles/hook or in my notebooks.

First up is a plain knit dishcloth. I started this sometime last year with the idea that I needed to refresh my knitting skill and re-learn the essentials: cast on, cast off, knit and purl. I pick it up when I want to practice a stitch to improve my speed.

Next is a crochet doll blanket that I started when the Bumper was a year old. It was supposed to be a baby blanket for her, but it turns out she grew faster than I could crochet.

Then come the hats; the green is still on the hook, but I have finished two yellow ones.

For a lark I picked up a drop spindle kit at the Ocean City fiber festival, because why not learn how to spin while I am at it?

There is of course the ever present sock.

And because I have a terminal case of start-itis something new. Can you guess what?

Lest anyone think that my start-itis limits itself to the fiber arts rest assured it invades other parts of my life.  I carry around a spiral bound notebook crammed almost to capacity with the beginnings of short stories, poems, and novel ideas.

These are the things I am working on, I hope to finish all of them; in the meantime I am enjoying the creative process.

Kim