A View from Sierra County

Thankful Thursday: Round Two

I am so very fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world, and to spend time outside each and every day, no matter the weather.  It has grounded me with a deep appreciation for natural beauty and a humbling sense of how small and impermanent I really am.  This view of the Sierra Buttes on a fall day, heading into winter seemed an appropriate photographic rendition of my gratitude.

Announcing The Winners

Last month, I asked a very personal, and possibly difficult, question as a requirement to enter my Birthday Contest.  The entries came in slowly, but steadily, thanks to several bloggers who shared what I was doing with their audiences.  They gradually sorted themselves out into a few major categories... births, deaths, illness, marriage, transforming moments.  Some were far more moving than others, but all reflected the human experience, something we each share though it happens to us on our own terms and timetables.  We may not have the same illness, lose a parent at the same point in life, or even discover the love of our life at the same decade in life, but we do share many of these experiences over the course of each lifetime.

I am honored to be entrusted with so many great stories, and plan to share them in a few clusters over the next month.  Of course, it was very difficult selecting a first and second place winner for this contest, even when eliminating several 'also-rans'.... and somehow, using a random number generator didn't feel right either.  That is why it is so late in the day, on the day that I promised to announce the winners.  I have read and re-read each story, thinking about the writing and how each moved me in different ways, and finally went with the humanness of the recounting, the lessons the author wanted to share with all of us reader, and the feelings that these two stories gave me:

The first place winner, who will receive a special package of hand-dyed yarn, cute little tote and tape measure, put together on Friday while I was working at Fibers (it's already too dark to take a photo, but I will...soon), is blogless Shelly F:

 "I read your life changing time and the others listed. Mine started out that way. I was in labor for 4 days with my first son, what a little man he was! Then I gave birth to my second son, Jesse. These two boys saved my life, really! Like you, I didnt want to be reckless. If a car was getting to close to me on the highway, I prayed that I would be ok because I was James and Jesse's mama!! 

The time that stands out most in my life is April 7, 2008. I got a call at 1am. Jesse was on the phone all in a panic! He had been drinking too much, which he has a problem with at only 23 years old. He told me franickly to call 911. He had tried to commit suicide!! He had stabbed himself in the stomach 7 times. He was airlifted to Washoe and I made it there in 1 1/2 hours from Downieville. I was beside myself, I prayed the entire way! He was in surgery when I arrived and I waited in his room to be. Trust me, this wait was more painful than labor. They wheeled him in, told me his body will be fine, he missed everything! So, I sat and watched Jesse sleep. At that time, I loved him more than any other time of his life. I was so thankful that he was alive, so worried as to what brought him to this desperate point, how did I miss the signs?? I prayed and crocheted and prayed and crocheted. I sat with Jesse for 4 days, never left the hospital. I had the same clothes on the entire time. I was NOT going to leave my baby. I talked and talked with him. We got help for him and he is on the road to recovery. He isnt all the way there yet, but he is working hard on it. 

I guess my point of telling this story isnt to make anyone sad, it is to tell people to not take one day for granted. Not one. Love those around you and turn away from the dirty dishes and laundry, sit on the floor and PLAY with the ones you love. Enjoy them to the fullest. Listen to them about the silliest things even when you are running out the door late. This with Jesse was a complete surprise!! Jesse turned 25 on Oct 1st. I sent him 4 - $25 gift cards to ToysRus. He loved them, said he went and bought himself a remote control car. (kid at heart) I sure do love that boy, more every day."

Shelly expressed one of the guiding principles in my life... to live in and for the moment, knowing that is all we really have.  That doesn't mean I don't plan ahead, save for the future and treasure the past, but it does mean that I try to let the past failings and injuries fall away quickly, and move forward with joy every day, looking for the happiest and richest way to apply my energy.  It's always a process, and some days are less successful than others, but I do agree with Shelly, treasure the moment and play with those you love!  Thanks, Shelly.

The second place prize, a $25 gift certificate to Lafayette Book Store, goes to Meg, who did such an excellent job describing how a simple gift, given in the moment by her mother, affected her lifelong philosophy:

"When I thought of a life changing event I first thought of the fall of 2001 when life was so so hard. But then I remembered the event that taught me the resilience to get through those tough times.  I was 9 years old. My family was very,very poor and were getting evicted from our home. My parents have four daughters and there was never enough money. My mom and I walked to the hardware store to buy a lightbulb. In the store was a man with large pack, a walking stick and looking scruffy with beard. He was asking the clerks how to get to New Haven (about 8 miles away from my town). He said his daughter was in the hospital and he been walking for days and days trying to get to her. The clerks wouldn't help him and threw him out. As my mom and I left the store she pressed a few dollars in my hand and told me to run after him. She told me to tell him it was all that we had but he could wait right where he was for a bus. I ran across the parking lot and gave him the money and the message. He started crying and so did I. He took my hands and thanked me and said he would pray for us over his fire that night. 

The next day my parents found a wonderful, huge house by the ocean that we could afford. And I learned that no matter what, there is always a capacity to give despite what I think my circumstances are. I also learned not be afraid of those who need help or to feel pity, we are always one step away from walking in someone else's shoes. It's a set of lessons I have kept with me in the 21 years since and a lesson I teach to my husband, kids, family and friends by example whenever I can."

I was deeply moved by her statement that we always have the capacity to give... if we all started each day with that thought in mind, and took a step to give help to someone else, each and every day, just think of the changes we could create.  Thanks for the inspiration, Meg.

There are more powerful stories to share, and I hope you will come back soon to read them.  Thanks to all who entered, and please, I hope nobody will feel hurt or left out that I didn't select you as a winner... each one of you is a winner for being willing to share your knowledge with the rest of us.

Thankful Thursday

Carole mentioned over the weekend that she was going to post Thankful Thursday lists this month.  I decided to join in because I have employed a gratitude practice off and on over the years...making lists in the evening of things I am grateful for.  Here's today's:

1.  The health and happiness that I have every day.

2.  My sweet husband Glenn.

3.  My wise, witty, clever and devoted children

4.  Living long enough to welcome my sweet, pretty granddaughter.

In Honor of Samhain: Contest Deadline Extended

Happy Halloween... and Samhain.  I had wanted to be posting reminders so that I would get lots of entries in the birthday contest, but life has been swinging back and forth from the very high to the very low in the past few weeks, and I just didn't get here.

This was a disappointment to me, because I believe that we all carry powerful stories along with us and that stories shared are one of our strongest connections with each other.  They uplift us, keep us from making someone elses' mistake, bring out the compassion inside us, and make us laugh.  They are part of what makes us unique as humans, and many of your stories have helped me this week. 

You see, while I have been experiencing the euphoria of having a sweet and wonderful baby granddaughter, I have also been feeling the pain of loss at the same time, as two friends lose their battles with cancer.  One passed away earlier this week and the other moved into the hospice in my small town up on a ridge about five miles north of me.  I spent three afternoons with her and her hubby, sitting and being a companion.  I will be knitting and sitting, talking and being present as life changes over the next several weeks, and then also going to see my baby grrl and becoming part of her world... the new and the old, the seasons turning... the mystery of Samhain made manifest in my daily life.  Your stories all help me to see what is unfolding as part of the constantly turning wheel of change in our lives, and help all of us remember to value each precious moment.

In the spirit of this contest about life-changing events, I decided to reach out to some of my fellow bloggers and ask for promotional help yesterday... more entries came in but I also decided to extend the deadline by an additional week, to Friday, November 6 at midnight PST.  If you haven't entered, check out the rules here.  If you also feel like giving a shout out, feel free to link to this post or the earlier one.

An update on prizes:

There will be two winning entries: one randomly drawn from all the wonderful stories submitted and one that touched me the most (purely subjective).  The two prizes are a $25 gift certificate to my favorite bookstore - which can be spent online or at their brick and mortar location, where you would be able to say hello to my lovely SIL Linda, and a prize basket of goodies from Fibers, the LYS where I work!

I will announce the winners on November 9th, and share some of the stories I have received... and thanks to all of you for sharing.

Pumpkin Love

One of my favorite parts of the fall season is seeing the beautiful decorations that have taken their inspiration from fall's harvest.  I was especially excited to get to accompany DD and her family to Bishops Pumpkin Farm to gather up some fall decor on Sunday; this marks their third year making the trek, but I had always been working at the LYS in past years and missed out.  DH took the day off to join us, and we all had a great time.

Bishops plants over 50 acres of pumpkins each year, and has also worked hard to build a family-friendly theme park with lots of fun activities to enjoy every fall... there was a corn maze, a tree house, pig races taking place, plenty of choices of food and drink (inlcuding walnut pie, a variation of pecan pie that has me itching to develop a 'healthier' recipe of my own).

We took a hay ride out to the further pumpkin patches in search of our perfect pumpkins to bring home.

The weather was cool but pleasant, and searching was a fun activity.... 

but then, so was pumpkin rolling... practiced here by Mason and Isaiah.

Our group chose several pumpkins, going to three different households, and also enjoyed all the other activities for several hours.

In this last photo, DD Nikki and her stepson Mason enjoy a happy moment, while guarding their chosen pumpkins together.

Yarn on the Go

I promised some pictures of our yarn shop moving to its new location, but I was so tired after a second day of lifting, loading and unloading that it took until Sunday night to get to a post... I went to the pumpkin patch yesterday with family and friends and will share some photos from that adventure later in the week.

On Saturday, our group of yarnistas and volunteers was able to get almost all of the glass cases moved out of the old shop and into the new one... a great feat considering that yarnista Gail, her DH Dan, shop owner Allison and lil' ol' me did most of that moving, using two small trucks... these cases look terrific and show the yarn off well, but they are difficult and downright scary to move around!

Here's a photo of the old store, almost completely emptied out... except for glass cases.  We were able to only partially disassemble them, and using brain and brawn (and a great moving dollie), get two-wide and five and six high glass towers loaded on their sides into little trucks, then very gently drive them across town....

As you can see, the old shop was really something of a long, dark hallway... with a wider, brighter room in the back.  We were located right in the heart of 'old town' Grass Valley, and the store had been a hardware store, now divided into two shops.  There was a lot of tourist traffic, but many of those shoppers were people who would peer in and then wonder what to do with themselves in a yarn store and quickly move on.

Our new location is light and airy, located in a neighborhood less than a mile away, on a tree-lined street with a mix of homes and businesses... it is also pedestrian-friendly, and our shop has at least five times more light inside (that's the increased window space alone).

In this photo, Gail, Dan and Allison have a glass case loaded into Dan's truck, and are pondering

how best to arrange more in one small truckbed.

We ended up laying all of the cases on their sides, padding them with bags of the last bits of yarn needing to be transferred to the new location, and then securing the cases with rope, moving blankets, bungees, etc.

Getting them set in place was a more trying process, as they had to be put into certain places in order to reconnect properly!

However, by the end of Saturday, these cases were moved and the larger wooden ones that had been moved on Friday were already filled with yarn, needles, books, etc.  It looks pretty certain that the shop will re-open at the new location, 465 S. Auburn Street in Grass Valley, on Tuesday as planned... however Sunday's crew was going to be in charge of more shelving and getting computers, register, etc... all up and running.

My next workday will be on Saturday (Gail and I switched days this week) and I promise to take lots of photos of our new look... I got so busy yesterday that I never got photos of the new shop in progress....Looking forward to seeing you there!

Moving Day

I am so tired and yet sooo happy!  Thanks to several of our most wonderful customers, we got most of the contents of the store moved today, and many of the cases in place and starting to fill back up with yarn!  It was far more than any of us expected would be done at this point, and we still have a crew coming to help tomorrow!

When I arrived at 10 AM, Monica was already hard at work (on her day off!), with Beth and Mardi helping to pack up yarn.... she headed to the new store for the morning while I held down the fort at the old one.  Gina arrived around noon with her low boy trailer (which she drives like a pro!), and a crew loaded up the biggest display cases making two trips to get them into the new shop... by that point in the early afternoon, I was scrambling and scrounging for boxes and bags to put yarn in, but by mid-afternoon all yarns were packed and cases emptied and much of the fixtures and yarns moved... tomorrow, our glass cases all get moved (they had to be emptied and their stands moved today before we could tackle the cases).  I am going to risk leaving someone out, because I want to thank those whose names I got written down... besides those mentioned above, I also worked with Carol, Lisa, David, Tony, Michael, Jean, Ingrid, Netta, and Sonja... and I sure do love you all!  

Our new location is absolutely beautiful... light-filled, spacious (the old one's more like a long, darkish wide hallway), and has large, old trees!  We already discussed creating a small patio in the parking space that is really only 2/3rds of a space, with potted plants by next spring!  Then, there's the little coffee bar nook, where you will be able to bring in your mug and keep it hanging up next to our hot pot... and the front windows with the beginnings of a lovely sit-n-knit area... I promise to remember to take pictures tomorrow!  I spent only the last hour of my day at the new shop, and was too tired to remember by that time!

Yes, I Still Knit!

I know it has been a long time since I posted about anything but my Fiesta Friendship shawl (link to last time I posted a photo).. in fact there has been very sparse knitting content, period!  It has been a consuming project, and now that I am about 3/4ths of the way through, there's not a lot to show that doesn't look suspiciously similar to the last time I posted about this project.  Hard on the motivation to share with you.  However, since today is WIP Wednesday, I am going to let you in on a little secret.  I have been making something else...

Now, I still am working, a handful of diamonds a week, to get that really big shawl completed.  I even sorted out the gift yarns from many of you, as well as the fingering weights that I had in my stash, and have two smallish bags ready to pass along to someone else who wants to make either a diamond shawl or a full-on modular, patchwork blankie.  All you have to do is let me know.  Oh, and enter my birthday contest.  A smallish collection is going off to Cynthia, a loyal Fibers customer, but that will still leave lots of yarns that I have used a few times in the shawl already, and need to pass along to the next intrepid knitter.  I have a particular pink for the last of the large diamonds (coming in the next several days), then need to fill in on either side with more small diamonds, and finish off with a row of triangles at the top.  Rowen contributed some yarns a week ago that should help me make it through to the end, with a bit more variety.  I will see the end... sometime before winter ends!

However, in the past month, it has been All Odessa, All The Time (and can you blame me!).  Odessa got undershirts.  Odessa got a baby hat to go home in.  And now that the weather has turned blustery and cold... Odessa is getting her first grammie sweater (ravelry link).

This is a really terrible photo as far as definition goes.. you can't actually tell that the back and the two fronts are done and pinned together.  One sleeve was finished this afternoon, while it poured down rain and the house was being hit with high winds... sleeve #2 will be finished tonight.  Check out the link above, which shows the sweater off better, and the cute little hat that mama Dawn has requested as well.  I hope that baby Odessa likes it as much as we big people do.

The yarn I am using is Plymouth's Sara Superwash in a stunning raspberry tweed, which is a very nice yarn, but not exactly the same gauge as the one called for.  We are not worrying about such complicated matters here at Slate Range Camp, though, since babies grow so quickly that anything you make them will fit at one point or another!  And, as you can tell from this photo of DD Nikki holding Odessa at my birthday party... this is a grrl who needs a sweater and soon!

Nikki hosted a wonderful birthday barbeque at her house for me on Sunday, and luckily just ahead of the big storm.  All of my growed-up kids were there, but DH was away, on yet another fire.  The storm put an end to it and he arrived home late today, bringing me a great Pendleton blanket as a gift.  Our family group helped me enjoy the day even without him, and he was delighted that we could send him a phone-photo so that he could feel like he was part of the party... the wonders of technology!

Jesse and Dawn got me a lovely Catherine Popesco locket (which resisted photographing this afternoon, in the dull storm light) so that I can put a picture of my baby grrl in it, and Nikki got me one of my favorite plants, a miniature rose.  Come to think of it, all of my potted roses came by way of Nikki - what a sweet daughter!

The real gift, of course, is having such a wonderful family to spend time with, and so many great friends near and far to send me greetings! Life is truly good.

One of those friends, Carrie, together with the sudden change in the weather, has really stoked up my knitting mojo, by showing me these.... when I went off to Knitty to peruse the pattern and contemplate making myself a pair, I was also inspired by this and then this!   All of this inspiration led to my being even more inspired while waiting in line at the local JC Penney sale on Sunday... I spotted the perfect larger knitting bag, for only $4.99 (marked down from $55 and returned by someone who didn't like it when she realized that the flowers were actually peace signs, LOL... just waiting for me, I guess!).  Plus, it's water-repellent whereas my favorite basket only goes out on dry days:)

Unfortunately, my personal, real-time queue here at the old Camp is pretty darn backed up! I have promised DH that he will get to wear his felted vest (Ravelry) this cold season, and dragged it downstairs to do the finish work that will allow me to throw it in the washer and felt it. 

While cleaning out my studio, I did decide to unload some stash that will never turn into FOs in my hands, and to also take stock of what I have and what it can become in the relatively near future. I do not have yarn for Girl Friday, but I work in a yarn store, and suspect I can have the yarn by the time I have cleared the decks to make it... it is definitely top of my list for 'next sweater'.  

In the meantime, I plan to finish my Mendocino vest (Ravelry) this fall, and to start on my Bohus sweater (Ravelry- though I will do a cardi version) later this winter, as well as come up with uses for two really nice yarns marinating upstairs in the studio.  

I also have plans for three small handspun projects... one is a pair of thrummed mitts, another a little stuffed rabbit from some lovely handspun angora from Amy, and the third is a fair-isle inspired beret using my white Rambouillet paired with some lovely rose shades of roving (yet to be spun) that I got from my fellow guild spinner, hand-dyer and shepherdess, Sue Flynn while at the Celtic Festival last weekend.  Those small projects might take until winter is over, but will also give me something to enter in next year's county fair display, a long-range concern of being a good and upstanding fiber guild member.  Then, there's holiday knitting to be considered.... hmm, maybe I should start shopping for those gifts.  

What about you, where do you stand on holiday knitting this season?

Birthday Contest

Yesterday, I turned 55...and had one of the best birthdays! Odessa's arrival almost four weeks ago, along with arriving at this milestone age, has had me thinking over things in life.

I feel very blest to have lived to the point where I can witness my youngest son, my own 'baby', be such a great papa, coaching his partner through a long labor, caring for his baby girl and soothing her when fussy, providing his family a home. That has been truly the best birthday gift a person like me could wish for! 

Along with that, DD hosted a family bbq for me yesterday and made the pretty cake featured above. 

In the weeks leading up to this special day, I decided that I would host a Birthday Contest on the blog, but then got a cold last week that laid me up for a few days, so finally got a chance to post the details: 

As I have watched my baby granddaughter from a few hours old to the present, I was reminded that giving birth to my first child was the most life-changing experience I have had.   I never was able to look at life with quite the same reckless attitude that I had before, as I had a child (and then two more) that was dependent upon me.   Although a loving person, I never had felt as if my heart would burst with the love awakened in seeing that baby.   I lived with a stronger purpose and a more open heart from that moment onward, and raising those children into the wonderful, crazy adults who are amongst my bestest buddies in the world, became one of my primary missions in life.

So... where's she going with this?   Well, to enter this particular birthday contest, you will need to describe a life-changing experience to me... you can write me a private email at: burrobird AT gmail DOT com.  You can simply post a comment.  If you are one of my Facebook friends, you can write me a note over there!  Since deciding what life-changing experience you would pick might require a bit more pondering than simply telling me your favorite color, or current favorite song, you have until Friday, October 30th, at Midnight PDT, and I will announce the winner on Halloween.  I would like to feature some of your stories on the blog when I announce the winner, so please let me know if you will agree to publishing... and spread the word!  One of my favorite parts of blogging is the human connection with people near and far, and I look forward to what I will learn from your stories.

What's in it for you?  I will be arranging with my SIL Linda to get a gift certificate to the online portion of her bookstore, so that even non-knitters have incentive to participate, and will also be putting together a nice little fibery prize package... details to follow!

Saturday Sky

It has been a while since I posted a sky photo for everyone... this was taken last week by DH, while working on a fire in the Umpqua Forest in central Oregon.  I would tell you the name of the mountain, but I don't have him around to ask; he's off on another fire assignment on the Hoopa reservation in the far north of California.