Happy New Year!

Hello January! Can you believe it’s 2015 already? Whenever time really seems to fly by, it’s important to remember that life is short: this year again, I’m going to do my best to make the most of every moment. It was only one year ago that I not only suffered a stroke that paralyzed my right side but incredibly have also recovered. I take no single day or circumstance for granted.

The pre-Christmas season was incredibly busy and Christmas was calm, peaceful, and full of light. Now that January is here, I no longer feel the need to make resolutions. Actually I quit making resolutions decades ago, but I used to make quite firm goals. As I’ve entered into this wonderfully rich chapter of my life (busy retirement), there is no more compulsion to strive to attain ‘targets’. The days are rich so I feel quite content. I do have a special wish for each of you. It’s actually the wishes of author Neil Gaiman, but I had to borrow them because I wish I had thought to say what he has so eloquently shared:

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, sometime in the next year, you surprise yourself.”

The knitters among you are likely wondering when on earth I’ll finally show a few of the items I was so busily knitting for Christmas gifts for my family. It all began in October. First was a simple Watchman’s cap for my son to wear at work and for dressier times plus a luscious cashmere/silk herringbone scarf for him to wear.

I also made a pretty little shawlette for the lady in his life. She loves colour and orange is one of her favourite colours.

And, using magic loop for the first time (which I really really like), I made two pairs of fingerless gloves. I also made three hats, again using magic loop.

I’m also a tad pleased with myself since I made a darling cable and lace hat. So now I’ve learned to use magic loop, do lace, and make cables. Not bad for a newbie (excuse the blatant pat on my own back).

I also made a pair of mittens but not just any mittens. I made them two-at-a-time on magic loop. Yesirree. That’s the way to do it!

Oh and one of my darling neighbours, who is  also a knitter (she knits beautiful socks! you should see how beautiful she knits) gifted me a lovely skein of yarn that is very locally grown/spun/dyed. It’s a beauty and I can hardly wait to get it on the needles. But first, I need to finish the sweater (something for me) I started the day before Christmas. So far so good. It’s my first sweater. 2014 has been chock full of firsts, so I plan to carry that over into 2015.

One of our dogs, Pearl, has started to show her age this past year. We’ve had her in for several tests but haven’t been able to determine the definitive cause of some of her symptoms. Bloodwork shows she is healthy as a horse, yet she’s losing hair like mad (much more than mere shedding) and the choking they feel is likely laryngeal paralysis which only surgery will correct. At her age, we have opted not to put her through the surgery. She’s still very pretty though, don’t you think?

Oh, one more thing. You know how some things really impact us, whether it’s something we read, or see, or experience? Well, this was something I heard on CBC Radio and can’t get it out of my mind so I’m sharing it with you. A beautiful moment heard December 15th on CBC’s “The Next Chapter”, author Rudy Wiebe was answering the Proust questionnaire. When asked, What’s your greatest fear? he responded, “Hurting someone I love … my greatest fear would be damaging someone I love spiritually.”
What a beautiful soul that man has to respond in that way.

Now that January is here, what are your thoughts / plans / goals for the coming year? What do you look forward to doing/seeing/accomplishing?