Livin' on the Edge

Happy Saturday, blog readers! We are coming to you (we?...the cats and I? the royal we? is there anyone else here with me?...) LIVE from the edge today! 

Readers: The edge? The edge of what?

Fair question...the edge of everything!

The edge of boiling, in which the blogger sits down to write and stops watching the pot of sticky, sweet concord grapes that are on high. They boil over with a messy, purple spit, gurgle and hiss as the liquid drips onto the gas flame, and my kitchen smells very, very grape! No worries, I have turned down the flame, everything is at a simmer and I have set a timer. We will stay at the edge of boiling for about 10 minutes, I think. Oh, and thank you for the Concords, L!

The edge of another knitted kitty cat for another grandchild...well, almost the edge. Almost the neck-edge, to be exact. The body stripes involve less thinking than the jagged color-work which frames the face on this cat...we are right on the edge of starting that part.

The edge of cold weather. Even though our temperatures maintain that summer feel outside, we had our last Friday night walk (until spring) at our favorite park last night, as the fall/winter hours (park closes at 4:30pm) begin Oct 1st. The last bits of purple are still popping, but the yellows and browns are breaking through.

Yes, friends, I am on the edge. This is a place I am very familiar with, and there is always a new adventure looming when things come to an end in any season. There are lots of things I am looking forward to, and some I am unsure of.

One thing I have no doubt about is this: There will always be another transition. The next one may be small (changing seasons, new projects to knit) or huge (our growing church is moving to a new location, and I don't know just what that will look like for the teams I serve with). But whatever the change, we know it will come.

The edge is not comfortable. There are unknowns, and I feel the sharpness of the turns more acutely now than I did when I was in my 20s (although I was pretty resistant to change as a young woman, too). But this week, and today specifically, I am doing ok with all of it. Today I will trust God and try to not look down, one foot in front of the other, right there on the edge.

Are you on the edge of anything, big or small? How do you work through it, and what do you hold onto? Whatever it is, hold onto this, too: You are not alone. You are not the first, and you won't be the last to go through this transition...and even if you do not see him, God is working through it with you.

If you have nothing to hold onto as you face the edge, consider trusting God. I do not always see what is coming next. Sometimes that is because I am not looking, but most of the time I just can not know, and that just slays me. I want an explanation. I want to know why I have to go around that corner and what is on the other side...but most of the time, those questions remain unanswered...so I trust God. 

I trust God. Then I blog...or knit...or have a cookie (I am trying to cut down on that last one)...and I just put one foot in front of the other until I get to the next corner. Wanna join me? I'm here all week (though I only blog on Saturday).

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Bodies In Motion

If you ask two granddaughters to pose for a photo or two...

...they just might break out into a random dance party!

In the world of taking pictures of my family, I have found that I often get much better photos when I do not ask them to pose. Sometimes that means I take pictures of ponytails,

or blonde curls...

But I think that even these can capture who they are pretty well! And sometimes, everything lines up just right for shots like this...

and close-ups like this!

All the face! All the happy, crazy feet and goofy expressions that keep me snapping, even tho they keep moving!

What is that physics rule? A body at motion tends to stay in motion...yeah, that sounds right. I think there is something about rest too, but these girls do not know about that. Motion is their default!

My default is knitting, but with all this activity, there has not been much knitting this visit! A couple dolls...a few stitches with a tall, blonde 8-year-old "Peanut," and that is about it.

Of course, there will be time for knitting next week (Lord willing, and the creek don' rise!). Until then, I will just keep chasing the dream with these kiddos! I can nap next week, too. ;o)

What has been keeping you busy this week? I would love to hear about it, or see a picture! Whatever you have been up to, I hope that you are finding joy in the middle of everything.

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Visits and All the Fun!

Now that they have moved to Michigan, we can expect more popup visits from the girls, like this one! They got in last night, while we were at an Indians game...

...trying to stay dry in the downpour! 

We did not wait out the rain delay, but came home to all the love!

Today we have so many fun things to do...like bread making,

legos, and blogging! 

The girls are sitting with me right now, helping...they say, "Hi!," by the way...lol! Consequently, this post is bound to be short and a little discombobulated! What a fun day this is so far! Hahaha! 

I hope that you have some fun planned for your Saturday, and that you also have some time to knit. My knitting time may be limited, but my granddaughter time will be extended...super yay!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Kitten Cousins

I knit a thing. Not surprising, I know. Also not surprising, it is another requested toy for my granddaughter. Shockingly, the cats are not impressed.

As I was watching my grandson play this week, I noticed that he loves the toys that rattle, and I thought it would be fun to knit the thing again, adding some noise-makers on the second round. And so, friends, I present to you my striped Kitten Cousins!

As you can see, the rattle and squeak kitten (on the left) is quite unfinished. Although it is very cute, the personality really is in the details. A face, a tail, even ears will give him that beckoning look, and I think the baby will like him quit a bit with the rattles! Even without the details, this one has a personality that drove him to squeak past his cousin...

...rattling toward the window to see what might be outside. Of course, without eyes and ears, it was pretty discouraging for him. Poor guy...

You know what they say about cats and curiosity? Well, apparently it is true, because when the finished kitten regained her composure, she fairly tossed her cousin aside to get a better look...

...which piqued the interest of White Cat (naturally).

White Cat: Pretty, what IS this thing?

Pretty: It is a stuffed cat, of course!

White Cat: Are you sure? It does not smell like a cat... I can't even tell if it is a boy or a girl!

Pretty: Well, silly, it is NOT a cat. It is a toy.

White Cat: A toy for a cat?

Pretty: No. A toy for a granddaughter.

White Cat: Oh. I see. Is that a bird outside?

Black Cat: Can everybody puh-lease keep it down??? I am trying to nap over here!

White Cat and Pretty: So-o-o-r-ry!

Now it's time to say goodbye so Black Cat can go back to sleep. I am glad that knitting is a quiet activity, and it is time for me to make a tail and a face for my poor, discouraged, rattle-and-squeak kitty toy.

Thanks for stopping by, friends, and Knit in Good Health!

Little Nugget says, "See you next time!"

You Never Know

You just never know, so be ready. 

You never know when a smiling, sitting still baby...

...is gonna really start moving!

So be ready to grab those cheeks, even if you miss the picture!

You never know when lots of things are going to happen. 

This week, something unexpected happened, and a friend passed away suddenly. He had just turned 58 and buried his own father just days before. I grieve for his family and friends, and for myself...and the thing that really struck a chord with me was that you just never know which moment is going to be your last. If I knew for sure when that moment was coming, I could rest in that knowledge. "I don't have to be ready for 32 years, 6 weeks, 3 days and 47 minutes...I have time," I might think to myself. But I do not have that luxury...or would it be a curse? I mean, would I actually prepare, or would I put off the things I need to do for 32 years, 6 weeks and 2 days? I mean, we all procrastinate, right?

I try not to put things off, but each time someone I know is plucked from this life sooner than I think they should be, it is like a splash of cold water in my face followed by a punch to the gut. What if that was my husband? My child? Or me? Am I ready? Have I done what needs to be done, said what needs to be said, loved who needs to be loved? I am fond of saying, "I could step off a curb and be hit by a bus tomorrow. The information you need is in the green folder," but there is so much more to it than that, isn't there?

One more hug. 

One more I love you.

One more conversation.

One more phone call or text.

One more shared meal.

One more vacation.

One more prayer.

At some point, there will be no more me. At some point, there will be no more you. Are we ready? Probably not. Maybe we are never totally ready for that final goodbye, especially when we are the ones left behind. But you can be ready to go all the time, if you know where you are headed. Do you?

You know where I am going with this, I know you do, and I can never force you to believe what I believe. I would not try to force you to believe, because I know that I will never be powerful enough to change your mind if you disagree...and I will continue to love you, even though you may continue to disagree with me. But I believe that what I believe is the absolute truth, and I believe that you should at least consider it. Have all the details before you throw away the idea that God loves you, and that he sent his Son as the Way, the Truth and the Life...so that we can be forever connected with that love. 

If you have not read the book, read it. 

See for yourself. Ask questions...all the time.

It is a long book. Start soon, because you just never know, friends.

::Steps carefully off soapbox now, looking both ways for buses.::

Here I will say that you just never know what Pretty will say or do next, but you can be fairly certain that there will be knitting. After all, this guy is moving around, so we need to fill his world with all the pretty knitty toys and things!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!