BRING ON THE RAIN

It rained all day long today …

This video was shot INSIDE the house - and you can clearly hear the rain poundong the ground outside - these walls, though insulated and warm, are obviously pretty thin ...

But it’s been a very dry year here … even with the ever present & low-hanging gray clouds.

So, I am looking at this rainy day as a blessing in disguise ;-)

I finished another pair of slippers: and these are going out this week sometime, to my granddaughter, Alyna:

I designed, and worked these slippers up while watching the 1995 movie, “Jack & Sarah” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hLe0lm-5Tc) – love that movie; such a positive ending to a tragic story line.

2Giant Sea Clam

FINISHED (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/09/mod-slippers-designed-on-giant-sea-clam.html)! These sippers will get mailed off later this week ;-)

It’s 9:55 p.m., here – I’m starting to yawn, so I think I’ll call it a day, now; and head off to bed.

It's been a busy & prodcutive day.

I'm satisfied ;-)

UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GO

Buffy Saint Marie - a Cree Indian songwriter & songstress wrote this song, but I like the way Roberta sings it ;-)

Bob & I were "worlds apart": Bob dabbled in the hippie lifestyle in his young adult life - and Gloria and Alex {think} they are {hippies} , but they are actually VERY materialistic and anything BUT peaceful.

BUT, I WAS RAISED a beatnik-hippie. THAT WAS MY LIFE.

My mother was a coffee-house beatnik. She later evolved into the hippie lifestyle.

My father was career military: the 2 met when my father, who was army buddies with her brother - my Uncle Joe, went home on leave with him ... to Pennsylvania.

But they were worlds apart; eventually they divorced in 1970; here in WA State - and my mother remarried that same year, to a Vietnam POW, who had recently been returned to America from his Vietnam prison camp. John and my mother had a LOT in common: they shared the hippie lifestyle, mindset, and theology.

Because I was raised a beatnik-hippie, that life lost its "appeal" to me looooooong ago.

So, though Bob & I were worlds apart - we were both ready to meld our worlds together to create our own universe.

I love this song – it SO explains “us”. Though I agreed to marry Bob … I made it clear that he could leave whenever he wanted to: he never wanted to. I wanted a marriage built on L.O.V.E. Every day, for 44 years, Bob stoked that love into flames when embers smoldered. I was always a free spirit – Bob held me to him with love. Always love.

Bob was the Sun, around which I happily revolved in the life we forged.

Though he is no longer here - the warmth he generated with his unconditional love - still lightens my life.

I love you, Babe.

Forever.

OX

A FACE IN THE CROWD

I remember the Autumn day in 1973 when I was walking down the main street in Cathlamet one afternoon.

Minding my own business, lost in my head - not thinking of anything ... just walking.

And this tall guy came storming out of Marie's Restaurant.

The door flew open; I side-stepped it - briefly glancing up at the person who had barreled out of it.

The face was angry.

But, it was 'THE FACE'!

And he was storming down the street.

Past me again; WITHOUT SEEING ME.

A.G.A.I.N.

I was shocked as I watched 'the face' storm down the street, on long legs that ate up the sidewalk with long strides.

Shocked, because I hadn't expected to ever again see 'the face'.

And before the door could even close back in on itself - it slammed open again: and an equally angry-faced woman came storming out of the restaurant too; dragging a toddler with her.

When I finally snapped out of my trance (stunned, actually, at seeing "the face" again), and caught the flung open door in my hand, before it hit the side of my head ... I snapped, "Watch where the hell you are going, lady!"

She ignored me ... and walked briskly in the opposite direction: without even looking at me, or acknowledging my comment.

And ... my attention had been caught by her exit long enough to lose track of 'the face's quick moving direction.

All I knew was that he HAD BEEN MOVING towards 'Bob's' Grocery ... so, I ran in that direction.

TO NO AVAIL.

HE WAS GONE.

A.G.A.I.N.

'The face' had become - once more - "a face in the crowd": BUT WHERE?

Where had he disappeared to so quickly?

This is what Main Street, Cathlamet looked like in the 1970’s, when we met and started our life together there. It took about 5 seconds to exit main Street, and about 5 minutes TO WALK THE ENTIRE TOWN (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/07/sunday-funday.html).

Damn it!

That stupid woman ...!

'The face' would reappear in my life, 7 months later.

And, when Bob & I met & talked in April 1974, I would find out that {that stupid woman} was 'the face's soon-to-be-ex/wife: and that stormy encounter at the restaurant, was the beginning of their final separation.

And "the face in the crowd" would become a permanent fixture in my life for the next 44 years ;-)

I love you, Babe.

Always.

OX

ROOM AT THE TOP

THAT SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN

When I married Bob, August 27^th, 1974, I only stood 5 feet tall – I was short enough that when it rained, Bob could pull me close against him, and tuck my head under his arm to keep my head dry. LOL

I LIKED Bob feeling all masculine and protective towards me – so, I never told him I liked walking in the rain: and I never protected my head from the raindrops when he wasn’t around ;-)

MOD RED SEA BLUE CLAM SLIPPERS

I love this slipper pattern!

It is so easy to work up – for a small amount of worsted.

And it is SO easy to adapt for personal design modification :-D (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/09/mod-slippers-designed-on-giant-sea-clam.html)

I started this new pair slippers, last night … and finished it up a few minutes ago today:

Red Sea Blue Clam

Upper coloration & design - no design pattern; I just design it on the fly, following the picture as best I can.

Lining up the ribbing to finish up nicely.

FINISHED!

THIS IS GONNA BE HARD …

This morning, I switched my homemade & MOD summer kitchen towels out for my homemade & MOD Fall kitchen towels: ALL these Fall kitchen towels were designed & crafted last Fall, while Bob was in the hospital – I needed towels, I needed something to redirect my thoughts from the death sentences we were getting from the docs … and if, by some miracle, Bob would be able to return home to me, I wanted him to come home to a colorful & cherry atmosphere home.

Well; Bob DID go Home: he just didn’t come back here to the home we set up here on Earth.

And, here on earth, in our home, I will be using those towels I made last Fall; this Fall.

It is gonna be hard to do.

I will be thinking of the days those towels were designed and crafted; designed at home after returning home from all day spent by his side in the hospital, hearing conflicting, confusing, and dreary doctors’ reports – and crafted while I cried and prayed as he slept (and rallied to be brave faced when he was awake), watching him valiantly try to fight off that insidious illness (along with the doctors’ killing “helps”) that finally wore his body out.

This shortie towel is one such towel:

I patterned it after the colorful Fall leaved scene we used to enjoy while walking our favorite county park & feeding the squirrels when Bob was able to do that; Bob loved feeding the furry little beggers. He enjoyed their antics ...

The videos are a little jerky and not very well aimed, but we hadn’t had the phone very  long; we were learning how to use it – along with learning how to face death. Death was never taken off the discussion table when doctors spoke to us about the future; we did the best we could to learn the manuvers on both counts.

This towel is quite a bit shorter than the others because I was lost in a fog while knitting it up, and didn’t realize until it was finished that it was only half the length of what I intended it to be.

This particular towel, over all the others, will always be a reminder of those terrible days … BUT Elohim was faithful, and got us both through those difficult and heart-rending days, and on to happier & better days.

We are both thankful: Bob beyond the clouds in his new celestial Home ... and me, still walking this Earth.

On another note, the bread I made yesterday afternoon DID turn okay okay :-D (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/09/sky-high-challah.html)

There was only 1 instance of an air bubble – and that was not significant enough to damage the loaf; thank You, Yeshua!

For a light Supper, I had a roll last night with some Strawberry Butter (basically just 1 cup of butter with strawberries whipped into it), & a big mug of chicken broth – it was delish ;-)