Birthdays, bikes and bands

This past weekend St. Johns celebrated its Sesquincentennial. Above is T and Grammy getting ready for the parade, the theme was Back in Time.There was a parade.

This included decorated bikes. We use to do this when I was a kid. We would decorate our bikes in streamers and then join the parade. It was great seeing all the kids participate.

Here is the St. Johns Redwing Marching Band in their new uniforms.

Here is my son, breaking ranks.

There was dancing in the streets. T and Mo just danced on the side street - just enjoying the moment. Nice to see them not bickering. :-)

T turned 5. She was so excited to have her grandparents there along with her Aunt Katie , Uncle Rob and her cousins.

Please note the noise in a box gift T got. Evil Grammy.

Bloomsbury Sweater

I have begun my Bloomsbury Sweater. This weekend I will have time to handle cutting the steeks on my fair isle sweater, but for now I have begun my next project. This will have mindless knitting that I can easily pick up and put down in between work, classes, homework, kids...

Postings of photos from the past weekend will be soon. It was a busy fun weekend! 

Now I lay me down to steek

Fair Isle pattern - technique from the Philosopher's Wool Company

Body tube - done
Sleeves - 2, done
Sewing machine – ready (new one sitting there ready to be used, old one was grabbed by Mo. Neither have been seen for days.)
Breath - holding
Courage – summonsing

Now I need time to gather all to begin the next stage. Anyone ready to place bets on when I take the plunge and start cutting? I seem to be avoiding it like a term paper.

Gather ye rosebuds

There are still posies in the yard!

The yard was starting to look washed out and dry. The flower gardens were looking bare. Some of the tree leaves had started to change to orange and reds. Yet, upon a closer inspection I found that there are a still flowers blooming.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

To the Virgins, to make much of Time - Robert Herrick. 1591–1674

T's First Day

Yesterday morning was the day that little children wait for and then claim, "I am a big kid!"

Then the big yellow bus comes and swallows up the one that parents claim are too small.

Eventually the newness wears off and we spend the next 13 years

• trying to get them up in time to get to school


• to hound them to finish their homework


• to always be three steps behind the permission slips and other papers that
  they throw at us as they are heading out the door


• leaping over backpacks, coats, supplies that are always deposited in a path
  from the front door to the kitchen


• going to concerts, parent/teacher conferences


• boots/coats/mittens/books at school/home when they are needed at home/school


• …

All this starts with a morning like this.

Wanna see my sock? (distracting with bright shiny objects)

Labor Day Weekend

Great weekend! In spite of a ban on knitting due to classes, I did take a couple of socks to work on while on the road. I had a pair that I was dinking on, but didn't realize that I had only an hour to go. They ended up being completed around Clare. See?

There was fun with the cousins.

There was water, clouds, and play...

We then said farwell to summer.