It's warm and lovely today here in the Twin Cities: it feels like spring, although it's not officially spring until the weekend. And by the weekend, who knows? It might feel like winter again. We took advantage of the day by taking Scout on a little afternoon walk nearby. (We took her to the bank too, but just to the drive-through window.) Our back yard has a mini-lake right now, in the far back yard where the tall, old pine trees are. Scout isn't quite sure what to make of it. She's used to running in circles around the pine trees. She's only dipped her paws in so far. We can only hope that the lake dries up before she decides to go for a stroll, or a run.
Otherwise, it hasn't been a noteworthy day: we went out to breakfast, did laundry, worked on taxes, bought a few groceries. I also read a few pages of the book Chains. The reading pace has fallen off considerably since Lent began. I'm okay with that: more than the number of books read, I've tried to be intentional about actually finishing books that I begin reading. Half-read books is a bad habit for me. I'm also very comfortable with reading a book of poems, or a children's book (or two or three) if that's what takes my fancy.
I've also lost a knitting needle, and am stuck right now on the prayer shawl I've been working on. Where can you lose a knitting needle? The red scarf still plods along. Not even half-done yet, but I am making progress.
In fact, "half-done" seems to be a theme and a bad habit for me. I need to get back to my story-telling series (the true ones), as well. How many things in my life have I started, and left half-done? I blush at the thought.
When I wrote stories as a girl, I did leave some undone (as well as done, but half-baked), but I finished some, too. I never finished a pants outfit I started as a teenager, but I did finish a nice pair of knitted slippers and a cabled hat.
I still use a journal sometimes, and I am just a few pages from finishing one. I am so anxious to begin a new journal (I have a pretty one waiting in the wings) that I am filling up pages with nonsense, and tempted even to tear out a few. What is it about the promise of starting a new project that is so appealing?
The dog is outside now, but just sitting on the porch, looking out at the backyard and the lake. She looks like she is meditating. Oh! I just heard her husky "yodel" sound, which means she misses us and is anxious to come in.
9 comments:
I lost a knitting needle and couldn't find it--until we saw our daughter push a chopstick into her plastic gate. Lots of room for stuff--cheerios, chopsticks, and knitting needles stolen from mom's basket. :-)
I used to be very dogged about finishing every single thing I started. And then I realized that I had accomplished quite a lot of really meaningless things. I sometimes wish things were "neater." But, I think it's OK to leave something for awhile, maybe forever.
I think what Lindy said is very wise.
I hope you find your knitting needle.
Oh, and I have felt a lot of needless guild over the parable of the talents too.
Sometimes it is good to cull those UFOs (Unfinished Objects.)
I have a cross stitch project waiting for, oh, three or four years now, to be finished...I even moved it across country. LOL...
"The dog is outside now, but just sitting on the porch, looking out at the backyard and the lake. She looks like she is meditating. Oh! I just heard her husky "yodel" sound, which means she misses us and is anxious to come in."
When I read a beautiful post like this one and it concludes with a line like that one, I melt. You have such gifts.
I still use a paper journal but I tend to change them by liturgical seasons, whether it is time for a new journal or not. So I recently started a new one at Lent even though the one I began at Advent was not filled up.
Hope you find that knitting needle!
Miss you a lot Diane, I am always refreshed when I do visit here with you.
Your day off sounds productive in its own way, even with "ordinary things" filling it. I had to smile about going through the drive-through with the dog. Our bank tellers have dog biscuits that they share when dogs visit the bank!
Ditto the comments of others about reading, leaving things unfinished, and so on. My UFO's could fill a closet if I put them all in one place, but I prefer not to think of it that way.
Hope the rest of your week feels more purposeful. Hugs to Scout!
goodness, hope the needle isnt in the dog (thinking of songbird's sam...)
No kidding! But it's more likely to be down inside the sofa.
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