Time Flies.

This coming weekend my daughter will marry her fiance in a "destination" wedding in upstate NY on a lake near a lodge with the fall foliage in full bloom. Tonight at dinner her dad and I discussed how, even though she is in her mid-30's, it seems like yesterday she was just a little girl. We are thinking about the toasts we will give and the memories came flooding in. I remember the evening she was born and everyday since then. And now she has chosen such a great young man to be her mate. We are pleased for her and thrilled with her choice. He is good for her--smart, good looking, reflective and a great listener. They have a lot in common and yet are very different people. I have always wanted her to choose a man who will challenge her and be her champion and I believe she's found just the right one. It will be a great weekend.

Before that rolls around I still have a lot to do planning for the Love Cap Gathering.

I've been furiously knitting a cap, a sweater, scarf, pair of socks and am planning on doing some knitting to felt as soon as the wedding and Love Cap "do" is over. Christmas is looming. And a new great nephew is on the way--the needles will be clacking. Time is fleeting!

My two book clubs read Olive Kitteridge this month--it is a great read. I've finished The Book Thief for next month's book club in the neighborhood and the other one is reading Look Homeward Angel--got to get started on that one and it will take a while. My Kindle is loaded with several books I'm anxious to get to--South of Broad, Lush Life, Sarah's Key, and Oprah's new pick. I'm going to have to buy the new thing from Amazon that lets the Kindle stand up on a table so I can read and knit at the same time!

Time is flying toward my next birthday, one of the big ones--60! I cannot even fathom it as I see myself as still in my forties. Where did the 50's go? I've lived in four cities this past decade and three states. I quit working at 51 and yet it seems like yesterday I was teaching school. I felt my four years in NH were slooooowwwww but now am busier than ever. And this summer seems to have gone by in a blip despite all that happened. Yes, as my daughter's marriage takes our little family of four to five and as I soon reach the decade of becoming eligible for Social Security (OMG!) I can say for sure that.....time flies. That's the way it is.....

Healthcare

Well, the Pres did a great job on the healthcare speech. I guess my main feeling is that the poorest and the richest deserve the best health care available, if indeed we are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe health care is a right not a privilege of those who can pay for it. I also feel that if we who have are true to the teachings of the Bible, it is our responsibility to help pay for those who don't have, so if my family has to pay higher taxes so that others who can't pay get health care, I'll gladly do it. It's not about government being in my life--they already are and that's NOT going to change, so let's do the right thing. I do not like the idea of insurance companies dictating how and who gets what kind of healthcare and I do not think they have to make such enormous profits. We live in a time of such greed. So, I do believe it is our mandate from God to take care of one another and if we can't do it without the gov't. then let's get it done WITH the gov't. There are other things involved, like how so much of health care now is defensive medicine and that is a huge issue, how we have become a nation afraid of intellect and constructive discourse. and worse than that, we are a nation of people so concerned with protecting our bank accounts that we personify greed. And that breeds meanness. And, yes, I am very biased, mostly because I believe my mission is not to accumulate things but to do for others and accumulate friends and good memories. I don't mean that to sound lofty and egotistic. I have a lot and am grateful for all that we have, but in the end that's not what satisfies. So I guess I seek satisfaction for the long term.

Knitting--whoowee. That's not too productive, still working on the sweater and a string bag. Need to be doing some Christmas stuff.

Reading---finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and am now reading light--Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen but can't remember the author right now. It's about a small town in the south where two young girls are growing up with their widowed daddy who is a preacher at a Baptist Church. They spend a lot of time at the Dairy Queen. It's cute and easy reading.

I'm not too into concentration right now as the daughter's wedding is two weeks from this coming Saturday!!

My most busy time right now is with my volunteer job--Love Caps. More about that later.

Got to go do a little reading now, so, thank you Pres for getting on that healthcare thing, and thanks to friends and family who fill my life with joy. That's the way it is.....

Catching Up.

People, we have to discuss this school lesson from the President thing. It is embarrassing to me that we are questioning this at all. Please. The President wishes to encourage students to study hard and take responsibility for their studies. Listen to teachers and parents. Write a letter to him about how they can help him--you know work hard, study, help others. The craziness that has come from the crazy talk show host is astonishing---he is just making up whatever he can to 1. keep himself in the news, 2. make money, 3. make sure he has a following so he can do 1. and 2. We have become a very stupid people to even give this more than one second of our time. So, I will be listening to the President because as a former social studies teacher I taught my students to learn about the government, to repsect the president and the presidency and most importantly, to think and use discernment about what they hear.

We are moving forward on the wedding. Twenty days from today!

I've been busy working on Love Caps, my new favorite volunteer job, and knitting and reading. I've been reading The Book Thief about a young girl in Germany during WWII who steals books and lives with a foster family who harbors a Jew. Good stuff, written to appeal to young adults and in a different style--the narrator is the Grim Reaper!

I have 12 books presently downloaded on my Kindle and really need to speed up the reading. I've got Rebecca Wells new book; two by Dorthea Benton Frank; Sarah's Key, also about the Holocaust and the one I'm most looking forward to---South of Broad by Pat Conroy. I'm saving it for when I can savor it.

I also plan to read Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner and Look Homeward, Angel by Tom Wolfe. I also want to make my way through the new issue of the Oxford American about southern lit. It recommends the Faulkner as the quintessential southern must read. So, it's on my list, too. Both book clubs are reading Olive Kitteridge that I read this summer so I'll review it next week, too.

Knitting--well, I've been cranking out the finishing of some recent projects--a sweater vest, several shawls, some hats for Love Caps, and socks, of course. I've just started a cardigan out of Knit Picks City Tweed DK. I'm using the raglan cardigan pattern in the Handy Book of Sweater Patterns---am just about the the underarm.

I'm working my way through my stash of lace, sock, Koigu, Blue Mountain, etc. yarn. I'm still determined to use up some of that stuff. I'm also working on an acrylic afghan and a cotton baby blanket. Still working on my toe-up socks that I do not like, but will get the second one finished one of these days.

It's been beautiful here in Memphis--a cool August and early September. The knitting and the reading are good, what can I say. Life is good, today, and that's the way it is......