Perhaps you've been wondering where I've been, what I've been up to since I obviously haven't been posting on my blog. Maybe you haven't wondered anything like that. Well, anyway, here's where I've been and what I've been up to since I haven't been blogging.

Surprise housemate home from the road...





Good thing he came home, too. Thus he's had the privledge of helping me fix the boat-load of things that have been breaking...


THE COMPUTER:

 

THE FLAT TIRE:





DAVID'S CAR (which obviously in that photo because it's in the shop):







THE KITCHEN LIGHTS:









THE CREATIVE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:










DVD PLAYER:









I've also been getting some stuff off the needles...

KATE'S SWEATER (sorry for the mag photo, I forgot to make a photo of the real thing):










ELLEN'S SWEATER (sorry for the mag photo, I forgot to make a photo of the real thing - honest, I did make these things):











RAG RUG (this is actually the 2nd rag rug...the first one, well, it's not so blog-photo-worthy):










Then of course I had to put some new stuff on the needles...

DAVID'S SWEATER:











A HAT:











THE JACKET:










And, last but not at all least, I've put this in my mind in preparation to put it on the needles....

MARINA'S SWEATER:

Hi again. Had a bit of a computer melt down here in Maberga - the only computer in town's fan stopped working. David and I, being the only users of the village computer, and therefore charged with it's general maintainence, took it to a nice man who knows about these things. He squirted it with something which got the fan to go again and told us two things 1. "this is a temperary fix." 2. "promise me you will never buy this brand of computer again." No problem dude - we're going Mac.

So if you'll excuse me now, I'll need to cut this short. The newly squirted fan in the Maberga town computer sounds like a jet airplane is landing in my kitchen (the home of the Maberga town computer) and it's driving me nuts. I'll write again just as soon as my ears have stopped ringing.

Surf and Turf

That's the title I would give to my day yesterday, if one were to give names to days - you know, besides Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, my birthday, etc.

It was really a magical day. An awesome day...full of awe (wouldn't that make it an "awful" day? Ours is a strange language) I'm not sure I'm a good enough writer to express in words the sights, tastes, sounds, emotions, thoughts, and experiences I had yesterday. And even if I could, I don't know if I would. They are mine. I wish everyone could have at least one day in their life like I had yesterday. I think if this were possible, the world would have a lot less oppression, aggression, depression, regression, recession, and confession.

I highly recommend everyone spend at least one birthday alone. Totally alone. Not even a dinner, a glass of wine, or a coffee with a friend, family member or partner. Just try it and see what happens. You'll be surprised, I promise.

Since I can't/won't tell the psychological/emotional/philosophical parts I'll give you the factual stuff and then a bunch of photos...you can imagine for yourself what I was going through.

Actually, I just wrote out the "facts" and I would prefer to just show you some of the photos I made. You can garner whatever you'd like...

postcard from birthday-ville

Olive Knitting Readers
Where ever in the World
55555 World

Wish you were here. Not really. I'm having a hell of a time alone. More to come. oxoxo, Lynn

Ya' Say it's Your Birthday, ...

Yeah, it's my birthday, too. Actually tomorrow is my birthday.

Given that I'm alone on the side of a mountain, I asked myself, "hey, Lynn, how would you like to celebrate your birthday?"

My answer?

"Thanks for asking. I want to get some bread and cheese, and maybe some champagne, go to the top of a mountain and knit! All by myself...just me, the food, the wine and my knitting in a big open space under the autumn sky."



That's when my self asked me, "How is that celebrating?...you do that everyday."

Yes, it's true. I do have a life that, for me, is pretty darn awesome everyday. But tomorrow will be different because of this:



I've decided that I'm going to knit myself a huge gift. I've been wanting a knitted jacket for a looooonnnnngggg time but have just felt too daunted by the prospect. So much work, so much yarn... Two questions kept haunting me (and halting me)

What if I do all that work and it's ugly?
What if I invest in all that yarn and then never finish it?

Basically I've never trusted myself with the task. When pondering the idea of computing another year on this planet, I thought "screw that!" I'm knitting myself a jacket!

Truth be told there is a whole unfolding metaphor wrapped up in this decision to knit this project. Actually, it hasn't revealed itself yet but I think it's big. So, I'm making a big deal out of this jacket.

I spent a good part of Sunday going through ALL my books and mags to find just the right project.




Along the way I found all these project that I want to do some other time.




Then, late last night I found that one above in one of my Rowan mags (details to follow - I don't feel like getting up to look at number of the mag or the title of the pattern. Trust me, there will be more posts coming about this thing.)I LOVE the shape, and the ruffles...I'm going to skip the flowers.

Bright and early this morning, armed with the pattern and the money from my secret stash held for just such metaphorical, wooly life emergencies, I went to see



La Signora

Along the way I happened to pass a school where the kiddies were back for their first day.



And presently said a little prayer, thanking whatever god it was that made it so that I wouldn't have to spend my birthday teaching them on their second day of school.

I got this from La Signora.



I LOVE it. I had to force myself not to cast on today. 'Specially when, this afternoon, I took the doggies for a walk and saw this:



Look! The it's the same color as my jacket yarn! Obviously I COULD have cast on and knit on my jacket all day - it's not like there's anything stopping me. But if I did, what would make tomorrow so special?

So now I'm going to go to bed because that will make tomorrow come faster.

What a wedding

What a day. And if it weren't for the fact that I don't have a fenced in area in which the doggies can stay while I am away from home for longer than they can hold their pee, this day would still be happening at a wedding party.

Friends, it's 8pm. I left the house this morning at 9.30am to begin this celebration. (in case you are worried about the dogs bladders, I came home between the ceremony and the reception to let them pee) When I left the party this evening, the vocalist had just left, they'd put away the champagne glasses and the lunch feast leftovers. They were bringing out the boom box, cases of beer and preparing the grills for a bbq. Wait, I'm jumping ahead of myself....

Pals Chiara and Luigi were married today.



As all Italians who don't marry in the church do, they had their ceremony at the city hall (technically it was city hall but it was really a villa on the property of city hall...I'm not sure, but weddings might be it's only purpose).



In attendance there was a lot of family,















an american,

(no photo, I was behind my own camera)






and some awesome freakin' shoes.











Then, as you can imagine, there was some food













Some cake













some dancing and karaoke.






They are singing that chicken song, by the way...you know the one that is played at every wedding, the only song that everyone dances to...they sang it in Italian, of course. The dance is the same.

The Macarena is the same, too...unless you don't know how to do it...



Then, as I mentioned at the beginning...they started the whole thing over.

Wow. What a wedding.