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So, there were a lot of photos discovered in the move. I even found slides from the 1960s. I decided it was time to invest in a scanner. Here are a couple I processed yesterday. This is the first of what will no doubt be many installments. This one, I thought, looked kind of Easter-y (my brothers and I in 1964):

And this was taken the summer of 1967. One of my Aunties took me to Disneyland that summer, and someone had the presence of mind to snap a family photo.

I was particularly fond of that hat - it had built-in sunglasses. Guess I always was a fashion plate!

Equinox Events

The snow is finally starting to melt, albeit slowly. Remember that I love snow, but I'm kinda done with it this year.  I do like it when I pass by something like this; it reminds me that snow is fun.

Decorating at Cemetery Way continues. Since I'm living here now (Auntie is much better, thank you), I decided to go ahead and get barstools. It's the perfect place to breakfast, and visitors can chat with the cook, which I like very much. Yes, they're orange.

We celebrated Easter early as Boy-child is home for Spring break.

In knitting, I finished the Linen Stitch Scarf.  I used leftovers mostly of Mountain Colors Bearfoot.  I like it well enough, although the bind-off is kind of wonky.  I'm hoping blocking will help tame it.

Blocking happens on Boy-child's bed, so not 'till next weekend.  If it doesn't work I can always rip out the bind-off and re-do it, although with a 450 stitch row, that'll take some commitment.

I seem to be really busy, although I'm not sure with what.  Lots of little stuff, I guess.

Day of Memories

I spent the afternoon going through pictures, and then I watched the movie Argo. It was an intense day of memories.

My collage of individual photos - most of the frames were found at Saver's this afternoon.

Old family photos - not put together yet because I have to get copies made - with a shot of candles from the Cathedral in Mexico City.  A bit hard to tell here, but I think it'll work:

My paternal grandmother crocheting an afghan:

My mother in better times:

I was living in Spain at the time the hostages were taken in Tehran.

It was a difficult time to be an American abroad.

One of my literature professors asked the Americans in the class if we weren’t angry with the French student in the class. “Why?”, we asked. Well, he said, it was the French who gave the Ayatollah Khomeini refuge all of those years, allowing him to muster forces and go back to Iran.

If anyone understands that individuals are not responsible for their nation’s actions, we told him, it is Americans. We didn’t blame her for anything.

There were times that year when I claimed to be some nationality other than American. I was Canadian, Swedish, and Venezuelan at different times.

A young man from Iran was studying in Salamanca that year too. People used to wonder that we were friends, given that our countries were having such troubles. Again, the individual prevailed. When I returned to Salamanca with Pato a couple of years later, Monseur was still there, but he wasn’t a student any more. He was selling jewelry and stuff from a table just outside the Plaza Mayor. He was from somewhere near the Iraq boarder, and because of the Iran-Iraq War (remember that one?), he had not heard from his family in a couple of years.

The movie also reminded me of the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviets. I was traveling in Germany, Switzerland and Austria at the time with my boyfriend. We didn’t really know what Afghanistan was. I’m sure there are no 19-20 year olds in the U.S. now who haven’t heard of Afghanistan.

That made me also remember that when I was in Edinburgh in 1974, touring Holyrood palace.  The tour group was kicked out because the Shah of Iran had arrived, and that was where he was being put up.

We didn’t know who the Shah of Iran was.

Little did we know how much of a ruckus he would cause when we put him up at some hospital in the U.S. just five years later.

Springtime?

The Mists of Avalon is almost over - the four part audio book has helped me comfortably tolerate many hours in the car.  It talks a lot about the Beltane Fires, which are pagan spring rites I had never heard of before.  Kinda fun, although the book is much too long.  Can't stop now though; I have to know what happens.

I received a novel gift recently. It's the envy of my office. (Apparently the Funky Knit Clogs are the envy of my knitting group(s). See comments below).

Spring is showing signs of arrival, although it was quite chilly today, and it's supposed to snow tonight. I was on a conference call this morning with folks in Rapid City and Phoenix. It was much, much warmer there than here today.  Like 40 degrees plus warmer.  But we have birds again.

We do have a lot of melt going on most days, and some ice-dam issues around the city.

I seem to have a fixation on downspouts.

And finally, one of the benefits to having to replace those books that (ahem!) disappeared in the move is that I get packages now.  Sometimes they're from Spain, even.

This box came with Peon de Rey.  I'm thinking I'll start reading in Spanish again to brush up.

Knit Happens

I've been home for nearly a week. It's amazing what you can get done when you're at home for two whole days.

 I finished my "dress socks" in Starry by Dream in Color.

I started a linen stitch scarf with some leftover yarn (started with these three, decided there was too much blue and added a fourth since):

And the stealth project is done. It's having a bath so that I can block it before Boy-child comes home for spring break. His bedroom is the blocking station. Note that having two sinks is absolutely brilliant for soaking hand knits - I still have a sink to use...

Also, I may have accidentally purchased a pair of Funky Knit Dansko clogs. They were the last pair at Bibelot. My size.  An incredible deal at 70% off... it was meant to be.

Weekend Notes

It's been an unusual weekend.

Boy-child showed up Thursday morning which was a nice surprise.  He goes back to school today, which is probably a good thing; I'm really tired.

I received an awesome housewarming gift from The Kat; all the more amazing since she hasn't even been over yet (of course, neither has anyone else given that I've hardly been here myself).

Some people caught on to double knitting better than others last fall at Minnesota Knitters' Days.

I found a wacky gaggle of snowpeople while out running errands today:

I couldn't stop when I first spotted them, so after the errands were done I went back to snap photos.

Yes, those are plungers for legs/feet.

This one was my favorite.  The creators have to be admired for getting this guy into the hammock, don't you think?