After spending winter indoors, the brief spring is so very welcome.
My long, 10,000 step walks up the river are more enjoyable than work, as I trek unbundled, knitting in hand. A few hot days warn of the coming summer scorch (maybe we’ll sort out the AC this year). But lately, even doing the day’s dishes at the kitchen window is pleasant with this late afternoon view.
And sometimes the outside comes inside …. The other day the electronic outside visited me, when I was “tagged” by Ravelry colleague Carol (hooker2Cats) with an amazing compliment that brightened my day considerably:
You make some incredible items, plus you’ve got to love woman with a Yod on her blog. [...]
I find the work you’ve done extraordinary and really beautiful. But I think I’m more taken with how you think about some things and why you chose to knit something or write about this or that. I wanted to be able to share that with other people who may not be on Ravelry and may not had otherwise seen what you do.
I’m supposed to respond, but am not quite sure how to do so, since my virtual network is still under-developed. But here’s my contribution to the “tagging game” as it appears on Carol’s blog, so that we, and others, can get to know some special people:
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Trying to figure out how to practice law while raising sons in elementary school (one with then-serious health and learning issues), dealing with chronic pain following a car accident, learning to play viola da gamba and studying music part-time, studying singing again, volunteering (as a child advocate and in other ways)
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
#1 – Finish the third knitted mezuza
#2 – Finally finish the seasonal clothing transfer (winter to the storage closet, summer to the bedroom)
#3 – Try again to organize the clutter of my office-studio
#4 – Decide about changing travel plans so that I can sing at synagogue on Shabbat (Friday night)
#5 – Take my 10,000 steps walk before the heat sets in
3) Snacks I enjoy:
Oh dear – I have to admit to snacking! But I’m not supposed to snack … favorites include grape tomatoes, non-fat mozzarella sticks, cranberry trail mix, romaine lettuce (!), wasabe peas. Really.
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
I have a pretty long list, that includes: secure the finances of a disabled relative, start a CDC (a non-profit community development corp) to increase housing for the homeless in my city, initiate or invest in joint Jewish-Palestinian development (and women’s artisanal) projects in the Occupied West Bank and Israel, contribute to joint Jewish-Palestinian environmental organizations in Israel, invest heavily in alternative energy development projects, contribute to the development of micro-lending ventures in the US, especially aimed to assist urban youth and homeless. And otherwise save the world.
5) Places I have lived:
New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Israel, Scotland, Spain- for varying lengths of time
6) Jobs I have had:
Wife, mother, sister, friend … artist’s model, waitress, editorial assistant, translator, “big sister”, legal temp typist, poverty lawyer, criminal prosecutor, judical law clerk, singer, fiber artist and teacher, music history instructor, community activist
7) Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:
Current and former musical friends and colleagues, including:
- Elizabeth (The Hard Way) – mother and singer extraordinaire, Christian fellow seeker)
- Eve (How You Saved My Life) – one of the most versatile musicians I’ve ever met, Buddhist-by-choice), and
- Jenny (TwinKnit, here on Ravelry) – wicked sock knitter, banjo player, recent fellow-enthusiast of contra-dancing)
Thanks, Carol, for the introduction to Rebecca (Knitting Bandages) and Hannah (The Purloined Letter). They are two very special people.
