A Message from Hawksley

Good morning T.

I entirely forgot that I signed up as a fan! What a fantastic treat to open my inbox this morning and see Hawksley in the senders! Oh what I would give to sit and chat mindlessly with that man! He is so dreamy and poetic. Enjoy!

N

the downy feathered chests of proud hawks sitting timeless in highway side trees. and this morning i was up so early. pissed outside under the stars. 5:30 am. i thought of winter ravens. that maybe they fly at night. imperceptibly. between the dots of bright galaxies. and the bats must be asleep through this. skied through the cold today. a pure blue connection from me to the beyond. the horses wore blankets in immaculate fields. there's a natural order to things. harmony is the only option. did aristotle say the birds flew under the ice in winter? i'm incredibly positive these days. i see possibilities. i see hope. it's been a funny while in the music biz, i must admit. over the last year or so i've recorded a lot of music. my love and faith is restored every time i play live these days... but the studio is testing me... my patience, my faith. i feel the deck stacked against me... but i've never felt more focused and fresh... i made a record... finished it before christmas. somewhere between then and now it was shelved in favour of starting over again from scratch. the record felt like a lover i grew apart from...when it was finally completed we looked like strangers to each other. kiss... it's been lovely... i need to be alone. i've been working with my brilliant neighbour and friend andre wahl... he's a real clever kid who, back in the autumn picked me up and dusted me off... so we're planning to start again for real this time... early march. as i said earlier... playing reminds me of the importance of connection... i feel blessed to be able to travel and play. the starling tour saved my life...again i thank all those who shared those nights with me... it was a massive reconnection with myself and the music. over the next while i'm going to play a few shows... get back in shape... i want my voice to soar (not a sore voice though) when i get back into the studio... so please i say... reach for what's positive... cherish love and peace...seek it in heart and mind... i have such a wonderful feeling for the year. may wisdom be yours too. h.

Sundry and Illegal Swimming

Dear N,

Last night I hand felted my first "One Skein" bowl and holy crap was that a lot of work. My arm muscles are clearly under-developed and not made for such hard labour. I can barely type today but will endure the pain for your reading pleasure.

The bowl turned out nicely and ready for my sundries. What a lovely word "sundry" is. It just sums it all up. Another word that I find amusing is "ascertain". It always reminds me of my favourite Kids in the Hall skit about this guy who receives complaints from his co-workers for over using the word "ascertain". T and I snicker immaturely every time we hear someone use it in public. Also the word "detritus".

Today is T's birthday. He has made a special request for dinner and I have whipped up creme caramels for dessert. He also wants to go to the Sheratin and swim in their pool and hot tub. I'm not so sure about this. What if we get caught? I'm so a by-the-rules kind of girl. I'd be so mortified if the Sheratin people caught us and we are escorted out of the hotel, never to return again. Maybe I should try to talk him out of going. Maybe I should just relax and do something rebellious. I'll let you know what happens tonight (unless I'm behind bars).

T

Daffodils and One Strong Cup of Coffee

T,

I, too, bought some spring bulbs and placed them in the front window, but they were getting too chilly, so I moved them over to the piano to warm up. They are definitely uplifting for the spirit. So is my giant cup of coffee. It's as big as that planter.


I finished two more brooches in black and pink - it's hard to see. I am still trying to figure out the lighting on the camera. The computer is slogging along this morning. It can't even keep up with my snail-like typing. -N

Winter Blahs

Dear N,


Look at what Lion Brand sent to my e-mail this morning!

It'll be held at the Mall of America from February 17-18th. I am definitely going but probably alone, as I am not mean enough to subject T to a knitting event. You should come.

I have fallen down with a case of the winter blahs. It hasn't been a tough winter by any stretch so I'm not complaining, however I'm just tired of being indoors all the time. Like you, my desk has no window access so most of the time I don't even know what the weather is like. The organization is moving soon to another location so I am hoping that I will have a window. Anyway, to help with the blahs I dropped by my local greenhouse and picked up a bunch of hyacinth bulbs. I then stopped into the thrift store and picked up some pretty little glasses in which to grow the bulbs and they are now all lined up in a pretty little row on the window sill above my diningroom buffet. They make me happy to look at them.

What lovely brooches! Love the bird too. Is he going to eat the brooch?

I hope that your Crouch Library knitting group will happen. How exciting would that be? If you become the facilitator perhaps you could change the time to the evening. Not that I don't want the old ladies to come, they are a great source of knitting knowledge, but that would allow people who work during the day to attend. Keep me posted.

I started knitting up one of the felted bowls last night. They do really knit up fast. I am hoping to get a couple done so I can give T's mother one when she comes down next week. I cannot wait for my copy of One Skein to arrive from Amazon. We heart Amazon!!

Hope you have a productive weekend. I, for one, cannot wait for this week to be over. The temperature is supposed to drop these next few days so I plan on picking up a few balls of chocolate brown wool and knitting the days away in front of the fire. Happy weekend!

T

Last Minute Things

Just a quick hello, T.

Tonight I must craft up some quick gifts for two birthday girls in the office. I am going to try sewing some brooches – may need pins for the backing. I just thought of that now. Maybe I can swing by Fabricland on the way home.

Did I tell you that the Head Librarian at Crouch overheard me gushing over Em’s newly knitted mohair scarf, and a Knitting Club may be in the works? I asked Em later if she was serious, and she really seems to think so. It’s not a new thing – knitting groups at the library – but they are all during the morning or early afternoon. It’s more of a gathering for seniors. So cross your fingers for us. I think I will look up some Stitch’n’Bitch for terms of reference.


UPDATE:

Three hours later - don't ask - one brooch ready to gift. I'm beat, and the sewing machine is packed away, and the dining room table is, once again, neat and tidy. Jane will have to wait until Sunday for a gift. The brooch was simple to make. I simply got stalled by laundry, empty bobbins, picking up J from work, and figuring out the new camera. Time for bed.

N

Fruit Loops

This morning I was off-handedly telling B that I would pick her up after work this afternoon when her face crumpled, and she began to sob uncontrollably. When I gathered her up in my arms and asked her what was wrong, she stopped crying just long enough to ask ‘But who is going to brush me off?”. The poor thing thought she was going to fall down – literally! I am going to miss her little self when she gets older. E, on the other hand, would never make such a gaffe like that. She is unbelievably serious all the time and much more knowledgeable about everything at only 11 years old (minus a couple of weeks). She’s like a little adult – always smirking at my suggestions and rolling her eyes to my uncoolness.

I saw Diane Keaton on Oprah a long time ago, and she was saying that she wrote down a good deal of her children’s discussions, and then she carried these little notes with her throughout the day. She read one out loud, and it was so comical and adorable. The children were bickering at each other, and trying to update their mum, and then sending their love. I thought seriously of doing this – I sometimes think to myself while deep in conversation with the girls and J that I wish someone was there to hear us talking so silly – but then it occurred to me that I might be too busy jotting down their words and miss something golden in the meantime. Should I be cherishing the moments and live them in the now or remember them fondly and perhaps inaccurately later? I reminded myself that actors can be a bit dramatic sometimes, and I moved on.

J thinks I should stop watching Oprah altogether, but it’s not such a bad thing to stop and think. I guess he was referring to the nightmares I used to have when O would be speaking to rapists and molesters. You’d have been scared too. I don’t watch her that often anymore for that reason plus the fact that I get home later.

I have three bowls on the kitchen counter all felted and shaped. They are beautiful. And now you can witness the splendour - I ordered a new digital camera online on Friday in the middle of the night. And faster than Amazon could say 'your order is on the dock', I had it in my hands. I'm feelin' the love for Best Buy!

What should I do for Jane’s birthday? She has forbid me to tell anyone it’s coming up, but I can’t just let it go. Know what I mean? I snuck into her office, and I insisted that I would take her out for lunch on Saturday to one of her favourite places - and I added that if she refused my offer, I would rat her out. I think she is going to cave. I should give her some knitterly love as well, so I may have to rummage through the finished object stash - I'm not thinking there is much, but will keep my fingers crossed all the same. She may just end up with a felted bowl!

N

Dear N,

How sad about the fire in the library chute. Why do people do things like that? At least London has lots of libraries and a fantastic inter library loan system. I know that you and I took advantage of it often. I don't know how many knitting books I requested to have sent to Cherryhill. Minneapolis has had to close many of its libraries due to budget cuts and the ones that are open have very limited hours. That makes me sad as well. But at least I am close to my local library and have discovered their Museum Adventure passes. Anyone can visit any of the museums for free! I am very excited to get passes for the Walker Art Center, the Mill City Museum, and the Science Center that houses the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. How cool is that?

Well, I hope you had a nice weekend. T and I just relaxed and cooked and did all of the things we enjoy. We finally went to see Borat: Cultual Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Seriously funny movie. I was curious to see what it would be like watching this movie amidst Americans but I was at an art house theatre so the crowd seemed to really like it. I wouldn't suggest watching this with the kids though.

Hope you have a happy Monday. I am going to knit a few more rows of my "Endora" baby blanket and call it a night. And yes, you are my inspiration for knitting cables.