WPC – Time

“How did it get so late so soon?”
― Dr. Seuss

I remember playing for hours at a time and the days seemed endless.  Looking back it was dream like and it was called childhood.

“Time is a game played beautifully by children.”
― Heraclitus, Fragments

When my son was in his teens I remember him asking me very seriously, “When did time start moving so fast?”  A very good question.

As for me, I think I instinctually knew this.  I started capturing moments when I was in Junior High.  Now that’s a term that will date you.  I still have photos from then.  I carried on through my family.  My youngest referred to me as the Paparazzi before he renamed me the Warden.  But we all love pictures and how it captures Time.  Moments of Happiness and every other emotion.  Pictures of our youth.

“Time is what we want most,but what we use worst.”
― William Penn

There were always photos in piles around the house and visitors and family would flip though them and share memories and laugh and sigh over the passage of time.  A photo of my father when he was still functioning okay (Huntington’s Disease) with my son and me.  Grandchildren, weddings, births…

I have always referred to the boards above as photo boards, but it could also be the timeline of my life.  The people, places and times that have touched my heart.

When my grandchildren and children come to visit, they always make a point of visiting the boards.  The grandchildren will pick a photo out and ask questions or laugh because they remember when it was taken.

Many times I will find one of my children examining the board and hear a chuckle and hear them call over one of their children and share a memory. This is my own personal Facebook and it covers the memorable and lovely times in my life.

As usual, I think Dr. Seuss said it best:

“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”
― Dr. Seuss

Time

WPC – Optimistic

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
― Winston S. Churchill

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Optimistic

Weekly Photo Challenge – Connected

When I started this post it was going in a totally different direction.  Before I finished we were blessed with a visit from my two youngest grandchildren… both boys.  When they arrive they immediately tackle the stairs to Nana’s play space.  This is where I knit and sew and play on my computers.  It is also where they play.  It is filled with the toys of my sons’ childhood.  There are legos, duplos, wooden trains, Playmobile sets and matchbox cars.  Everything that can feed an imagination.  The youngest child is just starting to move from chasing balls and pushing things to playing with smaller toys.

M trying to connect duplos for the first time.

Like all boys everywhere, Legos and Duplos are great building blocks for the imagination.  But first you have to learn how to “connect” them.  It may seem simple but it requires a little something from your fine motor skills.

Getting the hang of it.

He was working very hard to build something.  Learning is all about connecting.  Connecting bits of information in a way that makes a concept understandable.

Success

Joy and Pride!  He has figured out how the connection works and is well on his way to creating new adventures.  Just like his dad before him, he wants to share each and everyone of his creations.  And I am his #1 fan.

Connected

 

Weekly Photo Challenge – From Every Angle

From every angle.  Perfect. Today I went to our small downtown area to our Farmer’s Market and to visit some of the local artists’ demonstrations.  The weather was perfect.  I had recently met a local artist by the name of Lambeth W. Marshall.  She is a potter and a painter and a very interesting woman.  I knew she was throwing pottery on a wheel today and wanted to see her in action.

“E Concrematio. Confirmatio–out of the fire comes firmness, through stress we pass to strength.”
― Charles F. Binns

Lambeth W. Marshall demonstrating throwing clay pots.

It was very interesting to watch her hands as she developed the pottery.  This was my straight on angle.

Just starting.

Now I switched over to the left side to get a closer view of her hands.

This is pretty much the same angle, but I was fascinated with how quickly the shape changed.

This angle is over her shoulder.  Anybody else thinking of the movie Ghost?  Unlike the movie, I never saw Lambeth’s hands magically become cleaned… remember that part?

Working my way over to the right side.  She has now worked the pot taller again.

She patiently thins the walls of the vessel.

Now she is creating interest by creating the irregular line in the vase.

And once again creating interest by creating “dimples” in the surface.  Once glazed these will create some interest in the color, too.

And the last shot is from the top looking in so the dimple can be viewed from the inside.

I really wanted to throw a pot, but she made it look so easy and I know it isn’t.  Great activity to watch.

From Every Angle

One Word Photo Challenge – Snow

It seems funny to think of snow when we have been experiencing a string of 90+ degree days.  Obviously, I have to turn to my stash of snow pics as it would be quite a journey to find actual snow.

The train bridge in downtown Waxhaw.

I laugh when I think of snow in North Carolina… or at least where we live in North Carolina.  Panic erupts at the thought of three inches of snow.  Up north, children everywhere are disappointed when only three inches arrives… it means no snow day.  Here it might mean two to three snow days.

A snow day in Waxhaw may mean a snow day for parents, too.

“I love snow for the same reason I love Christmas: It brings people together while time stands still. Cozy couples lazily meandered the streets and children trudged sleds and chased snowballs. No one seemed to be in a rush to experience anything other than the glory of the day, with each other, whenever and however it happened.”
― Rachel Cohn, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares

I especially love when the snow coats the branches of the trees… even the little tiny ones.  It creates a image filled with magic and beautiful silence.

I would love to travel on a train and enjoy clattering through the cold winter views while snug and warm inside the train car.

Train tracks disappearing into a wintery wonderland.

“Snow falling soundlessly in the middle of the night will always fill my heart with sweet clarity”
― Novala Takemoto, Missin’ (Novel)

Share Your World – Week #32

I have to say, I love the questions this week.  Thank you, Cee!

• Are you a collector of anything?  While one could say I am a collector of fabric and yarn, I consider that stash.  I could part with them and it would cause me no pain… I would, however, have to go out and get more so I could continue knitting and quilting.  The truth is, I am a collector of memories.  Whether through photos, or just in my mind.  I am very good at pulling up tidbits of moments in the past.  My  grandchildren like it.  They like to hear about those moments when their fathers were young and, of course, made mistakes.  I have had school friends that wonder how I remember all of the moments.  I thought everyone did.  It is a gift this ability to collect and share memories.

“Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”
― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

• What is your biggest fear or phobia?  While I am not overly fond of spiders or snakes or the necessary “icky” inhabitants of our world, it is definitely not a phobia.  I’m not sure I have one… at least nothing pops immediately to mind and I would think a phobia would.  I long feared losing a child.  I would watch the path of a plane on the computer until I knew it landed safely.  I worried when they were young that something might happen that I could not control and they might be hurt.

“Lucy: Do you think you have Pantophobia, Charlie Brown?
Charlie: I don’t know, what is pantophobia?
Lucy: The fear of Everything.
Charlie: THAT’S IT!!!”
― Charles M. Schulz

• Do you prefer reading coffee table books, biographies, fiction, non-fiction, educational?  I would have to say yes to all of them.  I read almost anything.  I usually have two to three books going at a time.

• Complete this sentence:  If I Must Be Reincarnated In the Next Life I want to Be…   This is so easy… a Weatherwoman.  No pressure.  You can be right and you are a hero or you can be wrong and it’s not your fault… nobody has any expectations of you being right.
  Oh, I need to be serious?  Well, in all seriousness I have faith that I will be put where I am needed to try and learn what I need to learn and to teach and share what is needed.  Life is an adventure and to live it fully we must accept gracefully what is given and work our way through it and enjoy the good moments and learn from and improve those not so great.

• What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?  I am always grateful for my family and good friends and their continued good health.  I am grateful for meeting new friends.  I am grateful that my younger brother is in a good place being taken care of by people who care about him.
  I am looking forward to seeing some of my grandchildren this week and spending time with them.  I always look forward to the little surprises that pop up and make your day.  I hope that I can bring some joy or peace to someone I know or haven’t even met yet.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Knitting Needles – The Never Ending Mitered Squares

I knit.  What’s your superpower?
 – Author Unknown

I am not someone who has been knitting since childhood.  A loving mother or grandmother didn’t teach my while sitting at her feet.  I learned to knit to fill a void.  My last child had gone off to college.  An empty nest!  What are nests made of?  Bits and pieces of twigs, leaves, feathers, twine and YARN!  I must knit!  A logical choice.  I started with scarves and moved quickly into blankets.  No sweaters and socks.  The recipient of my gifts would outgrow the sweater by the time I would finish and socks wear out too quickly.  No, blankets were good and much loved by everyone.

My constantly rearranged mitered blanket project.

This is my latest labor of love and it is based off of a pattern developed by Ann and Kay of Mason Dixon Knitting.  I love their books.  I have added the black and white because the eye needed a rest.  The nice thing about this pattern is the ease of transport.  One square at a time can easily fit in a purse or small satchel.

My travel bag with current mitered square and yarn.

This blanket has worked it’s way through listening to many books, favorite television shows, road trips, hospital visits and even meetings at work. I find my listening skills improve when my hands are busy.

Attic stash discovered… more cotton classic!

This weekend I decided to sort through all the containers of yarn I have in the attic.  Going through all the yarn that moved south with me, I found even more of the cotton yarn I use in this blanket.  Does that mean this blanket might not ever be done?

I did this scene in ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ where I was in a room full of old ladies who were knitting, and it was an all-day scene, so they showed me how. It was one of the most relaxing days of my life.

Ryan Gosling

 

Weekly Photo Challenge – Beneath Your Feet

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

Will Rogers

This week’s photo challenge is “Beneath Your Feet.”  My mind immediately raced to the railroad tracks in our downtown area.  Railroad tracks have been the subject of some of my best growing up stories.  Trains and tracks create imagery of mystery and adventure.

Train Tracks in downtown Waxhaw

I grew up in a railroad town located on the banks of the Mississippi River.  At certain times of the day you knew you would be sitting and waiting at the crossing light unless you could get to the one bridge in town that crossed over the tracks.  When I was young I didn’t mind waiting and I would play games like guessing how many train cars there were or trying to hold our breath until the last car crossed.  Sometimes we would try and spot a hobo or freeloader.  When I started to drive the last thing I wanted to do was wait for a train.

I spent many hours walking the tracks.  As a 13 year old adventurer a friend and I climbed down the bluffs and were walking along the tracks and picking up stones to try and skip in the river.  It was a narrow path.  The Mississippi River on one side and the steep bluffs on the other.  We had never thought about a train…. we had an “oh s#$t moment and my friend started to climb up the bluff and I slid down into the water holding onto a tree.  It was long, slow freight train and I was freezing in the late October wind and water.  Finally, as the caboose lumbered by I drug my wet self out of the water, covered with mud and jeans soaking wet.  My friend was hanging onto a tree about 15 feet above the track.  We started screaming and laughing like we had cheated death and rushed home as fast as my squishy sneakers  and numb body could go.  We washed our clothes and relived our adventure over and over.  We never told our parents….lol… makes me wonder what my kids haven’t told me…. don’t want to know.

Train bridge

Another fond memory was of three friends and I walking across the train bridge from Iowa to Illinois.  There was an area on the bridge you could move to if a train came across so we were sure we were safe.  What we didn’t think about was a barge. We tried to run for one of the stationary sections when we felt it moving, but fear of falling through the tracks found us hanging on and trying to act like we planned it that way.  As it turned out we did enjoy ourselves.  There were a couple of people on the barge that saw us and waved and laughed and we thought we were very cool. Oh to be young and stupid… and to live through it.

My favorite memory is the sound of the trains at night in the distance.  Wondering where those tracks were taking the trains.  The tracks that disappear into nothing.  Such a soothing sound.

There’s something about the sound of a train that’s very romantic and nostalgic and hopeful.

Paul Simon

 

Beneath Your Feet

The Art of Play

“An unbridled imagination is the fountain of youth; it’s what keeps us young at heart.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

There are mornings I wake up and wish that my body was as young as my mind.  It takes a little longer to limber up the body and prepare it for the day.  It doesn’t help that I have a wonderful back porch that beckons to me and says sit, have some coffee and enjoy all the morning activity,   How can you turn that down?

What does get me moving is the prospect of family visiting.  Not too long ago I had a young visitor.  One of my grandsons.  We saw a play at school, ate lunch and brought him home with us to play.  I have a huge collection of toys that belonged to my boys.  Legos, PlayMobile, Brio and G, my grandson, has the imagination to bring them alive.

G playing with some of his father’s toys that I have kept over the years.

He sits in my upstairs work area and plays while I sew.  There is a quiet rhythm to our work/play.  He quietly talks through the activities of his play while my sewing machine hums away.  I remember the acting out of play.  Much of it was spent assigning tasks and actions and what everyone would do or say.  Listening to him brought up so many childhood memories and I was so happy to see real play hadn’t changed that much.

Eventually we needed some some outdoor play.  Part of me hated to leave the cool interior for the meltdown that was outside, but I also remembered children are more immune to the heat than those of an age.  We went to a wonderful little park located in a shady part of our small little downtown area.  It is his favorite park and he always wants to visit.

Walking across the plank bridge,

There is a playset there that has all sorts of imagination built into it.  Again, I listen as he adds a storyline to his play.  What a marvel is a child’s imagination.  Looking through their eyes brings back wonderful memories and refreshes the child within.  He conquered the rock wall like it was the highest mountain.  Look, Nana!  We clapped with joy.

G on slide in park.

Every slide was explored up and down.  Talking the whole time.  It was a lazy summer afternoon… until…

One very unhappy boy!

One very unhappy boy.  The face was so comically unhappy I wanted to laugh, but he was seriously unhappy about something.

The lecture.

And before I could ask him what was wrong, this happened!  I choked so I wouldn’t laugh.  He was lecturing a bee for upsetting his fun and not just moving along.  Needless to say, our park time was over and even with the heat it was wonderful fun.

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

One Word Photo Challenge – Foggy

“moonlight disappears down the hills
mountains vanish into fog
and i vanish into poetry.”
― Sanober Khanlokfklfj

I love fog.  I love the mystical it weaves through areas, but leaves levels above and below it clear as if it is a river winding it’s way through earth.  My drive to work finds me driving through some farmland and my favorite drives are the ones that show the mist or fog elevated lazily over the fields.  Unfortunately, this is not a good time or place for me to be pulling over to the side of the road for a photo so close your eyes and imagine the soft light of morning sifting through the shimmery fog and creating a magical effect.

Foggy drive through the mountains of Carolina.

Instead my photo shares a harrowing drive home through heavy mountain fog.  In some photos you cannot see the car ahead.  The viewer would probably wonder why I would post a photo of solid gray, so I didn’t.  Although hazardous, the fog presented a sense of adventure and tension that was exhilarating.  When finally emerging from the blanketed area we laughed and clapped and found ourselves very hungry.  It was fun to recapture that childlike wonder that fog can evoke.

 

Join up with Jennifer’s  One Word Photo Challenge Here.