A wonderful St. Patrick's Day celebration to all.

Crochet Bits

Decided that today I would pick up my "fancy" work. I had started this crocheted Irish Rose Sachet, some time ago, so, after some initial studying of the pattern and determining where I had left off.....why didn't I mark my stopping point?.....I worked a few rows. I enjoy any kind of needlework and find it a creative and soothing way to spend time, not to mention that I end up with a lovely, handmade heirloom to boot!
My Mom and both Grandmothers were avid crocheters. As a child, I would sit and watch their hooks flash through miles of thread and was amazed at the lacy, webbed wonders that grew from their nimble fingers. Finally, after begging her to teach me, Mom showed me the stitches and techniques that make up the crochet repertoire. My awkward, painfully tight stitches were horribly misshapen, the white thread grubby from my sweaty little hands. It took me so long to make even the simplest chain.....I felt certain that I would never be able to coax anything remotely resembling a work of art from my clumsy hook.
Over the years I would try crochet again many times. Slowly, I practiced and became more and more comfortable with the hook and yarn and even turned out a few nice things. My Mom didn't give up on me and she would always be there to answer any questions and help me solve whatever goof I had made. My Mom and my Grandmothers aren't with me anymore. I am fortunate and grateful to have inherited many doilies, afghans and other "pretties" they created during their lifetimes. They grace my home and life with their remembrance and beauty. When I pick up my "fancy" work, I am flooded with memories and a feeling of continuing their legacy. I know that they would approve.

March Gardening

When the calendar says "March", lovely thoughts of spring and warmer weather drift like clouds through my mind. Wisconsin just laughs gleefully and gets ready to throw more below freezing temperatures (and at least one more huge snowstorm) at us desperate dreamers. I am certain that every winter season lingers weeks longer than last year's, sending me deeper into a frenzy of.....Gardening Withdrawal!
The only treatment for this horrid syndrome, the only way I can feel better, is gardening indoors in pots. I hear you laugh.... a poor substitute for the real thing I admit, but it helps me make it through the long, cold, slushy, grey days of everlasting winter, intact.
I am extremely fortunate that my husband heard my pleas for a year-round garden room and we added a greenhouse addition off the kitchen. (Don't ask him why anyone in their right mind would add a glass room to a house in a climate with nine months of winter......his crying gets pretty depressing every month when the heating bill arrives). Here, my much loved sunroom/dining room/greenhouse holds my salvation. My beautiful amaryllis bulbs are blooming right now, and none too soon! It's also time to bring the Angel Trumpets from their winter slumber in the basement, to the light, along with their fellow pots of shamrocks. And, the most fun of all.....it's time to plant seeds for the vegetable patch and bedding plants! Soon, dozens of tiny pots of seedlings will litter the floor and every available surface creating an olympian obstacle course just to get to the dining table. Can life get any better? So, come on Wisconsin, throw me your best snowstorm! I am happily puttering and potting in the warmth of my greenhouse and nothing you (or Wisconsin Power and Light) can do will dampen my enthusiasm!