Category: Ten on Tuesday

Carole invited us to celebrate St. Patty’s day a little early with a list of 10 Favorite Things that are Green.

1. Remember this? My wedding shawl remains my very favorite green thing. Scout custom-dyed the yarn, and I put my heart into knitting this, my first big lace project. I wear it every year on our anniversary!

2. My house frog. He was waiting for me in the dirt that passed for a back yard at my Albuquerque condo. Now he sits on my studio windowsill, a reminder of one of my favorite homes.

3. Smitten Kitchen’s ribboned asparagus salad. Simple to make and so delicious!

4. The garden. We had a big melt this weekend, and I just know spring, and more green, are right around the corner.

5. Knitting. Well, it isn’t all green, but I use a lot of green yarn, and my Clover stitch counter is green. Yay!

6. Ferns. I like how they look, and I especially like encountering a mass of them while hiking.

7. My cross-country skis (the green ones, of course). I don’t mind putting them away for the season, but they are among my favorite green things.

8. My kind of cowl. I knit this for Rhinebeck 2010, and it remains one of my most-worn knits. Misti-alpaca is cuddly!

9. Baseball parks. Surprising, right? I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I do enjoy going to a nice ball park, admiring the green, green grass, and eating Cracker Jack.

10. Neal. Okay, he’s not green, nor is he a thing, but I’m listing him. I’m so proud of his commitment to protecting the environment and to helping others do the same. And what’s more green than being, well, green?

How about you? Favorite green things welcome!

Carole asked for Ten Reasons I’m Happy it is March. Easy peasy!

1. Day lilies and other green friends pop up to say hello.

2. Spring break. Five blissful work-free weekdays are right around the corner.

3. Crochet Month. I’m celebrating by completing the last two potholders for my e-book collection. My designer nephew will photograph the collection on his spring break, and by summer, a beautiful new version of the e-book with fabulous pictures and loads of detailed instructions will replace the current pdf.

4. Daylight Savings Time begins. I can’t wait for that extra hour of light at the end of the day.

5. Spring cleaning. We’re in the throes of Mud Season (the famous fourth New England season), yet I anticipate the floor scrubbing and window-throwing-open that comes with warmer days.

6. Neal’s ready to move forward with the porch. He made great strides before winter shut down his building schedule. This weekend he’ll be back out there, finishing the ceiling and walls, adding screens and doors, and generally creating a lovely 3-season space. There will be much crafting and writing and listening to ball games on the radio out there!

7. Menu shifts with the availability of early-spring produce. Next week I’ll finally make my favorite Spring Vegetable Stew* from A Year In a Vegetarian Kitchen.

8. Potential to bike outside increases. I just need a few dry, warmer days, and ol’ Trixie will make her first appearance of 2013.

9. St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t eat corned beef any more, but I’ll still fix some soda bread and potatoes and cabbage and raise a pint to celebrate my Irish heritage.

10. March is closer to May, when I’ll head to France to visit my Sara!

In past years, NCAA men’s basketball tournament would have been on my list, but my Huskies are not invited to the dance this year because of transgressions many years back. Too bad. We have a team with tons of heart. I think they would have played some exciting ball.

Still, March leads to April, and that is the very best part of the month, isn’t it?

*Hearty Spring Vegetable Stew: a recipe

The excitement for winter that bubbled in my spirit even just two short weeks ago has burst. Carole’s invitation to list Ten Reasons Why I am Ready for Winter to be Over couldn’t be more timely!

1. Mud. Okay, it’s part of spring, too, but at least in spring a little afternoon sunshine sucks some of the moisture out of the mud. Just last night when I took out the dogs, my rain boots were caked in mud. Caked, I tell you!

2. Snow. I love snow. Love. I was giddy to have a blizzard on my birthday. Now, though, the snow is just junky, not even ski-able. If I can’t play in it, I would rather not look at it.

3. Closed Windows. The first day we get in the mid to upper 40s, I’m opening all the windows and airing out the house.

4. Food. The first few months of roasted squash, kale salads, and hot cereal are fantastic. Now I want fresh asparagus, barely steamed. I want garlic scapes. I want farm-fresh produce and local fruit.

5. Buds. Is there anything more happy-making than seeing the lilac buds grow bigger? Probably, but they do make me darn happy!

6. Peonies. I adore seeing the purple shoots emerge from the dirt. They are one of my favorite flowers and lovely harbingers of warm weather.

7. Birds. We keep a bird feeder on the weeping cherry that fills our living room view. This time of year, the variety is slim. I can’t wait for the hummingbirds to start jetting around again.

8. Bikes. I ride the inside bike. It is not the same, though. No, it is not even close to the fun factor that a bike on the road provides.

9. Porch Time. Neal spent last summer putting up an enclosed porch. There is finishing work to be done, but as soon as winter is over, I can start enjoying it. After a year sans deck, I’m eager to have a nice spot to sit, read, knit, write, weave, crochet, chat, and sip wine.

10. Light. I’ve been driving Neal to the bus stop, and it’s lovely to go out at 6:30 into the light. I enjoy driving home from work in the light, too.

It’s clear that I am DONE with winter. I’m ready for pastels and dainty things. Down with hunkering! Up with fresh air!

Carole asked for Ten Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day. Here goes:

1. Read Chaucer’s The Parliament of Fowles. Really, I mean it! I translated it for an independent study on Chaucer when I took my first graduate degree. I thought it was a hoot!

2. Ok, Chaucer doesn’t appeal? How about Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18?

3. Want something more contemporary? One of my very favorite poems, read at my wedding, is D.H. Lawrence’s “Fidelity”. (scroll down a bit)

4. Make your sweet heart a valentine. From scratch.

5. Bake something gooey for co-workers (or in my case, students)

6. Send mushy texts to your siblings, nieces, nephews.

7. Mail your parents, grandparents, godparents (whomever you have) a loving note.

8. Show your heart how much you adore it…work up a good sweat.

9. Make a dinner with all red foods. I’m planning on pomegranates for dessert.

10. Wear the reddest lipstick you own and kiss everyone who will let you (on the cheek is fine!).

What will you do to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Carole asked for a list of ten things we miss from childhood. I mostly miss people, but people are not things, so I won’t list my gram, the queen of style and sass, or my gramps, who urged me to always keep reading and learning, or my grandma who exchanged letters with me in which she told me stories of her girlhood. I won’t list my neighbors, my CCD teacher, my friends. I won’t even list my pets.

Here is what I’ll list:

1. Playing in the vast open field behind my house. It’s developed now, filled with condos. Luckily, I live across the street from a nature preserve, so I have new woods and fields in which to play.

2. My bedroom. I shared with siblings until I turned 14. I sure miss that room where so much of my life unfolded.

3. Playing outside after dinner. In the summer, I guess I still do when I garden or go on bike rides. But it isn’t the same as a rousing post-dinner game of Find the Guy.

4. Family vacations. We always saw cool places!

5. Reading on the shelf in my closet. When I still shared a room, the closet shelf was a quiet sanctuary.

6. Playmates. I love board and card games. Neal is not such a fan. I miss having the built in gang of siblings and neighbors to play games with.

7. My banana seat bike. It wasn’t really mine; it was a hand-me-down. Pedal brakes, matte black spray paint…I put a lot of miles in on that bike.

8. My grandparents’ house. I suppose that’s like missing them, but I do miss their houses, the particular smells of them, the way they were decorated.

9. The lilac bush by the front door. I spent many hours next to that lilac. I’ve never loved another lilac in the same way.

10. My dollhouse. I passed it on to my niece when she was born, but I don’t think she ever played with it. I suspect it is long gone now, but it was special to me when I was a girl.

How about you? What do you miss from childhood?

Ah, winter. Your first cold snap is cheering. I happily pile on my hand knits and grin as I shiver. Your first snow brings the promise of cross country skiing.

Then you go on a bit too long.

Luckily, Carole has asked for 10 ways to beat the winter blahs, so we’re all sure to get some new ideas about how to deal with this guest that is, maybe, starting to be a little unwelcome.

1. Treat yourself to some flowers. Carnations last a long time. I’ve bought two bunches this month and spread them all around the house.

2. Return to a craft you once enjoyed. Pulling out my sewing machine to make a few fabric scarves has been a lot of fun. Before I learned to knit, I sewed (mostly quilted) almost every day. It’s nice to shake my knitting ennui with a different needle.

3. Write a letter to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. You’ll not only have a respite from your own blahs, but your friend will be so pleased when that letter arrives.

4. Force some bulbs. We’ve got a pot of paper whites ready to bloom, and a hyacinth. Checking in on their progress puts me in mind of spring, when Neal and I circle the yard to see how our favorite plants survived the winter.

5. Eat pickled lemons. They are summer and light and everything good to my taste buds. Even if the sound of pickled lemons turns you off, I’ll bet you have your own food that does the same.

6. Make a fuss over Valentine’s Day. Oh, I don’t mean go out and spend on cards and candy and gifts. No, I mean: make your own cards; plan a dinner menu of all red foods; craft hearts to leave about for friends and family. Starting to plan your fuss now will be cheering, won’t it?

7. Visit a greenhouse or conservatory. Bring your camera or sketchbook and really, really look at the plants. Or bring a book, find a bench, and bask in the warmth and humidity.

8. Give yourself a pedicure. I am guilty of letting my toes look dull, but it’s much nicer to glance down and see hot pink then, well, nothing.

9. Take a day to indulge. Stay in your pjs, build a fire, read a good book (I’m on a Neil Gaiman kick myself), embroider, sketch, bake cookies…whatever indulgence looks like to you, just give in to it. On Sunday, after a slow morning of lingering over the paper and breakfast, I stood up and said, “well, I guess I’d better get a move on.” Neal asked where, exactly, I had to move on to. Good question. I curled up on the couch with a blanket, dog, and book for another hour and felt pleased with the world.

10. Get out there. Take a brisk walk or a quick cross country ski run. Embrace the cold. Then get inside with some hot chocolate or tea.

What are your best beat-the-winter-blahs strategies?

Carole invited us to share ten tips for sticking to our fitness routine. Rather than routine, I think of having a fit life style. Here are my tips:

1. Keep a big physical goal in mind. I’ve got that century bike ride goal as my carrot. In the past, I’ve walked the Avon 3-Day fundraiser for breast cancer research (twice), and I’ve ridden lots of charity bike rides. When I want to slack, I think about what I want to achieve.

2. Park far away. I’m not a car shark. I don’t circle around looking for the “best” spot. I just park at the back and walk.

3. Take the stairs whenever possible. I once read that if you walked six flight of stairs every day, you’d increase your heart health by, well, a lot.

4. Make dates with friends. It’s a lot easier to get outside with a friend waiting in the driveway for me!

5. Have a playful attitude. When our snow was good a few weeks ago, I cross-country skied every day. Skiing is fun, but it burns a LOT of calories. But I really was after the fun.

6. Try BJ Fogg’s Three Tiny Habits program. It’s a great way to incorporate some pushups, sit ups, squats, or whatever you want to do into your daily life.

7. Hoola hoop. I guess that goes back to #5, but spending time with my hoola hoop makes me want to do other physical things.

8. Have sex often.I want my body to be a pleasure to me and my husband. Don’t feel like yoga today? Think about what that added flexibility may mean in bed!

9. Be vain. Not so vain as to annoy everyone around me (I hope), but vain enough to get my body moving if I don’t like how I look.

10. Make it a life style. When I lived in my sixth-floor co-op in Peekskill, I rarely took the elevator. After a few months, I could get to my floor by stairs faster than the elevator.

What helps you stick to your fitness routine (or life style)?

Don’t you sometimes hear this in your head when you think of goals (or is it just me)?

This week Carole’s starting us off on a forward-looking foot as she’s asked for Ten Goals for 2013. I’m doing a lot of journaling this winter break to really hash out what I want 2013 to look like, but I do know a few goals that I will strive to achieve.

1. Bike 100 miles.  Health issues and a bad fall right when I was at the brink of taking on the big ride prevented me from achieving this last year. This year, I’m more determined to get the ride in early. I’m training on my stationery bike and will be ready to hit the road when the weather warms.

2. Visit with Sara to celebrate our 30th anniversary. Yup, our friendship is 30 years old!

3. Explore my local art scene. I confess, I still have a little bitter place in my heart about no longer living in Westchester. I love life with Neal in our little ranch in the woods, but I do wish I had the quick access to NYC that I used to enjoy. It’s time now to embrace the richness (and I hope to find, great variety) of the local art scene.

4. Develop my sketching, collaging, and watercolor skills. Last year I was fortunate to acquire 13 amazing custom books with a sturdy red cover from Stacie. I had planned to sketch my outfit each day, but that fell by the wayside. Now I’m using them to keep a daily journal and will add more and more artwork to my entries.

5. Spread the Christmas holiday prep over the course of the year. I’m going to bring back the Organized Elf (do any of you even remember that project? It was so long ago! Anyway, stay tuned for my ideas about this one).

6. Weave more. I don’t know how much more, but more than I have.

7. Whip my home studio into shape. I spend most of my time in this little back room. Sunday I cleaned and organized, and I want to do even more to make this space absolutely perfect for when I’m crafting words and fiber.

8. Read 52 books. I met my 2012 goal of reading 50 books. 52 is a nice multiple of 13, and I know it is achievable, if it is a little stretch. I read several manuscripts each year for Open Road Writing clients, and I read slews of papers for work. This goal is about reading for my pleasure and enlightenment.

9. Deepen my spiritual practice. I was raised Roman Catholic, even wanting to be a nun until I was about twelve. I converted to the Episcopalian church in my early 30s, but I happened to be at a church that sucked me dry at a time when I needed support and tenderness. Since then, I’ve had a long period without regular church attendance, although I still meditate/pray and wonder (wonder is a key aspect of my spirituality), but I want to make my practice more meaningful.

10. Move FORWARD in contributing to the improvement of my beloved United States. I don’t want to let my post-election thoughts slip away.

What are some of your 2o13 goals?

I’m in the throes of holiday knitting, and all I can think about is stranded mittens. Luckily Carole asked for Ten Mittens I Want to Knit, which gives me a good excuse to daydream a bit.

1. Herdsman Mittens. Neal wants mittens for the walking portion of his daily commute. I set him up on Ravelry to pick a pattern, and these were his top pick. I’m going to line them in something deliriously soft.

2. Rock + Purl Mystery KAL. Gloves, not mittens, but I’m casting on this week–for me!

3. L’Oreal’s Fingerless Mitts. I bought this pattern and some super beautiful cashmere at Rhinebeck. These will be for me, too.

3. Bella’s Mittens. I knit a pair a few years back for one of my nieces. I had the hardest time giving them up, and I would love to knit another pair in bright red.

4. Cloisonée. I want to look back on my pictures from last year’s visit to Sainte Chapelle for color inspiration.

5. Willistead by the super duper talented SpillyJane. I love so many of her designs, but this one seems extra special to me.

6. Verspergyle Mittens. These have been on my queue for far too long. I want them on my needles!

7. Vinterblomster Mittens. Aren’t they adorable?

8. Mad Men Mittens. They remind me of mittens from my childhood.

9. Postwar Mittens. I think these could be a delight to knit and wear.

10. Horatio and Oren. I just need to find someone who is nutty about owls to give them to!

What do you want to make to keep your hands warm?

Carole asked us to share a list of what we’re thankful for. I often write posts in my head (I know; I do just what I tell my students NOT to do) and revision happens when I type them out. Today revision happened when I got a text from Neal that said he’d been side swiped on a major highway near us. He said he was okay, but I don’t trust that kind of information to a text. So here’s my newly revised list:

1. I’m thankful Neal is not hurt. A quick phone call confirmed this for me. Every time I think of the words side swiped this afternoon, my heart races.

2. I’m thankful for my health. Between my bike crash and health issues throughout the summer and fall, I’m so glad to feel energetic and well again.

3. I’m thankful for my family. My parents celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary this weekend, and it was a joy to sit at their kitchen table and chat with them and my sister during my visit.

4. I’m thankful for electricity. We were fortunate this year, but the wound from last year’s outage is still raw. My heart goes out to all who suffered in Sandy.

5. I’m thankful for abundance. Neal’s car is in the garage (he wasn’t driving it during today’s accident), and I thought about how anxious car repair bills made me when I was younger. There were times when money was so tight that the thought of a car repair would send me into an anxiety attack.

6. I’m thankful to work at a university. I love to learn. I love to be surrounded by others who love to learn. I can’t imagine a better environment to feed that passion.

7. I’m thankful for my friends. My online and in-person pals enrich my life so much. So, yeah, you, reading this? I”m thankful for you!

8. I’m thankful for my needle crafts. Knitting, crochet, weaving, embroidery, sewing: they’ve given me a creative outlet that has also led to an amazing social network (see #7).

9. I’m thankful to be a writer. Even when it is difficult and frustrating, there is nothing that I would rather do than use our beautiful language to share my imagination.

10. I’m thankful for all the love in my life. I feel surrounded by light a lot, and I know that is the love of my family and friends. Thank you for that lightness!

What are you giving thanks for this season?