Wyoming Breezes

current knitting projects  May 2022 Last week was busy: filled with appointments, errands, volunteering, and reading. My old dental work (circa 1970s) is beginning to show its age. Recently, an old crown come off and part of the tooth with it. Thankfully, the tooth had a root canal years ago, and I didn't have any pain. The pain is going to be in my wallet as I don't have dental insurance. I'll have the tooth prepped for a new crown this week. I volunteered at the Eppson Center (senior center) last week, too. The morning receptionist asked me to substitute so she could attend her granddaughter's music performance. Thinking I might have time to sneak in some knitting, I grabbed the basket containing my current projects. Sadly, I didn't have time to even pick up the needles.  Most of my evenings last week were spent listening to an audiobook: This Will Not Pass  by Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns. It is a fairly balanced account of the events leading up to the 202...

June 2018 I just started listening to The Break Down by B. A. Paris. I hope that it will be a good book to listen to as I knit the Ombre Eyelet Infinity Scarf . (Ravelry link) It's too early to tell if the book and/or the pattern are keepers. The books I've read since the end of May include:             Loving Eleanor by Susan Wittig Albert  👍👍             Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips  👍👍👍👍👍             Go Ask Fannie by Elisabeth Hyde  👍👍👍             "F" is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton  👍👍👍 Fierce Kingdom is a believable and exciting book: if I read the actual book, I'd say it was a "page turner." The story lingered with me for days after I finished it, which doesn't happen often.

May 2018 Books that I've "read" since March:       Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker   👍       Bear Town by Fredrik Backman   👍 👍       The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman   👍       "E" is for Evidence by Sue Grafton   👍       Death in Paradise by Robert B. Parker   👍       A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd   👍       The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah  👍       Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr  👍       Cop Town by Karin Slaughter  👍       The Blue Bedroom and Other Stories by Rosamunde Pilcher 👍       The Empty House  by Rosamunde Pilcher 👍       American Fire by Monica Hesse   👍 👍        Get Your Sh*t Together by Sarah Knight   👎 👎       A Superior Death by Nevada Bar...

scrap sock yarn baby hat February 2018 I'm only a few chapters into The Bookseller, but I can tell this is going to be a good book. Have you read it? The last couple of weeks, while knitting and/or sewing, I read:     New Mercies by Sandra Dallas     67 Shots by Howard Means     A Turn for the Bad by Sheila Connolly     Kickback by Ace Atkins     "B" is for Burgler by Sue Grafton     Madam President by William Hazelgrove     Kiss the Girls by James Patterson     Damned If You Do by Michael Brandman Two of the books ( 67 Shots and Madam President ) are non-fiction. I had forgotten a lot about the Kent State shooting, and 67 Shots jogged my memory of that turbulent time in our nation's history. I learned details that were not available at the time, details that set the stage for this tragedy. Madam President opened my eyes to another historical event: our nation's first female Pres...

knitting to an audio book of  Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly While knitting on large projects I usually listen to audio books. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly was my most recent "read." It's a non-fiction book about the black female mathematicians who worked as human computers for the U.S. military during World War II and into the 1960s. The work they did was highly technical and helped in the development of many aircraft designs and then into the Space Age.  I'll be honest: I was very disappointed in this book, not in the subject matter which was interesting but in the actual writing. The author did a great job of gathering information but didn't do a very good job of determining what needed to be included in the book. Her editors did a great disservice to the story by not cutting a LOT of the irrelevant material that takes the readers down many unnecessary rabbit holes. Frankly, I grew weary of the story by Chapter 15, and by the time I ...

Last week, four Quilts of Valor ( Wild and Free , Old Glory , American Valor , and Uncommon Valor ) were returned by two volunteer machine quilters and needed to be bound. While I worked, I listened to audio books ( The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag and Gray Mountain by John Grisham). What do you like to listen to or watch while crafting?

Parody of Johannes Vermeer's painting Girl with a Pearl Earring The internet is teeming with self portraits taken via a mirror, showing off a new hair style, a knitted garment, or documenting a pregnancy. When I saw the image above, I giggled because it is a "sign of the times." One of the best books I've ever read was Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. Of course, like many good books, it has since been made into a movie . Typically, I don't like to see movies of the books that I treasure because no matter how talented the screen writer, the book is always much better. The original painting by Johannes Vermeer, shown below, is on display in The Hague . The young girl is captivating in the painting, but after reading the book, I can imagine her life and the circumstances behind the portrait. I would love to sit in front of the painting and soak up the details.  Girl with a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer 1665

Last Thursday, in celebration of National Library Week, author Laura Bell discussed her memoir, Claiming Ground   at Central Wyoming College.  My neighbor gave me the book last summer, and after reading it, I shared it with my knitting group. I enjoyed Laura's unique, almost lyrical, writing style, the vivid descriptions, and her unexpected adventures, which mostly took place in Wyoming.  Several audience members on Thursday mentioned that Laura's speaking/reading voice matched what they "heard" when they read the book.  Claiming Ground  begins with Laura's first adventure after graduating from college in 1977 -  herding sheep at an isolated sheep camp in Wyoming's Big Horn Basin. She invites the reader to share the joys and sorrows of her life as she wanders from place to place, working as a sheep herder, a ranch hand, a forest ranger, an outfitter, a masseuse, a wife and a mother. I was in awe of her independence and courage, especially work...

No doubt you have heard about The Help by Kathryn Stockett, but if you haven't read it yet, you really must. I couldn't help but envision Miss Skeeter (one of the narrators) as a grown-up Scott from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Skeeter (Eugenia) and Scout (Jean Louise) have a great deal in common: both grew up in the deep South, both loved their black housekeeper, both discovered prejudice is carefully taught, and both fought to cross the line of what society expects and what is morally right. I finished reading this book in record time with a desire for more. I sincerely hope that Ms. Stockett writes another book.

I've been searching for a book of knit edgings and trims since I added the edging to Little Princess . I've looked in yarn shops and online without any luck. Last week, I found what I've been seeking: knit edgings & trims 150 stitches , edited by Kate Haxell. I like to actually look inside a knitting book before I purchase, and when I picked this one off of the shelf at Barnes & Noble in Cheyenne, I knew I could stop searching. The book has a nice variety of modern and traditional trims and edgings. Here are just a few that you will find inside: This book should be in every knitter's reference library. I also found a bargain on the Hobby Lobby Clearance rack. Someday, I hope to make one of the gown sets.

A friend recently gave me The Quilt by T. Davis Bunn as a belated birthday gift, and yesterday afternoon while I waited for new maps to download on my Garmin, I read it. It is a quick read and a delightful story. It has a powerful message: to glorify God in all that we do and to give thanks for everything in our lives. At one point a reference is made to George Matheson . I did not recognize the name until I did some research. The Quilt cited Matheson's "Thanks for the Thorn" to illustrate our need to praise and thank God. My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorn. I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, But never once for my thorn. Teach me the glory of my cross, Teach me the value of my thorn. Show me that I have climbed to thee by the path of my pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbows. ~ George Matheson ~ Today, I pray that you see the rainbows in your tears.

Coping with a chronic illness on a physical level is challenging, however, coping daily with the emotional and spiritual struggles that accompany chronic illnesses can be even more difficult. To truly understand these obstacles, you have to experience it. That is why I have enjoyed reading and re-reading Tall in Spirit: meditations for the chronically ill by Joni Woelfel. Excerpts of Tall in Spirit can be read online. The book includes 40 meditations, each with a scripture and a prayer. Ms. Woelfel knows; she understands, and she speaks the language of one who has struggled with a long-term illness (Menier's disease, Bell's palsy, and other diseases). Because of these illnesses, she struggles with remaining active, finding peace with shattered dreams and harsh realities, and coping with painful emotions. Tall in Spirit was her first book, and she has since written others. I am anxious to read all of them, but I am drawn to her fifth book, Party of One: meditations for those...

January and February were productive months for reading and listening to books, and as usual, I enjoyed some more than others. I highly recommend the books with four or five stars: they offer more than mere entertainment. Most of the books with three stars or less are considered classics and give a unique perspective of history or other cultures. I enjoyed the stories, but the writing style clearly reflects another era. The worst book I read was 1984 . I found it tedious and felt that Orwell nearly bludgeoned his readers with his message. I understand why the novel is considered a classic, but I would never want to read it again. Here if You Need Me: A True Story was by far the best book I read. By the time I finished, I was sad to leave Kate Braestrup's company and would gladly spend time with this book again. Five Stars Here If You Need Me: A True Story by Kate Braestrup Four Stars World Without End by Ken Follett Three Stars The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne The Alibi Ma...

Several readers have asked about the frame that I use for my rugs. My mother's frame was made from rough 1 x 3 boards. The rods were scrap metal rods from somewhere on the farm. I own three frames (other than my mother's), but I use only two of them: a plain Jane made from 1 x 2 boards and a fancy, adjustable one made from oak. The basic frame is easy to make, and the components are common to any lumber yard. The photos that may be helpful, but keep in mind these photos are of a small place mat frame. The larger frames are made the same way. The rug frame has a series of finishing nails (26 on each end). The top and bottom boards are 27 inches wide. The sides are 39 inches long. (Lumber yards will cut boards to any length that you request) The nails are 1 inch apart, but the end nails are 1/2 inch from the metal rod and 1/2 inch from the inside edge of the boards, but 1 inch from the outside edge. Purchase and use the longest finishing nails you can find. The longer the ...

I am not sure what I expected when I grabbed Here If You Need Me: A True Story off of the library audio shelf, but the book is quite good. The audio version of this book was read by the author, and Kate Braestrup's voice and her words are nearly hypnotic. The reader (listener) is shown several sides of Kate - a loving wife and mother, a grieving widow, a compassionate friend and pastor, and a story teller. After her husband, a Maine state trooper, is killed in an automobile accident, she enters the seminary and becomes a Unitarian chaplain for the Maine Game and Fish Department. She counsels families of individuals who become lost or injured in the Maine wilderness and the wardens, themselves, as they deal with death nearly every day. The message of Here If You Need Me lingers with the readers/listeners and forces them to examine the times in their own lives when others have reached out in love. Watch a short interview with Kate Braestrup

Several weeks ago in a Simple Woman's Daybook post, I mentioned reading Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay. The first section of the book was very familiar, and I realized I had previously started the book and not finished it. Yesterday as I left for my shift at the hospital, I grabbed the book. Knitting was out of the question because my hands ached from my rug-making marathon. Settled behind the desk with the sun streaming in the lobby and the -10 degree air rushing in the doors every time someone entered, I began reading again. This book fills the reader with a mixture of emotions: anger, sympathy, pity, sorrow, unbelief, hopelessness. Ellen, the main character, is trapped in a loveless marriage, and financial circumstances force Ellen, her husband and their two children to live with her bitter in-laws. Her husband ultimately find a job as a traveling salesman and is absent, even when he is home. Ellen teaches full time, but also must assume the role of caregiver for the aging in...

World Without End by Ken Follett and The Alibi Man by Tami Hoag were on my list to read this month. I have always liked Follett's adventures, but he changed his style and subject matter for Pillars of the Earth and World Without End . The books are set in England during the Middle Ages and contain a great deal of history of architecture, living conditions, and the plague. While these books are interesting, they are different from his other work that I prefer. In the past, I have read these works by Follett : Whiteout, Jackdaws, Dangerous Fortune, Night Over the Water, On the Wings of Eagles, The Man from St, Pertersburg, Eye of the Needle. Tami Hoag 's books are typical "Who Done It" stories and a lighter read that Follett's work. Her main characters are usually strong women, but the plots almost always have a touch of romance, too. I have read several other books by Hoag: Still Waters, Cry Wolf, Dark Paradise, Thin Dark Line, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Kil...

This afternoon I finished reading A Step from Heaven by An Na. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to see love, abuse, and strength through the eyes of a young girl. Na weaves a story that grabs the empathy of the reader who acutely feels her yearning to please a father, blinded by cultural tradition, and who abuses alcohol and those he loves.

Pulmonary Hypertension: A Patient's Survival Guide is an excellent book and, in my opinion, should be in every public library. This text gives accurate and up-to-date information on Pulmonary Hypertension and answers all the questions that newly diagnosed patients ask. It provides information on PH and its treatments, tests, and resources. Members of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association can purchase the book for $15; non-members, $25. At any price, the book is a bargain. Purchasing information is available here . This is the third edition of this book, and it has been translated into several foreign languages.

My knitting group met last night, and one of the women brought cupcakes to celebrate three members birthdays - Bea R., Colleen J., and mine. It wasn't until after we had all enjoyed the cupcakes that she told us her secret: the cupcakes were healthy. She had used a recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious . The moist, devil's food cupcakes were made with an avocado puree, and the cream cheese frosting contained cauliflower puree. These treats were delicious, deceptively delicious, without even a hint of the healthy ingredients. Thank you, NJ for the treats. This morning, I was shocked to find a birthday greeting on Renna's blog, Finding My Knitch . Thank you for making my day special, Renna.