YouTube - Willie Nelson - Rainbow Connection

YouTube - Willie Nelson - Rainbow Connection

My Friend Becky

Wherever you are, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Carl Larson being Swedish painted of the Christmas Season.

BEAUTY AND GRACE

Carl Larson is an inspiration of how to live a perfect life, his paintings of family and home tell such a beautiful STORY. I, myself, know that it IS just a story. It was for another place and time. What is the difference between that time of beauty and grace and this time of beauty and grace? I bet they did not have a yarn store so they HAD to knit and spin. I bet they had to play cards and listen to music on the piano while they conversed with each other IN PERSON.

On the other hand, I bet they could not instantly send messages across the world. I can share the beauty and grace of this time with the world. The world lives inside my computer with all of the wonder and amazement, beauty and grace, and pictures of Noro, for anyone to see.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just What I Needed Noro Sock Yarn

Yesterday, I made a quick trip to my favorite yarn store, Mosaic Yarn Shop, in Blacksburg, Virginia, to buy the new Noro Sock Yarn. This yarn, for me, is not for socks. I devised a new way to torment myself. Recently, I created an amazing little scarf/fiber jewelry.
At Anthropologie, a couple of years ago, I bought this cool silk scarf with little Tibetan-like flags and buttons which I dearly love. It set me to thinking about how I could make something in wool, only, that I could wear a lot. I love tiny scarves of wool around my neck in the winter because they keep me warm and do not get in my way. This design of mine is just such a thing. Soooh, I bought some Noro Sock Yarn to use for this purpose because I absolutely love to knit with Noro. When I knit Noro it reminds me of painting and when I paint it reminds me of knitting Noro. When I sleep I dream in Noro. I have always gotten a kick out of people asking if I dream in black and white or color. Only people who grew up with Black and White TELEVISION would ever think to ask that question, I believe.
Anyway, I am running my head off trying to get ready for the arrival of my darling daughter and family for Christmas, attending Christmas parties, shopping, wrapping, running to doctors and hospitals, for family business, AND THEN I BUY NORO SOCK yarn. The most terrible part is that I can not wait to try it. But, I HAVE TO.
One more thing, I do a lot of Origami, therefore, I belong to an origami list, of course, and yesterday I had planned to visit Virginia Tech to see the amazing origami exhibit. Because of my yarn fetish I ran out of time.

ANGEL TALK

Angel has the whole world in her hands

Advent ABC

Merry Christmas

Counting the days

Hannah Montana says Hi

I had lunch at the new restaurant in my little town (you know it is my town just like West Virginia is all mine). Way cool new place. Before that, I took a photo of Hannah walking around my studio on top of all the stuff. She was showing off her new shrug. It is sorta like the one at Mosaic Yarn Shop in Blacksburg, Virginia, that Gina is uh-huh making. Her blog is skeincocaine. Oh just google it!

Deep Forest - Sweet Lullaby

Lines In Space Branches In Trees and String and Sticks

Now on my kitchen table are the cards sitting in a perfectly straight pile, envelopes wrapping each signed card, not sold. It is funny how plans change.

Last night was the gala event in Bramwell of the Annual Home Tour. The first time in years I did not participate. I went Christmas shopping an hour away and returned to get trapped downtown in the traffic jam of people who came from all over to see the homes. What a beautiful site it was. The lights outline the homes inviting visitors to come inside. The line for tickets at our church was long. What a great place to call home.

Today, it is warm, inside and out. Today, I knit a surprise for Nadia, the granddaughter who makes me smile, a sweater of my own design. She loves Hannah Montana, so I ask myself when I design for her, what would Hannah Montana wear? My seven year old diva, that dances better than those who earn money for it, and paints better than I do, inspires me every single day. She is exactly like her mother whom I adore. Yesterday, her big sister had her tenth birthday. I called her to sing happy birthday early in the morning so she would know I didn’t forget. Now she has a digital camera, too. I wanted her to send me pictures of everything so I do not miss a thing. My grandson is taking cooking classes. He aspires to be a great chef or a rocket scientist. On his long trip to Mars, someday, he can be the gourmet cook.
Ok, it is time to get back to my funny farm and my reality.

Last week, at the fun farm ,
beauty came to visit in the form of snow.
Then her friend ice came.
When slippery slopes meet ice,
No tires will suffice,
To transport me to the Blue Moon.

But, . . . . who cares.

Christmas Parade in Bramwell 2007

I showed up at 9:00 am to see my students and the parade. Somehow, I made a mistake. The parade started at 11:00 am. So, I went back to my little farm for another cup of coffee and to get warm. It was 36 degrees.

Later, I drove back down this mountain which takes about 10 minutes cause it is steep gravel for about half a mile then onto a one lane road with two way traffic. I'm the one who waves from my red pick-up truck at anyone I might see and I'm the one who always backs-up over rocks and gets stuck. Today, I didn't get stuck but I did back-up for a really nice guy who has a Christmas tree farm up here and a cleaning business down below. The funny thing was that the road was blocked, down by the town, because of the parade. I got parked on this side of the river and walked across the swinging bridge which scared me. I didn't know that it really does swing.

I took pictures of everything. It was straight out of a Norman Rockwell Painting. I almost cried, seriously, because I appreciate the spirit, here. What a great place to live.

Peace, let it begin with me

No worry about being car-jacked here; the nearest traffic light is about 5 miles up a winding road and over the hill by Pinnacle Rock and down that road to Bluewell. Around here everyplace has the word BLUE in its name; Bluestone, Bluefield, Bluewell, Blueberry, Blueridge, and one of our stores has the name Blue Moon , you get the idea. The only thing around here that is not blue is me.

Without a doubt, this is the most beautiful peaceful place I have ever been. The only thing I know for sure, here, is that nothing ever changes. Before present era all I ever knew for sure was that everything changes.

I teach art to tiny children (they really teach me). This is the joy of my life. This IS my calling. The very same building where I teach had been around when my great grandfather walked the same places. He had a wooden leg. He told me he was a Presbyterian because “they were more lenient.” So, I am one, as well. Our church has no full time pastor, but the pastor we have is a wonderful interesting individual. He asks us if we believe the promises God made to us, and if so, then there is nothing to worry about. Ok, then where is Anne Lamott when we need her? I do not want our church to die.

This historical or hysterical town is full of life but very small. You know what happens in small towns. I believe that PEACE begins with me. So, let it begin, NOW. If everybody knows that they might read what they are up to on this site I think it will be kind of like knowing that God watches every little thing we do. And that Santa won’t come if you are naughty.

I need to earn money to buy 20 easels for the kids, so I designed a card to sell at the Bramwell, WV. Home tours. Christmas time is a beautiful time to visit our town. Our new Train Depot/Heritage Center is such a first class center. There is a lot to see and the homes are preserved and restored. The Coal Millionaires would be amazed at what the local people have done to make this a very living place.

It is a great thing to be living in this place and to be a reverse pioneer. I am privileged to be able to watch these courageous people make something wonderful and of value to be shared.