Rosemary for Remembrance

A friend's husband passed away yesterday, just after sunset.  He didn't want a funeral mass and he wanted to be buried right away.  By 2 o'clock this afternoon, family, friends and neighbors had gathered at the funeral home he had owned and managed earlier in his life, ready to accompany him on his final journey.

His sons, nephews and brothers-in-law carried his casket on their shoulders, down the street and around the corner, to Greenport's oldest cemetery.  His simple coffin was adorned with a Star of David, a prayer was said by a Catholic priest, and hymns were beautifully sung by two members of the A.M.E. Zion Church -- a tribute to his all-encompassing spirituality and world view.  His wife, a gifted rug maker and storyteller, spoke eloquently of his life.  His daughter laid sprigs of rosemary on his casket as a final farewell.

It was a sad and somber ceremony to be sure, but also sweet.  I stood in the frigid air and marveled at this little place I live in on the edge of the Atlantic.  Somehow, we all heard the news and knew that no matter the temperature or the time or the effort it would take to change our clothes and change our Saturday, we would be there for our friends.

Some Rug hooking . . . Finally

It took me a long time to recover from the holidays.  I've been organizing and planning, but, until now, haven't had anything to show for myself.  I designed some small heart mats for Valentine's Day and yesterday actually started hooking one!  Felt good.  The pattern will available soon.

If You Can Help . . .

 . . . please do.

Look What Alicia Is Doing!

My friend Alicia said I inspired her (see her comment a couple of posts ago) to challenge herself "to become a more accomplished spinner and knitter."  She's young and energetic and obviously self-motivated (she works as a vet tech while going to school for another degree and still finds time to knit and spin and hook and heavens knows what else).  She didn't need inspiration from me, the old lady who is proud to have one resolution crossed off the list, thanks to her clever daughter, but its nice of Alicia credit me.

She is taking a knitting class in which the students knit a scarf per month.  Not satisfied with that, Alicia is then going to spin her own yarn to make another scarf from the same pattern.  Two scarfs per month!  I think she finished the first one in 6 days.  It took me 8 months just to finish one air of socks!

Alicia's 1st Scarf and her kitty Dharma

Alicia is going to write about her venture on her blog: Dharma Yarns: 2010 the year of the Scarf.  I'll be following her progress as the year progresses, and will hopefully get to fondle all the pretty things she whips up.    Why not join me on my visits?

My New Business Card

Courtesy of my intern (also daughter), Clara Jauquet.

I wanted to buy an ad in an upcoming rug show brochure which is printed in black and white, and this is what Clara came up with.  I like how bold it is, yet quite simple.

Thanks, Honey!

This Week's Reading List

I spent Saturday sitting in a puddle of sunshine on the sofa, reading several books.  I finished the second book of the year: Death of an Irish Sinner by Bartholomew Gill.  I love a good British mystery.  This one is a police procedural, set in Dublin.  It's one of many by Gill, and I'm looking forward to reading more.  I also read Natural Nutrition for Cats and Dogs by Kymythy Schultze.  I am desperate to get Cairo off the endless treadmill of antibiotics and steroids prescribed for his allergy attacks.  The last round left him scratching his fur off.  The BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet has been recommended to me by several people (though not by our veterinarian).  So I am reading up on it and preparing to try it.  We will also be making a visit to a holistic vet in the near future.

The last few days of sunshine have really made the frigid temperatures much more bearable for me.  I can feel the days getting longer minute by minute and that makes me very happy.

In the New Year

I've made a few resolutions, both personal and professional.  We'll see how good I am at keeping them!

Professionally:  I need to be more consistent with designing new rug and needle punch patterns.  I'm aiming for two per season.  Eight designs a year is not too bad to deal with . . . My biggest problem is designing for a season or holiday many months before it occurs . . .  I tend to design for winter in winter or autumn in autum . . . So I'll be working on working ahead, if that makes any sense . . . .

I am also going to pay more attention to my internet presence.  The house renovation took nearly all my time last year, and was enormously stressful.  Now that it's over, I'm making a commitment to work a set number of hours each day.  I'll be beefing up my etsy shop and listing more supplies on eBay.

I've hired my daughter to design a new Paisley Studio logo that will grace my blog, business cards, and etsy shops.  Let's hope she procrastinates less than her mother does.

Personally:  I am going to read more.  Pete used tell people I read too much.  There were weeks when i'd finish two or three books.The renovation took care of that, too.  The only time I had to read last year was right before I fell asleep.  I was so tired and stressed out that I fell asleep fast.  It would take me weeks to read a short novel.  I'm going to make time every afternoon to sit down and enjoy a good book.  The first one finished this year: The Music Room by William Fiennes.  It's a lovely memoir.  Fiennes recounts his childhood growing up in a castle with his epileptic brother. 

So that's it for me this year . . . .what are your resolutions?

Happy New Year One and All!

Here's hoping for a peaceful new year and decade.