The Big Picture

The aran afghan is complete and squirrelled away into an oversized ziplock bag for graduation presenting. It's really soft and warm. The final dimensions are 42x60 inches.

These are some of the stash yarns I used to make it. Some didn't have labels.

It all came back except for one quarter cup. These bits will be a baby surprise or a pi shawl.

On my walk this evening, I finally found the sentinal forsythia. It usually blooms in early February. We had a 20 foot hedge in the horse field at the farm where I grew up. When the forsythia blooms, it is safe to garden and trim your roses.

The weather is still very unsettled and pretty cold if you go to lunch without a jacket ( no mother??)

I have just gained access again to Merlin Mann 's blog, 43 folders. I don't know why it crapped every time I tried it. I have been locked out, apparently since November. He is a "life hacker" who discusses creativity, effectiveness and the Zero In Box. Such ideas widen my little life and help me look at the work I'm trying to achieve instead of the piles of work on my desk. My planner, in box, next action (the whole Getting Things Done) as well as links to the formidably creative and effective are little bits of sugar to my rat brain.

He does a series on blogs that I have (obviously) not yet read. I would love this blog to grow. Merlin would tell you that the best way to get better at something is to do it.

Think of when someone says "how did you know that?" Because I have walked this floor before. In the army we had a phrase "from the ranks" which meant that the person had learned the hard way- by doing, no studying. Perspicacity. I try to keep my foundation steady with lots of grunt work.

The trim is finished. It may not be the most important thing and leads to other fixing, but if we wanted to sell this house (we don't) it would be the first thing I would do for an invisible buyer. Why not do it for myself, my family, and those we invite into our home?

It's simple and yet very difficult.