My sister went to Maine and all I got was this gorgeous yarn ...

posted by Helen

Handpainted 100% merino wool from String Theory. It knits like a dream. Is it wrong to love a wool this much?

PS - Thanks, Sis!

"We come on the Sloop Harold B ..."

posted by Helen

We've just had a fantastic weekend with Dave's sisters, Cherie and Kelly. Last winter, while researching sloops, Cherie came across Harold A. Burnham. She called us on Christmas day and announced that she was giving us a cruise on a boat from Gloucester, MA. On Father's Day weekend. I'm sure we said "Thank you" and pretty much forgot about it.

Lucky for us Cherie did not forget because we went on the cruise on Friday with Cherie and Kelly and it was wonderful.
Here is a photo of boat captain, Harold Burnham lowering the foresail with assistance from Simon and Charlie.

We began the day at the Burnham shipyard in Essex and finished it in Gloucester, having sailed all the way around Cape Ann.

Crossing the Pemigewassett

posted by Helen

This is how I like to remember us.

On a fine summer day, crossing on foot
the thin swift Pemigewasset River
in our White Mountains.

Not that we couldn't have walked upstream
to the bridge, like the others.
It seemed more interesting to skip
from one granite rock to another.

We start out easily enough. One jump,
then two and three in quick succession,
shoes in hand, barefeet on sun-warm stones.

A problem: the next available step is
submerged in the cold rushing water.
You slide one foot onto it softly and
find your ground.

I follow and feel the slimy rock
slip underfoot, the cold water swirling
around my ankle until feeling creeps away.
I curl my toes to gain a better grip.

Now comes the commitment.
You toss your shoes, then mine
to the opposing bank.

My next step is in error, the stone
deeper than it appears. With the cold now
up to my thighs, I pause to survey
my options. You are still near enough to touch
so I take your hand and then,

we begin to fall.
The unsteady feeling of falling backward,
now forward, knees buckling, arms flailing,
grabbing at nothingness,
until miraculously righting ourselves,
we scramble to the shore.

Safe and dry instead of wet and cold,
there is nothing for it but to laugh.

And so we do.

I'm okay! Really!

posted by Helen

People are looking at me funny, asking me if I'm all right in a heartfelt way and sending me email so I guess I should let you know I'm okay. Thank you for your concern. I know I've been writing some gloomy entries here lately, but day-to-day I'm in a pretty good mood.

In addition to keeping up with my regular job, I'm learning to use Cascading Style Sheets and re-designing our yellow house web site (yes, I've gone back to hand-coding, Bill). It's exciting. I had a web design/programming job back in the dawn of the web so it's fun to update my (very modest) skills.

I'm also reading quite a bit--just finished two books last week. Right now I am enjoying the short stories of Katherine Mansfield, alternating with some gardening essays by Anne Raver. My sister lent me a book yesterday that I couldn't resist starting called "Birds in Fall." I read the first chapter before bed last night. It was gripping, but afterward I dreamed about crashing airplanes. Maybe I'll save that one for reading earlier in the day.

And, of course, I have my extensive dog-walking duties. When I need a lesson in enjoying the present moment, Cammy is ever ready to oblige.

Weeding my thoughts

posted by Helen

I spent a fair amount of time weeding the garden yesterday. As often happens when I am engaged in a mindless chore, my thoughts go their own merry way, which is to say, in my case, they get a little negative.

As I worked yesterday, my thoughts became mired in writing an imaginary letter to a specific person I was feeling angry with. I suddenly realized that I had inadvertently pulled up a couple of innocent little seedlings along with the crab grass.

As I slowed down and re-focused on the task at hand, it occurred to me that pulling weeds is a lot like developing a more peaceful attitude. I am far more happy and peaceful when I am not wallowing in negativity. I can't help the negative thoughts appearing anymore than I can prevent the weeds from sprouting. But I can decide which thoughts get to stay in my mind and which ones are pulled out and tossed in the ash heap.