A View from Sierra County

Happy Halloween

When you live in a 150-year old Carpenter Gothic "mansion on the hill", next to a graveyard, it's hard not to get into the Halloween spirit.  The first year we lived here, after spending 13 years in the backwoods where absolutely no costumed ghouls, witches or fairies ever came, we were so excited to decorate and have visitors.

Now, each year, we try to improve slightly on our "haunted house" decor... the light from the open upstairs window is actually a "Sight Stimulator" machine, an antique from the late 1940s that has a large, whirling red disk.... spooky, tape-generated sounds have been blowing out the window all night as well.

The luminarias light the way to our door, but it is still dark enough to make some of the youngest children hesitate...

It doesn't help that my silly DH loves to wear a mask and illuminate his face periodically ... that would scare some of the braver ones, but the teenagers all laugh and many people complimented us on our decorations, as well as appreciating that we were giving out juice boxes (don't think I am kidding myself here, they really aren't that much healthier - just nice to have a beverage while running between houses).

This large spider web has been with us a few years, and has proven to be much easier to install and uninstall than the sticky web stuff that reminds me of angel hair for Christmas trees.

As the season shifts, we move indoors to the peaceful illumination of candle glow, and gain time for reflection... and KNITTING!

Samhain Approacheth

I was all set to blog about my latest efforts at catching up on my WIP list over the weekend, but then my DD came over (she usually spends Monday nights here so she can watch Prison Break, as she doesn't have cable) and began to describe the memorial service her father's side of the family had for his wife's sister, who died unexpectedly this past summer.  I knew her slightly, but was always grateful for how she and her family (especially her mom) embraced my children, not as lesser step-children in the family, but as full-fledged members.  At her passing, I keenly felt how grateful I was to have seen my own children reach adulthood, yet how aware I was of the pain losing me would bring them.  Her two boys are 20 and 24.... before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face as well.

I haven't been able to write much about the several losses that have hit our family this year, both relatives and friends, but their weight was felt especially as I watched the autumn sunset on the drive home this evening, angled in such a way to foreshadow All Hallow's Eve tomorrow... the year is turning, the sun still turning away from us, and there is no way of stopping it.  It has its own course and its own harmony to fulfill.  My life will wind down in its own time as well, and perhaps leaving will one day be easier than being left behind.

This year there will be more souls than usual to send out messages of blessing for...  DD and I attended services a few weeks ago for one of her friends, killed in an auto accident, and one of my quilt guild members lost his husband last week after a lengthy battle with cancer - at age 50.

These crosses on the road I pass driving to work in Downieville mark the spot where Nikki's friend John died... this is a common phenomenon in California and I stopped within a few days to take these photos, but could not bring myself to write until now...  seeing them would bring to mind afresh the grief and loss.

Joy and sadness both are a part of the fabric of life, and I am trying to keep in perspective how very much joy has come through my own life in the past several years, and, really, how little loss.

In closing, a verse from Celtic Devotional, by Caitlin Matthews:

You have been called from the place of your dwelling,
After times, after duties, after separations.
May blessed soul-friends guide you,
May helping spirits lead you,
May the Gatherer of Souls call you,
May the homeward path rise up under your feet
And lead you gladly home.

Orange Sky

We have been having the most lovely, lingering fall season in recent years... I know that soon it will fade into the duller, dingier, almost-winter, blustery kind of fall, but for now I am reveling in the colors.  The temperatures have been sufficiently chilled at night, but the days have been warm, even with the much shorter day length.

I hope to have more fall photos to share by the end of the weekend, as well as some knitting and spinning news.

U is for... Uisge Beatha

"Water of Life" ... when I studied Gaelic several years back and discovered that the literal translation of the two words above meant "whisky" in English (an obvious grammatical corruption of the original), I was delighted! 

Now, in my mind, beer is for everyday, wine for family holiday dinners, but uisge beatha is for whenever I am lucky enough to be able to sit and savor its taste.... there's just nothing to compare in complexity to a good single malt.  There are even a few of you out there that already know this more obscure passion of mine, but most will be surprised. 

I appreciated American whiskies as a college grrl, but not really all that much, when you consider the drinking habits of those barely on one side or the other of legal drinking age.  I really have my FIL, Jim, to thank for nurturing my appreciation of the finer points of a good, Scottish (redundant, that) single malt.  He has been a fan most of his adult life, and we all know that one of the best gifts for him is to sniff out a hard-to-find varietal to surprise him with... unfortunately here in the Sierras there are seldom more than five or six true choices, as most "whiskey" in the U.S. is blended, and lacks the depth.

I did have the rare pleasure of visiting a Scottish imports shop in downtown San Francisco a few years back that had a whole wall... in between the tartans and sporrans and mugs with thistle prints was the largest collection I had ever seen.

Jim, on the other hand, has the delightful story to re-tell about visiting Edinborough and discovering a truck that was dripping from its keg-spout... yes, you guessed, uisge beatha from one of the outlying distilleries.  They discovered what it was by licking fingers stuck under the drip!  Turns out all of the product has to be brought into Edinborough to be taxed prior to being bottled and distributed far and wide.

There are three ingredients to uisge - barley, water and yeast, but peat is the secret of the smoky taste that makes single malts from the northern islands of Scotland distinctive... slow-roasting the malt over a peat fire.  I guess I should explain that malt is barley grain that has been soaked and is just at the right moment before sprouting when roasted slowly over a fire... but I can't really detail the entire distillation process, never having done or watched it.

My personal favorites come from Isle of Islay, such as Laphroaig and Bowmore, with those from Speyside a close second (such as Macallan, Dalwhinnie, and the old standbys, Glenfiddich or Glenlivit, which I can usually order in a bar).  Much like wine, the longer the aging, the mellower and finer the uisge ... and the higher the price.  Mostly, I am relegated to drinking 12 or 15 year olds, but a few times have had the chance to try an 18 or 25 year old uisge, and there IS a difference!

My Sock Story

Even though I am not participating in Socktoberfest, I have so enjoyed other bloggers' sock histories that I decided to share my own:

When did you start making socks?

I made my first pair in 1974, for the boyfriend I lived with several years... had already finished crocheting him a sweater from Lopi, and a few hats. 

What was your first pair? How have they held up over time?

They were worsted weight hunters' socks and he loved them far longer than me.  The pattern came from the only sock book I came across for years, an early 60s knitting book for sock patterns for the whole family still in print.

What would you have done differently?

In an ideal world, I would have been able to choose from some of the more interesting yarns now available, however, I liked this pair of socks very much as I was making them and was very pleased with the fact that I figured it out entirely on my own, following antiquated written instructions and no pictures.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?

I really enjoy Trekking!  I am finishing up my second pair, and like the great, yet practical color choices and the dense feeling of the yarn, yet it still is soft through my hands while working with it. Margene just gave me some Socks That Rock for my birthday that I also can't wait to try.. the colorways are dazzling, and the beaded look to the spin on the yarn is both soft to the touch and tough-wearing (I am guessing on the wear, but that is what it is supposed to contribute).  I started a pair from Sockotta early this summer and distinctly DON'T like this yarn... too harsh on the fingers.

Do you like to crochet your socks? Or knit them on dpns, 2 circulars, or magic loop?

Crochet socks?!  Are you kidding?  I know it is possible, but having crocheted a lot of other things over the years, don't think I would like the feel that the texture rows of crocheting produces between the soles of my feet and my shoes.  Although I used bamboo dpns for years, right now I am preferring to use 2 circs, finding that the way I hold them while working is easier on my hands.  Curiously, I find that I need to knit English (I normally knit Continental, but learned English as a child) to get anywhere close to gauge (a dense enough fabric on a needle that is not ridiculously small).

Which kind of heel do you prefer?

I am actually not too picky, but intend to get cozier with making short row heels and modifying patterns to use that method, as they are quicker.  I have been learning to make socks on the circular sock knitting machine as well, and that is the heel employed - a very tidy thing.

How many pairs have you made?

Probably a few dozen... I am not "sock-exclusive" and even decided after much mending-of-socks not to bother for several years.  I got re-inspired with the introduction of so many swanky new sock yarns in the past five years.  Now, I try to have a sock going all the time, and have managed to acquire a fairly small sock-yarn stash and a stack of patterns I want to make.  One of my spinning goals is to spin a fine enough thread that I can ply three strands together for (at least) sport-weight boot socks. 

SIP at the Harvest Festival

I don't much care for acronyms; each little clique in our culture has their own, and if you don't know them, you are on the "outside".  But, I am getting a bit fond of Spinning In Public, and the fact that it sounds like having a drink!

There were only four of us SIP-ing at last Sunday's Briarpatch Community Market Harvest Festival, a celebration of organic foods and healthy lifestyle, but we had a fun time.

Here, Sue and Sara show their wheel expertise... me, I stuck with my happy spindle and worked on yarn for my Twisted Knitters project.

We all got up periodically to glean samples of fair-traded, organic coffee, Thai Chai, ice cream bars, and other goodies, and DD, Nikki, who accompanied me and hung out visiting, rounded up enough pasta samples to make a dinner, as well as bringing us various crackers and chips to try.  No need to be hungry, but just in case, there were two celebratory cakes, carrot AND chocolate.

I abandoned my spinning and switched to sock knitting when it was time to watch the Haute Trash Fashion Show.. this troupe of creative designers is reknowed throughout the West, having toured quite a bit to promote fashion, recycling, humor and creativity.  Founded by my friend Susan Lamela, the troupe of cohorts she started in 1983 were amongst the earliest to promote this form of educational entertainment, and the event was delightful... my favorite part was the off-shoulder, Scarlett O'Hara-type knitted wedding dress - made from those ubiquitous white grocery sacks!  I had left my camera back at the spinning booth, and didn't get any photos, but there are plenty of good ones on the troupe's website.

Recycling was also put to good use in these cute decorations: ears of corn from egg flats!

We liked the grape clusters even better!

As I read our regional papers, and traveled part way through the state last week, I noticed that several more harvest festivals were scheduled for this weekend just past...

We had our annual Apple Harvest Festival in Forest City Saturday, complete with yummy chicken apple sausage sandwiches (how did I end up in charge of the grill?), an apple dessert contest, and cider pressing.  Too busy grilling to take photos, but you can check out last year's here.

Does your community celebrate the harvest season, or a particular agricultural specialty?  Leave me a note, so I can add it to my "future festivals" list... I love a good food festival!

Saturday Sky

Fall was a hard seasonal change for me this year; I hadn't gotten to swim enough and suddenly it was too cold.  I hadn't gotten to camp enough and soon the high country backroads will be blocked with snow.

This week, though the colors have been spectacular, and the light is well past the autumnal equinox midpoint, and casting a different focus on the season.

Suddenly, fall has been a wonderful world for me.

I had to attend a training in Redding, about three hours northwest of me, where the Sacramento Valley meets the Cascades, and DH accompanied me Wednesday afternoon, as we drove through the Great Central Valley (and it really is huge...)

Seeing the harvest in full swing really helped me connect with the blessings of fall... right now, rice, olives and walnuts are the largest commercial crops being brought in, but there were plenty of roadside stands featuring pumpkins, squash, apples, pears and almonds.  I truly am blest to live in such close proximity to a great abundance of food resources.

What If You Couldn't Blog?

Or, what if nobody could read your blog, because it took far too long to load and the connection timed out every time?  What if the comments dropped off, and you also found it harder and harder to get to your dear blogfriends' blogs?

These are some of the questions I have been pondering today, after DH and I stayed up especially to watch Bill Moyer's PBS special on the impending congressional battle over who gets to control the Internet, and whether there will be "fast lanes" and "slow lanes".  This would severely limit the wonderfully open environment we have become accustomed to on the Internet.  Of course, there are telecom industry apologists out there saying that granting some corporations (who are able to pay for the right) the fast lanes would not hurt the rest of us... by reading that last sentence, I am sure you already figured out where I stand on this issue.

I am not here to tell you what to think, or what to do, but to urge you to inform yourself.  I have added a button to the right that will take you to SaveTheInternet DOT com... this article will tell you more about Moyer's show and the debate he hosted afterwards (I was asleep by then).  There are plenty of links to let you read an opposing point of view, and you can decide what to do. 

As for me, I want to make sure that I can still read all of you, and that your voices aren't drowned out over the next few years.   I have lived long enough to remember when there were far more radio stations, and far more local newspapers... The thing I like best about the Internet is that you never know what will develop next!  We need to nurture that creative, problem-solving force in our culture, as we face very challenging times, including peak oil, major culture clashes, nuclear proliferation and other big, big issues.  It will take creative problem-solvers to come up with new solutions, since so many of the old ones just aren't working.

If you get a chance to watch Moyer's program when it is replayed, please do so.  People across the country are doing inspiring things to keep the communication field from narrowing down to just a few huge corporations and their stories are well worth hearing.

Pipe Dreams

I had a bit of reading time and followed a few people back to Kim's Pipe Dreams challenge, then , believing strongly in the power of words, decided to write a few of mine. 

If money were no object, I would still work, but differently.  I would divide my time between teaching children to knit (which I currently do at a Waldorf-inspired charter school) and running my own version of the Burton Chill Program, which brings youth from urban environments into the mountains to learn snowboarding... I would of course have the resources to partner with them and others to gather together equipment and talented people, and to inspire those youth to realize that if they can learn to snowboard, they can master practically anything. 

I would be able to work with two of my adult kiddos in this venture, as it is also part of eldest son's pipe dreams - in fact, he told me about this program a few years back, and I am trying to figure out how to turn it into reality in the Sierras.  DD heard us talking about this once and said she would jump on board if we ever got launched...  There are more "socially important" things I could be doing (and have done in the past), but I have also learned that it all starts with giving youth confidence.  This has really been brought home to me lately, as I teach within one of the surrounding county's jails, and see what has become of some of the types of people I taught who never had a lot of faith in their abilities, didn't finish school, maybe never even held a "real" job.  Being at the roots, giving confidence, is critical.

Making this pipe dream a reality would involve living close to the snowy mountains, but in burro country, so I would resettle on a ranch on the eastern slope, where I could run a burro rescue the rest of the time, with a few good trainers helping me gentle and find homes for them.  There would be room enough for a few other houses, so those of my family who wanted to live close to us could!  We still have the hope of having grandchildren (the grown kiddos aren't all that old yet), and would want them close by.  My own ranch house would be filled with light, arts and crafts furniture and studio space (and of course my DH)!

Have you thought about dreaming big dreams?  Have you written them into a post yet?  It's powerful stuff.

Saturday Burro Sky

OK, I'm gonna cheat here, but, hey, at least I'm the first one to say so... my Saturday Sky today is a brilliant blue unique to higher elevations at this time of year, blessedly free of smoke after the past month.  However, it is not the most photogenic sky, so I jazzed it up by making it skimpy on sky and big on burros... from left to right we have Rose, April, Rita and Assteroid.

This photo is a better one of the "wild bunch" (their pose reminded me of the classic movie poster.

Our Saturday was big on catching up, everything from washing the bedding to reading blogs and lists to starting to clean out and winterize the barn (they helped by watching and asking braying questions about what I was up to).  Assteroid got a bit of training time, which has been way too scarce in the past few months, and I cleaned the harness that came with my pony cart, as I mean to begin training Rose to drive, just as soon as I can make sense of what goes where on the harness...

I managed to turn the heel on my sock since last night, and start on gusset decreases, so it is now fit for gadding about and put away so I can concentrate on finishing up Forest Canopy... my friend left to visit her son in Germany for three weeks, so that is exactly how much longer I have to work on it!  I also plotted out just how much smaller I will make Seraphim (not a huge amount, but the total length down the center of MY back would best fit at 30 inches, given my height - I determined this by checking a shawl I really like the fit of.

I also managed to take some pictures so that I can catch you up some of the great gifting I received this week for my birthday.

Bev organized an October Birthday Swap and my great pal Toya sent me these fabulous yarns.  I had put on the questionnaire that I had never tried any cashmere before, and she said that she couldn't make up her mind and sent me three different varieties to try out - I wonder if she has the same trouble with ice cream?  The tweedy grey is Kathmandu Aran, a blend of merino, silk and cashmere.  The black tweed is Jo Sharp's Silkroad Aran Tweed, a similar mixture.  The camel and cream are both Lion Cashmere Blend of merino, cashmere and nylon.  When I opened the package, I thought they would make a great scarf, with cables out of the crisper Cashmere Blend and background from the other two, but now I am leaning towards using the cream with a ball of the same color for a pair of Glad Hands Gloves.... the dyelots won't matter if I use one ball for each hand, and I keep looking longingly at that pattern.  Toya also sent some fragrant teas.  What a dear, and as I have her, and her birthday is Halloween, I fully intend to spoil her right back.

My fine friend Margene sent me not one, but two skeins of Socks That Rock.... on the left is the colorway "Highway 30" and on the right is "Mist", both lovely and very much "me".  In the middle is an awesome pin, patterned after a traditional quilt design, and set in a glass and metal frame... already adorning my primary out-the-door outerwear, a fleece vest.  I am just so glad I can still only need that!  This pin will follow me through the coat cycle of the upcoming months, and the two yarns are vying against each other and the Rowan Anna design, to get to the front of the sock queue.

I am also enjoying this bouquet of fall flowers and greens, brought to our dinner on Wednesday by youngest son... along with the candy.  Yes, it is sitting on the kitchen woodburner - a great place to display flowers during the off-season.

We pretty much took over a small restaurant that is one of my local favorites, Diegos in downtown Grass Valley, specializing in using mainly local ingredients to produce a cuisine based on the recipes of the lower Americas.  We had a loud and lively feast, including a Tres Leches cake, from a Nicaraguan recipe, with a candle in it for me.  Singing is not my family's strong point, I noticed, but my second grade knitting class had already feted me in song, and they are at an age where singing out loud and strong is still a source of pride AND fun.

There were so many flowers that I had to make a second, smaller bouquet - this one is decorating
the bathroom, another neglected spot that benefits from flowers.

My work schedule is lightened next week as it is vacation week for the public schools in Nevada County, which is good, as I just figured out that I am now driving 10 hours a week, time that could be better spent knitting and spinning!  I will not need to teach knitting or my night class, and DH and I will take a little overnight trip up north to Redding, where I am taking a half-day inservice training on Thursday morning, and enjoying the beautiful fall the rest of the time.

My fiber guild will be spinning in public at tomorrow's Harvest Festival put on by our local co-op, Briarpatch Community Market, and I am looking forward to some bonding with one of my spindles.  Hope you are having a lovely weekend.