Just this morning, a few things touched me and made my day. All this happened while doing daily errands. First, in the bank, an elderly woman handed the bank manager a festive Christmas sack. He put his hand on her back and thanked her warmly. She smiled, and her face lit up like a little child as she said ‘I just baked that this morning.’ It’s been since I was a child that people did such things at Christmas. How wonderful.

Then in the grocery as I was sacking my groceries, an elderly gentleman sitting on a bench at the front of the store remarked on the dog toy I had just purchased for the dogs. It’s a silly Christmas tree with a reindeer head and arms that plays Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It caught his fancy and he proceeded to tell me about a toy he had for his dog; a frog with Louis Armstrong’s voice. I passed him the dog toy and he smiled as he held it to his ear and listened to its silly song.

Just outside the grocery another elderly woman took one look at me and admonished “WHAT? No hat on your head? What are ya, crazy?” As the wind blew hard, dry snowflakes at my face and I felt the frigid arctic blast that is just now arriving in New Jersey, I realized she was right. I really should have a hat on. She meant it kindly you know. She was just looking out for my well being.

I love living in a small town.

Above are examples of a few garlands I knitted last year. Each one is a bit different. They are fun, fast and easy to make. Finding the right yarn is sometimes a challenge. I wish I had kept the label wrapper from my favorite, but it doesn’t matter since I haven’t been able to find it here in New Jersey this year. You’ll need three skeins of yarn: two of the background color [a shaggy eyelash yarn works well], and one “fun” yarn like Lion Brand Fancy Fur that has bobble-like things that look like tiny ornaments when knitted up. Another good yarn is a paper flag novelty yarn, like one from Crystal Palace. Just use your imagination when choosing yarn varieties. To knit, use size 19 [26 inch] circular needles, cast on about 100 stitches with all three yarns [I know, I know, it’s a lot] and then just knit two rows of garter stitch for an almost instant garland. I got the idea from the Crystal Palace yarn website last year. So please, don’t use this pattern except for your own use. Here is their link.

Merry Knitting!

A few weeks ago I went with my neighbor Kim to the Holiday House Boutique at Lambert Castle in Paterson. This holiday fundraiser for the Passaic County Historical Society is a big favoriite. The castle is decorated festively with craft items for sale. Each year they decorate the rooms differently. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.

Built in 1892, this impressive landmark is made of sandstone and granite quarried from the surrounding hillsides. It belonged to Paterson’s silk baron, Catholina Lambert. It’s an interesting story, and if you’re interested you can read more about the castle and its history here.

I was a good girl and didn’t spend too much money. I bought a unique bracelet and this adorable hand-stitched felt sheepie ornament. I thought it would make a good knitting totem.

In an effort to lift my mood and get in the spirit of the Holiday Season, I am starting a series of posts with a Christmas theme. So, I’ll let my Advent Calendar Santa kick it off. Sam helped with the photo shoot. Note: He’s the one that bit me. Hmm…I guess I lost a day somewhere since Santa still thinks it’s the 5th. Oh well…I don’t think Sam will cooperate again, so it will just have to do.

I am so sad. Last evening we had to put our Bode to rest. He had done okay over the weekend, but yesterday took a turn for the worse. He was having so much trouble breathing he could not lay down comfortably any longer. He wasn’t eating, nor drinking. His belly was distended and causing him much discomfort. We had to make the difficult decision not to let him suffer any longer. It’s hard to make that decision. Should we wait another day? But if we do and he’s much worse, is that fair to him? We did not want to see him suffer total distress, so we let him go. I will miss his sweet, smiling face.

When I find the words I will write him a tribute. I just can’t do it now. I feel emotionally and physically drained after the stress of watching him go up and down over the past two weeks, and over the past few days especially. Pretty much numb.

Rest well, sweet JoJo. We’ll miss you so.