“The world is a quiet place…its images forever fixed. They do not vanish. They can
be remembered, and they can be foreseen. Nothing and no one are lost.”
~Mark Helprin
She is losing her beloved. While they knew each other a lifetime, their time together was too short. How is this fair? I can think of a few people that deserve his fate more than he. Why is that? Why one and not another? Why is there no answer that will satisfy?
She will be forever changed by this. How can she not be? She will join the unenviable club of women who were left too soon, too young, too unexpectedly. She will see the lives around her go on. People driving their cars. Shopping. Having lunch. Laughing with friends. She will wonder, how do they go on? Don’t they know how the world has changed?
I’m grateful for her children; they will keep her focused, keep her HERE.
I call her the steel magnolia. She will never be the same.
And there is nothing I can do.
Well, it’s over. My wonderful visit with my ‘knittin’ sista’ is now a memory I’ll cherish. The first week went flying by, so I was grateful for the second week (although I’m sure by then she was missing her husband, her kitty, her dog and her mom.) But I sure did enjoy her while I had her! We were usually up and knitting by 5:00 a.m.
She was able to start and finish a darling sweater:
And I started a baby throw full of small squares which she helped me with to the tune of getting HALF of it done before she left! We visited yarn shops, St. Augustine‘s historic city, Ponce Inlet, went on bike rides, sunned ourselves on the beach … why, she even tried boogie-boarding until she decided that just wasn’t her cup of tea. So while Thom and I played in the ocean, she took Sadie for walks on the beach.
For my birthday she treated me to a great production at the Flagler Playhouse. She even taught me some great recipes in the KITCHEN! Anyone who knows me knows that’s not a room I get much use out of, but I learned to make quiche, crepes, frosting, chicken dinner and more!
And while we did make an attempt at eating right, sometimes ‘it’ just got the best of us, and we caved.
But between walking beaches and shelling, visiting craft shows and quaint towns, bike riding, swimming and knitting, I think she had a good time. I sure hope so, because I certainly did.
Poor Thom. What’s he gonna do with me now?
(See “Photo Albums” for more.)
She’s finally here! After waiting through the WHOLE day, we picked Anita up around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday night. We thought we’d have plenty of time to get to the airport, but by the time we left the house, my FlightTracker said she’d be arriving sooner than we’d expected. Six miles from the airport we spotted her plane in the air! So when we got there, I jumped out at the terminal and beat cheeks up the escalator just in time to see them begin to come down the long walk from the causeway. Thom quickly joined me, and together we watched a LOT of people meet their parties; and I mean a LOT. We couldn’t believe how many people that plane held! Anita was near the back of the pack, and for a split second we wondered if we had the right plane.
But there she was! How great was it to see that piece of Gaylord, that piece of my knitting family, my lovely friend! The next two weeks will fly by, I’m sure, but I’m going to thoroughly enjoy them!
I love Skype. I’ve been missing my bff these last months and last night I got to Skype not only with her but with my wonderful friend and former lake neighbor Lynzie B, or “DblA.” And they both looked GREAT! Better than I did, in fact, because according to them I was a bit shaky and my lips weren’t in sync with my voice. But hey, it’s cyberspace, and if that’s the worst of it, that’s okay. While it doesn’t make it all better, it does make it more bearable being away from my friends and family. And with the grandbaby so far away, at least I’m not a TOTAL stranger when I finally get to see him. Yup; I really love Skype.
The temps were going to approach 80 today, so we headed to the beach for a couple hours with the dog. It was really a perfect day; mostly sunny, very little wind, the tide was half out, and the waves were just right. Afterward, what could be better than knitting in the sun and the sand!
What a great time we had visiting DisneyWorld and seeing Drew, Dez, Kristin and the rest of her family. It was just a whirlwind of a time, and unfortunately poor Dez had bronchitis and was none to happy about it, but all in all I think it was great to be able to spend time with them, watch them interact, get to know Dez a little bit and simply enjoy! Two days is definitely not enough time, but I’m glad we were able to go, and we’ll definitely go back at some point. It’s only an hour and a half from home, we have someone to watch Sadie when necessary, and you get lots of exercise! We must have walked a hundred miles! (Well, it sure seemed like it.)
LiviKnit 