Sunday was such a pretty day after the number of gloomy days we have had over the last few weeks. Most weekends Ken and I head over to the
Eastern Trail in Scarborough Maine and this Sunday was no different.  The sun was bright, the wind was quiet and the temperature almost felt mild.
Some of you may know that I had surgery on my foot back in December and recovery has been slower than I would have liked, so getting out on my snowshoes has been more challenging than usual.  I keep telling myself to be patient, but patience has never been my strong suit if you know what I mean.

A few weeks ago we went snowshoeing and it didn't work out so well for me.  My foot and knee really squawked for a few days even though we took it slow.  I figured it would probably be the last time we went out for the season, especially given that up until recently we barely had any snow.
Last week 4 snow storms in one week took care of that.  Even over by the coast they got the most recent dump of 8-12 inches that we had up north.

We went over on Sunday to have lunch by the beach and to walk around the small, fairly flat beach that we like on Pine Point.  After lunch we thought we would head over to the trail to see if it was something that I would be able to walk on. With the recent snowstorms I wasn't holding out much hope.
Once seeing how much snow was still on the trail, I knew my foot and ankle were not going to be able to maneuver the lumps and bumps that were in the snow.  Of course I was bummed not to be able to go out on the trail.

We then saw a family put some snowshoes which reminded me that we had ours still in the back of our car.  Yippee!!  The trail is flat enough that I knew I wouldn't hurt my foot, so we threw them on and off we went.  It felt so nice to be out in the sunshine, smelling the fresh ocean air and working on strengthening my ankle.

It was an perfect day to be outside in the sun!

Happy New Year!!

 

A few weeks ago when I was reading my friend Carole's blog, I came upon this post that mentioned doing a fall life edit.  This intrigued me so I asked Carole for the link to the article she mentioned.  In the article this line, "Essentially, the idea is that a key part of manifestation is clearing the space to prepare for and invite what you really want into your life." really spoke to me.

It's been a challenging couple of years for me.  With the arrival of Covid, changing jobs and some recent health challenges, staying on track has been overwhelming at times.  This article and a few others I have looked at have come just at the right time. 
Now I am not an organized person on a good day but staying focused these last 2 years has been especially hard and frustrating because I find that I waste time on feeling overwhelmed and not time doing the things that I want to do.

In the last few weeks by journaling about what is causing stress and ways to proactively address it, I am finding my way back slowly to the activities that bring me satisfaction.  I have a few things that have been languishing in my sewing studio that are now getting finished, and a few new things are waiting for me.

You'll see more of these items in the upcoming weeks.
(eek…yarn that I bought, not yarn that I dyed)

If you are feeling overwhelmed in your daily life as many of us do, this concept of doing a life edit is so helpful!

 

As I was scrolling through social media this weekend I saw so many posts from fiber friends who were in Rhinebeck NY.
Why Rhinebeck you ask?  It would be to attend the amazing sheep and wool festival that is held there every year in October.  Because it is usually peak foliage in NY it makes the long ride from NH to NY along the Taconic Parkway a beautiful one.

I haven't been to this festival in many years even though a bunch of us always talk about attending but never seem to get ourselves organized to actually do it.  This is the first year in a long time that I actually felt a bit sad that I didn't go.  Perhaps next year!

 

While I didn't make the trek to NY this weekend, I did spend the weekend enjoying the beautiful foliage in my own back yard working on my Boneyard Shawl.  
(colors are a bit off from the sun)
The sun was bright and warm and the foliage was at it's last day of brilliant peak colors.

~
What did you do this weekend?

Pure light is all colors.
Therefore it has no hue.
Only when singleness is scattered 
Does color appear.
Deng Ming~Dao

A while ago I posted a picture with 3 skeins of yarn on Instagram that I was all set to knit The Odyssey Shawl by JoJo Locatelli with. After starting the shawl a few times, I was just not happy with the fabric I was getting with the yarn I am using.
Sooo… I changed course and decided on knitting the lovely Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West using only 2 colors instead of the 3 I had set aside.

I started this new shawl a number of times over the last few weeks, not sure how wide or how many stripes I wanted to incorporate, but finally I decided to keep it simple with narrow stripes and I will finish the bottom with the golden color.

This shawl is a pure joy to knit!  The rhythm is comforting and the fabric is so lush.  I can definitely see knitting another one of these shawls down the road!

I have a few winter knitting projects planned that I am excited about.  It feels wonderful to be knitting again!

And don't you think the trees themselves, especially those with mossy, warm caves, begin to think of the birds that will come — six, a dozen — to sleep inside their bodies? And don't you hear the goldenrod whispering goodbye, the everlasting being crowned with the first tuffets of snow?

As much as I complain about winter, the season before is always so beautiful up here in the North Country.
The smorgasbord of colors never ceases to take my breath away and makes me comment, 
"How lucky are we to live in such a space filled with SO much splendor!"

This weekend was filled with cleaning up the yard and putting the garden beds to sleep.  It's always such a bittersweet time.  Grateful for all the bounty the gardens have given us yet sad to say goodbye to another summer.  The summers always go by so quickly up here.

Time to gather up pumpkins to decorate in preparation for the fall season and to make our home feel cozy as the temperatures drop.  
I'm extra excited to have my children all come home for Thanksgiving this year which has me looking forward to creating a warm welcome for them all. It's been awhile since we have all been able to gather together for a happy occasion!

I still can't resist scuffling through the fallen leaves and listen to their autumny crunch!
Can you?

Earlier in the summer I had made a decision to do a year long project along with my friend Anne. It's called Beach Walk, designed by Marion Mitchell.
When I saw how lovely the finished blanket was and the inspiration for it, I was hooked…literally!

Now mind you I haven't crocheted a single thing since I was a young mom over 40 years ago, so it has been a big mind stretch for me to find my crocheting groove again for sure!  After a number of failed squares it finally clicked.  Aren't the colors pretty?

After making all of the beginning squares it was time for a bigger mind bend for me….joining them! This was something that I had never done, so it meant watching multiple videos.  I found this one to be the most helpful.  The designer also created some videos, one of which will really help me with the next step….joining all of these little mini squares once I weave all of the ends in (yikes!!)

Yep…there are a lot of ends!  I crocheted all of these little mini squares while we drove back and forth from Prince Edward Island.  I should have woven the ends in as I went along, but they were so addictive to make, I just kept lining up the colors.  I can't wait to see how they look against the portion of the blanket that is finished.
Next week I will finish up with our vacation pictures and maybe even have theses little squares at least semi attached if not completely

I hope you have a wonderful weekend in your corner of the world…

Continuing on our adventure on Prince Edward Island, Ken humored my desire to see all things "Anne".  
Even though the day was overcast as many of our days were, the rain held off for most of the day, so we had fun exploring.  We started out by visiting the "Anne of Green Gables" museum.  As a child, Lucy Maud Montgomery loved this home that her cousins lived in, she referred to it as the "Wondercastle of her Childhood"

Her family turned the home into a museum dedicated to Lucy Maud.  Ken really enjoyed walking through this older home preserved.

The property was just breathtaking.  This big barn reminds you so much of the one Matthew in "Anne" spent a lot of time in and the open fields are so pretty.  The pond that Anne referred to as the "Lake of Shining Waters"…so peaceful to sit by.

I loved this beautiful bookcase filled with all of the author's books that was the inspiration for the "Enchanted Bookcase" in Anne's story.
So much of Lucy Maud's own life was wrapped into the Anne of Green Gables book.  

From there we stopped at the tiny little home that Lucy Maud was born in but only lived there for a year before her mother passed away from Tuberculosis. She went to live with her mother's parents in Cavendish afterwards.
After we left the little house we went to the Green Gables Heritage Place, (pictured above) which was the house and property that Lucy Maud grew up on and where so much of the story inspiration was here.

This was my favorite place…I loved the house, it was utterly charming!

….and we were able to walk down the trail that was the inspiration for the "Haunted Woods" in the Anne book.  Just short of a mile, there were stories along the way to read.  Seeing the trees in the middle of the walk, I can see where a child would find them a little scary. 
(not sure what the rusted tank was for??)
The rain started when we finished that little hike so we did not do the Lover's Lane trail.  We will save that for another time.

All in all it was a wonderful day to do all things Anne.  I think my most favorite part of our adventure as seeing and walking along the Red Cliffs in Cavendish…the very same ones seen in the Anne movies.  Just stunning!
~
Thank you for joining along with me today…

 

It's been a while since I have sat down and actually blogged, but with the change of seasons, I thought I would utilize this space that I keep paying for every month a little more.

With the new season, Ken and I went on an adventure!  A good friend of mine owns a house on Prince Edward Island that she rents out, so after booking this sweet home 3 years ago, we were finally able to cross over the Canadian border..whoop!

 

It was a long ride for sure and we managed to get ourselves to the bridge in PEI without getting lost, which was no small feat given that once over the border I was navigating a paper map to save phone roaming charges.  You forget just how attached we are to our phones when navigating new places.

Once over the bridge however, I managed to put Ken on the wrong route to the house we were going to.  I won't say that we were sad though.  We landed in a little town called Victoria By The Sea.  It is so incredibly beautiful and charming!

How lonely that house looks sitting all by itself against the skyline….but so beautiful!
I loved this town enough that we spent another day visiting this spot and I will share the special treat we found in another post during the week.

Finally we made our way to the place we would call home for a week. How pretty is this view?

Once in the house, Ken was thrilled!  There is nothing he likes more than an older home that still has,what I tease him with…Granny features.  Older furniture, old wallpaper and original fixtures. Ken is always saying he was born in the wrong decade..LOL
He was in his glory all week long!

Once we were unpacked and settled in, we sat outside to enjoy the view and a beautiful sunset that was about to happen.
We knew then it was going to be a very good week!

 

 

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.
In the beginning, all things are hopeful.  We prepare ourselves to start anew.  Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment; our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.
 Deng Ming~Dao

Hello friends!