Just Something I've Noticed

January 02, 2009

In the years past that I have been here and this year again I have noticed something very interesting. Very often I will see older kids walking somewhere holding their younger brother or sister's hand, or I will see a teenager walking arm in arm with who appears to be the grandma or grandpa and of course grandma's and grandpa's with their grand kids. It seems the different ages mix and mingle more here than at home. I see them together in the markets, see them walking on the street, sitting together on the front step of their homes or on park benches. Maybe I just don't see it at home because we are in cars, and in out homes, our lives are not exposed as much because we have walls and windows with curtains and blinds and we don't just sit on our front step for no reason, greeting people as they walk by. This could be the reason I don't see it, but I don't think so, I think our generations don't mix as much and I think we plan this. As soon as kids are old enough to talk, listen and understand they are quite often shooed out of the room when adults are getting together....they are sent to the basement (I'm convinced this is why people like to have basements). Lots of times when adults are engaged in an activity like planning cards or playing a game a separeate activity is arrangeed for the children. I recently read a book called "To little to ignore" and the author, who's name I have forgotten talks about this very same thing. We have resorted to educating our children only by teaching, not by example. Knowledge no longer gets passed down generation to generation but by a book or by a certain class yo took.We even send them to a separate Sunday School (in the basement) we set up kids programs and events and then we expect other people to volunteer (most of the times) to run all these programs. Why do we have to have a kids cooking class at our community center? Why can't the children hang out in grandma's kitchen? Teenagers take babysitting courses because they did not have to look after their siblings or younger cousins. Here they all sleep in the same bed, nothing is separate. From baby to grandma, all in one little house, elbow to elbow eating together at a little plastic table. No privacy ever, which must bring families closer. It seems to me that the Mexican people have more respect for the little kids and for the elderly, they seem to be esteemed higher than everyone else. I've also noticed that people here are very proud to introduce me to their mother or father, they make a point of making sure I know who is their mother or father is, not kids so much but older people who's parents are elderly....interesting. Maybe we should mix it up a little more at home, I know I'll try when I get home. I always plan on making changes when I get home and at first I do but in a very short time I am once again caught up in my very Canadian way of life. Like how I get used to the price of food. Getting off the plane I am shocked at the price of a cup of coffee and decide I am never again paying that but it does not take long and I don't even think of it anymore. It's very surprising how fast a person can go from shock to not even noticing. We become apathetic to things so easily....that is a whole other story.

What will the New Year bring?

I usually don’t make New Years resolutions, in my younger days I used to but never did seem to stick to them. I did however quit smoking on a New years resolution quite a few years ago but that is about the only resolution that stuck long enough to make any difference in my life. I do like to make a new “plan” at the beginning of the year which I guess could be called a resolution, call it what ever you want....here is my new plan;

A while back a friend brought to my attention a devotional by Oswald Chambers, in it he answers my all time question, one that I have been pondering over and over for many years. “What is God’s purpose for my life?”  I won’t go through the whole thing but to sum it up in one sentence “His purpose for me is that I depend on Him and on His power now”. That’s it, abide in Christ every minute of the day and rely on Him and trust in His power every minute. That’s my plan. I have read many books on the subject of finding your purpose they have titles like these, “The purpose driven life” “a walk with purpose” “the  cure for the common life” “Prayer for purpose” “conversation with purpose” “what color is your parachute?” “What color is your kite, what makes you fly?” and many others, all good reads but I must have missed the point somewhere because I didn’t feel like they answered my question because I had it all wrong. I followed through on workbooks, filled out spread sheets, worked with graphs and pie charts...ect.  I thought my purpose in life was going to be something physical not Spiritual, like go teach English in the back allys of Mexico, go feed the hungry and the poor on the streets in Calcutta, sew clothes for the naked kids in Africa and so on. All God wants from me is to abide in Him continually everyday...every minute. Easy?  No. It’s not something that you put on your to do list and a week later you check it off..Done. Nope, it is to take me all my life, it will be on my to do list everyday until I die. It is to be my life.

I do also have another plan that I will be able to check off my to do list daily ( I hope....because I love checking things off my list) I plan on taking my eating habits here in Mexico home with me.  I plan on eating real food when I get home, not packaged or boxed food. I already don’t eat a lot of packaged or boxed food. I can’t remember the last time I bought anything in a can (except Pepsi of course) but I do occasionally buy and eat things I should not. I plan on growing my own produce in my newly built raised garden beds and my greenhouse, what I don’t consume in the summer months I plan on freezing and preserving for the winter. I am hoping my crop will be bountiful enough to share with friends and neighbours, maybe this will be the way to get to know my neighbours better, maybe my garden will inspire them to have gardens as well. Unless of course my garden turns out to be a dud.  This plan will take care of my physical being while the first one will take care of the spiritual which I think makes it a well rounded plan. I was going to add some project plans like knit a certain amount or finish some paintings or quilt so many quilts or save so much money but I think that would just add stress and disappointment so I will chalk those thing up as being little surprise bonuses when they happen. They are after all not necessities and therefore should not consume me.

What happened on the Island on New Years Eve? Not a thing. If something happened I missed it, I was in bed at 10 pm. The only reason I even stayed up that late was to finish one of the lace gauntlets. Ever try taking a picture of your arm? It isn't easy. Now I seem to have picked up "single glove syndrome" It is very common among knitters, or so I hear. When you finish a glove or sock it feels like such an accomplishment and it looks finished that you feel finished, but you are not, you are only half finished. I read stories of how it can take weeks, months even years to finish the second glove or sock. I do hope that doesn't happen to me but I really do feel very smug that I have finished my first glove.....I am even wearing it now and it's doesn't even bother me that I am only wearing one, because it is so pretty and feels so elegant and ......it looks finished. I am also finished beading the top of one sock, I finished it a few days ago....it looks finished too....for now. 

Shopping? Or Adventure?

December 30, 2009

Today was supposed to be my shopping day. A friend of mine is up from Canada and we had agreed to meet today to do some shopping, I thought this has been her idea but she says it was mine...either way, it was an unsuccessful shopping trip, and now both of us don’t know who to blame. It mainly sucked because when it comes to shopping I have the attention span of a 6 week old puppy. I become whiney and cranky very quickly, but this was supposed to be different because we are in Mexico which makes it an adventure and I really needed some stuff....remember, I need some bling after my incident at church on Tuesday. So for a few days already I had been making a list, I wanted some nice blingy shoes and a blingy purse to match and some rhinestones for my toes (I’m serious here) I needed some yummy smelling soap and some shampoo, I needed a few more strings of Christmas lights (since I blew mine up). A lot of people here have Christmas lights up all year; they use them as “lights”. Dah. I also wanted to go to a pharmacy and get muscle relaxants that cost me a gazillion dollars at home and I have to have a doctor’s prescription for....as some of you know I am a bit uptight and have many muscle problems due to that, it’s a problem that I am working on. I already know that I am not a good shopper and I also know that I prefer to shop alone because of that, why subject other people to my issues, but this was to be an adventure. Regardless of what you call it, it was not successful. I did not buy a purse or shoes or lights. Did buy shampoo and soap and got my muscle relaxants, really had to hold back from gobbling them all up after all was said and done, instead I bought a bottle of Kahlua...also a muscle relaxant. I just can’t seem to walk, and keep my eye out for purse or shoe and keep a conversation going with my shopping partner while not getting run over by a bus, be polite and smiley to everyone, talk to the sales clerk that is helping me and keep conversation going with shopping partner, move on to next store, look around and browse, thinking “do I want these or do I want those” and keep conversation going with shopping partner while head is somewhere else.....I can’t do it. I went home......was very happy to get home to my Island where you can’t do any shopping even if you wanted too, you can shop off of Salvador’s vegetable truck....that’s my kind of shopping. However, I do still need/want new shoes and a new purse and I will go in alone and not even tell anyone that I am going...just a precaution. Maybe I can convince Salvador to start selling shoes and purses from his truck. 

I went over to the trailer park to complain/whine/inquire about my very intermittent internet and to borrow an iron from a friend and here’s what’s happening there;

-       - 2 men were peeling the bark off a coconut tree because they each want to take one home, apparently if the bark is not on it you are allowed, why do they want to take it home...no se, probably the same reason I want to take coconut home (which by the way all went mouldy)

-       - One woman just finished reupholstering another women’s RV, complete with curtains and cushions....yes! She has a sewing machine.....there is a sewing machine next door to me.

-       - One man was monitoring a ship out at sea with binoculars, but he got dizzy because his hammock was moving a bit and the ship was moving a bit and the sea was moving a bit.....it was just all too much.

-       A couple of women were monitoring the sunset and measuring how much it moves every night (I thought I was the only one doing this)

-       - About 4 men were working on a tree trying to set up an new modem for out internet

-       - One women took the time to show me how to crochet a trim of little beads onto the edge of a pair of socks (me needs to go to town and buy some beads and socks now)

-       - One woman had bought an old washing machine that has a wringer that works by cranking it and the machine agitates by moving a metal rod that comes out of the machine, you stand there and move the rod. I have a word for this machine in German but don’t have one in English; it’s a Schtook voosh machine. It was for sale somewhere for $8.00 and her husband had the nerve to barter it down to $5.00.

-       - Another man was going to lower his hammock a few inches because he thought it was getting to be too much work to lift his legs that high, he does not want to get over worked.

-      -  One women had gone into the mainland 3 times already this week and all her neighbours are talking about what she could possibly be doing there.....I’m thinking why not just ask her, but speculating seems to be way more fun.

That is all I have to report today, now I need to go and lay in my hammock and wait for the Kalhua to kick in and fantasize about all the pretty socks I will bead.....I don’t even wear socks. 

And so I am still a geek

I quite often refer to myself as a geek because when I get a new idea or even just a thought I can't let go of it right away without a lot of research, dreaming, and fantasying about it. For instance this past summer a friend and I noticed that it is very hard to buy real wool, hand dyed wool in our area...well not just very hard, down right impossible. So, we started talking about buying raw wool and dying it ourself. I spend some time (ok...a lot) into researching hand dyed wool and collected and photographed different things that inspired the different colors we were going to create....mostly weeds, leaves, water and clouds...as you can see in my pictures. The one on top was to be August Fireweed and the one below September Fireweed and then Morning pond, of course these would have to be variegated wool. All along, knowing full well this was just all talk and wasn't going to happen, but my geekness wouldn't leave it alone. We did do a lot of talking about it. Well my geekness has followed me to Mexico. About a week before I left home I went into a fabric store and saw some beautiful, beautiful quilting fabric, I loooooove quilting fabric, I like to touch it, hold it, pet it and buy it  and store it nicely folded in my drawers. I have quilted with it in the past but not recently. I had no need to buy more at that time, I was leaving for Mexico and would not have time to quilt anything....but ohh, it was all so beautiful. You would think in almost 2 months time I would have "let go", but no. I have been online looking at quilting patterns, and more patterns and more patterns, because I seem to think that as soon as I get off the plane when I get home I will start quilting so quickly that I must have the pattern in my hand at that time. So I have found the pattern that I want to use and so you would think that that would be the end....not for a geek. I have also found the cutest pattern for a summer top that would work for one of the fabrics that I saw (yes I can still see them,,,all) Bear in mind here that it has been a long time since I have sewn clothes and I have actually never sewn anything start to finish that was wearable without some involvement from my mother, but yet here I am sitting under a palapa in front of the beach surfing (hah ha hah) for blouse patterns

for days on end...yup for days I say. And the picture on the right was one of the many winners, isn't it cute. I believe I can make this without my mother's help. The tutorial for this little blouse can be found here: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=791 although the one in the picture has some modifications, which I would make as well. So I have spent quite some time  imaging this in a few different fabrics and colors...as any geek would. I'm imaging it in many fun summer prints and colors and in a classy white and black or in the modern chic brown and pink and of course my all time favorite..... in all shades of green. This little top can go from a picnic to a wedding with a simple change of fabric......one would need to buy many many fabrics. Now.......If I get home and you all are already wearing one of these I will be so miffed, actually more like jealous, so if you decide to make one (I know you are all just dying to have one) please e-mail me pictures because that would soften the jealousy blow...I think. I think I am pretty safe because right now it's - 30C or something like that and just not summer top wearing weather, but some of you might want to get organized and get ready for summer early. In my days and days of research I did also stumble across another little ditty.

It is the Baktus scarf, and once again can be changed up just by changing the wool and from doing it in a knit stitch like the orange one or in a stockinette stitch like the lighter colored one. Oh the possiblilities are endless. Of course, I had just cast on for some long lacy gloves....yes I need long lacy gloves for those late night boat rides across from the mainland...it's a windy 6 minute ride, a lady needs some lacy gauntlets. Below is the web address for the free pattern for the Baktus scarf.
 http://theknittingblogbymrpuffythedog.blogspot.com/2009/07/add-color-to-your-summer-knit-baktus.html

Here is a picture of the gauntlets I am making, mine are black in a Alpaca/silk blend. I am hoping because the Alpaca packs some warmth that these will be warm even though they are lacy. The book by the way is beautiful with wonderful patterns that are easy to follow...mine you I have only made one pair of mittlets out of it so far (mittens without fingers). Any monkey can make those.