Birds on the Collar

We hadn't heard a warning siren since around the third week of July, but at 1:15 a.m. this morning it went off.  For some reason, the gov't changed the way it sounds without warning anyone and I swear it was more ominous than anything happening around us.  I read comments under the post of a news outlet here and seems everyone was saying the same thing.  Of course, my husband wouldn't know because he slept through it. 

In May I posted about an old striped shirt I was adding cross-stitch to ... 

I started with the pocket ... and since then, have added two small birds to the collar.

There's no pocket on the right side of the shirt so I might add a bigger motif there but that's still to be determined.

(Both motifs are from the digital library of Palestinian embroidery found at tirazain.com.)

A Bookmark and Books Read

 In May when the weather was still somewhat bearable for being outdoors, I sat at the park and stitched a repeating motif called Tiles of Bethlehem (pattern is from the digitial archive of Palestinian embroidery at tirazain.com).

The stitching was complete but it was only last month that I finally turned it into a bookmark by attaching a felt back with blanket stitching.

July was not a good month as is reflected in my lack of time and focus for reading.

However, June and August were a different story with 10 books read in both months.

Some are books I've had for years, some were given to me by my friend, Susanna, and some were free e-books.

In the past 8 months, I've read a total of 48 books which is pretty good, I think.

Do you like to read?

Farewell August and Hello Again

 It's been more than two months since my last post.  A lot was happening all about the same time which caused a lot of stress and grief for awhile, but now that things are somewhat calmer, I feel like I can breathe again.

It's been about a month and a half since my last real walk outdoors.  Summers are harsh and whether I walk in the morning or evening, the temperature is still over 100 F.

However, I decided it was time to at least start with a 15 minute walk, so that's what I did Saturday evening; and after making the choice to walk yesterday morning and winding up with a terrible headache the rest of the day, realized a quick evening walk is about the best I can do right now. 

Some people walk at the malls during the summer, but I'm not a fan of malls for shopping, so the idea of driving there for walking doesn't much entice me.

August is the month of mugginess which adds another layer of discomfort, but who am I to complain when there's been drought, wildfires, heat waves and flash flooding in so many places.

Not to mention all the man-made chaos and destruction.

Sometimes it's hard to make sense of it all.

I hope this finds you doing well.

More Scrappy Grannies

 The morning of our May 23rd craft meeting, I sent a message to the group asking if anyone had bits of scrap yarn they could bring so that I could continue adding to this very scrappy giant granny blanket.

One member did bring what she quickly gathered on her way out the door.

Of course, once I was home, Rosie had to inspect and provide her paw of approval.  :)

As you can see, the blanket has definitely grown by many rounds.

More blankets I'm working on that start out scrappy and then are added to with new matching yarn.

When they're still small, I can carry them with me for some car crochet.

Round and round and round ... calm, cozy comfort.

Sunday blessings.

In Order to Hear the Birds

 In order for me to write poetry that isn't political, I must listen to the birds, and in order to hear the birds, the warplanes must be silent.

(Marwan Makhoul)

Yesterday with the above poem in mind, I stitched two different colorways of two tatreez patterns that are documented and preserved in the digital library of tirazain.com -- the top motif is al sarookh (the missile) from Ramallah and the bottom motif is toyoor (birds) that is stitched in all areas of Palestine  

I headed to the park for a photo session after getting an iced coconut oatmilk latte (that came with free stickers) and a slice of banana loaf.

It makes me so happy to see and hear so many birds at the park.

Hope your day is filled with soothing sights and sounds.

Happy Saturday.

Mid(ish) Month Update

My craft group has not met officially since early February but seven of us who are core group members started a chat group so we could plan to meet when we're able.  Fortunately, we've managed to do just that several times over the past couple of months.

On the first of June, the airport reopened to international carriers but our morning started with three warning sirens in a row at 6:00 a.m.

On June 3rd at 1:00 a.m., there were many warning sirens accompanied by the loud booms of interceptions and we learned later in the day that the airport had been targeted and, therefore, once again, closed (except for 2 local carriers which means limited destinations and high fare prices).

On June 6th at 3:49 a.m., more sirens and some ground shaking booms from interceptions that even scared Rosie who had been sleeping at the foot of our bed.

Thankfully it's been quiet since.

I hope it stays that way but can't say I have a lot of faith in the parties involved.

Whether in community or at home on the couch, I'm still crafting away, trying to maintain my sanity.

Happy Friday!

Have a good weekend.

Peace out.

Last Morning of May

 I petered out on posting every day in May and now it's the last day of the month.

 Took a walk by the sea this morning and then bought a snack and spent a little time at the park.

May began and ends with a full moon.

See you soon, in June.  :)

Speak of Love

Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) was a Lebanese poet and this particular book is his most famous.  It was first published in the U.S. in 1923 and has been translated into 100 languages.