Gratifying

Back down from the mountain, events have not paused to allow me to catch my breath.   Or finish the laundry and properly unpack.  But more on that later.  For now, my preference is to share some of the more mild items of note.

In the shadow of the kitty kat....

I finished the shawl from the handspun Portuguese Merino and I do love it so.  It isn't quite as soft as the original, which Zabeth made from Rambouillet yarn, but it wins prizes for simply being beautiful.  And it was 100% pleasure to spin and knit.  So there you have it - a physical manifestation of happiness.

I actually finished it while on the ferry from Newfoundland to Cape Breton, NS, but couldn't block it until I got back from the Monastery.  Delayed gratification - this term has been all over my life these days.

Meanwhile, some might return from two weeks at a monastery with enlightenment experiences, I returned with two huge bags of marigolds.  Not the worst deal, if you ask me.  It helps to have friends in high places, in this instance, the head gardener.  He was so excited at the idea that his beautiful and gigantic marigolds would continue to offer themselves up after their blooms had begun to fade that he picked pounds and pounds of them.  I will use them to make dye for wool, in case you were wondering.  And, in case you were wondering, that's a whole lotta dye right there.