Knitspin, catalogs and streaming

First, thank you everyone for being sensitive to my blog post yesterday, and refraining from asking for more information. That's much appreciated. 

When people ask well, what happened, it forces you to relive experiences you'd rather deal with yourself, and move on from. 

And when people say, but you've said such admiring things about your sibs and parents, how come? It's simple: what I've said about their taients is quite true, and separate from their attitudes to me. It's not about me.  It's about their gifts, and they were substantial.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the one brother I really felt close to, who died in WW2, when I was six. When Harry talks about not really believing his mother was dead, but she'd sudden reappear, for years, I did exactly that. 

I was twelve before I realized that "lost at sea" meant dead. I believed Kevin would be found, on a desert island or something. Nobody ever told me he was gone.  My mother would run from the room crying when I asked about him. Everyone else would turn their head and change the subject. Years later one of my sisters claimed they didn't have to tell me because I knew. 

I vowed that when I grew up I wouldn't be that kind of coward. In fact there were quite a few things I decided as I got older, one being I would never exclude anyone, even if I didn't like them, or if they were a bit weird, like me. I couldn't bear to do that, knowing the pain of exclusion in my own family. 

I wasn't a saintly kid, just determined to do better.  No idea how well, or if,  I succeeded, but I did give it a shot.

Moving along, I'm alternately knitting and spinning, and I think I've solved the conundrum of how to spin and knit when I want to do both at once. Just spin enough to knit on with, then spin again.

See that stub of fluff sticking up? That's the end of the spun supply. Need to spin again.

I think I'll continue this idea with the next pair of gloves. I have enough white for two strands then I'll spin some bright color for the third. Done! After that I'll send three pairs off to good hands waiting for them. 

This changing of activity is much better physically than staying with one set of actions, too, an unexpected bonus.

Meanwhile, going in the background, I'm following this stream on that free streaming service I told you about

It's a guilty pleasure, terrible scripts, corny stage business, good actors doing their best with the material. 

But the production values are excellent, high budget sets and locations, marvelous interiors and cars, pretty good costuming. So overall, and since it's not a subscription service, fine.

The pig actors are very good, too, one playing Empress of Blandings, one Pride of Matchingham.  

And it's the season of catalogs, winter clearance and spring new stuff, looks like the old stuff. Models laughing hysterically over something, wonder what.

 I rarely buy from catalogs, well, I rarely buy, period. But I look out for things I might spot at the thriftie or on Freecycle.

I may have to make a thriftie run soon, because my latest Freecycle offering has fallen through twice, the second a lady who hadn't realized where I live, after arranging pickup. 

She wrote saying she's very pregnant and, with two little kids, she'd never be able to make a half hour drive. I saw her point and wished her well with her delivery, the other kind. I really appreciate people who write to explain rather than just fail to show.

Onward, everyone! Let's remember most people can handle a lot if you tell them what's up.  

And thanks again for your gentleness and kindness yesterday.