Running repairs and viruses

Happy spring equinox. It came on me with a streaming sneezing coughing cold. First illness in years, probably picked up on one of my recent social events, oh well.  Good thing I cooked yesterday, so there's easy food.

And I did get the food prepped yesterday and put away, so that's good. 

Online jigsawing  seems to have reentered my life, thanks, Mitch. I wasn't up to much last night and ended a series of vegetable and fruit puzzles with two friendly pigs. 12 pieces..

Gary came dashing over to ask for help with a sweater a cat had worked on. New sweater with snags here and there. 

Here it is all good again after some work with a crochet hook. He tried his hand, but needs better glasses. I also showed him the spool knitting which was new to him, and he tried that, too. He's always up for learning new stuff. He's starting with jigsaw puzzles, too. 

I'll miss him!

Today's probably about resting. Fluids, etc. 

Happy day everyone, mask up. I should have. Oh well.

The rest of the story, Tuesday knitters, Textiles and Tea

Tuesday morning, half awake, I stepped into the downstairs bathroom and found I was standing in water.  Sooooo, put down a bunch of absorbent stuff, shut off the whole house water, filling the kettle first, quick learner, and called the plumber.

While I waited for him, I kept (fairly) calm by finishing the stitching on my mermaid potholder and put it with its friends

Then the plumber arrived

nice guy, Greg, with a bucket of tools,  changed out the valve, installed an extender so it's easier to operate, switched out the pipe from valve to tank, tested for leaks

declared it fixed,  turned the water on,  charged me a bundle and went away.

He really knows his stuff and has diagnosed and fixed a few mystery ailments of the house, so though he's expensive, sometimes I need him. 

Cheerful guy, well, at that hourly rate I'd be cheerful too, mustn't be bitter, but what with  fireplaces and bathrooms,  property ownership has been expensive recently.

Then the Tuesday knitters were a lot of fun, one doing Tunisian crochet and lace knitting, two knitting lace,  D, seen here wearing her work,one beginning crocheter, one cordage basketeer, me.

This is a more focused group than the Friday one, into patterns and techniques and what yarns and why, and there's a lot of learning to be had. 

And home to Textiles and Tea with

a cheerful weaver and teacher.  She had a career teaching special education and now, in retirement, is a weaver and teacher of weaving.  

Aside from her specialized teaching of krokbragd and bound weave, two weft facing weaving patterns, online and in person,  she also teaches weaving in-person to special needs adults who can sell their output in a shop on her premises.

She loves color, as you see, and one of a kind work.

A couple of reference books for people interested

And a student setting up her weaving

 

She's a truly good soul.

The last day or two have been mixed, though Handsome Son took care, this morning, of the township building inspection of his fireplace seal, passed, no problem. Just as well because that was happening while I was whipping about commanding the waves to desist in the bathroom.

Anyway, Tiny Buddha came through

There was also food. I don't know if this supper has a name. 

Assembled 

Cooked 

It's cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, spinach, blue cheese  crumbles sprinkled on, two eggs broken over, 490°f half an hour. Served with toast. And very cheering after a busy day.

Happy day, everyone, all's well. I completely missed the spring equinox, because it seemed to be a day early. Knitting friend explained its because of the leap year. Oh.

The mind's eye, aphantasia, Buddhism, soda bread and Spring

It seems as if yesterday's weights post was a minor public service, if people are encouraged to do resistance strength training. Today the Freecycled small weights are already outside awaiting pickup, so there's another person onto it. And I continue with my own practice, always working to do the moves slowly, since I tend to rush. My besetting sin in many contexts.

Moving from body to the spirit, I've been reading Pema Chodron and today there was an oddly related article in Aeon online  magazine..

Written by Mette Leonard Hoeg, it discusses her own aphantasia and relates it to philosophies of life. We talked about aphantasia a while back in here, with that mind's eye test of visualizing, where people ranged from not much to very much, in terms of visualizing an object or visualizing remembering an event.

She makes the interesting point that to her, with no visualization capacity, the Buddhist notion of meditating is rather easy, since she has no images floating in her mind's eye to distract. She also has little attachment to places and objects, so Buddhist detachment comes rather naturally.

This made me wonder to what extent religious following in general is governed by brain function. I also wonder if those of us with a different brain function are being asked to fit into an ill-fitting religious or spiritual framework. Just wondering here. 

I know that I'm not an extroverted working in groups person, and much of religion and spiritual practice insists on group and community activity. Professed religious, monks and nuns,  are powerful in insistence on the value of community.  

I was taught, by professed nuns in the community that housed my high school (!) that hermits and mystics, lone rangers, were weak.  Yet so many of us don't thrive in groups. We learn to cope and manage, but that's not the same as getting the right fit.

Just wondering here, and considering the possibility that our place on the autistic spectrum is significant in spiritual terms. 

Anyway on to other important matters, soup and soda bread. I made celery soup, not one of my more successful, a bit low in flavor, but I also made a lovely loaf of soda bread, crunchy crust and buttery crumb. 

And since spring can't seem to get here, despite the equinox as of early evening, 5.24 EST, Sandra Boynton sums it up

Happy day everyone, in reality rather than theory, and please weigh in on my rambling and somewhat disconnected musing about personality, brain function and spiritual practice! 

Spring equinox, peace dove

Brief visit today, to note the spring equinox, when most of the planet, except the  neighborhood around the equator,  has equal day and night before lurching  on to summer or winter depending. And with that fully explanatory and scientific analysis, here's a picture to rest your brain

And if you have paper plates and fancy a simple bit of appropriate art making, here's a dove of peace for Ukraine

I'm thinking of making one to install in the rear window of my car. 

It's always this way. Brutal men killing while peaceful people make doves and peace cranes after Hiroshima, and wrap the Pentagon in a giant hand made ribbon during the Vietnam war.  I'm a little discouraged today.

But I have my Sock knitting Ministry to attend to, so there's that I guess.

Happy Sunday, best we can do today.