Stereotypes

Today I've been thinking about stereotypes.  You know, those great movie characters, such as the red herring, the first to get killed in a horror movie.  They're wonderful as narrative elements.  What they are not wonderful for is us.

This is lama fiber.  Alpaca or llama.  It's also Suri, which is silky.  Sheep people refuse to call it wool quite often.  I think it's llama wool.  Regardless of label, it's gorgeous and extremely soft.

Real people, like real life, are complicated.  We aren't just homebodies, or avid travelers.  Well, I guess there are some who fit, but not many.  Most of us are complex.  I think that's what makes a good actress, ore actor, the ability to be one of those things, or a small combination for a while.  To pretend to be some small part of yourself, or some part of someone else.  I mean really, is Anthony Hopkins really a murderer?  I sure hope not!  Is Norman Reedus really a bit of a hillbilly who was beat up by his dad?  No.  I hear he prefers to live in the city (New York I believe).

This is lama fiber combed out.  You can't feel how soft it is, but it's heavenly!

So, how does this relate to the average person?  My readers?  Well, each of us has different sides of us.  Sometimes it's hard to acknowledge those sides.  Did you know I grew up without a computer?  Horror of horrors!!  But I had my own pony!  For me, the pony was far more important.  It helped to shape my life from childhood to adulthood and on to parenthood.  It influenced my relationships and views on life.  Sorry, Norman Reedus, not a great match for you, but maybe for Daryl Dixon, lol.  I LOVE living in the country.  I can do my own plumbing, fencing and build out buildings.  But in all that survivalist reality, lurks someone who loves a beautiful horse and hand making sweaters.  I think you are dual in nature, too, or you wouldn't be reading my blog.

Be beautiful and rugged as the mood takes you.  Strip cabinets and refinish them, but also put those final touches on your artwork.  And above all, recognize that in others!  Don't pigeonhole people.  Let them be all they want to be.  Most especially if they are your children!

What are you going to be when you grow up?

I am amazed at how deeply we are affected by modern media.  Way before my time - I know you'll find this hard to believe - women used to wear swim suits that covered pretty much everything.  Now the question is which you find hard to believe.  Way before my time?  Or the bathing suits?

Yes, I have a tat on my ankle.

Anyway, it's true.  In every era there are the same issues floating around.  How we feel about them is definitely influenced by T.V., movies and social media.  I'd add news papers, but I don't read them.  Great coupons, though!  You can save a bundle.

Appalled by how much time I was sitting in front of the T.V., I choose to disconnect the satellite.  Over $100/ month for the same old thing over and over.  What I was watching isn't really relevant, maybe what I wasn't watching is?  I'm not sure.  Dexter was cancelled and that was it for me.  I named a horse Darkly Dexter.  He's a great horse!!!  A gentle giant who wouldn't hurt a fly.

Darkly Dexter a a baby.

Anyway, what we allow into our lives does affect us.  Undeniably.  The people, attitudes, news, shows, books ... The list goes on.  What you let into your mind affects your outlook on life.

Take me for instance.  I started watching The Walking Dead about six months ago.  I'm up to season six now.  Thank you to everyone who watched all along!  Without you I would never have become hooked on it.

So how has it influenced me? Life is precious, but only if you live life to the fullest.  If you hate your job and life, then find a different life and job.  Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.  Ok, so I'm still working on that one.  Hmm, maybe if Walking Dead had an episode with horses and llamas?  Spinning yarn and turning it into clothing?  Yeah, like that's gonna happen!

I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it!  No, I'm not in my teens, lol.  Far from them!  But I think you can reinvent yourself as you go.  Once upon a time it was called a mid life crisis.  Now it's about finding yourself.  Who are you?  Who do you want to be?

Maybe you can be like me and have a great day job, but a bunch of side interests, too.  I don't understand people who have no hobbies.  Maybe that's because I have too many.  Should I make a list?  Ok, but I warn you it's a long one.

Reading
Writing
Horseback riding, short or long rides!
Training horses
Teaching people to ride
Raising horses
Llamas because they have attitude
Spinning yarn
Knitting
Crochet
Weaving
Dying yarn
Creating stories in my mind
Playing with my daughter
Ok, anything with my daughter!
Gardening
Plumbing
Electric work - simple stuff.
Building things
Riding horses while pretending things - remember playing cowboys and Indians?
T.V.
Movies
Talking to people
Blogging

I think I missed something.  No, I'm sure I missed something.  That's ok.  I'll remember later.  What interests do you have?  How have you been influenced by those around you?  Stop, think and reinvent yourself.  It's fun!

Time

A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer.  Lots of people get cancer, that's not what makes him special.  His cancer is aggressive.  A year ago he did not have it.  Now he has just a few months to live.  What makes my friend special is his attitude.  I have never seen anyone with such a positive outlook.  He's quite sure that he's in God's hands and that whatever happens is God's will for him.  He's on his second round of Chemo.  The first didn't work.

So, why is he in my Blog?  Because he has made the most of the time he has left.  He has mended fences and grown closer to his kids and (ex) wife.  He is planning for the future - the next few months.  He has not given up and never will, IMO.  I was shocked at the level of "taking care of business" that he has tackled.  Things like house, car, life insurance, etc.  Making sure his affairs are in order to the tiniest detail.  I'm quite sure that's a hard thing to do.  You might think doing those things makes for some grim, dark days, but no, he's quite upbeat about it all.  Amazing!!

My suggestion to you is that you remember this man in your darkest hours.  Remember how positive his outlook has remained.  Remember to express yourself to your loved ones.  They probably know you love them, but do they know how much?

Finally, make something for them.  Nothing says I love you like a homemade gift.  It can be cookies, candy, a homemade dinner, a scarf, a hat, house slippers, a scrapbook page with pictures of you together, anything.  Show them you care enough to spend time on and with them.  Time is what my friend doesn't have, but he's found time to show his family how much he really cares.  You probably have more time than he does.  How are you spending it?

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
'Til eternity passes away
 Just to spend them with you

Making the most of what we have.

Sometimes you can bite off more than you can chew.  You know the feeling.  Oh, sure!  No problem.  I can wash 10 cars in one day, by myself.  Not!  We all have to know our limitations.  But we also need to know how to make the most of what we can do.

Isn't this a lovely fall picture!?

So, if my goal is to offer 5 different yarns in 10 color ways, I'm going to have a hard time keeping stock in ALL of them.  So, I offer to custom dye the yarn bases.  These can be in my colorways, or I can make one up for you.  See?  I went from keeping close to 100 skeins dyed at any one time to keeping maybe a dozen at a time.  Of course, there is a down side to that.  I don't have a good excuse to "use up" all that extra yarn on my projects.  <sigh>  Oh!!  I know!  I can "make Christmas presents".  OK, so a couple of them might be a present for me.  That's OK, too.  Sometimes we have to do something for ourselves.  You matter, too!  Don't ever forget that.

As for Christmas presents, maybe I'll wait and see which relatives drools over which color.  That's a pretty good sign that it would be a great match and very much appreciated.  The greatest gift we can give another person is to care enough to notice the little things.  What foods do they like, colors, temperature in the car, it's all part of the jigsaw puzzle that makes up each person.

Until next time - pamper yourself a little and do something nice for someone else, too.

Being where you need to be right now.

Pour a cup of tea and pull up a chair.  I'm not too long winded this time, so enjoy.

A cute crocheted "thing".

Sometimes we think we know what we need, but then we are shown what we really need. 

I think it's hard to know what we really need until we try a few things and maybe fail a lot.  Or you could be one of those people that succeed at everything.  I don't think this is for people like that, but please feel free to read on.

My daughter on her small pony.  Breezie was great and is now with another family, being adored!

Sometimes you need one thing now, but you outgrow it.  I wouldn't want my daughter to try and ride her small pony when she is ready for a large horse, but when she was only 5, she didn't have the strength to control my big horses.

Drop spindles are a great start into spinning - low tech and low cost.

So, maybe now you need to be in the moment of learning knitting, then later on you might want to learn spinning.  But regardless of where you are at, you need to be focused on where you are now.  Sound simple?  Yeah, but I am always looking ahead to the next thing.  I need to ride the young horse, so he learns how to be ridden.  But I want to be galloping him down the trail at the lake, whooping and hollering like a wild thing.  Needless to say, he's not quite ready for that.  Sometimes you have to be where your companion can join you.

This is the spinning wheel I chose.  A huge step up from a spindle, but not nearly as portable.

Once a year, I go to my daughter's school and demonstrate how to make yarn.  Kids like hands on, so I take lots of different fibers and some ready made yarn.  If I have a rabbit, I take that too!  What fun!  It's a blast for me and them.  I get thank you's from boys and girls for the rest of the school year, even from kids who have seen it 2-3 times!

Once you have learned something, it often helps to teach it to someone else to help you to the next level.  It's amazing how much you learn about yourself by answering the question of "what's different about these two?" The enthusiasm of youth can be infectious if you go with it.  Let your joy fill them and their joy fill you.  Who needs drugs when you can get high on each other!?

Being present in the moment

In Mid-September 2015, we were at an endurance ride.  That's a sport where people pay for the honor of riding up to 100 miles in one day, on horseback.  It's a blast!  And the people involved are incredible.  Of course, I have to admit that I'm riding at the "baby" level, 25 miles.  My wording on that, BTW.

This is my stallion, right before he became a gelding.  My daughter, Lisa is leading him.  I ride him in Limited Distance rides.

But that's not really what I'm writing about.  I always pack everything but the kitchen sink.  So, I took knitting and spinning things with me, along with my kindle, phone, laptop, DVD's, refrigerator, microwave ...  You get the picture.  Good thing I have a back seat in the truck and a large dressing room in the trailer.

Hand dyed fingering weight silk.

So there I am with my knitting.  And I even pull it out to work on it while I'm waiting for riders to come in to the vet check.  What was I thinking!?  I think I knitted one or two rounds all weekend.  I came to the conclusion that I needed to live that weekend in the now.  And that's what I did.  I learned a lot.  That's what happens when you are present in the now.

Hand dyed worsted weight wool.

Be present now!  And always be willing to learn, most especially when you think you have nothing to learn.  There's always something to learn.

My stallion before we started riding long distances.  Being overweight is no healthier for a horse than a human.

Fill your days with joy, stay open to ideas and learn something new every day.

I'm learning how to spin on a spinning wheel, how to design my own socks, dying yarn better and better, being a better parent, day by day.  What are you learning?  Remember, learning isn't about having a college class to learn in.  It's about absorbing your experiences, acknowledging both the good and "improvable" (lets not use the "b" word) and finally applying what you've learned.  Then the cycle starts all over again.

Hand dyed worsted weight wool.

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