Stinking Roses!

Though I am a Cancer, crabbiness just doesn't stick with me, you know? I mean, I can be a wretched beast when provoked but just crankiness in general is rather unpleasant. So, when the going gets tough, the one who despises misery and discomfort just pulls out her freak flag- slathers a fresh coat of paint on it (and likely some glitter), and flies it high. That's what I did on Saturday instead of going to our local spinner's group's annual meeting. At first I wasn't thrilled about that but that would probably have more to do with the fact that I've been walking around begging my people to leave me alone for an hour or two with the promise that both of my eyes would be looking at them at the same time after that and all would be well. I'm like that - I need at least an hour a week where there is total quiet, I'm all alone, and I can get my thoughts straight. Without it, and I go without it quite often, I am much more prone to attach myself to the crabbiness mentioned with disdain above.

But as you know (and thanks, by the way, for all the kind emails and comments for the kiddos and other sick persons in the family), my dear Thing 1 was wretchedly ill and I wasn't about to leave her side. I am a confessed worry wart but I've gotten much better about it over the last few years. And, hubster is a fine and involved parent so I know he can handle it - but something wholly unique happened this time and I actually savored this flu bug. I know - how sick, you're thinking - like some soap opera mother from hell but that's not at all what I mean. I was fluffing pillows, rubbing feet, applying towels to reduce fever, getting cups of honeyed tea, etc. to the normal grunting and 'leemee alonnnne!' that is typical for a sick and therefore miserable teen who's having to suffer the coddling mom. But, as I pulled away to leave the room, a hand grabbed me and she asked me to stay with her. This isn't so unique - kids like company and a parent around when they're not well. But, there was this voice in my head that said, "this will not last forever" so - I sat. I wasn't sure if the voice meant that she wouldn't be sick forever which I admit I had been so arrogant as to already assume that and gratefully accepted it as advertised fact. Or, did it mean what my gut was telling me? That this wonderful young woman who is growing up so fast will someday be one who takes care of herself and no longer asks me to stay with her so maybe I'd better appreciate the moment for the joy it could present me before I was begging for a phone call a week and flying all over the country every holiday just to get a glance at my own child. We talked. We laughed. I knit. She slept. I know it's weird but, it was nice.

Still, after all that nice and she was snoring away for a long afternoon nap - I decided it was time to reign in all that crazy energy from last week and the spring green merino roving spun itself up into a demented and totally irregular thick and thin. I'm not really the thick and thin type of spinner but I didn't argue. Then, I repeated with some yellow and red roving. A sit at the table with the felting needles, some glitz, and my 80 billionth cup of coffee and some roses were needle felted to the strand. The red rose skein is plied with a tencel silk cobweb and the yellow roses are plied with another strand of green merino. I don't know what came over me, really, but it really was fun to do! They don't really stink - it's a family joke. Years ago, one day when I was sooooo angry with hubster, he brought home some roses. Everyone still laughs at what I said to him that day - something like ' you act like a perfect donkey and then think you can fix it all by bringing me these stinking roses?'. What can I say? I must have been embracing crabbiness that day. I'm so glad that my every word can be preserved in the form of six ears that listen to everything I say and will readily reproduce it with little provocation at all. I've included a 'normal' skein as proof that this little trip into my stress-induced dementia isn't permanent.

So, all is well, the crabbiness has been replace by a string of roses, and - hey, guess what?

I won, I won, I won - got the books and needles today and I'm still dancing!

There was supposed to be more - some sock stuffs and other news but as we just sent a roll of paper towels and shirts (thanks, Lisa for that awesome 'lambing preparedness' gift you sent) down to the barn as another little ewe has been born - #2 is a mom and was hurriedly moved into the lambing pen that stalling and moaning #10 was moved out of (she's still huffing about it). She promptly got down to business and is now hissing at hubster because she's a wee bit protective so I better get off the computer and go see about her.