This isn't winter. I wonder when or if it will begin; if it does, how bad will it be. When it does, how long will it last; when will spring begin.What the hell is going on?
I remember walking our mile round trip on the old road, and mom saying "This certainly has been an open winter. Not good for the trees." In my very early fifties at the time, I needed "open winter" explained to me. A warm weather winter, with minimal or no snow fall. She knew of such winters from her farming stock relatives and ancestors. Open winters in her lifetime, 1918 to 1997, were rare, and happened in her later years.
Weather is on so many minds. The burning in Australia is unspeakable to us discussing it at Monday cards in northeastern Ohio; unbearable to a resident of Australia. We did agree how fortunate we are to live in this heavily wooded section of the state, instead of the burning in our west, or in Australia.
I've been busy this week, and not all weaving or sewing. My neighbor Cathy got a flu shot last fall, and is a sick as she has been the last three or four years. The first fall and winter I lived here, Laura and I used to carry a plate of dinner to her house, she was that sick. I took her to Emergency last night, and she has an appointment with her primary tomorrow, to get to the bottom of this.
And back in the studio, I got the cerise towels hemmed and on the shelf. My biggest problem was remembering where I had stored the sewing machine needles when I moved. I have added the cerise remnant to the dark stack, on the Good Ideas page. Here are the cerise towels.
On the loom, peacock towels. I may be hemming them by next weekend.
Driving into Peninsula early this morning, I passed a turquoise car. Interesting. Driving to cards in the afternoon, I came out of my park behind...wait for it...an Alpha Romeo. I followed it all the way to town. And coming home, the waxing moon in a turquoise sky.
Winter has changed to be sure. We have not had a really cold day yet and the snow melts a day after it falls. The climate is changing the world over. And not for the best.
ReplyDeleteWinter here has been nothing but rain.
ReplyDeleteWe have warm weather winters all the time, but to us they feel cold.
ReplyDeleteI hope your friend Cathy finds what's wrong. Is it possible she has an allergy to an ingredient in the flu vaccine? I've heard of people in Australia who can't be vaccinated because of allergy.
The peacock towels look gorgeous.
So do I, hope she gets on top of health. It's not my place to tell you what she's been through, except 'hell' might cover it. And now this unstoppable cough, congestion, no breath. Never smoked, never did drugs, young, in her fifties, like a daughter's age.
DeleteIt looks like a warmer winter than usual for us here too. Even if it gets colder, you'd have to think that with a month already gone, it will seem shorter. Mind you, we are snow-covered.
ReplyDeleteI hope your neighbour Cathy feels better soon. We've been having a very mild winter here but starting tomorrow, we're going into the deep freeze. The temperatures will steadily drop until we're -30 by next week. Will have to plug in my car.
ReplyDeleteI heard we were supposed to have a warmer than usual winter but we've had frost the past few mornings (but warmed up to 72 degrees today). I like the cerise towels! Hoping Cathy makes a full complete recovery soon!
ReplyDeletebetty
It has been a strange winter. I ddon't know what to expect from one day to the next and the weatherman is no help at all.
ReplyDeleteWe are having pretty much the same kind of winter here. But hey...lots of time yet.
ReplyDeleteShort sleeves here in North Texas. Friends were telling how wrong it is to have the windows open with the Christmas tree!! My knitting group laments. Already there were few opportunities to wear knitted items. This year, so far maybe two days with coats? Yards look like Springtime. Not good at all. I love the cerise and the peacock.
ReplyDeleteThe weather is indeed changing. And making my heart ache.
ReplyDeleteLove your beautiful towels though. I am not even sure whether I prefer the cerise or the peacock.
I do hope that Cathy's doctors find answers.
Toby is loving the sun puddles! Thank you for telling me about "open winter". I have never heard it called that but we certainly have had a few on and off in the past ten years. One winter we will have all out blizzards and the next it will be like Fall all winter long.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you could help your friend Cathy. I hope she gets better soon. My husband and I have been sick with a bad cold since before Christmas and just can't shake it. There are some bad bugs going around this year.
I love seeing the progress of your weaving! You do beautiful work!
May you and Toby have more sun puddles this week!
I've never seen any real snow, here's some rain and winds and we're complaining about a harsh winter.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a number of Alpha Romeo drivers in the UK. It's best to keep well away from them.
ReplyDeleteI had to creep up almost to the bumper to make out the logo. I didn't recognize it, but then I made out the A and R, and looked it up when I got home. It was a honkin' big car, an SUV, crossover type.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteWe had craze record 'high' temps for December and today it is again very mild. We have had cooler summers!!! Extreme winds today though - bringing rain. If only we could send it down under. Working with all those bright colours is sure to be like a meditation and mood lifter though!!! YAM xx
You sound well and truly settled Joanne and getting around and doing things so Happy 2020.
ReplyDeleteThe colors you have for your towels are exquisite! I hope your friend Cathy regains her health. It sounds terrible to be so ill.
ReplyDeleteWe used to get hard freezes here every year in North Florida. I can't remember the last one we had though. I guess change is the new normal. And your mother was right- it's not good for the trees.
ReplyDeleteI hope that Cathy recovers soon. I wonder what's going on?
Your towels are, as always, so pretty.
Yes, your towels are beautiful. And now that you have introduced me to a new color word---cerise--I am going to look it up in my dictionary. BTW, how much of the sky do you think the moon can wax? What brand of wax does it use?
ReplyDeleteThe cerise towels are stunning. I love that color. Your life seems beautiful to me.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted an Alfa Romero when I was a 20-something. I remember going to a Cleveland car show and sitting in one. Then I realized that it would probably be forever out of my price range. It's still my dream car. Our winter has been, so far, a roller coaster. Raining and in the 40s, two days later, in the teens and snow. How does one adjust? I still have my rain slicker, light jacket and down barn coat all out and hanging by the back door.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting everyone's snow, Joanne. It just isn't stopping. I dread going out to my car. The roads and parking lot are ploughed but the car scraping has to be done maybe later if the snow stops. About 40CM now and still coming down. With more forecast. The weather is nuts everywhere but so very very grateful that we're not in OZ where it is so frightening and horrendous and I can't bear thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
That flus has been devastating to children who didn’t have a flu shot. Hope your friend recovers quickly!
ReplyDeleteI love turquoise, too.
ReplyDeletethose colors are luscious. our winter has been fairly mild too even though we did have a freeze deep enough to wipe out the foliage on certain things. we had a spate of warm winters, warm enough that the plumeria I planted in the ground because it was too big to bring in grew to 10' high and broad and bloomed profusely. that all came to an end the year it snowed in December and was followed by several weeks of lows in the 20s and highs not much more than that. I've lost track of the year, maybe 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteSunshine and moonshine in the same post. Yes I think many of us start wondering if nature has some big nasty surprise for us when the season is mild. Never hear of "open winter". Hey I ran across an unusual (for me) machine. I thought you might be interested. here's the link https://www.instructables.com/id/Socks-the-Old-Way-on-a-CSM/
ReplyDeleteI had a couple of those. Very fussy little machines. They required complete attention to avoid dropped stitches, which are extremely difficult to pick up and repair. Socks the really old way, on three knitting needles are extremely easy. The knitter doesn't even need to watch the work; the fingers know. Even blind people knit and in WWII knitted vast numbers of socks for soldiers. And balaclavas and sweaters.
DeleteI saw a maps today of the fires in Australia. They then superimposed the US on it and if those fires were burning here, so much of our country would be involved. What makes it worse, many of the fires were started deliberately. Man can be so evil.
ReplyDeleteYour towels look lovely.
I didn't know that arson was the cause of the fires!
ReplyDeleteMy siblings in the midwest have temps in the low 50s. It is like waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I love this: And coming home, the waxing moon in a turquoise sky.
Open winter is a good name for a mild winter.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with the term "open winter" also. We are having more and more of them.
ReplyDeleteDon't cats love the sun? Ours move around the living room furniture according to which piece is getting the rays :)
Hope Cathy feels better soon. It gets scary being so sick and not knowing the underlying cause.
Dear Joanne, the fires in New South Wales, Australia, are truly so immense that I can't get my mind around them. !2.5 million acres burnt--all the animals who died. Sue Goldberg, whose blog I follow, has indicated that some may become so decimated that they may become instinct in the next few years. And the loss of human life and home and habitat. It just boggles the mind how there are still people--among them powerful politicians in Washington--who refuse to acknowledge climate change because of their commitment to the almighty dollar. I shudder to think what we are leaving to the generations behind us. Peace.
ReplyDeleteSadly it is not just New South Wales. Almost every state and territory has been/is being hit. Hard.
DeleteI hope that your neighbour gets the treatment she needs...her case sounds dreadful.
ReplyDeleteFrom where I'm sitting, your turquoise sky and your peacock towels are a match! I hope your friend feels better soon. My oldest son was brought down this week by the flu and bronchitis-doubly whammy. He's hoping to go back to work tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWe've just had lots of rain and fog, which, according to local lore, means a summer of illnesses to come (no bugs killed off).
ReplyDeleteSo it's not just skaters who are praying for ice...
Glad you're having some warm weather. The British media invariably predicts that the coming winter will be the coldest ever. Equally invariably, it's just another slightly chilly winter. We haven't even had any snow yet.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI am new here, but I learned of your blog through Forsythia (Cynthia). Your loom work is quite beautiful!!!!! Our Winter, too, is mild thus far. Although it is likely due to Global Warming which IS horrible.... at this moment I am not unhappy it isn’t the usual -10 F it typically has been.
PipeTobacco
Scotland is having an open winter now...not good. NZ is unseasonably windy, and down where we are, colder than usual.
ReplyDeleteThere is some arson in Australia...but not as much as is hyped.. scaremongering false news again. What is wrong with sticking to the truth and what facts are known?
We aren't having winter here either - temps mostly in the 70's, lots of sun. No rain - everything is so dry.
ReplyDeleteTotal relaxation, that cat.
ReplyDeleteWe're having an odd winter. We consistently have snow on the ground, however.