The Lexicon Project: Help

Joining Rachel at House Full of Jays for her Lexicon project. This week's theme: help.

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Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things for another yarn along!
I finished up Phoebe's bear cowl last week, and I will have pictures to share soon. It is adorable! I am currently working on a Milo vest for Phoebe... after I had to frog the entire top last Tuesday night, I have basically only made it back to where I was before. However, I think I am procrastinating though, as the next step in the vest is to begin the cables. And, I have never done cables before. It doesn't seem that hard, but now I am afraid of messing up and having to restart this one again. While I have been procrastinating, I have almost finished up another drop-stitch cowl. I love knitting these. Fun and quick!
I am still reading Cutting for Stone and nearing the end (well, sort of.. I have about 200 pages out of 650 to go). It's fantastic. Also picking my way slowly through Dirt, a non-fiction book about soil, and I have been enjoying reading a few pages here or there.
What are you reading? What are you knitting? Pin It Now!

Don't Frack My Mother!

Natural gas has been in the news quite a bit these days- and the majority of that news revolves around a little something known as fracking. Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing, the process that allows those drilling for natural gas to fracture the shale rocks by injecting a fluid at high pressure. This fracturing allows for much greater natural gas recovery (and therefore greater supplies and lower costs), but it has a huge environmental impact. The fluid that is injected at high pressure is full of nasty chemicals, and a whole lot of this water is used in the process. This water is often left in open pits to evaporate, which is hugely hazardous, and groundwater contamination is common. For a good, quick explanation explaining the dangers of fracking, check out this website.  Have a bit more time? Watch the film Gasland.  It gets into the nitty-gritty of this fracking business.
And, in the meantime, check out this funny video of Sean Lennon and Yoko Ono on Jimmy Fallon. They recently started a coalition called Artists Against Fracking, which is working to prevent fracking in New York. I am teaching about fossil fuels in my environmental science class this week, so I will be sure to share this one with my students!




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Weekending (Or, A Little of This, A Little of That)

Happily joining in with Amanda at Habit of Being for another weekending post.

This weekend was a perfect balance... a little of this and a little of that.
Friday night I stayed home.
Ate brownies and ice cream, read some, knitted some,
and had a mini movie marathon

Saturday our ski plans got cancelled
(our car doesn't have 4WD and the roads were snowy).
So, instead, I had some mama time at the gym,
ran some errands with Finn,
and lazed around the house with the family.

Saturday night the hubby and I had a date.
A double date actually,
with some lovely friends of ours.
Dinner, drinks, music.
It was grand.

Sunday night I got to sleep in....
Didn't get out of bed until 7:45!!
Big breakfast,
Family Hike
in which we got caught in the rain...
and discovered some fairie homes,
beaver evidence,
and signs of spring.
Tacos for lunch
and a bowling birthday party to boot.

And now, off to bed, semi-early
to rest up for another week, and
hoping that this sinus infection I have had for 2+ weeks
will soon be gone!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

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Gratitude Sunday

Happily joining in with the other Taryn of Wooly Moss Roots for a Gratitude Sunday post.

This week I have been feeling so, so grateful that Finn finally seems to be re-adjusting back to his school routine and once again finding a rhythm. When Finn is feeling settled, the whole family seems to be much more settled.

Also grateful that this week seemed to be the perfect balance: some out time, some down town, some city living and some nature explorations. I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful place where we are surrounded by nature but immersed in culture, great restaurants, and activity.

And lastly, I am feeling grateful that I don't have to give a lecture in my classes this week. There is a whole lot less prep time when I am not speaking for an hour!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have lots to be grateful for! Pin It Now!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

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Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny at Small Things for another yarn along!  I am almost finished with this adorable bear hood for Phoebe. The trim is supposed to all be crocheted, but since I don't know how, I think I am just going to improvise and knit a trim. Should have it to show you next week. The mulberry color that you see was the start of Phoebe's milo vest... except that last night, after I took this picture, I had to frog everything I had done.... so, now I am only about 6 rows in. Oh well. I also have a wee baby hat on the needles as an easy project to take with me on the go.
Still reading Cutting for Stone and I am really enjoying it. I also started a book called Dirt. It is a non-fiction book about soil (one of the things I teach about and actually an interest of mine). It is broken up into 2-3 page chapters, so I think I will be reading this one slowly over time.... a little soil tidbit here and there, or a good book to grab when I only have a few minutes to read.
What are you reading? What are you knitting? Pin It Now!