Introducing . . . Le Passe Compose!

 First Born

28 count aida with required threads

I did not realize it had been so long since I posted an update on this. 

2020 strikes again, and not in a good way. Anyway, I have completed another page and a half of this chart. I should be further along, but I took 3 weeks off in August to work on a Halloween project. I just needed a bit of a break. I finished that on the 31st, so picked it back up and this is my project as of Thursday. 

Here is the Halloween project: 

In Words Halloween House

DKT  Charting

DMC floss, including Etoile and Colouris

This was an Etsy purchase (I was on a chart shopping spree on there earlier in the year) and I did not use the called-for colors. The chart was kind of a pain, but it did allow for a lot of customization and I wanted to play with Coloris and Etoile. I have some charms, and am trying to decide if I want to put one on there. I will let you know what I decide.

I have been reading like crazy. Each book is like a small vacation.  It helps remove me from the current  world situation. Some of the best books that I have read lately are below.

1)Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. OMG, so good. I really have not read a lot of books about this community, but a former co-worker had it listed on Goodreads, and I trust her taste, so I gave it a try. I am also trying to expand my horizons and learning about new cultures has been something I have enjoyed during quarantine. This was well worth the effort. 

2) Girl Woman Other  This came to my attention after the unrest following George Floyd's death. I just wanted to read more books about people whose lives are not like mine, to try to see their side of things. This was wonderful; the book is the story of several black women in Britain. Their stories are seemingly vaguely connected, but, as the book moves on, you see the relationships develop. It was so good and the accolades the author received are well-deserved. 

3) On the Occasion of my Last Afternoon This was by an author I love, and a subject, the American Civil War, that I love as well. But it was a little different. The main character is the wife of a doctor whose life is dominated by her crazy father and her loving maid. She hates slavery, hates what it does to people, and tries to help whoever she can. But the thing that I love about this book is that it does ask the question, even if women hated slavery, what did they do to make it unnecessary? It was interesting and a different take.

4) Kindred I do not love fantasy. I do not love science fiction. But I love this book about a woman who is pulled back in time to 1819 Eastern Shore Maryland, who has to survive and escape slavery. I am so annoyed that it has taken me all this time to find this amazing story. Even in college, in Major Black Writers, we missed this one . . . .

5) Gramma Gatewood's Walk  This is very different from the other books on this list, but very inspiring. Gramma Gatewood was 66 and had survived an awful marriage when she decided to walk the length of the Appalachian Trail. Wearing Keds. Left-brain wants to start hiking, and I delighted in telling him this woman walked, carrying a bag with 17 pounds of supplies, through the remnants of two hurricanes, sleeping on porches and in houses when she could, bedding down along the trail when she couldn't. People were mean to her at times, but mostly, she was met with overwhelming kindness. She was the first woman to walk the trail, completing the trek 3 times, as well as walking from Missouri to Oregon. This is such a cool story. I don't know why it hasnt been made into a film, but it should be. 

We did take some time last weekend to go on a hike as a family. I told Left-brain that this was our vacation for Summer 2020. We drove down to the C&O Canal, which runs along the Potomac River. The last time we were there was the summer after we got married, so 9 years, maybe. And the kids obviously had never been.  We did 5 1/2 miles, and the kids loved it. I loved chilling out down by the water, enjoying how nice of a day it was. 

This tree was interesting. I don't know what caused it to break like this? Maybe the tornado from earlier this year (why does February feel like it was 47 years ago?)

Logan was being Mr Independant, running off across the Aqueduct. He couldn't figure out what this structure was. I had to explain that the canal crossed a little river and this carried the water across. 

We took a picture at lunchtime to remember the day. 

I hope you are all enjoying these first days of "fall"  We have started to put out our decorations, but it will take a while. Left-brain is still not sure he wants to put our blow up out at all, in case it makes people congregate outside the yard. I don't see the problem, it's not like they will lick our doorknob. We need to give people a little happy, I think.