Gentle on my Mind

I seem to have caught the cold that is going around. Both my men at home have it, my sister had it and now it's my turn.  I'm taking care of it today, lots of fluids, rest and throat drops to douse the bug and hopefully, have a weaker version of the darn thing...

So I've been reading and knitting and catching up with friends in France just to connect, tell them that I love them and am thinking about them in the wake of the horrific events of yesterday...

I watched two wonderful if dramatically different films on Netflix today.  One is based on the long-time, best-selling book:  Autobiography of a Yogi and is titled: Awake, The Life of the Yogananda, and the other is I'll Be Me, a documentary of Glen Campbell's last road trip as told by his wife, family and friends.

I'm very touched by this piece of work.  It's meaningful and generous and informative and Hey!, it's about Glen Campbell...

I remember thinking he wasn't my cup of tea when my Mom would hum his tunes but I've since grown up and seen the error of my ways.  Glen Campbell is magnificent.  A talented musician, a guitar player hors pair, a steadfast entertainer and a generally very decent (and sometimes naughty) human being.
I have a late-life crush on this guy.  His songs fill my heart and remind me of days when the long summers would stretch into the fall and I would hop on my bike on a Saturday and head for the giant culvert behind the college and just lie on my back and chew on the tender ends of weeds that grew by the side of the road.   I hadn't a care in the world and whenever I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, the culvert was just a short bike-ride away and the rivers of my memory would carry me down the flowing water to wherever I wanted to be.

At the end of the documentary, The Band Perry plays Gentle on my Mind and I think it's the best rendering, after Glen's, of course, that I have ever heard.  Let it take you where you want to go, to sweeter, gentler, more carefree times...



Love,

Stella

Back in the Saddle

We've been home for a week today and the jet lag is almost behind us.  Yesterday, I started making lists and getting ready for the next two months.  Sounds a little uptight?  Well, lists work for me and keep me on track plus, there are a number of things that I have to get done before January when I start teaching again.

Then, there's Christmas.

One of the things I did yesterday was take stock of my knitting projects.  Which ones have to be done for when.  I just added two small projects for two friends in France.   Winter in Provence is mostly single-digit weather that can be cold because of the humidity, which makes it perfect to wear woollens.  I am knitting each one fingerless gloves that they can pull up or down because there's no thumb gusset.  Toast is the pattern that I have used to make at least ten pair of these already.

Espresso for Nelly who is an authentic "autumn" and New Jeans for Élisabeth who has favored navy this fall for her new wardrobe purchases.

It's good to be home and to get on with my Canadian life.  Yoga, meditation, knitting, sewing,  cooking, weight lifting, and stationary bicycling are on the agenda for the next two months.  With a sprinkling of outings, reading circle meetings and a couple days work-for-pay, the next two months are gloriously stacked up for fun and productivity.

Tristan is off to Chicago to begin his first round of interviews for residency, Damien is working full-time as a personal coach and doing a course towards qualifying for his next training and Vlad is working part-time with student teachers until he gets the call for his hip surgery in December or January.

In the meantime, I'll be writing in my gratitude journal, catching up with friends and steering the family ship into a fun and relaxing Christmas holiday...

Love,

Stella