Happy Labor Day

“We need the tonic of wildness, to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground.” -Henry David Thoreau

May today bring rest from labor, relaxation for the body, and renewal for the soul.

September Starts

Last week my 5 year old grandson started kindergarten, a huge event for him, his parents, and for his Nana. In the end, he resolutely climbed those bus steps, stood tall, and waved goodbye. I am so proud of him. Earlier the same week, his mother and dad both returned to their university classrooms, and just days ago, son Rob and I headed back to our high schools, to be with our high school students. School is back in session.

This blog, billed as a knitting blog, has become a place for me to write about just about everything, From cooking to family history (and history in the making) to pets and friends and animals and the seasons, I try to capture snippets of life by wrapping them in words and images.

I haven't really used this space much to dream or project, but I think I might be remiss (and perhaps dishonest) if I didn't confess that I entered my classroom this year with thoughts that this could well be my last first day of school. I may be retiring in June if all goes according to plan. I have thought a lot about what retiring might bring and what it might mean. I have an ever expanding list on my computer of retirement ideas, and my husband and I often speculate on what we will be doing "this time next year" when I (most likely) will be retired (perhaps you can see I am not totally and utterly committed to declaring this yet!).

Summer began for me sitting in a park in Harrisburg watching Gamut Theatre's amazing production of William Shakespeare's As You Like It. Jacques' most famous soliloquy was never more brilliantly delivered to my ear nor resounded in my heart as on that crisp, clear June evening:

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts"

While making my entrance into this school year, I cannot help but consider when to take the proper exit. You see, I believe it may well be my time to consider playing another part...

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Yesterday, our son called to propose that he and his lovely wife make a quick, before school starts trip here. What a wonderful, serendipitous summer gift! We shared a tasty supper, assembled from the bounty of the season--corn on the cob, chicken on the grill, green beans, tomato/onion/green pepper and vinaigrette salad, and a new cookie recipe for dessert. Try these! Here is the recipe (I used my frozen July blueberries):

Blueberry Crumb Bars
(Adapted from AllRecipes.com)

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.) Cool completely before cutting into squares.blueberry crumb bar

Yield: I cut these into 36 smallish rectangles

These are easiest to cut once chilled, and store even better in the fridge than they do at room temperature–something unusual for cookies!

On the wane

Last evening biking around campus, I couldn't help but see signs of fall abounding. The sun is setting sooner and yesterday, it seemed especially close and brilliant. A more than slightly detectable fall chill hangs in the dusk air. Hopeful Blue Banders line Penn State practice fields as the director barks out amplified commands. The dorms fully filled and fully lit spill out their occupants who dribble basketballs on courts, throw footballs on nearby grassy grounds, or simply congregate on sidewalks.

Tuesday, I head back to school. This past week we took a final getaway jaunt to Pittsburgh to ride the Montour Trail, a Rails-to-Trails path that winds through Moon Township, the same parcel of land where my grandparents once lived. We visited my Aunt Betty, who at 92 is still as sharp as ever. She baked us cookies--oatmeal with crasins; they were delicious. We also found The Dor Stop Restaurant, one of the places featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" (one of my husband's favorite television show, second only to watching his Pittsburgh Pirates). I had amazing banana oatmeal pancakes, and we enjoyed delightful conversation with the owner and his daughter who told us stories of meeting Guy Fieri and his Food Network crew.

All in all, a perfect summer capstone.

Small things

"Let's give our thanks for little things
that waking up each morning brings..."

I have been working small lately--napkins, these, socks, dishcloths, drawstring bags, etc. I haven't even decided which gifts go where, but rather simply have rested in the pleasure of creating something from the yarn and fabric stashed around my house.

Too often I fear I live my life making ambitious lists, adding on to things, or embellishing ideas, ultimately making them far more complicated than need be. Uncharacteristically, this summer began with a relatively short list of things to accomplish; that list is now complete. I cleaned a bit, read a bit, reconnected with family and friends (actually more than a bit), biked, cooked, froze, jammed, and took as many naps as I think I needed. This is not to boast that I conquered the summer simplicity scene, because truthfully, the family stuff (the beach week and reunion week) seemed a bit like staging a minor theatrical production, complete with cast, crew, set, and props. That really was no ones fault but my own.

In a little over a week, work routine and school demands return. My yearly mantra when school resumes is typically to admonish myself to live fully in the present, enjoying each moment while refusing to worry about what lies ahead. This year, I hope I listen.

Peaches

...and raspberry peach jam. August.

Back-to-School Sales

Two weeks from tomorrow, I officially go "back to school," as I return for three days of in-service. Three weeks from tomorrow, I welcome students into my classroom. And of course, all the "Back to School" sales have been well underway for who-knows-how-long...

Already, I have gathered for one, sort-of-informal breakfast gathering with two of my co-teachers and attended one formal meeting to consider the "9th Grade Academy" our school district intends to implement one year from now. I really should be planning but...instead, I decided to sew today (in large part because this morning I was waiting on the dishwasher installation which, I am happy to report, is complete!)

Our church collects blankets, soap and relief kits in September for our world mission effort. In the past several years, I have assembled one or two layette kits, knitting baby sweaters to include with the cloth diapers, onesies, sleepers, undershirts, etc. But this year, I decided to pull together a sewing kit and some school kits. And so today, I sewed up three draw string tote bags and then went shopping at Walmart for 15¢ notebooks, $1.00 scissors and crayons, along with the other reasonably priced supplies needed to fill the bag.

I had fabric to use, purchased from a yard sale, so I only needed to cut squares of material to the required size, follow the easy pattern found here, sew up the edges, create a casing, thread the cord for the drawstring, stuff the tote and ta da! Here they are. My hope is that these scissors, pencils, paper, rulers, erasers, and colored paper will help some children some other where than here learn a little bit better and know a little more fully that seeking an education matters.