moorings askew

I received a gift of my first rubber ducky this week. It came from a fellow writing class/workshop participant. He had a bevy of ducks in a  small shopping bag and distributed them in honor of the book some of are going to review: Moby-Duck. I love the cheerful little guy and can understand the decades-long attraction of these toys.The book recounts the true story of 28,000 rubber bath toys lost at sea and the subsequent tracking down by Donovan Hahn as they turned up in far flung places around the world. So far it's a good read.

stormy weather
As I write, dusk is falling, soft rain, air blessedly cool. However, I can't help worrying about family and friends on the northeast coast. A mandatory evacuation was ordered in east Norwalk, Connecticut where my daughter lives. Also Rowayton and Westport where my brother and friends live. The full force of the storm hasn't even hit there yet! When my children were young, we lived in Rowayton and one winter storm, when the tide was high and the moon full, icey sea water flowed into the streets of the town preventing us from rescuing our kids who were stranded in various places. The older boys dared to wade through water up to their thighs and our daughter was taken in by a nice couple who served up a blanket, hot chocolate, and a sofa to sleep on for the night. This was before cell phones (last century stuff) and we didn't know what the boys were doing until they arrived home very late, cold and wet. My daughter texts me now that she is at her daughter's home (safely away from the sea) cuddling with baby Dante, hot chocolate and a sofa to sleep on.

perks
for me, the coffee is on, I finished the Colonnade shawlette (Stephen West Designs) using the yarn that gave me so much trouble through several different failed project starts. I didn't give up on it because I still liked the color and texture. But before starting on the project that I'd successfully done before, and that was already messing up, I decided it must have some bad juju and smudged it with a smokey sage bundle (I've learned a few things over two decades in the mysterious southwest with Indians and brujas). It worked. From then on it progressed without a hitch. It also helped that I never worked on it after midnight or a glass of wine.

I persevered with this yarn because I never stopped loving it. It is silk and merino and holds up well under repeated RIP abuse. I think it's Madelinetosh Light and the color is a sort of verdigris. If I find the label I'll pass on the correct info. In the same mode/mood, I resumed work on the Lorna's Laces shawl destined for the friend I'll be visiting next month. The colors are rich and autumn-y and she'll like that.

The river's up two feet overnight,
No way these banks can hold it.
Near the market, there are boats for sale.
If I had money, I could buy one
     and moor it at my gate
            Tu Fu (712-770)