small (and LARGE) pleasures

On my computer's monitor, there's a fortune, the kind from a Chinese fortune cookie. It says, You are very grateful for the small pleasures of life.

In order to stay content during trying moments, I reread the fortune. I aim to be grateful and excited about what the future will be in 2007. (Actually, Jews are lucky this way, I also got to be hopeful about the Jewish New Year 5767 back in the fall, at Rosh Hashanah.)

I find this reminder helps me to disregard some of the unfortunate frustrations of life and to refocus, especially when I receive hate mail! One of the big treats of the last few days has been the KOSHER bone. Out of the blue, we received a package from just 4 pooches. Someone, it's a mystery who, sent Harry and Sally this treat, this fuzzy dog toy complete with a squeaker, this KOSHER bone. We have a hard time keeping toys intact here. Two young dogs make quick work of all toys but hard plastic bones. Anyway, this bone has been a huge hit. It has a place of honor right next to the pink fuzzy ball given to us by Uncle Ben. The dogs take turns carrying this bone all over the house, and they share it grudgingly. When isn't in use, it is stored safely, by the dogs, on my side of the bed, with the pink ball and the odd nylabone. (This is obviously the best place to be, according to the dogs.) If you sent us this fuzzy KOSHER bone, please 'fess up. We need to send you one big slobbery thank you note.

Other small joys have included some of my recent handspun explorations. Here's a summary from top to bottom:
1) Joanne dyed fibers: navy cotswold, with bruise colored pink alpaca and some cotton candy hot pink wool as accents. This is a two ply yarn.
2) Camel and Silk and Reddish Brown Suri Alpaca. This is spun into a textured twisty 2 ply...it's seriously soft stuff.
3) Chasing Rainbows Merino/Mohair, in the Mendocino Hedges colorway, plied with a deep brown gorgeous soft mixed Finn (and something else) fleece. I won the Chasing Rainbows fiber at the Tennessee State Fair spinning competition, and got the fleece there as well.

To answer any queries, no, no idea what I'll do with any of it. I haven't even set the skeins in water yet. If you are seized by desire and must have any of these yarns,please let me know! Otherwise, they'll go in the pile to be sold by the gallery in Berea that sells my handspun or on my website, which needs to be updated anyhow...

I had a great visit with the Green Hill Methodist Church for a couple of Wednesday nights. I got to talk about Judaism in the USA, and they got to ask questions. What a welcoming crowd--really fun! It was a super teaching moment, a chance to trot out all that graduate learning in Religious Studies without causing conflict. Such a nice place and kind people. I'm just sorry they weren't my "flavor!" I'm not about to convert, but I thoroughly enjoyed sharing their hospitality for an evening or two.

The last small pleasure I'll mention is this one:
Recognize these yarns? This is the cotswold and silk I spun dyed a few months ago. The yellow, dyed with marigolds, perks up the crimson and cranberry red. This here's a sleeve. It'll be a long time 'til I finish this sweater...I'm making it up as I go along.

The biggest surprise and LARGE pleasure is a letter I got in the mail a couple of days ago. I've been chosen to receive an Artist's Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council , based on my non-fiction fibery writing. I'm still in shock. I'm one of 13 writers, choreographers, and composers chosen for this honor in 2007. Mostly, I'm glad I was sitting down when I opened the letter!

All of this is something to celebrate. Let's toast to a happy, healthy and productive 2007 for everyone! Let's hope for peace in 2007! Let's hope I can keep fighting off my husband's plague of a cold! L'Chaim!