Driving home from my boyfriend's last night, as I passed the big park near my house, I noticed that the city's fireworks could be seen over the trees. "click, click, click'! went my cell phone camera in rapid succession. And here is the result: one semi-decipherable photo of blurry light blobs among trees! The white column in the lower right front is the fountain in the middle of the pond; it has lights in it so that it shows up in the night. I suppose that it leads the ducks and herons to it, and it definitely keeps the roaming night kids from falling in!
The fireworks were pretty, but none showed up on the camera except the white ones. There were lots of green and of course red and blue. When they let off the final volley, when they shoot up all the little ones at once, I couldn't help thinking about those ancient wars and their "bombs bursting in air" that lit up the night sky. I imagined that, over beyond the trees, the real fighting was happening and young people in tattered put-together uniforms were fighting the regimented straight lines of the red-coated soldiers. Mostly, I imagined the carnage.
My bf and I had watched a show on the History Channel earlier in the day about the first few presidents. I learned that George Washington lost his last child in the final weeks of the war for independence to a "camp fever". The show went on through all the first few presidents. Andrew Jackson was not the nice person I had always assumed, but regularly fired people who did not agree with him and ruled like a tyrant. He installed his best friends as advisers, and the term "the Kitchen Cabinet" meaning a personal advisory and decision-making committee outside of the approved or agree-upon set-up, was coined by those who observed this. How short a time it was between the idealism that supported this country's independence and the competitive narcissism of "politics". Still, we have an independence of sorts and a lot of freedoms within the the system.
Mentally pulling myself back from commentary (this is a knitting blog after all), I'm making excellent progress on the wrist warmers out of silk. The lace pattern is little hearts, which I think is very fitting.
I discovered a whole new group of knit-worthy recipients at Jule's wedding and I'm very excited to think that her friends would like some things. My little brain has been making plans. We'll see if I can actually carry them out!
Knit New London had their annual Fourth of July sale yesterday and I went up with a friend. We stopped at Andover on the green where an antiques flea market was going on, organized by the Lions Club I think. We had public pancakes (tasty!) and I found a full case of vintage crochet hooks - about 30 in all. All plastic and metal, but some really small sizes that I can use for antique crochet repair. And, at the library book sale, I got a 1947 copy of the Book of Needlework, that has great knit and crochet sections including designing.
Now I'm off to make toast and download an ambiance sleep program with ocean sounds on my iPhone. Have happy days, friends!
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