Back to School: change (and dragonflies) in the air

THE MUSING

The light is different today. Actually it has been different for a few days now. The sun is finally a bit more gentle. Its light seems more golden than the harsh white of this hot, dry summer. We are settling into the comfortable seventy-to-eighty degrees I would love to have year round.

Snatches of poems and books run through my head all the time and pop up when they seem appropriate. Whenever the light changes, I think “there is a certain slant of light.” It’s from an Emily Dickinson poem. 

Unfortunately, it’s not the slant of light I thought it was. When I found the whole poem today, I realized that she wrote about oppressive winter light, which I am not at all ready for right now. 

I swear she has a good autumn poem, I just need to do some research and find it, but I’m not sure I should be reading much from or about Miss Dickinson right now. I’m starting to understand her isolated life way too well. It would be so easy to just stay home.

Back to the niceness of late summer and early autumn—It’s harvest time. Peaches, grapes, tomatoes, and corn on the cob. I have a peach cobbler cooling in the crock pot as I write this. We have blackberries as well, and soon the plums, pears and apples will be ready to pick.

This is my favorite time of year. When I was teaching, I often wished for year-round school so I could have big chunks of time in the spring and the fall, when travel and yard work is pleasant and necessary. 

But now I am seeing the excitement of Back to School from a distance and I miss it. 

Teaching this fall wouldn't work because I only have a few good hours a day. This would me my third back to school after  summers that didn't refresh me. I don’t think I miss the actual day-to-day of teaching, but I miss the people and I miss the optimistic newness of the beginning of each new school year.

Newness would be welcome. I really feel like I'm in a rut and don't have the energy to change it. We did get some very good news--I qualify for disability and will continue to contribute to the family income. I'm hoping getting that stress off my shoulders will ease depression and help. The latest news on my husband's job is no news. His department survived the latest round of layoffs. The current word is they will know for sure by the end of September. 

(Trigger Warning--CSD Rant) All of this would have been easier if Canyons School District had worked with me as promised. At the ADA hearing, when I was accommodated out of my job, I was assured that I would receive communication throughout the disability process. However, I  only received information when I asked for it, usually more than once. Yesterday I called the national insurance company handling my claim. The person helping me on the phone didn't know the answer, so she left a message for the next person up the line. He called first thing this morning. I made a call to the district office with similar results, except for the call back. The call was to answer a question I emailed a month ago. Grrr.

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THE KNITTING

I usually buy yarn with a project in mind. It’s easiest to justify the purchase if the project is for someone else. (I say this while wearing the second unnecessary sweater I made for myself this summer.) So I have two knitting kits that are planned as Christmas gifts. One of them will soon actually be finished. The pattern is called “Dragon Flies” because there is an image of dragon flies in the lace. I’ve enjoyed working on it so much that I made three of them. Two will be in my shop.

The blue-gray one is knit from my homespun merino wool. That makes it look quite rustic. It’s warm enough to replace a light sweater. 

The purple and green is recycled sari silk yarn from India. It will add more pizazz than warmth. I was initially thinking someone would have to buy something specifically to wear with this, but then I realized I have two dresses and several blouses that would look great with it. This is one of the items that I consider gifting to myself, but I would rather sell it to you.

I also made a small scarf out of bright yarn samples. It is asymmetrical and interesting enough to wear several ways. All of these pieces should be listed for sale soon.