Trayvon Martin is MY Son

I've had something on my mind BIG time in the last two weeks. But more on that later. However, in a similar vein is the Trayvon Martin shooting/murder story. I am overwhelmed by the feelings flooding me over the last days as more and more information comes to light. I look at my own brown-skinned son, who, himself turns 17 this Sunday, and I am sickened by the thought of him being shot down like a dog in the street as he walks through the streets of our mostly white neighborhoods. Here's my small contribution to the growing movement for justice.

Please use and/or share these Button Grabs (one above and one below) I've created which can be found on the left column of the blog:

Day 16: Love is all around

I've gone on a photo safari for the last two days. Yesterday, I went to the Wrentham Country Store and inspired by the sunshine, I headed over to Stony Brook Wildlife Center. I hadn't been over there since Connor was in the 1st grade. It was fantastic. So nice to be outside in the warm sun. I took some great shots which I'm working on now, but this was one of my favorites. I was inspired by another woman in my online photography class who took a picture on a naturally occurring heart in the world. When I first saw the photo, I was so jealous. I had myself quite a little pity party themed: I will never be that aware/How come she took that shot and I didn't. But I had such a great afternoon yesterday with my camera that my party seems but a mere memory. I was reminded by Andrea, our "guide" that you have to take hundreds of photos just to possibly get a few good shots. And then, they can made to be amazing with a little post-processing love.

In this photo course I'm taking, we were given a Superhero Manifesto on the first day, full encouraging prompts/mantras like:  Be Brave. Notice the small things. See beauty everywhere. And to Look Closely.

The more I see the world through the eyes of possibility (eyes wide OPEN), it's amazing what I've been seeing. And sure enough, as I began to make my way back down the path to my car, I look at my feet and voila:

A reminder from the universe that love is all around, all the time, where I least expect to find it. Pretty cool, right?

Day 12: Sunday Spinners

My friend Cheryl took these. So nice to have pictures of the afternoon!

Today's creative road carried me down to Norfolk. I've been wanting to try spinning for some time now and today was the day. I went over to see the Sunday Spinners who meet the first Sunday of the month at the library. It was great. I asked a thousand questions and they answered so patiently and generously. I even got to try spinning on the wheel, both pedal and electric, and with a drop spindle. Spinning was much harder than I thought it would be, kind of like rubbing my stomach and patting my head at the same time, but after I've had a couple martinis. I tried to stay zen and remember how awkward it felt when I first learned to knit. I had much more success on the electric vs. the pedaled wheel, spinning a good nice yard of alpaca. Needless to say, research on wheel rental begins tomorrow. Fred's always said the knitting was a gateway drug...he was right.

Day 8 & 9: Sneak Peek

I've been working on these knitting themed tiles. Here's a little preview of what I've been chipping away at for the last few days:

They're sized (4x4) to display on a desk, or in the knitting nook on small easel or could be hung on the wall. I've got a few already made up and I'm furiously working on more designs. I'm hoping to sell them in order to fund a few ideas I've got simmering on the back burner (summer fun, new blog design, fun class?) Feedback welcome.