Life's a Stitch

This really is a knitting blog

The knitting has been non-existent with the recent surgery, however I managed  160 stitches of crochet. Aaaaaahhhhhh, colour and texture are back in my life. The painting, however, has satisfied the colour aspect, a semblance of texture, as well as the need for creativity.  The latest is a Himalayan Blue Poppy:

Odd topic: Potty signage

Odd as it seems, I have amassed a collection of signs taken in washrooms (as we say in Canada).

The first one was a ladies' room mission statement taken at Busch Gardens in Florida:

 Their mission didn't include excellent punctuation.

This one is posted at my favourite Thai restaurant in Bellingham, WA. 

It reminds me of the graffiti that was written on the wall of the bathroom of the August Moon Chinese restaurant in my hometown. In 8th grade, after attending our Saturday girls bowling league, a group of us, presumably an even number, would split the lunch special. I'm dating myself when I tell you that it cost $1.15 for one appetizer, an entree with rice, and a dessert. Two of us split the entree, one person having the appetizer and the other dessert. The writing on the wall of the bathroom was "flush twice, it's a long way to the kitchen. 

Next up is one I saw in Quebec at Montmorency Falls:

After hand surgery, during my weekly visit to the occupational therapy department of St. Paul's hospital here in Vancouver, I found this gentle reminder in the unisex restroom. Excuse the blurriness; it was a laminated piece of photocopy paper that doesn't photograph well:

Blogless Marsha, living in a house with men, explained to me that in mens' rooms, you don't have to flush the urinals. They should have added remembering to put the seat down.

In the spirit of a picture is worth a thousand words, this ladies' room sign appeared on Royal Caribbean's ship, the Legend of the Seas:

Finally, Valentine's Day night required an emergency visit to Walmart to purchase denture adhesive to reseat a crown that popped off while biting into a pink raspberry gummy heart. I'll spare you the picture. Funny thing is that my son tried one first, and as soon as he bit into it said, no way, he didn't want to risk his recent dental work by pulling off a crown. I should have listened to him.

Their washroom aims for clean and adequate, stated on a sign far from the latter. I don't know about you, but I like a bathroom mission statement that exceeds the goal of adequacy. 

A Colourful Valentine's Day

I thought these two recent paintings were appropriate for Valentine's Day.

Puppy Love, my grandson and his little girlfriend:

 

Wedding flowers, a sentimental gift:

 

Young grasshopper - what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

This painting reminds me of the student's name in the Kung Fu Movie. I signed up for three watercolour workshops with an accomplished Palm Springs area artist, Diane Morgan, who doesn't announce the subject matter until you arrive at the class. An interesting strategy, because if I had known we were painting grasshoppers, I would never have signed up. Turns out, it's my favourite of the three. The other two can be seen in the two previous posts.

 

It also reminds me of the Mary Oliver poem, The Summer Day, with the very memorable last two lines:

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?