Leading Mom astray...

...or, what to do with your obsolete bookmarks!

This past spring, I attended a workshop presented by Jim Trelease, author of the Read-Aloud Handbook. It was my second time to hear Jim speak, and unfortunately my last... Jim is retiring this year. As a school librarian, one of my favorite jobs is reading aloud to the kids. Some, of course, are bored, but most of them get so close to me that I can't move if I need to! I digress... Jim told us of a fabulous new device called the Kindle, available at Amazon.com. Have you heard of it? It uses G3 cell phone technology (like the new iPhone) to download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, and probably more in less than a minute. It will hold up to 200 books, is about the size of a paperback, and about as thick as a pencil. Mom's apartment is lovely, but she doesn't have a lot of room for books, so she became very interested in the Kindle. Last week, while I was on the phone with my daughter, Mom looked up the Kindle on Amazon, and bought it! It arrived Monday, and I have to tell you folks, I'm putting it on my Christmas list! It's kind of pricey, but if I ask really nicely, maybe Dave and the girls will all kick in to buy one for me.

So, here's Mom's Kindle taking a nap in her knitting bowl and recharging.


Here's Kindle next to Mom's framed bookmark. I guess she won't have any more use for bookmarks!


Luckily, not everyone is interested in owning a Kindle, so I will be able to give them as gifts!

Yesterday, Mom's neighbor Dottie and her daughter Melanie asked us to be their guests at lunch. We went to Ed's Shed on the causeway by Mobile Bay. There was a beautiful breeze, and the humidity was low, so we ate on the porch facing the bay. We had a wonderful time! As a thank you, I tatted bookmarks for Dottie and Melanie. The one on the left is the insertion pattern I love so much. The one on the right is an adaptation of Lyn Morton's "Traditional Cross" from Tatting Patterns. The thread is Sherry Pence's "Berry Parfait", size 20.


This morning Mom and I are going to visit our favorite oriental shop in Daphne. Then we'll go to Papa's Place for lunch. This afternoon we'll attend Purl & Chain and work on afghan panels. Mom is just about finished with her third panel. I'm about half way through my second panel... I've been doing a lot of tatting! We need six panels all together. The next step will be to crochet a border around each panel in a contrasting color. Then the six panels can be sewn together.

I can't believe I'm getting in to the tail end of my visit... this time next week I'll be at school getting ready for the first week with munchkins! We have lunch dates for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... I've never had such a busy social calendar!

Friday's the big day everyone... Tattycat, Mom, and I are meeting for lunch and an afternoon of tatting! I must remember to take my camera along! This is one of the best vacations I've ever had!