I’m a “yarn junkie” and I went to see my dealer yesterday. We do our negotiations right in front of God and everybody. I shamelessly paw through her sale bin with the fervor of someone jonesing for a fix, knowing full well how many “hits” I already have in my stash at home. *sigh* I can’t help it…I’ve hit the mother lode. A yarn shop! Granted, it’s 20 miles there and 20 miles back, so the cost of fuel is cutting into my savings but….c’mon, man…it’s a YARN SHOP!

My score yesterday was six skeins of 100% Superwash Wool for mittens. I have vowed to knit something for everyone for Christmas this year. These skeins were originally $14 each and I got all six for twelve bucks! I might be able to get a pair of mittens out of each skein. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me!

I stopped at my favorite coffee shop on my way to town and sat in the morning sun, knitting a little on each of the projects I have going. I try not to eavesdrop on people when I’m out, but it was difficult not to overhear the conversation between two men enjoying a cup of coffee together. I got the impression they were retired and may have worked together. I found myself smiling from time to time at the nature of their casual banter. One asked if the other had seen so-and-so recently. The other said he had not. He went on to say he had spoken to the fella some time ago and relayed something he had said to the guy. They hadn’t spoken since and this man was concerned that perhaps he had hurt the other fellow’s feelings in some way. They went on to discuss the possibility for quite some time. And I thought it was only us gals who worried about stuff like that!

This particular coffee shop gives you a cute little sticker placed over the sippy hole in the lid. They are usually seasonal or some cute little saying. I have several stuck to the dashboard of my truck. They make me smile. Yesterday’s was a shamrock and I thought of Mr. Virgo. He was buried on this day, nine years ago. Being a McKinney…he was all things Irish! I felt like he was dropping by to say hello over coffee. One of our happy places was on the front porch sipping coffee on his days off. Yes…it was a sign that I have oodles and oodles of reasons to be grateful and full of joy!

I was greeted by a warm hello when I joined the girls sitting around the table in the front room of the yarn shop. We are in that early stage of making friends where we learn about each other and where we’ve been on this life’s journey. I like these women and I am so thrilled to have met them. As I left the shop, they told me how glad they were I found them and that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

I walked across the street and into the Lebanese restaurant for a half order of tabouli and baba ghanoush with warm pita bread to go. I sat in my truck in the warm sunshine watching an engineer maneuver a train back and forth, picking up more and more cars before he headed out on a run. We caught each other’s eye, smiled brightly and waved. Just like when I was a kid, shopping with my mom on this very same street on a warm spring day some sixty years ago.

I headed home. Mr. FixIt called just as I crossed the interstate overpass. He asked where I was. When I told him, he said, “I see you!” We passed each other, waving like we hadn’t seen each other in a month of Sundays. He went on to town to run some errands and I headed home. I started a third project….a pair of mittens from the black wool I bought earlier. It knits up so nicely and it goes quickly because it’s really chunky yarn. 

So, I’ve officially joined the ranks of “knitters who work on multiple projects”. I’m also reading a book so I’ve been busy! I was going to head to the farm today, but my bonus daughter and son-in-law are coming over today to help us do some things around the house. We have some trees that need to come down and bushes that need trimmed back. I need to pull “Birdie” around to the side of the building so I can pop the top and clean out what I am sure are a million ladybugs and stink bugs. Her new owners are coming Saturday to pick her up and I want her to look pretty!

It was a joyful day, full of warm memories and new friends….and yarn.

One can NEVER have too much yarn, right?

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“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;”

Psalm 104:10 ESV