Sunshine, Sickness & Swatches

So, as a matter of great note - the sun is shining this morning in Berlin.  This alone merits blogging.  Not only that, but it shone for a couple of hours yesterday as well.  I see clouds on the move, so the blog post must be short; I must feel the sun on my face today.  Even better, the days are getting noticeably longer!  While my family & friends in the US are buried under snow, we feel spring in the air here in Eastern Germany.  Unfortunately, the family has been battling cold after cold.  Instead of appreciating the amazing break in the weather, we have mostly been huddled up on couches and going through box after box of tissues.  I managed a week of running, but have been idle again for four days.  Argh!  Cabin fever!  At least the sun is shining and it looks like a new world outside our windows.

Alright.  I have a confession to make.  I almost never make a gauge swatch.  All you non-knitters out there- before you quit reading, I'll explain.  Making a gauge swatch is when you do a little square of knitting (6x6") with the needles you plan to use to see if you have the right number of stitches per inch and rows per inch -- so you come out the right size at the end.  Not gauging is really very stupid: sort of like not pre-washing your fabric when you sew a dress or paying bills without checking your balance.  It can lead to hundreds of wasted hours.  Why then do I fail to do it?  Impatience.  Yes, my old bugaboo.

Impatience was my character flaw that made midwifery so terribly difficult for me.  I deeply believe patience and trust are what distinguish midwives as the marvelous caregivers they are and what I continually found an insufficient supply of in myself.  Luckily, my impatience really only hurts me when knitting (and not a client!).  Yet, as today marks the completion of another year of my life and the dawn of a new year, I feel compelled toward resolutions.

May my 42nd year be marked as the year of the gauge swatch, literally and metaphorically.  May I make an effort, in the minutiae and the grandiose, to look ahead, be prevention minded and forward planning.  I do not want nor expect to quash all my impulsiveness and passion, but I'd like to value my work and life enough to invest a little more forethought into what I do.  This past year, Doug and I have been doing that with our health - with food and exercise.  We still have fun with what we eat, but we are trying to choose what we believe will keep us well in the long run.  Of COURSE, I could still do a LOT better (10-15 more pounds to lose, etc.).  It's just been a good learning path for me/us this year, leading to this moment. The beginning of the year of the swatch.

So, gauge swatches.  Wish me luck!

In the meantime, I will also continue to felt.

Prenzlauerberg at last

We had a super weekend, adventuring, exploring and playing with friends.  On Saturday, along with our neighbors, we visited the Schoneberg market and had burritos at a small restaurant.  On Sunday, I talked Doug into jogging with me and we were blessed with SUN.  Imagine!  In the evening, we had dinner with some new friends who our kids befriended for us and saw STARS on the way home!  All in all, a lovely weekend.

On bonus Monday, while the kids had school, Doug had the American holiday, so we finally headed off to Prenzlauerberg.  Everyone says it is the hippest neighborhood in Berlin, but it is a good drive from our hood, so we hadn't ventured there until yesterday.  We will be going back!  Accompanied by our neighbor, we tramped about, dined on curry and later on cake & hot chocolate.  In between, we saw lovely old buildings, landmarks and an old Jewish cemetery.

Unfortunately, I spent the day coming down with a cold and promptly collapsed once we returned home.  Today has been all sniffles, sore throat, blah blah bleck.