"Ouvert"

"Ouvert" is the French word for "open". Windows open, doors open - opportunities open. It's been a very long time since I've been here, time in which I was enclosed, snug, protected. I took the full proscribed period of mourning for my friend....because (as often seems to heppen to me) what began as my keenly feeling the loss of my friend became my feelings of loss for everyone I've lost in my life up to this point: my parents, beloved in-laws, some friends, Willie....and cats, who are little furry people. (Yes, so are doggies; all you pupfans have my agreement with you too!)


But the seasons change, and change again, and a New Season is beginning. The school year is over (no more tours of 4th graders at the Museum for a few months); the winter is over (said in a whisper...Wisconsin weather can be fickle); my period of high mourning is over.


What is ahead? Summer. Some exciting Outreach programs at senior centers. Travel - next week to a long weekend in the 18th century - an invitational event with especially good friends, the wedding of a darling girl who is the daughter of especially good friends (a *modern* trip, to Montana), our annual journey to Grand Portage....perhaps a few other jaunts.


Study! When I was a kid, I always felt a huge rush of Intellectual Freedom as the last bell of the school year rang. I could hardly wait to get to the library to delve deeply into what I wanted to study. And this summer is no exception. Without the daily tours, I can really dig into my study of Mary Hayes Chynoweth (it's a good thing - my first presentation is coming up this week!)


I am going to rework my Hattie Fairchild program. That's one I do in my hoopskirts about a lady's lot in life during the mid-19th century. I call it "Manners, Mending and Morals" - it has a Power Point show with it, but I'm going to prepare a version without the visual aid of slides, so that I can do it even if there's no projector equipment available. (I KNOW, a computer slide show about the 19th century, in costume, no less -- is ODD.)


I'm also scheduled to do a program in November on the Metis women in the Fur Trade, and I haven't yet cracked a book about that one yet. The Metis were the children born of native women and French or French-Canadian traders and trappers and voyageurs, and they had a rich culture as a group; I've long been interested in those folks with "a foot in each world", as it were.


And KNITTING!! Well, believe it or not I have a couple of commissions for toques, but it's been a while and I'm looking forward to them. I've also decided I'm going to knit me some socks and I have TWO (count 'em, 2) afghans planned. Each is for a bridal couple, one the end of July (yeahright like THAT's possible) and the other is for the end of August (see above). But I AM going to knit them, and they're going to have cables and bobbles and noobles and dingdongs and so forth. They may not be delivered at the weddings, but they WILL be given. You saw it here first.


There will also be some babyknitting in the future, but as you may recall, I won't be selecting a pattern, buying yarn or casting on until the little tyke is already happily cooing in its cradle. (That's not to say I may not idly flip through the occasional pattern book or grope and stroke the errant skein here and there. Just sayin'.)


Now then - I intend to write an actual blogpost, catching up at least in overview format, in the next day or so, but I had to flex the old catssticksandbooks fingers here.


I'm back, I'm fine, all's well (erhm....except the Serious Lack of Moneys is making life difficult to the left of me and the right of me, but seasons turn, right?)