Why am I dancing (and knitting) on a sinking ship?

Many of you may have already hear the bad the bad news that the "ship" we all live on known as planet is sinking even faster than we thought. In an article printed in the Guardian last Wednesday, environmental correspondent David Adam, explains the grim situation .

The Arctic ice cap has collapsed at an unprecedented rate this summer and levels of sea ice in the region now stand at a record low, scientists said last night. Experts said they were "stunned" by the loss of ice, with an area almost twice as big as Britain disappearing in the last week alone. So much ice has melted this summer that the north-west passage across the top of Canada is fully navigable, and observers say the north-east passage along Russia's Arctic coast could open later this month. If the increased rate of melting continues, the summertime Arctic could be totally free of ice by 2030.

Oh, shit. That's pretty soon. That means I have a decent chance of being around when the earth's sensitive climate that makes it habitable for us humans begins to become a little less comfortable. Despite these grim predictions, I am really an optimist and still believe that if we get our buts in gear as a species and start treating the planet as a non-renewable resource to bet protected, there might just be some land around for our great-grandchildren to live on.

So, you may wonder if I spend all my waking hours trying to save our struggling planet. I am activist, but I am not a martyr. Despite my concern for our struggling planet, I still manage to enjoy the simple human pleasures of dancing, chocolate, knitting, etc. Even in the darkest of moments, I have been known to crack a joke to lighten up the mood or crank up the music and boogie to get those endorphins going. Sometimes you just have to raise your cup and say, "This world is fucking crazy, but we might as well have a little fun." That's exactly what I'm doing in the picture to the left, where I am swilling down a beer as part of interactive tour at the Alexander Keith's brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.


Speaking of having a good time, I got a chance this past Thursday to see one of my favorite bands, Railroad Earth, this past weekend at Higher Ground. Railroad Earth is kind of raucous bluegrass with twist of Jersey. If you don't know what that means, you should listen here. I spent most of the 3 hour long concert jumping around, stomping feet, and shaking my tushy as though I didn't have a care in the world. For that time, I didn't. That's what music can do...remind us to be just where we are.

After that rocking Thursday night, how could my week get any better. I'll tell you. This weekend was the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. Fibery fun less than an hour from my house. So, I spent Saturday afternoon at the Champlain Valley fairgrounds petting swooning over the beautiful yarn and fiber and hanging out with Pippi, Amy, Norma, Brigette, Lee (blogless). It was good fun and I didn't come home empty handed. Below are the additions made to my stash during this summery September day.












Shine sock yarn by Spunky Eclectic in burning bush colorway. It looked like the perfect summer into fall color scheme and, it is indeed shiny and soft, too.
That there is a big ol' 1 bound ball of beautiful fiber from Copper Moose. The colorway is Mountain Meadow, which is just what it looks like.

Then, I purchased some lovely merino/mohair roving from Fantom Farm. Oooh, Aaah...look at those Autumn colors.



Now, why would a knitter buy all that fiber. Well, guess what, I have a new hobby...spinning. I purchased a used Louet S10 about a month ago and this is a little bit of what I've done. I am still a real fledging spinner, but I'm enjoying the process, which is pretty much how I feel about life in general.