Leaping Lizards

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A week or so after Lizard passed, one of my friends told me I would find him when I began doing again the things we loved. Another friend told me to watch for signs that he might be near.

I will be candid. I have not heard or seen Lizard or felt him near. I wish I could, but I also realize my task might be to walk by faith. And I'm doing the best I can. Yet, I have looked, listened and paused quite frequently in search of any kind of sign he might be near. I'm kind of to the point that I don't actively search for him anymore because it's too disappointing. I now try to be grateful for the time we had, strengthen my faith and live worthily that I can be with both him and my Savior again one day.

I saw lizards in Lizard's mother's backyard on Mother's Day. That was an annual thing for the last five years, I think. We began making Mother's Day trips over there as soon as it was safe to travel again after we were all vaccinated. The trauma was still so fresh this Mother's Day, seeing the tiny little lizards doing their pushups made both Lizard's mom and me cry. The little lizards are not unusual for her. She sees lizards about nine or ten months out of the year.

I first got back on my bike about six weeks after Lizard passed. It took that long. And I didn't really want to ride then. But I had no choice, unless I Ubered, which I didn't want to do. I was dropping off my car for routine maintenance, and I didn't want an Uber charge on top of whatever the car was going to cost. So, I rode my bike home from the shop. In the rain. I cried almost the entire way. I told everyone who asked that the sky cried with me the whole way.

I'm really thankful now that I took that first ride. It enabled me to get back on my bike. I'm typically riding twice a week now. I've been up Waterton several times. I've seen some great wildlife. But no lizards. Which is not typical. (And no bears, which is just my extreme wishful thinking...)

Until last week. My sister-in-law has been riding with me at least every other week, just to get me back on my bike, but she wasn't able to ride that day. So, I went alone. We had planned to do a different trail than either of us had ever done, but because I was going to be on my own, I decided to ride up Waterton.

I saw nothing on the way up, which isn't that unusual. On the way down, I passed a baby snake in the middle of the road. I circled around for a photo, then used my front bike tire to encourage it to get out of the middle of the road so it would not become a pancake under someone else's wheels.

Suddenly, a very large lizard charged right at both me and the snake!!! The lizard was a little bigger than the snake. I thought I was in for a showdown! I was so shocked, I didn't even think to get the camera ready.

I didn't know who was going to eat who! They were staring at each other, and the lizard kept looking at me, then looking at the snake. Finally, after just a few seconds, the lizard scampered off behind me.

I looked it up when I got home. Snakes will occasionally eat lizards, and lizards will sometimes eat small snakes. That was just fascinating to me. It still is, really. I've never seen anything like that before, and I feel what I witnessed was better than a documentary, even though nothing happened. Just to see two completely different species face off like that!

After I got the baby snake safely across the road (after one cyclist who didn't see it nearly did run over it caused it to jump about two feet in the air... I'd never seen anything like that before, either), I asked Lizard out loud if this means he was there with me. I felt kind of bubbly inside.

All the rest of the way down the canyon, I kept wondering if the lizard was a sign.

At the bottom of the canyon, another large lizard ran across the road right in front of me. I wondered aloud again if this was a sign. Was my Lizard with me? Did he know I was thinking of him?

Then, out of nowhere, five planes flew overhead in formation. Like they were practicing for an air show. On a Tuesday! There were no air shows I knew of. (I did learn Colorado's 150th birthday was last Saturday, so perhaps they were practicing for that.) Lizard would have been overjoyed!!!

I asked God without praying. I think I said something like, "That has to be a sign. Lizard would have loved to see that. He HAS to be near."

I was still happy inside, so I'm going to believe Lizard either knew what I was doing or knew I was thinking of him. He knows I'm trying hard, and he knows I'm trying to be more faithful, and that makes me feel so good.

This week I realized I waited 45 years to find my Lizard. I can't wait to see him again, but I know from experience, I can wait. He was worth every minute of waiting 21 years ago, and he's worth waiting for now.

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Snowflake Monday

I liked the little heart points on last week's snowframe so much, I decided to use them again on today's flake. We're going to have an ornament party for Operation Ornaments in about a week, and all of my snowflakes from this year will be donated to wherever they need me to send them. Because each of my snowflakes will be going to a different family, I don't mind that lots of them have hearts. Spread the love.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

Finished Size: 4.75 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Angel Heart Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in ring, [ch 3, 2 dc in ring] 5 times, 1 tr in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of tr just worked, 5 dc in each of next 5 ch 3 sp, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 3: 1 sc in gap between 5/dc groups directly below, [sk next 2 dc, in next dc work (2 tr, 2 dc, 1 hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr), sk next 2 dc, 1 sc in next gap between 5/dc groups] 6 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 4: Ch 10 (counts as 1 trtr and [ch 5), sk next 2 tr and next 2 dc, in next hdc work (1 dc, ch 13, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 7, sk next sk next 7 ch, sl st in next ch, ch 1, 1 dc), ch 5, sk next 2 dc and next 2 tr, 1 trtr in next sc] 6 times, omitting last trtr of final repeat; sl st in 5th ch of starting ch 10; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: I've been stiffening my flakes with undiluted, full-strength water soluble school glue for quite a while now, and I've been squishing the glue onto and throughout each flake with my fingers (yucky mess!!!) instead of gingerly painting the flakes with glue. Yes, it's a mess. But it's faster. And stiffer.

Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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Dios de Amor

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Better Than Expected

I decided to use my scrappy ball of cotton avocado-dyed yarn along with three strands of wool avocado-dyed yarn to make another gift basket for my Etsy shop, and I absolutely LOVED the texture. But, there wasn't enough scrappy cotton yarn to finish the project. I frogged the entire piece and started over.

I used two of my cotton avocado-dyed balls of yarn along with three new strands of wool to create both bottom segments of the basket, then used the frogged scrappy yarn and wool for the sides.

The basket sold within minutes of me posting it on social media. I couldn't wait to show it off because I was so proud of what I'd made. I hadn't even filled the basket yet!

I made, among other treasures, three scrunchies from different colors of the wool yarn. One of the hair elastics I use as a base busted after I'd already bound off the scrunchie. I was devastated. I found some skinny elastic in my stash, and I painstakingly wove it through the first round of single crochet with a smaller crochet hook than I'd used to make the scrunchie. I managed to salvage the scrunchie without having to frog. Thank heavens.

I'm trying to finish up the rest of the contents, and I think I'm going to have to start soaking a heck of a lot more avocado pit- and skin-dyed yarn because I keep getting more and more offers for the basket! I haven't even listed it my Etsy shop yet! Who knew I could create something so popular?!?

Linking up with Alycia Quilts.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Healthy Breakfasts

For the last seven years (until mid-April), I prepared fresh fruit to add into plain whole Greek yogurt for Lizard every single morning. Because whole milk is good for Parkinson's. Bananas are very good for Parkinson's, too. Yogurt is good for the digestive tract, which can get really messed up by Parkinson's. And, fresh fruit... well, I'm not sure you can get any healthier than that.

Lizard had experienced digestive tract issues for years. Once he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, it was proposed he'd probably had it for years, long before I met him. With a ton of research and his willingness to adapt his diet and eating habits, we eventually cleared up all digestive tract issues within about 18 months of his diagnosis. He never again experienced the nagging digestive symptoms that absolutely torture so many people with Parkinson's. His doctors were amazed, particularly since everything else about Parkinson's kept advancing so aggressively.

We bought our dairy products through a local farm, which delivered in the middle of every Wednesday night. They stopped carrying whole yogurt two weeks before Lizard went into the hospital. I finally found a source for plain whole yogurt similar to what we'd been purchasing through the dairy a few days before Lizard went into the hospital. One of the containers (along with a gallon of fresh dairy whole milk) never got opened.

I was able to donate the milk to a new mother. (I drink almond milk. I even used to make my almond milk every week!) The yogurt sat in the fridge until about three weeks ago. I finally decided I'd better eat it before I had to throw it out.

At about that same time, I'd pulled what I thought was spaghetti sauce from my garden from the freezer to go with macaroni I was cooking. After thawing the unmarked container, I opened it to pour some on my whole wheat noodles and caught the first drips just in time. It was homemade spiced apple sauce from my neighbor's tree about two years ago. They and our neighbors on the other side hadn't had any apples since, and not because of late freezes. Lizard and I put in a pair of apple trees early this spring, hoping to help pollinate our neighbors' trees on both sides next year. (We learned we were supposed to pinch off all the blossoms this year so the tree can focus on root development, but, a late season deep freeze took care of that for us.)

I had hoped to one day grow our own apples for Lizard's yogurt, pies, cobblers, bread and empanadas, one of his favorite evening treats. I thought about all those treats as I pondered what I'd put on my spaghetti (store-bought jarred from the food storage sufficed). I decided to make some empanadas, which Lizard's sister enjoyed with me last week during our Tuesday bicycle ride. She was thrilled with the healthy treat.

I used some of the homemade applesauce in the yogurt and finished it off. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed eating yogurt in the mornings with Lizard. Made me miss him a bunch, too...

Last week, I discovered Greek almond yogurt at the same merchant where I'd bought the whole milk yogurt. I'm enjoying it this week with pineapple, mango, peach, ginger and cinnamon. Next week, I plan to enjoy some more with cherries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. The whole milk Greek yogurt isn't on my menu anymore, but that almond yogurt has earned a permanent space in my fridge.

Lizard's favorite yogurt was with fresh blueberries, but I'd also stocked the food storage with frozen and freeze-dried blueberries so I'd always be able to treat him, no matter the economy or world situation. We'd bought a new mature blueberry bush, too, the same day we bought the apple trees. I'd tried blueberry bushes in the past, but none ever survived the winter. The late freeze this season left me with three blossoms, which have now become blueberries. It would not have made a complete bowl of yogurt for Lizard, but I can supplement with what I have in the freezer for me.

I am so thankful Lizard is whole again. But I miss him so much. I'm hoping one day I can sit tearless in the quiet living room as the sun comes up and smile as I enjoy my new healthy yogurt or any of the wonderful things I made for him and remember him.

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Snowflake Monday

Today's snowframe was inspired by one of the light fixtures inside the temple the week of my 21st anniversary. The snowframe didn't turn out exactly as I pictured it in my head before I began crocheting (and I did frog several times in an attempt to achieve what I could see in my head), but I like it. It's very different.

I finished the flake in the back seat of my best friend's car as her husband drove us home after we hiked to the top of Little Mountain (a baby peak, a mere 400 feet in elevation gain, but winding up at 10,000 feet at the summit), my first climb in several years. I am SO out of shape. But my friends are teaching me it's okay to keep living. There is nothing to feel guilty about. And it's what Lizard would want me to do.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

Finished Size: 5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Resilient Snowframe Instructions

Ch 36. Taking care not to twist work, sl st in starting ch.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of next 3 ch, ch 2, [sl st in each of next 2 ch, ch 2, 1 dc in each of next 4 ch, ch 2] 5 times; sl st in each of next 2 ch, 1 sc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 2: [Ch 4, [1 tr in next dc, ch 1] 4 times, ch 3, sl st in same dc as previous tr, ch 2, 1 sc around next joint between petals, * ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch of next ch 2] 6 times, ending * on final repeat.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 3: [Ch 9, 1 fptr around next tr, ch 3, 1 fptr around next tr, ch 12, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, ch 7, skip next 6 ch, sl st in next ch, ch 1, 1 fptr around next tr, ch 3, 1 fptr around next tr, ch 9, 1 sc in next sc] 6 times; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: I've been stiffening my flakes with undiluted, full-strength water soluble school glue for quite a while now, and I've been squishing the glue onto and throughout each flake with my fingers (yucky mess!!!) instead of gingerly painting the flakes with glue. Yes, it's a mess. But it's faster. And stiffer.

Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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