No one walks here

I will have to say that I didn’t miss the noise from the cicadas who blasted my eardrums last year on my walk from the hotel to the Sharonville Convention Center. They were ugly, noisy and literally all over the place. From the grounds to the bushes to the road to the new programs – literally all that you could hear.

This year, instead, we have heat. The high today was 34*C. But back to the walk. To get to my stitching retreat (cross-stitch folks, the replacement handcraft from knitting since the pandemic. After all, I live in California now. Exactly how many wool sweaters, socks, and shawls do you think I need? Anyway – it is 2.9 km (1.4 miles) according to Google.

StitchCon is a Thurs afternoon-Sunday noon stitching retreat hosted by Keepsakes – the local needleworks store. I was here last year and had a good time and jumped at the opportunity to return. So, for all of you who asked – that is why I am in Cincinnati. Even with yesterday’s flight challenges, it just might have been an easier trip out than Amtrak was last year (complete with delays, bus bridge, and running for the train in Indianapolis followed by a middle of the night Lyft ride and checkin. Even with yet another time zone change, I am less tired.

Of note – out of ~ 300 attendees there are seven of us masked. And yes, I counted. Starting with noontime registration and ending with various announcements at 1900, I made good progress on The Ferret – starting here

and finishing here –

completing the ferret’s body and tale, more greenery and the cottage. Down to the last 1200 stitches (1350 completed today) I just have leaves, one more huge yellow flower and a bunch of those annoying five stitch scattered mini-flower things…

Oh – on my walk over? The ONLY people I saw out of cats were the construction workers on lunch break from the re-do of the interstate access roads. They most sensibly were under the freeway bridge. On the way back? There was soccer practice at the local school district’s sports complex.

About Holly

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!
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