WORTH READING

 I got this email earlier this week, and finally had a chance to read it.  I don't know who actually wrote this, but it's worth a read.  I don't know if it's even true, but it's worth the read!  I cried when I read it, and hope that true or not, it touches someone enough to see that life is what you make it, and if you think violence or torment is the answer, then you have no life at all.

CARL
Carl was a quiet man. He didn't talk much.
He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake. 

Even after living in our neighborhood for over 50 years,
No one could really say they knew him very well. 

Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning.
The lone sight of him walking down the street often worried us. 

He had a slight limp from a bullet wound received in WWII. 

Watching him, we worried that although he had survived WWII,
He may not make it through our changing uptown neighborhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs, and drug activity. 

When he saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers for caring for the gardens behind the minister's residence, he responded in his characteristically unassuming manner. Without fanfare, he just signed up. 

He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always feared finally happened. 
He was just finishing his watering for the day when three gang members approached him.
Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked,
"Would you like a drink from the hose?" 

The tallest and toughest-looking of the three said, "Yeah, sure," with a malevolent little smile. 

As Carl offered the hose to him, the other two grabbed Carl's arm, throwing him down.
As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, Carl's assailants stole his retirement watch and his wallet, and then fled. 

Carl tried to get himself up, but he had been thrown down on his bad leg.
He lay there trying to gather himself as the minister came running to help him. 

Although the minister had witnessed the attack from his window, he couldn't get there fast enough to stop it. 

"Carl, are you okay? Are you hurt?" the minister kept asking as he helped Carl to his feet. 

Carl just passed a hand over his brow and sighed, shaking his head.
"Just some punk kids. I hope they'll wise-up someday." 

His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose.
He adjusted the nozzle again and started to water. 

Confused and a little concerned, the minister asked, "Carl, what are you doing?"
"I've got to finish my watering. It's been very dry lately," came the calm reply. 
  Satisfying himself that Carl really was all right, the minister could only marvel.
Carl was a man from a different time and place. 

A few weeks later the three returned. Just as before their threat was unchallenged.
Carl again offered them a drink from his hose.

This time they didn't rob him.
They wrenched the hose from his hand and drenched him head to foot in the icy water. 

When they had finished their humiliation of him, they sauntered off down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, falling over one another laughing at the hilarity of what they had just done. 

Carl just watched them.
Then he turned toward the warmth giving sun, picked up his hose, and went on with his watering.

The summer was quickly fading into fall Carl was doing some tilling when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him.
He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches. 

As he struggled to regain his footing, he turned to see the tall leader of his summer tormentors reaching down for him. He braced himself for the expected attack. 

"Don't worry old man, I'm not gonna hurt you this time." 

The young man spoke softly, still offering the tattooed and scarred hand to Carl. As he helped Carl get up, the man pulled a crumpled bag from his pocket and handed it to Carl. 

"What's this?"
Carl asked. "It's your stuff," the man explained. "It's your stuff back.
Even the money in your wallet" "I don't understand," Carl said. "Why would you help me now?" 
The man shifted his feet, seeming embarrassed and ill at ease. "I learned something from you," he said. "I ran with that gang and hurt people like you we picked you because you were old and we knew we could do it But every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn't hate us for hating you. You kept showing love against our hate." 

He stopped for a moment. "I couldn't sleep after we stole your stuff, so here it is back." 
He paused for another awkward moment, not knowing what more there was to say. "That bag's my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess." And with that, he walked off down the street. 
Carl looked down at the sack in his hands and gingerly opened it. He took out his retirement watch and put it back on his wrist. Opening his wallet, he checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment at the young bride that still smiled back at him from all those years ago. 

He died one cold day after Christmas that winter. Many people attended his funeral in spite of the weather. 

In particular the minister noticed a tall young man that he didn't know sitting quietly in a distant corner of the church. 
The minister spoke of Carl's garden as a lesson in life. 
  In a voice made thick with unshed tears, he said, "Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can. We will never forget Carl and his garden." 

The following spring another flyer went up. It read: "Person needed to care for Carl's garden." 

The flyer went unnoticed by the busy parishioners until one day when a knock was heard at the minister's office door. 

Opening the door, the minister saw a pair of scarred and tattooed hands holding the flyer. "I believe this is my job, if you'll have me," the young man said. 
  The minister recognized him as the same young man who had returned the stolen watch and wallet to Carl. 

He knew that Carl's kindness had turned this man's life around. As the minister handed him the keys to the garden shed, he said, "Yes, go take care of Carl's garden and honor him." 

The man went to work and, over the next several years, he tended the flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done.

During that time, he went to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the community. But he never forgot his promise to Carl's memory and kept the garden as beautiful as he thought Carl would have kept it. 

One day he approached the new minister and told him that he couldn't care for the garden any longer. He explained with a shy and happy smile, "My wife just had a baby boy last night, and she's bringing him home on Saturday." 

"Well, congratulations!" said the minister, as he was handed the garden shed keys. "That's wonderful! What's the baby's name?" 

"Carl," he replied. 

That's the whole gospel message simply stated.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  For those who do not celebrate this holiday, I wish you well today.  I am thankful for all my readers, you mean the world to me.  Your kind comments keep me designing.  You don't have to celebrate this holiday to be thankful/grateful, so I hope that you all have lots to be thankful for. 

In my yahoo group, we are celebrating the holidays early, each person who joins in has the chance to win a themed package.  This was the prize package I sent to our Thanksgiving Winner, Donna.  The owl basket was done with two strands of yarn held together.  It is pretty big and cute! 

I also did this scarecrow basket with two stands.  you can find the pattern on Ravelry, search for Scarecrow Basket

Aiden had to go to the drs last week, he shouldn't look this happy!  LOL

Crochet Humor

Hooks & Humor: Funny Crochet Definitions
by Cindy Long

Do those crochet terms and abbreviations have you stumped? Read on...  

Pattern: A set of written instructions that may or may not result in creating the object in the picture. Most patterns include a list of supplies, but this is for your amusement only. After all, Amazonian Rhesus yarn in smoky turquoise does not exist, and cannot be obtained. Patterns also have fun-to-do math problems, such as 1 dc in next 7 dc (34 dc made)…?!

Yo: Yarn Over, meaning you need to wrap your yarn over your hook. Of course, this assumes the yarn doesn’t split, fray or tangle. If this happens, yo then stands for, “Yell Outrageously.”

Dtrtrc: Double-treble-treble-crochet. This is a stitch where you yo four zillion times, insert hook in stitch and pull through the next two loops, repeating until all loops are off the hook, or until the end of time, whichever comes first.

Reverse sc: This stitch is the lefty’s revenge on all of us righties—for once we have to work backwards, too!

Catalog: A dangerous device that hypnotizes crocheters. It lulls them into a catatonic state, causing them to spend the family’s grocery money on patterns and yarn. It may also be an evil plot to cause the downfall of the American economy.

Hook: A device permanently attached to a crocheter’s hand. It is also connected to her blood supply, and if for some reason it becomes dislodged from her hand, she breaks into a sweat and starts to feel faint. If the hook cannot be immediately replaced, the only valid substitute is a catalog (see above).

Yarn: The only reason sheep farms still exist! It’s also what crocheters buy when they have money; if there’s any cash left over, they buy food and clothes.

Doily: This seemingly innocent item looks like a table protector, but if someone actually tries to put a wet glass or an ashtray on it, the creator will instantly turn into a snarling Doberman. Use doilies at your own peril.

Cat: A non-mechanical device used for unraveling afghans, unwinding skeins and keeping one’s lap warm. A cat requires daily maintenance in the form of light stroking.

Dog: Another non-mechanical device that is used for chasing down balls of yarn and putting tooth-mark engravings in wooden hooks. It’s a high-maintenance item that does not store easily.

Baby: A valid excuse to crochet something.

Housework: An ancient rite that was performed by some B.C. women (Before Crochet). Historians believe it may have had something to do with a device called a “vacuum cleaner,” which was kept in closets now occupied by yarn.

 
What a busy month so far!!  I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week.  I am looking forward to it though.  I am pretty sure we have all we need for it.  (I hope) 

I was worried we wouldn't have any leaves this Fall with the heat of the summer we had, but just look at the piles!  3 are from the yarn alone, one is from the driveway, and the other is from that little area by the road.  5 piles of leaves!!  Austin got into trouble last week, so part of his punishment was to rake the front and back yard.  Well he couldn't do it this weekend as the wind was just awful!  So Monday he did this, and even raked the neighbors yard as well.  I think our neighbors are great, but I also had an ulterior motive than just being a friendly neighbor, I didn't want her leaves blowing into our yard!  LOL  We still have the back yard to do, but that can wait.  It gets so dark so fast, and with Austin coming home so late from school. 

We had a great weekend though, Austin marched in the Veterans parade with JROTC, Aiden and overslept because I had been up with him most of the night.  (he is sick)  But we did get up in time to make it the parade with about 15 minutes to spare. 

After that, we went to the grand opening of the Train Show in town.  Aiden liked that, I like the smaller scales, I think they are cute!  Other than that, we visited with friends, and mainly just relaxed. 

Austin joined the high school swim team, they had their first practice today.  I am so proud of him joining up.  I want him to enjoy high school, and enjoy all the things he can get done.  He is doing so well in JROTC is moving up in rank and now with Robotics over, he is doing swim team.  I just had to go to Dicks sporting good to get him a swim cap and nose plug.  I need to get him another pair of swim trunks, but the ones they need start at $40.  So I got one pair, and will get him more later this week or next. 

Aiden is doing really well too.  He had to go the dr with a nagging cough......he has been sick on and off since Halloween.  He has the croup!!  Hopefully it eases up! 

Well I hope those of you who signed up for the Symbols of Life Crochet a long are enjoying it.  Remember there is a Ravelry group as well. 

HALLOWEEN IS OVER

Aiden was so excited about Halloween starting.  We took him out, but he started saying his tummy hurt....and when we got home, he was really sick.  He was out of school two days, running a fever, not able to keep much down.  He didn't really start to be back to normal until Saturday evening. 

Spiders!!!!

 Anyway I am just glad he is feeling better.  This is a short update, I have much to get done tonight, both online and with some designs.