A Thread of Interest

My restlessness has morphed into the need to learn something new. I still have the unfulfilled need to travel, but it's been stretched to include an urge to learn. As the new school year begins for the younger generation and those who teach them, I wonder if I should consider returning to school. Maybe even an on-line class or two would feed my empty mind. Last week I returned to the local knitting group. I still haven't mastered the reading of a knitting pattern, but some progress can be flaunted. Making an oven mitt with a lot of coaching, followed by completion of a second all on my own, may not seem a huge accomplishment. Still I take pride in a tiny lesson learned. So many things to learn...so little time. I mustn't waste it! Perhaps I'll do some research on cars. Ol' Abner seems to think it's time to replace mine.

Rainy Days and Rainy Nights

Rains have cooled the mountains finally after a couple of weeks of 100+ temperatures. I hesitate to complain as I have listened to my friends in drought stricken Texas lament the heat and dryness over the spring and summer. The only time I enjoy a rain event is during a good night's sleep, but I've found myself praying for the rain to come to Texas this year. Cooler days have made outdoor time in Dogpatch more tolerable, but the humidity leaves the body soaked with sweat after a few minutes outside. The dog doesn't seem to mind and delights in our longer morning walks, although I can't say the same for the grazing deer. As we stroll down the street and she strains at the leash in an effort to greet the fellow four-leggers, they scatter in panic from their breakfast. I guess they spent the rainy night sleeping too.

Oh the Places We'll Go! NOT

This summer I seem to be suffering from a bit of unrest. We started the season by cancelling a trip so I could have a minor surgery, thinking the journey would only be postponed a few weeks. That destination hasn't yet been reached. Meanwhile unplanned travel has been necessary and I'm grateful that time and means allow for the trips. Still, I yearn for a chance to visit some of the places on my list.

I want to some day take the train across Canada during the summer and enjoy the views from the high windows of the passenger cars. A night at the Chateau Lake Louise would be a must on the journey. We enjoyed a delightful lunch there several years ago, and I knew I wanted to spend a little more time in the beautiful hotel on the turquoise lake. Ol' Abner listens to me sigh as we have seen the cost of the rail ride quadruple in price since my first suggestion that we plan for this vacation, but it isn't high on his wish list. Hmmm

A night or two in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis would be an easy weekend or mid-week outing for us. I want to go when it isn't so miserably hot in the river city so we can stroll down Beale Street and listen to the musicians. With a niece and nephew living there, we would have knowledgeable tour guides to steer us into the little places of local flavor. We did the tour of Graceland and loved seeing all the Elvis memorabilia many years ago, but I'm ready now for a bit of historic Memphis sans Elvis.

A few days in Nashville, Mobile, Savannah, or Fredericksburg might be a salve for my wanderlust. Ol' Abner says we live in the vacation destination for many people and doesn't feel the urgency to see the places I want to go. I keep dropping hints and sometimes make the overt request to his distracted ears, so far it's just not happening. Maybe I'll just plan a trip to London!