AG Heading to bed….August 13, 2004

Hiding from the storm, safely in Mommy’s closet.

Five years ago today I sat in a partially boarded up house.  It was only partially boarded up because my husband was having to spend all his time getting his employer ready for “impending doom”.  But no worries…. we were not in the big ugly part of the “cone of destruction” for Hurricane Charley.

Within an hour, everything changed.  Storm changed course and took a new route.  Everyone that had left the Tampa area fearing death and dismay (thanks to the weather wonks) and headed to Orlando was now in the direct path of the storm. And so were we.  And the little harmless Cat 1 storm had decided to gain some muscle….and was now a Cat 4.  Not cool.

Hurricanes don’t scare me much.  I’ve sat through many.  Drove to work in one. Even sat through one all alone when I was just 14 (long story) but this was different.  I had a newborn at home and I lived under a big bunch of huge trees.

One thing had not changed: waiting for hurricanes is a boring task.  Weather Wonks take over the T.V. stations providing not news but jibber jabber about nothing.  As a result, folks start to ignore them and that’s how they get themselves in trouble.  That night was no different…. lots of boring, lots of jibber jabber.

And when I could take it no more, I dug out a “teach yourself to knit” book that I had struggled with for years.  And seeing that my husband was just as bored as I was….while awaiting our imminent doom…. I convinced him to use his architecture and engineering brain to figure out the pictures in the book.  And, reluctantly, he agreed.

Today is my knitiversary.  Knitting has kept me sane through moves, crazy family stuff, misdiagnosis and mistreatment of my daughter and unemployment.  When I can’t just shake things off and return to the foundation of my faith, I can often sit a bit, knit and gain a bit of perspective.  Perspective that reminds me where the source of my strength really comes from, who really takes care of my daughter, and who really is the true source of our next meal.

Some folks say that knitting is free therapy.  I think knitting is more like windshield wipers… it clears the deck and helps me see things clearly.

So….Happy Knitiversary to Me.