"War will exist until...."

This was the THOUGHT FOR A DAY in my "A Word A Day" email today (they usually come from somebody whose birthday is on that date), and seems quite apt for Memorial Day:  

"War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today."

John F. Kennedy, 35th US president (29 May 1917 - 22 Nov 1963)

Today I attended a service at the local community center, at which the featured speaker was from the Wounded Warriors Project.  Before going, very early on a rainy morning, I set out to post some "art abandonment" type of items inspired by a tag posted to the Random Acts of Crochet Kindness group on Facebook.  A friend told me about it, and I think they do cool things, and I found the USA group as well.

  

I made two dozen (because the tags provided by the group admin are six to a page) coasters or mug mats and put each into a zipper bag, then tied them to the arms of benches the local Veterans Club built and had installed around the community and on the walking paths. 

Later in the day I saw one was taken; I haven't been out to check on the others.  Because of the rain, people may not be out and noticing as they would on a nice sunny day.

I'll end today's post with this poem, often read on Memorial Day:

42 Books

I meant to post this yesterday, on Towel Day, but time got away from me.

Somebody in my new community has a daughter who teaches at a local school in a low-income area and they wanted to collect books to send home with the children for the summer.  The children can keep the books and hopefully it encourages them to be readers.

While I was on the trip to Texas a couple weekends ago, I thought of going to a local resale shop that I love to support (and which is harder to support at a distance) to see what they have.  I figured the books might be a dollar each and it would be a way to support two charitable activities in one go.

I'd picked up a couple books at a local dollar store, but the majority are from the Support Your Troops Resale store in Plano, Texas:

If you count there are only 41 - I realized after packing them up
to deliver that I still had one in my briefcase because I decided
to read it.  I focused on older children books as I thought many
people might buy or donate Dr. Seuss and other beginner books.

At the store, I found this set, and couldn't bear to part with it, so it's joined my personal library:

I have restored the set to numerical order.

The resale shop sold the books for less than a dollar each, and I told them it was too little, so when I paid I gave them some extra.  They do really good things for veterans and their families.  When we went I brought a pair of Irish mugs and embroidered mug mats from a gift basket I won at North Texas Irish Festival in 2020, as a donation to the shop.  I do not need more mugs, and I'd left them at my friend's house thinking I would be back soon and donate them then.  Well, it took a bit longer than expected.  The lady at the desk, to whom I gave them, said she might take one or both to a friend of hers and I said she is welcome to do so, I hope they bring pleasure to whomever own them next.

EDITED TO ADD THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL:

A HUGE THANKS to all the folks who donated books to our school book swap!! Thanks to the generous donations from this neighbourhood as well as other community groups, we were able to provide at least 3 free books to all 400+ students.

We were also able to provide books to all of our teachers to help build their classroom libraries.

As of Friday, we now have a Little Free Library in front of our school, which we were able to stock with donated books as well.

Three theaters

This week I had a department onsite meeting - we do these about once a quarter - and went a few days early to enjoy visiting with friends in DFW and thereabouts, and of course seeing some theater.

I was doubtful about a tall Eve, but it really worked!

We threw popcorn, got RickRolled at the dance break, and
thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Huzzah for melodramas!

Silly, but entertaining - and the butler did NOT do it!

I also participated in a workshop on Saturday.  Originally it was scheduled for April but when they rescheduled I realized it was this weekend, and I could attend:

We are doing the "Lady Walks" scene from the Scottish Play.
In order, Lady M, Doctor, and I am playing the Gentlewoman.

I wanted to take this because as I am participating in more and more productions (next up:  "Julius Caesar") I want to be more comfortable performing.  And after taking the workshop, I want to participate in a production based upon the text in the First Folio, not a translation!

This meant we didn't have a day for museums or yarn shopping, and I was OK with it.  After the move, I am well aware of how MUCH yarn I have.

We ate at a few favourite locations:  Ali Baba in Richardson, the Red Truck Café in Plano, and I made a couple stops at Sweet Hut for breakfast items and then for lunch:

What they call "Salt & Pepper Chicken", medium heat.
I think of it as karaage with fried Thai basil.  YUM!  😋

I learned about #MeMadeMay just before I left on the trip, and instead of a theater T-shirt I took the top I finished last year.  While it's not practical for me to wear all the things I've made for myself in May, in part because some are completely weather-inappropriate for this time of year, I am going to try to wear more than one or two.  I received a number of compliments about the top on Saturday.

If I remember next year I may try to wear something I've made every day, but given that most of what I make are cold-weather items, that's not terribly practical unless I am some much chillier place next May.  I have time to plan.  Or to make more items!

I Restarted a Shawl

I finished the Reyna Shawl:

That one took about two weeks to make.  Then I started a different pattern with the remaining two balls, but did not like how the thick-thin of the Berocco Topaz yarn worked with the pattern, plus having a lace pattern on every row instead of every other required more attention than I could guarantee, and it was getting fiddly.  I frogged the shawl and restarted with something simpler:

Yes, it mostly looks like a lump of garter stitch, but there are large holes on the edge.  You can see a bit of them in the lower right.  I took this photo after I used all the frogged yarn so it appears tidier than it was.

I don't have too much more to report.  My mother and I went to Florida to visit my grandmother last weekend, as it was my grandmother's birthday.  It took her a bit to realize we were really and truly there, but once she did it was a lovely visit.  I gave my grandmother the blanket and she was overcome - how soft, all the colours!  She grabbed it up and hugged it, and kept rubbing her face in it while we talked.

I am so glad I didn't mail it to her, but was there to see her joy at receiving the gift!