the garden

sock friends

Knock, knock...
anyone still there?
If you are
thank you for not giving up
on this blog entirely.
The days
remarkable for their mildness
have slipped by so very quickly
that i can hardly believe it's been an entire
month since my last post.
After all
in my head, i speak with each of you
and mull over what i want to share with you
as i go along, each and every day
clueless, it seems.

i've been padding around the house, and now
i'm sitting here, trying to remember
who started it...?
Which one of us inaugurated the Commemorative Sock Swap
that some dear friends and i have enjoyed
for lo, these many years.

It started when 3 women friends and i
began our "girls only" weekend get-togethers
over the Patriot's Day observance in Massachusetts
and very often again during the sugaring season.
(i like this photo)

One of us arrived at one of those early sleep overs
with colorful, jazzy socks for each of us
which sorta described our group sensibilities perfectly.
Over the years
we've all given and received all sorts of crazy footwear.
i'm going to guesstimate that the number is
now well over a dozen.
Once upon a time
i could open my sock drawer and recall each weekend with each pair.

Life, of course
changes everything
naturally, inexorably
and now we are scattered across the continent
so we won't be gathering in the tree covered hills
of Massachusetts for sugaring season this year.
But
we remain forever connected
naturally

 

 

Which is why i adore my Christmas present from "Jules"
the daughter of Jeannette
the very dear friend who invited us all to that
very first Thanksgiving get-together
which gave birth to treasured, life-long friendships
that have made all the difference
and, of course
lots and lots of joy.

October

and i'm standing in clover

A Public Service Announcement: Teaching Old Socks New Tricks

It was one of those moments of serendipity when a very good idea comes to mind while performing a mundane chore on one of those very cold afternoons. I was folding my laundry when I came across a favorite old funny pair of soft, woolen socks that had seen much better days. "I should toss these out," I told myself. But I hesitated, like I so often do over socks made from wonderful, warm, soft wool that are--save for one little spot on the heel--perfectly fine. And yet, that one little thin spot made them useless for protecting the back of my heel in my winter shoes.

A few hours later, I was back at my desk, typing away on the computer with cold hands and wrists--like you, I keep my thermostats down to save on the fuel bill. My hands were getting cold and stiff in the less then balmy room...and I kept tugging on the sleeve of my fleece pullover, trying to cover my wrists that always seem exposed. I was growing more miserable by the minute...But how can one wear gloves and type, or write, or dial a phone?

That's when the idea came to me: those soft, old warm socks could live a long and happy second life as "wristies"  ... keeping my hands and wrists warm while I work on my computer, read a book in the evening, or knit a new sweater.

I grabbed the scissors, pulled the socks from the rag draw and in 5 minutes I had warm hands...and what a difference it made for the rest of my day!

It's hard to explain just how much warmer I felt all over, once my hands and arms were warm--and how much easier the workday goes by when I feel comfy instead of chilly and cranky.

Try it and you'll agree: warm hands make a happy heart!

To make your own: cut about 2 inches off the toe of an old warm sock--but be conservative--you can always trim off more if they are too long.

Next, cut a small slit in the center of the heel for your thumb. Don't bother binding off the cut edges--unless the fabric tends to unravel easily. (Click on the image to view a larger version if you like) I have been using my "new" wristies for a couple of weeks now and I still have not bothered to bind off the cut edges. The cut edges are just fine...just a few loose threads that are easily dispatched.

Yes, these are funky, but they make winter work so much more tolerable that I would not hesitate to wear them out and about when needed.

Don't have any old socks to recycle? Just type "wristies" into your favorite search engine...and you'll find lots of choices.