It Bloomed

How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!--Thomas Wentworth Higginson

The rest of Canada laughed at us while we struggled with Island snow last week. Wet, heavy snow that just won't move with the shovel, so wet that, even if you can drive in it, you dare not go out for fear of someone else crashing into you. It is not my favourite, it is no secret.

But, as is the way of winter no matter where you live, the weather warms and the sun comes out and the water begins to trickle its way to the sea. I had to stop and watch this little waterfall during a walk this morning. There is something comforting about seeing things doing the things they always do:

This week, I learned that there are some silver linings in the world. After last week's orchid disaster, the sprig of orchid buds that broke off the plant that I've been working on for the past three years actually began to bloom in the little glass I put them into:

I never thought I'd see it bloom, and it certainly wasn't the way I thought it would happen, but I finally have a blooming orchid in my house:

Perhaps that's another reminder of life's lessons: things tend not to work out the way you thought they would. And maybe that's ok.

We went out for lunch at Duncan Garage Cafe and Bakery yesterday. It's one of my favourite places to go for lunch because they serve the most amazing vegetarian/vegan and gluten free meals. I'm not vegetarian/vegan or gluten-sensitive, but I appreciate how creative and healthy these meals tend to be, so delicious and so indulgent, even though there's not an animal fat in sight. Even the hubby begrudgingly comes along because there are a few things even he enjoys.

Anyway, while we were there, I got up to go to the restrooms, and on the way back, I stopped to look at the community bulletin board. I'm very lonely these days. Moving to a new workplace means that I have a real lack of familiar faces. I was searching for something interesting to go to, a group I could join or an event I could attend. A lady was standing next to me, scanning the board at the same time.

Suddenly, she said, "I'm looking for a knitting circle."

And I said, "Oh. I don't know of any around here."

And she said, "Do you knit?

And I said, "Yes, I do. I knit. A lot."

And she said, "Maybe I should start my own knitting circle."

And I said, "Ok."

And then we looked at each other a little longer, and I said, "Maybe we should exchange numbers."

So we did. I don't know if that was just a passing thing or possibly the most awkward start of a friendship I've ever had, but time will tell.

In the meantime, I am still working on my epic cobweb lace project. It is moving at a glacial pace, so slowly that I didn't even bother taking a photo of it this week. My eyes are straying to other skeins of yarn, and I think I may succumb and start something else. This might be the strongest test to my knitting monogamy ever.

I'm off to go stare at my orchid a bit longer. Have a good week.