October News

Hi Everyone,
     It's hard to believe I've been retired for two years already.  I must say I do miss the people but in no way do I miss the job.  Our lives change, when we retire, so we write new chapters in our book of life.  Tom and I stay busy but now it's with things we like, not have, to do.
     This past weekend Tom, friends and I went to the Oil Festival in Hawkins.  They had a bake and craft sale, for The Methodist Women, a great band named Spruce Hill (I hope they come out with a cd so I can listen to them all year) and Martha and The Holly Lake Cloggers.  The clogging was awesome as usual!
     Some of our upcoming events here will include a duck race and Fall Carnival on November 5th.  On December 4th  the Holly Lake Fire Department (Hook n Ladder) will sponsor Christmas in the Pines.  We all will be so busy planning for the holidays.
     You all should check out my Artfire studio (http:hollyknittercreations.artfire.com) for my new Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving items.  My new items are done in the beautiful colors of the season.
     I hope everyone has a beautiful day.  It has started to rain here and we are truly thankful for it.  Make sure you check back for my next post.

Sharon

Celebration

Labor Day weekend was a special celebration with a visit from both of our kids and their families.  Tom and I were celebrating his 60th birthday and everyone came to help him celebrate.  We also celebrated Connor's 7th birthday.  Eric, Maria, Gage, Ryan, Lizette, Connor and Collin were all here.  Having all of our children around made it a great day for Papa Tom.  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs,  went to the park and had a great time enjoying family.  Thanks guys for a special weekend!

We have another event to crow about, Connor got his gold belt in Karate!  Woo hoo, go Connor!  We are so proud of him.

I have been busy knitting for the studio on Artfire but am working on a couple of old projects and hope to get them done this Fall.  I just chase rabbit trails (smile) and find something new to knit or crochet for the studio.  Watch my studio for new hats and scarfs for Winter (coming soon, I hope).

Happy knitting and find a good book to read.  One of my favorite authors is Susan Whitted Albert.  Her books are a light read with information and mystery thrown in.  Check her out if you haven't read any of her books. 

Summer Camp Grandpa

Hi Everybody,

This Summer has flown by!  We had two weeks of fun with our two older granchildren.  The first week Gage, our ten year old grandson, came for Basketball Camp.  He had a ball (oops punny) and even won awards!  He had our friend's grandaughter, to do things with, so he wasn't alone and it took some of the pressure off Tom and me.  It's been a long time since we've had young children in the house but we loved every minute of it.  We took the kids swimming after camp, most days, and Tom taught them how to throw a tomahawk.  The second week, of Camp Grandpa, Connor ( now seven) came for Music Camp and Gage stayed on.  Having the two of them was fun but interesting at times.  Tom and I were going at quite a fast pace!  We had to get them to Music Camp in the morning, swimming lessons in the afternoon and tomahawk throwing too.  Oh, I don't want to forget Bingo and other fun events at the firehouse.  As I said, we had a blast with them but were exhausted by the time they left!

I did get some knitting done while the boys were here but now I'm back to talking on the phone and knitting up a storm to fill my Artfire studio.  My studio now has catagories so it is easier to search for the items you're looking for.  Well back to work and I'll talk to you soon.

Sharon

Fourth of July Weekend at the Lake

Saturday morning the Holy Lake Fire Department had their annual Fourth of July waffle breakfast (yum) and then a ceremony to christen their new fire truck.  Truck 846 arrived several months ago,  from Virgina, but they waited until this weekend to christen her (I assume it's a her).  The christening was done with a "wetdown"  done with two tanker trucks.  Sorry, just water folks, no champagne!  About 15 minutes before the ceremony we had a fire call and all the guys left for the grass fire which delayed the wetdown.  It was worth the wait and the water felt so good after standing in the heat.  Congratulations to the Holy Lake F.D. for 40 years of great service.  These people are an awesome group of volunteers!

My next adventure was going to bingo at the H.L.F.D.  I try to go every Saturday night.  If you've never been you should try it, it's a real treat!  Besides bingo they have homemade cakes and brownies, hot dogs and lots of fun.  Kids can play if accompanied by their parents or grandparents and they bring the fire truck out at half time for the kids to play on.  It is great PR and the children love climbing all over the truck.  There were no winners at our table this week but we have fun trying.  Several years ago the fire department purchased bingo cards in Braille and large print for those of us who need them.

At church on Sunday we had a special treat.  The Bell Choir performed and it was just beautiful to listen to.  This was a wonderful way to start a patriotic Sunday. We skipped the fireworks, because of the extreme heat, and left it for the younger folks (smile).

There was so much going on this weekend from a Veteran's picnic to the Fisherman Club's hotdog and hamburger cookout.  Being retired at Holy Lake....priceless!

In The Dark

Last night we found out how hot it can get and how quickly with no airconditioning!  Storms caused an electrical outage and thus no electricity from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m.  Tom and I sat out on the porch and chatted, which was so nice.  It did get hot quickly and what can you do with no computer or television etc.?  I read my audio book and knitted a topper for one of the beautiful towels Mary B. embrioders for me.  Now we know how the pioneers survived.  They went to bed with the chickens and got up with the roosters!  All was well this morning and it was nice to see the lights and airconditioning were back on.

Welcome

Welcome to HollyKnitter Chat. This is my first bloggging attempt so wish me luck. What am trying to do is make my blog a center for discussion. I would like to discuss varied topics from knitting and recipes to good news. I am excited to say the Artfire studio is going well and thank you to all who have looked, purchased and commented. I could not do it without my dear husband ,Tommy (My photographer and sweetie for over 34 years), my friends Audrey, Martha and Jean (all three help me with the website, and/or trimming the items for sale and charities). I recently started a new packaging collaboration with Vicky Ritchie of Holiday House at Holly Lake. With Vicky's help I can now offer my cloths in attractive packaging. I have just added a “Chef Smiley” cloth and a cloth made with a beautiful Butterfly stitch. Vicky and I have some great ideas so stay tuned....