Two Months?!?!?!

Once again, my brother has reminded me that I haven't posted here for a looooong time. That must mean that I've been busy, right? Between weaving, knitting, and driving 'Grandmother's Taxi', I do keep busy. I drive about 300 miles a week, much of it care for and transport my great-grandchildren. They're worth it.

On the weaving front, I've woven a small scarf for 2-year-old Violet and an adult-size one for 13-year-old Rose, and I am working on a shawl for the prayer shawl ministry at church. Violet's is currently with Lexi, who is braiding the fringe for me. It is pink, and Rose's is red and black (school colors). I just realized that I don't have pictures of either of them.

The shawl is several shades of gray, a long rectangle, suitable for a man. I don't know how I'm going to finish the ends - short loose fringe? knotted fringe? twisted fringe? I guess I need to talk to some men. I'm doing this, plus one that I'm knitting, because the parish nurse said in the parish newsletter that more shawls are needed, particularly ones suitable for men.

And of course, I'm always knitting. In addition to the shawl mentioned above, I'm currently working on a baptismal blanket and a hat. One project that I have finished recently was a special request from Lexi. Last fall for one of the "dress like a . . ." days at school, her costume included a shawl I made several years ago. One of her teachers made such a fuss over it that Lexi asked me to duplicate it for the teacher. I gave it to Lexi a few days ago; don't know when she'll give it to the teacher.

The weather has not been bad this winter - no snow. BUT there has been a lot of flooding. Paducah has had the gates in the flood wall for a few weeks, and many roads in the area have been flooded. In mid-February we had a little ice storm - not nearly as bad as ten years ago, when I lost electricity for three weeks. Fortunately, the electric company had been here the day before trimming trees away from the lines. They took out one limb from one of my pine trees, that I had been concerned about for a year or two. Then the storm broke off another large limb from that tree. That one didn't endanger the power lines. I need to get someone with a chain saw to cut it up so we can burn it.

Then on March 14 there were a couple of tornadoes in the area. I had a luncheon at church that day, and also some errands in Paducah. I was checking emails when the power went out about 9:20. There had been a few flash-flood and tornado warnings, but I decided to head out anyway about 10. About ten miles from home, just after I turned onto US62, there was a "Water over roadway' sign. There wasn't actually water on the road, but it was lapping at the shoulder. (If you are familiar with KY roads, you know that the shoulders on 2-lane roads are about 6 inches wide.) About 7 miles later, I saw a house with about 1/3 of it's roof missing and a lot of trees down, and people starting to clean up. Another 1/4 mile and each lane was blocked by a vehicle. The drivers were trying to move a good-sized tree from the road. I was able to back up and get onto KY726. In about two miles, I turned right on KY286 and shortly got back on US62. But, in about 3 miles, traffic was stopped. The vehicle in front of me finally pulled up enough to back into a driveway and turn around. I did the same and turned onto Gholson Road, following its curving route up to US60. Smooth sailing on 60 until the edge of Paducah. Then a fire truck was blocking both east-bound lanes of the road, and I could see utility poles leaning at about a 60-degree angle. I made a couple more turns and got back on US60, but the traffic lights were out until I was east of I-24. Finally made it to the church for the luncheon, and one of the women told me I had followed the tornado. It did a huge amount of damage to a large church, as well as to a vault company. There is a preschool/day care in that church, but they have drilled on their tornado plan, and followed it that day, so the kids and teachers were all safe. Just before it hit the church, it lifted a large, metal grain bin, rolling it across the road, along with a tractor-trailer. The truck driver had some minor injuries.

The daffodils have been blooming for about a month, and now the forsythia and Bradford pears are in full bloom. I've even seen a few dandelions, and my flowering crabapple is showing a lot of green. Soon it will be dogwoods and redbuds.

Lexi gave me the dates in April and May that the high school jazz band will be playing at a couple of restaurants and the mall, so that's a few more trips to Metropolis and Paducah. Then on May 17 she will be graduating from Massac County High School. Unbelievable! She will enroll in the University of Kentucky this fall. In fact, on Thursday, she, her mom and I will drive out there after Alyssa gets off work and spend Friday and Saturday morning at an orientation-tyoe event. That should be interesting.