Number Six

Lydia,

Oh my goodness, congratulations on the house! What an amazing opportunity for you guys. I bet the new space will be a nice change and having a yard will be so much fun for Sunny and Olga. I can’t wait to hear your plans for the place! And hopefully the carpet cleaner works well for you.

How nice that the girls have so many cousins to grow up with! Having family members close by can be such a huge blessing. Alder and Poppy don’t have any cousins but they get a lot of fun, quality time with our family and we all enjoy being together.

That’s so funny that you’re getting into a crochet project again because, as it happens, so am I. Eliza and I just recently went yarn shopping and I found some surprisingly great yarn options, some that were organic cotton and a wool yarn that still smells like sheep! I’ll be working on a blanket with the wool yarn and some cute crocheted berries with the organic cotton yarn. 

There were SO MANY acrylic yarns at this store. Apparently acrylic yarn is designed to mimic wool and cotton which is why it’s a popular choice for yarn.  I knew it was synthetic and little more than plastic but I had no idea it’s made from petroleum and coal based compounds. The more I learn about man-made fabrics, the more I want to avoid them…

The Chaos book you’re reading sounds really interesting. I, like many, am fascinated by these types of stories–cults, true crime, etc. I listen to a podcast where the host digs deep into the lives of many of these people and often these nightmarish serial killers and cult leaders had really heartbreaking childhoods. Of course, a hard childhood doesn’t excuse any of their actions as adults, but it does make me wonder how differently things might have gone for them had they not experienced so much trauma in their earliest days. 

I sometimes wonder what my kids will be like as adults. Who doesn’t? It’s wild to think that these two silly, sweet, precious kids are going to be venturing out into the world one day in the not too distant future. I think of my own childhood, the traits I’ve had since my youngest days, the things I enjoyed since I was practically a baby that have remained interests and passions into adulthood. What will Alder and Poppy hold onto from these days? What will be different? I look forward to seeing them grow but love seeing the amazing little people they are now. 

I’m off to start crocheting some raspberries. Wish me luck!

• - Janie