I have the most marvelous hat. Friend Karen, an expert knitter, made it for me and brought it when she and Al came for their 62-hour visit. I didn’t tell her that I looked for one for two years after we moved here. I settled for one, which was better than nothing. John and I walk in rather cold weather (this season once at 0 F or -17.7 C). I have plenty of hair, but not enough to keep scalp and ears warm. I clapped this gift on my head to model it for her. If rain had not been pouring down two mornings, she would have gone walking with us to the creek on those days. I would have proudly worn this precious hat. After those rainy days and a morning of heavy wind, I finally wore it for real. First, though, came a photo with Nathaniel’s lowered mirror to show the back.
The creek is a mile away, and the temperature was 26 degrees (-3.3 C). My face wasn’t pinched with cold, even though I stopped to talk to neighbor Marla.
Wearing a hat made for me with loving hands is like having head hugs. This experience is like nothing else, AND it will last a long time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Karen.
Jonathan Creek wanted to strut his stuff, so here is his photo showing high water after the rains.
Mehrling Muse 
I love the hat and it suits your complexion. What a marvellous friend, to give you exactly what you wanted. She loves you so !
Do you have so many books at home ? Wow ! I love that picture.
The creek is beautiful as usual.
LikeLiked by 2 people
No, I don’t have that many books. John does. He is a book owner; I am a book borrower. We have other bookcases in three other rooms — all his. I own two arm loads of cookbooks. I wear their results.
LikeLiked by 2 people
❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
The hat looks great. I love the color.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lovely color and it looks fantastic! Gifts made with love are the best!
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a lovely gift Anne 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lovely! And I chuckled at the shelves. Yep. Kindred spirits your John and I. 😉 There is a photo a few posst back called Dear Authors. That is my library (and my darling baby boy!), but I also have book shelves in every room and a book shelf around the top of our whole downstairs living area minus the kitchen. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like living among books. I just don’t want to have to dispose of them. It gives me a warm feeling to know how much you like books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The best gift ever! My husband and I downsized our book collection 3 years ago. I swear it was 25 boxes of books to the library. We still have enough to fill a good sized cabinet but try not to buy anymore. We have e-readers we both use. Occasionally there is a book you must buy, like a cookbook. That’s not the same on an e-reader! I love your comment about wearing it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
John loves books. I will say this, he refers to them and occasionally looks things up. I cannot remember his ever throwing one away. He doesn’t give them away either. You are to be commended for culling your collection.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pretty ‘n’ practical “head hug”! Cute way of putting it, lol! I think it would even keep you warm up here in Montreal! Incidentally today is rather ‘mild’ by our winter standards – 2 degrees Celsius, or 35.6 F.!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure I’d like Montreal on the winter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You might… if you like snow and ice and wind and sleet… 😬😬😁
LikeLike
I’d like to visit with you and could put up with the weather. After all, I practiced overcoming weather in NY for 50 years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True! Also let’s remember that the other three seasons are a heckuva lot nicer. And summers can get really hot!!
LikeLike
I could live without summer. I know! I’ll donate it to someone who would appreciate it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great idea!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the idea of “head hugs” … and I like the hat as well. I took the bus for decades, and a hat went on my head October 15th and off my head on April 15th … I hate having a cold head and I had a lot of hair as well. My mom loved to knit – I have some sweaters and vests she knit for me and I likewise treasure those knitted gifts. I never got the knack for knitting … I dropped stitches all the time and my mom was always stopping her own knitting to pick up mine and fix it … so I took up Pretty Punch crewel embroidery. They no longer sell it and I’ve done any embroidery (sweatshirts mostly) in years. It is good go be creative and nice to see your handiwork enjoyed by others.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My MILL taught me to knit. I finished one baby sweater 50 years ago and made an afghan. That was it. That was enough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My mom used to make baby sets – that was what she did for years. Her friends’ children, then those children had babies, and so on. I still have one baby sweater she started but did not finish. What did my mom in for any more knitting was not all the baby sets or sweaters and vests for me, (and Barbie outfits way back in the day), but she thought it would be nice to make an afghan for my grandmother … she ended up making two of them for my grandmother – she liked them so much, she made one for herself and me for our respective chairs in the den. But then she got carpal tunnel in each hand, more so in the hand she used to walk with her cane. She had two carpal tunnel surgeries and never knit again after that as she did not want to aggravate her hands further.
LikeLike
That is sad. John’s mom was still knitting in her 90s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, my poor mom had so many medical issues as a result of being hit by a car at age 11. Knitting was a relaxing hobby for her and she mostly did it while watching TV. We stopped watching TV to be quite honest about 6 or so years before she passed away. It was hard for her to sit in the low chair and I suggested we get a rigid, sturdy chair with armrests and she said that was okay. We used to watch TV and movies more often, then all our TV shows started going off the air, and in our opinion, this is just us and me now, they quit having the nice mini-series, and the Sunday night at the movies and a lot of the nice shows they used to have on TV, so we would rent movies and then we just stopped doing that. I know I am an oddity … I don’t miss TV though.
LikeLike
We hardly ever watch TV. I could certainly live without it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I could as well Anne … I wish someone would make me an offer to stop watching TV for one year for a prize as I could surely do that. I do not even long to go to the movies either as they don’t hold a lot of appeal either.
LikeLike
We are with you on movies, too. I can’t remember the last time I went to a movie theater.
LikeLiked by 1 person
For me it was 1992 … our office moved on Valentine’s Day 1992 … the movers came on Friday and Saturday and we had to go in on Sunday so we were “ready for business” on Monday morning – that was everyone, attorneys, paralegals, administrative people – we were given Friday, February 14th off to spend with our Valentines (that is how we were told we had to work on the Sunday) … it was my mom’s birthday and we went out for lunch at to see “Sommersby” at the matinee. I cannot believe what they charge for movies now … heard about it on the radio. We always went to the Sunday matinee … this was different as I had the day off. I listened to what movie won at the Oscars and I thought to myself – this is Oscar-worthy material? Or it is violent movies, or filth or drugs … I am old-fashioned in that regard, don’t want to waste time on that stuff.
LikeLike
You could pinpoint the day and hour for the last movie you saw! Wow! Our firm moved once. Once was enough! The move shortened everyone’s commute, so we were happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s good – we moved to another building so it was the same for me because at that time I took the bus. Yes, I remember that day and the movie … I don’t remember where we went for lunch … darn. Maybe Olive Garden – my mom liked their baked spaghetti and we usually went there for birthdays.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually, when I was outside I was thinking it was in 1993, not 1992. I remember that because a week or so ago, the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing was recognized. I remember that several of the girls and I went to lunch once a week and I could picture us getting off the elevator and walking into the lobby of the office after lunch and everyone was gathered around and talking about the bombing. We had just moved to the building that week and it was taller than the old building and was kind of state-of-the-art … parking underground. The old building was quite old. Anyway, I happened to remember that it was the first week there … gave us a bad feeling as there were only two tenants in the entire building. They had just completed the building at year end 1992. So, not a whole lot of security on board.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Anne – I am catching up in Reader – for some reason, only 1/2 of my comments are posting. It appears that the comment I posted on the day of waterfalls has posted, but in case it did not, this is what I wrote:
“The video and photos were beautiful – felt like I was there with you, especially the sound of the roaring water at the falls. I liked the Keys Falls in back of the B&B. North Carolina sure has some beautiful places.”
LikeLike
I did get that comment. Several months ago I had a similar problem with WordPress. I think my comments were going through, only I couldn’t see them. Hope this clears up for you quickly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you got it because it happened the whole time I was in Reader and I had two day’s worth of posts to go through. I don’t comment on everything as some people have followed me who I have no idea where they got my name/blog … one recently is a place that makes “vaping for e-cigarettes” and alot of psychologist and they post things throughout the day on tackling your fears, being an introvert, overeating, all types of things.
LikeLike
Goodness! That’s a bit much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is … and another woman who started following me sends out this abstract poetry about 15-20 times a day and sometimes reblogs other’s poetry. I confess I “like” more than I read … I do comment on some of the posts that she writes but when there is that much, it is impossible to keep up. I get behind when I write two blogs in one weekend with lots of pictures … something has to lag behind, often housework 🙂
LikeLike
Well, housework SHOULD be the first to go. I think you can keep all those posts from showing in the Reader without blocking them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny you said that as my friend Ann Marie told me the same thing last weekend – she is a former nun and never talks about her former life, except I do know she left the convent, and went to school at Wayne State University a few years I attended there, and she got a teaching certificate and went on to get a Master’s in reading (I’ve never heard of such a degree – have you?) She taught elementary school after that and retired about three years ago at age 72. She turned 75 this past December. She is a whirling dervish – always on the go and many times volunteering for activities associated with her church – teaching Sunday school; works at a soup kitchen in Detroit every Monday (an entire day) and also volunteers at the soup kitchen all holidays; she works at a nursing home as a volunteer and she volunteers to drive all the elderly people in her apartment building to doctor’s appointments in Winter as they worry about driving in the snow. She shovels out all around the cars at her apartment and shovels the walks in the early a.m. since the people who manage the apartment building don’t come until around 11:00 a.m. I should have just 1/4 of her energy. But last week I said I had gotten behind in housework as I had to work several weekends – not entire days, but it put me behind in my housework and other house tasks, plus it had been nice for walking (which also involved picture taking and blogging about it) three of the four weeks – the other weekend was the weekend of the blizzard. I said I should stay inside and work – she said the same thing in essence “never put something enjoyable aside to do something mundane like housework – the housework will keep – the beautiful weather is meant to be savored” … I am going to live by this motto since you have said it too. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.
As to the Reader posts – they are overwhelming sometimes and I don’t want to be rude to some of these people – they followed me and this is likely as they have seen comments I made on other person’s sites so just followed me for the “likes” or “comments” … I shouldn’t say this, but I far enjoy reading the stories like you have, or the woman who fell on her hand and her ducks and chickens and life in rural Michigan, or another site I found which I have to find the name and will send it to you … they are enjoyable to read about, but there are people who have followed me and they write these abstract posts which are very angst-ridden and I frankly cannot always follow what their meaning is … I look at the other comments to see how they’ve interpreted it and they all rave about the words, yet they are usually very dark words, I guess poetry, but never rhymes, just thoughts put together. Like the woman who writes so many posts a day – all these abstract thoughts … feel free to delete this from you blog as it is not nice what I am saying, but I don’t like to be rude, but there is so much angst and bitterness and restlessness in the world right now – I listen the radio news during the day to keep abreast of it and it leaves me shaking my head sometimes, it really does. I don’t want to unfollow and be rude to them, so I just “like” and read a little and make a comment. I am going to find that woman’s blog and send you the link – it reminds me of yours a little as she talks about meals, and her little farmhouse and her chickens. I do follow a few travel blogs – they are well written and the gentlemen who write them, all are Hindu, and they sometimes travel in India but mostly other places around the world. They document the travels with lots of photos and I do enjoy that as well. Sometimes I think it is me … nah … it can’t be me s you were surprised when I mentioned the multiple postings … how can you post all day long?
LikeLike
Here is the cute little blog I am following – this may have been the post that got me following Kim to begin with – it popped up in Reader for some reason – funny, I was scrolling through this post (and there have been others) and noticed her mentioning the house chores as well. It sounds homey there and she often talks about food – I commented on her lasagna post and she said “I guess you know we like to eat” … something to that effect.
https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/51131225/posts/8131
LikeLike
That was lovely.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought so too. Just a feel-good type of blog … a down-home feeling. I wish I lived in a rural environment. I am grateful for the Park as it gives me a dose of nature that is just 3/4s of a mile away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t find the post I was going to reply to. About the annoying bloggers — have you looked at settings? Beside Followed Sites, click on Manage. Go to the excessive sites and opt not to get notices of their posts. They won’t know they are no longer pestering you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess I could do that – I was feeling obligated to follow them since they followed me, but I suspect they only followed me for the follow back so it looks like more followers. I have a few people who followed me who don’t write in English … you have to translate their page by clicking “translate this page” and commenting and “liking” does not resemble what we are used to … I admit that I often don’t open it up and just press “like” … but all these people with the angst-filled poetry which doesn’t rhyme. It goes way over my head what they are saying sometimes. I’ve decided that just “liking” the post will be easier for a good majority of these people.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahh…what a beautiful gift and it looks so warm and snug on you, Anne. What a lovely walk by the creek, it looks so pretty and I bet it’s lush and green in the summer.
LikeLike
Wearable gifts are extraordinary! Yes, the creek is lovely in the summer, especially the sound of water singing through the stones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your hat is beautiful Anne. I love the color and it looks wonderful on you. Hearing about “head hugs” just made me grin.
I also had to smile about all of John’s books. I am a book lover also and find it so very difficult to give any away.
Your picture of the creek is so pretty!
LikeLike
John loves his books. One of these days I’m going to have to ask him how to dispose of them if he dies before I do. If I go first, he’ll give my cookbooks to grandson Nathaniel. Easy as pie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a beautiful hat! Those kind of ‘head hugs’ are the best!
LikeLiked by 1 person