58

Mama, I need a bottle of water for the zoo. Because of the heat visor.

What's that, baby?

There is a heat visor, so I need to bring extra water for the zoo.

I walk away envision the sun wearing a hat.

It's 58 F at the vacation destination and Little Clover has been counting down the days. The first words out of his mouth this morning were the number of days left until our flight, our flight away from the southern summer heat. A cold rainy front is moving in keeping the temperatures below 60 F, which means the majority of the clothes we are packing are sweaters, corduroys, and jeans. I felt rediculous trying on corduroys while the temperature outside was 95 F, but it was also a bit exciting. I'm tired of the heat and am looking forward to being a little cold outside. I want to wrap my feet in knitted wool socks and pull a sweater tighter around me. The thought of a cold breeze against my chin brings a chill to my body. I wish I had finished Italian's sweater for the trip. Unfortunately, it will stay home waiting for us to return. It's just too important to be packed way with the risk of being lost in luggage limbo.

Instead, other wooly things will be coming with me. Misti Alpaca sport weight in white will come with us. It will be a polar bear for Little Clover and his souveneir from the trip. A ball of KnitPick's Yukon has also been packed. It will become a pair of socks for Italian. Finally, a skein of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece made it's way into the suitcase to be knitted into the Pea Pod for a new cousin. Italian joked with his mom that we don't need to bring any hats. He said that I could just whip one up if we needed it. Hmm, that may mean I'll have to find a yarn shop to buy some yarn. Darn.

Book Report

If you haven't read The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, go get it. I downloaded the book and see myself listening to it again. Martha Plimpton did an excellent job with the narrative, changing her voice as she conveyed the development of the character's as they move through the story and the years. I'm not sure if I love the story as much as I do because I have a personal experience with Down's Syndrome, but I enjoyed every minute of it. The story was touching without being trite and the parallel between the two families was very well done. The conclusion of the story is not exactly abrupt, but the end is not a full resolution. Rather, the end of the book is a new phase of the story.