January 9, 1965
I worked on Dad's vest today and it's almost finished. He's a lot more grateful about it than Bob is about his.I want to meet the Beatles! And not just for a few minutes - for life. To be their friend and have them come visit me when they come here, especially George. But V is more in my reach. I like him. He's so smart and cute. Boy! What a doll!I want so much to meet him, but I can't even get up the nerve to say "Hello". But I smile - at his back.
January 9, 2006
Was I ever that naive? Here's proof. I stopped believing in Santa when I was seven (reluctantly -- my mother told me the truth because she decided I was old enough). But at 15-nearly-16 I could daydream that somehow, someday, I would meet the Beatles. Not only would I meet them, but they would instantly recognize the coolness that had escaped the notice of my entire high school.
The experts say that teenager's celebrity crushes are an important bridge between romantic fantasies and real relationships. At the emotional level, there was little difference between my longing for George and my longing for V, except for the daily agony of passing V in the hall.
Ah, the vests! I made vests for Christmas for my father and brother. Actually, I bought the pattern and fabric and wrapped those up for Christmas, and worked on them during January. Bob's was a double-breasted dark blue wool; I think it reversed to tan corduroy, but memory is hazy. (And there's no point in asking Bob; he's further gone than I am!) Dad's was a red plaid single-breasted style -- I even fitted it on him, matched the plaids and did welt pockets. Sewing was one of the few things I did with absolute confidence, and usually did well. There was something absolutely magical about taking a flat piece of fabric and transforming it into a three-dimensional object.
January 9, 2023
This has not changed. I love to learn how things are made, I love learning how to make things, and I spend hours a day happily making things. In high school and college, it was sewing. With a bit of initial instruction from my mother, I was able to make most of my own clothes for the next ten or fifteen years. As an apparel design major, I learned how to draft a pattern and tailor a jacket. Mom also taught me to embroider. Dad’s wartime French mistress, “Aunt” Madeline (what a family!) taught me to crochet on one of her very rare visits. I taught myself knitting, origami, macrame, and pop-ups. I’ve also learned quilting, spinning, and weaving. Half of my bucket list is things I still want to learn to make. These days, I spend 3-5 hours a day knitting, usually while listening to a podcast or audiobook. My latest obsession is Fair Isle knitting, often in the colors of the Maryland flag. (Which is the best state flag. No discussion.)
In the words of Alfred North Whitehead:
“"…the secret of happiness lies in knowing this: that we live by the law of expenditure. We find the greatest joy not in getting, but in expressing what we are. There are tides in the ocean of life, and what comes in depends on what goes out. The currents flow inward only where there is an outlet. Nature does not give to those who will not spend; her gifts are merely loaned to those who will not use them. Empty your lungs and breathe. Run, climb, work, and laugh; the more you give out, the more you shall receive. Be exhausted, and you shall be fed. [Our] gladness is not in taking and holding, but in doing, the striving, the building, the living. It is a higher joy to teach than to be taught. It is good to get justice, but better to do it; fun to have things, but more fun to make them.”