"You can't make old friends"

In the fall of 1970, I began teaching at Gorham High. I had two years of teaching under my belt, but switching schools, in addition to being a bride of only two weeks, made the transition to a new school very difficult for me. I remember going to school in tears a few mornings as well as returning home at the end of the day in tears.

My lifesaver that first year was David. David was also a new teacher at Gorham, also with two previous years of experience, but his previous two years were in Kentucky, while mine were in Maine.

David and I became quick friends. We shared our struggles as we tried to fit in with  a new faculty and a new student body.

David had left a girl back home to come to Maine. Her name was Norma. The summer after his first year at Gorham, David returned to Kentucky, married Norma, and brought her to Maine.

David and Norma became our (Ken's and my) closest friends. We spent many weekends together exploring southern Maine. Norma and I, both new brides, shared with each other the challenges of being wives, cooks, housekeepers, and workers outside of the home.

Dave and Norma stayed in Maine until June 1973, when they decided to return to their homestate, Kentucky.

I was devastated to see them go. I've always taken goodbyes hard, but parting with such good, solid friends was difficult. Luckily Ken and I had just purchased our first home, so I had that distraction to keep me occupied.

We have kept in touch with Dave and Norma over the years. They made two trips to Maine in the 80's; we visited them once in the 80's.

Although we hadn't seen them in person since the 80's, we've maintained our frequent phone calls, letters, and now, email.

David and Norma came to Maine for a visit last month.

I was nervous to be spending time with them again. Would we still find things to talk about? Had any of us changed?

My fears were put to rest the minute they appeared in our driveway. They were the same; we were the same. It was just that forty-something years had passed since we'd first met.

We started gabbing immediately and didn't stop to draw breaths until they left.  What a wonderful experience to see two long-time friends again.

A new knitter...and some new needles

We have a new knitter in the family. Violet's great-grammy would be so proud of this seven-year-old.

When Violet visited us one weekend in late August, I showed her how to do the knit stitch only. That seemed to be enough for a learner to tackle before moving on to more complicated maneuvers with knitting needles.

Well, she went home and devoted herself to mastering the knit stitch. Her mom gave her lots of support by purchasing additional needles for her and by, herself, learning to cast-on for Violet's benefit.

Violet visited us again last weekend, bringing along her knitting needles and yarn. We sat down for another lesson. This time I showed her how to purl, knit two together, do a yarn over, and cast off. She loved seeing an actual pattern emerging as she knit one row, purled the next, knit 2 together followed by a yarn-over across the next row, and purled the fourth row. I also showed her how to read a very simple knitting pattern and how to keep track, with a pencil, of the rows being completed.

She caught on immediately. In fact, when she got up early Saturday morning, she immediately tackled her current project. I said to her, "Violet, Are you knitting?"

"No," she replied, "I'm purling."

Such a stickler for details!

She worked steadily on this four-row repeat the entire weekend.

Later on Saturday the three of us decided to go to the Montsweag Flea Market for one last visit before it closes for the season.

I wasn't terribly excited to go, because I find the Sunday vendors to be more interesting than the Saturday vendors, but I agreed to go, and Violet was excited to tag along with us.

Lo and behold, I struck it rich: a set of Boye Interchangeable Needles, new in their case, for $4. I couldn't believe it. I almost felt guilty taking them home for a mere $4. Boye Interchangeables retail for anywhere between $60 and $90.

Once we got home, Violet immediately looked through my yarn stash, selected a partial skein of purple yarn, helped herself to my new purple size 4 Boye Interchangeables, and asked me to cast on 25 stitches for her. She said she'll work on this new project the next time she visits us.

I didn't have the heart to tell her one chooses one's needles by their size, not by their color. That lesson will hold off for awhile.