Friday Quote Day

Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy,

for it means pushing back a boundary line

and adding to one's liberty.

~Henri Frederic Amiel

I do believe there will be difficulties to conquer this weekend, for millions of people along the East Coast of the United States, as Hurricane Irene makes its way north. I pray for the safety of all those affected. Power will surely be knocked out, debris will be flying about, services everyone depends on will be unavailable. I hope the acute effects will be short-lived.

We're probably not going to get a drop of rain from the outer fringe of the storm here in southern West Virginia. I have to admit, a drop or two would be a good thing. It's hard to remember how much rain we had in May, now that the August drought is upon us.

In other news, my hibiscus finally bloomed and it's unbelievably gorgeous. There are dozens of buds on the plant. Two are fully bloomed, and a third should come out tomorrow. I can see the plant from the kitchen window in front of the sink, but it's more fun to watch it from the porch, sitting on my ass.

(Apologies to Facebook friends and those who keep up with my photo blog, as you'll see this shot, as well as a close-up, there as well.)

In other other news, I've been listening to an audiobook called Fat Girl: A True Story. I'm having trouble getting past the food porn in it. The author lists foods she's eaten and foods her obese father ate over and over and over again. I wonder if she just needed words to fill up pages the way she needed (needs? I'm not finished with it.) food to fill up the hole she felt when her parents divorced. (It's only a five-hour listen; most of the audiobooks I've "read" have been in the 10- to 12-hour range.) I feel like a voyeur, but I can't stop listening.

Also tying in with today's quote: Women's Equality Day. (How come this special day didn't get a Google doodle?) The 19th amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote, was passed on this day in 1920. The holiday was created in 1971. Many thanks to the women who fought for this no-brainer early in the 20th century. Hard to believe this was ever an issue. But the Tea Party unbelievably wants to make voting rights an issue right now; there's still a lot of justice to go around.

Finally, I started knitting a sweater for myself. Of course I changed the yarn and therefore had to change the numbers, but it's a very simple project. I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece at a normal gauge, to make a solid pullover that I won't have to supplement with a tank top. The pattern is a free download from Berroco and would be perfect hurricane knitting, if you happen to be in Irene's way.

Have as good a weekend as possible, won't you?