What happened to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor is nothing new. As horrific as that is to contemplate, I think that everyone either already knows that, or is for some reason, living in denial.

For my part, I am trying to listen more, learn more and do better. Confronting systemic racism head on is the only hope we have of defeating it.

If you haven’t already seen this video of Kimberly Jones, I’d encourage you to watch it in its entirety. Her words are incredibly powerful. (Profanity alert: she does say a few “bad” words).

As for knitting, I am making progress on Flow. I’ve finished the back and am working on the front. The only modifications I’ve made to the pattern are to leave the shoulder strap stitches live so that I can join them with a 3-needle bind off, and I’m adding about 2 inches to the length.

I’m enjoying knitting with the Vivara. I love the color, and it is soft with a wonderful drape.

Interestingly, my “startitis” seems to be under control lately, and I’ve been completing one project before starting a new one. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying searching through patterns on Ravelry as I plan my next project.

The current fodder for my daydreams is a single skein of Vivax. It’s 1,050 yards of lace weight bamboo.

I’m leaning towards the Flora Cardi which is a lace-edged, open front cardigan. My only reservation is that I’m not sure how this colorway looks knitted up. If I end up deciding it won’t work for a sweater, I’ll probably knit a rectangular shawl.

Besides knitting, I’ve been reading, listening to podcasts, and working on a few small projects around the house. I’m running almost every day and doing yoga at least 3 or 4 times per week. One exciting thing that happened is that I saw my first Painted Bunting! I was out for a run early one morning and saw it sitting on a fence at the edge of a pasture. I tried to take a photograph, but it flew away before I could get my phone out. They migrate to northern Mexico during the winter months, but are here in Texas during the spring and summer. Apparently, they spend most of their time hidden in brush and foliage, but during breeding season males will sometimes perch out in the open. I’ve been keeping an eye out, but so far have had no luck spotting another one.