Party slideshow

For Halina's 9th, she and three friends went to LoveJoys Tea Shop in the city, then home for some games like who can put on the most socks in 60 seconds, race to unwrap the tiny gift in the big package (with socks on your hands), and limbo, with Hallowe'en candy prizes for all. The birthday slideshow is here. Check it out.

The last day of eight

This sleeping beauty has her last day of being an eight-year-old tomorrow.

Here she is at less than a year. I remember when I took this picture. I was sitting in a kitchen chair, holding her, feet on the table. She'd fallen asleep against me and she looked so lovely. I had the Nikon within reach and took some shots blind, pointing the camera in what I guessed might be the right direction, hoping to capture some of this sweet contentedness. I can almost feel it, the weight of her head on my chest. The soundness of her sleep.

The end of the scarf

Halina began this scarf almost two years ago. Last week she reached the end. I put some fringes on. When it was done, Halina said she wasn't sure she liked it and didn't want to wear it -- the first part is so different from the last part. It was knitted on different gauge needles. Slippery, skinny, too-long needles at first, then thick, smooth bamboo needles after that. I love the way it looks and I'm glad she decided to wear it. The beginning is tight and wobbly, the end is confidently loose and consistent. In the middle there are holes and bunchy parts (hard to notice). It's like strata in rock formations that tell a story of time, materials, and conditions. For almost two years now, when she has been hunting for things to do, she might knit a row or two on her scarf. Row by row, she got to the end.

It's the beginning of so much that she'll be able to do.