Here’s what I packaged up to send to Iraq. What you can’t see underneath is a bunch of knitting needles in sizes I had duplicated, several yards of cotton and flannel fabrics, a case of sewing threads and needles, a cloth tape measure, a box of pins, etc. I was going to mail it yesterday, but my husband reminded me an APO package of this weight has to go to the counter, and our post office doesn’t have counter hours on the weekend. So the dear man is going to mail it for me first thing on Tuesday.

We’re having a quiet long weekend here, except that my parents have come to visit with their 10-month-old Labrador so there’s a good deal of enthusiastic dog wrestling with a soundtrack like feeding time in the bear pit. The weather has been wetter and windier than we’ve had in a long time. I’m organizing the Woolery, vowing not to buy yarn for a long while, watching the Vuelta a España, drinking tea, and trying to finish Mr. G’s new sweater. (One sleeve to go, plus a bit of surgery to lengthen the body by an inch or two–Meg Swansen’s trick of casting on a sweater body provisionally so you can check the size once it’s assembled and then knit down to the hem would have served me well here.) There’s been some light cookery as well. Here’s a picture for John, who told me he likes the vegetable posts:

Last night’s dinner was artichokes with lemon butter, roasted Brussels sprouts with butter and fresh sage, and sautéed rock fish for them as eats it. All locally grown, and the fish caught by Mr. G or one of his relations a few weeks ago on a deep sea fishing excursion. (Photography by my dad; food styling by my mom. Tea towel with embroidered owls a birthday gift from Marika.)

Yesterday I sent Molly a message to say she’d won my little contest, and today I had a message back:

Hi Sarah – I’m tickled pink to have won your contest, even if by default!  That being said, I have a little proposition for you…did you happen to see the blog entry on Mason Dixon about the “Iraqi Bundles of Love”?  I really like this idea, such a simple thing to do – and who doesn’t need to clear out some space in that sewing/knitting drawer?  (or in my case, closet)  I don’t know if you have time to do this, they must mail out by next Tuesday, but if you do and you think it’s something you’d be interested in undertaking, why not include my prize in your package?

Molly rocks. I had seen the Mason Dixon link, but I was only skimming the blogs during lunch that day and didn’t go investigate the project further. The link is here.  Basically, a man who’s deployed in Iraq and has been visiting the country since 1994 is collecting all kinds of sewing, knitting, and quilting materials to put into the hands of Iraqis. The deadline is right around the corner–I’m planning to mail my bundle on Saturday–but there are great instructions on the IBOL blog and it won’t take long to pull some things from my excessive stash and package them up. It’s all going to an APO address (you have to leave a comment in the IBOL blog to get the address) in an $11.95 flat-rate box. Apparently there’s also someone in the Netherlands collecting bundles to forward from Europe. I’ll take a picture of what I’m putting in and post it here! And if you’re intrigued, consider this a nudge to do the same!