Lydia Likes It

The volunteering life {when one door closes}

For the past eight years, I've been organizing a political postcarding group of 70+ writers from all around the country, friends and friends of friends and sisters of friends and new friends. We've written and mailed more than 30,000 postcards to voters, reminding people to vote, encouraging voter registration, promoting vote-by-mail. Now, with the election behind us, I feel it's time for me to step away from that project, and fill the couple of hours I spent on it every week with something else.

So, what's next? I've been considering a few things, and have talked with three different organizations about them: running a conversation group for English language learners; helping immigrants who are applying for US citizenship to practice for their citizenship test; doing one-on-one conversation with someone in Ukraine who wants to practice English.

I'm also quite keen to write another book in the spirit of There's a What in My Where?. To be honest, I've been thinking about it for close to a year, but have had trouble corraling my thoughts into a concept that feels tight. The idea I've been toying with just hasn't jelled yet. Perhaps I'm fighting against my own notions of what this book might be, and for whom I would be writing it. Time to just sit down and write, I think, and see what dribbles out.

Loopy Mango, the world's puffiest yarn

Nothing is more satisfying than knitting a super-warm, super-puffy scarf, and donating it to a shelter or to someone who is living outdoors in the winter. This season I've been having fun with a new-to-me yarn called Loopy Mango and a circular size 17 knitting needle. Loopy Mango makes cotton yarn in bulky weights and soothing colors, and wool yarn in bulky and super-bulky weights in two dozen colors from hot to cool. I'm partial to Merino No. 5, super-bulky weight wool. Three skeins make a long scarf, with only 5-6 hours of work. The "pattern" I use is quick and easy: cast on 16 stitches, K every row, cast off. If you're in the Boston area, check out Gather Here in Inman Square, Cambridge, where I buy my yarn, and watch for my scarf bombing on Boston Common. Shop online, if you're not in Boston: https://loopymango.com/collections/merino-no-5-diy.

Make photo books for holiday gifts

What's more fun than a book of photos, especially photos of your family, friends, travels, occasions and celebrations? Photo books make wonderful holiday gifts, and thanks to easy technology, anyone can make a book -- softcover or hardcover -- from photos on your phone or computer. I've done at least a dozen books over the past few years: my grandson's fifth birthday adventure in pizza-making at our local pizzeria; our log house in the Rhode Island woods, indoors and outside; a day of fun and rides at the local county fair; a collection of photo greetings for my husband's 75th birthday. My favorite app is Motif, which works seamlessly and easily with Apple products. Others I've researched, but haven't tried, include Chatbooks, which works with your phone; Shutterfly, which has many style options along with designer help; and Mixbook, which features lots of layouts. You can add text and photo captions to your book, which makes each creation one of a kind. The perfect holiday gift, don't you think? (I posted about this in the Spring, but now seems like a good time to get going on a new project!)

Mail-in ballots

When I first became eligible to vote, back in the Stone Age (on my 18th birthday), there were two ways to vote: in person on Election Day, or by absentee ballot. In order to qualify for an absentee ballot, you had to promise to be absent on Election Day: away from home (at college, in the military, etc.), or planning something more dire, like a hospital stay or traveling for work. Thank goodness things have changed! Now you can vote early in person or with a mail-in ballot, like the one I receive for every election in Boston (despite the fact that I live only two blocks from my polling place). Some states send them automatically to every registered voter; other states require a sign-up (often online). No excuses necessary! Fill out your mail-in ballot at home and send it in by the deadline, or drop it in a ballot box or at a local election office. Easy peasy, so there's no excuse for not voting.

Scarf bombing

Do you live near a great fence? Is that fence in a park, or in front of a community center or shelter or food pantry? Is there a fence around your house of worship? Now that it's officially Fall, it's time to plan some scarf bombing. Ten years ago, scarves appeared around the necks of famous statues in Ottawa, Canada, on a chilly January day. Each scarf was tagged with a note that read: “I am not lost! If you are stuck out in the cold, take this scarf to keep warm.” It was later revealed that some university students were behind the good deed. The incident went viral, and is part of a movement now known as “scarf bombing” — leaving handmade scarves in public places to warm people up during the winter months. The scarves are typically tied around fences, benches and railings, and are especially intended to support those experiencing homelessness. In downtown Boston, where I live, there are areas in Boston Common where homeless men and woman congregate, but also where lots of tourists and students walk by. I'm going to start making scarves (they might be knit or crocheted, or cut from fleece) and tying them on fences near me. If you'd like to join me, please let me know.