Our Zoe, six years old and off to kindergarten

  Earlier in September, our granddaughter Zoe was very focused on only one event.  With Ron as he ran several errands, she announced to all:

"My birthday is next week and my Grandpa will not be there!"

She thoughtfully changed the wording to include "Grandma" when she was with me.  Very significant.  My daughter sent this photo today as she went off to her second day of kindergarten.  And wore the shrug I'd knitted and gave her at her birthday party.

The chocolate sourdough cake, large enough to  serve many, found online at Cooks.com, is  same recipe that had its first baking for my final PSU Street Art class in the spring.  The vintage cake carrier is something I long ago purchased for its fit into an imaginary, alternative life I'd never had where people used these--maybe early 20th century.   Now I can feel it is slightly integrated into my own life!

The shrug was the third one knitted from the same pattern.  Used Mission Falls 1824 Cotton on both, lovely stuff, went out of business earlier this year though some still available through diligent searches.  Earlier, made one for her three year old sister's birthday in August.  Eliana (at left in photo) immediately threw it on the floor so it is in a kind of limbo life at the moment.  Then there's the one for Roxie that we will take to New York.