Not So Focused

Focus, for me, was brief. There I was, cruising along, having finished first the back and then the Left Front of my Drops Jacket, when I was sidetracked by a kids' bulky jacket design idea. I wound a few skeins, crunched a few numbers, knit a few rows, and so, I'm kind of focused on 2 things now...

Well, 2 main knitting projects, then there's the dealing with another stinking stomach bug waging war with my children's digestive systems, waging my own wars on dust and clutter, starting some flower and vegetable seeds, a little embroidery project, and staying on top of the learning that goes on around here from day to day.

As a part of that learning, we went on a little adventure this Tuesday. Drat! I just remembered that we forgot to get a pic of the kids in front of the "controversial" Mary Tyler Moore statue. Oh well, guess we're gonna hafta go back to Macy's someday...

Tuesday was Family Day at the annual Macy's Flower Show in Minneapolis. I suppose the most 'educational' thing there was the Wollemi Pine.

Fun Facts about the Wollemi Pine

• The Wollemi Pine is one of the oldest and rarest ancient plant species in the world.
  Only a select few researchers are permitted to see the Wollemi Pine in the wild.
• Members of the public can view the propagated plants at select locations in Australia, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Japan and Taiwan.
• Macy’s Spring Flower Show in Minneapolis is the only public place to see the Wollemi Pine on display in the U.S.
• The Wollemi Pine belongs to the 200 million year old Araucariaceae family. Its cousin is the Norfolk Island Pine.
• The Wollemi Pine narrowly escaped extinction. It is known from fossil records and presumed extinct until it was discovered in 1994 by a bushwalker in the Wollemi National Park.
• Dubbed the botanical find of the century, the Wollemi Pine is the focus of extensive research to conserve this ancient species.
• The oldest Wollemi Pine type fossil dates back 90 million years and it is believed that the Pines may have existed since the Jurassic period 200 million years ago.
• Before the Pine was rediscovered in 1994, it was presumed extinct for around two million years.
• The Wollemi Pine is named after the Wollemi National Park, the location where the Pines were first discovered in Sydney’s Blue Mountains.
• The Wollemi Pine is characterized as a conifer with attractive, unusual dark green foliate, bubbly bark and sprouts multiple trunks.
• The Wollemi Pine’s scientific name is Wollemia Nobilis.

Source: Wollemi Australia Pty Ltd.

Seeing a plant that rare was pretty cool, but I do think the much larger than life flamingos truly did steal the show.

How cool are they?! Fun stuff, almost as fun as the ladies twisting balloons into various shapes on the 4th floor (somebody was thinking when they planned this event, placing the kids' events in the FAO Schwarz toy department...)

My kids are really pretty good about not whining and begging for every toy that strikes their fancy, but my 4 yr old was overcome with love for the big red dog.

I was able to dodge that bullet with a couple pics of them together, you know, for posterity's sake. No more stuffed animals- have I mentioned I'm decluttering? No stuffed animal is safe with me these days...

Okay, now onto that Right Front, I want to wear this thing next week!

Happy knitting-

ali