Posting this mid-afternoon because until about an hour ago, all I had to share on the knitting front was a lot of stockinette. But after a few hours at the kitchen counter (listening to The Heart Goes Last), I have this

on Ravelry here

and only three more repeats of that mosaic left before I’m ready for clue 2 tomorrow. I’m calling this project “Never Say Never”:

“I was explaining to my sister that I wasn’t going to participate in this year’s MKAL because I didn’t really like knitting (or wearing) two colored shawls unless they were Georgia Tech’s gameday colors. As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I remembered that I had white & gold to knit myself a new gameday piece for the fall. Never say never!”

This is my fourth MKAL with Kirsten and the first time I’m actually using more than one color.

Earlier this morning, I also finished another book and woot! I have a Bingo!

That book was Jimmy Carter’s latest memoir, A Full Life. I completely enjoyed it and took a little more time than usual with my review on Goodreads:

A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety by Jimmy Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summer Bingo – Memoir of a US political figure.

I would certainly give five stars to the person that Carter is – his optimism, intelligence, integrity and basic decency are sadly lacking from today’s political landscape. I was too young to vote for him (I missed the 1980 election by a few weeks), or to know much first hand about the issues he faced. And I was surprised (and also saddened, given today’s politics) by how bipartisan Washington was back then. Carter had a bold agenda and managed to accomplish much of it. The book was a little choppy and I debated about four vs five stars, but ultimately decided it really doesn’t matter. So – five stars!

I listened to him narrate about 80% of the book and read along as well. I really enjoyed listening to him tell his story, but think I’d recommend the book, because it includes photographs and paintings (by him!) that add a lot to the material.

Three quotations sum up nicely what I loved about the book – and the man:

From the Introduction, talking about his four years as President:

I look back on those four years with peace and satisfaction, knowing that I did my best and had some notable accomplishments. Vice President Mondale summarized our administration by saying, “We told the truth, we obeyed the law, we kept the peace.” I would add, “We championed human rights.”

Sad, isn’t it – no President since then could say that.

From his 1970 inaugural address as Georgia’s governor:

and I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over. No poor, rural, weak, or black person should ever again have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity of an education, a job, or simple justice.

And finally, from a section titled “A Future America”, on the second to last page:

When people in other nations face a challenge or a problem, it would be good to have them look to Washington for assistance or as a sterling example.

Our government should be known to be opposed to war, dedicated to the resolution of disputes by peaceful means, and, whenever possible, eager to accomplish this goal. We should be seen as the unswerving champions of human rights, both among our own citizens and within the global community. America should be the focal point around which other nations can rally against threats to the quality of our common environment. We should be willing to lead by example in sharing our great wealth with those in need. Our own society should provide equal opportunity for all citizens and assure that they are provided the basic necessities of life.

Joining in with Kat and crew today (and looking forward to seeing what y’all are knitting and reading this week)!