I Think The Teapot's Leaking...

 


Last week I stopped in at Pier 1 and found a clear teapot, well, clear-ish because it has flowers painted on it but I refuse to pay shipping for a clear teapot just to brew the blooming tea that ACJ gave me for Christmas.  I managed to get the teapot washed over the weekend and this morning I brewed some tea.

At first the tea ball looks alarmingly like an owl pellet.  (link for explanation; omg, you can buy them online!)






 
Once the hot, almost boiling water is poured over the tea ball it starts to unfold until it's like a floating flower in the pot.  I confess that I haven't tasted it because I don't know if it has caffeine in it so I'll have a cup in the morning so it doesn't keep me awake.  Pretty, isn't it?  But when I went to put some stuff on the kitchen counter a little while ago the pot was standing in a small puddle of tea.  Hm.  I set it on a paper towel and will check it in the morning.

We didn't get much snow, maybe 1/2", but it was enough to make the roads slick when I drove to the Y to play with the weight and aerobic machines this afternoon.  Of course I could have, should have gone earlier before it started to snow but that would have been smart and I seem to be weighed down by a lack of smart lately.  This morning it was sunny for a short while and that's when the Bluejay came by to nab a couple peanuts before the squirrels got them all.  I do love watching their acrobatics.


 
Got the ribbing of the Keltic (name of the yarn) Beanie finished tonight and managed to figure out how to send the pattern to my Knit Companion app so I can use the app to count rows.  It's so handy and I'm sure that I'll eventually be able to use the app without frustration and some mild cussing before it does what I want it to.

22 January--Tropical Obsession. 

The low-ceilinged space was filled with the irritated squeaks of fruit bats jostling for space. Manning glared up at them to make sure he wasn't in line for any falling guano to stain his pristine khaki shirt. He had arrived at Spelonk cave an hour before sunrise, nestling in a small niche off to the side of the main cave chamber. The rising sun had revealed yellow and red ochre prehistoric paintings of sea creatures on the walls and ceiling and had also heralded the swirling arrival of more bats than he had anticipated. Their little dog snouts and translucent ears that constantly swiveled like small radar dishes, combined with their unexpectedly intelligent eyes, made him think that if he hadn't been there to disturb their roosting that they just might have talked to each other.

Today's toss was a combination of toss and donate.  My brothers are coming over on Saturday to finally go through Mom's pictures so I went downstairs to unearth the boxes and totes.  In doing so I came across two totes with things that have been there for a good 15 years without being missed so some went into the trash and others got binned up for a trip to Goodwill on Friday.  Granted I skipped over a bunch of sections of shelving to get there but I promise (cross my heart) that I'll go back to where I left off tomorrow and keep moving forward.  I am nothing if not determined.  Besides the furnace guys are coming tomorrow to do the annual tuneup (yeah, I know, kinda late but it's when they had an appointment open) so I also had to clear the area around the furnace because they tend to scold a person if things are too close to their precious equipment.  Really, they have a very proprietary feeling about "their" equipment.  When I had the guy come to check the furnace because I had water on the floor after getting a new water heater, the serviceman said, "well, it's not OUR equipment, I'm sure of it."  Not so fast, Mr. Fixit.  His tone changed quite a bit when he took off the access panel and found an inch of water in there.  Oops.  I was mature and didn't rub his nose in it.  *pats self on back*
--Barbara