Squirrel Upside-down

Today was a squirrel day at the feeders.  This one squirrel claimed them all and spent quite a bit of the day chasing off invaders.  He was very adamant about his ownership of the suet pellets, especially, but also the suet cakes.  It's a good thing the peanut wreath is empty or he'd have been trying to hog all three.

It was another dreary and windy day today.  I didn't walk.  I sat around like a slug looking at my yarn on Ravelry (the fiber website) and then going downstairs to try to find what I had selected.  It seems I'm not the record keeper I thought I was since two of the yarns were no longer where they were supposed to be.  But I found some yarn to knit (of course I did) and got this Preemie Hat done at Friday Night Knitting tonight.  All I have left to do is cut the yarn, draw it through the stitches on the needles, and then weave in the ends.  To all intents and purposes it's done.

I got the box of Christmas for the Kentucky portion of the family all organized this morning and will put it out on the porch for the mailman to pick up tomorrow.  Those flat rate boxes sure make it easy to ship stuff.  All you have to do is go on usps.com, fill out a form, pay, and print the label, then they'll pick it up when you say it'll be ready, and off it goes.  Easy peasy.

11 December--Barbara Malcolm, The Seaview. 

            As soon as we reached the shade of the bougainvillea that covered the archway into Sydan's courtyard we stopped.  Our bodies drew together like magnets and our lips met in a passionate kiss.  I felt Iggy's hand cup the back of my head and I leaned into his muscular chest.  My hands slid around his waist to rest on his shoulder blades, drawing him closer.  The heat between them made me gasp.  When our lips parted, we were both breathing hard.

            "Maybe we should go inside," I said.

            "Mm-hm," he said.  His hand guided me ahead of him through the arch and into the darkened courtyard.

            I was glad that no one was sitting at the nearby tables so no one saw us.  I jumped when a voice came from the darkness at the far end of the courtyard.

            "Rose, Iggy, come join us, it is a fine night.  Come look at the stars.  Share some wine."

            I stood rooted to the spot, Iggy pressed to my back.

            He leaned to whisper. "We can go or stay, your choice." 

            I shivered at the warmth of his breath on my ear.  I turned slightly to whisper back, "I don't think I'm ready to brazen it out and just go into my room."

            His hands tightened on my waist.  "Then let's go share some wine and visit with Anne and her guests."  He took a step which propelled me forward too.

            "Iggy, I have not seen you in ages," Anne said. "Rose must be keeping you busy."

            Iggy held out a chair for me and pulled one close for himself.  "Well, sister, the Seaview has been neglected for too long so there is a lot that needs to be done."

            Anne handed us each a plastic glass of wine.

            "Thank you," said Iggy.

            I sipped my wine and said, "Thanks.  I'd forgotten that you two are brother and sister."

            Iggy rested his palm between my shoulder blades.  "Yes, we are some of the many Solomons on Anguilla.  How are things at the school, Anne?"

            I sat back and listened as Iggy and Anne caught up on family news.  I was disappointed that our evening had been interrupted but relieved that I didn't have to make the momentous decision of whether to surrender to my desires or not just yet.

            When Iggy stood to leave, pleading tiredness after a long day, I walked with him through the archway and out into the shadows.  There he swept me to him and gently but firmly kissed my lips.  I felt the heat of him and his strength and was tempted to invite him to my room, prying eyes be damned, but didn't.  When he broke the kiss, his lips lingered on my forehead.  "Good night, Rose.  See you in the morning."

            I held him tight for a second and then released my grip on his arms.  "Good night, Iggy. Pleasant dreams."

            As he walked down the dark road toward his truck I heard him say, "Indeed."

Today's toss was a cruddy box of old, rusty kitchen utensils that used to belong to my mother-in-law.  Trust me, these were no collectibles, they were filthy and disgusting.  Why did Durwood keep them?  Because they were his mother's, that's why, the sentimental old coot.  Sometimes I think that men are more sentimental than women.

I shouldn't have made the Party Mix.  I can't stop eating it.  It's a good thing that I've given most of it away.  The scale will definitely go the wrong way on Monday, I guarantee it.  Bah.

--Barbara