Soup Doctor, Stat!

As you can probably tell by the post title up there, yesterday's soup wasn't the triumph I had hoped.  It was blandblandbland as written so I tried to perk it up with salt and some sauteed onions.  Still pretty meh, so I stirred in some Five Spice Powder.  Well, that took over all the tastes so I let it simmer for a while and then banished it to the back of Durwood's van in the garage (it's like a freezer out there so I didn't have to figure out how to cram it into the fridge) for the night.  I'll bring it in later and reheat it to see if the spice has been tamed or if I need to burn the recipe and toss the soup.  Of which I made a double batch.  Bah.

The sun was shining through the trees this morning when I went out for the paper which means we have clear skies (yay!) but also low temps (boo!).  At this very moment it's 8 degrees above zero (supposed to be the high for the day) but with the wind it feels like -11.  Brrrr.  Maybe I'll just stay in here and look at the pretty sunshine.  Maybe.  Although I have a couple packages I'd like to get into the mail today... so I'll probably bundle up and brave the deep freeze.

I read on some knitting blog (I don't know which one, I just clicked my way there from another blog, you know how that goes) the other day that in order to make progress on a sock she had OTN she decided to commit to knitting on it for 3 minutes a day.  Since I had zipped the Fiddlehead sock into the official red sock-project bag and kicked it under the coffee table because the yarn and the needles are sooo skinny, I thought that might be a way for me to keep

plugging away on it instead of leaving it in timeout until I felt ready to face the weeniness of it all.  So I plonked the project bag back into my knitting basket and trotted it to work with me on Wednesday.  I knitted a couple rounds while talking to MW who'd stopped to visit and did a few more rounds at the end of the day on Thursday when I was frustrated from tinking back all those cable swatch rows, and I added a few last night at Friday Night Knitting.  It's working!  Look!  I have at least another inch, inch and a half of sock.  Brilliant.  (Thanks, knit blogger, whoever you are.  I should find you and let you know you helped me over a hurdle.)  I read something on the Yarn Harlot's blog the other day that resonated with me.  She said that knitters love to knit but their current project often makes them hate it (it's taking too long, the yarn's splitty or too skinny, etc.), it's the next project that they love.  She is so right.  I also made a few more rounds on my swatch and just before time to leave last night I bound off the High Sierra Warshrag.  Idn't it purdy?  The way the colors pooled make me smile.  I can't figure out why they do what they do but it's so random, I like it.   

I snagged a fingernail on my car door handle getting in after knitting, it didn't break but you know how that hurts.  I should probably make a nail appointment for later today.  It's time.  (See?  I won't stay inside today, you know I won't.)

January 25--India, Bookbinding.  It all started when Lina found the book.  The gold spine drew her and the beautiful embossed leather of the cover took her breath away.  The colors were bright and the flowers were so real looking she was surprised to smell only leather and paper when she held it to her nose.  Tucked inside was a map.  The paper crackled as she unfolded it but it held together.  She didn't recognize what was on the map until the August day they drove up to the old place where Mom grew up.

Beats the heck out of me where that's going.  If it's going anywhere.  Guess I'll see tonight.  I did a little yoga first and now it's time to find some breakfast.  Might be an oatmeal day.  Stay warm, kiddos.
--Barbara