Fixed and Finished

First thing this morning I got the new aluminum can lined up and filled with peanuts-in-the-shell and found a chunk of broken concrete for the lid so that those demon, tree rat-ty squirrels can't gnaw their way in.  Ha!  Foiled you, you nasty furry opportunists.  A line-up of three 20-gallon aluminum garbage cans isn't exactly the patio décor I was looking for but I kind of like them better than the big, green, plastic Rubbermaid one that the newest can replaces.

I finished the Peapod Gnome Knot hat yesterday afternoon.  I even wove in the tails so it's all ready for that baby that enchants me.  This is a nice, quick, easy pattern that might just have catapulted itself to the top of my baby-hat list.  It's got a lot of stretch so it'll fit her for longer than a month.

Yesterday afternoon I finished listening to a good book, The Boys In The Boat, about the 1936 Olympic gold medal rowing crew from Washington state.  I read a review of it in the paper a month or so ago and something about it piqued my interest so I borrowed the audiobook from the library and listened while I knit.  It follows one of the boys, Joe Rance, from childhood through the Olympics, detailing all the troubles and heartaches of growing up poor in the Depression and Dust Bowl.  I was riveted and want to find out when the local crews row so I can go watch.  Edward Hermann is the narrator and he's perfect for the story and the times.  I'm sure it's just as engrossing on paper or ebook, so if you like that kind of non-fiction give it a read.

One of the dive guys asked if I could insert a buckle into the strap on his new, fancy dive light.  I found the exactly right size parachute buckle at the fabric store and some, almost the right size black elastic there too.  Today I joined them together and delivered it to him.  Works like a charm.  *pats self on back*  I always do better if I have a few days to think a project like that through and it would have gone quicker if I hadn't had to rip and redo because I put one side of the click on upside down.  Oops and drat.  So it took me 25 minutes instead of 15, no biggie, and he's very happy with the outcome.  I love doing stuff like that.  Thanks for asking, ES.

November 22--Dutch, Jacket (Caraco).  The only coat that Jenny would wear when she was small was green with red and blue flowers on it.  Rain or shine, winter, spring or fall, that green coat did its job keeping her warm.  Jenny's mom was embarrassed to be seen with her after a few months had passed.  She was sure people in the store and in church talked behind her back about "the little girl in that green coat."  They had found the coat at the Goodwill for two dollars and seventy-five cents and it had been too big for Jenny but she had loved it so they bought it, now she was sorry they had.  Now that the color had faded, the hem was ragged, and Jenny's wrists stuck out of the fraying cuffs she wished she'd never seen the thing.  What would happen when it fell into rags?

Today's a work day for me -- again.  How do people work day after day?  I am too spoiled, I guess.  I'm hoping for customers, customers make the day go faster.  Come on down.
--Barbara