Gray Skies & More Tails

It's been ultra dreary around here lately.  I wanted to take a picture of the sunrise.  What I got was barely lightening of the clouds but now less than an hour later there are little stripes of blue-sky hope up there.  See?  Maybe we'll get a ray of sunshine later?  That'd be awesome.

After supper with JM at Hagemeister Park downtown (I had a great time, J, we need to do that again one of these days) I trotted out bigger needles, figured out how many stitches to add for the edging I was thinking of using and made another swatch.  I had hoped to do it at work but Mrs. Boss had other ideas.  She expected me to work at work.  All day.  Imagine that.  (aren't there laws against that?  statutes maybe?  probably not.)  Anyway, I like this fabric even better than the last one.  Today's (or tonight's) swatch will be the last one, incorporating an edge decrease.  That promises to be a much bigger challenge which will involve copious and detailed note taking.  I think I'm up for the challenge.  (or I could be swatching for Design-a-Thon 2016, who can tell?)  It feels kind of odd to realize that I'm liking the swatching, enjoying working out this puzzle I've set for myself, enjoying working to fit a particular pattern into a particular geometric shape.  Yes, Aunt B, I am "hooked" by this pattern.  (an excellent pun for so early in the AM)

January 22--Zack Burris, Postcards.   Janine tugged the box out from between the rafters where the roof met the attic floor.  It took all her courage to stretch her hand out into that dark and dusty unknown.  She kept expecting to feel tiny paws running up her arm or tiny teeth clamped on her fingertips.  Through gritted teeth she said, "come on, come on" as the box slid over the thick layer of dust on the floor.  Once the box was out far enough for her to sit up and pull it into the light she saw that it wasn't cardboard at all.  It was a golden maple box with a tiny gold keyhole below the lid.  "You'd better not be locked after all the trouble I've gone to bringing you into the light."  The lid lifted easily.  She was glad.  She would have hated to ruin the beautiful box just to see what was inside.  The box was filled with letters and postcards, all of them addressed to Miss Alice Hamilton.  Granny Fawn's name had been Alice so this must have been her box and these must be her letters.  Janine's fingers trembled a bit as they lifted the first fragile envelope.  It was pale blue with a purple stamp on it.  She could barely read the address but by tilting it toward the window she saw that it had been sent right to this very house.

That's it for me today.  Time to shower and do all that "going to work" stuff.  *sigh*  It's winter.  I should get to stay home to play with yarn and fabric, maybe take a little couch nap, and get my paycheck in the mail.  That sounds just about right, don't you think?  Never happen.  I'm outta here.
--Barbara