You Gotta See This

The other day (Monday, maybe? no, Tuesday) I was surfing the coaster patterns on Ravelry just to see what there was, if there was anything I couldn't resist knitting.  I found a few.  This one zoomed to the top of my "gotta knit this RIGHT NOW" list.  It's a Flat Rat coaster or bookmark.  Could you just die?  I had to dig right to the bottom of my sock yarn bin to find some gray yarn for the body and there wasn't a scrap of pink for his feet/paws, not even a variegated I could strip out sections of pink, so he's getting black feet.  I have an ancient skein of dark rust red superwash (mercerized, non-matting it says on the ball band) sock yarn my friend HH gave me that I'll use for his ears and tail, and I'm sure I've got a couple of beads appropriate for his beady little rat eyes.  I am in love.  Naturally I didn't have a wad of fiberfill for the head with me at work so I used the tails from the end of the nose and a length of dishcloth cotton from my notions box.  I can't wait to finish him.  Eek, a rat!  I'm at the decreases on the Fuzzy Shapka hat and I think that unfortunately the yarn I'm swatching for the Audrey hat won't work.  It's too dark to show the purl stitch pattern of chevrons.  Drat.  I've got a solid or semi-solid that I can wind into a ball this weekend that's the size yarn the pattern calls for and will show the chevrons.  I'll just have to find something else to knit with that Interlacements Happy Feet yarn.  I can do that.

Speaking of work, it was so busy there it wasn't until almost 3 o'clock before I could cast on my rat.  I had a raft of tanks to fill, paying customers to wait on, an instructor to take books and money from and make copies of forms for, and UPS brought 3 boxes of stuff to be priced and stocked.  *pant, pant*  I had enough tanks to fill that I will be running the compressor first thing this morning.  I've got my earplugs ready.  Oh, and at the end of the day I did something that I've never done in 21 years of working there.  I locked myself out.  See, I always lock the front door when I count the till then it was trash night so I gathered up all the trash, bagged it, and took it out to the bin in back meaning to drag it to the curb before I drove away but the wind caught the door (I hadn't slid out the bolt to keep it from closing) and slammed it shut.  That wouldn't be a problem except there's no doorknob on the outside of the back door.  My keys, my phone, and my coat were all inside and I was outside in the windy 10 degree evening.  Luckily the garage next door was open so I went there to use his phone and wait out of the cold.  The only person with a key whose number I remembered off the top of my head was JJ's and he lives nearly 15 miles away but he roared into town, let me in, and roared off again.  Now I have to think of how to thank him in a tangible way, something he won't refuse.  I have an idea.

Once I'd recovered my wits, had the money stowed safely in the safe, and locked the store again (with my keys in my hand), I noticed the full moon rising over the bar across the street.  Some Native American tribes called it the Worm Moon because the robins are arriving (not around here yet), others call it the Crow Moon because the cawing of crows heralds the end of winter (I've heard crows lately), but this year I like the Northern tribes' name, Crust Moon, because the daytime sun melts the snow, the nights are cold so it refreezes and that forms a crust on the snow.  We've got that.  I wish I could take a picture so you can see it.  Maybe I'll try tomorrow before it really warms up and goes away.

March 4--Svoboda Stock.  Emma put her phone face down on the table.  "What is it with people taking pictures of their food?"  She took a sip of wine.  "I don't know what they expect."  Rose shook her head.  "You don't have to respond.  You can just ignore it, and them, if you choose."  Emma toyed with her fork, sliding the heavy silver utensil between her fingers.  "But am I supposed to admire it?  Envy it?  What?  I feel like the next fad will be pictures of feet or teeth.  Those are things I don't want to see."  "For crying out loud, why are you obsessing over this?  This food photography isn't worth burning brain cells over."  Emma looked at her, big blue eyes brimming with tears.  "But what does it mean?"  Rose reached across the table putting her warm hand over Emma's cold one.  "It doesn't mean anything.  It's someone saying, 'I'm going to eat this. Doesn't it look good?' That's all."  She gripped her sister's hand tighter.  "Did you stop taking your pills?"  Emma looked away.

I can always write about food.  Time to get moving and face the day head on--and finish my Flat Rat.  It's still bitter cold but it's sunny and I'm always a fan of sunny.  Last work day of the week today and only Saturday brunch with Durwood and his pals on my "must do" list.  To quote someone small in my life, Byeeee!
--Barbara