The air looked pink when I went out to get the newspaper this morning but when I looked to the East the sky was all white and blue. Then I looked to the West, there was the pink light shining faintly on the clouds on the horizon, which meant that someone to the West of us was having the pretty pink sunrise that had passed me by. *sigh*
Today's acrobatic squirrel perched on top of the stretched Slinky on the crook where the peanut wreath is, using its tail to keep its balance and nibbling a peanut. Right after I snapped this it reached down to the wreath and released about 4 peanuts that fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by another squirrel lurking near the birdie tree.
In cheesy yarn news, I did a little ad-libbing to make a slice of Swiss for the play kitchen. I was informed that one slice of play cheese isn't enough so now there's the Swiss and more to come. Pancakes too, one pancake does not make a stack.
January 30--Umberto Boccioni, Under the Pergola in Naples. It was the perfect evening for eating outside. They had visited the market and come back with a basket full of tomatoes, olives, fresh cheese, crusty bread warm from the oven, lemons, and a bottle of good wine. Marco had spent the afternoon fishing with Albert while Lina worked at her desk getting a few more pages of her manuscript rewritten. She really detested rewriting. First drafts flowed out of her like a river. Rewriting was like digging to China with a teaspoon. She was glad to hear Marco come back up the drive in their old green Volvo. That meant it was time to put down her pen, open the wine, and put together a simple supper with the fresh things they'd brought home that day.
I just realized that tomorrow is the last day of January. Already. I shake my head. But it also means that our long weekend in Door Co. the second weekend in March is getting ever closer. We can't wait but we've got too many appointments on Mondays and Fridays to escape before March.
--Barbara
I'm kind of in a slump lately but I have just enough oomph to sit on the couch and crochet play food. LC told me she needed cheese and pancakes. I made one slice of cheese and plan to make more but last night I embarked on pancake making. I stayed up until after 11 o'clock making the pancake but decided that it really needed the pat of butter to look appetizing so I made the butter this morning before going down to do laundry and tidy up my sewing/knitting area. As so often happens I got sidetracked emptying shelves, rearranging books etc. before settling down to the real work of putting away my "toys" that have accumulated on the ironing board and any other flat surface since before Christmas. Now I have a brown paper grocery bag for donation and two grocery bags of books to ration out to Little Free Libraries, plus deposits in the recycling and trash. Now there's actually room to work down there and my sewing and knitting books are a little better organized and accessible. Also now I can sit in the living room on the couch making more cheese (Swiss maybe?) and pancakes with a clear conscience since the tidying AND the laundry are all done, plus I fixed a bib that needed some re-working--since LC was OJ's age. Never let it be said that I hasten into mending things.
The warm-ish days we've had the last couple weeks have gotten me thinking about next summer's garden, especially since the tomatoes in pots on the patio was pretty much of a bust last year. So I stopped at the library the other day and picked up a copy of Straw Bale Gardening which looks easy and says it's weed-free. WEED-FREE! I'm all for it since I don't weed unless I can't see the food plants. Somebody a few blocks from here (that I drive by on my way to the pharmacy) has been gardening in straw bales for a few years and I'm intrigued. Then I was talking about it at Friday Night Knitting and MW said he has the same book and said I can borrow it if I want when I have to return the library one. I'm already one step ahead, there's landscape fabric already pegged down. This should be fun and it was developed by a guy in Minnesota so I know it'll work here. AND MW said that the University Ag Extension office here has a class on it. Woohoo! I'll contact them tomorrow and see about signing up.
I went out this morning to fill all the feeders. Word went out quickly and as soon as I came inside a flock of sparrows zoomed in and a squirrel was eyeing up the peanut wreath. Of course, as soon as I depressed the camera shutter they all flew off or hid in the tree but I'm putting this on here anyway and you'll just have to imagine the chirping and fluttering.
January 29--South Africa, Zulu, Earrings. They looked like spinners for a board game but I couldn't imagine what you would do with your spin. There weren't any numbers and the shapes were the same on each side. I stood frowning at them until someone read the little sign aloud. "Them's earrings made from 1940s linoleum," the guy said. "Oh, cool," his gum-smacking girlfriend said. Only it sounded like "kewel." Ugh, I detest careless speech and this pair brought out my latent English teacher. It took all my self-control not to launch into a lecture about grammar and vocabulary and pronunciation on the spot.
Another thing LC asked me to make was a "grumpy toad." I looked at all the yarn in Joann's yesterday and this was the toad-iest yarn I could find. It's bulky weight but I'll just use a bigger hook. Doesn't it look toad-y to you?
--Barbara
I saw a squirrel on the suet feeder again this morning, only today it wasn't clinging to the short crook and reaching over. It was holding the top of the feeder grid with its back feet, doing a sit-up to get some suet and then holding itself at a 90-degree angle to eat what it had gotten. Now, those are abs. Aaaand we're back to having a half-frozen birdbath. Good thing I took advantage of yesterday afternoon's sunshine to chisel all the icy snow off the driveway, huh?
I don't have much to show in the knitting department. I got the crown of the chemo cap done and started the body of the hat, then when my hands felt tired from crocheting, I picked up the Sudoku strip and knitted a few more inches. I have to say I was pretty darned tired last night and for no good reason. I yawned my way through Friday Night Knitting and only managed to stay up until 10 o'clock or so. Must be the cloudy weather.
January 28--Paul Cezanne, The Card Player. The cards made a small fan in his large hands. They were workingman's hands, rough and calloused, not soft and manicured like the hands of the man across the table. Vic tipped his black hat back a bit to peer at the shabby man. "Any time, Sandro," he said. Sandro's hands tightened on the cards and his eyes flicked to the pile of chips, coins, and bills shoved into the center of the table. "I'm thinking, Mr. Vic." His shoulders relaxed in the worn brown wool coat. "I'm thinking that this pot is mine." Sandro laid down his cards. "Four nines." Vic didn't react. He laid his cards face down. "Good game, Sandro, good game." He stood, shrugged into his topcoat, and settled his hat on his head. "Gentlemen," he said touching the brim, then he turned and walked out of the saloon. A hand reached to flip Vic's cards over but Sandro said, "Leave them," as he scooped the cards and the pot toward himself.
And that's it for today. I need to brave Walmart to pick up an item I ordered from them and then get the slow cooker supper ingredients ready to fire up around 1 o'clock. Did you know that you're only supposed to cook chicken breasts for 3-4 hours in the crockpot so they're not overcooked? I didn't, but Durwood read it in one of the food mags he subscribes to. Makes a world of difference. I'm off.
--Barbara
The last time LC was over she was being the mom and I was being the kid so she was making me lunch in her play kitchen. She was making a sandwich so she took out the crocheted bread, bacon, lettuce, and tomato I'd made for her. I could see she was getting frazzled but kept quiet. Finally she turned to me and said, "Meemaw, I don't have any cheese. Can you make cheese?" I said, "Yes, I could make cheese. Do you want white cheese or yellow cheese?" She said, "I like white and yellow cheese." I had a skein of white and yellow dishcloth cotton (which I make all play food with) so last night I made cheese. She also asked if I can make pancakes. Wouldn't you know there's a free pattern on Ravelry for a pancake scarf with a pat of butter on every other pancake in the row, so I dug out pancake, pancake edge, and butter colored yarn and will be whipping up a few pancakes. I should probably make a couple slices of lunchmeat too just in case she needs to make a different sandwich. This is very much fun.
It was just quiet enough yesterday at work that I could finish the crown of the Bumblebee Laurus hat, mostly because the rounds get smaller and smaller until you draw the last few stitches together and you're done. I like it. I'm still not a fan of Fair Isle knitting (putting a color or colors in a design) but this was only a little bit so I could deal with it.
This morning there were a lot of doves pecking under the feeders and the second wave waited on the fence and in the apple tree. This afternoon it was sunny, just sunny enough that all the icy, crunchy snow on the driveway could be shoveled and scraped off. Hooray! I'm so glad I got it cleaned off. I live in fear of slipping and falling.
I didn't write last night when I went to bed. I guess I was "cheesed" out, so this is all you get.
--Barbara
It was a squirrel day at the feeders today. This fat, fluffy squirrel diligently checked out each and every feeder and trolled the edges of the patio looking for any delicacies that might have been missed. It finally scaled the shortest crook and used it as a place to stretch from and nibble on the suet. Not that I put suet out for squirrels but I'm not naive enough to think that they won't partake, that's kind of why I bought the 2-cake feeder. For a minute there I thought it was going to make some smart remark as it watched me take its picture but it just went on nibbling. The next time I looked out it was nestled in the birdie tree chowing down on cracked corn and sunflower seeds. I don't mind, it's something alive out there in the dead of winter.
I keep having to work at work. What's up with that?!? Isn't that elder abuse or something? Which means I don't get any knitting done during the day. *sigh* I have to content myself with the paltry knitting I do after supper and before bed, and by then I'm pretty tired so progress is slow. Durwood and I watched a show about underwater critters that live in the sand which really held my attention (I miss underwater) so I cast on the first of the 64" long Sudoku afghan joining strips. I only got about two, maybe two and a half, inches knitted but it's a start. Then I added a few rounds to the next chemo hat while watching Code Black. I have high hopes for getting a lot done over the weekend.
See what I found on the shelf by the patio door on Tuesday? It's a moth and it's alive, well, it was alive. I don't think it's a wool-eating moth but I took no chances and smooshed it, then threw it outside. It's pretty cold for moths to be waking up around here. Maybe it was a scout. I'll be watching for more.
January 26--August Macke, Tunisian Landscape. From her villa balcony the mountains looked like purple cones on the horizon. The whole country looked like it had been made with geometric shapes in primary colors. The houses were white square blocks topped with red tile pyramid roofs. Leanne stayed in the purple square room on the third floor of the yellow vertical rectangular hotel next to the gray rectangular town hall. Even the bay was perfectly round and uniformly blue. I feel as if I'm in Dr. Seuss-land, she wrote on a postcard to a friend. Even the cypress trees around the cemetery are tall green cones that look molded instead of grown.
The WW Chicken Cacciatore I made for supper last night was a triumph. Durwood made whole wheat rotini to serve with it and we're both happy that there's another supper's worth left for tonight. My plan for today is to troll the WW website for more slow cooker recipes that we can try. Durwood's a big fan, I suspect because he gets to stay here all day and smell that glorious aroma promising yummy supper. We only got a couple inches of snow instead of the 4-8 they predicted. It couldn't make up its mind between snow and rain most of the day. I love the weather in Wisconsin.
--Barbara
... their timing was just a bit off. It didn't start snowing until just before daybreak this morning instead of snowing all night so the early go-to-workers, like our renters, had an easier than anticipated trip. I, however, will have to take it easy on the snow-covered streets. That's okay. I'm guessing there won't be a line-up of customers clamoring to get in when I arrive.
This Downy Woodpecker came for a suet snack yesterday afternoon. Did I tell you that the sun actually shone for about half an hour yesterday morning? It did, and I really appreciated it.
I tried on the Bumblebee Laurus hat and the colorwork's a little snugger than the rest but it's okay. I'm not frogging back, especially since I'm 6" past it and ready to start the crown decreases. Looking at the pictures on the pattern and reading through comments of those who made it before me, I added an inch to the body of the hat so it has a better chance of covering my ears.
Look at that avocado pit grow. Those stems are twice as long as they were the last time I blogged about them. The original sprout has opened a side shoot and is growing very slowly but still growing. Go, pit, go!
I made fruit salad for work lunches and general nibbling on the other day. I look at that colorful bowl of yumminess and just smile. Don't you love fruit? And it's pineapple and blueberry season. Yay!
Yesterday I thought about finding a WW slow cooker recipe to make for supper tonight. Of course I didn't do the actual web surfing until this morning which meant that there was no meat thawed out BUT I had a package of chicken thighs that I put in the microwave on Defrost just long enough to break them apart and take the skin off and I had all the other ingredients to make Chicken Cacciatore. I'm kind of jealous that Durwood will be in the house all day smelling the savory aromas that are bound to perfume the stale winter air. We even have some whole wheat pasta to serve it over.
January 25--Karma Yeshe, Guru Padmasambhava. Clouds of incense tickled Rita's nose as she edged into the cool dimness of the temple. It took a couple minutes for her eyes to adjust after the glare of the sunny morning outside. She lingered next to a pillar watching the worshippers come and go. With its roof and pillars but only one wall, it wasn't anything like the cathedrals she had visited. People came and went--women on their way to market, men in tropical office wear with briefcase in hand--stopping to drop an offering coin, light a stick of incense, bob a few reverent bows in the smoke, before placing their stick into a pot of sand and going about their business. Rita thought the Buddha looked so friendly and welcoming on his dais of pillows draped with ropes of marigold flowers. "You are welcome to approach," said a voice at her side. She stammered an apology. "I don't want to interfere. I think I'll just stay here for a few minutes, if that's all right." She noticed the man wore a saffron robe and his head was clean-shaven. "Are you a monk?" she asked. "I am." He smiled and made a small bow. "You do not need to be of our faith to rest your spirit in this place. Come as often as you like." He bowed again and glided away around the back of the statue and out of sight.
I'm late already (I blame the chicken) and I won't hurry so sorry, Mrs. Boss. I'll be there soon.
--Barbara
To take a picture of the outside, it's just too depressing. Can you tell that it's still not anywhere close to sunny? At least the fog/mist has moved on.
There was a dramatic decrease in the number of people out and about as kickoff time for the (dismal) Packer game approached. That sure made shopping easier and I needed all the "easy" I could get with all the stops and the long list of things to get.
Once I'd recovered from zooming around six different stores in three hours I got busy and whipped up two batches of Chicken Zoodle Soup, one for work lunches and general consumption and one for my knitting friend who's starting chemo. Keeping her supplied with a batch of soup in small portions is something I can do to maybe make her journey a bit smoother. I suck at housecleaning and laundry is more like a punishment but making soup gives me the feeling that I'm taking very good care of people, always has, so I make soup. Chicken soup, like everybody's Jewish (or not-Jewish) grandma used to make when they were sick. There's nothing like sitting down to a bowl of hot soup so I figure if it makes you feel good when you've got a cold, it should do the job to help kick cancer's ass too.
It's a very simple recipe. I tweak it a bit by pan frying instead of steaming or boiling the chicken breasts to add a little flavor and then using some of the broth to deglaze the pan so none of that flavor goes to waste, and I toss the zoodles in for the last few minutes of simmering because the recipe assumes that you're going to make the soup and serve it but I ladle most of it out and freeze the portions for later, so I cook the zucchini. Here's what three zoodled zucchinis look like.
Then I sat on the couch for the rest of the evening knitting on the Bumblebee Laurus hat, finishing the colorwork and adding the first row of the rest of the hat. It wasn't until the second last row of colorwork that I remembered I'd gotten this Yarn Guide as an exchange gift at a Knit Away Day, so I tried it. It worked pretty well. I need to figure out how to tension the yarn when I use it because my regular way doesn't work but just gripping the strands between my pinkie and the palm of my hand worked pretty well although I fear my tension was too tight for the last two rounds. I think it'll be okay. Maybe I'll try it on before going too much farther up the hat.
January 23--Paul Gauguin, Claude-Emile Schuffenecker's Studio. It took so long that Cecile lay her head down in Marie's lap and went to sleep. Maman moved her hand to shake her daughter awake but the artist hissed at her and shook his head. She resumed her pose. This wasn't the first time Maman and her girls posed for an artist but it was the longest they'd had to sit still. The studio was up high enough for the light to stream in the windows and where there was sunlight there was heat. Soon enough Marie and Maman were both asleep too. It wasn't until she felt his hand questing up her leg that Maman awoke, demanded their pay, and hustled her girls down the stairs and out into the noisy street. She didn't care if she ever posed for him or any other artist again. There were other ways to make money.
Today my only task is to cut up the pineapple and strawberries I bought yesterday on my endless rounds for fruit to eat with my soup lunches at work. Of course then there's fruit to eat at home too. It's a win-win! Hasta la vista, babies.
--Barbara
Now with extra Fog! We are into our third day of thick cloud cover with warmer temps that generate mist and fog from the combination of below freezing ground and above freezing air. I like not having to drive and walk (no more falling--ever) on ice but I'd like to see beyond the front bumper of my car too. I was thinking that instead of this little flock of sparrows up in the bare apple tree we should have a wake of vultures or at least a murder of crows to go along with the mood of the day.
Look what I did on Friday. I sat on the couch in my jammies and crocheted the third, and last, Sudoku panel of blocks together so now on to the 64" long strips. (looooong is right but I take heart that there're only two of them)
Then at Friday night knitting, I cast on and got busy knitting the Bumblebee Laurus hat, Fringe Hat-along Hat #4 but the 5th one I've knitted (I jumped ahead for one). I may not do the last one, the 1898 hat which looks warm but also looks like a lot of work. It was difficult deciding which of my leftover wool tweed skeins to use for this hat and I knew I'd never wear a turquoise hat with red or gold colorwork so I went with the safe black for the main color and grabbed gold for the contrast. I'm thinking I might make some convertible mittens with the other small skeins of wool tweed to go with the hat--with suitable accents of black and gold, of course.
I got a request from LC to knit a raccoon and grumpy toad to add to the Mitten animals (even though neither are mentioned in the story). She made the connection between the basket of knitting by the couch and the yarn-y toys she was playing with. I think that's very advanced thinking for a 3 year old. Then she asked if I can make pancakes for her play kitchen and two-color cheese for making pretend sandwiches. Why yes, yes, I can. I'll be looking up patterns later.
January 22--Giotto di Bondone, Wedding at Cana. "I hate these lines," said Greg to Gina, "you say the same thing to everyone and most of the time they have no idea who you are." Gina linked her arm through his and squeezed so her breast pressed his bicep. "It's the price you pay for a turn at the open bar," she whispered in his ear. He tightened her arm against his side. "How long to we have to stay? My shoes pinch."
I don't think they'll stay long but doesn't everyone hate receiving lines? Speaking of long, I have a long list of stops to make today--Aldi, Fleet Farm, Kwik Trip, Sam's, Walmart, and Pick 'n Save (I list them so I don't forget any)--so I think I'll climb on my horse and gallop away into the fog/mist/whatever.
--Barbara
It's warm today, yes, probably close to 40 degrees but, man, is it dreary. Gray, damp, a little rainy. See the raindrop ripples on the birdbath?
I spent the morning on the couch weaving in the tails of Sudoku Strip #6 which I finished at Knitting Guild last night, then working on crocheting the last three blocks of squares together. Next I have to knit two looooong strips the same width as the last six for joining the panels. Then the big decision is how to finish the whole Sudoku Afghan. I'm leaning toward doing Log Cabin edges which means picking up stitches along one side, knitting enough rows to make the width I want, then picking up stitches along each of the other sides in turn, the second strip overlapping the first, the third overlapping the second, and the fourth overlapping the third and first strips, or I'll just grab a crochet hook and single crochet around until I lose faith in humanity (or my hand gets tired) and call it a day. One of those, I'm almost positive.
I did manage to finish the Soup Hat yesterday at work. I had just enough business and phone calls that it was after four o'clock when I got done. Whew. That way I had something to show off at Guild last night. It looks pretty good (and it doesn't smell like chicken soup) but it'll look even better once it has a swim in wool wash and gets blocked to open up the lace and make it look all pretty.
January 20--Auguste Francois Gorguet, At the Ball. Alex closed the car door and glanced off into the wooded strip that screened his driveway from the neighbor. In the pale light of the nearly full moon he saw a glowing mound where there should have been only brush. "Damn litterbugs," he muttered figuring someone flung a bag of trash into the trees, "too lazy to go to the dump." He rounded the front of his car and took a few steps between the trees to pick up the trash and put it into the bin next to his garage. Clouds shifted and a shaft of silver moonlight struck the white mound. He turned cold when he saw the pale hand with fingers curled. That was not a bag of trash, it was a young woman in a frothy party dress. He backed away fumbling his phone out to punch in 9-1-1 before the spots dancing in his vision made it impossible for him to see the numbers.
Alrighty then. As soon as this is posted I'm headed back to the couch and my aimless afternoon of watching TV and crocheting or knitting. See ya.
--Barbara
I looked out the patio doors to see a flock of eight mourning doves waddling around in the melting snow pecking at fallen corn and seeds. Naturally five of them flew the coop by the time I got the camera up and running but I love the way the remaining three are all facing outward as if they can't bear to watch anyone else eat. I think doves are so funny. They spook for no apparent reason and you should see their nests. We had a window box outside the kitchen window of our old house (I miss that window box) and one spring a mama dove decided that's where she was going to make her nest. She flew up with a beak full of twigs and dead grass, proceeded to basically spit them out, ptooi, waggle her tail into the center of the small pile and lay three little white eggs on what was essentially bare ground. She sat on them for a week or so, they hatched, she fed them for another week, and then wandered off leaving the perplexed babies perched on the edge of the planter. Within a few hours they had all gotten the hint that Mom wasn't coming back with more grub so they flapped their wings and went on their merry way. I love doves. I think they're the trailer trash of the bird world.
I got the initial decreases done on the crown of the Soup Hat last night. Next comes the real, serious decreasing which I hope to get done today so I have something to show off at Guild tonight. I'll hurry through the work waiting for me on my desk and maybe, just maybe, I'll get done before the meeting.
Look at what Avocado Pit #1 is doing. It's growing two tall sprouts, leaving the smaller one to languish. I can't tell if that little one on the far left is still growing or if the other two are hogging the nutrients. Only time, and a ruler, will tell.
January 19--Crow High-Top Moccasins. Len awoke on a single breath. It was dark, the fire burned to embers. What had he heard? It came again, the soft scuff of a leather sole on the dusty flagstone step of the cabin. It wasn't his cabin, he didn't know who it belonged to but he'd been very glad to see it nestled in the trees at the edge of the clearing. From his days as a Boy Scout he knew to go downhill when he got lost and follow water to a river and a river to a road. Instead of a river, the stream he followed led him to the clearing and this cabin. It had been open, a fire laid in the hearth, so he'd lit the fire, hung his clothes on chairs to dry, and rolled up in a spare blanket to sleep on the floor in front of the fire.
We're having very odd weather. It's warmish so the snow and ice are making mist in the air so it looks dreary enough to generate depression out there. If I had red boots or red winter shoes I'd have them on today. Off to work, perchance to knit.
--Barbara
But I didn't go far and once I left our side street the roads were just wet, not icy and slick. People were mostly driving with their winter brains turned on too, so no one was zooming along, except for a few teenagers and I don't think their brains are turned on often anyway. Which is not necessarily a criticism, I just think their bodies are changing so quickly that their brains are too busy dealing with all those hormones and trying to get boys' bodies to grow enough so they catch up to their feet to deal with too much more.
I did knit up to the crown decreases on the Soup hat. Maybe I'll get a few of those rounds done today. And remember "decreases" means they get smaller so maybe it'll go faster. I'm trying to be project monogamous to get this hat done. A wise knitter once remarked that it's amazing how quickly you can get something done if you work on one thing at a time. (wasn't me)
A Downy Woodpecker came to the suet this morning, a lively addition to the black and white world of the backyard but it stayed on the back side of the suet feeder and then flew up into the apple tree. Just as I pressed the shutter to get its silhouette against a branch it ducked its head to the side. Oh well, pretend this is one of those "find the..." puzzles in a cheap magazine you take on a long car trip.
Here's proof that I am making headway against the ice. That white stuff isn't snow, it's ice that's been decayed by salt so that I'll be able to shovel it off the driveway later or maybe Friday if I don't find the time tonight. The temperature's supposed to hit 40 over the next four or five days which will help the walks and driveways but I suspect will just keep our street either wet and icy (because it's so packed and thick) or potholed as some melts faster than other parts. I'm hoping for a little sunshine too.
January 18--Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Dancer Jane Avril. Like a striking viper the flames raced up the column of her dress. A footlight bulb had exploded catching the hem on fire and her dancing fanned the flames. At first the audience thought it was part of the act but soon it became apparent to everyone that it was not. Before anyone could react the brittle fabric was eaten by the fire and her hair began to smolder. Finally one brave soup ran to her with a side curtain, enveloping her in the musty velvet, smothering the flames. That action triggered more--a doctor charged out of the audience onto the stage, a stagehand staggered out carrying a pail of water, and three women fainted. An electrician's helper tripped the breaker, plunging the theater into darkness and setting off a near stampede as the audience surged to the exits.
I'm cutting it close to be on time for work so I'll say adios and book it outta here.
--Barbara
That was my yesterday. Ho. Hum. I got distracted in the morning and forgot to take my pills so with no "happy" pill on board my day went from Ho to Hum really quickly, and by suppertime it had skidded into the cellar. I spent most of the day zoned out playing computer games and listening to my audiobook. I did make the Brussels sprouts with Cranberries and Walnuts but didn't take their picture because my timing was off and they got that awful gray green color that means they're overcooked. Don't get me wrong, they tasted great but I'll make them again and be more careful of the cooking time and take their picture.
The sunset was nice and vivid last night. I'd really like a more open vista to the west but I guess the neighbors have a right to be there--since they built their house before we built ours, but I'd like the city to come and bury the lines. At least then all I'd have was house and trees between me and the sunset. Pretty, though.
I realized that I forgot to show you what DD, SIL1 and GC gave me for Christmas. It's a silk scarf and hankie that they ice dyed. I love it (and them) and will wear the scarf to work today. Maybe I'll find a sweater with a pocket and wear the hankie too. There. Now I look gooooood. I just realized that they look like a shirt in that picture. It isn't, it's a scarf and a hankie, really.
Didn't do much knitting, only a couple rounds of the Soup Hat and an inch or so on the Sudoku strip. See? I told you I was in a funk.
January 16--Jean-Michel Basquiat, Two Sided Coin. Primary colors and irregular lines made Christine think that the artist had been in a hurry or in a rage when he made the piece. She looked at the crude faces like voodoo masks or skulls with grinning teeth and thought that someone with a more educated eye than she had saw the artistry there. It made her think of drunken nights and smoking weed in dark alleys where life was cheap and virtue was a commodity to be traded. She liked it but would never have it in her house. Not that she could ever afford it.
I have to work today. Did I tell you that? Mrs. Boss is off in Colorado visiting her mom and skiing, mostly skiing I suspect, so I get to work today. *sigh* Later today we're supposed to get hit by the leading edge of that nasty ice storm that crippled Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri over the weekend. I don't really want it so maybe it'll skip over us. Please?
--Barbara
