Arrrgh!

Or maybe the right expletive is @$%&#.  I got a call from the mechanic this morning.  The

first thing I heard was, "Are you sitting down?"  Not good.  Never good.  It seems that what we both thought might be a timing problem turned out to be a leaky head gasket.  He took off the spark plug, it was cracked, and there was antifreeze in the cylinder.  NOT good.  This is no small job and I wasn't his only job today soooooo I had to call and rent a car for the next few days.  The car guy gave me a ride to the airport so I could pick up this Kia Sorento SUV.  It's very nice and will get us around for the next couple days but I'm not crazy about it.  It's too... something, I don't know what.  Maybe because it's one of those vehicles with the high windows so you feel like you're sitting in a hole peering over your shoulder just barely able to see out.  I checked to see if I couldn't raise the seat up but it's not electric.  Hopefully I'll get my old van back sometime on Friday and can turn this silver thing back in for some unsuspecting tourist or businessman can drive around in it.




Last night I sat and counted out pretzel twists, mini caramel rice cakes, and Hershey's Special Dark squares into 2 points portions, which added to the M&Ms and few bags of chocolate animal crackers live in the pantry cabinet so when I need a crunch or something sweet I can go grab something and not overserve myself.  (I will admit that my frustration-eating was in full swing today.  I [sometimes] love cars.)




This afternoon I sat on the couch and cast on a wool mitten for LC to keep from eating all

those snack packs I made last night.  The mittens she wore the last time we played in the snow are made of some sort of synthetic fur, got soaked, and her little hands were frozen by the time we came inside.  So I pulled out some of the pink wool yarn I used to make the Rebel Girls hats because we all know that wool keeps you warm even when it's wet.  Mom used to trace the kids' hands in the late summer every year and knit them each two pairs of wool mittens.  By mid-winter they'd be misshapen and semi-felted from days of hard use on playgrounds and snowbanks but we'd drape them in front of the heating vent to dry and press them back into service.  I figure I can get at least one pair knitted for LC before spring and next fall I'll knit two new pairs for her and two for OJ too.  It's time I picked up the mitten mantle so ably worn by Mom in her Grandma days.




Tonight's the Blue Moon.  When I went out to take it's picture it was trying to hide behind some thin clouds and tangle itself in the bare branches of the maple tree out back but I managed to snap a good shot, I think.  And there was a lunar eclipse too but it was at 7:00 this morning.  I missed it, darn it.  Slept right through it.


January 31--Chogogo, Caribbean Flamingo.  I hate pink and yet here I stand transfixed by a flock of pink birds.  Flamingos are gawky, they don't sing they grunt-honk...

That's as far as I got.  I woke up with my face in my notebook a half-hour after I started writing with just these few words on the page.  I have got to get to bed earlier than 11:00.
--Barbara