Cold Morning

I was up and out early this morning and caught the sun as it rose over the horizon.  I was crossing the Mason St. bridge headed east so I had the luxury of being up above the ground when the ball of fire topped the trees and buildings.  Getting to see that glorious sight almost made it worth being up too damned early.  Almost.

Yesterday after my shower it became clear to me that I was in desperate need of some lotion so when I went downstairs to throw in a quick load of laundry I fired up the lotion factory (aka: an old microwave and a stick blender that are used for nothing but lotion making) and made some.  It got a little thicker than I'd planned but too thick is better than too thin, right?  Lotion-wise, I mean.  I've been using Eucerin which is expensive but weird.  It doesn't seem to soak into my skin but leaves a sticky, waxy feel on it.  Not the feeling I'm going for.  My homemade lotion is much silkier and does a better job of keeping my winter skin smooth, not dry and scratchy, plus I put in a tiny bit of grapefruit fragrance oil so it smells really nice but not overpowering.

The renters moved out last night so today I had our cleaning lady come to really clean.  We were pleasantly surprised that the tenants did a great job of cleaning, not that they were slobs or anything, but two working people with a one-year-old and a twelve-year-old with behavior problems have a bit more on their minds than wiping out cupboards.  The carpet cleaners come on Tuesday, the new countertop should arrive on Thursday so I can schedule the handyman and the plumber for early the following week.  Good thing the cleaning lady came, she noticed that the bathroom sink needs to be recaulked and that the main water pipe downstairs has a trickle of a leak.  I plan to wash the windows myself, maybe on Sunday, and put new batteries in all the smoke and CO2 detectors to make sure they still work, pick up a few odds and ends at Home Depot, then I can call the two prospective tenants and get the place rented.  Fingers crossed that one of them decides that this is the place for them and we don't have to advertise and sort through random applicants.  Oh, and I need to schedule the electrician to replace the faulty light in the dinette.  It's flickering and going through bulbs quickly, for safety's sake I'm calling the electrician.

It was cold and sunny today so I bundled up and walked to the park.  I need to get out and stretch my legs and clear my head.  Also I've subscribed to a podcast called (oddly enough) The Walk which is meant to be listened to while you take a walk, each segment's about 25 minutes long, roughly a mile's worth.  The listener is the hero of the thriller so I'm anxious to get out there and walk so I can listen.  I've avoided listening to it while sitting and knitting because I feel like that'd be cheating, also I need to walk.  I didn't listen today because I walked with my assistant but tomorrow (once I get the taxes organized) I plan to strap on my iPod and stride out.

I realized this afternoon when I got my knitting basket ready to go to Friday Night Knitting that I didn't have anything on my needles to knit.  !!!!!  What's up with that?  So I cast on March Preemie Hat #1 and got to the crown decreases at FNK, then finished it when I got home.  I think this is the pattern I'll share in the newsletter this time because it's short and goes fast because it's knitted with worsted weight yarn and size US 7 needles, a far cry from the baby yarn and skinny needles most preemie hat patterns demand.

March 16--Follower of Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of King Henry VIII.  Hank thought he was a real Lothario, always sniffing around women, looking to trade up in the marriage stakes.  You would think that the women would wise up and run the other way when his eyes turned to them but I guess they thought that they would be the one to satisfy him, to tame him.  If one of them would have given him a son, his headlong rush to produce an heir would have ended and the wife-beheading would have stopped.  He didn't count girl children, no one counted girls then.

Well, look at the time.  It's almost 11:30--again, and here I am up and blogging this late--again.  Let's hope I can sleep past 6 o'clock tomorrow morning.
--Barbara