Cold and Windy

And that was just me.  No, not really, although I do still have the tail end of the cold hanging on.  A little sinus drainage, a little chest tightness, a little cough, my hearing still at half-mast.  Day 9 of the cold and I think I'm winning.  The weather was cold and windy today.  I zoomed over to the pharmacy to pick up some little cough pills that I got a few years ago that really help me sleep nights and wished I'd put on a hat.  Without the bird feeders I just don't look outside as much as I used to.  There's really nothing to see.  I don't like it.  With all the gray days and crap weather there's not much to look at in the sky either.  Arrgh!  (makes finding things to blog rather difficult)



Last night I cast on stitches for Advent garland mitten number eleven and picked it up this morning to knit.  Then I thought about how it was easier to knit tubes in the round with Magic Loop rather than those tangly Double Pointed Needles so I moved the stitches over and got moving.  But when I got to the thumb I was stymied.  I sat and frowned at the directions, at the knitting, back at the directions until I had it.  I used a couple DPNs to knit the thumb, keeping the rest of the stitches on the circular needle until the thumb was done.  Anyway, I finished the thumb and now it's time to get back to mitten-ing.  One more mitten and the garland parts are done except for the crocheted ropes to hang the mittens and stockings on.  I will totally get this done before next Advent.

I took a break from knitting the mitten to go downstairs to sew up another travel dresser tray.  I need to make a few of them to have on hand so I don't have to keep going down there to make one every time I want to give one away.  I keep meaning to do that, and make some bowl cozies too.  One of these days I'll get it together enough to do a little work ahead.

04 January--Barbara Malcolm, Spies Don't Retire. 

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when the snorkelers gathered.  The deep rumble of the idling engines and the stink of diesel added to the feeling of running away from home felt by George and Dimitri.  They were both looking forward to spending a day without having to look over their shoulders to make sure that their wives weren’t around.  Several months into their membership in the club they had ceased to worry about tales being carried back to Sonia and Irina.  Enough of the men in the group were members just to escape the scrutiny of their wives' eagle eyes that the unofficial motto of the club seemed to be “what happens at snorkeling, stays at snorkeling.”

Davis and Bunny, Franz’s dreadlocked first mate, helped stow all the gear on deck and put the coolers filled with drinks and food under the awning near the controls.  Dimitri had used yards of duct tape to secure the lid on a big Styrofoam cooler and bungees to close the Coleman’s lid so nothing got lost or juggled out on the crossing.  By 8 a.m. everyone was onboard, all the gear was stowed and the lines were untied from the pier.

This has been the oddest week, last week too.  Must be those holidays in the middle that made Thursday seem like Monday and then there was Friday right there.  As much as I enjoyed the holidays I'll be glad to get back to regular old days/weeks.  And make a start on getting all the Christmas finery boxed up and put away for another eleven months.  Whew.
--Barbara