Yarn Elves

Yesterday's elves were humans. Today's elves are yarn. Years and years ago, DD and I spent Christmas Eve crocheting elves for under the tree. Mine has a green body and red hat. Hers has the red body and green hat. Mine is named Abercrombie. I don't remember what she named hers. When I decided to make a tropical tree, I crocheted a tropical colored elf. His name is Vincent. The tiny knitted elf on Abercrombie's lap doesn't have a name. Typing that makes me kind of sad. I'll have to think about a name for it. Maybe Cheryl? Or how about Boris?

 

The chubby squirrel leaped from the birdbath to the top of the suet cakes then up to the top of the crook and immediately hung down to snack on the suet nuggets. I'd just finished refilling the feeders so there was a lot of good stuff out there for it. It looks two-tone because it's half in the sun and half in the shade.

 

When I came home from an errand I saw the other squirrel hanging off the top of the square green feeder eating from the ports.

 

But soon it figured out it could get under the lid and find much better snacks inside. I liked seeing it sticking out both sides of the feeder.

 

Another favorite Christmas decoration is the palm frond Rudolf that Mom and Dad made one year. Dad collected fallen palm fronds in Florida when they were down visiting Aunt B. Then he cut off the frond part and just kept the part that had detached from the tree, turned it upside down, glued on eyes and a red nose. Mom added the bow and we had Rudolf. I know they made more of them but don't know what they did with them. What I want to know is how did they think of such a thing?

 

A second bud on the Christmas cactus is opening and the third one isn't far behind. I tried to take a closeup of the open flower but must have gotten too close because the flower was out of focus but the leaves weren't.

 

I painted another couple postcards today but only remembered to take a picture after I'd already sealed one in an envelope. So here's another snowman card. The ornament one is ready to mail.

 

I was looking at free patterns on a yarn website and saw a pattern for a costume for a Labubu. I think they're pretty ugly but they're the Beanie Babies of the day so I guess people have decided they're cute and need clothes. But aren't they furry? So, why? And this one looks crabby. Are they all like that?

 

We got just enough snow overnight that I had to go out and shovel the driveway this morning. It was sunshiny so clearing it off and then salting it exposed the concrete. Yay! Driving into the garage is so much easier when the driveway is clear.

I got to the end of my rope this morning when I went down to do the laundry. I had to fold the king-size sheets that were "stored" in the dryer and I'd had enough of their too-big-ness. So I checked online, saw that Verlo was having a sale, and went over and bought a bed. A queen-size bed so I don't have to buy new sheets because the guest bed is queen-size. It'll be delivered on the 17th. They'll take away the mattress and box springs but not the steel frame. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. Maybe take it to the recycling center. 

Today's word count is 1,062. Things are not rosy in Rose and Iggy-land but it's a temporary thing, don't worry.

Yesterday I got something out of the downstairs freezer and realized that there are 10 meals down there left from my last investment cooking. I should put them in the upstairs fridge so they can slowly thaw and I can eat them so they don't go bad. I'll do that. Now. What's one more trip to the basement today?

--Barbara