Poppies

I nearly sliced the end off my little finger at work the other day while cutting onions. It's a bit difficult to type and play piano, but the piano is easier than the keyboard. The keys are bigger. When it happened I had to sit down for a few minutes and try not to pass out. A coworker bandaged me up and gave me some sympathy. I keep showing it to Partner to get sympathy out of him too.

Earlier today the dog was rooting around the bushes while Partner and I were looking at our flowers and we suddenly heard some very frantic chirping and flapping and the dog appeared with her mouth full of blackbird. I think Partner was more upset than I was. To me, it was just a dog being a dog. But he got it away from her and she didn't actually kill it though it may have staggered off mortally injured for all we know. We know she likes to play with soft toys (she positively decimated a little furry shark the other day) and I think it's just her instinct as a terrier to catch and kill little fuzzy things.

We went on an hour and a half walk today and saw all kinds of flowers and butterflies and tadpoles and Beauty very politely met some other doggies. We saw a beautiful field of scarlet poppies. We have a print of Monet's poppy field hanging in our dining room. I wished I had brought my easel and paints. Maybe I'll go out tomorrow with them.

All done

I'm anxiously watching the sky as it gets blacker and blacker, fearful for my laundry out on the line. I think it might pass us by without raining. I hope. Otherwise I'll be making a mad dash outside to rescue my nearly-dry whites.

There are several things I want to get done today: cleaning and cooking for the most part, but I also want to go to town to the garden center and possibly the grocery store. I hate going to the grocery store and I haven't really been there in ages since Partner generally shops for us, but we do need some stuff. I also need to walk the dog but I'm loath to go out in this weather. Yesterday and the day before the three of us went out and I brought an umbrella but needed two hands to keep it over my head. And those hands got very cold.

Partner has been writing music and I'm so proud of him. I think he's really talented. I listened to some recordings of pieces he'd written in college and was really impressed. And I listened to what he wrote down last night on the computer and thought it was great. In my opinion, he should write all the time since I know he's got stuff in his head. He needs to write it down.

Cherry or apple

The dog has been sneaking through a gap in the fence next door to have her daily poo. At least the neighbor on that side has a dog so I'm really hoping he doesn't notice. I blockaded the gap yesterday in an attempt to keep her in. So far it seems to have deterred her. On a walk the other day she found a big pile that looked like it was made by a Great Dane and she peed on it so everyone would know it belonged to her.

I planted up my hanging baskets at last and they look good. I poached some plants from my mother-in-law when we visited the other weekend, plus had some of my own which had sprung up as volunteers from last year. Self-seeding can be great. She also gave me several other plants that she had extra such as a rhubarb, but I'm a little worried: it's really wilted and doesn't seem at all happy. I hope it perks up. Partner doesn't care much for rhubarb but I quite like it; it's so nice to have something edible and fresh from the garden after a long winter. I'm considering asparagus as well, though I think that takes a few years to establish. Still, it would be worth it. And Partner wants an apple tree though I'm leaning more towards a cherry. I know just where I'd put it. I wonder if he'd be upset if I went and bought one?

Have

Partner is in the next room snoring happily. He's sleeping a bit better now, and his arm is feeling a little less painful. He got up for an hour or two this morning but then came back to bed. I don't begrudge him that. He needs his sleep.

More than half of my seedlings have been planted now. We have two very long vegetable plots with onions, beets, beans, garlic, tomatoes, and fennel planted. Plus carrots and spinach in two small beds. My herb bed is looking lovely and perky. The roses and peonies that I moved earlier in the season are all looking wide awake and happy. Both roses were in quite shady spots before and didn't really perform well but now they have a lot more sun and room to stretch. And it's finally raining. I think it hasn't rained since February. The ground at the local park has been all cracked; there was a news story about many owners withdrawing their horses from an important jumping event because the ground was too hard and would damage the horses' feet. From an individual's point of view, I've loved the sunshine and warm weather. But as a gardener, I really hope it rains a lot.

Last year I had about 50 cosmo plants but this year I only have about a dozen. I've got tomato volunteers springing up everywhere in my beds. And my zinnias have been very robust this spring, outstripping the marigolds. My dahlia tubers have gone in the ground and I look forward to their return.

We're going to visit Partner's parents tomorrow for the day; we haven't seen them since January. His mother hasn't been well enough to drive up to see us and his father doesn't drive and this is the first time we've been able to actually get away. When we visited in January we took the train. Now we have a car.

Laugh

Under circumstances I am not at liberty to divulge, Partner has broken his arm. Again. He says he's too embarrassed to tell people the truth. But I can reveal that it did involve a fall. I was involved in a fall last week too, just not at the same time. I chased the dog around the back yard, playing rough and tumble, and had a rough tumble into one of the (as of now) empty flowerbeds. I landed on my face and scraped both knees. Luckily Partner wasn't watching but I suspect a neighbor might have been. The dirt was pretty soft, considering. If I'd landed on the grass I bet I would have bruised.

One time in Vermont, a friend and I were driving around Montpelier and we spotted a really big slide in a playground so I convinced her to stop and try it out. It was a bit wet from a recent shower, but I figured that'd be ok--a little water doesn't hurt. When we climbed to the top, we realized just how big it was. Probably three kids could have slid down side by side. And as for height, think fun-fair slides: the kind you ride down on a burlap sack. So my friend goes first. All is well. She shoots down it and jumps off at the bottom and waves back at me. I get on. I'm a little nervous but I can't back down now, so I push off. And go faster and faster...I'm wearing a wool skirt and connecting with the metal that my friend so conveniently dried off for me, I am soon out of control. I hit the bottom. Only I'm still on my bottom. My skirt flies up. I skid along the ground for a couple of feet before I grind to a halt. And I'm only wearing thong underwear, so it is my butt cheeks in direct contact with the dirt. The pain was awful but I simply couldn't stop laughing. I don't know if it was more funny for my friend who actually saw it, or me who sees it in my mind's eye as brilliant sort of cartoon comedy slapstick. My friend found some water in her truck and poured it onto my offending parts while I did my best to rub the mud off. I couldn't sit down for a week. It still makes me laugh to think about it.

I caught the dog sleeping on the couch the other night and when I told her to get off she just rolled her eyes at me. She didn't even lift her head to look at me. Naughty doggie. She knows it's where the boss likes to sit and since she wishes she were boss, she sits there. She also let herself into the bedroom the other morning when I was asleep and hopped up onto the bed with me and woke me up. I'm the boss so I get the best den. She's the subordinate so she doesn't get to sleep in the best den. When I let her know that, she gave me a very sad look. I almost gave in. But I am slightly allergic to her and if her hair gets on my bed I won't sleep for allergies. Plus, she's not the boss; I am.

Fields of gold

So while walking the dog today I remembered to bring the camera and took a few photos of the fields near us. But the dog was a bit camera shy: she wanted to have a good sniff at the camera before she'd give it her ok. Though it's a bit hard to take a steady picture when you have a dog on the end of a leash attempting to jiggle your arm and cause a comedy blurred photo. She chose that moment to let loose a string of about ten sneezes. I was not amused.

It has been a lovely spring day but I have to get ready to leave for work in about half an hour. Last night it was SO busy at work. The night before, too. We run out of clean dishes regularly and then have to put a delay on food. Though I don't mind if it's busy; the only thing is we sometimes finish late because of it. But the time passes really quickly. I'm still working evenings and that means I can get some stuff done in the morning before I have to work. If I work days, I don't feel much like cleaning or walking the dog afterwards. Too tired.

Beans

I will be glad when the weekend comes. Granted, I only have Saturday off, but at least it's a day off. We'll take the new dog to Sherwood Forest for a walk.

We have a new dog. Like Lucy, she's a rescue dog. Her name is Beauty, and she's a tiny who-knows-what-mutt, but she's very elegant and dainty. Partner thinks she looks like a miniature German shepherd: she certainly has the same brown/black coat markings. She's a bit shy and nervous but very sweet and quiet with good manners. We think she's about five or six years old. I also think she may have been neglected or even abused by past owners as she's slightly skittish and very very thin. But I love her already. Lucy could be a bit of a pest and was very headstrong and could be trying. I had to grow to love Lucy. Beauty is just naturally winsome. I am slightly scared though that she'll die suddenly like Lucy did. I know it's a bit irrational. There's no reason why she should. She's up here now with me while I'm at the computer; I put down an old hoodie of Partner's on the floor and she's happily curled up on it.

We walked to the local pond yesterday and saw Mother Duck and her dozen ducklings. They whiz around like they have little outboard motors. I guess they're a little early in the season but then, it is almost May. We also walked through a field of canola plants in rampant flower, like a bee's paradise. I think the smell is absolutely divine though it makes some people sneeze. The color too is enough to drive a nectar-eating insect into a frenzy: bright bright gold, so much that you can't see the foliage when the flowers are in full bloom.

Magazine

Partner and a neighbor cut down one of the trees in our yard today. It wasn't extremely tall, but it was quite ugly and extremely prolific and cast a lot of shade onto the garden. Known as an elder, it's basically a weed that was allowed to grow into a tree. Now it's scattered all over our back lawn. It seems a lot bigger on the ground than it was in the air.

I took photos of our garden today and uploaded them. They can be reached by clicking on the link on the top left of this page below my picture. The first twenty-five or so are new ones.

We've got frog eggs at last and today we heard a frog peeping in the pond. Some of them burp, but this one peeped. It's the first one verified this spring. Of course we've seen lots of them--as Partner says, they look like one trying to jump over another but got stuck halfway. Partner has very delicate sensibilities. When once at the zoo I saw a mandrill grab another and start bouncing back and forth; most of the people turned to the next exhibit quickly (I think my gramma covered my little cousin's eyes) but my mouth dropped open and I couldn't tear my eyes away. There was, however, something almost indecent about it: mandrills have little hands and little hips just like humans. I think my first memory of the zoo as a tiny child was seeing the big bull elephant peeing. Like someone had strapped a long grey hose to his underside, it just kept coming and coming. And he made a veritable pond at his feet. A person can learn a lot at the zoo.

Green

So we ought to get our new car in a few days. And Partner has been promised a promotion but we've heard that tune before, so I'll believe it when I see it. I cut the tip of my left index finger on some foil at work today. It's been bleeding a lot and I'm finding it difficult to type. Though I don't think there's blood on the keyboard.

We've had more good weather so I've been in the garden a lot. Partner cut down a small evergreen tree from our front yard and I think I want to move one of our hydrangeas there. We have two of them at the moment and one is very small and sickly. I think it needs moving to a more hospitable spot to grow a bit bigger. And the new ones I've been attempting to propagate from our big bush are not dead yet. I also want to propagate our clematises in the same way.

Easter has been ok for us. We haven't done anything huge and I did have to work, but I feel like I've had a good day. Partner cooked us a full Sunday roast dinner with meat, potatoes, and two veg and made some really tasty iced tea. We looked proudly at all our new flowers (tulips, forget-me-nots, and irises) and I had nice walks to and from bus stops in the sunshine.

The fuzz

I was thinking about the different plants we've got that self-seed. I've got poppies, foxgloves, feverfew, forget-me-nots, and nasturtiums. I generally find the foxgloves and feverfew all over the yard and either transplant them in groups or just pull them out altogether. The poppies I leave where they are and then pull out once the flowers are over. Nasturtiums seedlings get pulled out until about the middle of summer at which point I give up and let them run their course. I do like nasturtiums but they'll take over my beds and smother everything else if I don't keep on top of them. Around mid-July other the plants have had a chance to establish so they aren't bothered too much by a carpet of nasturtiums.

We've been pretty low on funds recently but hopefully that'll turn around soon. And we don't have a car nor have we had one since November, but Partner has been shopping around for a cheap old beater that'll last us a year. My new work schedule is such that I will be working moderately late nights and I'm not comfortable waiting for the bus home at 10.30pm. The bus only goes from work to our house once an hour, unless it doesn't come at all.

The weather was such today that I washed two whole loads of laundry and everything dried wonderfully outside. Washing machines in this country take more than an hour to go through a normal cycle so laundry can be an all-day affair. I much prefer to hang the laundry out to dry than put it in the dryer. They only things that go in the dryer are sheets and pillowcases. I'm trying to save the environment. And our electricity bill. Other things that I do to save e&e is unplug the entertainment center things (tv, dvd, etc) overnight and I try to turn off the computer at night too, though Partner likes to keep it running so he can download stuff. But I make him turn off the moniter at least.

I'm also trying to make sure all the dishes get done at night and the counters wiped down before we go to bed since we occasionally we see mice in the kitchen. If they find a free meal, they'll keep coming back. We have a few traps: one that kills and one that just catches. I don't like the kill one. I really don't like coming down in the morning and seeing a dead mouse on the floor. But then, coming down and seeing mouse poo on the counters doesn't exactly make my day either. When a mouse gets caught in the live trap, Partner will take it to work and set it free. I like mice. I like them in fields or forests or the pet shop. They're cute then. But house mice are not cute.

Ok they're cute; but I still don't like them.

Keep on burning

Yesterday was so warm that I actually wore a sleeveless top and became seriously concerned about sunburn. I transplanted lots of little feverfew seedlings to the front of a vegetable bed. Compact little plants, they have nice white daisy-like flowers to brighten up my veggies. I also ordered about seven or nine seed packets online last night and look forward to their delivery this week. Most of the seeds I ordered I've never grown before, like echinacea and amaranthus. Here's hoping they do well.

Today is also predicted to be a scorcher (as far as possible in March) but at the moment a thick stew of fog covers everything. So I don't think I'll make a start on gardening just yet. I had thought I might move all my crocuses to the front lawn: they look lovely when naturalized in grass. I think I must have about thirty or so bulbs--just about right for our tiny lawn. And over time they'll increase themselves so maybe one day in the future they'll carpet the whole lot. Crocuses remind me of little Easter eggs nesting in the ground.

Since it was hot yesterday I cooled off indoors with a bit of tidying. Slowly my disgraceful house transforms into a spotless haven. Slowly being the key word. Now that the days are longer than the nights I feel more energized to get some things done. Good for me.

Freezy

Yesterday and today we've had some snow flurries in between sunshine. I can't believe it's nearly equinox and we've got snow. It's not sticking, thanks to the sun, but it is COLD. I wanted to take a picture of it yesterday but I couldn't find the batteries for the camera. I think Partner hid them. It's also been extremely windy and my daffodils are being blown to pieces. Some that have fallen over I've brought inside and plunked in vases.

This weekend Partner and I put up some wallpaper in the bathroom. Two walls are done and it looks a lot brighter. We've also stripped off wallpaper in the kitchen which ended up a mighty task. It also is only half done. When Parter did the living room, the wallpaper pretty much fell off in his hands. It only took a quick tug and the whole section gave up the ghost. But in the kitchen it involves a lot of scraping with thin-edged instruments after misting the paper thoroughly. Partner claims he has shoulder pain, residue from last year's injury, and that he can't possibly do any sort of repetitive motion with it. So I've done most of the scrapeage.

When Partner walks in from work on a day like this his greeting kiss is always so cold I call him Freezy Man. But more often it's Freezy Me since I get colder easier than he does. I think body hair has something to do with it. He's got a natural fur coat and unless I grow my hair a lot longer I'll never catch up. I'm pretty darn hairless. And he thinks a beard makes him look manly, however I prefer a shaven face. A beard goes up my nose. But I draw the line at a moustache. I won't kiss him if he has just a moustache without the beard. If he ever kissed a moustache he would understand.

Amazing

I uploaded the link to my newest garden photos. It's posted on the left side of my blog there below my photo. I might take more pictures later when more things flower. I've got the beginnings of forget-me-nots and my tulips are forming buds. Last week I split up one of my older lupins into three pieces and spread them out. So far they are looking just fine. I also attempted to start my hydrangea propagating through layering: I cut a little notch in three different stems, pegged them down on the ground and tied them to a cane. Hopefully where they are notched they'll grow roots and I'll be able to dig them up and replant them elsewhere. I was thinking they'd be nice in the front--if they take, that is. It's supposed to take six months.

I was also thinking of moving some of my red peonies to the front. They are kind of overshadowed in the back and, since I have redefined a lot of the beds, are out of place. One of them is big enough to think about dividing it. We divided one I think two years ago and it didn't flower the first year but it did the next. I also think my yellow peony could be divided but I'm loath to disturb it. It flowers much earlier than the red ones and I always look forward to it. My gramma and her sister have so many different kinds in their yard that they have peonies all summer long. That would be wonderful.

Since about two weeks ago I have half-emptied my composter spreading it around my beds. I still haven't got a second one, but in a pinch I suppose I could just throw the stuff in a pile. We used to have a pile. It was huge. Unlike a pile, with a composter I don't have to dig to the bottom to get the yummy stuff. There's a little door at the bottom so I can just open it up and chip it out.

Some sunshine

Since I planted my seeds last week several marigolds and zinnias have popped up. It's very exciting. Marigolds especially are so bright and cheerful and so lovely and spicy. Not to eat of course. To smell. I also took some pictures of flowers in my garden today. I'll post a link to the side once I upload them.

Yesterday I made sushi for dinner. Talk about YUMMY. I think I could eat it every day. A lot of people think sushi is raw fish. Sashimi is raw fish. Sushi is technically vinegared rice usually served with vegetables and fish--raw or cooked. I made broiled salmon to go with ours. And freshly pickled ginger. You dip the fish/veg/rice in soy sauce and gobble it up. Then you eat a piece of ginger every several mouthfuls and it goes zing. I've had sushi rolls before but I've never eaten at a sushi bar or anything. I'd like to. I'm really interested in Japanese cuisine now. Since I saw Lost in Translation I've really wanted to go to Japan. Well, even before that. I fell in love with Japan once I saw Spirited Away. I saw another animated movie (Partner says it's by the same director as Spirited Away) called My Neighbor Totoro recently. It really bowled me over.

Partner's downstairs right now watching rugby. I don't quite understand it. It's kind of like American football only they don't wear any padding or helmets and they really don't stop gameplay at all. The ball is constantly moving. If they get tackled, somebody else picks up the ball and runs with it. Or kicks it. It's confusing. And they all look like they've been hit a few times too many. Actually Partner used to play rugby as a teenager and damaged his back playing it. He was confined to bed for two years and now endures chronic back problems. Luckily he didn't suffer any long-term brain damage. Getting hit in the head a lot will do that.

Clean

This weekend Partner and I stayed up till midnight to watch the full lunar eclipse. It stayed completely eclipsed for about an hour and glowed faintly red. The weatherman had forecast it to be a horrible grey day with no respite from the rain but it was sunny and warm as anything and very clear that night.

During the day I planted carrots, onions, lettuce, spinach, cosmos, marigolds, and delphiniums. Just seeds, of course. I have five little trays indoors and three outdoors under our cold frame. Partner cut back some of the rosebushes and did some digging. I thought I heard frogs burping in the pond but I may have imagined it.

We're both looking forward to my mother's visit in two months. We've got a few places in mind that we want to take her to such as Fountains Abbey and the city of York. I think the bluebells will be in flower when she comes. And we can go walking on the moors if the weather agrees. She's going to bring material to make curtains for my kitchen. I think Partner and I may try to redecorate the kitchen this week. He's got the week off and so do I. The wallpaper is falling off the walls but no matter what I'd still want it replaced: I don't like grasshopper green. I want the walls to be plain clean white and the cupboard doors repainted red. Right now they're kind of a medium blue. And I'm going to have red and white gingham curtains.

Marooned

I finally actually finished Minesweeper on expert mode. I've been trying for years...like since I was about ten. I've done the beginner and intermediate no problem. And now the expert holds no mysteries for me. I think part of it is that I've been doing the "Killer" sudoku in the newspaper every day. I've also been doing the cryptic crossword as well, and while I'm still only getting about two to five words for every thirty or so clues, I'm improving. When I first started doing them I couldn't get even one. I can do the easy crossword without much problem so I don't really bother any more. Just the cryptic. Same with the easy sudoku. So I'm keeping my brain sharp. Ish. At least I'm counteracting all those video games I play.

I actually picked three vases of daffodils this week. It's hard to believe but they are opening up all over the place now. And there's plenty more to come. I guess I must have several different kinds of daffodils because some of them are still only little shoots and won't flower for a few more weeks.

I buzzed off Partner's hair this weekend and he claims he's chilly now. He threw the hair out into the backyard for the birds but I don't think there have been many takers yet. Instead it looks like the cat killed something large and fuzzy and slightly grey. I remember when I had my hair cut off from waist-length to two inches. There was a lot of hair on the floor. I think my hair is about half way down my back now. I had it all cut off seven years ago, then kept it quite short for about four years, then when I got married I just started growing it again. I like having long hair but I also liked having short hair. When I had my hair all chopped off the first time the stylist asked me if I was going to cry. I wasn't. I really really wanted it to be cut off. She also asked if I'd ever had hair that short. I said no, but my brothers look good with short hair so I should be ok. After it was done I was so happy. I think she was happy too; I doubt she got to make radical haircuts like that very often. I was amazed the first time I went to wash it. It took hardly any time at all. I was also amazed when I first walked out of the salon: my head felt so much lighter and (since it was the middle of November) colder.

Just gardening

My garden is starting to wake up a bit with lupins appearing, and shoots on my roses and clematis. I'll have to cut the roses and clematis back so they grow well and don't get spindly. I have a dark purple clematis that interweaves with my white climbing rose and looks absolutely gorgeous. I also have a maroon clematis that hasn't flowered much since I've lived here but Partner says it's young and we should expect great things in the future. And I have a new one planted last year out front which is an early spring flowering one and is a lovely pink. I'm really hoping it flowers this year but we'll have to see. It might be too young also.

My baby lavendars are also not dead yet. I grew them from seed last year and planted some of them in the two big planters next to my front door. I have visions of being able to brush past them on the way in the house, releasing their lovely scent. As of now they're only a couple inches tall but growing. And you should see my forget-me-nots. I planted tons in the front yard and they are strong and happy and have bulbs previously put down growing between them. On one side there are wood hyacinths and on the other tulips. I can't wait for them all to flower.

And I even have a few crocuses--bright buttery yellow ones. I'd forgotten completely about them. I don't know who planted them, whether Partner did it or whether they were here when he got here, but they never cease to amaze. Though sadly what few snowdrops we had last year haven't made an appearance this year.

In dark

We got our snow but very little of it. I think at most it was half an inch. In some parts of the country they got a lot. I wanted a lot. I wanted to make a snowman. But the next day it turned to rain and all washed away. My daffodils are still going strong. Six are open now.

Partner's black eye now looks like normal though he says he still has vision problems. He jokes that when the ball hit him, another player called, "Keep your eye on the ball," and he thought it literally was. Ouchies.

For Valentine's Day we made ourselves eggs Benedict for breakfast and then later on I made us some really yummy brownies. I have the most fantastic recipe that makes the gooeyist, softest, delectable not-too-sweet-or-bitter brownies ever.

My Super Special Brownies

4 ounces dark chocolate

1/2 pound butter

4 eggs

1 & 3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, caramel chips, etc (optional)

---

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and chocolate together on the lowest possible heat, stirring often. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until slightly frothy. Add the cooled chocolate mixture.

Add the salt and flour and nuts/chips and stir till completely mixed.

Bake in a greased 9" tin at 325F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Let cool before eating.

---

In my oven it actually takes more like 40 minutes, but my oven is picky. The recipe written as it is calls for 20-25 minutes. So keep a close eye on it. I don't actually add nuts or anything to my brownies; I love them plain. And the toothpick should come out just a little sticky. Not dripping, but a little bit of goo. Trust me, it'll be perfect.

(Postscript: I don't know why the above recipe is spaced so widely. I tried to narrow it down, but it's either all in one paragraph or as it stands. This new blog format is warped.)

Gold orchid

My first daffodil flowered yesterday but it is likely to snow tomorrow. I hope the rest will be ok. These past several days have been very sunny but cold with a hard frost at night. Not much to do garden-wise in these conditions so I've actually gone and done a painting. Hard to believe, I know, but I saw my yellow orchid in the window with the sunlight streaming over her and was inspired. I had planned on painting my white orchid at some point--she's so delicate and pretty, but the effect of the shadow and light on the yellow one really struck me. I scanned it but am not pleased with the quality of the scan. Though I guess it gives some idea.

Partner's softball excursion last weekend ended in tragedy. He's been to a total of three different hospitals and has a huge black eye. He says he got hit with the ball but it looks like a very disreputable injury. Luckily they don't think they'll have to amputate. I won't comment on the amount of times he's been to the emergency room compared to the times he's played sports. He asked for suggestions on alternate sports he could play: less dangerous sports. I suggested competitive gardening. So he told me I'm not allowed to make facetious remarks until he can roll his eyes again.

Live

My crocheted afghan is now finished. I completed it a few days ago and it's currently on the bed but I think it might go downstairs on the couch. I want to do another one and I have a pattern, but I need yarn. So I'll have to wait a bit.

Partner is off playing an indoor softball tournament today. I was invited but I'm not big on softball. And I was up all night with a bladder infection. Early this morning Partner went to the store to get me some cranberry juice which now, three and a half hours later, is beginning to take effect. I don't think I could have managed getting to the store and back without any bathroom breaks. So I'm pretty tired but it's daytime now and it's sunny. I could even venture to say Super Sunny, which begs for gardening. And laundry hung on the line. Not for sleeping.

I got a present from my mother and grandmother and great-aunt yesterday. It was postmarked December 15. When I opened it up (a file-sized soft package), I saw red yarn and was unsure as to what it was. Then I pulled it out and said wow. It is a big handmade yarn bag/purse made of a red sweater with pockets and beadwork and adorable buttons. It was made by my great-aunt, bought by my mother, and sent by my grandmother and I LOVE it. I've never seen anything like it and it is awesome.

I'm still waiting for my movie footage to come, but my dad says it's been mailed so I just have to wait. But if the last package from home took a month and a half, I dread to think when it'll arrive.