More things botanical

So I'm here in So. Calif. and just about adjusted to the jet lag. The trip out was uneventful. My two traveling companions--the cat and the witch--made it in good shape, with the exception of a little crinkling of the black pointy hat. Not a word was said at the airport security checkpoint. Maybe those folks are used to seeing women traveling with crazy characters.

The flowers were delivered on the afternoon of my arrival. Mr. Gadget, who rarely shows his romantic side, had them sent with a note saying he missed me already. I was pretty sure that by leaving him with clean underwear and a freezer full of chicken pot pies, he would hardly know I was gone. Then today, he had some chocolates delivered. Maybe it's the new hair highlights.....It always makes me feel good to see balance in the universe. The flower delivery somehow seemed to offset last weeks' tree removal. A huge tree used to stand in the spot where just a patch of mulch now appears. Apparently it was causing problems to the nearby roof, and the roots were making cracks in the surrounding sidewalks and the driveway. A vote was taken among the curmudgeons, and I've been told that the tree was felled, chopped, chipped and taken away in just a couple of hours. It was one of those win-win situations: there's more light in the condo, and I missed the chain saw music..

And in knitting news, I'm about to cast on for the second front of the shawl-collared jacket. It's all worked in garter stitch, and for 26 inches it will just be mindless knitting-- the perfect project for sitting and listening to dear ol' dad tell me stories about characters and places I mostly don't recognize. Yesterday we did have a nice conversation about his mother, my grandmother (the one who crocheted), and how she never missed an episode of Lawrence Welk on TV. A big smile appeared on his face and he said, "A one and a two and a....," just like LW used to do when he'd start up his band. A little nursing home humor is a good thing....