Preparing for liftoff

Mr. Gadget and I will be leaving the land of sunshine and sushi early tomorrow morning to return to the the land of snow and water in the basement. Tech Guy, who was at the house last weekend to do his laundry, said it wasn't too bad.....just a little soggy around the edges. I'm sure it will smell rather unpleasant, but a few hours of airing out with the windows open in 30-degree weather should do the trick. Hmmmmm.....maybe we can change our tickets.....

I've been very productive during my stay on the west coast. I finished this:

I crocheted it to very precise specifications: wide enough for me and long enough for Mr. G.

I made 100 tissue paper flowers, 52 felt ladybugs, and a cute little ladybug apron. I even found time to retype my Christmas card list. And just this morning I drove by the former house of my friend, Arizona Barbara. To be more accurate I should say the house that used to be. It recently met up with the wrecking ball and is now just a vacant lot with a pile of lumber on it. Soon it will become a McMansion, as will two other demolished houses on her street. This is the term used around here for the humungous structures that are replacing many small beach-area houses. Barbara requested a photo. It wasn't my idea to heap sadness on her. I'm sure she'll have a good cry. I felt a twinge of sadness myself as I recalled many pleasant times we spent there. Not far from Barbara's ghost-of-a-house is the house I grew up in. It, too, has morphed into a big monster with nary a patch of dirt for a child to make a mudpie.

I even made time for some reading and managed not to break my nose.

And now, having finished the afghan, my hands have nothing to do. Lest they start baking brownies or getting into other sorts of trouble, I pulled out this fabric and contemplated another embroidery project:Roosters. How novel.

It will be a good project for the trip home. Here's hoping it's a smooth flight and thereby embroidery-enabling....