Spring menagerie

When Mr. Gadget and I took a walk this morning we noticed an unusual collection of animals out and about around the complex.  We've seen these before. They appear only in the spring, and they always gravitate toward certain condo units. We assume they have a certain fondness for the owners.  I call them snow pets.

This one, lounging around in the sun, was in our driveway.  It's a stray.  I hope it finds its way home soon so I don't have to call Animal Control.

Here's one waiting for someone to wash a car so he can get a drink from the gutter.  He's dirty and mangy-looking.  His owners must regret the day they brought him home.

I'm glad I don't have this to deal with--a snow pet with a litter.  It could be tricky finding the little ones good homes.  I don't think they'd survive very long in a box with a sign by the side of the road.

Here's a bunny--just in time for Easter.

You've gotta feel a little sorry for this one.....hanging over the curb drooling.

The owners should be reprimanded for these two....allowing them out without a leash and letting them pee on the grass.

I fear it's too late for this one.  I'd better call the city and ask for a road-kill pickup.

From here to there

I always like a challenge....especially when it's fabric-related.  And when it's small.  And when there's no immediate deadline looming. 

"Sure," I told the bride-to-be who happens to be one of Big City Girl's best friends, "I'll be happy to make your ring-bearer's pillow.  Just give me an idea of what you want."

She did, and I came up with a sketch.  Don't pay any attention to the date.  Sometimes I can't even remember how old I am...

And then I came up with a pillow.

Here's the not-so-shiny version.  In real life, it's somewhere inbetween.

The rings are fakes.  Just in case the little ring-bearer decides it's a toy and flings it like a frisbee, no harm will be done.  I'd better remember to take a few spares.

This and that and the other thing

So I did the interview with my bike-riding neighbors and wrote the article--all in two days.  That's pretty darn quick for me, as I usually have to wrestle with my words for several days before I can pin them down.  I have to credit the blog for all the writing practice it gives me, and to you, my tolerant readers, who never say a word about my mistakes.....like for instance....putting a tiger picture up with a story about the Serengeti.  Mr. Gadget Smartypants informed me of that one after I posted.

But just in case you've ever wondered if dogs wear goggles, they do.

And they're not just for show. They serve a purpose by keeping flying road debris out of a dog's eyes.  The article was fun to write, and I learned something about tandem biking in the process.  The rider in front maintains total control of the bike, and the rider in back must relinquish all control.....which is why I could never ride the rear seat in a tandem.  I'd probably hit the brakes when I noticed Mr. Gadget making a move to pass two old ladies in the slow lane.

I'm already assuming my article will be well-received, and am thinking about other residents I might interview.  If it doesn't make it into print, I will hide my head in shame and find another knitting project for solace.  Speaking of which, I finished another black felted bag and I'm more pleased with its size.  This one still needs some lining and a snap closure. 

I've started a white one that will be slightly narrower--as a birthday gift for a friend.  And while I was in the yarn store buying the white yarn, I found a sweater pattern that I just had to have.  I'm hoping I have some yarn on hand for it.  I was never like this in my early days of knitting.  My process then was to *buy sweater pattern, buy yarn for sweater, knit, sew knitted pieces together, wear sweater(or banish it to the back of a dresser drawer), repeat from *.  Now we knitters--and I'm pretty comfortable speaking for the collective whole here--buy yarn and build a stash, and then live with the guilt, and then deal with the dilemma of how we will possibly be able to knit it all in one lifetime.  Most of us figure we're just going to have to come back.

Living on the wild side

(Disclaimer:  the information presented in this blog post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the blog author.)

The other day, just before Mr. Gadget headed down to his basement office to type up the minutes from the most recent condo association board meeting, I asked him how he was feeling as his three-year term on the executive board was drawing to a close.

He turned around and plopped himself down on a barstool.  Somehow, I knew I was in for more than just a short, two-word answer.

"In many ways," he said, "the Serengeti National Park is a fitting metaphor for a condominium complex.  Being on the board is a lot like being a park ranger."

I thought maybe I should have grabbed my knitting.

"Condo residents can be divided into two general categories," he went on.  "The vast majority are clueless ungulates and the rest are evil predators out to get them."  He had more.  "Consequently, despite what the CC&R's say about roles and responsibilities, the real job of the executive board members is to protect the former from the latter."

I must remember to keep my knitting in a handier place.

"And like the plains dwelling herbivores, most condo residents are content to be left alone with their patch of greenery around their units," he said.  "Any executive board member who seeks to deny them their greenbelt does so at great personal risk."

He was really getting heated up.  I could see the barstool starting to quiver.

"I know you've told me how contentious the association meetings are," I said.  "Do you have any ideas for improving meeting management?"

"Well," he said, "one thing's for sure: patience is not a virtue.  A board member trying to explain a complex issue is like that Serengeti park ranger trying to keep the herd from destroying the only watering hole in the area."

Mr. Gadget was definitely into the whole metaphor mentality.

"The predators are pretty smart," he continued.  "They make a run for the water, but when they're blocked, they look elsewhere.  But the others are like wildebeests.  They just keep heading to the same watering hole over and over and over.

I was getting a good sense of just how he felt about his time on the board.  I'd really heard enough so I started for the Treehouse.

"Not so fast!" he exclaimed.  "I've held out the best for last.  Like the park ranger, the executive board member's personal goal is to put in his time and get the hell out before losing any limbs."

Tuesday tidbits

So I got to thinking.....

I wonder if I could use this doll pattern

to make a morning lady.

The eyes would work;

the mustache not.

 

I stuck my turkey neck out

last weekend and volunteered

to write some short stories about residents

for our new condo newsletter.

The first one will be about our neighbors

who ride a bicycle built for two.

With their dog.

 

Today I purchased the final construction supplies

for the ring-bearer pillow.

I'll get it done lickity-split.

The bride thinks I've been working

my fingers to the bone for weeks.

Shhhhhh!

 

I gave up the woodcarving class.

It's all about priorities.

I wonder if they missed me yesterday?

I think I can figure it out for myself.

I'll keep a supply of bandages handy.

 

Mr. Gadget and I are considering

shipping our bicycles to the Calcondo.

It was my brilliant idea.

Here, we have to drive a long way to the

woodsy, hilly bike paths.

There, we can drive a short distance to

a mostly-flat path along the beach.

 

This summer I'll be attending my

50th high school reunion.

I've known both of the women

organizers since kindergarten.

One had a doll with beautiful clothes--with sequins

and fur and satin--all handmade

by her mother.

The other begged me to play marbles

with her in the dirt.

She always won and I kept having to

buy new marbles.  She had an older brother

who routinely socked us in the arm.

 

Tomorrow I'm getting a haircut.

After that I'll begin my new life

as a gray-haired lady.

I'm happy with my salt and pepper look.

I keep looking for those annoying, emerging roots

but find none.

I've deleted that worry from my worry list.

However, I've added a new worry to the list.

I'm worried about the dust bunnies.

They're reproducing much too quickly.

 

 

 

 



"Crossword clues for a thousand please Alex"

Mr. Gadget and I are big Jeopardy fans, as you've probably already guessed.  It's just part of our daily routine.  We play along and often collaborate on final jeopardy.  "Oh, what's the name of that cloth with the little ridges?" he'll shout out as he feels the stress of the catchy little tune winding down.  "Corduroy!" I declare confidently, showing off my impressive knowledge of all-things-fabricy.  We do make a good team.

This weekend Big City Girl will be making a return trip to the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn--not far from where she lives.  Since there's no stadium seating available and no loud cheering permitted on the sidelines, we'll stay home and wait to hear from her. 

Some contestants really get into the total crossword experience.

Again, as I did two years ago when she first competed, I offered to make her a cute little outfit, but she politely declined.  BCG doesn't like to make a spectacle of herself.  She's funny that way...

So here's what I've been up to:

On Monday, I went back to the woodcarving group and found the instructor in attendance and the big-mouth a bit more subdued.  I made an attempt to carve a small owl--the class project of the day.  In the process I cut my finger and bled on my handiwork.  Fortunately, no medical intervention was required, but now--as I understand it--I'm an official member of the brotherhood....make that sisterhood...of woodcarvers.

I also made an attempt to felt a small knitted bag. 

I wasn't sure what the shrinkage factor would be, so this is just an experiment.  I used Cascade 220 yarn (info for you knitters) and was very happy with the way it felted.  I'm now at work on a slightly bigger version that will be a better size for one of my felted-flower embellishments.

As for the shoe-coloring project, I had pretty good luck with the fabric paint.

They are a bit splotchy in spots, but I'm reluctant to do a second coat.  I think they're good enough--in light of the fact that BCG will be wearing a long dress that will hide most of her shoes, and I'm assuming the big tattoo will deflect attention from her feet.  Unless, of course, grandma-of-bride decides a shoe inspection is in order....in which case BCG might end up being voted off.

Here's the lowdown....

...in no particular order.

So I went to the woodcarving meet-up last Monday at the senior center, but the teacher didn't show. He had car trouble.  There were seven of us gathered, all eager to attack some wood. There were 5 women and 2 men--one of whom was a know-it-all-curmudgeonly type.  He told me my grandfather's woodcarving tools were very nice, and that I should hide them because they were something he would love to own, but that really all I needed was a small knife.

So I came home and asked Mr. Gadget if I could borrow a pocket knife from his gadget stash and maybe a small piece of pine.  No sense spending good money for an official wood-carving knife and all the trimmings until I've checked out the teacher and determined whether or not the curmudgeon is going to make me just want to stay home.

Very soon I'll be starting construction on a ring-bearer's pillow for Big City Girl's good friend who is getting married in April.  This has required some research and several consultations with the bride-to-be to come up with a plan for the perfect pillow.  This will include white satin, plum ribbon, embroidery thread, stuffing, and some fake rings to tie on the pillow so there's no worry if the 3-year-old ring bearer decides to throw it like a frisbee.

And further to the wedding preps, I'm going to dye some shoes for BCG who will be a bridesmaid.  "Just wear any old gold shoes you have in your closet," said the bride to BCG.  "Yeah, like I have gold shoes," replied BCG. 

So we went shoe-shopping while she was visiting last weekend and she got a pair of white shoes that she really liked because I confidently told her, "I'm pretty sure I can dye those gold for you."  In fact, I paid for the shoes since I was taking all of the color responsibility.   I'm so tempted to make them bright red with glitter.  It would be my little joke.  But then, I might be upstaging BCG who has her own little joke.

She assures me the only one at the wedding who will have a problem with this is the bride's grandma.  I must remember to take my camera.

So I was emailing with my cousin the other day and I sent her this same picture, and we got to discussing various skin decorations that we seem to be acquiring as we age....you know little tags and spots and things of various elevations.  She said her doctor calls them the barnacles of life.  I thought this was hilarious and wonderfully descriptive. I told her I didn't notice mine very much since I always keep them well-covered, but I had noticed many unusual things appearing on my face and that maybe I will call them wisdom badges.  Just how much wisdom can one acquire I wonder?   

Docs and dustmops

Last weekend Mr. Gadget and I had dinner with some friends--our cruising buddies, to be exact. We all traveled together last spring to the British Isles and Europe.

During the dinner conversation, one of them asked if we had seen the PBS show, Doc Martin.  Neither of us had, but I said I'd heard good reviews.  So now I'm hooked.  Lucky for me, Mr. Gadget had recorded the whole series, since at one time I had told him I might want to watch it someday.

If you aren't familiar with the series, it's filmed in Cornwall in a picturesque coastal village called Portwenn (known in real life as Port Isaac).  It looks very much like Polperro--the small village we enjoyed visiting during a stop on our cruise.

Thanks to the Brits there's finally some high quality TV. I'd almost lost hope.  Yep, I've got Downton Abbey in the queue too.

And in knitting news, I'm going to finish up my current scarf project and then cease and desist.  I've got enough scarves to outfit an Eskimo village.  The other day, while looking through a trunk for the unfinished Plymouth sweater (circa 2007)*, I found 5 or 6 more scarves I didn't even remember knitting.  Next up is to finish the Plymouth sweater which just needs one more front.

*yarn and pattern were purchased in Plymouth, Mass. in 2007 where I joined some other crazy women for a ghost-hunting weekend.

So now I must tidy up in preparation for a visit from Big City Girl this weekend.  I plan to open up the trunk of forgotten scarves and let her have at it.  The big city is just the place for hand-knitted scarves.  They're just the thing for keeping a neck nice and warm....and they also make very fashionable dustmops.....

Frivolous fringie fun

Here's a little yarny project I've been working on--and it's guaranteed to cover any hint of a turkey neck.

It's the kind of project that goes on and on and on.  There's no definite stopping point.  There aren't even any directions.  You just call it quits when enough is enough.

I started with a 2-1/2 inch wide strip knitted in garter stitch.  I knitted until it was as long as I wanted the scarf.....which in this case is about 60 inches. 

Next, I cut strips of different funky yarns...about 7 inches long.  Then with a crochet hook, I attached them randomly to one side of the knitted strip. 

This can be a little tedious, so I attack it in small doses....usually while watching Jeopardy.  I have more to go, but it won't be long before I'll declare it finished.

I do, of course, need to worry about the shedding factor.  There are hundreds of yarn ends.  But I don't plan to wear it with anything fancy.  I'll keep my lint brush handy and just pretend I have a cat.

True love and woodcarving

I remember having a conversation with Big City Girl several years ago during which we discussed dating and finding Mr. Right.  "Don't look too hard," I told her, "because you'll just be wasting your time."  Then I added this little gem:
"The harder you look, the more elusive Mr. Right will be."  Sometimes I amaze myself with my wisdom.

I think I may have given her a few examples from people I've known, about how they met in the unlikeliest of places and under the quirkiest of circumstances.  Like my friend Barbara who decided to move from California to Arizona, bought a small house there, and had to send the renter packing.....only to fall madly in love with him. Or another friend who went on a cruise with her mother and ended up marrying one of the ship's officers.  When the time is right, I told her, some sort of mystical magic happens. "So just become the best person you can be, get out and about, make lots of friends, and do good things in the world," I said, "and everything will work out."

So now for the woodcarving. This carving set belonged to my grandfather.  He passed it on to dear-ol'-dad, and somewhere along the line I ended up with it.  I probably planned to give it to Tech Guy, but TG wasn't always careful with special things so I put it away in a closet for safe-keeping.  I did briefly give some thought to trying my hand at it but never got around to it.  Plus, I've never considered myself a sculptor...you know, one of those people like Michelangelo who said something like, "Just take away the stuff that doesn't belong."

This past week I noticed a flyer at the senior center when I went there for my knitting group.  They're going to start up a new interest group. Woodcarving.  So I signed up and I'm going to give it a whirl.  The tools will be coming out of the closet soon.  I hope we can make beautiful music together.  Let the dancing begin!

A long and maybe boring story

I know I threatened you with a trip report.  Walk away now if you have something better to do.  I won't be offended.

On January 23, we sailed from the port of San Pedro--about a 20-minute taxi ride from the Calcondo.  We were headed to the Panama Canal with plans to end up in Ft. Lauderdale on Feb. 6.

After 5 days at sea, we arrived at Puentarenas, Costa Rica--where we shared the pier with the Queen Elizabeth.  I was curious to know if she'd fit through the Panama Canal.  I never found out.  We didn't see her there.  But I'm pretty sure she would have had to leave her purse behind.

Here she is, still at the pier, as we sailed away that evening.

After a day at sea, we anchored off of Panama City--just a short ways from the entrance to the canal.  We stayed here for a day and a night so passengers could take tours on shore.  Mr. Gadget and I, with our slug-like tendencies, stayed glued to our deck chairs.

In fact, we found our air-conditioned stateroom to be the ideal place to watch the canal passage on our flat screen TV.

But we didn't stay there all day.  We spent some time in the air-conditioned indoor pool area and watched the passing ships from the comfort of nicely-padded lounge chairs.  Here's the Pacific Princess--a sister ship to ours (but considerably smaller)--passing us in the opposite direction.  This called for much horn-honking.  The woman sitting next to me--with bare feet and an expensive pedicure--was playing games on her iPad.

This huge ship was passing through the canal in the lane next to us.  It's a car carrier--known as a roro in the nautical world. The loading process involves lots of rolling on and rolling off.

Here's a good view of a lock gate and the different water levels.  This picture was taken from the stern looking behind our ship.  We were moving out of the lock after the water level has been raised.

Here's a whole herd of mules--small locomotives that help guide the ships.  Each one holds two ropes that are attached to the sides of the ship.  There were 4 mules on each side of ours. The ropes are held taut to keep the ship from hitting the sides of the canal.  There is, at most, a foot to spare.  In spite of modern technology, the ropes are secured as they've been for almost 100 years--with the help of 2 men in a rowboat.

This is the end of the canal on the Atlantic Ocean side.  The canal operates day and night, 7 days a week. After dark, the arrow is lighted to alert approaching ships to pass on either the right or the left.

After leaving the canal (the 48-mile distance takes about 8 hours) we had a rough night of sailing to Cartagena, Colombia--the only rough seas of the trip--but fortunately it was during the night. Neither of us fell out of bed. Our 4-course dinner most likely provided extra ballast.

Our final stop was Aruba.  There's lots of good shopping there if you're into jewelry and gemstones, but we aren't.  We usually just stop in for a local beer  and hobnob with the friendly critters--which were in plentiful supply.

So now we're back to real life.....and counting our blessings that we weren't on that other ship.  I can't even imagine....

Snow day

We got a little snow.

I'm not sure how much, but a good guess would be about 14"  The wind was whipping and the snow was drifting, so it's hard to tell for sure. 

The crews have done a good job clearing it from the roads and driveways, although yesterday was proclaimed a no-drive day until late afternoon.  Fortunately, we did not lose power.  So, all-in-all, not a difficult storm for us to deal with.  Others in our state were not so lucky.

The frog-o-meter didn't turn out to be a good measuring device. Within a few hours he was covered to his eyeballs.

I gave up on the idea when I couldn't find a hippo, and Mr. Gadget wouldn't let me snoop through his office or his tool room.  Luckily, there was the Weather Channel to keep us informed.  That Jim Cantore.....he's a real trooper, isn't he?

So I was going to give you a trip report, but Mr. Gadget has not downloaded his pictures yet, and I'm sure he has some that are much better than the pathetic bunch I took.  I'll do a little nagging.

Meanwhile, I'm planning to go into witch production soon.  Someone who attended the October hotel show contacted me to see if I had more in my inventory....that he had gone back to buy a couple only to find they had been snatched up.  I sent him a nice response and told him that inventory is not a word in my vocabulary....I mean, that I didn't have any currently available, but that I would be willing to make a couple when I returned from my travels.

It's nice to be back in the Treehouse and I'm anxious to start a new project.  I'm just not sure where my witchy fabric is.  I'm going to have to do a little digging.  I hope I don't have to go any deeper than the Neolithic Era.

Bad timing

Mr. Gadget and I are back at the Concondo and awaiting the blizzard of potentially epic proportions.  What were we thinking?  We should have just stayed on the boat. 

 

 

Just a week ago we were sweating in 90-degree heat in Cartagena (even though we look cool as cucumbers....trust me, I only had one thing on my mind and that was going into an air-conditioned shop).  Which I did, and where I bought a cute little purse.

I owe you all an apology.  I had planned to blog during the cruise, and after I published my first post I checked with a very reliable source--Big City Girl--who informed me there was nothing new on the blog since the silly cartoon--which I didn't draw by the way.  I "borrowed" it.  Sometimes you have to do that when you find something that is so much better than you could have ever done yourself.

I'll be blogging more regularly now, since I'm back and have nothing to do except laundry and grocery shopping, and maybe a little dusting.  I'll write more about the trip in my next post.  Right now I have to worry about the snow, and finish the pot of stew I've got simmering.  It's possible we'll lose power, and then I won't be back for a day or two....or five.  Don't worry about us.  We'll have stew.....and a little Chex Mix.

I've set up a frog-o-meter out on the back deck to measure the snow. 

When it gets up to his eyeballs we will have had about 3-1/2".  I'm going to have to put him on something higher very soon I think.  If I only had a hippopotamus.  

 



 

 

 

 

Another boat ride

Mr. Gadget and I are leaving the Calcondo

tomorrow on a two-week cruise.

We're going back to Connecticut

via the Panama Canal.

We'll be at sea for 5 days

before our first stop in Costa Rica.

We considered flying home,

but after further thought

we figured why should we fly for 5 hours

when we could float for 14 days

and take a shorter flight from Florida.

Sometimes we come up with the darndest ideas.

So I've reviewed the procedure for

blogging from afar

and I think I've got it.

But because inserting text and pictures

requires two different brain functions,

I'll just be doing the text part.

I'll try to make it colorful

and not too travelogy....

you know, like "then we did this and then we did that."

Or, "then we ate this and then we ate that."

Which reminds me, I'd better pack 

my extra-large pants.

Teapots

I finished one more set of cloth napkins

and mailed them off to a friend.

I bought the fabric years ago

with her in mind.

But I've just recently, finally,

decided what to make out of it.

This friend hails from Canada.

Prince Edward Island to be exact.

Back in our single days--

when we both had apartments

here in SoCal--

she taught me about the fine art

of brewing tea.

"It must always be served in a

ceramic pot, she said,

"And you must rinse the pot

first with hot water."

I had no idea.

I'm more of a coffee-drinker myself,

but on rare occasions when I have tea,

I heat up a cup of water

in the microwave and throw a teabag in.

When it looks about right I remove

the bag and put in one

packet of sweetener.

I'm never going to put milk

in my tea.

I just don't wanna.

Mr. Gadget drinks his tea that way

and he thinks I'm wrong.

But he thinks I'm wrong about a lot of things--

like for instance how I parallel park.

I don't wanna do that either,

so I don't.

But anyway, I made these napkins

for my tea-drinking friend

and I hope she likes them

and doesn't put them in a back closet to

save for a special occasion.

When she makes tea

it's always a special occasion,

and worthy of some handmade

teapot cloth napkins.

I'm hopeful she's received them by now.

Otherwise I may have spoiled the surprise.

It's a little like wallpaper...

...like when you decide to put a nice tropical stripe

on  your kitchen walls

and add a palm-tree border around the ceiling--

or some stenciling.

Then, a few years later,

after you've tired of the stripe,

you add a little sponge painting

and some sparkles.

Sometimes you do it yourself--

and risk a messy divorce--

and sometimes you hire someone else

to do it for you.

At some point you decide to sell the place

and you realize your walls are

hopelessly out-of-date.

So you begin peeling the layers off

and you can't believe what's underneath.

And you wonder why you went through

all that effort all those years

trying to keep up with styles

and what was trending now.

Maybe you should have just washed those walls

and put a little mousse on them now and then.

Today Clara, my Cali hairdresser,

cut my hair.

She said I'm 98% of the way

to my natural color--which, to my surprise,

is salt and pepper,

with more pepper than salt.

I'm quite pleased with the renovation

and I'm happy to say

my wallpapering days are over.

A world-class hug

Right after Mr. Gadget and I were married,

in 1981,

we moved to south Texas.

Very soon afterward,

I learned I was pregnant with Tech Guy.

I became friendly with my next door neighbor

who was about to become a new mom herself.

After her son was born

we began walking around the neighborhood

for exercise.

When the weather became hot

and humid, and the mosquitoes swarmed,

we walked in the mall.

We became good buddies.

She was like my mentor and answered all

my questions about the mysteries of childbirth.

"Well, yeah," she'd say in her Texas drawl,

"It'll hurt a little, but it's not so bad."

She was a very good friend.

And a very good liar.

After Tech Guy was born, we became known

in the neighborhood as

the two moms pushing strollers.

After a year or so

Mr. Gadget got a job transfer and

we moved to Connecticut.

We stayed in touch by mail and phone,

but eventually we found ourselves

communicating only once a year

at Christmas.

It was in our recent Christmas letter

that I gave her the news about Tech Guy.

A few weeks later a big box

arrived in the mail--

all the way from Texas.

Inside was this beautiful hand-crocheted

afghan.

In the accompanying note,

in her familiar handwriting,

she wrote of her sadness at our loss

and added,

"Wrap yourself up in this and consider

it a hug from me." 

 



No, I haven't croaked

(Imagine a cute frog picture here.  Blogger is being mean about photos at the moment.)

I'm still here, but I've been feeling poorly.  That flu bug I had last week just doesn't seem to want to go.

Fortunately, I've had good care.  Hilda the housemaid (aka Mr. Gadget) has hovered around me like a happy helicopter.  But now she says she needs to get back to her regular day job so I'm being forced to hobble around on my own.

So Christmas with the northern relatives was nice, all things considered.  Big City Girl arrived in good order (I think I already told you this) but not much good can be said for her return trip.  Her flight to NY was delayed 5 hours....and thank goodness that alert pilot in the plane behind hers noticed the fuel leaking out of the engine on the taxiway.

Then we had a small contingent of relatives (from Kansas) who followed us back south for a few days because they wanted to "do LA."  And if you've ever been to LA, you know it's not do-able in 2 days, so we narrowed them down to:  1) a train trip to San Diego (where my chin and nose met the pavement), and 2) a trip to the beach.

No sooner had my chin started healing up than my temperature started to rise.....and I'm still not back 100%, although my face looks much better and Mr. Gadget no longer needs to keep a low profile.

In addition to not blogging, I've been not knitting.  I've been reading though, and am about to finish a book I've enjoyed very much (The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty).  I've been reading it in large print, since that was the only copy the library had, and I must admit I kinda like that large easy-on-your-eyes type.  For some reason though, after I've read for an hour or two I feel compelled to head over to Denny's for the early-bird special.

Today I bought some yarn for a scarf.  I've knitted many scarves, but between BCG and me we never have enough.  Besides, I decided to put the red pest, I mean the red beast, on hold till the next time we're here at the Calcondo.  I'm going to have a much better relationship with it after I've had a little vacation--maybe like a two-week cruise.  In fact, if I don't start feeling better soon I'm going to schedule an appointment with a local doctor and see if he'll write me a prescription for one. I may have to turn on my charm.

(Here's a cute frog story to make up for the lack of frog photo.)