The birthday edition

It's party time here at the Calcondo. Just Mr. Gadget, the ants and me celebrating my birthday. The day's festivities got off to a rousing start with a breakfast burrito at Denny's. Later, we'll go to our favorite sushi restaurant where between 5 and 6 p.m. they have half-price rolls. I'm a cheap date.

Actually, I won't officially be a year older till later this evening. I was hopeful that maybe the clock would go backwards just this once and I would no longer be a senior citizen, but that's not happening and I'm plodding one year further into elderhood.

So have you heard about Carmageddon? Most certainly if you live on the west coast--especially around the L.A. area. Those highway people are closing the 405 freeway (between west L.A. and the San Fernando valley) for the weekend for bridge work. This is one of the most-traveled freeways in the country, so it's bound to be a real cartastrophe. JetBlue will be helping out with $4 flights ($5 for extra leg room) from Long Beach to Burbank--flight time 20 minutes. All seats have now sold out. Mr. Gadget and I plan to stay put and enjoy the action on TV from the comfort of our sofa.

I'm still working on my contest doll, although mostly I've been brainstorming on how to finish it. I decided to change a couple of things--to add more whimsy. In the meantime I've been doing some crochet.

This is a miniature version of the pattern I used for the felted flowers. I couldn't find a good green thread for the leaves, so I crocheted them out of off-white and painted them. I added a few beads and sewed them to a small barrette backing. I might also use them for doll embellishments. Grandma would be proud to see how well I navigate with my tiny metal crochet hook.

So now I'm thinking I should do a little preparing for Carmageddon. I'll pack in some bottled water, a few blankets and a kerosene lamp....just in case. And a few Twinkies.