Random Gratitude and Other Things

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, there was much satisfaction. The angel salad was chilling in the refrigerator, the cat was chilling on the couch with his mama, and the prospect of four days off work was good.

I'm not certain that Carlos realizes Belmont is actually gone, but if he doesn't, it will sink in soon. For now, he's next to me purring, and relaxed, asking for frequent skritches, which is pretty damn good. The Bruins game is on, so it isn't exactly quiet in here, but in a way it is: no yelling!

S came this morning and got Belmont, but not to take to the MSPCA: her husband successfully lobbied for them to try keeping her again, which is challenging because of their having little kids, but hopefully it will work out. At least for now, she's in a home and not a shelter, which is nice. And not my home, which is nicer! It's a tremendous relief, in fact.

Other things to be grateful for, beyond the cat who is gone and the cat who is here? Sure, plenty of those. How about looking forward to a wonderful dinner tomorrow, good friends and such good food, I'm hungry already. (Wait, have I had dinner? no?) And everyone, there and in the family, is healthy, which is no small blessing. I have a job, a home, food and shelter and all those first-world luxuries, and I don't take them for granted most days, but especially now.

In knitting, I've reached the point on the shawl when I can start the edging, so I'm happy about that.

There's more, of course (I got my coffee maker to work again! yay for vinegar!), but rather than tax my long-weekend brain, I will stop trying to tie everything into gratitude, and ramble on. For instance, two things about yesterday:

• I wore my winter coat for the first time this year (I was freezing on Monday night!).
• I realized that it was nine years since I moved into my condo. I can't believe it's been nine years! On the other hand, 2006 feels like it was about 4 years ago, so clearly I have a time perception problem.

Today I was looking at the Lands End catalog, and was struck by what a good knitting project bag this would make:

I think I would like it even better in blue, but it's still cute in red! Though I think the small size would be the most useful, and I can't see it on the website, only medium and large, so, maybe I won't worry about it. Anyway. Window shopping is fun, too, and better for the budget, for that matter.

Carlos just got up, so I'm going to go start dealing with the dirty dishes all over the counters, and maybe eat something, too. Happy Thanksgiving eve, y'all!