Of Weather, Hockey, Non-Hockey

The weather today has been bipolar, I think is the best way to describe it. I ate lunch outside, and it was glorious (at least, the weather was; there was a woman near me talking on her phone in a mix of French and English, and my brain would not stop trying to hear what she was saying, even though I didn't care. Isn't the brain funny that way?). Sunny, warm--around 70--just overall lovely. I was very happy, and sad to have to go back inside.

As the afternoon went on, it became overcast, and when I left work, it had dropped at least ten degrees. It kept dropping as I drove home, to about 50 now, and it started to drizzle. So disappointing! Wasting the lovely weather when I'm inside ... not nice, mother nature.

Of course, making this time of year beautiful and deadly shows you the sort of person she is. My allergies weren't quite as bad today as yesterday, unless it was that having cramps as well distracted me, but my throat is all clogged and I had to keep sucking on cough drops and lifesavers and anything I could find all day, to not be That Person Who Makes Annoying Noises in the Office All Day. Tiresome, to say the least. I think tonight calls for some peaceful knitting. At home I can "ahem, AHEM!" as much as I need to. A few things before I go, though.

First, the Bruins. Game One was last night, and wow, what a game! Where has that Bruins team been hiding? I missed them; that was fun to watch! They went down early on a power-play goal by Toronto, but after that it was all Bruins, and very entertaining. The final score was 4-1, and it should have been 5-1 but for a goal disallowed (by my boy)(that intent-to-blow thing is bullshit). Can't wait to see what happens next time, which is Saturday night.

In other hockey stuff, if you are at all a hockey fan (and not just currently, but if you've ever been one), you really must see this excellent playoff montage of past and present, put together by the CBC/Hockey Night in Canada. They know their stuff up there, eh?

Man, I could watch that over and over. If it whets your appetite, do what I did and go watch some of the good NHL commercials of past years (so far, this year's aren't doing much for me); don't miss Cup Raise and No Words, which are my two favorites.

The non-hockey thing is an article in the New York Times that my mother sent me a link to, that my brother had sent to her, and that she had found interesting. It's about shopping habits, and it was in fact quite interesting, but the part that I found most interesting is more about habits, not about shopping. Specifically, it's about exercise, which as you know I've been trying to make a regular habit of mine for some months now.

"Luckily, simply understanding how habits work makes them easier to control. Take, for instance, a series of studies conducted a few years ago at Columbia University and the University of Alberta. Researchers wanted to understand how exercise habits emerge. In one project, 256 members of a health-insurance plan were invited to classes stressing the importance of exercise. Half the participants received an extra lesson on the theories of habit formation (the structure of the habit loop) and were asked to identify cues and rewards that might help them develop exercise routines.

The results were dramatic. Over the next four months, those participants who deliberately identified cues and rewards spent twice as much time exercising as their peers. Other studies have yielded similar results. According to another recent paper, if you want to start running in the morning, it’s essential that you choose a simple cue (like always putting on your sneakers before breakfast or leaving your running clothes next to your bed) and a clear reward (like a midday treat or even the sense of accomplishment that comes from ritually recording your miles in a log book). After a while, your brain will start anticipating that reward — craving the treat or the feeling of accomplishment — and there will be a measurable neurological impulse to lace up your jogging shoes each morning."

This is what I did by setting up my "bike knitting", the sock I only knit on the bike. It's right there, where I can see it, and I want to finish it. I want the sock, and the way to get it is to ride the bike. It's slow, but it's working. Interesting, eh? I thought so! Do you have any examples of your own? Exercise or otherwise.

Slowly Returning Normality

In case you don't feel like reading all my words this time, let me put this at the top: Steven Colbert being both inspiring and amusing about the attacks:

The Colbert Report
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Right? And Jon Stewart did nice too:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Now! On with the blather!

The Bruins game has been rescheduled, and I guess I still get to go, so moderate Yay for that. Before they announced it last night, I was wondering what they would do about it, because the end of the season was supposed to be next Saturday, and both teams play a bunch of games before that. The Bruins play every other day, and Ottawa almost as much: the only days they're both free are next Wednesday and Friday, and either day would mean the Bruins playing three nights in a row*, which you just don't do in hockey. The Globe mentioned yesterday that they might even not play it, if the points wouldn't make a difference, though everything is so close that they probably would make a difference, so... why bring it up?
*Originally, that Thursday was open for the Bruins, but that's where they put the blizzard-rescheduled game, so, you know, here we are in this thrice-weird season.

In the end, they chose what I consider the best option, bumping the season's end out a day, and thus the game will be a week from Sunday. So! It looks like I'm going to the last game of the season! I hope that turns out to be a good thing. If you get NESN, watch for me, front row near the penalty box, in the Bergeron shirt. (You'll all be taping it, right?)

*****
Naturally, the head honcho had to come to the office this week. Let's all dress up for it! He might notice you walking by the conference room where he will be holed up all day long. The head of the office will be in there with him, and a few other people will be in and out, presenting; I get why they will be not dressing to our usual "business casual" standard. The rest of us? May not even make eye contact once. But let's dress up! Just because!

Mind you, we did get pizza for lunch out of it (naturally pizza, since I wore white, though miraculously and for once, I did not spill). In fact, the boss came to me to place the order, which is interesting given that she walked past practically everyone else to get to my desk. This could mean she has great faith in my food skills -- or thinks I'm responsible enough to be handed his credit card -- or that I can be trusted to clean up afterward -- or just that I'm low man on the totem pole. Possibly all of the above.

*****
Again, looking back at Before, I had wanted to blog on Sunday about my busy and mostly fun Saturday, but my head was just bad enough Sunday to interfere. I was able to do a lot on Sunday: grocery shopping, a little cooking, laundry, all things that needed doing, more than blogging "needed" to be done; I just didn't have any extra energy. But hey, I can write about it now!

Saturday started with taking Carlos to the vet, to be assessed for the dreaded teeth-cleaning he so desperately needs. Amusingly, I had just seen this picture online on Friday:

Carlos didn't go quite this far (and good thing, according to the vet tech, who pointed out the sensor-driven soap dispenser in their sink), but he was not happy, as you can imagine: he's usually a pretty laid-back and quiet guy, only sometimes does he even say "meow", but in the car he was more like "MEOW! MEOW! MEOW! I AM UNHAPPY! AND YOU DO NOT SEEM TO REALIZE IT! MEOW, DAMMIT!"

Poor baby. I can't fathom driving with him for hours, though; I felt awful on a drive of about five minutes. Whew. Poor me, too. (I wish that holding his paw would help, but nothing seemed to please him at all.)

The people at the vet were all very nice, and very complimentary of his handsomeness, which I appreciated even if it left him unmoved. He was much too busy investigating the smells, and wondering at the noises, and giving the occasional miserable "MEOW!" to be very receptive to admiration. He was very good, just not his usual relaxed self.

My vet had wanted to get some x-rays of his chest and spine, and after discussing it with this vet we went ahead with it; happily, it was all pretty good news. His lungs showed no tumors or other problems, so his faint wheezing is probably early asthma, which I will keep an ear out for. Pretty much "no news is good news" there. Then the spine showed none of the suspected issues, though his hips look arthritic, the poor dear (as my mother says, it must run in the family, since she and I also have that problem); in the future, we may give him supplements, though not until he's "over" the tooth stuff, to avoid causing any eating issues when his habits are already upset.

I made the appointment for his teeth (a week from today, if you want to know now when to cross your fingers), and took the poor guy home again. "MEOW! MEOW!" He was so happy to get back, and immediately reverted to his perfectly fine self. I suspect he slept most of the day, though that's nothing new, really, is it? In any case, I went out, so I wasn't there to see it, nor to disturb him with my cat-rousing habit of kissing him for being so cute.

In fact, I went on a rare trip into Boston, to catch the last day (sniff) at Windsor Button Shop, the classic Boston store that is sadly closing its doors (rent being impossible, apparently). They still had a surprising amount of yarn left; I heard an employee telling someone (as he brought more up from storage) that they hadn't realized how overstocked they were. There was so much, in fact, that I went around and around many times, looking at things. Other than just wanting to see what they had (all at 50% off), I wanted to see if I could find enough of a bulky weight yarn to make a blanket for my friend who's getting married--I found a bulky pattern (it's called Oliver) since that should go pretty fast, and I'd like to finish before the wedding, which is in June! I quite like the look of this pattern, with its intertwining cables making me think of how they are weaving their families together, and as soon as the needle arrives (it's on its way from Webs, since I couldn't find it locally) I will get started and see how it goes. Because, miraculously, I did find yarn that would work:

Lambs Pride Super Wash Bulky. Ten balls, in the same dye lot, of this pretty dusky pink, even machine washable! I hate to give something as big as a blanket that had to be hand-washed, you know? Anyway, updates to come on that.

That wasn't all I got, of course, there was also a little of this and a little of that. Another skein of Ella Rae Lace Merino, since I just finished working with that and liked it:

A skein of Happy Feet, in nice springy colors (I used it years ago, and then the pair shrank, but I think I was still machine drying at that point, so I'm going to try again and see if air drying keeps them happy)

And a little just-because. Artyarns Supermerino:

And Berocco Pure Merino Nuance.

I know you will be shocked to hear me say that they are both so soft.

After yarning myself silly, I walked around Boston for a bit; sadly Cosi was not open for lunch, but I ate elsewhere, wandered into the Brattle Book Shop and a few others most enjoyably, then swung through the Pro Shop to admire Bruins paraphernalia, though I did not buy this, for myself or my friend.

Oy.

Finally it was time to quit the city, in order to get home and rest a little before the evening. Walking back to my car, it amused me to realize that I parked half a mile from the T stop and walked over, to save $5 on parking, in order to go in to town and spend far (far, far) more than that on yarn. What can I say, that's how I roll.

Dinner (at Papa Razzi) was very nice; it's always good to see friends, and get a good long chat in. There were five of us, which works well for a single conversation where everyone gets to talk, rather than in larger groups where it breaks into smaller ones and you end up never talking to some people. I also very much enjoyed my meal, which was one of their specials: beef tenderloins that were delicious, and a really nice risotto with corn and (subbed in for mushrooms) peas. Delicious! I got to tell them my recent healthcare story and get a sanity check that no, the company really didn't handle it well, and hear about what was going on with them, and it was all good. Even the Bruins were on my side, in a twisted sort of way: they lost, which is harder to mind when I don't have to watch! I mean, I'm sorry that they lost, but I would also have been sorry if they'd played an awesome game and I missed seeing it. (I know, Pollyanna. Speaking of things that run in the family.)

The head wasn't so bad on Saturday: a little in the morning, more so at lunchtime, but then it faded out for the evening, most fortuitously. On Sunday it wasn't completely incapacitating, but it was annoying. I've had fewer headaches since I started seeing the chiropractor, and that's so good, but of course I can't expect them to be completely gone (hope, yes; expect, no). (As I mentioned, it wasn't great Monday; Tuesday it was more tender than painful; today has been barely anything.) However, I am thrilled to report that my mother's treatment seems to be working at last--everyone knock wood with crossed fingers, would you? Because after a few years of near-daily headaches, the woman deserves a real break.

*****
Spring feels late this year. Maybe it isn't, maybe this is right on schedule, but the way the trees and flowers are slowly, slowly creeping into bloom seems off to me. It's coming, it's coming, but wow, that wait can kill you. Maybe that's just me, since I was ready for this months ago, but come on, a tree on the verge of popping its buds open should not take a week! Today was 65 and sunny: that should move things along.

I did take this picture recently when, driving home from work, I suddenly saw flowers growing in an unexpected spot. Look! Blurry flowers!

I can't wait until they aren't so blurry, if you know what I mean.

Now, I have to go, for the Bruins are playing tonight. Since Monday's game was postponed, and Tuesday's Celtics game was too, this is Kind of a Big Deal for Boston.

A Lick and A Promise

I have a Long Post of Much Updateness in the works, all about my mother's visit and our trip and my grandmother's birthday and knitting and the Bruins (the Bruins!) and more, but until then (which will hopefully be tomorrow), here is a picture and not-a-picture.

I don't have a picture of Friday afternoon, when Mum and I were driving with the windows down (because the weather was so nice), comparing the spring bloom levels in eastern MA with central NY, and I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and we stopped for homemade ice cream on the way.

I do have a picture of Monday morning, taken out of the motel window:

Apparently we were in those "higher elevations" that might get snow instead of rain. Apparently.

I had to borrow a snow brush from the motel (having removed my own after the 95-degree day last Monday).

Then I went out in my (mesh) sneakers and splashed about clearing roughly six inches of wet snow off my car.

Yup.

Friday Night, pre-Bruins edition

This morning on the way to work, I heard three or four of my favorite crank-up-the-radio-and-sing songs in a row, which isn't unprecedented, but still, on top of The New Job*, and how well the Bruins are playing, and it being Friday, and the sun shining, it felt like a very good thing.** And it made me think that my brother was right: I should buy a lottery ticket.

*And thank you all for the good wishes!
**On the way home, I listened to English Beat (on cassette!), and saw the first lilacs budding. Spring! It's here!

Also on the way home, I saw this funky little car, and I had to wonder: do you think there's a removable head-support for the passenger side, or is it every man for himself?


Also in pictures, Miri this morning, trying to look out the window and monitor my intentions simultaneously:


And Carlos being fully unconcerned with my intentions, and contemplating a busy day of napping:


And there were some fabulous-smelling flowers (well, a flowering bush, actually) in a parking lot:

What is it? Do you know?

**********
By the way, I was looking in old e-mails for something, and happened upon this message, sent to a few friends on 11/15/09:

While I do still have my job, I am starting to look around the job market, scary as it is, in search of a position better suited to me. I would like to get back into proofreading, or perhaps copy editing, or something similar. Words, my friends, I want to work with words! It's time to brush up the resume and get it out there. Please, keep me in mind, would you? If you hear of an opening for a wordsmith, let me know.

So this situation of flux has been going on for even longer than I remembered.

**********
At work this morning, the other proofreader and I received an invitation that the rest of the department got on Tuesday, for lunch today. (Sometimes, being a temporary employee is more than just a state of mind ... we don't always hear about things before they happen.) A few times, there have been department lunches for people's birthdays and the like, but this one was unspecific about the why of it. Hmmm. Suspicious.

My decision about going was fairly easy, since I am now slipping into short-term syndrome. It won't be my problem for long, no big deal. But I did decide to bring my knitting, so that if there was a period of time after eating when it felt politic to sit and listen, and not leave the room as I might otherwise be inclined, I would have something to do with my hands. I'm better at sitting through things that way.

My conclusions:

• It's true, there really is no such thing as a free lunch.
• If you have chosen marketing as your field, then a presentation and discussion of branding, with a promise of follow-ups, may be as fun as you think it is; if, however, you have fallen into proofreading as a profession and just happen to work in the marketing department, then most of what you will hear will sound more like, "jargon jargon buzzword mumble blah."
• Bringing the knitting was a very good idea. I was able to segue from "eat pizza instead of saying what just crossed my mind" directly into "move hands, not lips", which was for the best. Definitely. (I don't have a lot of contact with this guy, but enough to have already learned that he does not "get" my sense of humor in the slightest.)

So. Contentedness here Chez Cat Hair. Go Bruins! Happy weekend!

Sunday Night Already? May, Already?

One small drawback to this time of year is that I have to remember to check the clock. Because, you know, it's still light out at 6, which is great! Unless you think it's closer to 4. And it isn't. Whoops. Funny how providing a cat lap for 2-3 hours this morning really took a chunk out of my get-things-done time .

Another small issue of the time of year?


The annual irony that I love to go out in the nice(r) Spring weather, and then it makes my head hurt. To quote Marvin, "Life! Don't talk to me about life."

Of course, most of my current stress has nothing to do with Spring issues. It's mostly waiting-for-Tuesday(-and-beyond) issues. But we'll focus on other things, shall we? Even if it has to be that damned kid next door and his unprintable basketball. Thud thud thud clang. Time to go in for dinner, surely, kid?

As it's the first of the month, it's time to look back at a few things for April: exercise and reading.


The exercise numbers were down, due to a combination of factors (such as: being out of town, being lazy, and trying to bike harder, not longer). Still, 139 minutes is way down from March. Oh well. I will endeavor to persevere, despite a dearth of positive reinforcement (basically, all I have to show at this point for this not inconsiderable time-and-effort investment is part of a sock).

Then there's reading. I'm on much the same pace as I have been this year, and read 21 books in April. Of those:

• 15 were new to me, and only 6 were re-reads
• I got 14 from the library (I love the library)
• a surprising number of them were good
  

Of course, if I don't like a book, I am not hesitant to close it, take it back to the library, and move on. When I was younger, I was more wedded to the idea of finishing every book I started, but one day I started a book and when I saw how the plot was developing (hint: very predictably) and grew frustrated, I decided I didn't want to finish it even more than I wanted to be a book-finisher, and felt liberated. Whew!

One of the books came from the library with enough damage that they made a note of it (so they'd know it wasn't done by me).


I love the note specifying the damage:


Now, to end on a pleasant note, here's a field full of very cheery weeds:


And the contentedness of a cat on a lap.

Oh, whew. No news. Just whew.

I am indecently excited for a quiet night in, if that isn't too contradictory. Actually, I am more like sleepily content at the idea. A peaceful evening and early to bed sounds like just what the doctor ordered. Life has been go-go-go lately, hasn't it?

Oh, that Bruins game last night. Up! Down! Back! Forth! Bruins score (twice), Montreal scores (twice). Bruins score (once), Montreal scores (once). Overtime! I was so worn out that when the Bruins scored to end it, to win the game and the series, I was more relieved than excited. This series was emotionally exhausting. And don't think they didn't know it:

No kidding.

Funny moment from game 7: Playing off the Canadiens' fan chant of Ole Ole, I saw a sign in the crowd that said something along the lines of "See you Ole-ter!"

And now they play Philly, who historically ended their season a year ago (remember?). Oh, this will go well, I'm sure. I'll be watching Saturday afternoon, game 1 (you, too, Kate?).

**********
Yesterday was such a crazy day that when I wrote last night I never even mentioned the weather, and for once it was lovely! Not perfect, it was cloudy too much for that, but warm! Why, 80, even! I loved it, so of course today was 70 and rainy, and the forecast for the next few days is in the 60s. Oh well. Having open windows has been wonderful, and it will come again. I just keep telling myself that.

Carlos will not be pleased when I close the windows, though. He was nervous when I first opened them last weekend, startling at noises and sniffing suspiciously, but he quickly transitioned to an imperious, "This window is not fully open! Open it at once!" attitude.

**********
I heard about a Sheepshearing festival in Massachusetts this Saturday, but in the end I've decided not to go. It isn't impossibly far from me, and sounds like it might be a fun little thing to do on a nice day, but due to a combination of two factors*, I decided to pass.

*I might still have tried it if one or the other was the case, but both? Nah.

First, the Bruins game is Saturday afternoon at 3, meaning I'd have to get-up-and-go to have enough time to look around, and I hate doing that on a day off when I don't have to*; and second, it's $15 to get in. I mean, honestly, I know I'm cheap, but that's more than a day at Rhinebeck, for pity's sake. Can it be worth that? Hard to believe.

*Especially when I'm out late the night before, which I will be tomorrow.

**********
Finally, this morning's quote of the day from the Happiness Project really struck me:

"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good....Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is."
— C.S. Lewis

And it reminded me of the Oscar Wilde quote:

I can resist everything except temptation.

Sunny Sunday Morning

The weather this morning was a very pleasant surprise. I opened the door to pick up the paper and my first thought was an almost puzzled, "But it's not cold!" In fact, it was about 60, so I came in and opened windows, and have had lovely fresh air blowing through, disturbing the fur-tumbleweeds. The accompanying noises are not all pleasant (the kids next door and that freaking basketball, plus whoever decided to give the little girl a bell and horn for her tricycle, and then let her sit on it alternately ringing and honking, for five minutes straight), and the cats are not yet sure this is As It Should Be, but overall very enjoyable, and unexpected. The rain is due in this afternoon, so I'll close up before I go to friends for dinner, but it's a welcome change, a literal breath of fresh air.

The weather yesterday was about 40 and raining, so I ran a few quick errands in the morning and then settled in for A Day of Hockey. I don't know if the NHL scheduled them this way on purpose, but yesterday's game times were all staggered, meaning four games and at least 12 straight hours of hockey. I didn't watch all of it, but I turned on the noon game and between laundry and so on, watched Tampa beat up Pittsburgh 8-2, then switched from Versus to NBC at 3 and saw the Capitals eliminate the Rangers (first handshake line I've seen this season), before switching to NESN* for The Game at 7 (pregame coverage at 6). The Bruins won--in double overtime! Exhausting, but that was certainly my desired result. It didn't finish until after 11, which left me disinclined to tune in to the 10:30 game on the west coast, so LA beat San Jose without me, and live to play another day.

*NESN is the local station; this game was also carried on Versus, but I read this morning that they announced at the end that Montreal now had a 3-2 series lead, which is just wrong. Pay attention!

It's an interesting year: two of the eight series are done (4-0 and 4-1), but the other six are all at three games to two. The Bruins have a few days of rest, which I'm sure they need after last night, and play again on Tuesday. Today I'll cross my fingers on Kate's behalf that Philly can beat Buffalo.

Meanwhile, whether you think of crucifixion or chocolate eggs today, have a good one.

Good News, Cubed

1. Carlos is fine.

The ultrasound revealed all looking as it should be. I knew I'd like the ultrasound vet when he came in and immediately noticed my OED (he has the magnifying-glass version himself). When he said that he couldn't see any problems? He's my new best friend.

The baby was very good, not wiggling during the exam (the other vet held his scruff, just in case), and in fact he mostly just lay there and waited for it to be over. When it was, he beat a dignified retreat and sat in the sunshine to recover.

Was hard work, have to rest now.

Are you coming for me next?

Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes. Whew! I feel like we dodged a bullet here. The vet suggests testing the bloodwork again in a few months, but she's not too worried, so neither am I.

2. The Bruins won. From being down two games, they're even again.

It wasn't their best game of the season, and they had to get it to overtime to do it, but they won, and the series is now tied at 2 games apiece.

Funny thing was, once OT started and I realized I wasn't breathing all that deeply, I gave myself a perspective talk about how their losing (game or series) would not be that big a deal, and I needed to not get stressed about it.

Not five seconds later, they scored. Well! Won't tomorrow night be interesting. So far, the home team has lost every game. I want that to stop, please, since we only play once more in Montreal, and need two wins to advance.

3. Oh, and my interview is set for Wednesday morning at 9. Mark your calendars for finger-crossing then, please.

This afternoon, I drove to where the company is, to make sure I could find it, see how long it took, etc. It's about 8.5 miles each way (which compares favorably to 20, eh?), and granted, I wasn't going during rush hour, but it only took 25 minutes. It's in a pretty town, too, which is aesthetically appealing.

Sigh.

Prepare for four days of I'm-not-panicking, which I expect will leak into my blogging somewhat. (You think?)

Attempting to take advantage of the weather not completely sucking today (it was mid-50s, partly sunny, chilly breeze), since it's going to rain tomorrow, I went for a walk around the pond later. It's slightly under two miles, according to my research, and I pushed it to keep my pace going, and not stop*, and made it in 40 minutes. Some exercise, anyway!

*Except for a couple of photos, of course.

The appearance of depth is misleading.

Though he may be standing on a rock...

The trees are juuuuuust starting to turn green.

It's a very welcome sight.

Spring is edging into town, but so slowly, and I am in such a hurry for it! I eagerly look for trees sprouting leaves, for flowers and flowering bushes, for green grass, and every day see more, but there's still a lot of winter-bare to the views. And not enough warm.

But given points one, two, and three above, you understand that I don't really feel like complaining too much. I just throw it in, so you'll know that the blog hasn't been hijacked.

Some Photos in No Particular Order

The princess, relaxing cautiously.
Growth! From the ground! My god, winter may actually end!
The baby, relaxing without any caution at all.

I bought more bulbs: hyacinths, this time. Here they are on March fourth:

And here on the tenth:

By the twelfth, the issues are becoming clear:

And as this was yesterday, you can imagine that this morning they were even further slanted.

I googled what to do, and found advice about staking them with chopsticks or bamboo sticks. I don't have either, so I pondered what might be in the house that would hold the top-heavy lovelies up. Et voila:I hardly ever use straight needles any more; these were in a vase, being decorative, and they might as well be useful for a while.

A small traffic back-up gave me time to catch this shot:

I had a great time yarn crawling yesterday; story to come.

She really is relaxing a bit, even when I'm around.

If you're a knitter, let me ask you this: do you consider a project finished when the knitting is done, or does it have to be blocked to be done done? I'm not sure if I want to say that my Frost Diamonds shawl is finished, since blocking is going to change its looks considerably, but at any rate the knitting of it is done. Yay! This is especially good news considering a knitting setback suffered earlier in the day (sigh)(not ready to go into it yet).


You can see how much the cats care.


But I'm pleased as punch! Wearing it now, in fact. I will report on the blocking when it happens.

A Walk in the Woods

I went for a walk today, and it was just beautiful, mostly sunny, temps in the 70s, and breezy. In fact, by the pond it was downright windy, as you can see by this little movie I made of the swans riding the waves:



Further along, there was a bird just singing its heart out, celebrating the day:



It was just gorgeous. The leaves were almost unbelievably green against the sunny sky.


If you have to get exercise, it's a good way to do it.


I saw some expected sights, like flowers in purple:


And in yellow:


And some new and unexpected sights.


You can measure how high you can jump? Is this something a lot of people want to check?

And what is this, chin-up bars? Makes me very curious.


It was a nice excursion. I also did a few things around the house today (changed the sheets, washed dishes), and am gearing up for the Bruins game tonight. I'm wearing my new shirt--go Bruins!

Day One Out of the Asylum

What?

I didn't get a lot done today, in part because it was hot (I am NOT complaining, I am just saying), and I found that when I broke a sweat just sitting at the computer, the idea of bustling about Getting Things Done lacked appeal. I do have some plans for the time off beyond the obvious (sleep late; find another job), but Day One was largely unaccomplished. Which is actually fine with me.

I was going to jump into some office organizing, because I watched "Hoarding: Buried Alive" on TV last night and oh my god, does that ever make me want to clean up, but just call me Scarlett, perhaps I'll start tomorrow.

I did try to post the flower photos from my Friday walk earlier today and boy, Blogger was still not in the mood. Error, error! I consulted Google and adjusted my Settings (who knew there was a new photo editor?), and that was even worse! I mean, I suppose it makes sense that if there's something new, it's because they changed how it works, but ugh. Not working! I stomped away in a snit, and when I tried again the old way, cautiously, tonight (after The Bruins Won!), it worked. So here we go!

I saw violets all over the place, which kind of surprised me. Pretty, though.




And I love these pretty trees with the feather-stroked petals.





This one is my new computer wallpaper.



I didn't recognize these at all:


Anyone?



The other type of flowery tree.


And flowery bushes, too (I love this time of year, sneezes and all).



And bluebells! Who knew?


My old friends tulips provide welcome color variety.


And bleeding heart, too.


But best of all? Lilacs, lilacs, everywhere.












Here a lilac, there a lilac, lilac scent everywhere. And these are just photos from my neighborhood! I was back at the Arboretum yesterday, wait til you see those. Ahh, the flowers.