Bits at the End of the Year

I've been on vacation for a week now, and it's been marvelous. I'm not sure when I last had this much time off from work without any travel, and it's so relaxing.

Well, I did go up to town yesterday to meet a few friends for outdoor-lunch-and-knitting.

The sun wasn't out for long, so this makes it seem nicer weather than it was. There was a huge hanging plant overhead, fortunately seeming very secure on a massive chain.

It was grand to be out and see a few faces. Also got a lot of knitting done. Bruins socks!

Tonight on zoom knitting, I got past the heel. Not bad, considering I started it on Monday.

I came in from an errand the other day to an ibis welcoming committee. I love seeing them around. 

I had a gift card from my birthday, and one of the things I bought was this book, which I finished reading today. Wacky and hilarious; I highly recommend it.

Maggie would like to know why you are upside down.

I mentioned that I ordered the Bruins calendar and got this instead:

I'm happy to say that take 2 was more successful.

And I can have my Bruins on the wall again. Though now that Chara has moved on*, that's going to be one weird month to get through. He was a Bruin for 14 years, so I kind of forget what the team was like before.

*Not that I'm blaming him at all! The team wasn't willing to commit to giving him the minutes he wanted, and Washington is lucky to get him, even at the old-for-the-NHL-age that he is.

It seems fitting to end with this.

Happy new year, or at least goodbye and good riddance to this year. Hopefully 2021 will just keep getting better.

A Little Christmas Assortment

Here are some things I've taken pictures of in the last day or two.

Mary Ellen made me this perfect-for-2020 ornament. 

Which actually matches well with the Christmas card I sent her, great minds thinking alike.

She also found this charming little sheep.

My cousin sent me these buttons, perfect for 2020 as well.

I wore some nicely seasonal socks.

And worked on my nicely seasonal knitting.

Maggie inspected her present from my brother; she was later seen tossing it up into the air and leaping after and upon it. Winner!

And then there's this:

Doesn't look much like the Boston Bruins calendar I ordered, does it? Fortunately, that's still in stock, or so they say; I guess I shouldn't count on it until it arrives and I see what's in the envelope this time. Cross your fingers for me?

Christmas Eve

It's been a quiet, pleasant day here, and I hope you can say the same. My day included sunshine, a dip in the pool, making cookies, and Christmas music. It also included lots of lap time with this girl.

It's not the day I ordered, not with my brother (safely) in California, but it's still a good day. And after all:

Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now  

Christmas Adam, and Vacation At Last

Off work until January 4!

I was originally taking this much time off over the holidays for my brother's visit, and of course he isn't coming now, but inasmuch as that is true, and sad, I am still mightily relieved for vacation to be here. What a year it's been! And what a month for work December has been. It's going to be grand to really disengage from that. I'm not sure, honestly, if I've ever had this much time off without travel involved (or being laid off, of course, but that's different).

Not only was today my last work day before vacation, but my boss told me to take off early. I did finish up what I was working on, as I was close enough to done with it that I didn't want to have to pick it up again in January for the sake of an hour's work, but I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the sunshine, starting to relax.

It was grand. Happy holidays.

Survived Another Week

This was my last full work week before vacation--I work next M-T-W and then I am off, off, off until January--and it was another doozy, but here I am at Friday night at last. 

The period has not made my entire week awful, which is some slight comfort. Monday was simply dreadful; Tuesday was better only by comparison; Wednesday didn't get bad until mid-afternoon; and Thursday and today were nothing, though I did and do feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. We shall see what happens next.

I had a very adorable cat on my lap last night, leading me to stay up much later than I intended to. But seriously. So cute.

I eventually could not stand my full bladder, deadened butt, and sore back any more, and ousted her. She was not pleased, but decided that my bed wasn't such a bad place to spend the night, if I insisted. As I did.

Ahh, weekend!

Bleah

I mentioned back in October how crabby I was to have gotten my period (at age fifty-fucking-two, just saying); I didn't blog when I got it again in November, though I was just as unhappy about it. And then, just over three weeks after that? Here it is again. This is such bullshit.

Assuming it happens again in January, and there's no reason to think it won't, I'll make an appointment and see if there's anything that can be done. I get that at my age, they don't want to keep giving me birth control, but this just keeps happening, the terrible cramps and backache and trying to concentrate on work while slumping forward and groaning, and I can't, I just can't with this. Especially not if it's going to be one week on and two weeks off.

A Quick Watch

Well worth two minutes of your time. I did not see the end coming!

During this holiday season — find your reason to exercise.

Happy Holidays 2020...pic.twitter.com/8m99sQAWzo

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) December 13, 2020

Did you? 

Christmassy Knitting

No, not knitting Christmas gifts! I mentioned that I had gotten some Christmas-colored yarns, and this week, I cast on for a Drop Stitch Scarf (ravelry link). And I am loving the results!

Maggie, as you can see, is less impressed. But as long as she can still have the lap, she won't object too strongly.

It will block out a bit, and show even better, I hope, but I like it just fine as it is, too.

My original idea was to alternate blocks of this yarn and the red-and-white yarn, but now I'm thinking perhaps I will do half as long a scarf as I want it to be in this, and make the other half in the other. Might be fun! What do you think? Other ideas?

Still Here

I thought I'd pop in and say nothing's wrong here; I spent four lovely blissful days last weekend, doing a whole lot of not much, not feeling like blogging, and then this week work has been kind of hellacious and sitting at the computer in the evening is the last thing I want to do. But I'm fine, we're fine, and I hope you are fine, too.

Have a Maggie picture.

Two Years Today!

Guess who has lived here for two years as of today? Miss Maggie! She is pleased to continue to honor us with the gift of her presence.

Here are a few of the photos I've taken of her in the past week, to commemorate the occasion.