Tomorrow, the Star

We’re almost there!

And the vodka sweater is atop the ornament tree.

Why not? It makes us laugh.

Sniff, Sniff, Sniff

I ran some errands yesterday, one of which was stopping in at Lowe's to see if they had any wreaths left, or other fragrant greenery, to bring the smell of Christmas into the house. We have an ornament tree to hold certain favorites, and it's pretty, but it lacks that scent.

Unsurprisingly, six days before Christmas, pickings were slim*, but they had a few of these potted things left that had a variety of greenery, and if some of it was past its best, well, they charged me about 80% off, and for under six dollars, I'll take it happily.

*I believe they had four Christmas trees left.

It smells really good! 

Maggie for scale. We'll move it inside after the cleaners are done today; it's scenic on the lanai, but inside is where we want that smell.

Here are a few other angles of the ornament tree, with the cat inspector:

And from the side, with a backdrop of knitting needle display.

And a few other recent sights, just for amusement.

Or horror, in the case of Valentine's candy already out on the shelf. In December! I was appalled.

And can anyone explain Joan of Arc as a brand name for beans?

We had to buy the vodka in the sweater. Has a bit of an attitude, doesn't it?

I hope you're doing well, or hanging in there at least. We've definitely had to tone down some expectations this year, and I am more or less managing to be okay with some things not getting done. My brother comes in tomorrow, we'll be together, and that's what matters most.

Startitis, Again

Here comes the knitting anti-monogamy again!

Sometimes I just feel the urge to cast on one new project after another, you know? Earlier this month, I ran across a red-and-white skein of self-striping yarn from String Theory Colorworks, and on impulse cast on a Ruffles Scarf to see if it would knit up like a candy cane. And the answer is, kind of yes! It's hard to get a good photo of, but here's what I have:

So I'm having fun with that. And then this morning, I was thinking about how, on some headachy mornings, I would like something light and warm on my head and neck (so not a regular hat), and I took a quick look on Ravelry, and here's this pattern that calls itself a balaclava, Bonbec, that looks like it would do that. 

And it calls for DK yarn, and how about that, I just happen to have recently bought some really nice DK, which as it's baby alpaca, silk, and cashmere, would feel light and lovely on my headachy head, I think.

I haven't cast it on yet (I haven't even bought the pattern). But don't be surprised if I do.

Eleven Whole Days

I knew that today would drag: the last work day before vacation always does. But eventually, time passed, and I find myself looking at 11 consecutive days off. ELEVEN!

My brother arrives Wednesday morning, and I decided a while back to save enough vacation to take the whole week off, so that I could get ready without stressing the night before. Then we get Monday off, since Christmas is on Sunday; he leaves Monday afternoon, and I'm taking my last vacation day on Tuesday, so I can try to straighten myself out for the return to reality.

Ugh. Reality. Why does the working grind have to be reality? Why can't I win the lottery, retire, and fill my time doing what I want to, on my own schedule or lack thereof? Who's in charge here--I would like to have a word.

But anyway. I am going to enjoy the stuffing out of the next 11 days.

Yum! Ho, Ho, Ho

I first mentioned Garrett's caramelcorn (they call it caramel crisp) in 2020, when I got some for Mom for mother's day and she loved it. I've gotten it for her since, and I love it too, enough that for my birthday this year, I mentioned to my brother that I wouldn't mind getting some for myself. (Which he did send, bless him, and it was so good.) I've also sent some as gifts, which have been enthusiastically received.

So this year, when I ran across a sale on a really, really big tin, I decided that the three* of us should have a very caramelcorn Christmas, and it arrived today.

*My, Mom, and my brother--not Maggie!

It is big (the Family size tin, which the website says is 35 cups).

And so, so good.

Anyone want to make a guess when it will be finished?

A Word About Words

I do try to speak kindly to myself, to remember that for instance, I wouldn't scold a friend for being a fucking klutz if she dropped something. But I am a fucking klutz, frankly, and I do drop things, and when I drop something that makes a mess, and then in cleaning up the mess I am reminded that I hurt myself previously while being a fucking klutz, well. So much for the kind self-talk.

How coordinated are you? Are you at all coordinated, or would you, just theoretically, not be surprised if, in starting to trip over a shoe on the floor, you startled back in such a way that you hurt your knee?

Just theoretically.

Maggie's New Scratcher

Maggie, being the spoiled princess that she is, has more than one cardboard scratcher, because of course she does. I have often put up photos of her casually hanging out on this one:

Well, last week she threw up and some of it got on the scratcher, so it had to be thrown out, and Maggie kept stopping meaningfully in the empty spot to stare at me. 

Fortunately for her, Santa was already bringing her one for Christmas (see above re: spoiled princess), so she got her present a little early.

"Is this for me?"

Sniff sniff sniff.

"Ooh, it's scratchy!"

Sniff sniff sniff.

"Comfy!"

"What?"

Zzzzz.

Peace.

So you'll be seeing a lot more of these photos.

Because.

I mean.

How cute is she?

All curled up.

Triumphant roar!

Movie Rating Time Again

Yes, there have been a few more since last time! We can all use a smile, right?

Maybe we don't need bohemian transgression, though. I'm not sure, since I don't really know what that means.

Ooh, cussing!

...walrus?

This is an interesting mix.

Magical mischief is the best kind! 

But really, how loud are we talking about the singing being?

It's Beautiful, But...; a Little Whining

The perils of buying yarn online are several-fold, and one thing that can easily happen is when the color in person is not what it looked like on your computer. That said, however, I find it hard to believe that it's just my computer that showed this:

When what came looks like this:

So much darker! 

It's still beautiful yarn, don't get me wrong. And it feels very nice, as it should with the cashmere and silk along with merino. But it isn't even close to what I thought I was getting, color-wise. Ah, well.

While I'm being a little whiny, here is something else I feel a little sad about: holiday cards. My current situation is one of those where you feel two different things, and that they are both true, and yet they contradict each other:

1. People should only send out holidays cards at all if they want to and it works for them. No one is required to. I never want to get one at the cost of someone putting pressure on themselves to do something they don't want to, no matter what reasons they may have not to. Or no reason beyond don't-want-to.
2. I am sad that I haven't gotten more holiday cards yet.

Now, it is only December 11th, and there's plenty of time before Christmas. And no, I don't feel strongly that cards must come before December 25th!

But still. 

I have received one card, which I requested from Robyn Anderson, whose Love & Hisses blog I have read for years, and who offers to mail her cards to anyone who wants one. 

And I received one from NGS, whose blog I also read, and who offered to send cards to anyone who wanted since her card order got accidentally doubled this year. 

(Both of these cards are very cute and I was happy to get them.) 

Also, I am told that Mary Ellen's wrapped present that arrived last week contains their card, which is fun to look forward to, but I'm not opening it yet (either it will be Christmas, or possibly an "I am having a grinchy day and need to open a present, damn it" day before then). And hopefully I will get at least a few more from friends. It's just fun to get real mail, you know? 

Good to get the whining out. Anything you want to whine about?

Feeling Jangled

I don't even mean that in a Christmas way, though I'm not entirely ready for the holiday and should perhaps be feeling slightly more pressure than I do. But it's been a bit of a week here. 

Nothing bad, really! But even though Mom's surgery and recovery went/are going really well, the situation is of course fluid, and I have to roll with things a bit more than I would prefer to, if you follow me. Oh, the nurse is coming in the morning? Some time between 9 and 11, so be ready! It's not even like I had any prep to do for it, but, I don't know. This week took it out of me.

Then there was the noise in the building that I mentioned on Thursday. They were back again on Friday! Making so much noise! And while we were out this morning running errands, at least one noise-producer was here this afternoon, circular saw noise of rrrrRRRRRRrrrrr over and over, and damn it, how long is this going on? Who is doing what, and why, and when will it STOP?

Deep breath. It's been a headachy week. Stress will do that to me.

And then. This fall, my aunt has been discussing a trip, wanting to go back to Hawaii for a few weeks next year, and my brother and I are each invited to go part of the time, and of course this week is when the planning and reserving all started happening. And look, I am not complaining about planning a trip to Hawaii, I know, I know, what a brat, I'm not a complete idiot, but at this stage it's mostly picking from what feels like a thousand different options for getting there, and how much time/money/energy cost there is for each option, and it was just kind of a lot to deal with. I'll have a good time once I'm there, but even for a planner, this was A Lot, this week.

Counting, Counting

I don't want to freak anyone out, but the countdown calendar says we're one-third of the way through the countdown! It doesn't seem possible.

My personal stress today was high, though not for that reason. And no, it's not that I'm all ready for Christmas: I have some wrapping and mailing to get done that I just haven't. But today, on top of this week's post-Mom's-surgery stress, it turned out that there were two (or three?) very noisy projects being done in the building, and the noise, oh my god. 

One was our next-door neighbor getting a new front door, and even with her spy-cam doorbell to integrate, I have no idea how it could take so long and be so loud. The other project(s)? I don't even know. But there were times when two drills were wailing simultaneously. Sounds of electric sawing. Bang bang bang, and a lot of clang-drop-the-tool-on-the-ground noise. My poor head.

They both wrapped up around 3, and the silence afterward was so loud. Marvelous.

Doing Very Well

As opposed to the stabbing pain Mom had before the surgery, she describes what she’s feeling now as “healing pain,” and tonight she said if she’s sitting and not moving her arm, the shoulder doesn’t hurt. Doesn’t hurt, two days after surgery! Amazing! It makes dealing with the nurse and OT visits, and the prospect of PT around the holidays, much more bearable.

Thanks for all the well wishes, we appreciate them.

Maggie says hi.

Home!

Mom's home and doing well! She says it's uncomfortable, but it hurts so much less than it did before the surgery that it seems like nothing. My job now is to try and slow her down so she doesn't overdo things while her shoulder heals. Wish me luck.

Status: OK So Far

The surgeon says Mom's surgery went well; at the time we spoke, he didn't know if she would be staying overnight or able to come home, so I'm still waiting to hear on that. 

And waiting.

The Countdown Calendar

Thank you all for the compliments on my countdown calendar! I feel like it must have made an appearance before--I've had it for decades--but perhaps not front and center. So today is the day!

My grandmother gave me the calendar, so many years ago, and if I remember correctly (which is kind of a crapshoot, but no one's left to correct me), her good friend Stella, who was a quilter, is the one who made it. The top features a Christmas tree:

And along the bottom are pockets to hold a different item for every day.

They stick on with velcro, which is holding up remarkably well, I'm happy to say.

When I put it away each year, I take the accumulated items off and put each in a pocket, so it's ready to go the following year. You can see Santa peeking out of 24; Rudolph is in 23, the star for the top of the tree is in 22, and before that are presents to put under the tree and ornaments on it. It's fun to watch the tree get more and more full as Christmas comes closer.

And that's it! Any questions, requests for close-ups, anything?

A Headachy Week

I'm not sure why my head has been so niggling annoying this week, but it has, and I very much hope this phase passes soon. 

Other random passing thoughts:

• The Bruins continue to play really well and win a lot. It's fun to watch! No one, and I mean, no one, would have put a single dollar on them being 19-3 two months into the season (I would have bet against it!), yet here we are. Fun.
• A lot of the landscaping around our building was damaged by the hurricane flooding, and yesterday they came and ripped a ton of stuff out. It looks so naked! It was also quite loud, with the chainsaws and the woodchipper. But it's a step toward getting the new stuff in, and the powers that be want us to look nice. (I don't want things looking scraggly, but I'm not as worried about it being pretty.)
• After all my complaints about Summit, our cable provider, messing up broadcasting (NHL Network in October, Center Ice in November), they sent a how-do-you-like-us survey to fill out! Oh, THAT was fun.
• Tomorrow I'm having lunch with some of my knitting/snowbird friends, and I am so looking forward to it.
• It is December second:

And We're Off

Day 1 of the countdown calendar! It's in an awkward spot to get a straight-on picture without blocking the light; I'll have to work on that.