1. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
2. “Jeeves Saves the Cow-Creamer” — Sometimes you just need a little Wodehouse, as performed by Fry and Laurie.
3. I finish listening to the final chapter of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with CraftLit. Heather has introduced me to literature that I wouldn’t otherwise have tried, such as the Stevenson and Frankenstein, that I’ve quite enjoyed hearing.
In Ravelry, I belong to a group that has monthly contests around themed sock knitting. I have not yet cast-on for April socks, but would like to tonight. One of the qualifying categories for this month was knee-highs, and it just so happens that Grey Kitten gave me a subscription to a knitting magazine for Christmas that contains an ideal pattern: Bettie’s Stockings.
I think all four of the following yarns would work with the pattern. Any thoughts on which one you’d pick?
Crash into Ewe Jewel Collection in Marasite (yes, it has silver bits in it)
It seems to have been a 24-hour bug. My stomach has been okay since around dawn, although I admit I didn’t tax it with anything more strenuous than Coke during the day and soup and black tea this evening. Tomorrow morning I’ll be brave with some cinnamon toast. I may even go all out and add some milk to my tea!
I slept all day and had another nap after Rudi went out on his weekly evening ride. My body suggests it’s about ready to call it a day now that I’ve been up for six hours straight.
The only lasting repercussions there will be from this illness is from fainting. Since I became an adult, my body seems to react to throwing up by passing out. Heretofore, it’s been after being sick, but last night I lost consciousness en route to the bathroom. I’m not sure where I hit my face — on the bathroom door, the bookshelf next to it, or the floor — but I will have a noticeable gash above my lip for a few days. I’m going to think of it as giving me a bit of rakish charm. I hit my front teeth and my nose, as well, and while they’re a bit sore, I don’t seem to have given either any lasting damage, thank heavens. Rudi also thinks I’m lucky I didn’t pull the bookshelf over on myself, since he says that the number of books pulled out from the shelf suggests that I tried to catch myself on it. I just think I was looking for something to read while I was lying there on the floor…
Thank goodness it was just a 24-hour bug. Imagine the damage I could do if it lasted 48 hours!
Sunday night always seems to sneak up on me. I mean, wasn’t it just Friday? Or at least Saturday?
But if anything my weekend was full.
After some Friday night bike fixes from Rudi (who totally rocks for keeping my bike going), I headed out Saturday morning to join Julia for a charity ride up to Bethesda. Now, the ride left early from Capitol Hill, which is across town from where I live. In the crazy world that is my head, I had no problem getting over there in time to leave for a ride that started before I arrive at work on a normal day. Reality is reality, though, and Julia came up with an alternative meeting point for me so I could meet up with them en route. I overdid it a bit, given that my knees were still feeling last week’s ride (the problem — a seat post that was inclined to sink as I rode — has been fixed), but by 1 p.m. I was home, having ridden 24 miles. I’m not sure if that’s a record for me, but, if not, it has to be close.
After a shower, lunch, and a chat with my family, I headed back out, opting to take a beach towel over to Rose Park where I planned to read, listen to my iPod, and knit. I found some dappled shade, pulled up some grass, and promptly fell asleep listening to the sounds of a live band performing nearby. I’d wake periodically, shift to a new side, and fall back into slumber. Despite the three-hour doze, I still was able to fall asleep last night. Maybe there’s something to this fresh air and exercise idea after all…
Today I headed to the farmers’ market, where I was able to bring home, among other things, the first rhubarb of the season. Then, because it was still a ridiculous 90-something degree day, I opted to stay inside and take care of some of the niggling chores I’d been neglecting. I felt better for it and eventually headed back outside in the late afternoon to run to the library and Trader Joe’s before ending up at the garden.
The radishes are still tiny, but one might guess they were radishes now. The lettuce are small, but sincere. I thinned them both out by bringing home a small handful of greens to make doll-sized salads for Rudi and me. I watered everything and then planted a few more seeds — additional peas and beans and some carrots, which may or may not grow.
I chatted with Grey Kitten and Rudi’s mom (in separate conversations), ate an ice cream cone, and watched Four Weddings and a Funeral while knitting and drinking tea to round out the weekend.
So it went by fast, but I spent a lot of time outside in the sun. That has to count for something right? Next weekend is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, so I expect the fresh air weekend trend to continue then!
Sorry this is a bit late, but we had a late dinner and I fell asleep on the couch. Three beautiful things from the past week:
1. Tuesday was Ben and Jerry’s Free Cone Day. Because of a late shower, the line was short, the ice cream flavors were still plentiful, and I walked away with a coconut and chocolate chip cone.
2. Two packages arrive the same day. One contains lovely, soft green yarn from Mini, a pettable prize for participating in her contest earlier this month. The other carries two cds from Dad — the first, a compilation of songs from Peter, Paul, and Mary; the second, songs from 1963. Rudi and I spin up the latter disc blindly to try and guess who sings each song. We fail miserably, but enjoy guessing … and singing along.
3. What I mistook for decorative driftwood on a second floor balcony turns out to be a living stalk that can be traced down to the front garden. This week, the first blooms of wisteria hang from it.
To celebrate, here are some pictures from a few weeks ago taken in my garden:
I’m always eager to hear of ways to help the planet. The best one I came by this year was to switch to recycled toilet paper. I’ve used the recycled, industrial-strength tp before — particularly back in college — but have never been a fan of how rough it was. Now, though, I’m delighted to report that recycled toilet paper has improved dramatically and is way softer, cheaper, and easier to find than it used to be. Plus, using recycled tp is a huge boon to the environment. Rudi forwarded me an article earlier this year that got me thinking about where my priorities ought to lie. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council,
If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees.
Scary, eh? So I’m thinking that buying less lovely toilet paper — which I’m going to be getting rid of immediately upon use — is worth saving a few trees.
Honestly, I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, but when it was pointed out, making the change made sense. I’d be happy to consider other ideas to cut down on my negative effects on the planet. If you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments.
I don’t like deadlines and that applies even to ones that I make up for myself. So this edition of Monday Morning Music (which sometimes appears as Monday Midday or Midafternoon or Midnight Music) is appearing this week on Tuesday … in the afternoon.
I was entering a contest at Largehearted Boy and clicked around a bit to read some other posts while I was there (he likes music and books, so there’s a lot to see). And I happened across an entry involving Catie Curtis, whom I really liked back in college. I haven’t listened to her music in ages, but was intrigued by David’s endorsement of her latest album.
A few more clicks later (on Last.fm and YouTube) and I was listening to the title track, “Sweet Life,” off her fall release. Its lyrics, especially this refrain,
I had lots of big plans for tomorrow
Most of them probably won’t come true
And maybe it’s a bitter pill to swallow
But it led me here to this
Sweet life beside you
recall John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy.” It’s nice to be reminded that disappointments can lead to the beauty that surrounds your life and that makes being worthwhile. Since I sometimes have a hard time letting go (stop laughing at the word “sometimes” in that phrase!), it’s good to hear it reiterated here.
This video is the winner in the contest she held in October asking fans to provide pictures for her words:
