Three beautiful things from the past week:

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)

Neighborhood Fiber Studio Sock in Dupont Circle

Scout’s Swag Superwash BFL in Kizkalesi

or ShibuiKnits Sock in Sky

Guess how many for gay couples who marry legally in the four states that currently allow them:

“A Federalist Case for Gay Marriage: Let Each State Decide the Issue for Itself”

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!

Having a stomach bug really, really sucks. Rudi is a champ.

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!