First Cold Snap of the Season

It's here, certainly only the first of several this winter. An Arctic cold front, when at 1 in the morning, you don't mind looking like a Guindon cartoon. It does make the walk to the mailbox somewhat entertaining — you get to waddle AND make alot of noise. week week week week ... nothing there but frost, the streetlight and frozen tracks from the mail truck:


week week week week ... back up the driveway and it was a little less cold for a moment. This ratty little thing,


which spends its summers getting banged around in the garage, is my favorite Christmas decoration and makes me smile every time I see it. My very own Charlie Brown tree.

In one of those happy little time warps, I have a bit of time to plink away tonight on my new love, my Gaelic Mist sweater from A Fine Fleece. My very large swatch, a k a the first sleeve, is almost done:


I do not know what the temperature is right now, but I do know that it is the perfect temperature for knitting. Think warm thoughts and purl back. ...

For One of My Favorite Children

Hi punkin. I saw this and thought of you.


Love, Mom

Meet the Disco Girls

We eat. We drink. We laugh. We get put in a back room at the restaurant. I swear I saw a short straw in the waiter's shirt pocket on Saturday when the Disco Girls gathered for a Christmas brunch and free-for-all.

It's always fun to see everyone again. This year, in light of everything sad and wretched at work, it was even better. We hit it all: whose kid is driving (mine!), whose kids are in college (Nancy's), who's been burning up her passport (Carol!), who's been writing another book, traditional (Peg) or online (Sherrie). Did we switch candidates during the campaign? Where were we on Election Night? Sharon's pictures of her six months in England made the rounds:


Ask Judy about the pink acrylic mink on her collar. Rarely seen in the wild, they are even more rarely seen around the necks of women of a certain age. I'm just sayin' ...



This year's roll call: Carol, Becka, Peg, Sharon*, Sherrie, Sue, Nancy, Judy, Dana and me, sitting at a left corner of the table, like the well-trained left-hander that I am. It also made it easier to photograph these lovely bits. I declined, lest the petit fours became petit forever on my hips.



Oh yes. We always pass the hat for our favorite charity. I'm pleased that we've made the world a better place by one llama, a goat, some chicks, some bees and a portion of a knitting basket. Pass it on.

*thanks for organizing again -- you're grand!