Nesting

This corner of the dining room will be cleaned up in preparing to host company next week. Younger son works his freelance job from one corner of the dining room table when he's at home, and things he's not using get passed to this corner. Today, younger son in Seattle interviewing with Amazon. Should he get offered a job, I expect he will take it. Then, this corner will remain clean, and I expect that I shall miss the disorder I now lament.

Gremlins

Why this photo did not get published yesterday, when I clicked the "publish" button, I do not know. Nor do I know where the text went. Internet gremlins perhaps, or just one of life's mysteries.

Ouch!

I do so hate it when my headaches layer one on top of another. The prescription pill I took first thing this morning got rid of the migraine component of pain but left behind a decidedly sinus headache. Thanks to a stop at CVS, that pain is now abating. It might be a decent evening after all.

Ninjabread Men

I find gingerbread oddly addicting. If I eat one of these, I could easily eat them all. I wish these were destined for elsewhere; alas, these were the practice run for some batches I hope to make come Christmas-time.

Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

This is the aforementioned cookie jar. My self-esteem did not appear to be inside it. Neither did any cookies. I now have gingerbread dough chilling in the refrigerator in anticipation of tomorrow's test of some cookie cutters, the shapes of which shall, for now, remain nameless.

A Line in the Lawn

The weather was wonderful today, so raking occurred. Garage cleaning also occurred along with motorcycle fixing. I did none of that, though I did do some inside things. I have been told that my self-esteem may be hiding in the cookie jar, but so far I have resisted looking for it there. With my luck, there will be cookies, though since I did not make any, there shouldn't be. I am hoping to be back to some semblance of normal tomorrow.

Giving Thanks: The Aftermath

In Girl Scouts, we used to sing grace before each meal. My favorite was to the tune of "Windy." "Thanks be to God, the Father Almighty. Thanks be to God, who gives us this bread. Thanks be to God, the Spirit Eternal. Thanks be to God forever." I leave the definition of "God" up to each reader, but think the sentiment appropriate every day but especially this one.

Thanksgiving Eve

I'm particularly proud of the three presents in this pile that are not wrapped but instead enclosed in boxes too pretty to wrap. All they needed was a bit of ribbon to hold them shut. I'm hoping the recipients will think to use the boxes in the same way. Mother Earth will thanks us for it.

Distractions

I was searching somewhat unsuccessfully for my self-esteem this afternoon when younger son suggested the search might be helped by making the orangutan Beanie Baby who will not be mutated a new suit to wear. He's now disguised as a winged hippo, and firmly under the control of the MFing Bearodactyl. As for my self-esteem, if it's hiding in the flour bin, I'll have it back momentarily since as soon as I publish this post I'll bemaking pie crust for tomorrow's pumpkin pie making.

Getting Carded II

Sometime over the long Thanksgiving weekend, I really should pick up the box of Christmas cards from the floor and start the addressing. "Should" may not equal "will," though. We shall see.

I Do Love a Challenge

I honestly cannot imagine pointing a gun at another person or an animal and pulling the trigger. I can, however, see the challenge in pointing a gun at a target and trying to hit even close to it. Don't ask how many shots I took that did not even hit this piece of paper. I will only smile and point to the hole in the red circle. My squeal of glee paralleled the one I let out when I finally got a boomerang to circle and return so that I could catch it without moving after it.

Not What I Intended

I was going to take a photo of my shot in the red zone (i.e., the bullseye) from pistol shooting this morning, but the bag in which the target sits is still in the car that is currently is use elsewhere. So here's the other cat in the hat, er, house, Catbert. As for that bullseye, there was only one, and I'm not gonna tell how many tries it took me to get it.

New Day, New Rule

I'm cheating a bit today--but it's my blog so I can cheat if I want --by posting a photo that I did not take. Younger son took this one while showing me how to do something on the new camera. His photo and his guitar, but since he's my son it does circle back to me.

They're Both Keepers

This is the first photo I took with the new camera. Younger son took the first three, but this is my first. Yeah, I think I'll keep both the new camera and the old cat.

Progress

I have at least opened the camera manual and charged the batteries. Ya gotta start somewhere.

There's a Table Somewhere Under There

I usually try to do too much while the husband is away, and this trip is no exception. I'm working more hours for pay than I usually do and trying to work my way down a long, long list of littles. I hate little things so much more than big ones. The littles are the killer, not the bigs. In the meantime, the new camera body arrived, though all I've had time to do so far is unpack the box and charge one of the batteries.

Sure Looks Like Fall to Me

I had to carefully compose this shot so as not to have the front of the pickup truck or the back of the VW Bus in the frame. There was also mad backlighting from the sun off to the left. The lawn may still be green, but the leaves sure aren't.

This One Will Be Mine

The current sweater-in-progress albeit in a bit of disarray. It's an Icelandic cardigan, knit in the round, without seams. The front opening will be cut open for the zipper using the steek technique after I've finished all the knitting. I've never done that before, but I have a friend who has tapped to help me. A friend in England will recognize the orange bag since she wove and assembled it. The white ball with black spots is the head of a stuffed giant panda. What? Doesn't everyone's living room come with a stuffed giant panda?

Learn Something New Every Day

I need to get to know my new netbook better and decided to play with the webcam. I think I look tired, but then I got up at o'dark thirty to send the younger son off to run the Richmond Half Marathon and then got the husband packed and on a plane to Europe after which I ran several errands and did the grocery shopping. I think I need a beer. Anyone want to join me in a Raging Bitch? It's a Belgian-style India pale ale according to the bottle.

Emptying the Wallet

I have been mentally debating with myself about a new camera for some time now. I bought my current Canon xTi off Craigslist three years ago. I'm now somewhere above 30,000 in terms of the number of images shot, with another grand adventure on tap for the spring. Today I ordered a Canon 60D body with some accessories from Adorama. Spending that close to four digits to the left of the decimal place is never easy, but I did enough research to know I got a very good deal on a very good camera.

I Do Have Kendo Tonight

This comic hangs on one of the kitchen cabinets and made me smile just now in the late-afternoon-tired hours of a grey, dreary day.

Cat as Statue

So I could have posted some photos I took wandering around the university today including some cool spiral staircase shots and some shots of the oculus in the university's Rotunda. But no, here is the image of the morning, Scully impersonating a statue.

Voting Is a Right ...

... that I have come to cherish even more since I began to serve as an election official. I protect the right of everyone to vote, even those who vote for the "other guys." It's not looking good for my side tonight, at least not based on the results at my precinct. Even as I drown some sorrows, I know I'll be back the next time around to help protect the right to vote even of those who don't vote the way I would.

Vote Early; Vote Often?

It actually doesn't matter if you vote early, because the polls will stay open until the legally appointed hour even if no one shows up to exercise their electoral rights. I'll get this cooler as packed as I can tonight because 4:30 in the a.m. is no time to be making irreversible decisions about what I want for breakfast, lunch, and, if I want to eat it before 9:00 p.m., dinner. That's what it's like behind the scenes on Election Day.

When Coffee Just Isn't Enough

They were starting to remember me at a certain Sheetz because once a week, when I stopped there on my way from Charlottesville to Alexandria for an evening of kendo, I would buy five or more packs of Jolt gum. That's all in the past now, since it's cheaper to order it online, in bulk. These are the house packs. There are also the car packs, not to mention the ones in my messenger bag.

Cake in the Raw

Maybe someday I'll get into making cakes from scratch, but for now I stick to mixes. This is tomorrow's birthday cake for older son's 24th.

I Think We're on a Roll Here

A friend in England suggested that a sheep that could spin its own wool into yarn might be an interesting Beanie Baby mutation, and she was right. It's still not clear what this one should be called (Charlotte Sheep?), but it's what you get crossing Hairy the spider the Ewey the sheep. Yeah, I really should get something approximating a life, eh?

Who Says It's Not December?

My Christmas cactus blooms when it likes in the fall, only once having done so during the Christmas season. Who am I to argue with a plant? It blooms, is beautiful, and manages to survive in my care. That's enough to please me when it comes to a plant.

That Whole Too Much Time Thing

Meet BearODactyl, the latest Beanie Baby mutation. BearODactyl differs from the other mutations in that the ODactyl part is a costume. Untie the bow under the bear's chin and remove his front legs from the wings, and he's back to being Cinders the bear. He much prefers the power and prestige of being BearODactyl, though, so I don't think we'll be seeing much of Cinders any longer.

Better Late Than Never

That's the inch by which my katana is now shorter. I really should have had it shortened years ago.