gentlemen! you are missing the point here. based on our latest surveillance data, we know that she has had the two or three hours of sleep necessary to prevent a total system shutdown. what we have to decide right now is if we are willing to risk her sleeping through the night and waking up with even some fraction of sanity intact. that is the question under immediate review, as the clock is running out on available options.
at which point, my favorite animator—for he is certainly an agent of said organization—shifts in the bed, digging his elbow into the small of my back. the same small of my back that causes me great discomfort every now and then, a friendly reminder of my extreme luck in walking away from the accident that totaled my car all those years ago. that small of the back. there he was, his elbow planted in the small of my back, like a salt-covered finger stuck into an open wound. and, just like that, any prospect of a full night's sleep flew like a bat out an open window. which brings me to...
so, there i was, sitting on my favorite davenport, minding my own business, watching some random thing on the 'puter, and working on that cardi for his mom. suddenly, i hear a rustling noise from the other side of the room, and i spot some movement out of the corner of my eye. i turned my head in the direction of the other davenport (the one that is not my favorite), expecting to see one or more kitty engaged in some form of silliness, because that is what happens when you live with silly kitties. instead, i see a small dark thing crawling out from below the couch, and before i could register what was going on, it sprang skyward, and began flying back and forth between the (interconnected) living and dining rooms. what the...???
i literally tossed my knitting into the air, and ran out into the hallway screaming, "sweetie... BAAAAAT!!! sweetie... BAAAAAT!!!", as i headed in the general direction of the studio. it should be noted that i was simultaneously freaking out and laughing my rear off at this point. we had a bat encounter many years ago (which is still one of his favorite stories to tell), so there was a humorous element of déjà vu to this latest experience. however, all joking had to wait until our uninvited guest was gone.
he shoved me into the studio and slammed the door shut, before setting off to close the doors between the living-dining rooms and the rest of the apartment, then he waited for the bat to eventually fly out the balcony door... which would have been possible had he actually remembered to first open said door. so, after running through the living room like a crazed lunatic, ducking out of the way of the constantly circling bat, he finally got to the balcony door, slid it open, then returned to the relative safety of the hallway and sounded the all-clear. it should be noted the bat was not gone at this point, but it had been confined to one space. what followed was a tense five or so minutes during which we stood outside the glass doors to the dining room, watching as the bat flew in long graceful loops between the two rooms, and cheering him (or her) on every time (s)he got near the open door. it was the longest five minutes of my life, but the exit was eventually located, and we rushed in to close the door, lest (s)he decided to return. my nerves remain on edge and i still jump at every little noise, but he finally understands why i am always complaining about keeping the screen door closed at all times between dusk and dawn. small victories, i guess.
on the milder side of life, i am happy to announce that we have rejoined modern civilization. we are, once again, able to produce meals that do not come out of cans labeled Chef Boyardee™ or that do not require calculating the tip for a delivery guy. what was the very first thing i cooked with the new stove, you ask? a (very non-gluten-free) walnut cinnamon strudel-cake, i reply. i had a very small slice (okay, maybe two very small slices), and he wrapped most of it up in his idea of single-size portions and stuck them all in the freezer... because we also have a functioning one of those again.
this recipe was plucked from the cosmos using my own brand of randomization. i basically Googled "cinnamon walnut cake" and picked the third result on the list. i followed the recipe as written with two-and-a-half minor adjustments. 1) having no greek yogurt on hand, i opted for some milk with a healthy splash of vinegar added for thickening/curdling purposes. 2) i used about two-thirds the recommended amount of sugar for both the batter and the walnut mixture. and the half... i used brown cane sugar, as that is what we use for just about everything. it is a simple muffin-like batter with a layer of walnut-cinnamon-sugar strudel in the middle and another dusting along the top.
regarding that project for his mom. i was about to cast on the Dory cardi (free pattern), when i came across Siri. it was love at first sight (plus, it is seamless, so no pieces to sew together in the end). despite the intricate network of small cables that form the leaf motif, it is a basic, top-down yoke sweater/cardigan. i cast on at the neckline (top of the photo), and i am currently working down across the shoulder/upper-chest portion of the garment (middle of the photo). the stitches for the ribbed collar will be added later. this is my progress after the end of the first chart.
i am using a stitch marker between each repeat of the chart. this is my favorite one, which i made several years ago. it used to be part of a set of like six or seven, but i think i can find two or maybe three of them at present.
the colorful object below the cardi is a Russell Stover™ tin.
it once housed chocolates, but now it houses knitted swatches.
and it has a fraternal twin, which is empty... for now. this one is supposed to be used for random watercolor supplies, but it will likely end up housing even more swatches or other knitterly things.
my favorite animator bought them solely for the containers. i especially like that the design is embossed on the top, as you can easily see from the inside of the hinged lid. if only all tasty things came in such useful packages.
No comments:
Post a Comment