Confessions of a Cold Wimp

A few weeks back, I was excited to feel that first crisp, ever so slightly damp & cool, night air move in. It was such a pleasant reprieve from the heat & humidity we were experiencing once summer finally decided to show up, here in the usually frozen tundra. That first refreshing sense of coolness had me reaching (too soon) for my wool sweaters, wool hats, and a more sensible alpaca & silk scarf, and dreaming of knitting and designing many more- or what may turn out to be 1 more, with the way my schedule has been working out lately, and that's okay...

But this- this high of 45 degrees, overcast and drizzly rain all day, the kind that just chills your very bones, well, mine sure feel chilled, especially my feet, even in my thick leather Danskos, -this is not refreshing. I'm a cold wimp, and I don't particularly care for the overcast skies, either- it's time to load up on full-spectrum bulbs. And blankets. And sweaters. And more wool socks...

It's also time for more roast chicken and more nourishing chicken bone broth. Then maybe some red chili, some white chili, and even some green chili- can you tell I love chili?! Hehe, thankfully, my children do too! Some chicken tortilla soup, stewed tomato & onion, garlicky potato, corn chowder, broccoli cheese, oh, my, how I love this time of year. I spend my summers waiting for soup season. We even host an annual soup party- (heads up local friends and family, 1st Saturday of November, mark your calendars!)

Early last week, in the couple days before life turned upside down for a while, I designed and knit a new hat for my little Mercy. It's so big and warm, knit with Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky, and as soon as I get my hands on some more of that yarn (which has to wait until I can decide on a color, ooh, that can be so hard sometimes!), I'm going to knit myself a monochromatic one, and I'm very excited about that. Could be a little too excited about that, giddy almost, which could indicate an intense love of big hats or an intense lack of sleep, possibly a little bit of both, well, maybe surely a little bit of both.

Ooh, in other news, there is this "Unique Boutique & Antiques Tour" (travelling antiques and boutiques!?! who knew?!?) happening locally right now- I stopped by a pole barn across the field from us (um, yep, we live in a pretty rural community, hehe) and oooh-ed and aaah-ed a bit today, falling in love with a chunky black bench which I think simply needs to be in my house, even though I'm really not sure where... but it's 5 1/2 ft long, very sturdy, has a nice back, and it's only $65!!, which, I'm pretty sure, is an excellent price for such a large piece of furniture. I want to go back for it, but I need to decide where to put it... seriously.

Ok, back to work,

happy knitting-

ali

**health update- the girls are still coughing quite a bit, still finishing up their steroid bursts, and will remain on albuterol nebs for several days, and controller meds for the entire winter, at least...