Unraveling

New

A photo essay.

And now there is a mountain of laundry to do!

Blue Sky Up Above

Dry down below.

Even though we had a power outage for several hours in the middle of the night.  Mr. Celia was worried (the sump pump is electric) and that got me worried, so it was hard to go back to sleep. But this morning, there was no seepage.

I count myself lucky. I heard on the news we've had 18 days of rain this month, and double the rainfall of a typical January. This is considered good, because we are pretty dry most of the time. We are taught not to complain about the rain, because if we don't get enough rain here, which means snow in the mountains, we won't have enough water in summer months. And really, a little sogginess is nothing compared to what Kimberli is reporting in China or what Vicki tells us is happening in Wisconsin.

It's supposed to rain again tomorrow, so I took advantage of the break in the weather and rode my bike this morning for the bike-BART-bike commute. Just what I needed. You have to fit these things in when you can!

Stats are up, way up, at International Pajama Day, thanks to all the plugs I'm getting from blog siblings. Thanks, friends! So glad to know you will join me.

And now, back to work. Tonight will be the first night I get to knit since the deluge. Oh, yeah!

Still Mopping Up

Mr. Celia's laptop is drying out. All the data is there, but the screen has "leopard spots."  The Girlie's American Girl accessories drawer was soaked. She was very upset, as most of her collection is vintage and retired (pre-Mattel). Stuff is drying all over the house. Almost everything is salvageable, and what is not will be on its way to the dump this afternoon.

Mr. Celia is very down. The basement is his office and music room, and the solution to the problem is bigger than just mopping up. Our architect came over last night to discuss remodeling, which will include a "failsafe" sump system, new flooring, wall repair, and who knows what else. Mr. Celia does not mess around. You see, we've had this problem before, and thought we had solved it with a newer, heftier pump in the sump. It worked - it's been at least 10 years since the last flood, but the float got hung up and failed to turn the pump on - unfortunately during a big rainstorm.

Mr. Celia's pal is coming over this afternoon to help him move his office stuff up into the Boyo's recently vacated room, and to remove the basement's soaked rugs and make the dump run. I guess I better plan on cooking dinner.

It's the least I could do.

This Is Not What I Had In Mind

Overnight, the basement flooded.

Thank goodness most of the stuff sitting on the floor was in plastic boxes.

Some, unfortunately, was in paper bags.

Including all the lovingly-salvaged Christmas paper and the post-Christmas discount wrap.

The pump to the rescue.

So much for cozy.

Winter Ramblings

We have been having what we call "cold" winter weather: the thermometer hovering between the high thirties and low forties (Fahrenheit), a "dusting" of snow on the hills, and rain, rain, rain. Not showers, mind you, r-a-i-n. Rain that you can't avoid.  Rain that makes the gutters run wide. Rain that lasts all day. Rain that makes people drive crazy. Rain that keeps you damp, and cold that makes your glasses steam up, even after you've come indoors for a while. This is January in the Bay Area.

Friday's cold, steady rain gave way to high clouds and warmer temperatures yesterday. I ran errands all over town. First, I went shopping for a new, stackable washer/dryer today. The washer, she died the day the Boyo left. It has been a while in coming. You may remember, we had to have the dryer repaired in November. The pump on the washer just gave up the ghost. There is no way to do laundry in this house, except by hand. Mr. Celia, whose tolerance for appliance repair evaporated after the comic opera that was our oven "repair" last March, said, "It's old. Buy a new one." You don't have to tell me that twice.

I purchased the Epic pair, and a stacking kit. I know it's a front loader and I won't be able to felt with it. But I have other felting options, and I recently discovered that I prefer the control I have with felting by hand. So I opted for larger capacity and energy conservation. The appliance store will deliver and install the new units on Thursday and take the old ones away for recycling. Meanwhile, the laundry will continue to pile up. It won't be pretty, but relief is on the way.

I think I put about thirty miles on the car yesterday, just driving around town picking things up.  I ran errands that have been on my list for weeks (I'm surprised I remembered them all!) I made about a dozen stops, and none of them was fiber related. By the time I got home, it was almost dark and I had just enough time to capture the almost clear Saturday Sky.

You can see the clouds hovering in the distance. The rain started in again in earnest when we were getting ready for bed last night. It let up this morning, but my plan to spend a cozy day in, watching movies (Once and Away from Her) and knitting, is lookin' brilliant. As a matter of fact, I better go down and bring in the paper before the next deluge.

Poor Mr. Celia! His golf outing was cancelled. He doesn't seem to mind though, for there is a multitude of puttering to be done around the house, plenty of virtual golf on the TV, and he got to sleep late. So we are set for the day. Puttering, knitting, and watching - the perfect winter Sunday.

By the way, the Girlie and her Beau went to see Juno Friday night. We all LOVED it. The acting, music, writing, and directing all come together to make a sweet film. The Beau's review: "A breath of fresh air." We liked the music so much, we bought the CD immediately (there's a Barnes and Noble next door to the theater), and I listened to it all yesterday as I ran my errands. I still like it. Go see this movie. It's totally worth it. I want to see it again.

And don't forget, next Sunday is Super International Pajama Day. If it isn't on your calendar, it should be.

B is for...

BOYO!

And yes, he's off again. According to his itinerary, his plane left a couple hours ago. Seems like that just happened. And it doesn't get much easier each time  he leaves.  He'll land in Zurich at 10:50 a.m. tomorrow, take a week vacation in Germany with his lady love, then on to Milan for Italian language school.

This time, he has no idea when he's coming back. That's what's hard. Panic had me bolting out of bed both yesterday and this morning. We never do everything I think we ought to get done by the time he leaves. So there's that, and his plans are...in flux. He was planning on coming back in May and being here for the summer. Now... not sure. Maybe coming back. Probably not. What he wants to do is go to a German university. So he's exploring that. The good news is that he probably could. He has to jump through all the hoops, and take some tests. The bad news? My vacation time is all planned out for this year already, and it doesn't include a trip to Europe. That will have to wait for next year.

We got to the airport early enough for him to have some breakfast, during which he impressed me with his understanding of the democratic candidates for president (we have a primary election in less than two weeks, people!). And then it was time for a final hug. I stood there and watched him go through the security gate. I always watch until I can't see him any more. Then I had to force myself to turn and walk out of the airport. Back in the car, Dire Straits' "So Far Away" was on the radio. Sheesh! That's it in a nutshell.

And so I hope you will indulge me a little today, as I take

   

a little trip

down memory lane.

Because this Boyo of mine.

He's gone.

If I Ignore It, Will It Not Happen?

My Sunday Pajama Day continued through Monday. I needed another relaxing day at home, and I'm thankful for the holiday. It was nice to have the Boyo in the other room, padding down the hallway to tell me about how his travel plans are progressing. Nice to hear him doing laundry. Harder to hear the zipper on the big suitcase he's packing.

The inevitable departure is pending. Last night, he invited a couple friends over and he and Mr. Celia cooked black truffle risotto, veal scallopini, and broccoli. Absolutely delicious.

I'm off to work early so I can get home early enough to take him shoe shopping, and make a black truffle-goat cheese souffle.

Now, 'scuse me while a couple of big tears roll down my cheeks.

Pajamas!

Yes, I'm spending the day in pajamas. Yes, you should, too. Hope you enjoy yourself.  This is what I'd like to be doing:

Instead, I'm sorting through this box:

And these piles:

And this desk:

Don't get me wrong, I LIKE getting organized. And I need to get a handle on my workroom. And now that the back is better, I can't just sit in a stupor, watching the first season DVDs of Brothers and Sisters or the DVR'd Tin Man (although I may need to take a break to watch at least some of the important football that's happening today).  Without re-injuring the back, however, I'm staying home and not going out into the world, while slogging through the piles on this "unscheduled" and "unofficial" pajama day.  .

What are you doing?

Whatever you do, keep the spirit of Pajama Day in your heart and don't forget that Super International Pajama Day is right around the corner.

A is for Auburn

It's my particular shade of the moment.

It's been brighter, particularly during this past year.

Red, Copper, Orange!

But for the moment, we are slightly more sedate.

Only slightly.

 

Toe-up

I am not a big fan of the toe-up sock. It's usually top-down, heel-flap socks on four double-pointed needles for me.  But I really like this cast on, the toe and the foot that followed (after a little fiddling).

Now I'm ready for the pattern stitching and the heel-up, but that takes a little thinking and I'm not so good at thinking during the evenings lately. So, maybe I'll try a little of that tomorrow, after I get Saturday Stew into the oven so we can have an early dinner.

The pattern? It's Cat Bordhi's Salish Sea Socks in Socks That Rock medium weight - Bella Coola colorway - the final Rockin' Sock Club package for 2007. I loved getting the sock club packages, but sadly have only finished one of them, so far. I debated whether or not to re-up and decided against it. As Bobbi said earlier today, "I have enough yarn to create my own sock-a-month club."

I'm pretty much back to stash knitting for the forseeable future. I don't have a shortage of anything.  But I might have to do a little shopping in February, when I go to New York for a long weekend, or April, when I go to sock camp for a whole week. But for now stash only, kiddies, read my lips: STASH ONLY knitting.

Finally, I'm probably taking an unscheduled Pajama Day on Sunday, which may spill over into Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Anyone care to join me?