Lost and Found

I found my notebook! I got to wondering where my laceweight yarn was, and dug thru the knitting bag (in my house, every bag is a kntting bag) that I'd carried to Texas. Lo & behold, yada yada, there's the yarn snuggling with my notebook. So I couldgive you all the minute & finite details, but I'd rather we still be friends. Some highlights may be in order: I did knit in the airport, after checking my elaborately painted bag with the skycaps. The luggage painting was something I picked up somewhere on the web, as a way to tell my black fabric rolling luggage from a zillion other black fabric rolling bags. Worked really well, too! And several people at the luggage claim found it both amusing & a good idea. Sis came to pick me up, without the rest of the family -- we got a little "sibs only" time on the drive out to Chez Sis. There we found Miss T still napping, before her ballet class. After the class, several of her classmates came to the house for a puppet show (in which they were the performers -- not a one of 'em over 4 yrs old!) and a pizza luncheon. I couldn't get Miss T to pose for me in her leotard & tutu before all the young ladies changed into street clothes.
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Miss T actually spoke to me! Last year she was too shy; I stayed in "her" house for five days and she spoke to me once about 5 minutes before I had to leave. This trip, she called me Auntie Ann immediately, and talked a blue streak. Too cute! But she's still a bit of a wild child, at least a willful one! If her Momma tells her "no", she sticks her tongue out! Miss A would have wilted, if she'd been disciplined at that age. These girls are so very different, nearly polar opposites in their personalities. A is a thoughtful, quiet & biddable young lady, as well as being pretty doggone bright. Miss T is willful, energetic, wildly imaginative, and still a bit of a wriggler. Plus, at about 1/3 of her sister's age she weighs about half what Miss A does, even though getting her to sit still long enough to get some food into her is problematic.

I decided to keep the trips up & down the stairs to a minimum this time. So, next morning, I bathed & dressed before going down to breakfast. I was sitting at the kitchen counter/island, having a terrific breakfast of eggs, bagel, clementine, bacon, MORE bacon, juice, coffee...and watching the beta cruise (this had to be the slowest fish in Texas) around his little bowl. I'm a bit surprised at what I took to be a weird fishbowl ornament: it looked like a scorpion laying at the bottom of the bowl. So I asked Sis about it (she was cooking the breakfast); turns out it actually WAS A SCORPION in there, quite drowned. Sis fished it out, & put it in a zip-loc type snack bag; Miss A collects interesting dead bugs. But how the heck did it get into Mr. Beta's bowl? and did the "agressive" Mr. Beta have anything to do with the scorpion's drowning? We'll never know.....and hey, welcome to Texas!

Ok, fast forward two days: Misses A & T, Sis & I all head over to Bluebonnet Yarn Shoppe (www.bluebonnetyarn.com)to outfit Miss A with the essentials she'll need to knit up some cotton washcloths. I'd been on Ravelry earlier, printing off some good basic washcloth patterns. I think washcloths are a great start for a new knitter, since they're so small & quick to finish -- unlike scarves, which can take a looooong time to finish.
Washcloths are knitter instant gratification, just the kind of encouragement the new knitter needs. Anyway, we invaded the Bluebonnet & had a great time picking out some (4 hanks!) cotton yarns, needles in two sizes, and a few other oddments. Our proprietress (God bless her, I can't recall whether she was a Pat or a Pam!) was helpful, and even let the two girls play with the ball winder. We wound 3 of the hanks, 'coz I wanted to use the last one to show Miss A how to wind a center pull ball by hand. Didn't actually get around to that, but that's ok. We'll have something to work on next time I visit, which may be this October.

Pup actually asked me to bring the family next time I visit! I sure hope he's warming up to the Plaidman; after all, they've only been in-laws for 31 years+11 months+18 days. Yes, the countdown to anniversary #33 has begun. And the two of them have something in common (besides their undying love & adoration of moi, that is): the Plaidman has turned 60 recently, and officially joined the ranks of the old farts. I'm married to an Old Fart. Oh joy.

The family has been out on an expedition to Wally World, and DiscoDame has just called to let me know they're on the way home. I told her I was blogging, and she wanted me to announce (drumroll, please) that she has an internship! in her field of study (web design)! and that henceforth & until she decides otherwise her new superhero identity is THE INTERN. So I've gotta remember that. Wish me luck.