About 4 Inches...

...that's how much I think I have left on the afghan. I thought today was going to be the start of a 3-day "knit-a-palooza" because we have Monday off from work due to a court holiday. 

But I got sidetracked and then upset... 

Anyway, I measured just now. You knit the body to 30" and then do the 10 rows of straight knit to end the afghan, and I'm at 26" or so. Whew...the "8-hour" afghans do move along quickly, thank goodness!

That Guy at JoAnn Fabrics...

So I gave up. Pffffffffffthhhhhhh....I can't find the buttons. This morning, I hiked myself over to JoAnn Fabrics. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee - President's Day sale! And I bought buttons. At 50% off, thank you very much. 

Realistically, it would have to be a population explosion of epic proportions to run out of baby-sweater buttons now. But I got on a roll. I have several of the same style, but different colors, and I only duplicated one set, because I thought they were adorable. Each baby sweater takes 2 buttons, so I have enough for TWENTY THREE sweaters. I'm pretty sure I won't make 23 baby sweaters. At least, if I do, I hope they come bit by bit so at least I can knit something else in between. 

Of course, I saw elephants, AFTER I've finished the Pumpkin Set. And no, I'm not removing the buttons I put on that set. The elephant buttons are smaller, and I'm not going to re-work the buttonholes. 

I'm really loving the black polka-dot buttons. And the black swirly ones. Those are my top contenders for the apple green baby set. 

So The Guy... As I was standing in the button aisle, I heard a guy speaking to someone else; at first I couldn't hear the other person, but the guy was complaining rather loudly about some Velcro. He wasn't happy. He started to swear, and while I'm not a quivering lily, I thought, "Jeeze, you're in a fabric store. What's the problem?" 

A woman came up to pick out some buttons for a lovely dress she was making, and we looked at each other and said, "Wow...cranky much?" Mind you, he wasn't abusing the person he was with. He was just cranky. 

As I think about it, perhaps I should have gone around the corner just to see what was going on. We need to stand up to bullies, and I think I missed a chance. 

Then I bought this bag. Because it was cheap, it's a nice size for a small-to-medium project (like baby knitting), and I love the definition:

procrastiKNITing: To defer all other activities besides knitting. 

Yep. That's what I was doing today. I did go to the grocery store, but my plan was to get in, and stay in, a knitting groove. However, the best laid plans often go awry. And they did. 

Essential Oils Workshop...

At the studio, two of my friends did an essential oils workshop about the Premium Starter Kit, which is what I call the "gateway" to essential oils. This is a neat kit: eleven oils plus a diffuser, plus some extra goodies, for $160. The oils themselves would cost over $300, so it's a great deal. 

They went through the various oils and how to use the diffuser. And another person in our oils group was there. Well, let me say this: She was AN HOUR late, which is annoying. She brought a kid in, which is normally not a problem, but the kid was hacking through the entire presentation. One of my friends said that she and her family had all been sick recently. I don't have time to be sick. 

And she was rather obnoxious. 

Look, we're very careful about being in compliance. In that, I mean, I will never tell anyone, "Hey, if you have a hangnail, then tea tree oil will cure that, so buy some from me." 

First off, the oils are 100% therapeutic grade, and they're pure. But they're not a cure-all. It's against the rules to say they "cure" anything. They do some nice things, but we study compliance issues and make very sure that we are correct in what we say and we don't make false claims. And secondly, we don't "sell" the oils. If you're interested, I can show you how to get them, but I'm a really awful salesperson (seriously, I can't even sell Tupperware...) and so Young Living Essential Oils fits me to a T -- they don't sell. 

The Late Chick was making some statements that I thought crossed a line, claiming that "Oil X cured my kid's anxiety" and a few other things. Then, she interrupted one of my friends to drag her attention away from someone she was talking to. And then she poached one of my students. 

That crossed a  line. And THEN -- she stayed. And stayed. And stayed. The workshop was to be 90 minutes. I came to the studio at 12:30 and I didn't leave till nearly 4 p.m. 

No, I wasn't happy. Luckily, I didn't have a class right after that. 

In talking with my friends, we agreed that we'll do these workshops again. There are some neat products I'm using that have reduced the toxins in my house. But this Late Chick? She's no longer welcome to the studio. 

Kid #1...

I finally broke down and did The Google to find out how long it would take if I was going to invite myself to visit Kid #1. 

A little over 10 hours. So I texted him and told him that at some point, I was going to invite myself over. He was enthusiastic (he really loves where he lives) and did warn me that I'd have to find a hotel, because there's no room at the house. Which is fine. I prefer it that way, to be honest. 

Hubby said, "You should take 2 days to drive out there." Pfth. Ten hours? That's a lot of Radio Classics and a nice drive. Now to see when the boss will take her umpteenth vacation and see when I can get a week in. 

The Orange Menace...

Well, I've avoided it for a while now, but I can't avoid it any longer. When Fox News people are saying this idiot is unhinged? Well, the great THUMP you heard was the world falling off its axis. 

My mother is scared of what's going to happen. I'm scared for the future of the country, and I'm scared of what will happen locally. Not scared to the point of paralysis. But aware and attuned to what's going on. 

I'm more involved in actual activism. The FB "click and share" stuff is nice, but I'm writing letters and making phone calls to my representatives, writing letters to the editor, etc. and I feel like I'm at least rippling the surface a bit. 

I can't fix it. But I can help. Even a little bit. 

Each of us can pick a cause we're passionate about. Learn more about it. Become the "resident expert" and then work for that cause. It's important. Our democracy -- our democratic republic -- works better when we're paying attention and doing our share. 

Random Picture...

Her highness wanted a belly rub. Right now, she's behind my chair, waiting for me to finish this so we can toddle off to bed. She was insistent about the belly rub. And she cares not one whit that knitting (at least for me) can't be done one-handed. 

Nope. Doesn't bother her that she's interfering with a schedule. All the better for her, in her opinion. 

Of course I gave in. Wouldn't you? Yes, you would. You know it and so do I.

And more importantly, so does she!