Christmas trip and more!

Our trip to Point Reyes was most excellent. Lots of fresh air, kite flying, and snuggling by the fire. We chased naughty sea gulls who tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to fly off with our picnic (he flew off with the bread bag, but the bread dumped out of it). We made the hike to the lighthouse, including the "30 story climb" to get back. (Note to self: working out more in 2008 is a good idea).

Then the cold set in. Not the outside air, although that was chilly too, but the cold Ken had the previous week. Fortunately it waited until the last night at the Inn, but what a miserable night. I couldn't remember when I last had such a wretched sore throat. I thought it might be strep, but, hey, Ken got over it just fine.

We came home, I ran a fever. I never run a fever. I sweated my way through most of my night clothes Christmas Eve night. Christmas was misery. I worked part days from home when I felt like I could concentrate. Then Thursday comes along. Ken's got a sore throat again and has finally looked at strep pictures. Realizes, "Uh Oh!" and goes in for a throat swab.

Sure enough! Strep! Yay!

I finally got anti-biotics on Friday and am feeling mostly myself now, although I was advised that I'm still contagious so it's another work-at-home day. It's also New Year's Eve, and I have several friends in from out of town that I won't get to see tonight. So bummed!

One nice result of my convalescence - I started and finished Mr. Greenjeans :) He's blocking on the extra bed right now!

On the Road Again

Although this shot is from our last vacation, the sentiment will be exactly the same, come 3pm when I pick up Ken from Davis. We're heading to Inverness for some solitary Christmas celebrating. Work today is all about making sure nothing breaks, so I'm pretty much sufing and chatting. A nice break!

Looks like the weather will be nice on the coast this weekend. Nice as in partly sunny and maybe rain on Sunday. Looks like hiking tomorrow and lounging on Sunday! Perfect!!! God, I love the coast.

Presents

To assuage any guilt I might be feeling over the grinchiness, I decided I needed to list out the presents I've made for Christmas this year. Since August, I've knitted as gifts:

2 adult sweaters
3 pairs socks
1 lace scarf (still needs blocking)
3 hats
4 felted bowls
French market bag (and lined in brocade - with pockets!)

Not too shabby! :)

(Also since August, I've also started a pair of socks for myself, like 3 different times, and made a pair of knucks for myself)

I have one hat on the needles, then a few pair gloves to do, 2 adult, 1 child. I won't see the recipients until well into January, so I'm not feeling a whole lot of pressure there.

This coming weekend Ken and I are staying at the Inverness Valley Inn for a few days as our gift to each other. The only family in town has their inlaws to spend Christmas with, so we're gratefully on our own! I have Mr. Greenjeans (for me! in a delicious Malabrigo!) to start over the weekend, so I'm kinda hoping for some rain in between hikes and lighthouse touring.

Holiday Season

I'll admit it; I'm a bit of a Grinch.

As a child, I adored the Christmas season. There were concerts and dressing up and pretty trees and taking turns opening the Advent Calendar. I always participated in at least two performances, one for school and one for Church. When I got into high school, I was allowed to sing in the adult choir, so there were multiple concerts to sing which I adored so much more than the Christmas plays. Parties with friends made us almost seem grown-up.

College continued the good times, though minus church activities (we had a falling out, and I rarely look back). Then, at the end of college I floated into a really fun retail job. Fun, that is, except for the Christmas times.

You have to be extremely steadfast in your love of Christmas to have any cheer left after 8-10 hour days working in a busy mall, no matter how rad your store is. Christmas music screams continually. Shoppers are about 1/2 frazzled yet nice and 1/2 utterly selfish bastards. There's the tension that goes along with store owners worshiping the Dollar, and making sure the numbers are always better than the year/week/day before.

I did this for 3 years. (8 years ago)

It utterly killed any desire I've ever had for seasonally decorating. Killed dead. Last year I thought that maybe this year I'd maybe put up a tree, but when the time got here, I said "meh" and didn't bother. And Christmas music? Let's just say that this time of year I seek out and patronize shops that aren't playing any. Thank you Espresso Metro!!!

Instead of being a good consumer, I've been busy having fun making all my Christmas gifts! Everyone on my admittedly small list gets either something handmade this year, or gifts of food. I love giving gifts, ones that have meaning even if they are inexpensive, ones that I give from my heart. Getting gifts is fun too, I won't lie, but what really does it for me is watching moments of joy that others have seeing what they've gotten.

My Hands are Cold

Well, it's gotten to be that chilly time of year when the temperature has been low enough, long enough that the warehouse never warms up. Then it sends its tentacles of coldness down the hall into the air-well that is my cubicle. Combine that with also being the air-well of the employee entrance, and you have a Cold Betsy. Yesterday I wore a hat (a new one out of pink malabrigo :) fingerless gloves and scarf to try to ward off the chill. Today I broke down and turned on the space-heater. Stupid cold.


I love my new Knucks, tho. I can comfortably wear these while typing! They are made from Louisa Harding Grace Silk Wool, which is exquisitly soft. Pilly as all hell, but the softness mitigates much frustration over that. I cast on Thanksgiving morning, knit throughout the day while visiting with family, then finished 'em up the following morning. Easy peasy. Now I have a couple more in the queue for gifts.