flexagon | A tree, and Thanksgiving

Also, because I forgot to mention it: the city came along and planted a tree in the sidewalk in front of my house! I had actually looked up how to ask them to do that, but hadn't gotten around to it (in part because the bug thought maybe I should ask our neighbors whether they would approve), and now the city has done it anyway. It seems like a good little tree (type still unknown) and is one of six that are going in along our street. I hope it grows up tall, and provides good food and climbing for the local squirrels.

This week I've had some interesting moods. Wednesday morning I was so cheerful that I talked about it with a friend. I said The biggest things I could point to were: more time at home, cleared my email backlog at work over a heady couple of "no meeting" days, got a real date with the squirrel. Smaller things (or were they?) could include an acro lesson which someone who might be a new base, and starting to play with a small knitting pattern. Life sure is bad for isolating variables though.

By Wednesday late afternoon I was actually pretty stressed and had a good eye-twitch going. I'd had four meetings, none of which gave me any new work to do, and one somewhat hasty call to give someone quick information -- that one was urgent for them but it too was easily handled. So I don't know why something about these had such a negative effect on my mood and why the day felt so much worse than Mon/Tues. One of the meetings did remind me about an upcoming stressful process so there's that, but it's also possible that having too many scheduled meetings really is that hard on me. Even though it's my normal.

Today was Thanksgiving, and nearly a perfect one as far as I'm concerned. We cooked in the morning; I brought my usual Brussels sprouts and also gambled on a delicata squash recipe that was new to me, while the bug made yeast rolls and Yorkshire pudding batter. Then we went over to Blue-Green Street where the rest of the potluck was waiting, and had the most delicious mulled cider (spiked with red wine) while the Yorkshire pudding baked. It was a good comfortable set of people, plus a dog who is in love with the bug, and I swatched up a Fair Isle pattern for the potential knitting pattern mentioned earlier. One of the folks there has a new partner who we all seem to like a lot, and she mentioned what a loving gathering of people it was. A very nice coziness to contribute to and be part of.

My swatch pattern came out pretty, too, good enough to go with, although I think stranded knitting is for the birds and I'm going to actually do it as a double knit. That will be easier, better for the object I intend to make (a hat, with the pattern running around it; double thickness will be warmer) and easier to fix mistakes in.

There's a lot of work to do over the rest of this weekend, which I'm basically fine with but will take some discipline/pacing. Well... not tonight, Satan.