What the Wednesday?!?!?

Aunt Sarah has on her production-elf-hat and the stitches are flowing. There are the effs that have been oh-ed, the things waiting for the post office, the items already gifted, (oh, those December birthdays!) the projects nearing completion, those waiting for a quiet moment of attention, the ones not yet begun, a last-minute addition or three to the list, and that is just the knitting. I have plans for three of four scarves I want to weave, and a general idea for the fourth.

Today I can show you a quick, satisfying, well-received gift. Last week was Katie's birthday, and I gave her a hat I knit from her handspun. It is a bit on the small side, but she loves it, paraded around in it, said she was going to bring it for show-and-tell, and patiently posed endlessly for her mother at the camera. She was even sweet enough to let me get a snapshot, too. Let me just add, that, in certain situations, knitting with extra-bulky yarn might not be the worst thing in the world.

I am feeling much more peaceful after the resolution of a stressful situation. It really was not so much about me, but rather someone else's issues spewing forth in a most unpleasant manner, and I was in the line of fire. I was beginning to think that it was going to turn into a great big deal, and it nearly did, but at the last moment the person was able to see what was happening and turned it around and things are back to being good.

I am not feeling quite so much peace about some postal issues. I have been expecting packages and they have not arrived. There is a possibility that they have not yet been mailed and I do not want to pressure anyone, (and we all know how bad I can be about mailing things) but I also do not wish to appear to be someone who does not acknowledge receipt of a package. Beyond concern that they could have gone missing, I am not really worried.

However, I am a bit worried that the ukuleles I ordered for the nieces and nephews will not arrive in time. Apparently, they are still out-of-stock, but we remain hopeful. Their books and pitch pipes are here already, and we have something of a backup plan for just in case, but I really want the ukes to be here for Christmas.

Demanding December

Our December has been very busy so far, and I think it will continue to be very full. It started (on the first of the month, even) with the Athens Christmas Parade. Baby Tanya (who will be 23 on the 24th) is Miss Merry Christmas for her school, Athens State University. She was a bit overwhelmed by winning and then discovering that fulfilling her responsibilities for the title and finals overlap quite a bit, but she is honored and the credit to the bookstore will help with textbooks next semester. Anyway, the parade was quite the experience, and if I were to offer suggestions for planning it next year, it would be to consult a train schedule. The parade started late and was interrupted by trains passing through town. We were very cold by the end, and my mom and Bruce are forever in my debt for the extra handknits I shoved in my bag as we headed out the door, or they might not be thawed out yet. Still, it was great to be able to get out and support her, and we cheered enough to let her know they were there, but not loud enough to embarrass her.

Getting a good photo just was not an option for me. If there are settings I could have used on my camera that would have helped, I do not know which I should have used. The headlights, streetlights, and traffic lights all shone in from different directions, and the pictures I took ranged from terrible to what he have here.

Still, the picture is special to us for reasons besides showing Tanya in the parade. In the background, you will see a courthouse, and outside it, a statue. That is where Bruce and I got married.