AWOL

Yesterday evening I decided I wanted to work on something somewhat challenging. Since I only have 4 rows of my Mystic Light Shawl and then the cast off to do, I thought that maybe a row or two of that was in order... It's over 300 stitches at this point, with patterning on both sides of the knitting, so it takes a while.
Since I'm knitting it out of Handmaiden Sea Silk (in the Sangria colourway), I have to keep it in a closed bag. Otherwise Tiger likes to inspect the yarn. I think that he might be able to smell the sea in the fibres... Have you ever tried to convince a cat to look with his eyes and not his teeth? Yeah - the zippered bag is easier.
For some reason that eludes me, I did not put the pattern into the bag with the knitting. I had put it on the lower shelf of the end table at the knitting end of the couch... Was it still there yesterday evening? No! I've searched high, and I've searched low, and there is absolutely positively no way that I will be able to find that pattern anytime soon. We all know that I will eventually find it but I decided to save myself some grief.
Today I wandered over to Knit and Knag and bought the pattern. Considering the time I invested yesterday evening in searching, the $8 was well worth it to avoid further loss of precious knitting time. Go on over and have a look - her patterns are gorgeous!

P.S. Fred is back from his winter vacation, so maybe I can convince him to model a few things soon...

What I Wouldn't Give for a Few Minutes of Peace and Quiet

I should have thought of that before I had kids, right? Hmmm... I guess it's too late now to change my mind. Fortunately, they are outside playing right now, so I have been able to get onto the computer for a few minutes without the constant questions like "When are you going to be done?" or "How come you and Dad are always on the computer? It's our computer, too!" I think that my answers are wearing as thin on them as their questions are on me. Unfortunately, this means little time for either blogging or keeping up to date with the other bloggers that I love... Sigh... Poor me!
So I lived through Toronto. I did take pictures of my view from the 20th floor, but have not had a chance to upload them yet. I did visit a couple of yarn stores and bought a little bit of yarn. Honestly - only a little bit, but since Mr. Me either really doesn't know or has decided that pretending he doesn't know about it is best, I haven't had a chance to take pictures. Oh, and even though it was only a little bit, some of it isn't even for me! I bought something that will be heading to a southern destination next month so that it will be there in time for someone's birthday. ("Hi, Lisa!") You'll have to wait until after our mutual birthday for a photo of that particular purchase.
I enjoyed my week away, but I came home with an awful cold and I am still trying to get caught up at work. It's amazing how much Toronto has changed since I was a child. The sheer number of people, and their diversity, is amazing. One of the interesting things about the training was that the location meant that I was always travelling the opposite direction of the rush hour traffic. Talk about single minded people! They move "en masse" while looking the whole time at their Blackberries or while talking into their cell phones. I began to wonder whether they weren't getting directions from these devices since they didn't seem to need to watch where they were going...
On my last day of training, I caught the GO Train out to spend the weekend with my parents. I called to let them know what train I was catching. Now I'm no stranger to pay phones, but when did they raise the toll for a local call to 50 cents? It's still only a quarter here in NB!

Survival

Okay - so I have survived both the birthday party and the New Brunswick flooding - oh, Friday was a "flood day", too! Thanks to everyone for their supportive comments on both. At this point in my life it is highly unlikely that I will ever host another 8th birthday party and any water issues this week are not my concern.
"Why?" you ask - well, I'm spending a week away from home doing some mandatory work training. I'm spending the week in Toronto...! Almost immediately upon landing I noticed some pretty significant differences between Fredericton and Toronto: escalators (there are NONE in Fredericton), revolving doors (also completely absent with the exception of the automated ones at the hospital but those don't really count) and tall buildings. I am on the 20th floor of my hotel and it is NOT the top floor. I'm guessing that the tallest building in Fredericton is probably about 8 stories... Freakish! And I have a balcony. I'll take pictures.

Lunatics!

The lunatics have taken over the asylum!!! Translation: I am in the midst of Younger Son's 8th Birthday Party. It's a sleepover. I'm here with 6 little boys that are all just around 8 years old.

SEND HELP! (Or booze...?)

Flood Day (or a Day To Knit)

I snagged the photo from here. There is more detail and photos in the article here. The photo is from downtown Fredericton, NB, and you can see the road in the picture from my office window. That might help to explain why I'm not working today. We're having a flood day! And we may get another tomorrow.

So - what shall I do today? Well, Younger Son turns 8 tomorrow, so I've baked birthday cake this morning. And I've started in on my laundry. Fortunately it is a sunny day, since we don't really need anymore water, so I can hang things out on the line. And if I'm a lucky knitter, I'll manage to get in some extra knit time today.

While the flood has given me a "bonus" day off, it is wrecking havoc on many people's lives. My next door neighbour has brought in sandbags and hay bales to try to protect his home from the rising waters. The view from the crest of the shore is typically beautiful, but times like this also make me realize the wisdom of the settlers in the placement of their homes - built on the top of hills away from the high water mark!