Oh, what a relief it is …

to wake up and hear the furnace running. To see that little red digital beacon, beaming out the time. To punch a button and hear water dripping through the coffeemaker.

I'm tempted to disable those weather alerts that clutter up my phone. When they show up, I'm immediately paralyzed by indecision. Should I fill the bathtub with water, to facilitate commode flushing? Do we need two carafes of brewed coffee, or will one full one do? Are the oil lamps full (one needs a new wick, grrr)?

Pretty high up on the list lately has been this Major Question: When will we get a workout in?

It was late afternoon yesterday when the electricity came back on, the ice melted and we actually felt like venturing forth, two-legged moles blinking in the light of day. I only did a couple miles, but a couple is better than none. It was grey and dreary and foggy. I tried to get pictures, but none of them really captured the mysterious mist in the woods I passed by.

It's raining lightly now, but the alert has informed me that the rain will change to freezing rain and then to snow, with a possible accumulation of two to five inches by midday. At least it doesn't specifically say "power outages will occur," as it had over the weekend.

(I just looked out the front door. Snow has commenced.)

All the knitted toys are done. I have just two more little DIY projects to complete for the children and then I can wrap it all, thus eliminating at least part of the guest-room clutter.

The next knitting project is a variation of my Pretty Comfy Sock pattern. I'm making them knee-length and using wool instead of the cotton/elastic Fixation I designed them for. I studied many knee socks patterns before I started this project and decided to go up a needle size for a couple of repeats to accommodate a wider calf, rather than try to increase the number of stitches in that area. I'm also knitting three or four inches on one and then doing the same on the other, so they'll both get done in time to mail them to my oldest granddaughter for Christmas.

She requested them … and when teen grandchildren request hand knit accessories, grandmas say YES. It happens so rarely. Heh.