I've Been Thinking

Hello! I hope you are all doing well, or at least as well as any of us can be doing these days. I was in the mood to post today, but didn't have one specific kind of thing to talk about, so you are getting a brain dump. If you are not someone who enjoys brain dump posts, feel free to move along. I certainly understand.

1. I've decided to teach myself how to use Canva. I don't really know why, I just thought it was something I'd try. I made this during the course of the morning, after many many fits and starts. I originally thought it might be a nice header for my blog, but couldn't figure out how to re-size it. I have a Chromebook and photo editing on it is still somewhat beyond my understanding. Which makes me think I should have learned that first. Oh well.

2. In the last month or so, I've seen a lot of knitting podcasts where they are talking about "unpopular hot takes." It's entertaining, but also makes you think about your own opinions and ideas. And I've found my primary hot take for now at least:

I'm tired of people writing patterns that use two yarns together. Usually it's mohair, sometimes suri alpaca, but either way I find it annoying. Yes, sometimes I think the finished object looks lovely. And yes, I've knit something carrying mohair with the main yarn (I made a beret in 2023. I liked it but gave it away, because it just *looked* like something one of my nieces would really enjoy, so she received it as a Christmas gift).

But unless the item is small - a hat, fingerless mitts, etc. - adding another yarn to a pattern makes it even less accessible to most people. For instance, I'm not a huge person, but purchasing a sweater or even a tee's worth of yarn is a lot of money for me. If I have to buy the equivalent amount of another yarn, it's twice as much, and often more. And even if it's something I would absolutely love to have, I'm just not buying the equivalent of two sweaters' worth of yarn, firstly because I can't afford it, and secondly because I think it's stupid. 

You do you of course. I'm not buying *your* yarn! 😊

3. I am proud of myself, because I hated the current lump of orange blobbery in the Oval Office, his vice president, and the owner of Tesla long before it was a thing. As in, years ago I learned that all of them were people with no substance, no moral compass, and no empathy. Not that it's helping now, but there you are.

4. Animals rock. Always.

5. A few weeks ago, I have one of my syncope episodes, which means I fell and made a mess of my face and my teeth yet again. And as of right now, there is still no way any of my doctors have been able to figure out what causes it, though they are all still trying. Fortunately, I was stitched up well and it has been long enough now that I don't look as awful or scary. I'm grateful it happened somewhere where people were around to get me some help. And yes, I know that it's another serious fall.

But you know what I also know? I'm really sick of people telling me that I should 1) be more careful, 2) find out why it keeps happening, 3) "walk around in bubble wrap, hahaha," 4) get better nutrition and sleep, and 5) insinuate that somehow I'm doing it on purpose. I would dearly love to say, "Or you could just shut up about it," but I am making an effort to be a kinder person and keep my mouth shut - much as I wish other people would do on occasion! 

6. I need to give more thought to things I decide I will "definitely do." You may or may know that I have said in the past, that any time I've signed up for a KAL, no matter how much I think I want to do whatever it is, I immediately become disinterested in knitting anything at all. 

Well, I keep doing it all over again with other stuff - small, relatively unimportant stuff, but it is still worth thinking through before I pledge to myself that "Starting on ___, I'm going/not going to do ____ for ___ amount of time." Because it inevitably leads to what I have started to call "The KAL effect."

That's all I have for you right now. I'm washing a few throws, and I just heard the washer signal that cycle is over, so I'm going to put them in the dryer. I've started doing chores/cleaning in small increments, and so far, it's being much more successful than any plan to do major cleanup on any given day. Of course, when we are having company or it's a holiday or something, I can be motivated, but in regular life, the small method is being much more successful.

See you again soon. If you are in the cold weather/winter zones, stay warm!

How Are You Doing?

Hello, I hope this finds you being cozy and taking care of yourselves. The cold or whatever it was that I had seems to at last be starting to move along. The last two nights I've actually been able to sleep three hours in a row, which is a major accomplishment. That's the most sleep I've been able to get for about two weeks. So I've decided I'm on the departing end of being sick, and boy am I glad! For a couple of days, I have to admit that I was concerned it was more than just a cold.

Anyway, it put me behind on what I was hoping to do, and where I hoped to go, etc. and that is annoying. But I can't change anything about it, so I'm trying my best to just go along.

Today is supposed to be rainy around here, but I am hoping to go out during a calm period to pick up something that I ordered and stop at a local market for a few things that I can only find there that we like to have for the holiday season. Yes, I could wait until tomorrow, and will if I have to, but you know how it is when you get something in your brain and want to take care of it RIGHT THEN. 

I thought about doing some cleaning around the house, but I'm going to be digging into various boxes of decorations and ornaments, so that would just be a waste of my time and energy. I'll clean up after the boxes have returned to the basement. There have been years when I have thought Oh well, I'll do it now and then just pick up once the boxes are back downstairs, and let me tell you, that did not work well at all. I ended up doing a major clean twice, and well, nope! Live and learn, you know.

Not much to report, since I have been down for the count. But I'm hoping to get back into the swing of everything starting today. I am less tired than I have been and don't have to spend all of my time coughing violently and/or blowing my nose, so I feel like I can actually enjoy a day of doing holiday things. 

I hope your day goes well, and that you can avoid getting whatever I had, which seems to be traveling around and visiting everyone I know. No one welcomes that kind of holiday guest!

And Now We Start Over

 

Well. Welcome to the sh**show. Since we last "talked," things have gone downhill fast. Long story short (and it is a VERY long story!), Floor Guy turned out to be a) unreliable, b) unskilled, and c) a disaster. The last time he showed up, he said hi to Alfie, and Alfie growled at him and ran upstairs! As The Tim says, when Alfie turns on you, you're done.

So we are not only back to square one as far as finding another person for the floors project, the kitchen floor will have to be completely re-done. Which means something that we originally thought was not going to cost a huge chunk of money probably will. Sigh. But live and learn. And as The Tim says, this is the first time we've been left in the lurch, and we know a lot of people who have faced nothing but the lurch with their home projects. So we're moving on and hoping for the best. I already have another person coming on Monday to give us estimates, and another one on Wednesday. Please keep your fingers crossed we have success this time around. 

Needless to say, I've been in a tizzy lately, with anxiety ramping up, and I haven't really done much knitting at all. I've done a lot of reading, so all is not completely lost. And after much emotional eventage (not a word, but I'm using it), The Tim has convinced me that this is a part of life, and none of it means that our lives are ruined, or even that our house is ruined. So I'm talked down off the ledge and ready to see what's next.

*****

In other news, the plants that I have had in large pots in our garden since last year have done really well this year, even with the terrible heat. But since I have been conscientious about watering them, they have thrived. It makes me so happy, especially since in order to water them, I have go put on long pants, long sleeves, socks and shoes to go out into the garden, since there are so many mosquitoes I would otherwise seriously be covered in bites. It's been a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts though, since dressing in such hot clothes to water the plants has helped them thrive, so I dress in hot clothes to water the plants, etc. I'm looking forward to weather where I would be wearing long pants anyway, and won't have to change just to go into the garden!

I have been watching parts for the Democratic Convention and really enjoying it. I'm sure you can imagine how happy I was to hear the Obamas the other night, and you can also imagine that once again, it made me wish we were friends with them. 😂 After feeling so despondent for so long, I'm actually feeling hopeful that the Evil Orange One may be conquered. 

This past week we have had lovely weather, so my morning walks have been the best! I love coming back home and not being covered in sweat. And having the windows open with a breeze blowing through the house. Oh summer, why can't you be like this? We could be *such* friends!

I've been reading your blogs, but admittedly not been in the frame of mind to comment much. But it has helped me stay sane, so thank you for posting. 

Yesterday was my dad's, my father-in-law's, and our late kitty Tess' birthdays. Today is my sister Mary Ellen and brother-in-law Pat's 54th wedding anniversary. So there are things to celebrate during this time that has been otherwise stressful, and that is always a good thing. Though I realized the other day that the weekend after this one is already Labor Day weekend! That's always a reset for me, so I'm thinking of what I want to include in that, and since I enjoy making lists and then lists of the lists I make, that's pleasing me too. 

This is the first day in a long time that I haven't had a feeling of dread first thing on waking up. Getting rid of Floor Guy was one of the best decisions we have ever made. 

Onward!

Quick Check-In

Hi all! I'm still around, but the past couple of weeks have been a sh*tshow, and I was sick for a while, so that's why you haven't really heard from me. Today and tomorrow I'm working forever, so I'll check in later in the week with an FO post and other general blather for you.

In the meantime, here is a picture of Pip and Milo the Koodle, with Milo's white paws tucked into his belly. So cute! As the lyrics of an old song say, "Everybody loves you when you're asleep." 

😂

Have a good week!

Friday Random-ness

Hello there! I hope your week has been a good one. I've had an OK week, but nothing to get excited about. I think I'm coming down with a cold, and though I'm not seriously depressed at the moment, I haven't felt all that great emotionally so it's just been a week of kind of blah-ness. It happens.

So I don't have anything really to show you knitting-wise, though I have been knitting away on some projects - just no photos taken. And I haven't been in the mood to really go anywhere or do anything much, so I have no riveting tales of any adventures. But I didn't want to abandon you for a whole week, so here is some random-ness for today.

Do you ever get a specific taste for something, and you know you won't be happy until you can make it? That was me this week with potatoes au gratin. For some reason I got them on the brain, and then made them for dinner a couple of nights ago. They turned out perfectly, and frankly it was a nice treat, since we usually only have them (or scalloped potatoes) on big occasions.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I get really annoyed by people who have podcasts, or blogs, newsletters, whatever and then move some/all content to Patreon. I realize that it doesn't actually make a big difference in my life, because I don't "subscribe" or whatever, but it's annoying. You'll be reading along or watching, and suddenly they'll tell you that if you want to know about [fill in the blank], you should sign up for Patreon because that's where it is. Part of me thinks that they should just go ahead and do everything there, instead of talking about it all of the time. But it mostly annoys me because I'm not willing to have a million "subscriptions" that are for small amounts to track or care about. Anyway, my opinion and that's over for now.

The kitties are pleased that it's gotten cooler - it means that they have more places to seek heat and relax. The other day I caught Pip and Esme lounging happily on the bed in the spare bedroom. 

Esme is still pretty shy and skittish, though she is making progress, and she and Pip get along just fine (though Pip gets along with everyone and everything). I'm pretty sure they spent most of the day there. 

Alfie, on the other hand, was simply exhausted yesterday, since it was laundry day.

I can certainly understand how it can be tiring, though I do wonder how tiring it is to simply be on the bed next to or actually sitting on the dry clothes after they have been folded. But I'm sure it's a cat thing, and I wouldn't understand ... 😉

Our next door neighbors are having major renovations done on the outside of their house, and it's been really annoying. The workers are not very good at cleaning up after themselves, and they also keep blocking the door to our house so that you can't easily go in or out. They are also using our roof to store things, even though we have asked them not to do that. Ugh. Supposedly it will all be finished by mid-November, so I hope that is actually going to be the case. I won't miss the noise and the mess.

Are any of you doing the Stephen West KAL? I wasn't even aware one was happening until a guy came into the yarn store to buy some yarn for it, and told us about the controversy surrounding the first clue. That surprised me, since Stephen West never struck me as controversial, other than people thinking he uses too many bright colors. But this guy said that the first clue upset a lot of people because the design looked like a swastika. Apparently then Stephen West took that clue down and designed another one, because of the outcry. Then I was watching the Salt City Knits podcast, and Emily mentioned the whole issue. She said she had not been offended by the design, and had already completed it by the time he created a new one. She didn't want to re-knit it, so she was just continuing with what she had. She then showed it:

and I have to say, it doesn't look like a swastika to me either. But I also give Stephen West credit for taking the time to re-do the whole first clue, and addressing it right away. I really think that probably keeps it/kept it from becoming the next BIG THING in the knitting world. I feel like there have been enough BIG THINGS in the knitting world and the overall world lately, so one of them being lessened works for me.

Tomorrow we are going to see a production of "Assassins" by Stephen Sondheim at a local theater. We haven't been to see a play for a while, so I'm looking forward to it. We are big Sondheim fans, so when we saw it was being produced here, we decided it was worth it to treat ourselves.

Unless I am excused, I have to report for jury duty on Monday, and I have to tell you - it gives me such major anxiety when I have to go. I mean the kind where you lose sleep, feel nauseated, etc. I'm actually hoping that I live to be 75 years old, because then you are excused from jury duty, at least in Pennsylvania. (From the files of Stupid But True In The Life of Bridget.)

I also hope I won't get picked for a jury because next Thursday I have an appointment with the cardiologist, and I've been waiting a year and a half for it, so I hope I won't have to reschedule. Every time it would be getting near the time of my appt, the office would call and say they had to reschedule, so I really want it to happen without further delay!

Next weekend is our wedding anniversary, and I just remembered the other day that I already have a gift for The Tim - I knit him those Mistake Rib Socks in the tweedy yarn, so they are ready to go! That was a good realization, let me tell you! I may get something else like a bottle of the scotch he likes to give him with it, but that will be easy enough to acquire. YAY!

And that my friends, is all of my random blathering for today. I hope you have a good weekend, and if you are one of the knitters heading to Rhinebeck, I hope your travels are uneventful and that you have a good time. For the rest of us, enjoy and take care. 

On This Day ...

OK, if you know me at all, you know I love learning little facts, or being reminded of historical events, etc. So I was taking a look at "This Day In History," and came across this:

Telstar 1 launched

Telstar 1, the first communications satellite to transmit live television signals and telephone conversations across the Atlantic Ocean, was launched this day in 1962, inaugurating a new age in electronic communications.

You do realize, 1962 was only 61 years ago? In our everyday lives, it seems like these devices we use have been around for so long, and sometimes it's hard to think about life before they existed.

I'm six years older than Telstar 1's launch. 😂

*****

Don't forget to comment on this post by midnight tomorrow (Tuesday) if you want to be in the giveaway for the first week of Christmas in July!  

Have a good Monday and rest of the week. My goal for the week is to try my best not to completely melt ...

Indeed

Well, Blogger and/or my e-mail seem to have decided to gang up on me as far as blog comments go. I am suddenly getting four copies of each comment. Then, any comments I have tried to respond to have come back as undeliverable. I even broke down and tried to respond *in* the comments, and when I would go to publish them, ZAP! they disappeared into the ether.

So again, apologies if you have commented recently and I have not responded. I'm not ignoring you, but at least for the moment, it seems that any type of response just isn't working.

To quote The Tim, "Technology is great, except when it isn't." Sigh.

In any case, I am going to try to move on from my annoyance and frustration and enjoy my day with nothing to do but laundry. I went out for a walk earlier, hoping to get out before it got too hot or too smoky. There was a nice breeze, but it was already pretty smoky so it wasn't as long a walk as I may have wanted to take. But I did get outside, so I'm glad for that.

Kim has lately been lamenting the prospect of many visits to the dentist as well as the many dollars such visits will cost. I feel her pain. We have dental insurance - technically - but it pays about $10 in benefits. One of my favorite (not really) things was recently when I needed to get [yet another] crown, and learned that it would pay a very small amount towards a metal crown, but zero towards a ceramic crown, so which did I want? I am vain enough (and now poor enough) to not want a metal crown on a front tooth - I mean, it's not like it was gonna be gold or something. And I'm not a rapper anyway. 😉 I dread the dentist enough without feeling like I'm going into major debt just because I showed up for an appointment. Ugh.

I haven't gotten new glasses yet because I'm too busy paying for my teeth! Fortunately I can still see with my current prescription, but when you are planning to keep the same frames and the lenses still cost hundreds of dollars, it just seems like something in that equation is wrong, you know?

Well, enough complaining. I hope you are getting along better with your e-mail and blog platform providers. And please keep a good thought for Mabel, Vera's sweet kitty who has been missing for a few days. Please come home, baby!

Nothing Much To Report

Hiya all.  Please don't think I'm ignoring you.  I'm just pretty much keeping to myself lately, and there's not a lot going on that you haven't already heard me discuss.  But on the plus side, at least other than the world being more scary than ever, I guess it's good that things are otherwise quiet.

Before I forget, a big THANK YOU to Vera - last week, she posted a recipe on her blog for Curried Shrimp Chowder, and this past Saturday, I made the vegetarian version (skipping the bacon ingredient and using vegetable stock) and oh is is good!  We had it with some breadsticks that The Tim had made, and it was one of the best meals we've had for a long time.  As she also mentions in the blog post, it makes a lot, so yesterday I had some of the leftovers for lunch.  If you are a shrimp lover, give it a try - you will not be disappointed.

I did not think to take a picture of it until after we finished eating, but it looks as good as it tastes, you'll just have to try it yourself! 😊

On Sunday, for the first time in two years, we went to a live performance.  The Philadelphia Orchestra was doing a concert version of the music from the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" that had been arranged by John Williams.  A group from the music and theater department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor were playing the roles.  It was so well done and so enjoyable!  Before entering the venue, you had to show proof of vaccination with your driver's license or other ID, and everyone in the audience had to remain masked the whole time.  At first it seemed kind of jarring to be in a place with so many people again, but to be honest, once the performance began, you forgot about everything but what was happening on stage.  Of course, The Tim was especially interested, since in college he played the part of the butcher Lazer Wolf.  And honestly, where just about any musical is concerned, if someone is sick at the last minute and the understudy is also sick, either one of us could fill in ... not well, but we know all of the lyrics! 😜

That's really all I have to tell you about at the moment.  Have a good day, and take care.

Meanwhile, I hope this will give you a reason to chuckle today:

Random Things That Are Pleasing Me

Hello!  If you know me at all, you are not surprised that I'm starting with this reminder from Chemistry Cat:

I have an alarm set on my phone for 2:22 p.m., so I can text The Tim to wish him happy 2:22 on 2-2-22.  Which will amuse him, but also further convince him that I am a weirdo. Ask me if I care. 😉

BUT - the numbers fun doesn't end there - for the rest of February, all of the dates are palindromes!  (Yesterday was too, but I got distracted and forgot to post.)  As Kermit would say:

Being that today happens to also be Tiny Needle Tuesday, I wanted to show you the result of my Stitchy Saturday work:

There are two mistakes, regarding spacing but I am choosing to ignore them.  I managed to finish the "Winter" on Saturday, and though it took me longer than it should have, I am happy with how it's going.

Yesterday afternoon, I had a dr appt and walking home, I took this photo from the Walnut Street bridge:

It was such a clear day, and the water on the Schuylkill River looked like glass.  It's not a glamorous view, but it pleases me because I can identify nearly everything in it.  

Then there are these two:

They are having a hard time, because they miss their Hamlet (as do we all, but you can't explain what happened to them).  They have been spending much more time than usual curled up together on his bed.  We love them so much!  And lest you see this photo and think they are a couple of angels, please know that at some point during every sweet scene like this, one of them wakes up and randomly bops the other one, leading to a hiss fight.

I took this picture of Pip on his birthday, which is Valentine's Day.  We postponed our Valentine's celebration until this past weekend because we had picked up Hamlet's ashes on February 14, but no way were we going to skip Pip's birthday, that wouldn't be fair.  He is such a sweetie, and really enjoyed his treats and the toy he got as a present.  Of course, Milo the Koodle has enjoyed it as well ... because nothing in our house belongs to anyone on their own!

*****

I wanted to say thank you for all the comments you left on my post from last week.  I got a bit carried away cleaning out my e-mail inbox, and accidentally deleted them before replying.  Then I tried to respond on Blogger, but those responses disappeared into the ether, so who knows what is going on there?  Whereas for a while, I wasn't getting any notifications of comments, now I get multiple notifications for each comment - so I guess it's feast or famine as far as that's concerned.  

That's it for now.  I hope you have some random things that are pleasing to you as well.  Take care.

Today in My Brain

You know, I could have posted yesterday, and thought I probably would, but then completely forgot about it.  I sincerely hope that all of you managed to get through your days nonetheless ...

Today I'm going to share another Three on Thursday post, because why not?  I have three things happening in my brain today so that's a good start.

Thing #1 - I have decided that I am going to work harder to embrace "OK."  I tend to be a perfectionist more with myself than with anything else to be honest.  As a result, I seldom reach the great heights that I think I should, and often end up in the depths below.  Whereas, it recently occurred to me that "OK" is absolutely fine, and most of life is lived in "OK."  If things are OK, it means they are neither magnificent nor dreadful.  So I'm going to try and embrace that concept.  If things head downwards, well, they do; but if they go up, it's just a bonus!

Thing #2 - Unless you have been specifically asked to assist/comment/whatever, the five words you should keep to yourself are "You really should do [this]."  Nothing is more annoying than having an upsetting or negative experience, or not getting the result you'd hoped to get, than having a third party who was not involved and whom you did not ask, say this to you.  Often the SHOULD is not something you could have done/said anyhow, and other times, you have already figured it out yourself.  Think whatever you want to think about what someone else SHOULD do or say, but unless they ask you, just keep it tucked away with the other golden nuggets of wisdom in your brain.

Thing #3 - Everything is political.  I remember the first class I took in Political Science in college.  The professor gave us an assignment for the next class, which was to record every single thing that was political in our day, to see how much each of us felt politics was a regular part of our lives.  Everyone came to the next class with really good contributions, but then the professor took us through his day.  It went something like this:  

I get up at 8 a.m. each morning.  (The time zones are set and agreed to by people in organizations other than myself.)  I brush my teeth.  (Water provison and regulation is set by the town, state, and federal government; toothbrush manufacure follows national guidelines.)  I turn on the radio while I get dressed.  (The Federal Communcations Commission controls what goes over the airwaves.)  

And he went on like this throughout the entirety of a day.  Granted, this was exrtreme in its detail and scope, but what he was trying to emphasize was that for as much as people claim to be disinterested or not involved in politics, or for as much as they think politics should only be brought into certain types of discussions, that politics is in fact everywhere around us all of the time.  And that ignoring politics implies a certain degree of privilege.  Whenever I see someone getting upset because a designer/dyer/knitter expresses a political opinion, and others immediately say, "Keep politics out of knitting," I think of this lesson.  It was an interesting exercise, to say the least.

That's it for Today in My Brain.  I hope yours is keeping you company as well.  😉

Tiny Brain Tuesday

Thank you for your kind comments about my newly-completed pair of socks!  I am beyond pleased with them, I have to admit.

New Covid restrictions have gone into effect here in Philadelphia, as I suspect they have in lots of other places.  Though at least at the moment, I will still be going to work in our building on Tuesdays and Thursdays (well, Tuesday only this week).  Since no one else will be around but the security guard, the physical plant guy, and the woman who takes care of the live animals, I'm not overly worried - we are all far apart in the building, and seldom have reason to interact.  And already, I did not see many people on my walk to and from work - this morning there were even fewer. 

Anyway, my brain is feeling tiny today, so you get a post of random things, since I should probably save some of what brain power is there for my work.  

Onward.

 -- The other day, I came across this t-shirt:

It's available here, if you are interested.

I told The Tim that when I saw this, I felt seen.  He said that the only way it could be better would be if they added "and animals."  He's not wrong.

-- The Koodle has decided that if I am sitting down and using the laptop, he MUST not just sit on my lap, but use his paw to scroll the screen.  I'll be in the middle of something, and suddenly things are wonky, or the window is closed.  I told The Tim that the Koodle uses the touch scroll more than I ever will.  He seems to find it entertaining that he can move the screen around and up and down.  Hilarious for him.  Not so much for me.

-- I spoke to my sister in California this weekend, and she said that they decided to cancel their Thanksgiving plans - or as she put it "cancel Thanksgiving."  I'm relieved even if she is unhappy about it.  My favorite thing is when she said, "What's the point of having a holiday if there are just the two of you?"  Um, Hello?  I was tempted to point out that there are always just the two of us, and we have really fun, wonderful holidays, but a) I know what she meant, and b) it's not worth getting into it, and hear her tell me how that wasn't what she meant, etc.  

-- My brother-in-law in WV (married to my other sister) is apparently quarantining at home since someone in his office has Covid.  So far he has no symptoms and has had two negative tests, which is good news.  I suspect they are not overly conscientious in his office about wearing masks, but I also have a feeling they will be now.

-- Every year for Christmas, I buy little gifts for all of the nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews from the kitties and Hamlet.  They use their "allowance" to buy the things and they can only be under $3.00.  Between Target and Five Below this year, they have now finished their holiday shopping!  Target in particular has some good things in their $1.00+ bins at the front - let's just say that  lot of people are receiving silicone straws in their own carrying case ... ;-)

-- Over the weekend, I cleaned up the planter in front our house, and then swept up leaves in the front and the entryway.  I had six Chewy boxes of leaves and dead plants by the time I was finished, and I didn't even get to the actual garden space yet!  Every year I am reminded that it's a good thing I am not a person with a yard.

-- And yesterday, 2020 continued its magic for us.  You may recall that earlier in the year, we had to replace my laptop, and then also our stove.  Well, not to be outdone, yesterday both the microwave and the water heater gave up the ghost.  We can certainly live for a while without a microwave, but NOT without a water heater.  Fortunately, the plumber is coming today, and said that if nothing to complicated is wrong, he should be able to install a new one today or tomorrow.  Which is good news, except for our credit cards.

-- Lastly, tonight at approximately 10:30 p.m. it will mark 51 years since my father died.  Which is a long time, but some days it feels like it was yesterday.  Frankly, I'm glad that neither of my parents is here to experience this pandemic.  Though I would love to be able at least call them on the phone.  In any case, please raise a glass to my dad on your Thanksgiving, because he was even more of a holiday person than I am!

OK, I'd better get moving.  I hope your day goes well, and that your household appliances behave themselves.  😏

Some Friday Randomnosity*

Today is rainy and chilly here in Philadelphia, and it is a perfect day to have to be at home! Granted, we will need to take Hamlet out a couple of times, but otherwise, it's inside and cozy all day!

I have only one specific thing for this post, and then the rest is just random stuff I've thought or felt or whatever, so if you have come for compelling commentary on a particular topic, you may want to stop reading now. 😼

- First things first: Hamlet, the kitties and I are participating in the 2020 Virtual PAWS Mutt Strut next Saturday, and I'm sharing our fundraising page.  Trust me, I know money is tight, so there is no pressure to contribute, but I thought you might all enjoy the pet profiles, so you should take a look anyway.

- Today when I got dressed, I pulled out a sweatshirt to wear, and I have to say, it made me so happy!  I just love cooler weather and cozy clothes, and clearly I should have been born before climate change was ruining all of that.

- I am knitting another pair of shortie slipper socks for The Tim as a Christmas gift, and after those are finished, all of my gift knitting will be finished!  I'm so glad that I started early, because the current pair should go pretty quickly, and it's already a good feeling to be "done" and only have the wrapping and sending left to do.

- Today is laundry day, and to be honest, there just isn't much to be washed and put in the dryer.  I'm not sure why, but I am pleased to think that I will likely be finished by noon.

- Am I the only person who is surprised when people show up at the grocery store wearing their pajamas?  I'm not saying I get dressed up to go, but it seems they could at least put on a pair of sweats.  This morning, there was a woman heading into the market when Hamlet and I walked by, and she was in her pajamas and her slippers, and grabbed a grocery cart.  To each their own I guess, but it's weird (and a little bit disturbing) to me.

- I saw this article yesterday, and it's one of the times in my life I have actually wished to be ridiculously wealthy.  I just hope whoever ends up with them, they give them a good home.

- When will cropped sweaters be over?  I know they are popular, but I don't like them, and it's fine that others do and look good in them.  But it would be nice if the bulk of new designs had some more length varieties.  And yes, I know you can knit them to be longer, but they don't always end up looking that great.  

- Rhinebeck was supposed to be this weekend (I know it's still happening virtually) and for once I don't feel that everyone I know is there except for me.  I do miss hearing about everyone's adventures and purchases, and seeing the photos, but it will be nice to know that everyone is in the same boat.  I hope the vendors will do well enough virtually to at least make up for some of what they miss.

- Do you ever watch the Knitting by the Sea podcast?  I do occasionally, and in the latest one, she talks about a movie that was made in her town last year that is now out.  The odd coincidence is that The Tim and I had both just seen an ad for it and wondered what it was the day before.  I'm not really planning to watch it, but it seemed like a weird coincidence to me that I chose to watch an episode where she mentioned it and that it was in her area where they filmed it.  

- Karen posted a "happy list" on her blog today, and really enjoyed it.  So here are some things on my happy list for today and the weekend:

cool weather ;  hot apple cider  ;  meeting new puppies in the neighborhood  ;  watching the Notre Dame football game on Saturday, and then watching the Eagles play the Ravens on Sunday (and probably lose ... it can't *all* be happy!)  ; reading a cozy mystery about knitting  ;  doing some baking  ;  getting my hair cut tomorrow morning  ;  talking to my sisters on the phone and catching up ;  participating in the Here: Five Things project  ;  nice long walks along the river trail  ;  knitting

What is on your happy list??

Have a good weekend, and remember to enjoy it however you can.

*Yes, I know it's not really a word.

Some Instructions for The Tim, and Other Things

The other night, The Tim and were talking - as we usually don't because I am often ranting and he is ignoring me - because we had been watching a news story about a woman who had been killed in a car accident, and there was now a huge shrine at the spot where the accident had occurred.  The reporter was spinning it like it was the Most. Meaningful. Thing.  And The Tim said to me, "Are you writing in to the station about this?"

He of course was joking, but it's because he knows there are certain things that just set me off on a course that takes along time to come back around before the journey ends.  As I'm sure you know if you read my blog, or even more so if you know me in person, I have many opinions, some extremely unpopular because they seem uncaring and others because of my intense dislike for others that most people seem to like.  Such is life.  No one should feel that they have to go along with what everyone else thinks because others will be upset.  And yet so many do, or would rather be miserable than express an opinion.

Anyway, our initial discussion led to many other topics, and The Tim said to me, "You should share some of these golden nuggets on your blog, I'm sure others would find them ... fascinating?"  Well, the joke's on him, 'cause that is just exactly what I am doing.  You are under no obligation to keep reading, comment, or even care, but here we go.

There are two specific cases where I have left specific threats instructions for The Tim should my demise occur prior to his shuffle off this mortal coil:

1. In the hopefully-never-to-occur event that I die in any way unjustly or unfairly, such as murder, car accident, falling off a poorly constructed roof, etc., he is to not allow and/or is to destroy any tributes at my home or the scene of the event.  You know, candles, balloons, teddy bears, t-shirts with my photo - we've all seen it.  These offend me on every level.  I know people are trying to be kind, to grieve, etc. but NO.  

2.  Apparently it is not uncommon for you or your ancestors to be baptized into the Mormon Church even when dead.  This is also highly offensive to me.  No one who has passed should have anyone living decide their religion for any reason.  If one wants to be Mormon, Presbyterian, Catholic, Scientologist, or Shinto, they can decide that when alive.  The dead should be left to their beliefs when alive, no matter how wrong we the living think they might have been.

My instructions to The Tim in these cases are that should he allow either of these to occur,  I will: a) come back from the dead, b) beat the s**t out of him, and c) return to being dead.  This, he takes seriously.

*****

When we first moved to Philadelphia, we had a lovely apartment in an area of the city which was always very fancy - the well-to-do, well-known, better-than-us people had always lived there.  Our apartment building, for instance, had a fourth floor that was nothing but "servant's quarters" with small cells containing a bed and wash basin for those who worked for the people who had lived in the apartments when they were originally built.  Anyway, Christmas was near, and I talked The Tim into going to Christmas Mass with me at the Catholic Church up the street, which had been built by the benevolent rich people for their lowly Irish servants.  It's a beautiful church, but as we were sitting there waiting for Mass to begin, The Tim pointed out a mural to me that showed the Nativity of Christ - which of course, was appropriate and fine - BUT which showed St. Patrick and St. Bridget worshiping at the creche!!!  My indignation at this illustration still amuses him to this day.  I know that to a lot of people, the existence of God at all is just a story, etc., and that is fine. But I think it's safe to say that if any of it did happen at all as we have been told, that NONE of the saints traveled BACK IN TIME to be there!!!

Somewhat related to the above, do not ever send me a Christmas card that shows Santa kneeling to the baby Jesus.  Santa and Jesus have no business appearing together.  Jesus is Jesus and Santa is Santa and though both are a part of Christmas, they have not, do not, and never should hang out together.  This is a hill that I am willing to die on.

*****

And finally, I know that this one is something a lot of people support but - stop putting frilly headbands on baby girls so that GOD FORBID no one thinks they are a boy baby!  I cannot tell you how stabby this makes me.  First of all, if you insist on doing this, then it is only fair that you make baby boys wear full-fledged tool belts.  Secondly, it's a g*****n baby, and does not need head ornamentation especially headbands or bows which don't even stay on properly because few babies are born with adult head of hair.  And why is it a problem if a baby girl is not immediately recognizable from the way it is dressed?  Why is it impossible for people to say, "What a cute baby" instead of "What a cute baby boy/girl/squirrel?"  WHY DOES IT MATTER IT'S A BABY???  As someone who was occasionally mistaken for a boy as a young child, I'm here to say that my parents and myself were somehow able to continue living our lives in spite of such a tragic occurrence.

*****

I'm sure that you have your own opinions on all/some of these, or that you just don't care, which is fine.  But just know I will fight you on all of them.  😀

Ask The Tim.  He'll tell you.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Catsup? Ketchup? Or ...

Catch up?  (For the record, I'm a "ketchup" person when it comes to the name of the condiment.  Because you needed to know that.)

Anyway, let's have a little bit of a Friday catch up.

Here's one of the reasons that I find my weekly work department Zoom meetings draining.  Yesterday, we were discussing projects to work on when we return to work.  Our archivist suggested that it might be interesting to work on an exhibit where we not just display the portraits we have of founders and other significant people in our institution's history, but look into their lives such as did they own slaves, did they find other people than whites to be lesser, etc.  Our boss agreed that was a good idea, and then one of the others in the dept (the one who went HR because I kept saying "Good morning" to her every day and she didn't want me to talk to her), said, "Well, as long as only myself, ___, and ___ work on it.  Anyone over 40 can't possibly understand the issues here, and can only be racist."  And of course the boss said nothing, because he is extremely fond of this person, and will do ANYTHING to avoid any level of conflict at all.  [screams into void]

The other morning, Hamlet really really really needed to go out for his early morning bathroom walk before our curfew expired.  So I was getting dressed, and Hamlet went over to The Tim for some attention.  The Tim said, "Be careful, Hammy, 'cause it's still curfew.  If they start shooting rubber bullets, be sure to stand behind your ma so you won't get hit."  Again, he is a regular laff riot.

We are both excited because we ordered a new portable grill for use in the garden.  A few years back, we had a small one that used propane gas, but neither of us were very comfortable with it.  Now that our garden is fixed up again (well, OK it's a mess now, but we can still use a good part of it), we wanted to find another one.  We ended up ordering this one, and it should arrive today or tomorrow.  It uses charcoal, but frankly not a lot, and we just could not afford one that used bio-pellets, which are better for the environment.  Anyway, we already have more plans of what we'll grill than what is likely to actually happen!

Today Philadelphia and the surrounding counties move into the Yellow phase of the Covid-19 recovery.  Not much is likely to change for us right away, but at least it comes with the ability to do some things a bit more freely, and hopefully some businesses can begin to start to open again.  I just hope that people will still be safe - too many seem to think that since thousands aren't dying every day, that the whole thing is over and there's no reason to be cautious anymore.

Today marks one year since we had to say goodbye to our baby Jack.

It was and still is one of the worst days ever, and very often, it still feels like it was just a few minutes ago.  We have decided that Jack is probably ready for us to expand the family, so will be on the lookout for a kitty who needs us.  I'm sure all of you will be among the first to know if anything changes.  😊  In the meantime, hug and kiss your family - furry and otherwise - and if you think to do it, give a thought or prayer for our Jack today, and/or drink a toast to him.  He truly was the sweetest and the best.  Love you baby boy, forever.  💕

I follow the Awkward Family Photos account on Facebook and today there was one of the best photos ever.  The caption said, "This is our daughter's preschool picture.  I think the photographer thought the addition of a flower would make it look innocent and sweet."  Um ...

The Tim and I both laughed until we cried!  This is one of the funniest preschool pictures ever.  And I'm glad that the person submitting it thought so too. 

That's it for now.  I hope all of you are doing well, and that you have the best weekend you can.  See you next week!

Not Much to Report from Here

That's the truth.  Last weekend was fine - nothing much to report, except that I did dedicate part of my Sunday afternoon to another cooking/baking session that was successful.  I made a big pot of creamy potato soup with roasted brussels sprouts, and some applescotch crisp.  We ate the soup on Monday night for dinner and I had some leftover for lunch yesterday and now sadly it's gone - but it was pretty yummy, let me tell you.  And we finished the crisp last night, so that's it for this round of cooking ahead.

I did make a swatch for my sweater project on a set of smaller needles as I had planned, and the good news is that using smaller needles, I was able to get the proper gauge, which was pleasing.  However, that's as far as I made it at the moment.  I also have my yarn and pattern ready for this coming Sunday, when my friend Andrea and I are starting a sock KAL for March.  I spent a little bit of time on Sunday doing another square on my Cozy Squares of Memory blanket, and I did lengthen a pair of socks for The Tim over the weekend, but have otherwise not knit a stitch since then.  I haven't even really done that much reading over the past few days.

No, I'm not sick or anything, or even suffering from a lack of mojo - I'm just really really tired.  I know that I have mentioned in passing that they are "renovating" our space at work (I put that in quotation marks because, well, it's more of a spruce up and not really a nice one, but I digress).  Anyhow, it's close to being finished, and we are moving stuff back in to the space now.  Which is a very slow and tedious process, being that with all of the $$$ they spent, they were too cheap to pay for movers for the bulk of the stuff.  So it's up to us to get it done.  The custodial staff has helped with the truly heavy or extra large things, but the rest is all us.  And it is exhausting, as I'm sure you can imagine.  Yesterday by the time I left work, I realized that I had been on my feet, lifting, shifting, and pushing carts except for the 30 minutes I took for lunch. 

So I do not have the physical or mental energy to do anything other than just sit and stare at the TV.  Fortunately, we have a lot of stuff in our to-be-watched queue! 

The rest of the week will likely be the same, so I probably won't have anything "exciting" to tell you about or projects to show you.  I am hoping that I will be able regroup enough to get started on things this coming weekend.   The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak - so to speak!  :-)

Today is Ash Wednesday, and I have been able to organize my thoughts for Lent and am ready to go as far as that is concerned.  But whatever you are busy with, or not doing, I hope all is well and that here at the middle of the week, you are in a happy and/or content state of mind. 

Friday Stuff

FRIDAY!  I love Fridays, not just because it's the end of the work week, but because of the anticipation of the weekend.  Even if absolutely nothing is planned, it's two days that are MINE. 

The only plan for this weekend is to undecorate the house, and take down the tree.  We always celebrate Christmas through January 6, so we are generally putting stuff away after most other people.  It's always a little sad, but I lecture myself the whole time about how if the stuff was up all year, Christmas wouldn't be as special, and think of the fun getting it all out again next year will be.  Also, even if I wait to really clean up after, I can fool myself into thinking that the house looks cleaned up once the boxes are all put away.

Remember this?

Well, it is [very close to being] no more.  I got a few rows beyond this with one of the colors, and ran out of yarn.  Hm.  So, I thought, well, let me see if it's just this mini-skein, and kept going.  Sadly, it was not just the one mini-skein.  Since I am not in the brain mood to figure out how I could keep going with what I had, etc.  I started ripping it out.  I have just a little bit left until it's all wound back into little balls.  I'll put it all away until I decide if I want to figure out a way to do this, or just choose another project.  It's disappointing, but I'm a lot less sad about it then I expected to be - I think because even though I had quite a bit done, and was loving the project, I wasn't anywhere close to even being halfway finished.  Or perhaps subconsciously I knew this was coming.  I don't know, but it's all OK and the mini-skeins will reappear one way or another this year.

The Free Library of Philadelphia has a speaker series that happens September-December, and January-April (sometimes May), and they always have some very interesting people (well, I guess they are all interesting one way or another, maybe just not to me).  Anyway, in March, Hilary Mantel will be there, discussing her latest book (for those not familiar with her, she wrote Wolf Hall - which was made into a miniseries - as well as Bring Up the Bodies).  You have the option of just going to her talk, or also getting an autographed book.  We watched the "Wolf Hall" mini-series, and The Tim has read both books, as has my niece Amanda.  So The Tim sent Amanda an e-mail, asking if they wanted to come to town and go to the book talk, etc.  Never have I seen such an enthusiastic response to something!  So now we have something extra fun to look forward to in March.

I am still trying to figure out my One Little Word for this year.  The past couple of years, I've had a hard time deciding, and part of it is I'm sure, that I overthink it.  So I'm just going to try and not worry about it, and hope a word comes to me. 

That's it for now.  I hope everyone has a good weekend, see you around the bend!

Christmastime Random

Hello all!  I hope you had a good weekend.  Mine was OK, but not as good as I was hoping, since I am apparently really coming down with a cold, as evidenced by waking up on Saturday with a really sore throat and coughing.  (Spoiler alert: I didn't die.)  Still, I got some things accomplished and with enough cough syrup and cold meds, I'm doing fine.

So here goes.

I have a Starbucks card with some money left on it, so I stopped on my way to work this a.m. becuase I decided to have a Cranberry Bliss Bar (for medicinal purposes, of course!).  There were a few people in front of me in line, and one person kindly decided to pay for another's coffee.  It was a nice thing, and I'm glad I saw it.  Of course, the woman in front of me had to say in a really loud voice: "If you want to buy someone coffee during the holidays, you should go somewhere else.  Anyone who can afford Starbucks coffee doesn't need financial help.  Then she turned to me, really proudly and said, "Can you believe some people?" and I just smiled and said, "Merry Christmas!"  Walking the rest of the way to work, I wished I'd said, "Tell Mr. Scrooge I said hello when you get where you are going."  But the best comebacks always come to me way too late.

All gifts being sent to family are now on their way.  I managed to finish wrapping stuff and getting the box ready so The Tim could mail it yesterday.  Now the only things left are for us, and to finish decorating, baking, etc.  The Tim's day off is tomorrow, so he is going to choose a tree, and I can't wait!

You may recall that I said a co-worker and I were planning to decorate our desks this past Friday.  We had so much fun doing it, and our workspaces look very festive.  In the afternoon, one of the scientists stopped in.  He stood on our side of the office and said, "Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!" then stepped to the other side of the office and said, "Get off my lawn!"  It was really funny.

Many of you already know this, but every year I am reminded of how much cats and dogs enjoy gift wrapping.  For cats, it's the boxes, the paper, the ribbons, and for dogs (at least for Dug and now Hamlet), it was that you are in one place and if like me, you sit on the floor to wrap gifts, a dog can fit right in front of you, or possibly ON you - what could be better?  In our house at least, it's not worth doing it unless you have a lot of time to deal with, shall we say, the "extras" ...

This Christmas commercial from Poland is lovely.

Enjoy your day!

Would You Rather ...

I was just listening to a book podcast, and the person hosting it was reading the results of questions she had asked her listeners beginning with "Would You Rather," and it was really interesting and fun to hear.  Of course, her questions dealt exclusively with books, but I decided to give it a try based on fibery stuff as well as other stuff.  So here you go.  Please play along if you are so inclined.  :-)

Would You Rather?

Knit   OR   Crochet?

Knit.  I would like to learn to crochet, but I would be surprised if I ever liked it better than knitting.

Read  OR  Exercise?

Read.  Even though the answer should be Exercise ...

Walk   OR  Run?

Walk.  I love walking and walk most places.  I have tried running a few different times, but my knees objected strongly.

Eat something salty  OR  Eat something sweet?

Sweet.  

Do you like to knit with other people  OR  Do you like to knit by yourself?

I don't mind knitting with other people, but I generally prefer to be by myself regardless of what I may or may not be doing.

Socks  OR  Hats?

Socks.  I like hats, but at some point you can have too many hats, and I for one never have too many socks.

Design patterns   OR   Dye yarn?

I think it would be fun to design a pattern that people liked.  I don't think I would enjoy dyeing yarn on any regular basis.

Cook   OR   Bake?

Bake.  I love to bake.  I like cooking, but baking is more fun for me.

Sandwich   OR  Salad?

Sandwich - mainly because it involves bread, one of my favorite food groups.

Knit with bright colors   OR   Knit with dark colors?

Bright colors - it's easier for me to knit day or night with them.  When I use dark colors, it's really hard to enjoy at night if the light isn't just perfect.

OK - now it's your turn!  :-)

Random Friday Stuff

Hooray Friday!  Hooray cooler weather!

I hope you have had a good week, or at a minimum, survived so that you can enjoy the weekend.  We had what I hope will be our last miserable day here and now it's feeling like fall!  That alone makes me happy, but add it to an upcoming weekend, and it's all good.

Anyway.

Various things have struck me this week, and because I just *knew* you would want to know what they were, I'm here to share.  What can I say, I'm a giver ...

1.  OK, I'll admit that people and their weddings make me wonder a lot of the time, but I am generally in the minority.  Having said that, I think this is something that more generous folks than I would also think was just plain weird (and I'm being nice calling it that, just so you know).  I'm not generally someone who looks for subtext in things, but this screams so many things to me.  And I am not a psychologist/psychiatrist, nor do I play one on TV ...

2.  This is a really interesting little video that tells you so much about the Seeing Eye Dogs and the program, just in a few minutes (and yes, I realize it's the New York Post, but this is an exception).  For anyone who hasn't been reading for that long, our dog Hamlet is a retired Seeing Eye Dog.  :-)

3.  A former meterologist at a local news station has a DIY channel on YouTube.  I have watched a few of them, and some are of particular interest to me, and I think she does a good job presenting them, for the most part.  I found this one particularly intriguing.  I thought it was going to involve arm-knitting, but it doesn't.

Personally, I think this looks like a lot of work - but maybe since I know how to knit, it seems that way to me.  I did find it interesting that one comment said something about how the commenter would love to do this, but didn't have the patience - how often has someone said that to you about knitting?

4.  I thought this story involving knitting was just lovely.  People can be kind.

5.  A woman follow on Twitter posted this, and it made me laugh:

"Yes I gave birth, but I haven't bought those little month numbers and laid my child next to them like a tiny, happy crime scene victim and taken a picture of that and posted it to Instagram so in that sense I am not a mother."

First of all, "a tiny, happy crime scene victim" will now and forevermore how I think of babies in those photos because I find it hilarious.  Second of all, as you can well imagine, the responses were largely people telling her how selfish she is because that is important, relatives love it, time goes quickly, blah blah blah.  Because why should she do things her way, right?  It reminds me of my friend Lisa, who had twins and was sick of people telling her to get their photo with Santa.  So she did it, but the boys were wearing onesies with a bear on fire on them in the photo.  Which I found highly amusing, but others found appalling.  (Just so you know, the twins are now 13 and at least as of today, have not become serial killers.)

6.  Wednesday I took the Koodle to the vet for his checkup and shots.  He of course was not pleased, because a) he is the Koodle, b) he hates the cat carrier, and c) it was the vet's office.  Fortunately, he got a clean bill of health, but you will be pleased to know that in true Koodle fashion he found a subtle yet clear way to let me know he was not happy with the whole series of events.  How did he do this, you may ask?  He took a project bag (fortunately recently emptied) off of a table and dragged it to the litter box and peed on it.  In short, Koodle: 1, Me: 0.

7.  And finally, I forgot to post this picture until now.  My great-niece Penn had her first day of kindergarten this year, and every time my niece tried to take her picture, her little brother Oden had to get in on the action.   After a while she gave up, and so here are Penn and Oden on Penn's first day of kindergarten.

It cracks me up that he is so pleased about it. 

*****

Not much is going on this weekend with us.  I have some plans to work on a couple of things around the house, but otherwise nothing specific.  I'm looking forward to just enjoying the nice weather, knitting, reading, hanging out at home, and maybe even doing some baking.  

See you next week - I hope you enjoy your weekend as well!

... of the Day

Do you ever look at the various "of the day" things?  I find them interesting, when I do think to check, because sometimes they are right on target and other times, I'll think who finds this the least bit interesting/true/appropriate??? 

Today was one of the days I looked, so let me share with you.  These are not from regularly visited sites or anything, just the first results in a Google search.


Quote of the Day:

We cannot live only for ourselves.  A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.
-- Herman Melville

My take:  OK, I guess.  It's not really making me want to change my whole life though.


Joke of the Day:

I should have known better than to flush my wooden shoes down the toilet.  Now it's clogged.

My take:  Funny if a kid told you.  Otherwise, worth a smile.



Bird of the Day:

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet

My take:  I have never heard of, or seen this bird, but I am guessing that is since it is native to the Southwest.  I do like him/her, though.  Admittedly, I like birds, so I may be biased.\


Animal of the Day:

Another bird - the California Quail!

My take:  I LOVE the little doodly-doo on his head!!

Botany photo of the day:

Aristolochia arborea

My take:  I have never seen these, but they look like mushrooms that had some "wacky mushrooms"!

Astronomy photo of the day:

Strawberry Moon over the Temple of Poseidon

My take:  WHOA.

Born on this day:

Lou Gehrig, Paul McCartney

My take:  Happy Birthday!

On this day in history:

In 1983, Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space

My take:  YES!

Weird fact of the day:  "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all of the letters in alphabetical order.

My take:  I am quite possibly the only person in the world who is extremely pleased to know this.

Word of the day:  Precarious

My take:  OK, sure.

And that, ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, is my Post of the Day!  :-)