Winter Weather

Desert dwellers are funny about winter weather: they don't want it to rain or be cold, but want more water for the landscaping, the fountain, the swimming pool, and the spa tub at their seasonal condo than is consumed by the average home in the east during an entire year. It irritates me that the news commentators always apologize for the rain when it finally arrives during the tourist season, and then warn residents about the draught once the tourists depart.

The desert needs rain, not tourists, but we try to accommodate both.

After a slow start to the winter, the rain began in earnest yesterday afternoon, falling in wind-driven sheets throughout the night and scarring Mia into staying inside, curled up with my couch afghan. She came into the bedroom a half dozen times during the night to bark her disapproval at the winds and the wetness before finally settling down about 3 AM. I'm not sure what she expects me to do about it being cold and wet outside when she has to pee, but I get up each time she comes to get me--just in case it's the boogeyman she's barking at "this time."

Later this morning, a friend (playing hookey from school today) called to see if I'd join her for a late b'fast, which I was happy to do. On the drive to Denny's, I basked in a brilliant double rainbow that looked to be between the highway and my home. It was still shining brightly after finishing b'fast, and I wished I had brought along my camera, which usually is in the car--but not this morning.

Arriving home, I saw an empty paper plate on the kitchen floor, my first clue that Mia enjoyed the 6 fresh biscuits I made early this morning. I left them on a covered plate on the kitchen counter to enjoy with a hot bowl of soup at dinner, but Mia evidently thought she should enjoy the fruits of my labor. I chastised her, but you never know with a dog whether they're thinking "oh, sorry" or "too bad: you snooze, you lose!"

I made another batch of biscuits for my soup supper.

I'm working on another afghan, using up yarn I bought a while back. Of course, I don't remember the original intent for the yarn, so I've had to create a plan, then buy more yarn to make it happen. My goal is to empty the closet in the guest room as it has way too many skeins (both new and already used) of yarn to justify buying more. I also have a plan for the "not much left" skeins, a patchwork afghan. I made a huge patchwork blanket for my brother's 5-0 birthday a couple of years ago, and another one for my g'son that I sent off a couple of weeks ago, but there is still one heck of a lot of yarn! I'm going to keep knitting and crocheting until the supply dwindles.

And then I better start on the embroidery projects ...