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I was the hostess this evening for a spinning group I'm in. As my spinning buddies continues to work on the 65-odd varieties of fleece samples I worked on a little whimsey. I made a little needlefelted mouse. Not terribly photogenic, but really darling in person. It's 3 inches high and I used map pins for eyes. What I've heard might be true in this case - there's no such thing as just one mouse!
My very nice son-in-law was kind enough to give me tickets to the Nutcracker. It was, by far, the nicest performance of that particular ballet I've ever attended. The costumes and sets just enhanced the exquisite dancing. And, to top it off, the Buffalo Philharmonic orchestra played the score. So much nicer than canned music. 
Here's the only problem Almost without exception when I go to an event like this, there are people who think it's perfectly fine to carry on conversations during the performance. Non-stop conversations which seem to consist of comments on the obvious, i.e., Oh look, the dancers are wearing costumes! Oh look, the dancers are dancing!. What is the etiquette here? If people are chatting during the show, are you allowed to shush them? Today for instance a couple of women were talking loud enough that I heard their conversation four rows away. That went on for about the first five minutes of the show. Through the overture and then some. They showed no signs of abating so I (who was on an aisle seat) got up and walked up to them and said "Do you think you two could stop the chatter?" They gave me a nasty look and one of them snarled, "Oh, I guess so, no problem". I returned to my seat and enjoyed the rest of the show without the competing conversation. There was an undo amount of candy wrappers rattling, but it was a matinee with a lot of kids, so I was more tolerant in that direction. Was I wrong? Should I have sat there and have my experience ruined by those two boobs? I don't know. What I do know is that I would have died if someone had to ask me to stop talking during a play. I've really thought about having some lovely cards printed up, kind of like Vicorian calling cards. On one side a pretty picture. On the other side in pretty, but easily-read script the words "Will you please shut up?" or words to that effect. That might be my million dollar idea.
I think most thrifters have had the same dream You stop at an estate sale and, Lordy, Lordy, it is chock-full of things you love. Things you've been looking for. Things you need. But the dream ends up in bitter disappointment when you wake up just as you are getting in line to pay for the treasures. The sale I went to was about as close as I've ever been to the "dream sale". I was not concentrating as I drove along to my destination. When I pulled out of my revery, I found that I'd missed my turn. That took me on an alternate route. A few blocks later, I passed a house with a hand-lettered "Estate Sale - One Day Only". I pulled into the drive and - wowee - it was the home of a seamstress. $10.00 later, I needed help out to my car with the box of notions I bought. Zippers, darning eggs, a couple of vintage patterns and more cotton bias binding and rickrack than is decent to own. I also got some darling religious statues. (In my family's tradition, the Infant of Prague statue is positioned facing the front door with a dime under it to fend off privations in that home.) I also got an angelic band of cake decorations.
But, the biggest score by far is a 1966 first edition of Take Joy, the Tasha Tudor Christmas Book. It is just beautiful. It still has the dustjacket for heaven's sake. It is a gem. The pictures make me want to weep. I'll post more as the Season unfolds. But for now:
Last night around 1:00 am, I awoke with a start because there was a cold, wet puddle spreading across my bed. After ruling out the possible suspects, I turned on the light to discover a leak dripping from the light fixture over my bed. It had rained nonstop for the previous 24 hours. That, combined with a driving wind, caused a leak. Oh well. today, of all days, I'm deeply grateful for a roof (such as it is) over my head.
I finished this sweet little cap just in time for our first snowfall. I made it with a mostly-red, handpainted yarn from Moorehouse Merino. It was really large (someday I'll learn to make a swatch) so I fulled it slightly. It looks cuter untied, but the baby was smiling for this pic. The directions can be found at grosblog .
In an effort to maximize my tendency to procrastinate before my preparation phase starts up... I now pause to compose this post to wish you and yours a cozy, peaceful Thanksgiving. 
Today was my grandson's baptism. It was nice to have a happy reason for a family get-together. This date was chosen because his parents were married on the 17th, he was born on the 17th and it seemed like an auspicious day to have his Christening. He seemed to have a good time at the festivities. He wore the gown his father did 25 years ago. The priest who did the service is a dear friend of the family who happens to be the Godfather of the baby's mother. What a sweet way to enter the holiday season!
This little boy had four, count 'em, four great-grandmothers in attendance and two sets of grandparents in attendance.
The past two days I have just let myself be. It's kind of like when you're on a raft on a lake. You just take the waves as they come. And they do come. But in this season of gratitude, I am choosing to take a very deep breath and be grateful. I am especially grateful to all of you who have reached out and consoled me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It has made a huge difference to me. To start off the season, Here's an arrangement of vintage turkey candles and papier mache turkeys. I got them on Ebay. They were from a seller in Oklahoma, but they were manufactured in the '50s or '60s right down the road in Buffalo, NY. 
I've always had a checklist in my head as far as Bailey's quality of life. Eating, walking and being happy when people entered the room were the biggest items. In the past few days, all of those things were gone. Beyond that she was unable to drink unassisted. She laid motionless for hours on end but she was unable to sleep. She needed help to go outside. When I held her she was rigid and trembling with pain. This morning I called the vet and they told me to come in at 2:45. I have a very kind boss who let me leave at 1:00 when she heard what was going on.
I was able to sit with Bailey in a quiet house and talk to her. She just sat quietly and gazed at me. About an hour before the appointment I gave her a triple dose of phenobarbital that she took for seizures. She was able to walk to the car with a little assistance. I was happy that she didn't need to be brought in on a stretcher because that would have been distressing for her. When we got to the vet's office, they couldn't have been more kind. The vet explained everything that would happen and gave me a few minutes to be alone with her. The vet came in and let me hold Bailey as the needle was inserted. That took a few tries because she was dehydrated. As the barbiturates went in, Bailey sighed and totally relaxed. That gave me a lot of comfort because I knew the pain had left her. I will miss her because I spent a lot of time with her. My greatest fears (Bailey being in a confused panic or having the procedure hurt) never happened. As with so many situations, counting down the hours and not knowing what was going to happen was the hardest part. I'm really sad that she's gone, but I think I made the right decision.
My dog Bailey is not worse, but she's not better either. Her blood work came back that she has an infection, so she's on an antibiotic. She's finally drinking water, but she hasn't eaten anything for three days. She settles herself on the couch and really doesn't move unless I assist her. She hasn't had any wetting accidents in the house. She doesn't appear to be in pain, but a dog will mask pain until its unbearable. My dilemma is that she is sick, not terminally ill. Is it fair to euthanize a dog because she's old and has a bellyache? Is it fair to let a dog go on for days feeling ill when you don't know if the situation will improve? Does it make sense to set a date (in my case, I'm thinking Friday) that if she's not better, that's the day to end her life? I know there are people dealing with horrible situations in life, and I'm leading a privileged life that a sick dog is my biggest concern just now. But I'm really sad about this. My life will change a lot with her gone. She's been my companion for so long. I really don't know what to do.
