Lucky Teapot ...

Rafe came back to town for Christmas. We went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on Tuesday. I thought it was quite good. Peter and that sword were a bit much, but I was particularly glad to see that they didn't fix Edmund. He's a despicable little shit, as he was written.

Brandon brought the bus home today and took away the teapot Billy left here. I went to the Chinese market and got a

Lucky Teapot, Possessing the High Temperature-keeping Power, 1250 ml multi-function teapot.

The Funcitons and Characteristics
-Unique Model, Pretty and Practical
-Quartz Glass, Clear and Transparent Thoroughly
-Enabling to disassemble it for the designs, rinse it easily
-No Poison to the Cup-body Plastics, Heat Resistances
-Poly-sorts of Colours Offering the Options
-Suitable for the uses of making tea and coffee

Materials and Properties
-Glass part: Heat-resisting: Temperature: 120°C
-Plastic part: PP. Polyethylene's Heat-resisting
-Temperature: 80°C (Or ABS, Anti-heat Temperature: 90°C)
-Metal part: Synthetic Metallic Net

Temperature-keeping Structure
-Don't use the Power, Coal and Gas Security and Energy-saving Upper Cover
-Because of its heat-cutting structure, don't release the heats
-Medium Pot
-Made of the double-structured glass with vacuum
-Possessing the High Temperature-keeping Power
-After pre-heating it, the heat water of over ninety degrees will be immediately alright in approximately one hour

Directions
-Place the net pot into the bettle vertically
-Place the suitable amounts of tea leaves
-Add the suitable amounts of boiling water
-Cover the kettle lid, then you can drink it

Cleaning
-The lucky kettle's designs are scientific and reasonable, rinse it handily
-You only need to take the net pot out
-Slightly brush it with a brush and then cleanse it to the cleanliness for the immediate alright

Reprise ...

An old story ...

Many years ago, friends of mine found a wee, tiny kitty on the side of the highway in the dead of winter ... young enough that her eyes were still closed ... they thought she was too young to survive without a mother, so they were going to put her down ... I couldn't have that, so I brought her home. The vet thought she was a week or two old, and didn't hold much hope for her survival ... I got some horse milk and dipped a small bit of bread in it for her to suck several times a day for a few weeks and she did survive. She didn't meow, she said, "Ooooo" ... I called her Spook.

When it was time for her to get her shots, I took her to the vet again ... I was concerned about her ... most days, when I got home from work, she would be hanging by her front claws from the curtains or the back of a chair, Ooooing her little head off ... and she didn't seem to be getting much stronger - whenever she tried to do something, her back end would start to sway and she'd fall over. I'd never had cats, but this didn't seem right to me.

The vet checked her out thoroughly and told me that he thought the mother likely had Distemper, and that she had Intention Spasticity ... that's why she couldn't retract her front claws when they were into something, and why her back end wobbled and fell over. If she just did something, it was fine, but when she thought about it, she got all spastic. Apparently, Intention Spasticity usually affects the front end, rather than the back end, and the poor things starve. Since she couldn't retract her front claws once she'd leapt up to hang from something, declawing was pretty much essential ... but once that was done, she was fine, aside from her dignity, which suffered every time someone noticed her wobble and fall over. The vet didn't think she'd live very long, but he'd been wrong before.

Since Spook had no front claws and no ability to pounce, I was able to have both her and Nathanial-Bird (a completely neurotic budgie (who wouldn't go through a doorway, unless he was riding on my head or shoulder) that someone couldn't keep anymore) loose in the house at the same time. I started calling the cat Pook, after someone pointed out how funny it was to call a black cat Spook ... I hadn't made the connection ... how embarassing.

I didn't know how to raise a kitten, so I treated her like a puppy ... she came when she was called, played fetch, would sit and speak (Oooo) for treats, and ran to the door whenever someone came up the walk. She was moody as hell and very much a one-person cat ... when I sat, she was in my lap ... when I stood in one place for more than a minute, she way lying on my feet ... at night, she slept across my neck or wrapped around the top of my head. She had a shoebox that she was absurdly attached to ... whenever she went from one room to another, she dragged it behind her ... if I was moving too much to be a good bed, she'd sit in the shoebox. At the risk of being redundant, she was a rather peculiar cat.

One day, when Patty lived here, and Fluffy was up visiting, the three of us were sitting about yacking ... it suddenly dawned on me that Pook wasn't in my lap and that I hadn't seen her in a while ... it was one of those creepy times, when you know something's horribly wrong ... the interal dialogue went like this, "I'm sure she's fine, just found a warm place to curl up ... fuck, what if she died ... she's fine ...." Her shoebox was in front of the kitchen table ... I pulled the chairs out and crawled under ... there she was, poor thing, stiff as a board. She wasn't supposed to survive a week, but she'd owned me for eight or nine years. I was devastated.

Fluffy offered to bury her in the back yard, but it was the dead of winter, the ground was frozen solid ... so we put her in her shoebox with some mothballs to keep the dogs from smelling her ... ugh ... wrapped the shoebox in plastic bags and put her in the garbage - pickup was the next morning.

Mom phoned later, and asked right away what was wrong. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Pook died.
Patty and Fluffy: -appropriate clucking and awing noises-
Mom: What!?!
Me: Pook died.
Mom: When?!?
Me: This morning, sometime.
Mom: What happened?!?
Me: I don't know. She just died. I found her under the kitchen table, all stiff.
Mom: Your kitchen table?!?
Me: Yes, of course my kicthen table.
Mom: She's too young to just die!! Something had to have happened!!!
Me: Nobody expected her to live this long.
Mom: What!?!
Me: She wasn't supposed to live at all, Mom.
Mom: What!?! Oh ... uh ... is Darren coming home?
Me: Huh? Of course not!
Mom: Does Darren know?!?
Me: No, but he's supposed to call in a couple of days.
Mom: You're not going to call him?!?
Me: Mom! I'm not going to bother him in the middle of the night, overseas, for this!
Mom: Uh ... uh ... um ... what did you do? When you ... uh ... found her?
Me: Wrapped her up in plastic ...
Mom: What!?!
Me: ... and put her out by the garbage. I didn't want the dogs to get her!
Mom: What!?!
Me: Fluffy offered to bury her in the back yard, but ...
Mom: What?!? He didn't!?!
Me: ... the ground's frozen. No, he didn't. The ground's frozen!
Mom: You can't just leave her out there!!!
Me: It'll be fine, Mom. She's frozen out there and pickup's tomorrow.
Mom: What!?! Uh ...
Me: I'm gonna go, Mom.
Mom: Uh ...
Me: Fluffy's here visiting.
Mom: Uh ... okay.

This all struck me a little odd ... Mom never says "What?" ... she always says "Pardon?" ... and she's pretty unflappable ... but I had other things on my mind.

A couple of hours later, Mom phoned again. The conversation went something like this:

Mom: *gasp* I'm *snort* sorry *giggle* about *wheeze* earlier *snort* ...
Me: Um ... it's okay. What's up?
Mom: *laugh* You meant *gasp* Pook ... *snort* died.
Me: Yah, Pook ... Pook died.
Patty and Fluffy: -concerned looks-
Mom: *giggle* Pook *snort* ...
Me: Yes, Pook ...
Mom: *laugh* Pook *gasp* ...
Me: Mom?
Mom: *laugh* Pook *snort* ...
Me: Mom!?!
Patty and Fluffy: -even more concerned looks-
Mom: *gasp* *laugh* *snort* Pook *laugh* your cat! *gasp*
Me: Yes, Mom ... Pook, my ... *gasp* Omigawd ... *snort* Mom, you didn't think I meant *snort* Pook!?!
... Mom never did call her Pook ... she called her Spooky ... she calls Darren's little sister Pook, 'cuz that's what we all call her ...
Patty and Fluffy: -very concerned looks-
Mom: *laugh* I *snort* know ... AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE *gasp*
Me: *giggle* You mean ... *laugh*
Mom: *snort* ... under the table ... *laugh*
Me: *shreik* Oh no! *laugh*
Patty and Fluffy: -completely bewildered-
Mom: *giggle* ... dont' want to *snort* bother Darren ... *gasp*
Me: *snork* *gasp*
Mom: *wheeze* ... plastic bags ... *snort* ... Fluffy bury ... *helpless laughter*
Me: *helpless laughter*
Patty and Fluffy: -starting to look a little frightened-
Mom: *laugh* *gasp* Pickup's tomorrow ...*snork*
Me: Gsnxrk! *helpless laughter*
.... several minutes later...
Mom: *sniffle* Bye, Honey *giggle**
Me: *giggle* Bye, Mom *snort*
... repeat whole conversation for Patty and Fluffy ...
... much more helpless laughter ...

I wonder if Darren ever told his Pook about it.

HaSA'R

I spent Christmas Eve wrapping gifts and watching Scrooged, then The Muppet Christmas Carol. I didn't get to A Christmas Carol (the Alastair Sim one ... and mine's not colourized) or It's a Wonderful Life or White Christmas. My godparents gave me Miracle on 34th Street this year. In past years, I've watched them all over several evenings, but I knew that would make me miss Pat horribly. I'll go back to doing that next year, and maybe add The Bells of St. Mary's to the collection.

It smelled like early spring outside when Iwent to the APs for breakfast on Christmas day. There were hugs and smooches all 'round. The deep cold in the ground and the accumulations of hoarfrost kept a tiny bit of very little snow we've had around and kept it from being a completely brown Christmas. The dog was absurdly wiggly all day. Mary and Robin and Cory and Ernie and Linda came after lunch. Hugs and smooches all 'round. Mona and Pete and Rose and Cassandra came after naptime. More hugs and smooches all 'round. Linda got a remote control robot with which Rose and Cassandra were considerably less than enchanted. We had a wonderful dinner that came together smoothly and all got to be there for it this year. As everyone went home, there were more hugs and smooches all 'round, of course, 'cuz that's one thing we're really good at.

I didn't do anything productive yesterday. I didn't even make the bed! I always make the bed!

Happy Solstice!

Lovingly plagiarized Solstice greeting ...
Holiday Salutations, bestowed on kith and kin, at this special time of the year. Whether you are starving yourself in daylight, slaughtering innocent conifers, or dancing naked (and cold) under a hunters moon, I wish you, and yours, merryment in whatever proceeding compells you to decorate your home in garish hues, with ungulates on the rooftop, and a scarlet clad, aged ectomorph, glowing on your porch. May you all spend this time full, with love, laughter, and just enough dinner, so that there is room for Figgy Pudding. And a Happy, denominational or not, winter celebration of your choice to you and yours

It's been gorgeous out the last couple of days! Barbara and Annailese and I hung out on the back deck yesterday afternoon in the sunshine.
Vince delivered the super secret Christmas knitting to Dani for me yesterday.


It's just a little bit sparkley.


And I finished the so-very-boy blue scarf the other night and washed and blocked it in time for tuesdaydinnerandamovieonwednesday.


Brandon and I went to WEM (which no longer has more submarines than our navy, sadly) on Monday. He knows his way around, doesn't lose me (that's 'cuz I had the car key, he tells me), and doesn't get annoyed with I turn into a distracted space case. We went to the stores with the models and games and swords and not to the ones where I get crabby. We went down into the Sea Life Caverns to check them out to see if Brandon's boy would like them. They're great! There were fish and sharks and snakes and sea turtles and penguins. I wish they had more room to swim around, though.

I booked my flights and hotel and booked the cats into Kitty City for my trip to Whistler to see Dani and Sephi in January.

AND ... speaking of Kitty City, I got a call from Les about someone he knows who might be interested in Tiger.

I had lunch with Kitty and Dannie the other day. We see each other once a year at the Cookie and Tree party and say how we really must get together, then don't. Dannie's taken on the task of organizing us so we get together at least once a month, 'til we get back into the habit.

After much confusion, the greyhound package from Patti and Jaime arrived last night. I'm trying to fit getting-stuff-to-folx into the next couple of days. It's not that I'm that busy, but that folx have time when I don't. I'm off to Barbara and Anailese's shortly to deliver all the stuff for them and Chelsea and Bernie and Patti's Grandma. Barbara and I are trying to figure out whether or not we can go to Leduc together to take stuff to the Grandma. With any luck at all, Dave will be able to come by after work to pick up the stuff for René. If he does, then he can boost the Lady so the battery charges up some so Brandon can use her for a couple of days over Christmas. Tomorrow I pick up cat food and go putter with Mom at the APs house, getting stuff ready for Christmas, and make a stop at Bonnie Doon on the way home. Saturday I have to get groceries, then I have no other commitments 'cept watching Christmas movies and wrapping presents.

On your mark ...

WEM with Brandon, Bonnie Doon, Capilano, Greenwoods, booking flights and hotel, post office, phone calls, knitting, blocking, lunch with Kitty and Dannie, visits from Barbara and Annailese, twinkle twinkle on my voice mail, wrapping, decorating, laundry, taming dust bunnies, news from Kitty City ...

Happy Birthday, Linda!

Doing ...

I went for second breakfast with Barbara and Annailese and Corbin on Friday, then went (ugh) shopping. I am having a great deal of trouble with a very specific request from Cory for Christmas. I may have to give up. I am not amused. At least the grocery shopping part went smoothly.

Brandon and I went to the Christmas Carol Project at the Roxy last night. It was great! I love that show. I'd rolled up the futon earlier and shaken the daylights out of the feather bed and the duvet and the pillows, and remade the bed with fuzzy sheets, so when I got home, I got to crawl into that. Mmmm!

I'm off to the APs today to decorate the tree with the family and have a little pre-birthdaying with Linda (whose birthday is tomorrow) and visit with Darren and Natalie and Karen.

Warm Wishes ...

... says the Christmas card from the furnace company.

Last weekend we learned that time-outs should be taken on non-absorbent chairs.

'Tis the season to sling mud, apparently. Bah Humbug. Election campaigns at this time of year suck even more than at other times.

Stuff and Nonsense ...

Daylight:

Length of day: 7:32
Hours of dark: 15ish
Sunrise: 8:44 am
Sunset: 4:16 pm
Start of twilight: 8:01 am
End of twilight: 4:59 pm

Current weather: Clear. -20°C (-4°F), -26°C (-14°F) with windchill, humidity 84%, wind SE 8 km/h (5 mph.), barometer 30.34 in. Hg

Forecast:

Tonight.. Cloudy periods. 30% chance of flurries. Ice fog patches. Low -23°C (-9°F).
Saturday.. A mix of sun and cloud. 30% chance of flurries early in the morning. Ice fog patches dissipating in the morning. Wind up to 15 km/h (9 mph) Wind chill -28°C (-18°F).
Saturday night.. Cloudy periods. Low -19°C (2°F).
Sunday.. Sunny. High -4°C (25°F).
Monday.. Sunny. Low -13°C (9°F). High 3°C (37°F).
Tuesday.. A mix of sun and cloud. Low -13°C (9°F). High -5°C (23°F).
Normals for the period.. Low -18°C (0°F). High -7°C (19°F).

Farrago

I spent about fourteen hours at Adele and Dean's on Saturday. It was wonderfully fun and sad and hilarious and awkward and heartwarming and distressing and and and.
I met Mona and Pete and Rose and Cassandra and Dad (who was working a shift) at the Kiwanis Christmas tree lot on Sunday. We ran and shrieked and hugged and smooched and jumped and sang Welcome Christmas (the abu-dore one from the Grinch) around one of the trees and this thing parked next to my l'il Epona (this picture does not accurately show the size difference ... it's just about twice as high, twice as wide and easily twice as long).


Here are the socky slippers for my godmother, before washing and washing and washing and washing in hot water (this pair took about a dozen wash cycles to shrink down enough) and some more little sockies for Anailese's advent calendar and a mouse for scale.


And here they are post-washingandwashingandwashing


Instead of cleaning the house and running errands, I put up my Christmas tree today. It has a light in the base with a turning multi-coloured gel above it and fibre optics in the branches, so it's all twinkly. There are some truly awful artificial trees out there. It takes a lot of looking to find one with this high a cheese factor. The ginormous fluffy star on the top helps. See the sweet little wreath Patty and the girls made out of chestnuts from their tree?


It's decorated with mardi gras beads, stars, origami cranes that Cory made for me, little mirrors and plastic chandelier crystals.

Winter

I love the ice crystals in the air

I love being able to tell the temperature by the sound my feet make on the snow

I love how sounds and smells are muted

One of my very favourite things about winter is when little cones of snow perch on top of the mountain ash berry clusters

Yesterday morning, there were tracks in the fresh snow in the back yard. Sir Bunrab (I haven't seen Sir Bunrab in ages!) tracks leading from the front street into the back yard and cat tracks leading from the back alley into the back yard ... they go all over the yard with little scuffley patches here and there ... there's no blood, though, so I think the cat must've survived.

I finished knitting my godmother's Fuzzy Feet ... pictures later, after I've washed them down to size. I've finished the super secret Christmas knitting project and I'm working on a very boy scarf, a prayer shawl (this one is a long-term project) and little sockies for Annailese's advent calendar (which won't be done 'til next year, but Barbara's making do with outgrown socks and a couple of little hand-knit sockies for this year). I want to make a scarf with this stitch pattern, too, but I haven't finished the one I started for myself a year ago.

I met Brandon downtown for dinnerandamovie yesterday. We saw Harry Potter. Both the dinner and the movie were good and the company was even better. I'm glad he's back in this part of the country.

This Saturday is the Cookie & Tree party at Adele's. I'm very looking forward to it! I've ordered tickets for the Christmas Carol Project for the 17th. I'm very looking forward to that one, too.

I ran a bunch of errands today (including fueling the car ... it's got a little over 550 km. on it now and I've filled the tank (from about halfway) three times) and yacked on the phone a lot and Mona, Mary and I kinda figured out what's happening for Christmas. I saved the closer-to-home errands for tomorrow. Epona is very fun to drive and holds way more than you'd think.

More Fuzzy Feet ...

At the APs today, Rose told me, "I love my sister. We are the same." and Cassandra said, "Now be very still and I will give you a passage." That's massage with a p and they don't believe us when we say it's pronounced massage.

I'm making a pair of Fuzzy Feet, this pair for my godmother ... the one who gave me the yarn. Knit, knit, knit, knit.