The checkbook says "OUCH"

It's been an expensive weekend, totalled.

Ran to Lawrence yesterday and bought a new hot water heater, since By didn't think he could fix the old one a second time. Ended up getting a 50-gal tank, rather than 40-gal, because it wasn't that much more expensive. And we scored a box of 5, 16x16" square travartine marble tiles on clearance for $14.74. By thinks they're going to grow up to be side tables. Then a quick trip through Hastings for magazines, and the Merc for Frankenfood, and home.

We've been all ove the place today. To the courthouse annex in Tongie, to register to vote. To Vetvax, also in Tongie, for conditioner. They're not carrying our shampoo and conditioner in gallons anymore, so we got a quart and had them order us a gallon of each. Bummer. Now we'll have to plan ahead. From there to Walmart in Bonner for a skein of purple yarn (Bernat Boa, the last purple one they had), and a couple of movies. Then to Tandy Leather in Raytown ('cuz the one in Topeka closed a while back). By got two large chunks of leather for his project for the show, and plans to have some left over for braiding whips and other things. I got a couple pounds of scraps, and two small embossed pigskins, all lightweight stuff for bookbinding. And all on sale, but still enough that the guy who rang it up was very friendly. Then back to Overland Park for a stocking-up run at Sam's Club, which did cost more than the leather, but not that much more, and to our grocery store in Bonner, for the couple of small items that Sams doesn't carry, and home. Whew.

By & Frank are out wrestling the hot water heater into place. I plan to celebrate tomorrow with a long bath.

And, to all who asked, I still haven't scanned the books I've been making. Been busy doing (did a nice little cloth-spined book with linen-texture pages last night). I'll try to work on it tomorrow, when no one else needs the computer. Promise.

( The UnSock Report )

From my knitting list.....

You might be a crocheter or knitter if...

..your yarn collection takes up more space than your shoe collection.

..the best bit about a trip to the mall is sneering at any crocheted items on
display because you could make a nicer one for less money.

..you've lost friends in an argument over acrylic yarn. Doesn't matter which
side you were on.

..someone asks you "But why did you just buy that yarn if you don't know what
you're going to make with it?" and you look at them blankly.

..you have ever sat down and tried to work out if you'd be able to finish a
poncho before they go out of fashion for the next 10 years.

..you decided you wouldn't be able to, but started one anyway.

..you can spot and deflect an approaching unfunny 'hooker' joke from 50 miles
away

..you've ever lost an argument with airline security about the fact that your
hook is not pointy, dammit, and spent the entirety of the flight wondering how
exactly you'd hijack a plane with a crochet hook.

..you have been known to stare longingly into the windows of closed yarn
stores.

..nobody in your family owns less than two hat-and-scarf sets.

..someone admiringly touches your new shawl and asks if you'd consider selling
it, and you do a very creditable Gollum impression "Mine, MINE, you won't have
my preciousssss shawlsesssss, my precioussss, MINE"

..you really, really wish that people still used doilies because the patterns
are so pretty.

..you know the words for 'cotton' 'wool' and 'linen' in at least three
languages, and you can figure out 'acrylic' and 'polyester' in pretty much any
language.

..when a relative gives you a really hideous sweater for Christmas you thank
him/her profusely, and as soon as you can get out of the room you start
pulling it to bits because it's made out of such nice yarn.

..you hesitate to buy necessities like new clothes, but you don't blink at the
thought of buying a $300 closet organizer to hold your yarn.

..you have ever made a second item from the same pattern without knowing what
you'd do with it, just because you liked the pattern so much.

..you start giving away afghans to virtual strangers because you've made so
many that you no longer have anyplace to put them and every friend and family
member has at least two or three you've made for them.



I'm not going to tell you how many of htese apply to me, so don't even ask.