I Gave In

I gave in this morning and turned on the heater.  I'm getting too old to try to be tough all the time.  Truth is, I thought we were supposed to be in a warming trend but it was 42° when I got up.  I'm just glad there wasn't any frost, because I'd put all of my plants back outside.  I didn't build a fire, because it's been getting up into the mid 70s by  mid-day, though I was a bit tempted for a moment.   But now, it's beautiful and I have the back door and kitchen window open, getting fresh air into the house.  

As soon as it warmed up enough, I went out and cut the last of my French Tarragon from my herb garden.  It didn't do well here, and I don't know why.  I don't know if it's too hot or what, but I don't think I'll get any more next year.  I've been trying to harvest as much of my herbs as I can before the first frost kills them all off.  

But even before that, the first thing I did was to watch the first half of the Navy game, since I missed it yesterday due to being at the company picnic, then I caught up on my cheesy Christmas movies.  Oh, and I ran my dishwasher, too. 

But, but, but I thought you said it didn't work!

Sort of.  It still functions, but the hose that goes to the top rack has come loose.  Everything I've researched says it'd be easier and cheaper to just buy a new dishwasher than to get someone to pull it out, take the whole thing apart, then reattach the hose, and frankly, it was an old dishwasher that didn't work all that well anyway.  It had always been the plan to replace it eventually even if it did work because it's black.  I know it's the style, but I don't like black appliances, or black walls, or black ceilings or anything.  To me, it makes the whole room so dark and gloomy.

For what it's worth, I don't even like bright red walls, or dark blue, or anything like that.  But that's another subject for another post...  

Back to what I was saying....  I basically use the dishwasher as a glorified dish rack, and over time, the crud builds up in the bottom and it gets just downright nasty.  Every so often, I empty it and run a cycle to wash all that crud away.  This morning was that time.  Now the bottom of my dishwasher is all nice and sparkly clean.  

Don't envy me my exciting life. 

OK, moving right along.  

As I briefly mentioned before, yesterday was our company picnic, but I didn't take a whole lot of photos.  I took a few of the petting zoo, but that was about it.  They had miniature donkeys.  

They had teensy goats.

And this baby kangaroo.   

They had some alpacas and some sort of miniature cow which seemed very intent on washing my hands with its tongue, but those pictures didn't turn out to well, so I won't post them here. 

There was good food and door prizes, and I won a vacuum sealer.  Alas, I already have one, so I asked Cody if they'd want it, and he said yes so I'm going to give it to them.  I was hoping to win one of the fire pits, but I didn't.  They way they do it is they call out your name, then you have to draw a number form another basket.  Whatever number you draw is which gift you get.  

And there was a pie eating contest, which nobody wanted to participate in except one person -- the one on the right in this video.  She kept trying to get someone to come up and do it with her, but couldn't convince anyone, then everyone began chanting The Big Man Up Front's name.  I mean, his real name.  They were out there chanting Big Man Up Front.  

So he came up and did it with her, and it was hilarious. 

In the end, the coordinators declared it to be a tie, and they both got to go into the money machine, only TBMUF didn't.  He let one of the floor employees go in his place. 

After the picnic, I came home and finished my coworker's granddaughter's hat. 

I don't know why I can't take good photos of pink and red hats, but they always turn out like this.  Anyway, she'd been wearing the same hat I knit for her when she was born two months premature, and it was time she got a new one.  I'd originally cast on 64 stitches, but after a couple of inches, I ripped it and cast on with 72.  It may be a bit big for her now, but at least I know she'll be able to wear it for a few years. 

Finally, I keep forgetting to tell you I finished re-reading Stormy: Misty's Foal, another old childhood favorite. I'm still reading Paradise War, by Stephen R. Lawhead.  

And if you have not watched the new Matlock with Kathy Bates on CBS, I strongly encourage you to do so.  There are only two episodes out, but it's been much better than I expected.