Birds!

And we have a finished hat.  

That was not without incident.  I'd knit the decrease rounds yesterday evening until had to switch to double pointed needles, then knit a couple more rounds before I went to bed.  When I got up this morning, the first thing I did after making coffee was to pick up the hat with the intention of completing it.  Only I couldn't find my fifth needle.  

Now, for those of you who aren't knitters, most sets of double pointed needles -- or DPNs as we say-- come with five.  You have stitches on four of the needles and use the fifth as your working needle.  Usually, when I put a project down before I've finished, I stick the fifth needle into the skein or cake of yarn so I don't lose it.  Now that the stage is set, let's get to the story. 

As I said above, I couldn't find my fifth needle.  I checked the skein.  I looked on the end table.  I checked the floor.  I even pulled the chair away from the wall and looked underneath it, and got down on my hands and knees, checking under the end tables while I had the chair out.  I stuffed my hands down between the chair cushions...no needle anywhere.  

I sat down flinging my hands in the air in frustration and said, "It's got to be right here somewhere."  

I reached over and picked up the Ziploc bag I keep my hat knitting notions in -- so they're easy to find in my big knitting bag -- and...there it was.  The missing fifth needle.  Why I'd put it in there, I do not know, but no matter.  I'd found it and hat finishing was carried out. 

Then I cast on a second with the same yarn.  

In other news, I'm finally starting to see birds at my bird bath.  You already know about the mockingbird, but these last couple of days, I've also seen some cardinals drinking from it.  I guess the winter birds will use it, so I'm glad of that.  

I also found out why my little bee pond keeps going dry.  I'd noticed that about a week ago -- it was going completely dry every single day, which had me totally bumfuzzled.  I get that there is going to be some evaporation, but surely it wasn't evaporating that fast.  So, yesterday I was looking out my back door, watching the birds on the feeder, when a movement in that planter caught my eye.  I looked over and saw a sparrow over there drinking from it.  I guess the bigger birds are keeping the smaller ones away from the big bird bath, so they're drinking from the bee pond.  

Probably after the basil dies back, I'll find a larger bowl and put it in there as well.  I'll keep the smaller one for the hornets, too.  All are welcome at this table.  We are all creatures of our God and King. 

Even fire ants.  

They're not welcome at my table, but they're still God's creatures.  

I said what I said.  Through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw, but I said it.