Monday

Monday isn't moan-day when you don't have to go to work...all week....

And it isn't a moan-day when all -- and I do mean all -- of your teams won over the weekend.  Yes, even Navy pulled the upset over 20th ranked UCF, and Dallas beat the Minnesota Vikings so badly CBS made the Switch Of Shame, and cut to the Bengals vs Steelers game. 

And the kicker formerly known as Maybe Maher hit two -- yes, two -- count'em two -- 60 yard field goals.  From here on out, he will be known as Money Maher.  

By the way, my friend Amy and her husband went to the LSU game, because they're both alums.  It was so cold and it rained the whole time, that after the game, I messaged her and asked her if she was frozen. She replied that they'd left before half time and finished watching from their hotel room.  Smart move! 

Still, thinking about being cold and wet reminded me of this one time when I was in the Navy, stationed in Italy.  We always had this big carnival thing over the fourth of July weekend called Festa Americana.  Since I was on Auxiliary Security Force, I had to work with the regular Security -- which is what we called the military police, Shore Patrol being the sailors on watch from whatever ships are in port.  

That particular year, winter hung on so long the temps were still getting down into the 40s in July.  In Southern Italy in July.  Not only that, it rained the whole weekend that weekend.  Those of us working Festa had to stand out in it all day long.  Sunday evening, when it was over and they'd closed the park, we were all back at the RV that was the police headquarters, huddled around one of those half drum barbeque pits, burning everything that would burn and a few things that shouldn't have been, when one of my shipmates popped up and said, "It just doesn't get any better than this."  

For you youngsters out there, look up the old Heineken beer commercials from around that time.  

But I digress...

Back to my regularly scheduled blog post.  While I was doing all that football watching, I finished the leg of my sock, 

and started the heel flap.  I had to restart it twice, because I couldn't remember how I did the first one.  You see, some patterns call for you to do the slip stitches on the purl side, and others do it on the knit side.  It doesn't really matter how you do it -- six of one kind, half dozen of another kind of thing.  I had to start over because I was doing my slips on the purl side.  A few rows in, I decided I didn't like that.  I'm pretty sure I always do my slips on the knit side, and doing them on the purl side just didn't feel right.  I ripped the whole thing out and started over, and was chugging away when I realized, a few rows back I'd forgotten to slip the first stitch of a couple of rows.  

I always say, "Is it really knitting if you don't rip and start over at least three times?"

Look here!  My first bloom of the year!

Unfortunately, it looks like this one is the only one that is going to bloom this year.  I'm not sure what happened, or what I did wrong.  I usually get bunches and bunches of blooms.  It may be because I repotted them all last spring, or maybe they got too much sun while I had them in the carport for those few weeks.  

Also, I'm sure you will all be pleased to know the Christmas cards I ordered came in.  I started to take a picture, but since most of you will be getting one or the other of them next year, I decided not to spoil the surprise.  

Of course, if you have a memory like mine, it won't matter because you won't remember anyway. 

Once I got them all signed and addressed, I got a wild hair and got my metallic markers and colored the seals. 

Not all of them, but most of them got highlighted.  It really makes the designs pop, and I think I'm going to keep up with it.  What I need to do is find a better way to melt the little wax pellets.  Cody got me this melter a few years ago, 

but it's only good if you want to do all the seals in the same color, and only practical if you have a bunch of seals to make at once.  I mean, yeah, I do a lot of Christmas cards, but I don't want to make all the seals the same color.  

So, I'm left with holding a little metal spoon over a tea light candle until the wax inside melts.  I've found some spoon holder things on Amazon, so if I don't get one for Christmas, I might just spring for one before next year.  

In other news, I had to run into town to pick up a few things from Walmart.  I thought by going on a Monday morning, it wouldn't be a complete madhouse.  I thought wrong.  Not only was it total chaos, I think half of ADP was in there.  

Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what was so important that I had to go to Walmart during a holiday week.  Well, I'll tell you.  I had to get the free Thanksgiving items from ibotta.  

This was all there was, plus a turkey that I didn't dig back out of the freezer just for the photo.  It wasn't much this year, but every little bit helps.  Besides, those Bob Evans mashed potatoes are the bomb!

And finally, since it is officially Thanksgiving week, you know I had to post this.

It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it.