For Today

Inspired by Marguerite, with instructions from the Simple Woman's Daybook...

Outside my window the rain is drumming on the windowsill and I can see a neighborhood squirrel eating the last of my neighbor's Halloween jack o' lantern. November rain is so dreary. I hate to say it, but I'd almost prefer snow.

I am thinking about what last items I must pick up from the grocery store tomorrow to prepare for Thursday's dinner.

I am thankful for being so fortunate to live where I do, to have a good job, to have a pantry full of food and even some extra pennies to buy new knitting needles or some glorious yarns. Some days it is easy to forget just how lucky I am.

From the kitchen I can hear the dishwasher running. It is full of serving dishes, platters, and a collection of mismatched wine glasses which I've brought out of cupboards and uup from the basement in preparation for Thanksgiving.

I am wearing my workout clothes. They are comfy, but a bit smelly, as I haven't changed since getting home from the gym a few hours ago. It was nice to finally get back there after missing a week or maybe more. It felt good to get moving again. I could have done without the guy on the treadmill in front of me who insisted on running backwards. Show off.

I am creating a pair of socks for my niece Kathryn. Next on the list is a pair for nephew Steven.

I am going to poke around Ravelry for a few minutes before I head back to the kitchen to continue cleaning and organizing. A friend has asked me to research a pattern for a hooded scarf. I'm wondering if she's thinking about the one in IK Winter 2008? I especially like the pockets. They look pretty but do you think they are really practical?

I am reading The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home by George Howe Colt. I've just started, but the introduction has taken me back to idyllic summers spent eating crabs and steamers on the beach at my grandparents little cottage on Buzzards Bay. My family's summer home was nowhere near as grand as Mr. Colt's, but the memories of family are just as special.

I am hearing my Blackberry buzzing as I write this post. I am trying to restrain myself. I am on vacation this week and have vowed to do my best to to ignore what's happening at the office.

Around the house things are a bit of a mess. Holidays always require much cleaning and rearranging. There are dishes and utensils on the kitchen table and a large amount of clutter that needs sorting.

One of my favorite things to do is to visit the Rhode Island Watercolor Society Gallery at nearby Slater Park. Sunday was the first day of the annual "Holiday Little Picture" show. It's a great way to see local artists' work and pick up an original painting for very little money. Jeff and I bought two, one is a gift for his grandmother and the other is for us, a little painting of the Boston skyline. Very sweet.

A few plans for the rest of the week - get the house ready for Thanksgiving, get my car inspected before the end of the month, go to the gym at least once more, finish Kathryn's socks and find an interesting but masculine pattern for Steven.