thanksgiving thoughts

Yes, I am a day late on my thanksgiving blog.  I have no excuse ;)

I was thinking about what I'm thankful for this year and what came most to my mind is the people in my life.  Every time I can talk with family, whether its the grandkids who are so cute and funny, or if its all the rest of the adults (N, B, S you know who you are) it makes such a difference.  Each time I have phone or skype contact with any of them, I feel happier.  Talking to them just brightens up my days.

Then I thought of my friends, and how much they mean to me.  There's my friend in Sweden who makes me very glad I have skype. He keeps me grounded and always manages to make me laugh.  My best friend here in town that I've known for about 14 years, who has supported me in the bad times and been there to laugh like crazy and to have fun in the good times.  She has really been there for me.  And my friend in California who watches basketball with me as we chat about it on facebook. Go Lakers!

These people in my life are why I can feel very thankful this thanksgiving.  Oh and I'm also thankful for the internet for communicating with these guys.

yarn addict

Yes, I will admit it, I'm a yarn addict.  It happened gradually over a few months after I returned to crocheting a year ago.  I found that as I finished a project, I started to feel antsy, like I needed something.  A yarn fix, that's what the need was, and yes I succumbed.  I trolled the internet looking for yarn sales, trying to decide if the colors on my computer screen were possibly close to the colors the yarn would be in real life. I needed to know that soon I'd have a box of yarn shipped to me, that I'd have that moment of delight at opening said box and seeing all the colors.

Over time I realized that I had to have enough yarn on hand to start a new project when I finished whatever I was currently working on.  If I didn't have my safety net of yarn waiting, I'd start feeling anxious, very like the withdrawal symptoms I had when I quit smoking. Of course the problem then became--just how much yarn was enough?  How much did I need to be sure I'd always have yarn available?  I began to search ebay regularly for yarn in lots.  Ebay was risky however, since there might be a distinctive smell to the yarn.  Was it in a house with pets, with smoking?  Eventually I stopped shopping at ebay for yarn.  I didn't like the potential for nasty surprises.

I've now progressed to a comfort zone of having enough yarn on hand to start two projects.  This means I've had to invest in storage containers, but the peace of mind is worth it. I'm a crochet fool and I'm proud of it.  And let's face it--yarn is probably the least dangerous substance I could be addicted to, as it only impacts my budget. ;)

birds on the balcony

This morning was another in a long line of episodes of pigeons invading my balcony.  The poor plastic owl that I have out there to discourage the birds seems to have no effect, and I suspect the pigeons make fun of him.  I don't know why the sound of bird wings is so incredibly irritating to me, but it is.  Add in any vocalization from the damn birds and I find myself longing for either a shotgun or a handful of tranquilizers.  Ultimately, I stood out on the balcony flapping my arms around imitating a demented scarecrow.  That seems to have scared them off for the time being...or until tomorrow.

On the positive side of my life, today I sent the contract in for the book to be published. :)

quiche

Made a good spinach and ham crustless quiche today.  I always felt like the crust on a quiche was pretty pointless as they so often ended up soggy.  This one turned out good.

Spinach and Ham Quiche

diced ham
diced onion
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 eggs
1/4 cup cream
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Cook together ham, onion, spinach.
Put cheese in pie plate. Add the spinach mix to the cheese and blend them.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Beat eggs and cream. Pour over everything.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top.
Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Woohoo

My book is actually going to be published!