Everybody Loves a Baby
4:59 p.m. - 2003-08-20


I actually did put up all the rest of the apples and make pickle relish, which was excellent, if I say so myself. We got through the patch of hot weather and now it is more moderate, so I can go out back and watch my tomatoes die of the mysterious ailment. Even the ones in the carefully sterilized pots have it, and they never even touched the soil.

I finally got a Service Star award at work, my first ever. I was nominated by......Dougie!!! It was because of the time I ran those docs over to the county and saved their rears, but plenty of other people have run to the county, so I don't know what the big deal was, and too bad it was only an award, because lets face it, money talks!

The door man came and we can now exit through the back door. Over the weekend, the spouse went out and shut the door to the deck, thereby locking himself out, and was complaining about it after I let him back in. Needless to say, I had a good laugh at his expense. But the cosmos is fickle, and Monday I went out to water said tomato plants, and the door shut behind me, totally locking me out of the house without a kindly wife to let me back in. So I puttered around, thinking that he might be home soon and was glad it was not 103 degrees. He was home in 10 minutes, so my timing was good anyway. This time he had a good laugh at my expense. He has tried to fix the door several times, but has been hampered by the lousy parts that are available, the wheels only last a few weeks. The fixer-man did an excellent job, and now we won't throw our backs out trying to open that door.

I am realizing that B's baby is due in about a month, and they are going to have a surprise shower at the office for her, so I better get busy knitting something. This works out well, because I have been feeling like knitting something new and baby things are fun because they are small and quick. I have always meant to build up a stock of baby items so that I have something ready when these things happen, but no, I have nothing. I do have one sweater that just needs buttons, but it is a size 6, so that is stretching the point a little, even though it is a lovely sweater in white with a knitted lace collar. I have an American Girl Doll sweater, but nobody's baby is that small. Oh, I know, I have been wanting to try that wallaby pattern which has been languishing on my shelf for years, so I will check it and see if you can make a size 2 or so.

He just picked a whole lug of plums off that scrawny little Italian plum tree in the front yard. Now I have to do something with them. They are prune plums so I may get out the dehydrator and give it a try.

Tonight I am going to Jason's and eat leftover tamales from the birthday dinner, and if I am lucky, strawberry shortcake.