Massacre Monkeys

The yarn is from the first shipment in the 2009 Cables & Lace Sock Club. The colorway is called Valentine's Day Massacre. The pattern is Monkey from Knitty.com. Thus, Massacre Monkeys. I made a pair of Monkeys last year, but they shrank in the wash and I gave them to Erika, who has smaller feet. These Monkeys will never shrink in the wash because I am only going to hand wash them. Ever.



Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. The sun is shining, and I'm not used to that. Here's a close-up.

Chipmunk vs. Librarian

Yesterday there was a chipmunk running loose in the library. It came running in through an open staff door when a staff member went out to empty the book drop. The chipmunk was immediately spotted by several staff members and one patron, who tried unsuccessfully to herd it out the still-open door, at great personal risk. The wily chipmunk faked toward the door and then darted ever-deeper into the staff area.

It took four staff members about fifteen minutes to barricade the chipmunk under a desk where it found a delightful assortment of long-forgotten snack chips and crackers. The chipmunk could be heard softly crunching on the discarded snack items while the librarians quietly panicked nearby. Chipmunk - 1; Librarians - 0.

It was at this point that I remarked to a coworker, "This reminds me of the time when there was a cell phone in the toilet and no one would call a plumber," (more on that story at a later date). My coworker then called animal control. She also notified the acting supervisor of the problem. Finally.

Our acting supervisor confidently took control of the situation by putting a sign on the barricade reading CHIPMUNK UNDER BOX - DO NOT MOVE. Several of the library workers began to speculate that the chipmunk might have by this point escaped. Chipmunk - 2; Librarians - 1.

Eventually animal control dispatched two uniformed police officers, guns and all, to remove the dangerous creature from the building. Chipmunk - 0; Police - WIN.

Postscript: Later in the day I spotted the chipmunk dashing toward the sliding glass doors at the front of the library. Thankfully a chipmunk is not large enough to trigger the motion sensor that opens the door. When the chipmunk was unable to gain access to the building it jumped into the shrubbery. Will we see it again? Possibly, now that it knows we have such delicious snacks.

Vernal

Is spring finally coming? Dare I even think it? About a week ago it was snowing, and last year we even had snow in April. But for many days now there has been no frost on my car in the morning, and the highs have even been in the 50's. There are other signs as well:



If I remember correctly these should be beautiful, big tulips. I can't remember what color they are, but I know they're tulips; daffodils would already be out and blooming. And then there are these:



Buds forming on the, what are they, rhododendrons? I think. If Mother Nature is polite we should soon have crowds of flowers. And that would lighten the mood considerably. Already there's still some daylight left when I get home from work (thanks, Daylight Saving!) and the seasonal beers for spring are starting to show up in the stores. In a couple of months I should be lounging on my back porch after work with a beer while Nico grills my dinner.

Well, I can hope, can't I?

The seasonal change isn't the only thing brightening my spirits. There's a new rumor going around at work that we might all get to keep our jobs. Our hours might be cut but we should still have jobs. This news is unbelievably good, if it's true. And if it isn't, well, Olympia is allegedly getting a Trader Joe's soon. Maybe I could work there. Wasabi peas, anyone?

Leftovers

These are the Leftovers socks, because I made them with the yarn I had leftover from my knee-high lacy socks from a couple of years ago. There was more than enough for a regular pair of socks and I could have even made these a little taller, but I was ready to be done with them. The Leftovers socks were supposed to be plain and quick, like their namesake. Instead they have taken me forever which is mostly because of my failure to focus. But they're done now. Plain stockinette with a picot cuff and bind-off. The yarn was from Fearless Fibers, Kildare colorway. They are sooo soft and comfy. In the few short hours I have worn them they have become my favorite socks. Yum.

Day 621

Day 621 of Our Northwestern Adventure.

Today I calculated that Olympia has about 310 days every year where the sky is either completely, mostly, or partly cloudy. Most of those days are completely cloudy. That means that it is cloudy here 85% of the year.

85%.

That's a lot more than 75%.