The Goose is getting fat

The weather here in Kansas has been pretty icky for the last week, so to cheer me and possibly you up I'll put in a picture from my recent trip to Australia. This is from Tasmania off the shore of Oyster Bay near Freycinet National Park. While it was still fairly chilly while we were there, it was better than the last few days here.

It's not just the goose that's getting fat. I have been busy sampling and tasting things as I've been preparing for Christmas dinner. I'm not being very traditional this year. There will just be three or four of us friends, who have all been at my house a number of times to share holidays with my family. I made the decision early this year to do no traveling over the Christmas season and, because of the weather, I'm so glad I did.

We will just enjoy (I hope) Beef Daube with penne pasta au gratin, broccoli with optional cheese sauce, homemade Ciabatta, tossed salad and an apple salad. For dessert I'm making gingerbread trifle and a pumpkin pie. That should be enough for the four of us!

I have started knitting again. I have two projects in train. I'm working on the second sock. The first one seemed to go a lot smoother. At this rate, I'll never get the second one done. I'm also trying out a dishcloth pattern that is way more intricate than need be. Not only does it have a four row repeat, but row four includes a p3t. I hate purling anyway, and then to have to jam three stitches on and get them all off at once is just plain painful. At least the yarn feels good.

Gadding about

My daughter and son-in-law (and grand-dog) are down for a long weekend. While they are here we have an abititous schedule of activities planned. On Thursday we went to the exhibit of The Tsar and The President, which compares and contrasts Tsar Alexander II of Russia and President Abraham Lincoln of the US. This glimpse in some interconnected history was very interesting for people me who has an interest, but not much more than a smattering of the background. I had known that Alexander II had freed the serfs, as Lincoln had freed the slaves, but I had never connected the time lines.



I just finished knitting my first sock. Why, you might ask, would anyone need to knit socks when you can buy ones that wear well, aren't lumpy, and don't cost that much anyway. In my case the answer is because. I've been knitting for awhile and was ready for something a little more challenging than a scarf or simple sweater. Socks go relatively quickly. The biggest challenge may be making the second one the same size as the first.



Just finished reading A Dog Named Christmas by local author Greg Kincaid. We went to his book signing Wednesday night in the pouring rain, but there was still a nice group of people there for this, his first novel. The book is a heartwarming one about a developmentally challenged young man, Todd, who hears that the local animal shelter is looking for temporary hosts for the animals over the Christmas holidays. Todd becomes an advocate first with his reluctant family and then with the town to give these animals homes. This is for those people who like their Christmas stories uplifting and upbeat. It would be a great gift book for the animals lovers and families on your Christmas list.