Lovely Long Weekend

It was a wonderful long weekend. I'm so sorry it's taken two weeks to post anything. I've been up to no good as usual.
(sigh) - It's possible you all may need to perform an intervention. Is there a 12-step program for this? I'm supposed to be on a yarn diet with a few other people. But what are you supposed to do when you get THE BEST BOOK EVER!?I spent all weekend knitting, crocheting. I also bought The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches. "over 900 great stitches..." Yessssss! I actually checked this book out from the Library first - and realized it needed it for my library, and well, that's a slippery slope. That's how I came to own the other one. But I was good - there was another one I wanted - all about knitting little sea creatures, but I restrained myself - maybe next month. Ya never know when you're going to have to knit a squid for someone.
This is what my couch looked like tonight before clean up. I checked out a ton of dvds from the library - The Streets of Laredo, Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Indiana Jones, Motherland Afghanistan, Men in Black, Space Cowboys, The Incredibles - good knitting stuff. We curled up and knitted. I was productive too - in addition to all the flowers, I crocheted this scarf. Well, it's only half of a scarf at the moment - it's for a book I'm doing with my students. I need to take pictures of it - which I would be doing right now, but the battery in the camera died. It's charging. This is how Jacques occupied his time: That's hard on the knees - let me tell you. He actually had a rough weekend. On Friday we had to go see the Vet. :( Not his favorite thing to do. At. All. Let me tell you. She talked me into giving him all of the vaccinations. I don't want to do this because my other kittie died a horrible death from the rabies vaccine that gave him cancer. Well, in the last four years things have changed, and they administer them differently which is good. But she didn't tell me what would happen on Saturday. Scared the crap out of me.
Jacques slept downstairs that night and wasn't waiting at the door for me in the morning. I called and called, he didn't come. When I finally found him, he looked miserable. He didn't want to eat - he just meowed pitifully, and didn't want to do anything, not even go outside. I called the vet, they said it was pretty normal but if things didn't improve to bring him in on Monday. Well, things did clear up - and he came upstairs and wanted to curl up with me. I was so relieved. I still worry about him a bit though. I thought his winter fur was coming in well but he's been so lovey dovey, and cozying up - I think he's cold. Maybe he needs a sweater.....
And I wasn't a complete recluse. I did get out.

On Sunday I went to the Shell Show at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Eat your hearts out.

Apparently it's an annual thing, and I can't wait to go next year, Ann are you coming? (Ann is a shell lover). Now - I make fun of this because we have this great German expression: Es gibt sachen die gibts garnicht - which just doesn't translate - but basically - gist of it is - there's stuff that exists you would never guess existed. This is one of them. There is a show, an art contest - best shell art, Best Sailor's Valentines, (google these things), best collection, best specimen, best fossilized shell - and on and on. And there are some serious ribbons too. None of these cheap little dinky ones - we're talking full rosettes, three part ribbons, gold foil stamped. Wow. Then downstairs are the vendors. Oh dear. I cannot get sucked into this world. There were a few things I had to buy. They were cheap!
I bought a Nautilus "pair" The same shell cut in half, the giant tonnat thing - and a smaller one. These are the same shells I found piles of in Australia - just not as big. Yes - that's my cell phone there to give you an idea of the size of this thing.

When I got home, Jacques helped me unpack. Sorry the picture is blurry - but it was too cute to resist.
Okay - that camera battery should be charged now - I've got to get this book printed! It's due tomorrow. I can't believe how much I'm slacking on this.