a few Wednesday whatnots and wishes

in which our plucky heroine continues making progress in random directions...

~ Advent Swap day 27 ~

no monkeying around... today's tiny gift was these two Curious George fridge magnets

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I've been feeling sort of puny the last few days, sneezy and sort of achy, but not going forward even into ordinary cold or flu symptoms. I hope I didn't catch don't think it is the plague. I've taken a few of the home tests, with consistently negative results. I plumb hate the ongoing if self-imposed restriction and worry.

I've been wishing that the situation was different for what, almost 4 years now... I onder if the way things are now will be the story of the rest of my life. I hear my father's voice inside my head, when I would phone them in the years after the pandammit started and ask how they were doing... his invariable reply "just marking time". I just don't feel like I have so many more years that I don't bitterly begrudge the ongoing loss of what I might be able to give, and to enjoy.

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~ so colorful! ~

This scarf, my birthday gift from Sister Gigi, is a much wilder print than I would likely have chosen for myself, but I love it, and think it will be a great accent piece. I tried it on with some of my quieter neutral layers, and it really accented my eyes. I think it will look good with my new raincoat, as well

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While on assorted zoom meetings today I knit up an oak leaf and two acorns, then stitched them together and added a pinback to turn them into a brooch. My intention is to either replicate or create a whole passel of brooches to use for hat decorations. I still really miss the two hats I lost this year, the grey one with the Mexican abalone inlay horse brooch, and the blue one that had all sorts of floral and souvenir pins and brooches attached to the hatband. Those hats and memories are gone forever, but I can at least create new whimsy to brighten the world and my own spirits...

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 jars quince	kitchen plumbing	old plumbing
2	dried pears	heat pump installed	old furnace
3	dried persimmons	return vent vanes	high pitched whine
4	linen gauze privacy curtains	bedroom register	yard waste bin
5	tiny peach charm	bike flat tire	recycle bin
6	1-wire Laurel setting	restring necklace	x
7	"merry mathoms" stamp	x	x
8	white Pelican setting	x	x
9	knit acorn oakleaf brooch	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Egg drop soup makes a speedy and warming breakfast... I should remember this and make it more often
2. Today I was reminded that the Internet Archive is not just the Wayback Machine for looking up lost web content, but also has quite a few Grateful Dead shows in their library. ♡♡♡♡♡
3. I found half a ham hock in the freezer today. So I will be prepared to make my New Year's ceremonial foods* even though the grocery no longer makes them available. I thought to self, have a good rummage below the top layers and sure enough, I had some stashed away from a previous year. Good going Past Me... I had been cogitating on alternatives; non pork eaters could use a smoked turkey leg, vegetarians/vegans could just season the beans with some smoked paprika instead.
* black eyed peas with ham hock, greens, carrot "coins", and Sister Gigi's corn cakes (so round and golden)...

Time of Isolation - Day 1273