A Week Alone

Last Saturday, I put Tim, the 21-year old on a train into the Bay Area to spend a week with his dad and brother.  I can't remember the last time I was alone for an extended period of time.  My head was whirling with all the possibilities that lay ahead.  What was I going to do? What would you do?

First, I did some cleaning.  How do we collect all the nonsense we collect?  There are moments when I envy my sister, Toni, she seems to have the uncanny ability to gather absolutely no clutter in her life.  I wonder if it is the curse of a creative mind to gather little wisps of things, with some creative endeavor in mind.

Then, I did some baking.  Not a lot, just a try at some orange, butter cupcakes.  They were light, they were moist, they were packed off to the neighbors as treats.  How is it possible, that with all the cupcake liners I thought I had, I found I only had Christmas ones?

I went to have my nerve test done on my arm.  It's a little archaic what they do to you.  Seriously, being zapped with electricity, is not my idea of a fun trip.  The final diagnosis, apparently there is some damage to the Ulnic nerve, which explains the numbness in my pinkie and ring finger.  It doesn't seem to be severe, although the right hand is definitely weaker then the left.  There is a possibility, since I haven't been working, that there has been improvement over the last month.  Again, it's a wait and see prognosis.

Finally, I did some knitting....
There were eggs and chicks for Easter.

These great basic socks, that I made shorter then normal, because even though it was 50g of yarn, when I wound it up it didn't look like it was going to possibly give me a 6 inch leg out of each skein, so I went shorter.  I love the striping on this yarn!  I'm calling them Raspberry Sticks, because that's what they make me think of. Of course, there's more then enough left over yarn to have done the longer leg.  Murphy @ work.  The leftovers will become booties.

Matinee jackets for Chuck and his wife's twins that are due in a couple of weeks.  I haven't done the seaming or blocking yet. Nor for that matter the I cords. One, of the two bears that need to be finished for their shower.  As you can see, the one bear still needs eyes and a nose. I'm sure you can guess, they're having a boy and a girl.  It will be numbers 10 & 11 for their "Brady" family.

I sent out the requisite 7 resumes this week.  No response so far, 28 applications/resumes, not one single response.  Sheesh, a girl could get discouraged.  I'd settle for a rejection letter at this point.

While knitting the jackets for the twins, I realized that I adore vintage/classic wear for babies.  I think they are sweet, elegant, and so right!  So, I spent several hours (okay it was really about 15) @ the library looking through microfiche copies of magazines from the 40's, 50's and 60's to research the styles for babies/toddlers during those eras.  Not to mention the time on the internet looking @ existing vintage patterns.  The result of all of this homework?  Stay tuned, my first design is on the drawing board.

Tim came home today.  Instead of riding the train, his dad gave him a ride home.  Chris, my 24 year old came along for the ride.  I was so thrilled to see him, it's been about 6 months since I saw him last.  It's good to see his sweet face again.  He took some of his "stuff" from the garage. Yeah! more free space, less clutter!  He also escaped with two new hats, a navy blue cashmerino beanie and a grey bamboo/silk slouch.  I better get busy on more stocking stuffers for this year.

So, let me ask again, what would you do if you had 7 days to yourself?