Good morning. And welcome to Thursday. I get into work about 7:30 each morning, by choice. I could come in as late as 9 but I like being able to go home at 3:30 while there's still some daylight left. It's full-on dark at 5 now. I like the quiet 45 minutes or so I get before my office mate gets in. I sit in the semidark with only the desk lamp on and check email, messages and catch up with blog friends. Then he comes in and says "light" and puts on the overhead fluorescent lights.

It amazed me how many people read Sark. I found Succulent Wild Woman at a conference I was attending. I picked it up because of the colorful cover and intriguing title. And I fell in love. It spoke to a part of my soul that was so lonely. It made me realize that all of the weird, silly things I have inside are also inside lots of other people. It brought new words into my vocabulary, like 'nappish'. I feel nappish often and now I have a word for it. I also own two other Sark books, one of them is Eat Mangoes Naked and the other is the Bodacious Book of Succulence. They are both colorful and fun to read. All of my girls have read them and I have given them to young women I know for birthdays and graduations. Even though I am an adult and don't need anyone's permission to do or act the way I want, it was freeing somehow to be told it was ok to be me. No matter what 'me' turns out to be, it's ok to be it.

I finished the first of Pk's christmas socks last night. He knows I am knitting him socks and wanted to try it on. He was sure it looked too small. It's just a plain toe up with a 4x4 ribbed cuff. No pattern, just knit till I ran out of yarn. He pulled it on his foot and said "ooooh". First time he's reacted that way. He likes the toe up style and the way it feels better than the heel flap. Thinks it fits better. Sigh. I had decided I didn't especially like toe up socks and this would be my last pair. I should know better. I'm glad he likes the way they feel. I like knitting for him.

You know how knitters are always participating in one swap or another? Well, Pk has a "swap" of a kind happening in December. It's called "galoot-a-clause". How manly is that? If you remember, galoots are people who use hand tools. So, Pk has a guy in Washington state who likes wooden planes (tools, not flying things) and we just happen to have an old wooden plane that we can give him to fix up (galoots like finding old tools and rehabbing them. I guess it's like finding an old sweater and ripping it apart and recycling the wool). I think it's interesting to see how alike craftspeople/artists are. The galoots are all supportive of each other and answer questions. Pk had one guy make me whorls for my spinning wheel and it only cost us postage. I think people who create with their hands are all the same inside. The pride/satisfaction of taking raw materials and turning them into something that is beautiful and useful is something that is indescribable. And I am priviledged to have met so many talented people and have benefited from their knowledge.

Well, I hope you all have a good day. It's cloudy here and looks like it might snow (one can only hope!) but the forecast says only brief flurries. I have to teach Crisis Management this afternoon so I am wearing jeans and sneakers. I think today I am doing the take down, and not being the one who is taken down. Small comfort. I still end up on the floor.....and I get to demonstrate restraints. This is way too much fun for any one person.