One of the things that I like about Saturdays is that I get to get up when I want to, not when the clock that sits next to my head on the bookshelf says I have to.  Well, most Saturdays.  Yesterday, Calvin and Hobbes made their presence well known by deciding to give themselves loud, lip smacking baths right on my bed as I was trying to enjoy what was left of a dream that I can't remember but I know was a good one.  I don't know what it is about male cats and licking themselves (Pk says they do it because they can) but my female cats never made this much noise!

Since I was awake (thanks guys) I decided to go to an estate sale with Pk.  It was in our neighborhood and their ad said "nothing over 20 dollars".   The house was tiny.  One small living/dining room and a tiny bedroom and miniscule kitchen.  Nothing much interesting but I did buy a gravy boat (we are forever breaking ours) and this.  For 5$ I got a Sunbeam bread machine.  Now, I have a bread machine that I love but it hasn't been working well so I jumped at the chance to buy a rather new looking one for only 5 dollars.  I asked the guy if it worked and he said "yep, my mother used it all the time" (What was he going to say,"no, it's a worthless piece of crap")? 

I brought it home and washed the pan and prepared to try it out.  In went warm water, butter, salt, yeast, flour and an egg.  I set the type of bread and pushed the button and .....Nothing.  Some noise but nothing.  It was making sounds just like our old breadmaker.  That seemed odd to me and I asked Pk to look at it.  He took it away and was back in about 15 minutes to tell me that a belt had come off and viola!  It works!  He then looked at the other one and what do you know?  The belt had come off of that one too.  (seems to be an epidemic).   He fixed them both and I gave Kate the one I just bought to put in her "box of stuff for moving out".  I took the flour mixture and kneaded it up by hand and baked it and now we have a nice loaf of bread for toast for breakfast.  Kate tried out her new machine by making some chocolate chip banana bread.  It was a yeast bread and not a quick bread so the texture was different, but still mighty tasty. 

Kate and I spent the afternoon putting up the "orange stuff" as she calls it.  It's the decorations for Fall.  We found this lighted pumpkin lantern at the dollar store.  Isn't he cute?  We put up lights on the outside of the front window (orange) and our favorite bits and bobs.  I love the splashes of color.

And speaking of splashes of color, the FedEx man brought me a package that had this lovely turquoise yarn in it.  It's from the ever wonderful Roxie.  She sent me a hug and with it this skein of Silkie Socks That Rock.  It feels so nice.......And look, it's posing on some autumn colored sparklies. 

It was a good day.  I spun up another alpaca skein for Pk's sweater.  He rubs it against his face and smiles.  That makes me happy.  And friends from far away sending warm wishes (and soft yarn!) makes me happy, too. And I have a whole day to spend how I wish.  Happiness all round.