On an upswing

Just when I think I need to grab a paper bag and breathe into it deeply, lots of little things come along that remind me that things always get better.

For instance, apparently the noise that my car makes when starting is nothing to worry about. Hear that? "Nothing to worry about." No cost, won't drain my bank account: nothing to worry about. Just a natural noise that my car makes after it's a few years old. It will start when I need it to. I won't be stranded. Life is good.

And tonight I got home and found myself with a few free hours before meeting up with friends for dinner. In that short span of time, I was a task-completing machine. Well oiled. Efficient. Focused.

One of the tasks that I had neglected thus far was the selection of music for my annual Christmas CD. I enjoy making the CDs. I enjoy giving them to my family and friends. However, with my "to do" list growing daily and my calendar booked solid, it was becoming more of a "chore" than a "joy". So, tonight I drug out my boxes of holiday music and started making my selections. And, before I knew it, there they were: 14 songs ready to become the 2006 version of Ragged's Christmas CD.

With a few minutes to spare, I pulled out my rain coat and prepared to greet the wet, cold weather. As I reached into my pocket, I found $4.52. See, things are looking up. . .

If I could only come up with a Christmas wish list to guide my beloved.

Above you see my yarn purchases from Wednesday night. Moving clockwise from the bottom right, the brown and blue yarn is Andes wool in Color 16, destined to be a scarf for me. The pale green is Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, which will soon be a flower-shaped wash cloth; the green and burgundy is Malabrigo Merino Wool in the China colorway; last, but not least in green is Araucania Natural Wool in Color 40.