We're Still Not in Kansas Anymore...

But I still have stories and photos. First, the delightful Marianne:

In one hand she has the newly acquired stash enhancement, in the other....well.....see this meter?Yeah...we didn't. At least, not until AFTER the hour and a half shopping spree. Oops. Something about knitters and yarn stores...especially those with "barn" in the name which, let's face it, does suggest a certain wealth of yarn just begging to be explored. Note that she is smiling. That's because the total fee on the ticket was exactly $2.00. Yep. $2.00. Beats me why anyone bothers to feed the meter around there (there, by the way, is Lawrence, KS, Faren. Sorry I didn't tell you yesterday...but you're right. You need to go there. Can't you just hear the wool calling you?). The meters in Seattle are so expensive that it would actually be cheaper to take the ticket....mind you, I suspect that the tickets here might also be slightly more expensive. And I doubt that the local traffic court judges accept wool fumes as an extenuating circumstance (which is just wrong...).

Okay, so I did do a few other things besides the yarn crawl. On Saturday we went with my SIL, her hubby, and her son to the new WWI museum in Kansas City, which was really a great experience. If you're in that area, don't miss it. Of course, trust me to emerge from the museum with my camera securely attached to my wrist....and not one photo. (Not much in the way of brain cells, either, apparently...but this no longer surprises me.) Being that I am a Knitingale, I was drawn to the section with medical equipment and supplies. Then I had a serious attack of the willies at the mere thought of being treated with some of that stuff. Kind of amazing anyone made it out alive.

From there we went to lunch where I did exactly what might be expected if a person were foolish enough to go on a four day trip with one pair of jeans, all the more so if they were favorite jeans. Yep. Big old blob of barbecue sauce. Which was made all the better that evening by the addition of a blob of butter that night at dinner on the other leg. Oh yeah. You definitely want to dine out with me. I'll bet Emily Post would come to me for etiquette advice if she only knew of my keen prowess. The next morning found me tearing around Target, desperately trying to find an inexpensive pair of jeans that didn't make my ass look like two wrestling pigs, or my thighs like blue sausages. (who wears a size one, anyway? That's not a size, it's the age at which I last fit into anything that small). Success was marginal...but it got me through the rest of the trip. During which I only ate non drippy food. While leaning over the plate. With about a thousand napkins on my lap. The gods must not have been at their best, though, because the really humerous thing then would have been to spill on my shirt.

We had a gift exchange and my OM (other mom) almost made me cry with her gift of a mug that says "Nurse" on it; I love that she believes I'll make it. If you're reading this, thanks , Mom. I'll try to make you proud. My sister-by-other-parents (sister in law) also made me want to cry with a photo album that says "Sisters" on the front and a picture of us together inside. I'm looking forward to adding to it....assuming both of us can actually agree on a picture that we don't think makes us look fat, sleepy, old, goofy, or whatever. Cameras and I....it's a long war. I'd rather not talk about it.

The next day took us to Union Square shopping where I bought a stuffed Kansas cow (gotta add to the herd) and managed to eat without spilling on myself. Twice. It was a banner day. Speaking of cows, Marianne brought me one, too--a little one with an udder. It's so darned cute I can hardly stand it.

Let's see...what else....I wanted to include a photo of OM, but she craftily dodged the camera. Next time....next time. I'm a patient woman. I did manage a photo of her cat Toots who evidently shares Grace's love of packing:

And, just in case you can't tell how huge she is:

It's a good thing she's sweet...otherwise, we'd be seeing headlines about the cat that swallowed Kansas.

And before I finish, I have to say this: I went to check my grades online today and I got 4.0 in each of my three classes. Oh, yeah. I am one happy chiquita. Now, if I can just do that 8 more times......