I was wrong about the reason KR was not accessible - the front door was just busted. I was able to get into it through Google and through Clara's blog. Nevermind.

The VK is on its way to a new owner in Georgia - I'll ship it media mail this week, it shouldn't take more than a few days.

It has been an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous weekend here, cloudless skies, low humidity, endless sunshine, temps in the 70s. My windows are open, the trees are rustling with the very strong breeze that has been blowing for days, the pond is burbling, the cats are sleeping, it's just so lovely.

I washed my filthy car yesterday. It should be illegal for me to own a WHITE car - it was charcoal gray and pollen covered and mildewed at the edges. I cleaned it for over an hour and never got to the interior. But at least it's actually white now. Mostly. Today I tackled the pond filter, and the water is now flowing freely. I actually put on shorts to let my undead-white legs get some air and light today. I also discovered I don't hate capri pants as much as I'd thought - I finally found a pair that is about the right length (though an inch shorter would be even better). I hate the ones that look like baggy pants chopped 6 or 8 inches above the ankle - they call them capris but they're really those stupid cropped pants, they look ridiculous and flatter no one, IMHO. The ones I found aren't Audrey Hepburn perfect, but they're relatively flattering and I can wear them in public on the weekend without feeling too stupid. Hence the need to get some sun on my legs, or it'll look like I'm wearing my capri pants with white pantyhose - another thing I would ticket if I were the Fashion Police. Navy suit, dark shoes, white hose. What are these women thinking? Unless you are eight and making your First Communion, white stockings are always a big mistake.

Now for a tale of knitting frustration. I had hoped to show everybody a picture of the "Tulip Lace" shawl in Patons Katrina, which I have been working on for two days. I have ripped it THREE times. It's not a difficult pattern, I am simply unable to concentrate on it long enough to complete an entire pattern repeat (eight rows) without something going wrong. This afternoon I was blasting through it, on around row 24, feeling good, it was turning out perfectly (unlike the previous times) and then...the phone rang. I know I shouldn't have answered it, I know I should have let it go to voicemail, but I picked it up while in the middle of the most challenging row of this really simple pattern (after three times I knew it by now, right? I should be able to make listening noises into the phone and continue the row, right?) Wrong. I got sucked into one of those inane, brain-numbing conversations that neverfrigginends and never had a purpose to begin with, and though I tried to make my contribution minimal, when I finally extricated myself I looked at the pattern and saw that I had screwed it up. Somewhere. I couldn't quite tell where, but suddenly things were off-kilter (the rows of "tulips" - they look like chevrons to me - weren't in rows anymore). Patons Katrina is a nice yarn, I think it would be excellent as a tank - it has a lot of stretch, which I didn't expect, and it's very soft and has a lovely sheen. What it isn't is easy to un-knit, in a pattern that is just full of increases, decreases and yarn-overs. It's springy and also floppy - I couldn't back out of it to fix the mistake. It was easier to rip it. So maybe the FOURTH time will be the charm. This is why I like mindless knitting - like I need this frustration on a Sunday afternoon, before the next hectic work week begins?

But the fourth time ain't happening today - I've had sun and yard work and I'm ready for a cat blankie and TV and a beer.