Ah, less online time is just what the sanity doctor ordered. I slept so well last night - still bothered by what I call "stress dreams" - dreams that are not restful but are "busy" and a comical, scrambled reflection of what I've been doing all day - but last night was better. I think I owe some of the improvement to taking Estroven PMS - that stuff really does help. This borders on TMI, but in addition to a FIVE POUND weight gain this month, the insomnia and PMS-induced weird dreams were spinning out of control. Those Estroven PMS things really do help me - I was quite cynical when I tried them, but now I'm a believer.

I'm cranking along on the Harlot Poncho, it's the perfect TV watching pattern, it's like knitting on an oval track - I slow down just a tad at the yarn overs, to take a look and see if I'm on a YO row or a knit row, then pick up speed on the straightaway, knitting like hell to the next turn. I may have this baby done by the end of the week.

FCEK Holiday Edition - some nice stuff, including a ballet wrap sweater in Patons Classic Wool, which I happen to have in my stash. I don't care for the contrasting blanket stitch trim, though. I'm thinking a plain olive wrap sweater, and wondering if I could live through that much seed stitch without losing my mind.

If it's fall it must be time for Girlchild to quit her job again. Her love-hate relationship with the pizza restaurant has turned sour again, and I don't blame her, too many hours for too little money, she'd do better working a seasonal job at The Gap. She has to do her fulltime internship this spring so she would have been leaving the pizza place anyway. We're on the home stretch of her college education, yee-haa!

After cleaning the pond filter over and over and freaking OVER, the water is now clear and lovely, and the fish are frolicking. The fence still isn't fixed. We are still up to our collective ass in "debris piles" - hurricane trash, mountains of brown branches and downed trees everywhere. FEMA hopes to have it all picked up by Thanksgiving. I was in my bedroom the other day and noticed how incredibly sunny it was - and realized that it's because the trees have been stripped of so many leaves and branches, they no longer give any shade. Hurricanes are extreme tree trimmers.

And the weather is changing, just a wee tiny bit. While other parts of the country are dropping into the 30s, we are going to drop into the 60s at night, mid-80s during the day. After the summer in hell, I'm really looking forward to working in the yard and taking long walks. I think this evening I may dig my bicycle out of the corner of the garage where it has been languishing, and see if I'm capable of tuning it up myself, or if it's too far gone, I'll haul it to the bike shop and let the pros have at it. I bought the bike the year before my husband got sick, rode it a few times, then never got the chance again. I didn't get to it last winter, with all the business trips and home stuff, but I think it's bike riding time again.

My little timekeeper says it's time for me to get into the shower and get ready for work. He's right.