In which moving is a pain, but instead of whining about it I decide to talk about other things.

So. First of all, I made this little ribbon substitute for a friend's birthday last month. I was shipping her gift to Tennessee, and was reluctant to either send it off with no bow or one that might be squashed between states. Anyhow it turned out rather well, and I wanted to use it for a yarn along post but I kept missing Wednesdays.

Imagining this much tea in one place nearly short-circuited my brain with happiness. 

Wednesday was my birthday, so I went to the museum and took pictures of old cars and hotel registers and things. It was great. I hadn't been since they built a new building for it a few years ago, which had made me feel like a fraud of a museum-lover. To be honest though, I think I liked it better the way it was. Not that it isn't fun and wonderful now, but before it was just as fun and wonderful, although smaller. And it was very quaint and inviting. The atmosphere of the new building is, to my mind, too industrial.

And on Thursday I took Mishka to the fountain park for the first time. He was intimidated by them at first but warmed up to the idea quickly, though not quickly enough to prevent his stuffed elephant from getting soaked. It was a successful outing. Mishka was well behaved and adorable, and my display of healthy-but-good-tasting snack packing and child management skills made me feel like super-nanny. Which is just a couple of steps below Mary Poppins.

...

In other news, I had planned a giveaway for this week in honour of my birthday, but I've just moved and don't know where anything is. So that will happen as soon as I've found it.

Also, I have ordered a Miss Juniper Kitty softie kit from Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy. Though I have (very) meager sewing skills I have not yet begun to panic, even though this means I shall have to make frequent trips to the fabric store to use their sewing machines. I am buoyed up on a wave of completely unjustifiable self-confidence. The recipient is still undecided, but as I shopped I found myself listing all the little girls in my parish. "I could give it to Hannah. Or Abbie. Or Ava or Giovanna... Goodness if I turn out to be good at this I can order more and make one for each!" Oh my, such enthusiasm. We'll see how it's holding up when I have to do the sleeves.

Surviving Mother's Day, finally.

Sunday was Mother's Day here. The maple syrup candy was well received, to say the least, and I found a card that says "Mom, you were right about everything" on the front and "there, I said it" on the inside, which sums up our relationship rather well.

That morning at church after the liturgy we had a little party in the hall, which was lovely. (There is a new family who just joined the parish, and the grandmother is absolutely brilliant at planning these things.) There was lunch and cake, and the pastor put on his go-to party music. It's a polka cd, and something of a parish joke by now. They also had a tray of these pretty drinks on the table, each with a strawberry in it. I couldn't tell whether they were iced tea or punch, but I was incredibly thirsty and didn't much care. So I picked one up and took a large sip.

It was wine.

This is where I mention that, while I am old enough to drink alcohol in almost every country in the world, the one I live in is not one of them.

Oops. It was quite a shock actually, to someone expecting iced tea.

But luckily one doesn't usually die of embarrasment, and I survived. I'm very glad I did, because I ended up going out to dinner with my family. Now, my poor dad has tried to take my mom out for Mother's Day nearly every year since I was born. Different places, different cities and states, but no matter what we end up doing it has always been a complete and utter disaster, often of grand proportions. Last year we tried staying in, and even that didn't go well.

So this year we decided to go to one of the local Thai restaurants, because it's close, the people are absolutely lovely and recognise us since we've been there so many times, and we hadn't tried it for Mother's Day yet. (It also happens to be my favourite restaurant in existence.) My dad called ahead to check if they were closed or packed. We got ourselves ready. We drove over. We arrived, were seated, and had dinner.

And nothing terrible occurred.

Miracles are real.

Lately, I have been...

Finishing the food from this year's Easter basket. This year's cream cheese with pepper corns, pictured above, came out better than last year's, but the colour photos were all awful.

Valiantly not devouring all of my boss' candy, which is made of only pure cane syrup and pure maple syrup and just might be the Best Thing Ever. I had to get some for my mom for Mothers' Day. Shh.

Back at the Children's Museum. Quite a bit. (Note: Photographs taken whilst having fun are often blurry.) The elephant is Eli, Mishka's absolutely definitely positively Favourite Object on Earth. If anything ever happens to it, none of us will ever sleep again.

Under the bridge.

And over it. Just on the other side of those trees and buildings is the ocean. You can see it from the top of the bridge, but I was too slow with my camera and missed it.

Blowing lots of bubbles.

Driving English style in the grocery store cart. The seat belt on the left side was broken.

And also...

Not crocheting. For shame.

My turn: Ten Random Things

Annie did one, and I thought it was a good idea. Besides, an assortment of random things... that's basically my life right now. I still haven't quite gotten over  my disappointment that I had a post all planned out for Palm Sunday, but then got sick and never wrote it. But never fear, I shall still photograph the pussywillows, just because I love them. But I digress.

So here it is, ten random facts about myself:

1. I love history, but have always been rubbish at remembering dates. The only one I know straight off is d-day, and only because it's two days after my birthday (except for the year, of course).

2. My favourite author is J.R.R. Tolkien, and although I am known for being fond of The Lord of the Rings, I have in fact read almost everything he ever wrote that was published. Someone once told me that I was very Elven, and I almost died of happiness.

3. I will eat almost any vegetable, but I can't stand cauliflower, zucchini, or squash.

4. When I was four years old I was walking with my parents to church, since we lived just down the road at the time, and fell into a storm drain. My dad looked into it after they pulled me out (I was holding onto the edge) and says it would have been about a forty foot drop to the bottom.

5. I have been fascinated by names as long as I can remember, and keep lists of my favourites sorted by gender and order of preference. Somehow I tend to be much choosier with boy names; there are only six on that list and eleven on the girl list.

6. My paternal grandfather ran away from home when he was about ten or twelve, and was a child hobo during the Great Depression. He also always claimed that he had no middle name. Well, last year my father's cousin found an old picture of him when he was in the military, and it had his full name on the back. It turns out that his middle name was Jack. Now his first name, the one that he admitted to, was Herman. I ask you, how does that make any sense?

7. I don't know why, but I can't stand people touching my hair. So far the only ones I've been alright with doing it are my mother and my aunt the hairdresser.

8. At one point I seriously considered becoming a philologist. Then I found out that it involves graduate school and whatnot, and I just don't have the patience for that. Or the funds.

9. I am double jointed in certain places. The most obvious one is my ability to bend my fingers backwards. 

10. I have always wanted red hair. I blame it on my cousin, who is a gorgeous ginger. (Once, several years ago, she dyed it brown. I nearly had a heart attack.)

...

There you have it. Also, that pelican at the top was something I photographed in January while on a little excursion with visiting relatives. He was the only bird who stayed to pose for me.

Tiny people are amusing.

We went to the Children's Museum, which it turns out is basically one large indoor fun factory. Because small Michaels may be happy anywhere so long as they have a train, but nannies get cabin fever. This was our second trip, so we were a bit smarter. It's half price after 2pm. And little miss nanny remembered to bring a drink for herself too this time. Nice move, that.

So we go in, and at first he was struck again by the muchness of it all, but next thing you know he's making stew for sailors. And frying cabbage. Yum.

We also drove a fire truck.

But my favourite moment, I think, was outside in the garden/playground:
"Wa's dis?"
"That? It's an ant."
"Ooh. Hi."
Ants are tough creatures. I think it survived being petted.

He tried to pet some pigeons later on.

I've also noticed that people tend to be befuddled whenever they hear me call him Mishka. It's a Slavic pet form of Michael, because pet forms are adorable and I don't like 'Mike'. Perhaps it's because it ends with 'a' and they might be taking it for a girl's name?

Anyway, we went for a walk afterward, and I stopped to take pictures of flowers. Of course I did.