Well . . . we had our first frost warning of the season last night. Yep, that's right: This year, the frost came on October 24, and I'm not sure it was very hard around our house anyway.

Last weekend it was in the 70s - actually hit 80 on Sunday. I sat outside in a chair next to the Miata, knitting while Emil futzed around drilling holes to attach bolts to secure the hard top for the winter. It was a bit bizarre; it was a day for putting the top down, not battening the hatches.

My bike ride has been wonderful as usual, and today was especially nice: Bright sunshine and crisp, cold air for a change. The leaves look very weird around here; there are many trees that haven't started turning at all mixed in with ones that have lost all their leaves, and others that have partially turned.

I have to say, going swimming on my birthday really has made me relax a bit about the loss of snow. (I'm thinking that this might be the year that we really don't get any . . . but then, I've thought that for several years now and so far I've been wrong.)

Other than that, not much to report. I'm surprisingly content for this part of the semester - usually I feel overwhelmed at this point, but this year I feel like I have a handle on things, somewhat. I hope this makes for a pleasant November! (November and February vie for "Worst Month of the Year," imho.)

I've been cranking along on the knitting, but no pix, alas. Emil gave me a bunch of yarn for my birthday, which I'm going to start knitting up this weekend; I need to buy some needles before I can get started. I feel quite conflicted about buying needles; I have so-ooo much knitting stuff that it seems wasteful. But OTOH, I don't really have long circular needles in the size I want, and although I could knit the garment on straight needles . . . I'd just rather not. (I'm making a sweater and I want to do it in the round because I hate seaming so much.)

Next weekend is the Ann Arbor Fiber Expo, at the A2 Farm Council grounds. Louise and I are thinking of going. I feel ambivalent about that, too. Ever since Emil's gotten his job in Lansing and we're back to a pre-layoff income level, I've been feeling nostalgic for The Deuce. If we lived there now, I'd be thinking, "Oh, how cool that this awesome fiber festival is happening in MY CITY!" So of course now I'm thinking, "Why don't we live there any more?" (I need to go back and re-read the beginning of this entry, where I talk about the bike ride in to work this morning.) I really think I need to get over myself . . . And I really want to go to this festival because I've promised myself I can get a drop spindle from a particular vendor there, who has agreed to teach me how to use it. (Part of my plan to spin up some Wally Wool. No kidding. Don't laugh.)

Ah, well. I'd better get back to you-know-what . . . (Sysiphus was a writing teacher, I'm sure of it. )