Wishing you a wonderful 2009!

Things over here on the blog might be a wee bit quiet over the next few weeks. I've got this thing (called a book deadline) and well, it turns out that I'm letting myself get distracted too often! From now until the projects are done, I need to knit. All the time. I'll have to write a little too, but that's it...or at least, that's what I'm telling myself. Just a lot of knitting and some writing until mid February--no play. (hah! See how long that lasts...)

On the 30th, a former student of the professor's (and a blog reader, I might add) came over for a lunchtime visit. We ate homemade grapeleaves, a bean dish with garlic, oregano, artichokes, tomatoes and roasted red pepper, cheese and crackers, tangerines and pistachios. (the professor made the grapeleaves, he wants that duly noted!) She's also a knitter and a spinner, so we had a couple of hours of stash diving and other fun. A blast, complete with hand carding lessons!

We then had a delicious vegetarian Gulyas (goulash) at a friend's house for New Year's Eve. We were at home and in bed by midnight, listening to fireworks, guns being fired, and other craziness when the new year came in. Somehow, I never mind hiding from the noise and broken glass!

The professor decided to catch a few photos of a normal work day around here. The first two are dark, but now you see how the blog (and yes, many articles) are written. Sally is on patrol, watching for bad guys from the office window. Harry monitors my progress. The laptop is in use...and I even wrote something that day!

We also took a break to attempt the famous "author photo" shoot on New Year's Eve. It didn't last long. Our models were restless. Here are a couple of the funniest shots. First, there's Sally. Her eyes practically glow from the flash (whoops) and if you see my hand? I'm clutching at her. Some of us are nervous around the paparazzi. Heck, Sally's nervous all the time, who am I kidding?

Harry, on the other hand, is a pro. Note that boy, licking his chops! After the shoot, he'll go out for kibble treats and the photographer/the professor always pays!

We (me, the professor, and of course, Harry and Sally) wish you a happy, healthy, prosperous, peaceful and safe 2009! May your meals be good, your knitting and spinning beautiful, and your friends be plentiful. Also, we hope you'll have a lot of quality time-possibly on the couch-with your animals. (even if they're not dogs....!)