I Have *Got* to Do This More Often...

So yesterday, I did something that I almost never do...I took the day off, and just stayed home. See, like most wage-earning folks, I have a very limited amount of vacation time. And I like to travel, so vacation time tends to be reserved for trips, while routine appointments, local travel and- crucially, appliance deliveries- I tend to deal with by working late a few days to cover the time I'm out of the office.

But not this time. This time, I took an honest-to-goodness day. The pretext was that we were having a new stove delivered. (When bits of the stove fall off? Time to replace it. I think it dated back to the early Pliocene, in any case.) However that happened quite early, which was good, as it forced me to get up. Drinking half a pot of coffee ensured that I stayed up. (Also that I vibrated gently while moving around the house double time.)

And the rest of the day I spent puttering through a series of chores. I grilled a bunch of meat (having pre-cooked meat on hand to speed weeknight dinner preparation is A Good Thing). I cleaned. I did pool maintenance. I checked the wiring of a malfunctioning light, concluded I couldn't fix it, and called the electrician. I swept and cleaned the stairs in preparation for repainting the risers. And for each task I completed? I rewarded myself with a knit break.

Behold:


I have completed the back and started the first sleeve of the gray merino sweater. (Next time I have the bright idea of knitting a surprise Christmas gift for someone I live with, I'm going to do mitts or something...getting enough private knitting time to knit a whole sweater and still keep it a surprise is proving darned tricky.)

And in other news, I turned the heel of the second Manly Red Sock. Yes, that's another Christmas gift, though less surprising (he always gets socks). I'm not going to post a picture because it actually looks rather a lot like the last one. (Very gratifying, that.)

Altogether a lovely day. I really need to do it again sometime.