Okay, so my day didn’t begin as badly, coffee-wise, as Stephanie‘s did, but still … I came down this morning to a dead coffee maker.

Which meant that, on the eve of Rhinebeck, I had to go and buy a new one. Don’t the Cosmos know that I’m supposed to be spending money on WOOL this weekend, not caffeine?

Well, apparently not. At least I have one of those snazzy thermal carafes, now, instead of glass…

I owe Julie for the yummy cake, though. She posted the recipe the other day (here’s the link) and I DID have a fresh batch of apples, so… and yes, this recipe is definitely a keeper. Not only did I like it … which isn’t really a stretch because I love apple cake … but Dad and Chappy loved it. Chappy practically did a dance for it! Dad and I each had a piece last night, at the same time, and Chappy followed Dad upstairs so he could helpfully clean his dish for him, and the second he was done, he licked his lips, turned, and RAN back downstairs to do the same for mine. Didn’t walk. Didn’t trot. He SPRINTED.

Now, I don’t want you think I haven’t been knitting. Though, actually, I’ve really been focused on two very cute little hats the last few nights, I have started my cardigan sleeve. My gauge seems about right (by my standards), so I’ll keep going and see what happens. The colors sure are pretty, though.

And, so, yes … even though the weekend is just starting, today’s the last day of my vacation. Technically. Except for going to the going-out-of-business Linens & Things for the new coffee maker, today was pretty low key. Mom and I are trying to rest up for tomorrow … and also, after a week of constant togetherness, trying not to get on each other’s nerves. Especially because of tomorrow! Don’t get me wrong–Mom is one of my very best friends and we get along wonderfully, but it is also true that nobody, but nobody, can push my buttons like she can … and nobody pushes hers like I do. (It’s a special knack.) We joke that our special, close, honest relationship dates back to when my sister headed off to kindergarten, leaving me home with Mom, so that when she’d be in a bad mood and would snap at me for nothing, I’d yell right back, “I didn’t do anything!”

Of course, there were plenty of times when I’m sure I was being an obnoxious pest, but if I quietly was sitting there with my crayons and Mom came and yelled at me to clean up the mess, or whatever, I wasn’t shy about defending myself. In fact, pretty much all the way through my school career, I was the first one home each day, so that if Mom needed to snap at somebody, it would be me, just because I was the first target to march through the door. So Mom and I “squabble.” It’s exceedingly rare for us to really fight, but we do squabble–mostly as a safety valve–because neither of us really gets angry (or shows it, anyway) at other people. Just at each other (grin).

So, after a week of doing all sorts of fun things together, and spending LOTS of time together, well, it’s possible that a round of squabbling is due, and neither of us wants that to happen tomorrow at Rhinebeck, the Happy Place. (That reminds me, I MUST make sure that Mom doesn’t get too tired tomorrow–she tires faster than I do and gets crankier when she’s tired. Of course, I just made her sound like she’s about three years old, which she wouldn’t thank me for. Because she’s really eight.) (Family joke.)

The one who’s really NOT looking forward to Rhinebeck tomorrow? That would be Chappy. Mom and I are going to leave around 7:30 and I don’t expect us to be home until at least 7:30 at night, and since Chappy and I have been more or less inseperable for the last week (except for those couple hours this morning), well, he is NOT going to be happy about it. (Unlike Mom and me, the more time Chappy and I get to spend together, the happier we are, and we almost never, ever fight at all.)

Anyway, I need to pack up my camera and assemble whatever it is I need to bring with me tomorrow. (Mom, money, knitting–just in case, sunglasses, Knitting Scholar business cards.) I’m planning to wear the blue cardigan I finished in June, with maybe an extra shawl for the morning, when it’s cooler.

I can’t wait! I hope to see you all there! (Well, you know what I mean. And, if you ARE there and you see me, be sure to say hello!) Don’t forget–this is what I look like, though not quite so blurry in person.

Am I the only one kind of missing Blogger Bingo this year??

Oh, and did you see the comment on yesterday’s post?  I posted pictures of that field and, boom, got a comment from someone in ENGLAND who’s been researching his family and is delighted to find pictures of the field. What are the odds, huh? Of course, it would have been nice if he’d asked permission to USE the pictures, but…

Tags: Baking, Family, General // 4 Comments »