I probably shouldn’t leave my house this year.

I finished the first book from my Christmas box this morning and opened the second. It is a signed first printing of Wright Thompson’s The Barn, about the murder of Emmett Till. Looking forward to reading it. Also expecting to be emotionally wrung out by it.

I have a whole gang of grown nieces. They went together and gave me a box of books for Christmas. I’m supposed to wait until I have finished one to open the next. This is pretty amazing. I’ve been a grinch about Xmas. Then this happened.

Swifties need to play the NYT Strands game today. It was fun to spot all of the answers right away.

This is fine. No rush.

First, let me say that I do not know how to sew, and before I buy anything I plan to borrow sis-in-law’s machine to learn a little. That said, what would you pick for beginner wanting to learn quilting? Needs to be light enough to move on and off kitchen table. #sewing #quilting #beginner

I’m probably not doing it right, but I’ve made a little progress toward doing it wrong. I’d like to learn how to properly crochet because my mother has been talking about her grandmother’s love of crocheting and quilting lately. #stitchandbitchsaturday #crochet #beginner

Gretel says she did not agree to go to the vet for a post-op recheck.

Stitch & Bitch Saturday. My friend sent me this fun crochet kit. I don’t know how to crochet, but I have downloaded a book from Hoopla, and the kit comes with its own tutorial. Nothing to bitch about here, but out there…

I heard there was a cat tax here. I’ve been moving plants into an enclosed porch for the winter. My succulents are being thoroughly guarded by Jet and Stella.

One of the funniest things about small town MS is that a local bbq restaurant is the easiest place to get a vegetarian plate. I doubt there is anywhere that serves vegan, though.

I’m going for this. I will let you know how it goes.

What is this? 🤦🏻‍♀️

I recommend both of these books. The Walter Isaacson biography of Franklin offers such a good overview of his character that I’m convinced he’d see politicians of today as insufferable pricks. Jill Lepore focuses on what like was like for women in Franklin’s day, especially for his sister Jane.

Stitch and Bitch Saturday: Exhaustion hit me like a freight train today, but the good news is my wife went out so I can’t catch up on work. Just going to cross stitch and chill.

My entire accomplishment for the evening has been to stitch three leaves onto a fabric collage and to avoid arguing with people who are happy with the outcome of the election.

This is Gretel. She was living wild and feral at my friend’s campsite until I brought her home a few days ago to have her vetted and attempt to socialize her. She seems to be putting down roots already.

I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but I can’t find the MS Refugees feed. I live in MS and have just come over from Twitter. I want to find people who feel just as shitty about my home state right now as I do.

I’m learning counted cross stitch as a retirement hobby. I’m making mistakes, but it helps to calm my anxiety. That at least reduces the degree to which my anxiety drives up chronic pain levels. It’s a therapy win. I needed that today.