I spent today mostly babying my wrenched back, with only short trips out where I knew the amount of walking I'd have to do would be minimal. I have been walking around a bit duck-like, and Richard has permission to laugh at me because I am laughing at myself about this too. My back may hurt but how can I not find the humor in the fact that I have to prop myself up just to stand up straight? Also, ibuprofen is my very best friend and I know that in a day or two this will all be over and I might as well laugh about it while I can.

There was a brief detour to meet a friend at the yarn store in Davis, which was not having as impressive a sale as we had been led to believe, but which still prompted me to pick up three skeins of brightly colored wool to make myself a cute little felted bag, and two skeins of sock yarn that will produce socks with the loveliest purple stripes. We will not discuss the fact that I got a pile of sock yarn for Christmas and I have not even touched the sock yarn I bought in Ashland during the knitting retreat in November because one can never have too much sock yarn. The next trip was off to the allergy clinic so Richard and I could get our shots, since we are now both back on a monthly schedule and I am determined to keep us on it so we do not have to have them any more often than necessary.

In between trips out of the house I have been camped out on the bed knitting. It's the most comfortable spot in the house where the cats can be near me, or even on me, without my needing to contort my body into back-displeasing postures. I finished my secret project and started on the felted bag, and I am currently toying with casting on for at least three other projects, just for the heck of it, because I have this delicious sense of freedom, now that Christmas is over and I have nothing whatsoever that has to be done. It is time to make frivolous things just for me, like some socks, and maybe a new cardigan for myself, or even perhaps another lace shawl that I will never wear and which will drive me crazy making, but which I will adore knitting anyway.

Despite what I'd thought yesterday, it turned out that we did get a short final visit with my little sister and niece and brother-in-law. They all went to the Jelly Belly factory for the tour, where I heard that they got to see some of the machines waving at them, but then decided it made more sense to come back to my parents' house instead of heading back to Napa, because my parents' house is closer to the airport. So I went over to spend a little more time with them, and give them a few more hugs goodbye.

My little niece spent a good portion of the time we were there standing in front of Richard and jumping up and down in circles so that his outstretched hand would bonk her lightly on the head, all while giggling madly. She kept insisting that he do it, so apparently it was a marvelous game, and in fact as we were all leaving - them for the airport and us for home - she declared that her Uncle Richard was her favorite because of the head-bonking game. We figure we're not holding her to that because five is a rather fickle age for who is one's favorite, but it was still pretty darn cute.

A friend called, finally back in town, and since we have been trying to hook up for ages, we made dinner plans in order to pass over presents for Christmas and his birthday. It was fun to linger over dinner and pie and catch up on what he and his wife have been up to, and it was with regret that we finally had to head home and say goodbye.

Happy Holidailies