Sorry, can't get you any good pictures of my stash, as Mitsy is quite tired of being told she can't crawl into certain bags or walk across the coffee table because there is knitting-in-progress there. And like me, when she says no, she means it.

Today was long. I'd love to tell you all about it, but that would be blogging about work, which is kinda stupid. Suffice to say: 4 hours, 3 gynecologists, 1 computer application. It wasn't pretty.

Anyway, I got some iced coffee from a local independent and drove the surface streets home with the windows rolled down and listening to Masayoshi Yamazaki. (NOT a pretty boy. More of a Japanese James Taylor.) By the time I got home I had mellowed out and shed the frustrations of the day. And guess what was on my doorstep!

My local Homeland Security officers did a quick evaluation and determined that the package was not for me but, in fact, for them. I begged to differ. They were insistent.

I, the one with the thumbs, was summoned to open "their" package.

"String? Who would send us string?" Mitsy wondered. "No one sent you string. Someone sent ME string, I mean yarn." "No, there's stuff in here for us. Get your string out of the way."

Further inspection proved that there WERE items for the food provider in the box.

"Why are you so sure there should be something for you in the box?" "There IS something for us," Mitsy sniffed. Flexing her nostrils she said, "Stop squeeing and pull that blue stuff out of the box."

"Squee!" said Mitsy. "What? You can't have the roving sweetie. That's for me too." "Nuh uh!" "Yes. You don't get roving." "No, but I get anything with catnip!" "Huh? Catnip?" And sure enough, there were two precious little sparkly fishies with catnip. One for each of my little roomies.

"Mitsy, what do you say?"
"Thank you Secret Pal!"

"Maggie, what do you say?"
"OKTHNXBAI"

They've been a blur ever since.

Thank you so much Secret Pal, for such a wonderful package! I really loved the fishbowl theme, and it was so very sweet of you to include the kitties. The yarn is my favorite color this season, and I'm already thinking of projects for it. And roving too! Squee! It was a wonderful surprise at the end of a stressful day.

Here's Yamazaki-san if anyone is curious:

Work. That's it in a word. What's keeping me busy night and day, interrupting my sleep and seriously cutting into my knitting time. Last time I told you that I had all the pieces of a baby sweater ready to be sewn together. Its status has not changed.

I didn't make the Aug 31 deadline for Kisiizi Appeal shipping with this one. Not for the drops sweater either.

That's the half-way mark. It's a very easy knit, and I chose it as the Aug Subtitle Project of the Month over at the Subtitle Knitters group on Ravelry. But it's on size 3 needles and it's slow going.

Anyway, today I carved out two whole hours for knitting and blogging, and I worked on another WIP that I don't think I've blogged about. I call it "Clown Vomit" and it's an entrelac baby blanket for Afghans for Afghans in a truly riotous colorway of some inexpensive wool purchased from eBay. More on that when there's more to show you.

Last weekend was the Japanese Festival here in St. Louis, which I attend ever year. I picked up some video tapes of randomly-recorded Japanese television, which is always fun. You never know what is going to come on next. I also found a copy of Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore" in Japanese - one of my favorite books. The sumo wrestlers were there, and all the usual stuff. This year, however, there was a new thrill. I met Liza Dalby! You probably don't know who she is, but if you're obsessed with Japan a Japanophile, trust me, meeting her is a very big deal. Kind of like meeting the Yarn Harlot. Or Anthony Bordaine. Or Chris Robinson. Or Bill Clinton. Or any larger-than-life person who is prominent in a world you're interested in and who you never imagined you may one day actually meet. (I'm now at 2 out of 5. After these 5 I can die suitably impressed.)

I love what she wrote. "May the world be your garden." Such a fantastic sentiment.

Speaking of gardens, and new things, and stuff from the Japanese Festival - I started a bonsai. A tiny little jasmine "tree." It doesn't look like much yet, and I'm just trying to keep it alive for a year before I get going with the snipping and the wiring and the Mr. Miagi-ing. It was a wonderful thing to do with my Dad, who has many, on Labor Day. It was a great lazy day without a laptop or a cell phone, just me and my parents at their house, paging through books and watching movies and eating yummy (I didn't cook it or order it through a speaker) food. I needed the break from the rat-race-through-a-salt-mine and it was awesome. Hope you had a great long weekend too.