Sarah and Jon made it to Blacksburg again this year for the cave-club banquet. We had a wonderful time back in our old banquet hall, the Newport Rec Center. It was a great year for dancing, cute guys, and red dresses!

It's 18 degrees fahrenheit in Blacksburg, but Gibbous and I are as snug as a bug in a rug. We're enjoying how sunny it is outside, lounging, knitting, reading, and will soon do a little cooking. The genius cat is learning to use his new window perch and the kitty door that Brian and I installed to the kitty litter closet. What a life!

Gibbous Franklin Dorr

I'm probably jinxing this, but he seems to be perfect.
Gibbous = Astronomy. (of a heavenly body) convex at both edges, as the moon when more than half full.
Gib = 1. a cat, esp. a male cat. 2. a castrated cat.
Franklin = the street where he was found by the Sherriff's Department in Christiansburg, Virginia. His rescuers gave him the name Franklin, kept him for 3 months, got him his shots, and neutered him. They would have kept him, but they already have 3 other cats and one did not get along well with Gib. They had just about given up on finding him a better home when I came across his add on New River Valley Animal Shelters and Petfinder. I e-mailed them Tuesday, went to meet him Thursday, and Saturday a new cat.

Don't you want to love him!

I think I could easily become lame and sit at home all weekend knitting, sewing, and hanging out with my new cat. Some how I don't think my sense of adventure, Brian, or other friends will let me do that though. Last weekend we worked on a project cave called Kessel in Monroe County, WV, by Dorr Road and then headed up to the raptor observatory. This weekend I did mostly stay at home with the cat, but ran out to Floyd for half of the Contra Dance out there. Fun times!

I found our homeland, or at least a road named after us in Monroe County, WV.

I'm trying out a new family member today and things seem to be going great. He's a super chill, 2 year-old, orange, tabby, short-haired cat. Since my camera is at work, I'll have to post a photo later on and then make the announcement when I know for sure I'm going to keep him. It's looking good though. I have great name for him. . . check in later.

I finished my first hat a second time. A better explanation: I've made a few hats since my first hat, but I lost the original so I made it again. I also made some great wrist/hand warmers out of the same yarn. I'll take a picture soon and post.
The earrings (a little hard to see) were a wonderful Christmas present from Brian. They are hand-made pottery earrings, made in West Virginia. Brian is from Beckley, so he went to Tamarack to look for a present he thought I might like.
Unfortunately the earrings have already had a rough life. I lost one on the first day I wore them to work. I searched where I went to lunch, all around the office, and finally found it by the recycling dumpsters (Ginger and I had taken the recycling out before lunch). It was broken in half, probably because I stepped on it after it fell off my ear. I super-glued it back together and they are as good as new. However, I do need to look for some backings for them so it doesn't happen again.

niddy noddy

My friends, Penelope and Mark, stayed with me for their first trip back to Blacksburg for New Years. They just moved to Mississippi and I miss them a bunch. They used to live across the parking-lot from me. I met Mark in 1996 at my first VPI Cave-Club Picnic. Penelope and I became good friends over the years she lived in Blacksburg. She first showed up to work on her PhD at Virginia Tech when I returned to Blacksburg from Georgia in 2001.
Penelope has encouraged my knew craft and has been a tremendous help with knitting projects. Here she uses a niddy noddy to measure out enough yarn to make gloves. Check out her blog. If you scroll down on her blog, there is a great picture of the niddy noddy up-close. I'm sure when we get together at various caver events knitting will be the real subject of interest.

New yarn from my Aunt Chris and Uncle Dave's sheep. Chris has changed her craft of choice to needle felting so doesn't need as much yarn. She used to make artful, completely hand-made stuffed bears, down to hand-woven cloth and hand-made clothing. She was very generous to give away so much yarn. What a great Christmas present.