O happy day

Today is the first day in two weeks that my office has been warm. Hallelujah! First it was the air conditioning that could not be turned off. Then, it was the heater that could not be turned on. Finally, it was the broken thermostat that could not be repaired. I've been wearing a hat and scarf and a full suit of capilene long underwear to work under my clothes every day since before Thanksgiving, hunching over the tiny little space heater hidden under my desk and clutching my hot water bottle with frozen, curled up fingers. On two occasions last week, it was actually warmer outdoors than it was at my desk – going out for a walk at lunch, I had to take off several layers to avoid sweating to death.

The heating and cooling guys finally figured out the problem while I was out for lunch today though, and I celebrated by going into the bathroom and taking off all my thermal underpinnings, rolling them into a ball and stashing them in my bag. I can't take off the hat, because under it my hair is in a disgraceful state – but I'm glad to know I won't have to wear it again tomorrow. Or the scarf, either! Hooray!

The hat I am wearing today, by the way, is the one that was missing for a month or more during the fall. Mr. A found it in a pile of sweaters last week and I was so happy to have it back that it's only just this moment occurring to me to wonder: How would it have gotten there? It's possible Tater might have stashed it there somehow; he does like to pick things up and carry them around the house. Hmm.

About this picture: it's from the cover of this book of felting projects, which I purchased today more out of shock than because of any interest in felting, because it struck me as I stood and stared at it at the checkout counter at the yarn store that I am wearing an outfit today that is uncannily similar to what the girl in the picture is wearing. It freaked me out!

Why did it freak me out? Because it made me feel like I was in junior high again, worrying about whether someone might think I was being a copycat – the worst thing in the world to be! When will I ever be old enough not to care about stuff like that? Probably never. I seem to have a maddeningly enduring confidence in my own originality ... maddening because it's so obviously a false confidence, since it's well known that there is no new thing under the sun, ever. And here's the proof! Good for me to remember, especially after yesterday's bruised ego-fest.

I do still enjoy my own ideas, though! And I got the book. I took it as a sign, of what I'm not sure. But I've never felted anything before (not on purpose, anyway) and I figured now is as good a time as any to take a go at it. Maybe I'll make these funny corsages!

That's silly, though – why would anyone need a pattern for that? I'll invent my own. The book is still good for inspiration, though. And I love that girl's skirt. Maybe I will do some copycatting, after all!