But not with pie!

I'm going to Hawaii. Tomorrow. Yes, Christmas Day. Yay! However, according to TSA, I will have to be careful about what I bring with me. From the TSA website:

• Snow globes contain liquid and regardless of size are not permitted through the checkpoint.
• Many holiday foods like cake and pie have characteristics similar to liquids, gels and aerosols. These items are permitted but may require further inspection.

Can you imagine the conversation the top brass at homeland security had when coming up with this policy?

head honcho: Alright, team, we are going to have to beef up security for the upcoming Christm-
Anonymous person: *achem*
hh: ...upcoming holiday season. Let's brainstorm: What do people take home for Christ- um... the holidays?
pawn 1: Presents!
hh: Yes, we shall outlaw traveling with presents. What else?
knowledgeable assistant: Um, sir? Don't you think we would incite rebellion if we outlawed presents?
hh: Hmm... You may be right there, Junior. What can we outlaw instead...?
*silence*
pawn 2: um...snowglobes, sir...?
hh: Ah YES! Snowglobes!! Snowglobes and pie!
assistant: most wise, sir, as we all know, pie has characteristics similar to liquids, gels and aerosols.
*everyone nods in solemn agreement*

I wonder if "further inspection" of your traveling holiday cakes and pies includes hungry TSA agents tasting with wild abandon and bitter spite rooted in their terrible holiday work schedule.

Wow

Now that's customer service!

Mission: Christmas Day Alone

Yes, I will be spending Christmas Day alone, so I am going to set out on a mission! No, I will not be following the star of Bethlehem. I don't think it would be visible from here (on the globe), but if anything angelic happens, I'm open to changing my plans...

What I AM going to do is load up the car with skis and snowshoes then drive west (maybe south, too) until I find snow! I am going on a snow hunt for Christmas; what could be better!?! I kind of have it in my head to go to Sisters, but that is so far, and I know everything will be closed... Plus, this is a minimal plan expedition: find snow.
If I happen to end up at a ski area, that's cool, but I think it will be snowshoeing this time.

Yay!

P.S. Does anyone have a husky I can borrow? Because I can't get this picturesque image of this adventure, which includes a husky, out of my head...

Troublemaker Cat

I think this one is a lost cause...

But, he's so cute when he's sleeping

Winter in Portland!

Yes, it's just about wintertime in Portland. It's not official, of course, but everyone considers December part of winter anyway. Here, it's no different. I'll prove it! Check out this photo below. I took this outside of my apartment during the big snow that everyone was running around town all excited about. See the big, fluffy flakes? Yeah, it's the stuff of Christmas cards.

The weather didn't stop Beth (,the kittens) and me from Christmasing it up in our apartment! We bought a tree and carried it home the old fashioned way... about 6 blocks. It was surprisingly manageable. Then we set to decorating it, sounds of the season playing in the background. Our motif is classic meets modern. Multicolor and white lights, popcorn and cranberry garlands, shiny ribbons and candy canes. Here are Beth and Lincoln working on the garlands.

Here's the finished product. It really compliments our oversized living room and we are hoping it will have a long life.

As colder weather demands, I have been knitting away! Here is the scarf that I started while in Michigan. It reminds me of corn in this extreme close-up...

And I finally gave up on finding the perfect pattern for the Noro I had been treasuring in my stash. Here it is - my first original (non-scarf) design!! OMG, I love this yarn SO much! These are officially the Ashleighest accessory on Earth.

A Special Gift

So, as you may know, the previous tenants in my apartment left me a few wonderful tokens of their love including a broken dishwasher and shower. Well, as it turns out, there generosity did not stop there!!! Amazing but true - and no, I'm not talking about the Focus on the Family newsletter I now receive at my home (Hallelujah!).
Fleas. Yes. Fleas.
It's gross. It's itchy. It's going to be a big pain in the butt to deal with. I talked with my vet's office (kitty naturopath) and it turns out that the fancy new (and super effective) flea treatments like Advantage are a neurotoxin. So, I won't be bringing those into my home, but thanks for the effort, Big Pharma. I really appreciate all the good work you do *winkwink*! Instead I will be using the more high tech approaches: flea comb, soapy water and Borax. Human ingenuity is on my side, flea immortality against me. I'll be needing your well wishes and gifts of topical anti-itch creams. Thanks!

Achem. There's also good stuff:

So, I knit this hat upon request of my barista (baristo, male barista?) who saw me knitting my yellow cable scarf at The Shop. He bought the yarn, which I hated. I picked the pattern, which I also hated. And yet... it turned out pretty darn cute.

Yeah, I know you can't really see anything having to do with the hat in this pic, but it's just so funny I can't resist.

By special request, a pony tail accommodating peek-a-boo

And here's a look at everything else I've been up to fiber arts-wise: the yellow cable scarf in progress, the socks (finally!), new cell phone -> new cell phone cozy, and the leg warmers, which have been done for a long time, but I put them in the pic 'cause I just love 'em that much.

And here's my new roomie, Beth, and Lincoln relaxing.