the yarn's in the bag

You can
halt your car
for an afternoon in Utopia
We shall
stop the wars
on those afternoons in Utopia
(Alphaville)

I'm sure it seems trivial, having a lazy Saturday to do as I please, but it's been a very intense spring. I've had the hardest classes yet, these past two quarters, all while work has been the equivalent of an exploding hornet's nest. Getting ready to go to Spain was huge, especially with trying to get my school out of the way in advance, and especially with the passport fiasco that finally resolved itself TWO DAYS before I departed. I know it's wrong to include going to Spain as a major stress-point, because it was lovely, but recall I was there with NINETEEN teenagers, and while I was thrilled to be there, it was no vacation.

So although my school work was not complete, I was able to take Saturday as a Day Off, and do nothing but whatever I wanted to. Really! I cannot express the bliss. The day started out with sending the 12 year old off to an amusement park, get this, with some one else's mother. ahhhhhhhhhh.

Then we went straight to the farmer's market, which was a little slice of bliss. Hot onion-cheese empanadas to snack on while browsing. Fresh salsa from handsome salsa-artists. Dill-cottage cheese bread. Handmade cheddar. Kettle corn. Soap handmade by a sixth-grade teacher who supplements her income every year by selling soaps at the market. I got an heirloom black plum tomato plant, which went straight into the ground at home. And everywhere I went, compliments galore on my stylish purse that was a mother's day gift from my 8-year-old daughter.

Next stop, yarn heaven. I had not one but TWO gift certificates, courtesy of mother's day and birthday, and they were burning a hole in my pocket. Look at those skeins, lined up so neatly in the bag there! I stocked up on Colour4Me, because it has been discontinued, and was at a very very good price. It looks perfect for some of my hat-and-mitten objectives. While it's not sensational yarn, it's good basic coloured yarn, and sometimes I can't find just good plain coloured yarn.

To round out my bargain shopping, I got two skeins of Andes handpaint, from the bargain bin, in lovely pastels. I'm not a fan of yarns that knit up blotchy, but I know I have some good uses for this yarn!

For lunch we dined just on fresh salsa with chips, and bread and cheese. For all that it was a simple meal, it was a little taste of heaven. But no, the fun wasn't over yet. My daughter and I walked to the bookstore for an author event. Shannon Hale, dressed in a Regency gown, spoke for nearly an hour, keeping us all in stitches. It was a little glimpse into the world of Pride and Prejudice fans, where ladies could admit that they've only watched the BBC P&P30 times.

We came away each with a new book, plus an extra copy for a college friend who has written a screenplay adaptation of Northanger Abbey.

You might think that would be all the fun I could stand in one day, but no, there was still a party that night. Catered fresh Mexican food, complete with the best guacamole out there, and 2 slices of flan, might have made it a perfect evening, but the dancing was fun, too. I relived my youthful days by repeating a familiar old ritual: I went and begged the DJ to play Safety Dance. At the moment, his ipod wasn't working. Back in my day, you had to hope the DJ had brought the record, now you just have to hope it's on his ipod! Late in the evening, when I was exhausted from all the dancing to disco and classic rock, he finally put on the Safety Dance. Once that had been danced, we were free to leave.