Baby, it's COLD outside

Temps are not expected to hit above freezing for the highs until NEXT Thursday. Lows from Sunday through Tuesday this week are going to be around the mid-teens. Brrrr. This is not fun, folks. The heaters are barely keeping things comfortable. The nights are not easy. Got home last night and found the living room heater had gotten to the point that it shut itself off - it has an autoshutoff if it starts to overheat at all. So it was barely 40 in the front room when we got home. But above freezing, if barely. Shows the house will hold SOME heat even if the thing turns itself off, just not a lot. Low last night was 22F with wind chills at 12F. But the bedroom was reasonably warm, because the heater there is the old-fashioned radiator heater style, not the new digital style. Wally World only now apparently carries the "safer" Honeywell digital style, so if we want the Pelonis like we have in the bedroom, it's off to Amazon and have it shipped. But at least we can still get them, until such time as we can get a propane heater in here.

Work was okay, but it's not my favorite thing in the world when I have a ton of things to do around here that are more my style in the homesteading thing. It being so cold, I have a bunch of needlework that needs doing, including more work on the mile a minute afghan. I got that up through panel three completed and attached last night just before bed. I do like MAMs, as they are a good way to use up scrap yarn if you don't care about things matching much if at all. They do have a lot of open space in them, due to all the chaining and such, but that is what makes them so quick to make. A long chain, work around it a few times with other stitches that are a bit more solid, work your final round, attaching as you go, and poof. More length on the thing in short order. I can do a strip in a bout an hour and a half if I'm not interrupted. And with all the lacy stuff in them, they look pretty, but they are still fairly warm. So, around 17 more panels to go to make it wide enough to cover the bed with a bit of drape.

I got about half a wing done on the fourth butterfly, too. Someone at work tried to tell me Mom would be mad that I made her the same thing she's making Aunt Liz. I started Mom's before she mentioned what she was doing for Liz, and I really don't think she'll be mad. She'll laugh more than anything. It will be interesting to see her reaction, though. Once it's done, or the MAM afghan, whichever is first, I can then make me a pair or three of socks, which I need desperately, and then do more embroidery or crochet or whatever tickles my fancy. Hey, it's winter, give me a break, haha. Warm weather, I tend to talk about the garden and such. Cold weather, I tend to talk needlework, since I can't get outside to do much. It's the circle of life on a homestead, no matter how small it is.

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