the day out

 I was tired yesterday evening, and also had to make a dish to take to a potluck (we had a job candidate in and it had been a while since I provided the main dish for one of these). 

And today was equally long: gave an exam, graded another exam, went to the candidate's job talk and then out to the dinner with them.

But I did go out yesterday after my office hours. Got a seafood lunch, went to the yarn shop

The dark blue yarn is for a simple slouch type hat (knit double and folded in on itself) from the Van Gogh Knits book - it's a recreation of a hat (the original was red) that Van Gogh painted an agriculture worker as wearing. The pink and gold yarn - there are three skeins, it's a  Life in the Long Grass yarn - is for a shawl. Yes, it was a LOT of money for yarn, and yes, I haven't knit much on a lace shawl in a very long time. But maybe I get back to it soon, I hope. I'm not sure what pattern to use but I have a bit over 1200 yards, so that's enough for most fingering-weight shawls. I will have to look at my patterns. The color is called Rose Gold and it's two of my favorite colors - that pink, and a soft golden yellow.

 I also wound up going to Michael's (Well, I had WANTED to go to the used book store, but couldn't see a parking place anywhere near it, so I planned to go back later)

I had a $20 voucher, thanks to the money I spent on the framing (which still isn't done, but they didn't think it would be until March 8). I decided to just spend it all at once; there might be a while before I can get back.

It took me a while to find something I wanted but I bought two skeins of Wool-Ease (I couldn't find any of my true mittens during the recent cold snap, just fingerless gloves, so I decided to knit myself some new ones) and a kid for one of these little critter things:

 

There was about 55 cents or so left on the voucher and Michael's has a program that donates craft supplies to kids in the hospital, and it asked me if I wanted to do that, and why not at that point? I had what I wanted and it would just expire anyway. 

I then went back and did find parking near the used-book shop; this is the one that moved down there from here. (I'm still a little sore about that, though I suppose they had their reasons). The owner remembered me though.

I did find two recent mystery novels I wanted

 I've never read an Arcenaux novel before but it looks interesting (set in Louisiana) and I am a big fan of Louise Penny already and this is one of hers I've not read.

I also walked over to what used to be called the Coffee Collective (it goes by a different name now, I guess). They sell houseplants and while they are *pricy* (most of my houseplants are ones I got as cuttings from friends), they had one I've wanted for a LONG time. A Hoya contorta, which once upon a time was called Hindu rope plant (I have no idea what, if any, common name it has now). I remember my mother having one when I was a kid; I think she gave it to a friend in Ohio when they moved from there in 1989. I don't think she took many houseplants with them when they moved; I think she figured they wouldn't survive. I guess she did take the Christmas cactuses she wound up inheriting from her mother (who died a few weeks earlier that year) but I think most of the plants she had were rehomed.

Anyway, I wanted one of these for a while

 It's small. And it needs repotting - I need to look up what kind of soil it prefers and get a better pot (or find one - I think I have an empty one that's suitable) for it. I want to take care of it both because it was expensive, and it was one I really wanted. 

After all that, I realized I was close to the Albertson's, and I needed milk, and I thought, "Well, they were kind of sad and run down the last time I was in years ago, but I can still get milk.

Turns out they've been renovated, and it's a REAL glow-up. It reminds me of the "nice" Schnucks and Jewel stores near my mom - they even have some of the same brands (Signature and O Organics) as Jewel does. So I did a little shopping (got the milk, and some other things ahead for the weekend) and then this:

 I hadn't had time to make a cake for myself, and I knew I wouldn't, so I got myself this. It was pretty good for  "store" cake. 

And also, maybe this Albertson's is my new "big shopping" grocery. It certainly feels easier to get to than the Kroger's in Sherman, which isn't that much farther, but is a less direct route - the Albertson's is close to the nice Denison downtown, where I'd want to go anyway, and it's almost right off the interstate.