Priorities and Preparations

Bill has an appointment tomorrow afternoon with the eye consultant, so it is off to Sligo we go in the morning for an overnight stay by the river. Of course this means I need to make sure that my priorities are in order when it comes to filling my backpack with the stuff I will need for the bus rides there and back, some time waiting in the hospital, and in the hotel room tomorrow night.

The book has been chosen. I wanted a novel that would be a fun read that I do not plan to keep and can be read in places where people are talking and going about their business. The length is such that I can assume I will not finish it too quickly, but I might finish it on the way back. If so, I can do a book bomb and leave it in a bus station with a note saying it's a free book for someone to take and enjoy. If not, I will finish it here and place in the wee free library when I'm done. It is paperback and not heavy.

I thought long and hard about the stitching--I always do. I decided to bring a lace piece that I want to have finished within a week or two. It will be two colours, but I started it this afternoon and got to the spot where I will switch thread colour. This way I only have to bring one small ball of thread and because it is thread, it takes longer to crochet, so I will get more crochet hours out of the small ball of thread than I would with thicker yarn and a larger hook.

That is not all though. I always make sure to have different projects using different techniques, so I also packed some scraps of aida cloth and embroidery floss--if I feel like cross stitching instead of crocheting tomorrow night, I am prepared. Finally, there is a suitable bus project to consider. For that, knitting with circular needles is perfect. I cast on a cowl last night, placed my marker, and knit a couple of rounds, so I am all ready to knit away on the bus or in the waiting area if the mood strikes.

Doesn't look like much yet, but by using the circs and a skein of yarn instead of a ball, I safeguard against unfortunate tool-dropping/ball-of-thread-bouncing incidents. I would hate to drop a needle or a crochet hook on the bus and not be able to get at it, or to have my thread roll under the seats and tangle around feet, so this works well. Everything stays connected so if I dropped my work, I could just pull it back up by the working strand of yarn. Yes, I have thought this out carefully. :-)

I've spiced up some chicken breasts and cooked them so I can use them to make sandwiches in the morning. We will bring those with us for lunch. We will have time to eat between getting off the bus and checking in for Bill's appointment.

I am happy knowing that I have prepared well and that I will not be stuck somewhere twiddling my thumbs and waiting for time to pass. I am not good at that, unless I am very tired or not feeling well. But put a book or some yarn in my hands and I can be content wherever I happen to be.

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