That Warm, Happy Feeling

I was late getting my classroom set up for this school year. I'd planned to go in two weeks before the first day, get everything done and then have the last week of vacation free. The best laid plans are often thwarted by the weather...

With temperatures well into the 90's, I knew I couldn't spend even an hour in my third floor classroom. The very idea of moving desks and whatnot in that kind of heat made me wilt. I waited and did it the following week.

When I arrived at school to begin this dreaded task, I made a point of stopping in to see the school secretaries. They are nice to me and a bright point in my otherwise dreary working day. Only one secretary was in, though. That was OK. She made up for the lack of greetings in stereo by coming around the counter and hugging me like a long lost child. Mrs. Secretary At The Front Desk and I are kind of like kindred spirits. She "gets" me. The first time I casually tossed out a movie line that fit the circumstances if not the company, she knew exactly what I was trying to say. Not many people do and I cherish the folks who don't look at me like I missed the morning medication rounds.

She is also very well-versed in the art of zombie lore. Not quite as well as I. At the risk of sounding pompous, I think I can claim to be something of an expert in that area. But she is darned close to thinking at my level and always willing to learn more. She is on the short list for Sheepish Annie's A Team when the dreaded zombie apocalypse arrives.

Sometimes she sends me articles about zombie ants that she found on the internet. She keeps me up to date on things like zombie parties and fun zombie games. And sometimes she even brings in a movie she's found on the clearance racks that she knows will tickle my zombie-hating fancy.

Not many teachers can claim to have been loaned a copy of Planet Terror while administering the state achievement tests. But I can. And I feel that I am a better person for having a school secretary in my life who knows that long weekends are meant for movie exchanges with like-minded co-workers.

I'm a lucky woman...

Movie watching is also quite good for knitting. Even better for knitting is the change from unbearably hot to surprisingly chilly temperatures. I am always surprised by how motivated a knitter can become when suffering from frozen toes. And fingers. And everything else.

Sure, the interwebs may chuckle. I don't blame the interwebs. I'd laugh too were I on the other side of the monitor. The yarn-based intentions were enough to elicit some giggles, but the very thought of me making up a pattern on the fly should have had everyone laughing until summer temperatures return to my corner of the globe. It's funny.

But I'm not laughing now. My self-designed hot water bottle cozy was finished in a nick of time and has proven invaluable as the mercury drops.

I probably should have just used one of the billion available patterns to make this, but you know how I am when I get a bee in my bonnet. Sometimes I just have to prove I can do it. Even if I can't.

Thankfully, this time I could because my toes are really, really cold. Essentially, I wanted a thin covering with little in the way of lumpiness. The idea wasn't to insulate the bottle, rather to give it a snuggly quality. I also didn't think that knitted cable or seed stitch impressions on the various parts of my body where this thing will be held would be all that attractive. When one is already using a hot water bottle, one is perilously close to looking a bit matronly anyway. It's best to not add further divots to the skin. The bit of ruffling at the top was probably overcompensation on my part after all that plain stockinette. But I'm keeping it. A few ruffles never hurt anyone...

In fact, I like my hot water bottle cozy so much that I might just include it in the backpack when the time comes to flee the approaching zombie hordes. Packing light doesn't mean you have to give up every creature comfort, does it? I'm still not sure, but bringing my new cozy along is on the table for discussion.

I'm going to school early tomorrow to see how the school secretary feels about it. I'll get back to you.

SA