While I was failing to fall asleep last night (we have a lot going on) I realized a way to keep the lip on these from collapsing. My local craft store sells foam rings that people are meant to turn into wreaths with decorated stuff - but I bet if I put one underneath the lip while it's drying...!

Parenting: it's an endurance sport.

This was today's #2 attempt on a barrel-shaped mug. Nope. Prior to this, I had a complete R.U.D., but I did manage to sort of salvage this one. We shall see if it survives the drying/firing process; I'm not holding my breath. If it does work, though, then I have to figure out how to do it again!

The toilet intake froze, the kids went "huh, it doesn't flush, that's funny," and left it for someone else to deal with, and I pulled a muscle in my tailbone somehow today. However, I have thawed the toilet, set up a space heater in the bathroom so it doesn't happen again, and used a chirp wheel.

I have spent so many hours this week trying to get my mother's laptop to stop being stupid and just work. Unfortunately, it's on the other side of the world from me, so I can't threaten to zap off to its databanks with a very large ax if it won't behave. Brain the size of a planet... Grr. Need tea.

No new pictures: where are you mentally

Go poodle go! #UglyDogs

I got to see my nief-dog for the first time in a month! She is such a good girl. Also baked a birthday cake, went grocery shopping, fixed a flat tire on my car, and went to the library. I am cold but accomplished.

Younger kid decided to make chocolate lava cakes from his new cookbook for dessert night. (Friday is dessert night.) I helped - but it was things like "it's late and I'm too tired to be brave about the oven, can you put them in please?" He did at least 50%. They have come out fabulous.

There is too much everything in my January, and I'm pretty sure there's too much in everyone else's. I would like to return to sender. Grr.

Nom nom nom nom nom aaaaaaaah cliffhanger!!! Dear gods that was good and now I'm going to sit and scream for at least the next year while I wait for the next book.

The second Nampesheweisit book just dropped and I have to go to bed. The universe is not fair at all.

My kid outgrew his hat when we weren't looking, so now he needs a new winter hat. Stopped off at @mindseyeyarns.bsky.social in the middle of a blizzard to grab some Falkland, and downloaded a new pattern - let's do this!

For the *4th* time, I appear to have dodged COVID when the kids have brought it home. It's been a week, for a lot of reasons.

Kid has caught COVID, so I'm now aggressively looking for good things in life. Look at this gorgeous snow against blue sky. This is the sort of beautiful frozen water I want to see in the world. I cleared my neighbors' sidewalks with my snow thrower, and one of the local kids did my front steps.

Huh. I never did get the snow thrower out from behind the bikes in the shed, did I. Welp. Time to go shovel some snow and get out the ice melt...

Donated blood because fuck my S.A.D., I can at least help people by providing hemoglobin and platelets.

This week has already had several weeks stuffed into it, but at least now we're over the hump. And I get to see (hopefully) a bunch of friends I've been out of touch with for a couple of years (f*cking COVID) this weekend! The fact that I'm also looking forward to it in spite of SAD? Awesome.

Mud time! Missed this a lot. So therapeutic, even when my pots collapse. (My first one of the day, not pictured, did.)

I really hate having to engage with the bureaucracy of the federal government right now. It feels like tacit approval of the bullshit they are trying to force feed us. At the same time, I know that most of the rank and file are just trying to do their jobs in spite of the bullshit generators. Argh.

Snake-Eater by @tkingfisher.com is freaking fabulous and I just ate it in one sitting. 5⭐ stars, no notes, and the only reason I'm not buying a copy right now is that I'm hoping one of the dealers at Arisia will have it in stock. Damn that was glorious.

I can tell that my yeast is very happy, I can *hear* the little farts as it outgasses. Usually, this is not the case. Blueberry-almond bread, because certain people have developed a raisin allergy, which makes all of us sad. #BreadSky

When pineapple comes into the house, it vanishes. Mysteriously. Instantly. I am making a dish that requires pineapple later this week, so I carefully wrote "Recipe" on the top of the container. This morning, a mournful message has appeared on the *side* of the container.

My bell choir director is being very kind, and I appreciate it. Since she gave me 16th notes to ring, she gave me only *one* bell to keep track of. (I'm still messing up, but I'm probably doing better than I would with two bells.) For the other piece we're working on, I also have only one bell...

I have excavated myself and my younger humans from our warm blanket caves to be met by 13F/-10.5C temperatures. This family of possums is extremely displeased with this state of affairs and would like the opportunity to hiss at whatever caused it.

A friend has COVID *and* bronchitis *and* pink eye. I took him some cookies today (chocolate chip, don't need to be able to smell for those) but I'm now reconsidering whether I want to go into any buildings in the coming weeks. Although, the kids are going back to school tomorrow. Hmm. SCUBA gear?

And this would be why I logged back into LJ for the first time in possibly a decade - to go find the one person I know of who is still there and warn her that this might be coming. (Because I really, really want that blog to not vanish without a peep.) Ugh.

Cleaning out the tea cabinet because it's January, and we couldn't find something we were looking for, and I just found the bag of green jasmine my late friend sent me, when I was having a really horrible few months. I'll just be over here sobbing for a bit, thanks. #TeaIsLove

The gym got new weight machines, and I used them yesterday. Previously, kg and lb were in one orientation on the weights. Now they're reversed. Not a problem...unless you're kind of fried from holiday stress and miss that swap initially. My arms would like a WORD with me. (My legs are just sore.)

My body has decided red wine is poisonous. Which, to be clear, it is - but not to that degree. Apparently, the added features on my liver were a subscription model or something, and they've lapsed, and now I can't have red wine anymore. Who built this hardware anyway? It's not to spec at all. Meh.

@tkingfisher.com Otter Run Kennel is doing a fundraiser because their snow mobile blew up - and their shirts are straight out of _The Raven and the Reindeer_. Any chance you could give them a boost? 😆 More people should have otters in sled harness shirts, after all.

And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, can help you find the Holy Grail. He warned you, he warned you but did you listen? No… ohhh no, it’s just a harmless little bunny isn’t it now, well it’s always the same thing, he always tells them --” Some (that listen) call him...Tim.

That glorious feeling when you get the *whole splinter* out in one smooth yank. That thing has been driving me to distraction all day. And I got it. Raaar.

We did a solstice ritual at our church last night. (I was one of 4 leaders for the service.) 35 years ago, I realized I couldn't be a Christian in my church anymore. Now I'm a pagan in a church that embraces all of my bits, says, "Share those with us, we want to have the strength of diversity here."

I interviewed with a company that sounded really awesome, but I wanted to know: how did you train your algorithm? Did you pay the creators? They refused to tell me; that was secret sauce. So I said, "Are you likely to get sued for using copyrighted work in your algorithm?" Yes, they were being sued.

I'm glad I did not decide to double this recipe because I can't find my bigger pot! It smells fabulous already.

And then we get books like the one I just DNF'd because it's trite and overdone. Oh well. They can't all be great.

I love tea with all of my dark brown tannin-infused heart, but I have to say, when the migraine fairy comes visiting, there really is nothing like a double-strong black coffee to get it to leave again. Also, I have finished _Lessons in Magic and Disaster_, and I need to go buy multiple copies.

I am halfway through @charliejane.bsky.social 's _Lessons in Magic and Disaster_, and my spouse has already had problems extracting me from the fictional universe to do things like eat breakfast or breathe. DAMN but this is a good book. I have a number of friends to pin down with this one.

Mmmpie.

My mom gave me the mini cider press I've been coveting for several years, and I had a few apples from my tree frozen downstairs. This cider is INCREDIBLY sweet, and about as local as possible. I am now looking forward to next fall with a mad scientist cackle that should probably worry my family.

The ground is frozen, so of course the plant I want is back in stock. Sorry, garden store. I don't get to buy any plants until March.

Movie you've watched more than six times, with a gif. Hard mode: No Star (Wars|Trek), LOTR, or Marvel.

Hey #UglyDogs - caption this? I'm trying to figure out exactly why the shark thinks it's a sled dog. The corgi obviously is a @runmuppyrun.bsky.social wannabe. 😆

Me, to my mother, in text: I apologize for all the times you were right, and knew you were right, and I ignored what you told me because I didn't want to believe it. Why yes, I'm dealing with a teenager, and it is totally karmic payback for my teenagerdom. :lolsob:

The library gave me _What Stalks The Deep_, and I mainlined it in about 4 hours, and now I'm buying it. The middle sworn-soldier book didn't do it for me, but the first one was also a delight. (Different flavors for different tastes!) Thanks for another excellent creepy story, @tkingfisher.com !

Dear Jade Plant, Gravity is still there, you didn't need to test it. Guess I'm potting up some clones? Maybe don't do that again. Love, Your Human

I would like the 2+ hours I have spent debugging what has gotten borked on my kid's laptop such that parental time reporting turned off. He applied a security patch, bang, no more time reporting. He was using that to track his own usage stats, thanks. Gah. It looks like a bit flip, but WHY?

Having spent today arguing both with various pieces of technology (successfully, but I needed to invoke customer service) and with a virus that my kid brought home just before Thanksgiving, I am so very flat tonight. But my mom will enjoy the e-reader, and I will enjoy giving it to her.

> Besides Grateful Dead (0), Phish (0), and Widespread Panic (0), introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen multiple times. Peter, Paul, and Mary October Project Great Big Sea Indigo Girls Arlo Guthrie