On the Cusp of Zen

So the end of the week looks a lot better than the beginning. It's been a rough one, so you can imagine how happy I was to get home and find a package from my SP5, who turns out to be Jaya!

Jaya sent me a really thoughtful package--with some things from near me, and some from near her. Lookie!

That's 3 skeins of Cashcotton DK in a lovely heathered plum (from Knit Happens!), a yummy vanilla-scented cupcake candle, a mini facial kit (yay!), a mini muffler kit in a plummy-brown from Morehouse Farm -- and of course, a cute-as-can-be Hello Kitty card! I'm super-excited about the Morehouse kit... I've almost ordered from there a number of times, but didn't go through with it, so this'll be my first Morehouse experience.

I can't say it enough: Thanks, Jaya!!

*****

I leave tomorrow for a hard-earned vacation--a week at the Outer Banks. Here's hoping that gas isn't $9/gallon when I get there. [Funny, isn't it? Just last week I winced at paying $2.50/gallon, then yesterday, $3.03 seemed perfectly reasonable in light of all the news reports.]

We'll be staying here:

and my plan for the week involves this

and this*:

and [not pictured] a goodly amount of wine and Cosmopolitans, and the poker chips and cards.

*Yarn: 2 sk. Crystal Palace Kid Merino, 4 sk. Brooks Farm Four Play, 1 sk. Tess Cultivated Silk-Wool, a half-done Retro Rib sock, and a barely started lacy lattice stole. Not pictured: My mind, which I clearly have lost.

*****

I don't even know what to say about Katrina... like some people, I have always had a little thing for New Orleans. I've been there three times, and it's enchanted me each time. This week I've been mourning for the city, but I've been praying and hoping for strong leadership and ample relief to help those left behind along the Gulf Coast. My grandfather has been a volunteer with the Red Cross for decades, and though he won't be traveling to this disaster site, the Red Cross needs all the help we can give.