Things to do when gas is not so much

At looooonnnnngggg last, the gas shortage has eased here in Atlanta. Dunwoody has gas, even the BP station, which has much more frequent outages than any other stations during normal times. Of course, it's way above four bucks a gallon, so it's a good news/bad news proposition.

Our Sunday School class discussion centered on the issue of simplicity, choosing what and who are important, passing on the unnecessary. Yes, we've grown technologically in the past 2,000+ years. We still haven't learned a thing. While Martha was cleaning up after feeding Jesus and his entourage (and in a mighty snit about having to do it all by herself), Mary was enjoying the visit. Guess who Jesus praised? Not the busy Martha.

So, despite the nerve-twisting and costly gas crisis, it did offer one silver lining: it forced us to slow down and think thrice about how and why we drove anywhere. Staying close to home was easy for us, because Dunwoody has all the basics right here in town. Groceries and a few things from the hardware store? Check - just three blocks from home. Pick up the kids after school? Check - a couple of miles away. Breakfast at Old Hickory House with T early Saturday morning? Easy. Church on Sunday? Right around the corner. Walking to the bank and post office, as well as work at Dunwoody Nature Center was a peaceful option. Our family is blessed by proximity.

And, because it was a slower week all around, I finished two prayer ministry projects (a shawl and a lapghan), cast on the Side-to-Side Garter Stitch Vest, and finished one Maine Morning Mitt. The compost pile for next spring's Square Foot Garden is coming along nicely, and I raked up a ton of acorns falling across the driveway and sideyard.

Bliss!

Where everybody knows your name . . .

Every town has one. That eating place everyone goes to all the time. It's been around forever, the decor is forgettable, the prices are low, and the food is pretty basic.

The Old Hickory House in Dunwoody is that place. It's a barbecue restaurant that really shines at breakfast time. Every Friday morning, T and I meet there after he drops off A at the high school and just before I go to the Nature Center. He likes his big fluffy biscuit sandwich. I like a fried egg and rye toast or sausage links. Nothing fancy, certainly nothing healthy. But we really enjoy the time together.

I just got off the phone with TangleGirl (yo, Kris!), catching up on felted clogs, the forgiveness of felting and the heresy of incorrect patterns. (She purled awhile, exactly as the directions indicated, only to find out it was WRONG and mucked up the pattern. Don't you just HATE that?)

Rip it. Rip it. Blasted frogging.

I'm casting on the mukluks this weekend and will post pix of the yarn and WIP as I go. I'm also continuing on Jaywalker #2. We'll see if fun outpaces tedium.