The end is in sight ....

The title carries a two-fold truth. Firstly, the end of a skein of yarn is scant yards away from my needles. Come to think of it, both projects on needles are near skeins' end. (That would be a good name for a yarn store. Skeins' End. Maybe in Hobbiton?) And for the other truth, I've got roughly 1500 stitches and a neck left on my stealth project. There's a whoe 7 days to do that in. One day for the 1500 stitches, and who knows what for the neck. I haven't designed it yet, but I have a vague idea how I will go about it.

I have had a most wonderful time sending Christmas cards out this year ... any opportunity to use a fountain pen! I also got some new address labels with a yarn logo on them. But how dense can I be? I forgot to include my mailing address on the labels. Still, that's not the company's fault, and the labels are quite lovely. At $2 a sheet ($2.25 if you choose colored ink for your address info) and 60 labels a sheet, the price is right. They asked me to tell others about them ... and so I shall. Superior Labels operates just across the river from Moline, IL, where I lived many long years ago, before the levy. Nice labels, quick service, excellent price.

I heard a new word today on TV while my dh and ds were watching a college basketball game. The announcer used the word "Cokeness" in a Coca-cola advertisement. I looked askance at the television, and quietly marveled at the state of advertising in the world today. The following advertisement was for Bod-Man, and although no new words were coined, the wording of the advertisement made me wish to avoid the product, and any users of the product. But why I bring this up is what the announcer said after he finished reading the text of the second commercial. It was precious.

You know, sometimes your dignity gets challenged on this job.

My husband and I looked at each other. Dh commented, "You're looking at me as if you think you heard what I thought I heard." Never has my opinion of sports announcers been so high. As a rule, I don't have much of an opinion about them. Since my grasp of the finer points of the game is debatable ("Mom! Do you know why the Flyers won?" "Because they had more points than the other team at the final buzzer?") my few opinions are formed not on their competence, but on their graciousness to teams that are blowing it, and lack of profanity. But today ... to hear one comment on challenges to his dignity, on the air, right after some less-than-classic ads ... and to comment so politely ... it was a delight. And a pleasure.

It was also a good excuse to use my fountain pen.