On the fourth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me . . .
three ducks squabbling with a nutria by the pond

"What, pray tell, is a nutria?" you may ask. The nurtia is a large South American water rat that someone imported to our area with the misguided notion that they could be raised for fur or food or something. Unfortunately, no one wants to buy nutria fur. And though the critters are a protien staple in South America, they are not a longed-for delicacy. So the importers - turned - them - loose!! They have taken to our waterways like ducks to water and are upsetting the ecology no end. This one is about half-grown and happily ensconced in the protected wetland behind the local library. He will waddle to within five feet of you, grin at you with his orange rodent teeth, and beg for duck food. The ducks hate him.

Blackjack has good, strong kidneys and liver, so if we do decide to opt for surgery, he is likely to survive it. On the other hand, he is doing pretty well, just gimping around with the splint. Time will tell.

I went to the yarn store yesterday and bought the yarn for pop-up paws. And somehow, while the credit-card was out, my mind went into a fuge state and I came out of the store with yarn for a gift, and a new set of size 4 rosewood DPNs. How did these get into my basket?

I had a bit of time still to kill, so I stopped at the fabric store. Inventory clearance sale. Aquamarine silk - usually $15.99 a yard. Bolt-end price is 50% off. clearance price - 20% more off. OK, so I bought 1 1/8 yards of the silk , and two skeins of sock yarn for less than a full yard of silk would have retailed for. Lessee - what can I do with 1 1/8 yards of silk?

So I had new needles and new yarn in my bag when I got to the writer's group. Obviously, one can listen better when knitting, right? And yet another UFO hits the needles!