A good day

So, it's the first day of December and Brian and I did some good wintry things. We got up and braved the cold to support the local farmers at the Greenmarket at the Nature Center in Lincoln Park. We got some cider and some great greens from an extremely local urban farmer. There are always some farmers from outside the city in Illinois and some Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana farmers. But these guys were growing greens in vacant lots. So we picked up some nice mixed lettuces and stuff. I got one more pumpkin for making raviolis and cornbread. Some apples for tarts. Some amazing goat's milk cheese. I also got some nice yarn for knitting Xmas presents from a farmer who not only raises livestock, but keeps sheep for making cheese. His wife spins the roving into yarn from when they shear the sheep and she knits a bunch of cool stuff like mittens and hats! So far all my textile projects are variations on the square. Like a scarf, or a pocket... I did complete an afghan thanks to the drive to and from the Cleveland area over Thanksgiving. I started out crocheting a granny square a couple of months ago (working an hour or so every few days) and it kept on growing. It is satisfying to actually finish one of my bright ideas.
We warmed up with big bowls of noodle soup at Tampopo and then because it had begun to snow as we left- we got our Christmas tree. He's a good looking tree, with long branches and big gaps to hide monster ornaments. I'm a sucker for the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. You know the type-those slightly crooked fellows on the tree lot that others seem to pass up because they are looking for a perfectly shaped tree. I love them all. This time, they all had straight trunks.
It's nice to know that someone is growing trees on purpose. And, for every tree that is harvested three are planted. One day I'm going to get one with a root ball and plant it. Though I have heard that the survival rate for replanted Christmas trees in the Chicago area is only 20 percent. I will have to look into it.
It smells really nice in the house from the tree and from the sage. I chopped all of my sage bush before the freezing rain started. I'm drying it in the oven. It smells like stuffing in here. I'll have to roast a chicken and make some stuffing in it.
And right before the weather completely digressed into sleet and rain, I made this little fellow.

Now to paint a page of comics.