Whew! Time is just whizzing past me as if I were in some kind of hurry. A sudden shift in family situation drew me to Richmond on Monday and it looks like Dad will be moving this week into an assisted living place. On Friday, of course, which is when I am leaving for MS&W. Only I have his little dog and I think it’s important that he moves in with Lady in his arms. There is something so comforting about holding onto a little dog when you're coping with change and his is particularly cute and cuddly.

This, from the dog lady, mind, is probably very subjective, but the folks at the AL place seemed almost as glad to have the dog move in as to have Dad move in - and he’s the one paying for the room. She's been living with me the past month and it's going to really hurt to give her back - but it will feel so good to see Dad holding her that pang will evaporate fast.

So what it looks like is that I’ll add an extra 4 or 5 hours of driving to my Friday morning, and "slip on over" to Richmond before I head north to Howard County and the fairgrounds and the excitement that is Maryland Sheep and Wool. But the operative words are head and north and as I type the words M, S, & W, I begin to realize just how much my emotions have been held in check in regards to this year’s festival. Knowing I might not get to go, I have been pretty quiet about things festive, but now I know I can go, I’m beginning to feel the beat, the energy, the anticipation of that important moment when I see the sigh for Deep Fat Fried Twinkees!!!

Well, no. I really am not looking forward to DFFTs and all I have to do is picture in my mind the 6, count ‘em, 6, large tubs of fiber and yarn in the den to put a rein on my spending. But there are a few things I really hope to look hard at this year, and I want to come home with something marvelous for a cap sleeved, scoop necked, lace summer top - pour moi, merci - in magical greens - or some other magical, make-me-look-pretty color. I hope to see the gorgeous lampwork buttons again (and pick one up) and I won’t say no to some sock blockers. I won’t say no to some blue faced leicester, either.

Better than any fiber/fleece/fair treat, though, will be the gathering of friends. Some I haven’t seen in years, some hugged me last month, some I’ll be staying with, but all are important to me and will feed a certain loneliness I am just now giving attention to.

I’ve got some leave saved up - believe it or not - and I had planned to take the week after MS&W off - but things at work are very, very hectic and I am thinking I may take only Monday off and then see about taking most of the following week off instead. I have some command performances for work the week after MS&W that would sort of make a lie out of calling that week a vacation. Might as well just go to work and then really relax a little later.

But whatever I do, May is the month I can set aside anything I’m working on at the moment and cast on with my MS&W purchases - and with that being the case, I best go finish knitting the second Jitterbug sock. It will look just like this: