Random ramblings

I slapped a half of a six pound pork loin into the crock pot, topped by dry onion soup mix, this morning.  It was done by about a quarter till one, and we had that and baked potatoes for lunch (I put mine on a sandwich so that I could work on helping a colleague...and then my computer locked up for an hour).  Tasty stuff.  The other half of the six pound pork loin is in the deep freeze for later.

The pixie has been acting like she's not feeling very good, lately.  She conked out briefly on the way home from Sam's Club before lunch, isn't eating as much breakfast as she usually does, and is whinier than usual.  I don't know what's wrong--but I'm pretty sure she's okay, since she's not running a fever.  It may just be the sleepy side of the growth spurt kicking in.  She'll take that little bit of weight she's put on (a whole two pounds), and stretch it out.

The imp is losing weight.  He eats five chicken nuggets, a slice of cheese, and a serving of green beans (dipped in BBQ sauce), or a Chef Boyardee cup with a solid pinch of shredded cheddar in it, or two slices of bread with peanut butter, folded in half, for most meals...drinks a lot of OJ and chocolate milk, eats three sausage links for breakfast.  So I know it's not that he's not getting enough to eat (especially since he never complains of being hungry).  I can't get him to eat different foods, or more volume of the same to increase his caloric intake.  I've tried.  He also loves lentils and rice with ranch dressing and hot sauce, but doesn't like it when I make it with bacon instead of olive oil.  I don't know why he's losing weight, except for his habit of going anywhere at a dead run, and never being still (not even when he's sleeping).  He's only about six pounds heavier than the pixie, at the moment. 

The dog has had a miserable day, today.  It's not gotten out of the low fifties, has been breezy...and rainy.  So, the dog, who wishes desperately to be an outdoor dog, has been inside all day.  Sad dog...

The cats, on the other hand, have been taking advantage of the weather by curling up into a tight ball together...and sleeping. 

My new sewing machine needs some repairs.  Turns out that some of the mechanism in the bobbin compartment that deals with switching back and forth between winding the bobbin and sewing is broken.  We have a sewing machine repair place that specializes in Singer sewing machines in town; however, it is a 1968 model.  I do hope that doesn't matter.

Writing is...stalled.  The imp is turning five tomorrow--and he's come a very long way in those five years--and I'd been trying to get caught up on everything so that his birthday can be his day, not "I'm sorry, son; Mom's busy grading."  Too bad we can't do what I'd considered: taking him to the zoo is out of the question because it's going to be cool tomorrow (wind chill of 37 degrees, early on), and windy.  And the pixie is prone to earaches with those conditions.

However, even stalled, it's still going well.  I've got a good chunk of the next to last story written out long-hand; all I need to do is get it typed and finished.  Then, all I have to do is write the denouement.  And edit, proofread, and rewrite. 

Which, honestly, should be done by the end of Fall Break.  My students have been really moving a lot faster than I'd anticipated, when I'd planned out the semester.