Time to go home! Little puddle jumper to start… 
Author: Kris
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Flight 1
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Congrats, Prime Minister Albanese
An older lady asked me yesterday what my favourite thing about living in Australia is. My strong temptation* was to say “A functional democracy.”
Mandatory voting; preferential voting; voting on Saturday; voting on paper with pencils; democracy sausages – it’s all wonderful. Last week when I was scrambling to get packed and catch my flight to the funeral, I ducked into an early voting place to cast my vote. I was in and out in < 5 minutes. And today I was delighted to wake up and see the outcome, an utter rejection of Trumpism… THANK YOU, MY FELLOW AUSSIES! 
* I didn’t say that, of course. I’m in Indiana. I just mumbled something about preferring it there.
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Shop Hoppin’
After spending the morning staring bleary-eyed and joyful at the Australian election results, I have been put to work stamping “Shop Hop Passports.” #brandnewsentence @ The Quilt Shop at the Essenhaus
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When in Amish country…
The food is all the same colour, but it’s damn tasty! @ Das Dutchman Essenhaus
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Essenhaus Quilt Shop
Shhhhh! There’s a rogue knitter hiding in the Quilt Shop!
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Links that have caught my attention lately
- Cocktails for the End of the World – There is an R.E.M.-themed bar outside Brussels called Bar Electrolyte.
- Librarians are dangerous. – Hells yeah, they are. I’m proud to know a lot of librarians.
- Historians dispute Bayeux tapestry penis tally after lengthy debate – Embroidery + smut.
- This Five-Hundred-Word Bumper Sticker on My Tesla Explains Why I’m Not a Bad Person – HA.
- The end of homemade websites – This is actually from my own site, way back in 2001. I was commenting on Jakob Nielsen’s assertion that people would rather use web services than build their own sites. Turns out Jakob was far more prescient than I gave him credit for.
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Tough day.
We buried my beloved Grandma Veva yesterday. She was 87 years old. It was a beautiful Spring day, and nearly everyone who loved her was able to be there. I can’t tell you how many times someone said, “I’m so glad to see you again, even though it’s under these sad circumstances.” She did everything she could to make sure it was easy on us—made all the arrangements in advance; had a simple viewing and reception but no formal service—but it was still tough. I miss her.
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Heart Warmer Cowl
I’ve managed to get some knitting done today, and I finished my Heart Warmer Cowl.
Last month I picked a beautiful skein of Madeline Tosh out of my stash—may have been a gift?—and went looking for something to make with it. That’s when I found the cowl, and it seemed like a fun little sampler-style pattern that would force me to learn some new things. I had to learn the German twisted cast-on at the start. I’m pretty sure I mucked up the lace section with an extra row, but I decided I couldn’t be bothered fixing it. The bobbles were a slog, and I still think they look a little like nipples. The “smocking” section was fun, though I was a little worried about getting the tension correct. And today I probably spent a good hour on the laborious tubular bind off. It definitely needs a really good blocking, but I’m happy with it! It provided some much needed distraction, and I’ll enjoy wearing it this winter.
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Sadness
Did not expect when I woke up this morning to be boarding a plane tonight, but sometimes life sucks. Hug your loved ones, folks.
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New book
“When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.”
That’s a hell of an opening line.
