A SMALL DISASTER

Note: The story I'm about to tell you is true. And it is ultimately knitting-related. And it's intended to make you LAUGH.

Night before last we invited Mike over for dinner to celebrate his retirement, at 78! (He's been the wharfinger at Whaler Bay for 5 years, and has now gotten all settled on a new dock in Ganges where he has NO responsibilities!)

I haven't cooked a roast of beef for years, partly because we're not big meat-eaters, and also because of the price of those things. But this was a special occasion, and so I shelled out for a (cheap cut) pot roast. Then I went to the farmer's market and bought a bunch of fresh-out-of-the-garden organic carrots, and fresh this year's baby potatoes. It took me two hours to prepare the veggies and dress the roast with onion and garlic and beef broth. Into the oven it went while I prepared an equally delectable fresh-organic-greens salad. Michael drove in to town to pick up Mike, and at 5:30 the table was set and they'd arrived back.

When I lifted the glass roasting pan out of the oven, the heat (it had been on at 400 degrees because it wasn't cooking fast enough), for some reason, went right through my oven mitt. I tried to get it set down quickly on the counter because it was going to burn my hand, but couldn't do it -- upside down it went, and all that lovely 400 degree fluid spilled over both of my feet! I happened to be wearing a pair of my handknit wool socks, of course, so as I was screaming in pain I also reached down and ripped off the socks so the burning would stop. With dinner now all over the floor and our poor friend staring with that I'm-absolutely-shocked-and-completely-helpless-deer-in-the-headlights look, my hubby had the presence of mind to get a basin filled with ice water for my feet until we could figure out getting me to Emergency.

The short story is that I have second-degree burns on my left foot, and first degree on the right foot. Yes, it was painful then, but somewhat better yesterday and today already, and they tell me by tomorrow it *shouldn't* be painful at all. However, I'm bandaged from ankles to toes, and I'm under doctor's orders to sit in my recliner for at least the next 48 hours with my feet up and doing NOTHING. A home nurse will visit later today. And then it may take as long as 3 weeks to heal completely, during which time I will have to be in bare feet, and in the recliner as much as possible (after all, it is nearly October, and one can't be out running errands, etc., in bare feet). Besides, I have a husband who loves taking care of me, mostly because I'm so cussedly independent most of the time that he doesn't get the chance.
So guess what? It's my feet that are burned, not my hands. I'll be having A LOT of guilt-free knitting time. Not exactly the ideal way to get it, but, hey, I'll take what I can get! Mwah ha ha.

I already finished the 'mystery object' which turned out to be a lovely cowl...
And yes, I'll behave myself, and do whatever those medical people tell me to do. I promise. :-)