Getting By with a Little Help from My Percolators

Original watercolor portrait of Lollia by artist Ron Krajewski

It's Day Something-or-other of the 22nd Olympiad and, while I am adjusting slightly to chronic sleep deprivation, it's still a rugged moment each morning when Lollia, my sensible little female pomeranian, begins her quiet sneezing at the side of my bed, alerting me that's it time for a quick trip outside and her breakfast. She's really most tactful about it, but if I ignore her for more than a few minutes, she will escalate to a series of very quiet growls. This is the signal that things are getting dire and she really wants to be let out now. So I flop out from under the blankets, stumble around until I find some shoes, and out I go with the tribe. Once I've been on my feet for a bit I start to "come to".

Nevertheless, what would I do without coffee? Particularly after staying up late watching people willingly destroy their knee joints on moguls, and staring blearily at packs of hunched-over skaters go circling round and round an ice rink like schools of sharks? And it that weren't bad enough I stayed up after the broadcast and read a couple of chapters of Gervase Phinn's Over Hill, Over Dale for about  half an hour before switching out the light. Ding-Dong!!!

So how am I faring today? You may judge for yourself.

Coffee! I can sleep when I'm dead! Or after the Olympics.

Coffee is a way of life in this household and I have the vintage percolators to prove it. Sadly, my favorite one died last week. It started leaking a bit and I noticed something rattling around inside the heating element. My electrician husband examined it, declared it unsafe and unrepairable, and so I have reluctantly retired it. The silly thing only lasted for--what?--fifty or sixty years? What is the world coming to?

Rest in peace, old faithful Proctor-Silex

Now I know it's not coffee percolators you want to see more of, it's that intriguing little pink furry refrigerator magnet in the background of today's portrait. Well, you're not going to. I'm too sapped to haul out the camera for more photos of that fellow now. But fortunately for you, a few days ago I did take a picture of the others which are obscured behind me in this morning's shot.

These are simply felt, fake fur, googly eyes, and pom poms, with magnets glued to the back. They're easy to do--no talent and no pattern required! I suggest you whip some out forthwith. They'd be fun to make with your kids, as well. 

Okay. Gotta dash--er--crawl off and do some housework.

By the way, I did reopen the shops temporarily and, in honor of the Olympics, you can type in coupon code 22OLYMPIC at checkout and get 22% off your order. The sale ends with the games do, though, so don't delay! I'm not listing any new stuff right now, but trying to clear out what's on hand.