Madison and more

 First, some knitting: this is the third time I've knit up Kristin Nicholas' Sunny Fez Hat, and each time, I marvel at what a great fit and design it is. This one, not quite done - still needing the embroidered flowers around the pink circles - is for my teacher. She loved her hat, and then it ended up in the wash, felted, and about the size of a toddler hat. This one may be delivered with a small bottle of Eucalan and washing instructions.

Last week we went to Madison, Wisconsin for the day to visit my younger daughter and her boyfriend. After lunch at the Old-Fashioned (deep-fried cheese curds! homemade (deep-fried potato chips! deep-fried fish! and a tiny piece of lettuce on the plate to represent the Salad Course), we wandered around the downtown area and ended up at the Wisconsin Historical Museum. An old-fashioned museum: lots and lots of stuff, and no clear message, except that any stuff about Wisconsin might belong in this museum. Actually, it was interesting, particularly the exhibit about inventions that originated in Wisconsin.

H, I took the next two pictures for you. Hopefully, your rat charges are living a better life...

 And the Capitol. One of those amazingly beautiful, majestic old buildings. I love buildings that have depressions on the floor or stairs that reveal how many feet have passed over these surfaces. Here's the dome:

 And one of the mosaics on the wall:

But now that the holidays are over, I am ready to nest. If someone gave me the job of staying home, knitting, and watching old movies, I would be right there. Until that job comes along, I'm teaching, working at the knitting shop, and puttering. It's a good time of year for working a puzzle. You focus on something that has a start and end,  and doesn't require too much brain power. I started small with a large-piece 350 size puzzle. Now we;ve escalated to 750 pieces.
 Please bear in mind that there are seven million tiny people on this puzzle, and each is wearing a different outfit and a different expression. When it's not tiny people (a Where's Waldo kind of puzzle), there are tiny pets and lots of paving, and the occasional awning with letters to give me a bit of hope.

More reasons to hope: I'm listening to Bram Stoker's Dracula (now on disc 13, and wondering if Mina will make it) on audiobook; reading Prince Caspian and hoping to work my way through the whole Narnia series (I'd never read any but The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) alongside Laura Miller's The Magician's Book: A Sceptic's Adventures In Narnia; and getting ready to watch the new season of Downton Abbey.