in which I telecommute for the first time

I got permission to work at home today because I had to had to be here for the plumber. (It was a corroded pipe, but it was an easy plumbing fix. Two feet (60cm) of pipe replaced and a new spigot. I don't know how much damage was done to the foundation or the siding because I can't get under the house to check. The crawl space opening is far too small for me, so Oscar has to do it. It's almost too small for him. It was also much cheaper than I had expected.)

I thought I'd enjoy telecommuting but I really didn't. I wasn't any more productive here than at work because I still have distractions. They are different distractions, but fending off the affections of four separate animals (yes, even Maggie wanted some attention) during the day wasn't all that much different than dealing with colleagues who wander over to chat. (Although my colleagues have never walked over and slammed my keyboard tray back under the desk, which is what Seamus does with his nose. He also decided to start howling when I was on the phone with a colleague.)

In fact, there was a distinct disadvantage to working at home today--no coffee. I don't have any at home because I only drink it in the mornings and on weekends, we usually go someplace. Around 12:30, desperate for a coffee fix, I walked over to the local Safeway with its Starbucks bar for a jolt of java. I had been up since 7am, and the back door had been open the entire time so that the dogs could go in and out as they please. But during the 20 minutes I wasn't home and the only 20 minutes of the day the back door had been closed, Kate had an explosive accident on the carpet. (She got into the cat food last night and I think it was too rich for her.)

So while I like being home, I don't like actually working from home because I feel like I should be doing stuff around the house (like washing dishes or pulling weeds) and am tempted to do stuff that I know I shouldn't do (like take a nap or knit). I resisted all the temptations but still feel like I've kind of wasted my day. Not anymore productive at work, not productive at house stuff, and no leisure activities...the only positive was not having to spend 2+ hours commuting to and from the office.

In a complete change of topic, here are some more pictures:

Maggie, continuing her habit of sleeping in seemingly uncomfortable spaces.

An iris blooming in the back yard.

My latest sock, finished last night and blocking nicely. Unfortunately, you can't see the cuff detail, which is a lace pattern that reminds me of the capital of a Corinthian column. I can hardly wait to finish the second sock.