Friday 5: A frayed knot

Happy Friday! Today is National Leadership Day (ugghghhghg), National Muffin Day (blueberry, chocolate chip, lemon), and National Comfy Day, which is observed every day here in our House on Literary Lane. I’ve moved my citizenship from Pantsuit Nation to Sweatpant Nation.

It’s also the final weekend of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and I am sad. While I’ve been following the usual hockey and curling content, this year I’ve intentionally chosen sports that I don’t usually watch. Like Snowboard Cross, Slopestyle, Biathlon, Monobob, and Ski Mountaineering.

For all of the concern people have about spoiling older books and movies, this year was an Olympic spoiler free-for-all. It was worse this year with the six-hour time delay than it was when we had twelve-hour time delays. I think that’s why I gravitated toward the sports that aren’t as US-centric. Fewer spoilers, more suspense.

This week’s Friday 5 theme is A Frayed Knot. Let’s go!

1. What has recently tugged at your heart strings?
   I’m watching season two of A Man on the Inside (one episode a week like a modern day culture sociopath) and the Thanksgiving episode that I watched on Sunday darn near destroyed me.
   
2. How much yarn do you have in your house?
   I think I have one baseball-sized ball. I am not good at yarn-based skills. Knitting makes me stabby and crochet — while easier — isn’t enjoyable either. I tried a few Woobles kits two or three years ago and I hated every second.
   
   I prefer paper, paint, and beads.
   
3. When did you last throw someone a line, or when did someone last throw you a line?
   WM and I are constantly tossing out lines when we see the other is overwhelmed and lately that’s been weekly. We work very well that way.
   
4. With whom are your conversations a tightrope-walk?
   Yeah, as much as I’d love to answer, I can’t go there. Too many people read this.
   
5. When did you most recently rope someone in to something they were reluctant to do?
   I try not to do that, because we’re all adults and I feel that everyone deserves to have agency over what they do and don’t wish to do. The most notable time is when WM earned his Masters Degree and I cajoled him into going to the graduation ceremony. He wouldn’t have done it without me asking him, and I really wanted to see him capped and gowned.

And that’s it for today: medals, muffins, and sweatpants all accounted for. I’ll see you on Monday with a card post!