smile!

in a new (to me) city in a new (to me) apartment and room. Getting settled in. This is the chair- which is nothing at all to look at until you fix it up a bit. I love it! I love to sit in it and read. It's just my size! ;)

Encyclopedia of the various groups of 'plain people'

Haven't written anything about anything Amish in a long time... and not really fixing to now... but there is an interesting new book out... link to Amish America blog

Another day (or 2) in paradise

The creeps clowns that broke into the apartment back in August busted the lock and a zipper on a brand new (grrrrrr) suitcase of mine. They also cut the luggage strap that was around it... they could have simply popped the lock since I'd snapped it shut simply to keep the zipper pulls from moving...hadn't bothered to reset it from the factory default 000. And the strap could have easily been unwound. It made me madder that they destroyed perfectly good stuff when they could have just gotten into it with less effort than it took to wreck the stuff. But- I guess you don't have time to actually think about piddly stuff like that when you're busy taking (or at least looking for) what isn't yours to begin with and you're probably nervous that S' going to walk in the door at any minute. Whatever. Sigh. 

Anyway- S looked at the strap last week and said- Why don't you just get the shoe repair guy to sew it back together?  So I did. Made a little stop at this kid's (no kidding- if he's 18, I'll eat my proverbial hat) shoe fixin' stand. Waited 5 min while he sewed on a really cool and interesting heavy duty sewing machine. 

And let my phone (and its camera) look around the inside... he's neat as a pin... unlike the eccentric shoe repair guy up in Kyiv...

Need a new heel? He's got your kind...And he did a good job on the strap, too! ;)

So- now I'm 'here' instead of 'there'... And 'here' is where we find this charmer! Irina (Ira- pronounced "EE-rah") 2 (or 3?) years old and a pistol if there ever was one.  We spent a bit of time with her...

and her big sis "Daryna" (she's not lacking in character, either, let me tell you! The whole family eggs her on and winds her up and she can really tell a story!) Her big sis Christina and Dad and Mom were there, too... but pix of them were not a success...so we'll just leave them off!

and then came home and did some more quince tonight... only this didn't turn pink and isn't quite as tasty as the stuff we did earlier. But it's still yummy! And smells delicious. Honestly- I walked into the grocery today needing granola ingredients... these were right inside the door... the first thing you saw and the first thing you smelled. And that whole part of the store did smell sweet and fruity and quince-y. There was no way on earth to just leave them there! ;)

 And then... got a major snack attack. This is left from my birthday... and was burning a hole in my consciousness... Someone donated Reese's PB cups to a (good?) cause; someone else sent Snickers Crunchers. Oh Groan. I eventually found my pumpkin seeds and consoled myself with them... although I'm not sure they're exactly low cal or low fat. Ah well. These little packages of chocolate goodness will come in handy some other time... I'm glad they survived the night! :) 

trains

A lot of things you forget pretty quickly. Or at least I do. Two years away from a place and I'd forgotten just how much train time there is in that area. Well- not forgotten completely but forgotten what it feels like. To be on trains. AllTheTime. On a day train, you can get stuff done. A lot of stuff. And I have. I've written letters and emails and done blog posts and read books and studied and sorted through notes and papers and pictures. You name it. If it's portable it's probably been done. But- being in limbo sort of stifles that. At the beginning of August, I packed up and shipped most of my 'stuff' to a central Ukr city and then went on down South for a few months. Meantime, stuff happened- like it is wont to do- and plans changed. At the end of the 'South Stint' I was briefly reunited with my stuff. Which was a big thing. The apartment it was in had been broken into in mid August. My stuff along with that of several other people was thoroughly sifted through and scattered around and disrespected. Some dear soul had been there after that and tried to put stuff away as best they could. But when I got there- I found some of it on the shelves, some of it in my cases. A lot of it wasn't how I'd left it and it took awhile to sort through it realize that nothing had been taken (which was no surprise- aside from this laptop, I have nothing of real monetary value...and the laptop was with me at the time... whew). So- just as I got all my stuff spread out and sifted and sorted, I also got word that within days my stuff and I would be moving West to be with T for a bit. Being the calm person that I am, I quietly packed it all up and shipped it off again. (permission granted to laugh... I might have fluttered a bit... heh)

What's this have to do with trains??? Just a minute.

Oh yeah- so for the 2 weekends I was in the train area I was fantastically unmotivated to dig into my stuff at all to find much to do. Oh- I had some stuff along that was on the surface and easy to get to. But not much. And so the train time got L-O-N-G. 

So Monday, when we parked just across the aisle from these 4, it didn't take much to distract me. Mr Light Blue Sweater had a little Bluetooth headset on his right ear. He loved talking on the phone. Loudly. He must have been some sort of wheeler dealer buyer seller. He had several conversations about stuff he was looking for for other people. Including a mattress for 2 very small lightweight people. He didn't really know if the mattress Caller On The Other End had was really what they were looking for. Then there was a phone call about magazine subscriptions. His voice went on and on and on. And when he wasn't talking on the phone, he was talking. Period. To anyone and everyone. He was verbose. Wordy. Diffuse. Prolix. Long-winded. He had it all and knew it all. And was happy to share.I just love his wife's pointed disinterest in this pic.

To be fair- these guys seemed in the mood to chat and did their share sometimes.

And then- and then. Mrs Wife in the Pink Sweater came to life. Turns out... they're a good match. She can talk too. She Can Really Talk Too. 

see her hands? Blurs? Yep... they talk, too. And, once again, to be fair- they really weren't obnoxious. They just talked. A Lot. Like the whole 2 1/2 hours. No Breaks. At All. 

A mom and baby got on right behind us and settled just beyond our seats. I caught Baby's eye- he was running around looking at all of us. But no go making up to the little squirt.  Suddenly, he careened by me clutching a toy car. Bypassed me altogether and ran right up to the only other child within shouting distance. A boy of about 8. Showed him his car and offered it to him. They hit if off right away.

It was really neat to see how the older boy immediately responded to Baby. 

Baby was happy and content the whole time largely because of his new buddy.

And tell me- How does a toddler know that this 'also-bigger-than-him' person is going to get right down on the floor and play with him? How did he hone right in on the one person in the whole wagon who was most likely to give him all of his time? Ok- sure- he's short, too...shorter than the rest of us. But really- he obviously wasn't too small to recognize another kid. And the kids? The big one was Russian speaking; Baby babbled...but his momma spoke Ukrainian. Kids are really something else. 

And so- the train trip passed and we got home and I didn't finish packing but just crashed... And was glad. :)

The many faces of JM

I'm sure you've been waiting for another skype chat with the Monkeys... I have, too. :) All the kids were home for a change. JM was AllWoundUp. Completely. A regular Chatterbox. Aunt Nita Does Not Mind when this happens! I have 3 pumpkins: A huge one, a small one and a tiny one. (In case you can't tell- this is the tiny one. The huge one really is big...)

 I stuck in 2 cents about That Boy being original... but I'm not sure originality can win over the audacity of doing the Only Orange Card. Orange... oh the shame...

don't remember what happened here but Aunt Nita made her blush!

Oh look- it's the Twinnies! Madi's waving. Miki's grinning. Instead of hiding from Aunt Nita. How nice! (and the Jboy? He was, as ever, elusive. An arm and a leg made a brief appearance...as did the rapidly disappearing back of his head.) ;-)

Good-bye Twins. Good-bye Monkeys. Very nice to chat! xo

We're not so rich...

that we can afford to buy cheap. That's an expression we hear sometimes over here. I heard it first from our very dear friend Dima. He was looking sorrowfully at a chopping knife that he'd tried to fix for the umpteenth time- the handle kept coming off. We'd gotten a set of knives that were...less than expensive. Dima is happy with nothing less than quality and perfection. And whatever he does- he does well. Those knives were ditched and replaced by something better.


Later, we were moving from apartment 1 to 2. DeAnn and I and the taxi driver... and one very eager, very helpful, very 'cocker spaniel' friend of the XY variety. Now- we were very VERY grateful for XY's help. But after awhile (possibly after D found her toothbrush on  the bottom of a bunch of stuff in the bathtub. Dear XY Friend had gone into the bathroom at apt 1 and swept everything he saw into an empty pail. When XY and Taxi Driver arrived at apt 2, XY simply dumped the bucket into the tub and went back for another bucket full.) So- D says to me- Please PLEASE take XY and go. Just go. Go somewhere. Go to the-I-don't-know... go to... go to... go the market. Yes- go to the market and get something, anything... something we need.
XY and I left. Found our way over to Big Bazaar clear across town- the one that took nearly 45 min to get to. We need paint, XY says.
We do?
Yes, we do. I'll paint the bathroom for you. It could use some paint.
Ummm.... (think fast, Girl, faster than you ever have- he's tugging at his 'leash' and is heavier and stronger than me by miles and I certainly won't be able to hold him back for long... we've rented this place from a friend of an acquaintance and painting the bathroom doesn't seem the way to get off on the right foot with them)- Ummmm- YouKnowIthinkWeNeedAnElectricTeaKettleWaterBoilerOneThatBoilsTheWaterReallyFastLikeIsReallyCoolToHave. (deep breath) Yes. We Need One Of Those. Look- there they ARE!!! (big smiley face)
Of course- I've never bought one of those...or much else in the household appliance line. Prices here are different than home- everything comes in big numbers because of the 5 to 1 (at the time) exchange rate and math just has never been my thing.
Well, XY says, Get something good. Don't get the most expensive thing...but don't get the cheapest thing either. Get something in the middle.
So we did. And not knowing one thing about good/better/best brands in Europe or about electric water boilers, we picked out this kettle:

The point is- 8 years later, I'm back with this same water kettle. It's been through a few moves since then and is now in Central Ukr... and it's as good as ever.
A hot water kettle is just a water kettle, just a 'thing'. But- I've met a few others- cheap, rotten, drive you nuts water kettles. They last about 6 months and they're shot. And you have to get another one. Whatever we paid for this one 8 years ago- it's turning out to have been quite a good deal.
Life's a lot like that- buy once and buy well. Look for quality and be willing to pay for it. You don't need the flash and glitz (which often goes with the most expensive item on the shelf and is just a disguise for cheap); you don't need the poverty of having to buy again and again and again. The cheap thing becomes the most expensive in the end.

left footed all the way around

From a few weeks ago down south, this story was too good to miss. S had been to the maternity ward to visit the granddaughter of a friend who was waiting to have her 1st baby. (The system is a bit diff here. Because her husb is working on a job across the country and she's been staying with her mom in a village and because of alcohol problems in the household- not, thankfully, the new mother- and because her grandma is nearly blind and can't help in an emergency- well for all those reasons, the soon-to-be-mom went to town about 2 weeks before Baby was born, talked to her ob/gyn who admitted her to the hosp. She just stayed there until Baby was born.)

So. It's a very cold and rainy Saturday- the last, in fact, before the heat was turned on. Baby Boy had been born 5 days earlier and was healthy and fine and so was Mom. Mom calls late in the afternoon- S? They're going to release me in about 30 min. Now- being released from the hosp with a newborn is a Big Deal around here. There's a whole formal ceremony and all... 

Only I didn't know all that at the time of the phone call. 

The hosp is about 15-20 min walk away so we hop up and, without bothering to comb our hair, put on pretty clothes (it was COLD, remember? We went for warmth and comfort NOT pretty), without even looking in a mirror- we jammed our feet into shoes, jumped into hats and gloves and coats and sprinted out the door. S ran across the square for New Baby flowers; I hopped into the store for a box of chocolates. (If all else fails- bring chocolates. Chocolate is nearly always appropriate here.)

We tear down the street, dodging (most of) the puddles, trying to keep our umbrellas between us and the rain drops. Get to the hosp. There's a man with a video camera taping everything in sight but I think nothing of it. We park our umbrellas in an unobtrusive spot. The video-tapey man goes out to get the outside of the hosp. 

We wait. 

A car pulls up. Video-tapey man jumps to the car and shoots away. My first clue that I'm in BIG trouble...

the princess that exited the car. Accompanied by her mom. Neither of whom was wearing a coat... in this weather?! And- even more ominous- I KnowThesePeople. They are the grandma and the aunt of the new baby we've come to send off. Hmm- One Begins To Think One May (just may) Be Underdressed. Oops. 

But this is Leeza - and she is just too cute to miss. I'm pretty sure she had help with her hair.

there were flowers.

To twirl and play with.

Then we were ushered into the receiving room... where bright lights were turned on Leeza who was parked here, there and everywhere and shot to within an inch of her life. The lights bothered her... blinded her, I think. But she just couldn't help being C-U-T-E.

I'll look at the flowers- they're normal. 

What?!

But there is more action! Here comes Leeza's Big Sis and her New Baby. 

The Very Well behaved (other) star of the show. Here's where it began to hit me just how big was our goof as we peeled out of the house without an apparel check... (Keep in mind it was cold there- I was wearing- a bulky sweater, a jacket, a scarf or 2, a dark and very warm skirt, umm- how to put it?- dark brown... leggings, ok long johns (happy?!) none to classy...totally scuffed and clunky black shoes- because you can walk miles in them and then sprint to the finish line and still not have blisters. That's why. Sigh.)

So the real ceremony begins. We're all lined up along the wall (like the innocent and guilty in a lineup)... and filmed the Whole Entire Time. And the perky little made up and dressed up assistant rolls off her tongue a great big long and formal spiel about presenting Baby Sasha to his loved ones and family who will watch over him and protect him and guide him and love him and on and on and on and on... Then- she starts with S- Who are you to Baby Sasha? Big Blank Look from S. Baby's Grandma says- S- who are you? (camera's rolling... of course) S gulps and says Umm- I'm like umm like his ummm Grandma- yes. A grandma. From Canada- says Baby's Grandma. My turn. Who are you? Heh- I'm umm- an auntie... from America, I add lamely. (that is soooo dumb... who CARES?! The camera man must surely think they send the socially inept and classless from Parts West to haunt him here.) On to Mom- she does her part nicely. Then to Grandma. Umm- Grandma (in a whisper- at least she's camera-shy and we're not the only funny ones in the outfit). The Native (blood) Grandma, I say. (OH Brother- Dumb and Dumber.) 

No one asks us anymore questions.

All attention returns to Leeza... who gets to hold her big sister's baby with her mom's help. This was followed by another lineup and photo shoot. Then Grandma (the blood/native/real one) glided over to the table and uncorked a bottle of something sparkly and fizzy. Pours about a hundred glasses and passes them out along with chocolate. Now- Someone Must Make a Toast. Someone did- must have been Grandma- she's the only one with the remotest idea (with lots of prompting from Sparkly Assistant) of what's going on. Camera Man and Sparkly Assistant refuse the bubbly on the grounds that they're on the hosp payroll and can't. Baby's Mom puts the glass to her lips and lowers it without making a dent in the surface. So I do, too. No one seems at all interested... except Grandma who downs one glass in one swallow and then pours another one and gets it down without another toast. 

More speeches. More photos and videos. I'm pretty sure I never want to see Camera Man or Sparkly Assistant again- they think we ride the short bus, need all the help we can get- it's pretty clear. 

Finally- we ooze out the door, being filmed all the while. Leeza is so adorable and cute (although she's only being kept from a HUGE tantrum by now by the continual stuffing of chocolate into her eager hands. And the chocolates went into her mouth in one swift move...which diminished her photo appeal...) S and I fade to the back and let the happy family get into the car (while being filmed) without our help. We retrieve our umbrellas and flee... after wishing everyone well. 

And then we begin to laugh.

No One NO ONE has ever had their new baby sent off home quite like THAT before! 

Someday- a long time from now- I'd like to see the finished video... 

oh my.

What kind of dog are YOU?!

Had a fun little conversation with my Trude friend the other day. Lots of stuff covered but we finished with dogs. Lots of dogs.
And how sometimes people are like dogs. So-and-so's like a Cocker Spaniel- running around, smiling and wagging their tail.
A is a Yellow Lab- solid, dependable and true blue. Oh yeah- and blonde.
B is a German Shepherd- they have hip dysplasia (in this case a bad back but anyway- it's all the same, sort of kind of... right???)
C is a Saint Bernard- the rescue dog who's there to help.
D is a Doberman- can't remember why just now.
E is a Dalmation- genetically recessive all the way and prone to more sickness and illness than most other dogs- but beautiful and a favorite all around.
F is a Chihuahua... can't remember why... hmmm
And you're like a whippet- skinny and fast, the poor man's greyhound (this was all news to me but I just believe what I hear so it must be true...) ;)
What am I?
You?
Yes, Me.
You're one of those little pugs with squashed noses who get excited and then can't get enough air and get all wheezy and upset.
Well- you know what? That about says it. I am a lot like that bug-eyed squashed-nose pug... hyperventilation is my specialty. Just ask anyone who's had the misfortune of being around me lately. I'll bet they're really lovable and friendly and true-blue, though, those pugs. Right? Riiiiggghhhhttttttttttt??? 


Back to something else. Those dogs at the top? They are the New Breed of Ukrainian Mutt. Bus station dogs curled up for the night. It was pretty much late when the pic was taken so that explains (I'm sure) the poor quality of the pic. But- the New Breed of Ukrn dog. How so? (I'll tell you- just wait a minute.) Friday evening, I arrived to Central Ukr with S. I haven't spent much time here at all for about 2 1/2 years and it is GREAT to be back. One of the very first things I saw as we walked my baggage home, dodging puddles and people and dogs... Whoa- S! That dog has an ear tag! Yes, she smiles. (She's a great lover of pooches.) The city rounds up strays, spays/neuters them, tags them and releases them.
Well Wow! This is progress. When I first came here, there was some discussion- What to do to stay- Teach English? Teach English? Teach English?
The first thing about Ukr that socked me between the eyes was the sheer volume of stray dogs... and then I realized that they were very busy having puppies... lots of them... often...
I will open a not-for-profit spay/neuter clinic, I said. Which I couldn't have done, really, because my vet med education was aborted before we actually got to doing surgeries. But- I wanted to.
Well- Western Ukr! We have arrived! All over here (and in all the cities we were in this weekend) there are tagged dogs running around.
And guess what? It's quiet outside at night. There.Are.No.Dogs.Barking.Ever.
And word on the street is- They're a lot less active and behave themselves a lot better. (said with a laugh)
You know what- it really makes me happy. I'm glad- from the very bottom of my heart- that they're doing this. Someone, somewhere- after all- is not misappropriating all the public funds.
YeeHa!

autism photo essay

on my newsfeed- Time magazine's photo essay depicting one part of autism.

Word to the wise...

...before you call the new folks to check up on them and make sure they're still alive and kicking- check the clock first. Just because you got in around 8.30 and it feels early...doesn't mean it is early...
...don't be snarky... no matter how bad you want to be... especially to your friends. You'll be glad later. You will.  
...and for the teens among us- Now I'm not talking to the ones I know best. In fact, thankfully, I can't say that any whom I know personally would behave like what I saw this weekend. But- just remember- you think you're cooler than words can express just now and you think that InYourFace behavior is amazing, that you're so much more than those of us so old we've used up our best zip and razzle-dazzle: You'll be ashamed some day for what you did and you'll wish you had these days to do over. You'd choose differently. You'd be more careful. You'd save some of your 'smartness' for the day it really was smart. Sigh. I know- we can all be like this at any stage of life. Please- let's all remember this a little more often. 
and other odds and ends....
... little girl this am- too cute to be allowed. Wearing a snowsuit (it's sort of cold here in the mornings you know). Across the back side of her pink snow pants were the words- 'Bean Angel'. I got the giggles. What happens- the stuff that's made in China and Turkey with typo's on it- never makes it to the States, Canada, UK, etc... gets sold cheap to non-English speaking countries. So you see all kinds of nonsensical stuff. Another little girl used to wear a cute t-shirt with the words 'Hippy Child' stamped across the front. Not sure what 'Bean Angel' should have been... and 'Hippy Child'? Maybe Happy? Maybe it really was for hippies... or the children of hippies? Who knows.
and some fun stuff from a few days ago. Life Mag photo essays on..... CANDY!! :) easy (they say), medium (again- they say) and hard (this time- I agree)

Batvision

There's so much more to write about (after another long silence) than this crazy comic... but in going through my inbox tonight and reading all the stuff I haven't taken the time to read in a few days... well, right after the video of the dog 'driving' the Canadian Post Office van- this made me laugh harder than anything else. Food is one of those things- beautiful, exciting and full of potential (you can do so much with it!)... however- I've never been tempted to put a video camera in the fridge...or hook my comp up to a live feed of the fridge...
We did have popcorn (not microwave- the real stuff) with apples and cheese and a smoothie for supper tonight, tho... and it was just sort of comforting. In a foody sort of way. I think Dagwood's style would give me heartburn though.

in the news... and nice

The past 5 days or so have been incredibly busy (and nice, too!) So, after a fast trip to Odessa and a few hours spent knocking around between (mostly) the train station, McDonald's and the airport, the train last night was a welcome sight and the bed there a welcome spot. Landed in on Lillian this am and have been catching up. For one- I've been reading about the rescue of the miners in Chile. For me, this picture of the hospital beds awaiting the rescued miners was the most touching, somehow. The hope of 33 live patients. The realization that they will need some medical help. They're not there yet (when the pic was taken) but they're ready and waiting and expectant. And it also shows that, in spite of the jubilation that they survived, they won't be able to just step into their lives where they 'left off' 10 weeks ago. 

pic is from Time.com's coverage

some really neat (and sad and thought provoking and just plain interesting) pictures from the Life.com feed the other day... some of the pix were very familiar; some were not.

ok- it's been on its way out to sea again for awhile... Fall's been pleasant- sunny, warm; down here in the south, you can hardly tell the difference between summer and fall... but the past few days have been seriously cold. brrr....

and in the land where you can't turn the heat on when you want... where the heat is turned on at some mysterious and unknown central location by the city when they deem it's time... well- this is what we're fixing to do. Hibernate. Dig out all the warmest clothes we have, the down comforters, wool socks (and woolies in general!) and tuck ourselves in for a bit! ;)

Remember when you thought all the teachers were like the Hogwarts ones- they lived at the school and had no life at all outside of school? I do. It was a shock- I remember running into one of my teachers one day at the grocery store and being seriously amazed that she would be there...

Let's talk bagels. With cream cheese. With chopped walnuts and honey added. Ok? Yes, let's.

or just food in general. I love how different their ideas of the upcoming experience are!
So- what do you see when you see the menu? What are you really there for? Eating out is always a bit of a conundrum for me... I look over the whole menu and then try to pick out the one thing I'd always wish I'd tried if I never get back there again. It can be an ordeal...

I need to do this and very soon. My bags and I are leaving on a bus next week for parts north. Yikes.

:)

This was too good to miss. Agnes... you've got to love her! Sweetie- I have news for you- I'm already there on that other facebook. There is still nothing like a letter... a for-real-delivered-by-post letter. I have a stack to answer... I love letters. I also enjoy writing them. I need to do that again soon.

And- I missed my baby bro's birthday yest... he's 36 (!) I'm in shock. Since when are the babies in the family 36 and 34?!? I mean... weren't they just the center of attention at every family circus, hogging the blankets and generally being cute and impossible while we were being awkward (and impossible)?! I must have slept sometime along the way...

Happy Birthday K! Love you heaps and bunches! xo

smile!

The tea light underneath, the water up top, the lavendar and rosemary essential oils in the water. Love it! (and I'll confess- I don't know the first thing about essential oils- I just love the smell!)

for the geeks among us

This was on my newsfeed this morning xkcd's Map of Online Communities... and I found it fairly amusing. The Northern Wasteland of Unread Updates. The Sea of Opinions. The Sea of Protocol Confusion. The Sea of Zero (0) Comments. The Bay of Flame. The Bay of Drama. The Charred Wasteland of Abandoned Social Networks. And a host of other interesting places.

Law of the Garbage Truck

Just read this on Adina's blog and really liked it. It sounds like a good piece of advice! 


Law of the Garbage Truck - One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital'. This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! Have a garbage-free day!

full moon

couldn't resist! S cooked up some squash today. When I came home, I could tell some of it had been made into pumpkin custard (otherwise known as crustless pumpkin pie- the best kind of all)... let me tell you- it's good! ;)
They say it frosts at the full moon... well- we're coming up on a new moon... wonder if the same holds true for that? Or is it just something 'they' say. Don't know- but the past few days have been chilly. The first jacket weather we've had- I mean- a quick jaunt in the middle of the day in the sunshine- and you need a jacket. Don't leave home without it- that's what I mean by jacket weather! ;)

smile!

walking home through town the other day, just a few blocks off the main drag- met a lady taking her goats home for the day. I love the rural feel of city life (in most cities) here! 

freshly made grape jelly... a perfect do- a first for me. Made from grapes intended to be made into wine, it's much milder and lighter than what I was used to but very good.