in my head

Boud always is up to some creative endeavor with her textiles. I enjoy reading about her projects, but what I love best is that she seems so joyous. 

Anyway, one of her mantras is 'anything can be a loom' and today she talked about using a saw blade. The first thought I thunk was 'how on earth does that woman come up with her ideas?!!!' Which was followed by 'I wonder what you could do with that woven circle?'

And just that quickly the moon popped into my head. I could make a moon. And if I wove a mat of varying shades of black, gray and blue, I could lay that moon on it. 

As i worked chopping onions and peppers for my pot of chili, my mind kept whirring away. Small silvery beads would make great stars randomly woven into the sky. I could use a branch for the top of the sky scene. If i trimmed off all off the down facing branches and did the first couple rows of weaving loose enough, i could rotate the branch so that the upward facing branches were pointing downward, giving the effect of viewing a night sky through the branches of a bare winter tree.

I sautéed the meat, peppers, and onions, stirred in some adobo paste,  garlic, and salt as my mind whirred away. 

Remember those glittery sweaters from the 80s? Lurex? That would be a very cool thing to make my moon out of, a cream colored sweater all shot through with glittery silver threads!

It all came together in my mind so very quickly. I knew how it should be. Exactly. 

And I felt a little foolish. I have never done anything like this, but suddenly I wanted to.

 I am not sure what talents I have. It might not be as easy as I have it envisioned in my head. 

Maybe I will discover  something about myself that I never knew.

Sunday

There is a lot of fingerpointing about the shutdown. One woman I know is afraid for her grandchildren. "We can't let them go without food!" And I understood her anguish. I did. She wants the shutdown resolved. 

(So do I, don't get me wrong.)

But, you know, I am encouraged by churches stepping up to the plate, offering food. Free meals. Not every church is full of MAGA evangelical crazy pants, though it easy to forget that fact.

Ordinary people are stepping up too.

Here in my town, people post their address on Facebook, telling people that they have food on their porch for anyone who needs it. Offers to deliver it if needed. 

The local Aldi has an offer up for a $40 Thanksgiving that will feed 10 people. 

Everywhere you look, you see people and organizations stepping into the breach. It is beautiful to see. Hopeful.

How long will this shutdown last? I don't know. But I think that we need to hold the line. We can feed each other. We cannot provide health care for each other. Simple statement of fact. 

So.

That's my thoughts on it. 

Our friend came back for cheesy cream of potato soup. I cooked up his squash for him, and another batch of cornbread. My daughter and new son in law and William were coming, so I did up a batch of rolls to go with as well. 

No time to whip up a dessert today. I overslept. Tim has a cold and once again it has settled in his chest. He was coughing so hard that he could not sleep. He got up, grumpy and cross, yelling at cats and generally making it impossible for me to sleep. 

This coughing stuff always makes me feel sickish inside. It was a stubborn cough that started the chain of events which led to Tim's stroke a couple years ago. Even worse, that cold happened about this time of the year, too. So his coughing makes me anxious. Not a lot of sleeping by anybody last night.

But I had the soup going in the crock pot before I went to bed. All I needed to do this morning was make and add the cheese sauce. I had also made the bread dough last night, so all I needed to do with that was pull the bowl out of the fridge and punch the dough down and let it come to room temperature. I roasted squash, grabbed a shower, and slapped the cornbread together. While the breads baked, I skinned the squash, added butter, brown sugar and a bit of cream and let the mixer do its magic. 

Lunch was on the table right on time, and it was a nice afternoon of visiting.

Of course, the big news was the weather. First snow of the season. Maybe. No accumulations expected until suddenly things changed and there was talk of lake effect snow. What was going to happen? The answer varied depending on who you listened to.

(The unattractive thing in the foreground is my small tarped off 'pumpkin patch', set apart from everything because pumpkin vines tend to grow at such an amazing rate.)

That stinks

 Tim has been working away on his truck. He has been installing the $800 part and it has been raining like crazy so he has the truck partially pulled into the garage so that he can stay dry as he works. 

Last night, he came in for supper (ham and spinach quiche, a new recipe, yummo). When he was done, he strapped a headlamp on and headed back down to the garage. He was nearly done and wanted to work a little more. 

I was cleaning up supper, when the door opened just moments later and he walked back in. "I am done for a while." 

Remember that skunk I saw a while back? He was at the catfood dish. In the dim, I thought we had a new cat. He spun around and waddled off.

Since then, we have noticed he has returned from time to time by his faint but distinctive scent. We haven't actually seen him. We pondered what to do about it. Since skunks are nocturnal, we feed the cats in the morning now and just give them a smaller meal at night. 

I had just fed them that meal just before it got dark while our own supper was cooling. When Tim walked down, there was the skunk having himself a small smackeral with the cats. He looked completely at ease, and made no move to leave. 

Tim stood there a bit surprised, taking the scene by the light of his headlamp. After a shocked moment, he decided that he should make the move to leave.

Moreover, when he opened the house door later, he said "There's a possum on the porch!"

I said, "Possum the cat?"

"No," he said. "Possum the possum." 

And lo, the man whose great joy is watching the deer and turkeys out of the front window sounded very grumpy. 

The Horror!

 So yesterday Katie called. They needed a ride. I was having a puttering day, so I said I could do it. I had a small shopping list myself. 

Here, Christmas displays started going up well before Halloween. You had your 'welcome Autumn' decor aisle right next to your Halloween costumes and decor which was adjacent to your Thanksgiving displays which was in a direct sight line with your Christmas trees and tree decorations and the lights and the bows and wrapping paper. 

It truly is a confusing time of the year, but let's be real...I have become accustomed to this.

But, all that being said, as I browsed the aisle wasting time while they did their shopping, I was shocked to realize that I was listening to Christmas music. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. 

I said to the the woman on the other side of the aisle 'It just is too early to be hearing this!'

She said, "It makes me feel like I am behind, like I need to hurry up!"

And that is what they want, for everyone to spend more time in the stores. 

But not really. 

Before my daughter's wedding, we were doing a lot of multitasking. Tim had an appointment to get a vehicle inspection done. I needed to order the cake, find a topper, look for a picture frame, get a card, buy pantyhose, etc. Lots of boxes needed ticking that day. 

The thing was, there was no sense in rushing, because Tim would not be back for a while, so I moved through the store at a leisurely pace. I took my time selecting the cake and talking to the sweet woman in the bakery. 

I browsed the floral department to pick the bouquet. 

I ran into a friend I had literally not seen in years. Unbelievably, we were both looking for pantyhose. We eventually found it, but we were yakking the whole time. 

Over to home decor to look through their picture frames, then to the Christmas aisles to try to find something to work for a cake topper, which was not far from the clearance aisle, and lord knows, I always check the clearance. Etc. 

So I was meandering through the store taking my good old sweet time when I realized I was being watched. A casually dressed gentleman seemed to be reappearing no matter where I was. He didn't hover, but I noticed him passing by me as I walked, or suddenly appearing and disappearing at the end of the aisle I was in. 

It happened often enough that it just made me want to finish up and get out of the store. I don't even know why. I knew I was not doing anything wrong, but just the fact that they thought I was was enough for me. When I did the self checkout, the attendant watched me closely. That was the giveaway. 

I paid for my stuff, got a printed receipt and waited out front in the cold for 20 min. until Tim got back to pick me up. 

I mean, I get it, but still, it was an uncomfortable situation.

Fast forward. Same big box store, different location. Two weeks later. I was just running in, a quick stop...I needed to buy a larger ice chest. Of course, while I was there, I decided to pick up a pound of sausage and a pound of ground beef to make meatballs at my son's house. I was speedwalking because I had 40 pounds of frozen chicken breast in the back of the car that did not all fit in the cooler I had.

I got up to the self check out and I wasn't the only one speedwalking. The attendant zipped right over and asked to look inside the empty cooler.  

I had the little gun in my hand as I rang up my meat and two other things I had grabbed in passing. I put them into the empty cooler. I said, "you know, I do understand why you watch everyone, but really, it is a little humiliating...' 

I replaced the gun and reached for my purse, still talking.

The attendant said, "You are going to scan the cooler, right?"

Mortified, I could only say, "I would have figured out that I had not scanned it when I saw the total."

I hope I am smart in my next life. GADS!

STFU

 It was a productive day today. While I was away enjoying Grandma time, Mr Romance ducked out and surprised me with a truckload of mushroom mulch. Which was actually very sweet.

I spent the day shoveling it into my raised beds, which will be tarped off for the winter. This gives the mulch time to break down and age. I am hoping that the tarp will keep the soil in those raised beds free from blight. The black tarp will also absorb the sun's heat next spring, baking (and killing) weeds. 

I will untarp the beds when I am ready to plant next year.

So...that's what I was up to today. 

It was a windy day, but not cold. I worked wearing just a sweatshirt, and I was completely comfortable. 

I got five beds weeded and mulched and smoothed out. The wind picked up and it began to spritz rain. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I will throw the rest of the mulch on the flower bed and get the vegetable beds tarped.

Tim was busy too. We have snow in the forecast late Sunday. We went shopping for a storm door. We stopped in to a family owned building supply store first, just to see what they had. We found a door we were both satisfied with, nothing fancy, but practical and utilitarian. The guy said, 'I have that door out back. It was a special order that was returned because of a scuffmark." We saved over $200 on that door, and it came with all the hardware and the hydraulic tube that allows the door to shut without slamming.

So that was what Tim did while I shoveled. When he needed an extra set of hands I was there to jump off the truck and 'hold this right here like that' (my special talent).

Tim decided that he needed to order another part for his truck, a spider/fuel injector tube set up. It is the last part he can replace for the fuel assembly. Everything else has been done. If that doesn't solve it, he will begin looking at the computer system.

He could not find the part on Rock Auto. He was getting aggravated because either they didn't understand what he was talking about or they did not know what they were talking about. He finally reached a store that understood what he was looking for. They pulled it up on their computer and said they could have it delivered to the store by 2. He knew it would be expensive but he flinched at the $795 price. 

"Let me think about it," he said.

I interrupted him on the phone, something he hates.. "You order that part! It is false economy to have a truck sitting around that you can't use." 

He ordered the part, and went in to pick it up. 

You know, I was pretty upset that he bought another truck with problems, but he has been patiently and methodically replacing parts and studying the situation for quite a while now. 

I was worried about him after his stroke. When he gets tired there are glitches in his logic. Sometimes he stutters. Working on his truck is good exercise for his brain. When he gets tired, he can set it aside and watch a few youtube videos or read up on it. It is something he has loved all his life. 

I need to STFU, as they say. 

At least it is not another house.

Life is for learning

We like soup when the temperature starts to drop. I have a pretty good collection of recipes, but it is always fun to add a new one. 

This one was called Creamy Bean Soup with Kale. I had all the ingredients. It certainly smelled good. 

Note to self: next time I cook kale, remove it from the stems.

Was kale even invented in the 1900s? 

Maybe it was just illegal. 

(Tim thinks it should be.)

A mystery:

Tim came out of the bedroom wearing a tee-shirt. I said, 'Where did you get that?' He said, 'I thought you got it for me.' 'I would not have got you a ratty tee shirt...' 

We have no idea how this shirt wound up in his dresser drawer.  I don't even remember washing and folding it.

It looks like the democrats are having a good day. 

I wrestled with myself over this one. It is awful. 

Oh deer!

I headed out to my son's house Thursday morning. I did not get the early start I usually do. It was raining quite hard but was supposed to taper off between about 9. I decided to hold off. The rut has begun. This means that hormone crazed bucks will be chasing does hell bent on getting away. The incidence of car/deer crashes is greatly increased this time of year. The rain was heavy enough that I was afraid decreased visibility would make a bad situation worse. 

So I waited it out.

The rain did not stop exactly, but it was brighter outside. I finally got on the road at 10. I saw 34 road killed deer once I hit the interstate, so I am sure I made the right decision.

I got to my destination about the same time my oldest grand daughter got out off her school bus. 

It was a busy weekend. Trick or treating Friday night. Practice for the Nutcracker Saturday morning. Birthday party Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, the oldest started getting feverish on the way home. Before the night was over,  she was sick. The youngest was sneezing.

So it was a weekend spent at home which suited me just fine. Mom and Dad got a date night. The girls and I curled up on the couch and watched a movie that they loved and I had never seen. 

Last night, I kept waking up in the night freezing. I knew there was another blanket in the closet, so I got out of bed and got it. Except, I woke up freezing and went for that blanket over and over and over again. I wasn't dreaming about being cold, but I was dreaming about getting that blanket! By the time I woke up, I was headachey and knew I was coming down with it too. 

I was afraid to waste any time getting back home. Tuesday is Election Day. I can only cast my vote at the local fire station, and I will be there come hell or high fever, so I dosed myself with aspirin and said goodbye.

I am home now. It was an uneventful trip home, although I did see a very damaged sportscar pulled off the road. The passenger side hood was completely smashed  and the windshield was out. The roof was caved in. 

About 50 yards past that was a bloody mess of a deer. He had obviously leaped out in front of that little car, been hit hard, came over the hood, smashed the windshield and went over the roof. My guess is that the driver was flying.

(Did I mention it is the rut? Smart drivers are not flying anywhere.)

Our clocks went back Saturday night. 

I hope everyone reading makes it a point to get out and to vote tomorrow. We don't have a lot of ways to register our displeasure. Not remaining silent. Voting. How we spend (or don't spend) our dollars. We all need to make our voices heard in every way we can.