the Halloween gene

 Fall weather has been amazing.

I could go on and on.  Blue skies, mid 70s, just perfect!  Todd has been able to get a lot of work done on our porch, digging up old posts and securing them in concrete.

We had a great Halloween!  For a treat, I made chocolate skulls.  I melted chocolate chips and painted the inside of a mold...

To make it a little bit healthier than the store-bought stuff, I sweetened natural peanut butter with a bit of honey.

Then another coat of chocolate and voila!  A little imperfect, since these were mini cake molds, not candy molds, but they still worked...and tasted great!

We donned our Halloween gear...

...and finished the season out with a The Fly ('86) and Stepford Wives ('75) double feature!  

Since the weather has been so nice, Claudia has been outside almost every single day.

Our indoor cats are unhappy about this flagrant violation of established territory boundaries.

Although they play a little fast and loose with personal boundaries themselves!

I do many of my physical therapy exercises in a supine position, plus my daily heat pad rests.  

The cats rarely miss them!

Nice walks...

...pretty sunrises...

Gorgeous leaves...

I'm loving this season!

senior living

 More beautiful leaves!

Lots of hiking!

Pepita is ready to hit the trails.  She balks a lot less in cooler weather.

I've found some gorgeous mushrooms...

shaggy mane mushroom

jack o'lantern mushrooms

golden scalycap mushrooms

...and some late-season chrysalises.  

common buckeye

monarch

Fall baking...

*apple* upside-down cake

...and a little visit from one of our resident seniors!  Claudia goes outside almost every day for an hour or so to get some fresh air and a little exercise.  

Our other senior get exercise, too, when she does "pajama yoga" with me every morning.

Up in time to see the sunrise!

A happy fall!  

Don't forget to vote while we still can!

unpack-it jacket

Someone is exactly halfway to their next birthday!

I made the usual:  half of Desserts For Two's chocolate chip cookie recipe pressed into (half) a pie pan.  I accidentally dumped a bunch of pie beads down the sink drain during the clean-up process and Todd had to take our garbage disposal apart to retrieve them...not exactly a "half birthday" activity but all in a day's work around here!

He also rebuilt part of our front porch!  

It's been great weather for working outside.  Blue skies every day.

Warm days, cold nights, and leaves are changing!

Although we're both in knee braces right now, we're still hiking.  It's too pretty to stay home!

Just in time for cooler weather, I unpacked this 1960s jacket that I bought years ago.  I love the color and the double-button fit at the neck.  It doesn't look like it's ever been worn...a major score!  The sleeves are a little bit short but it doesn't bother me too much.

Cats are still keeping close...

...loving the warmth of the sun.

Looking forward to what's next!