hemming and hawing (mostly hemming)

A new week, and things feel more positive.  I have officially enacted a news blackout, so while Todd is pulling out his hair and groaning, "Matt Gaetz!?!?!", I remain blissfully ignorant.  I catch a bit now and then, but I'm able to see the humor...sort of ("Anti-vaxxer and -fluoride RFK in charge of the Dept. of Health and Human Services...LOL???").  Just trying to focus on other things for a while.  Like...this continued crazy warm weather.  Flowers are blooming in the garden...in mid-November!

The morning glories that I planted in pots and then stopped watering because they weren't taking off fast enough to bloom this year (I thought) are now crawling all over the front porch rails.

It's been so dry that Eagle Creek, where we love to hike, is seeing insanely low water levels...

...but a couple of light rains have been enough to rejuvenate these completely-ignored flowers.  It definitely doesn't feel like late fall!  Some trees are even leafing out with new growth.  Insane!

This means that our tomato plants continue to produce.

I picked EIGHT POUNDS last week (soap for scale)!

I finally got around to finishing some knitting projects.  I started this scarf for a friend and loved it so much that I decided to make one for myself.

I also finished a bulky-weight sweater (Carbeth by Kate Davies).  I had another "LOL...???" moment here, because it was supposed to be a cropped sweater, but it was so long.

I re-read the directions and realized that I had knitted, armpit to hem, 22 inches instead of 22 centimeters.  That's right...I was supposed to knit a little over 8 inches, not twenty-two.  But unlike an RFK-helmed Dept. of Health and Human Services ("LOL???"), this sweater can be saved.  I measured the length that I prefer (about 14 - 15"...8 is a little too cropped for me) and picked up the stitches all the way around with a spare circular needle.

I made one cut in the yarn below the line and carefully frogged the excess, knitted an inch of ribbing, and then finished the neck and armpits.  It's blocking now!  

Currently enjoying cats in sunbeams, too.

And more trail cam critters!  Lots of bobcats...

...turkeys...

...plus raccoons, possums, skunks, rabbits, and deer...many finding cozy sleeping spots in the back field.

I'm loving it.  Have a great week!  

 Well, the election is over, and I need pictures of cute cats more than ever.

Todd stayed up reading "Sermon on the Mount" while watching coverage and marveling/despairing at the results, and I just moped around the house for days.  We fully expect to lose our health insurance and have to close our business in the next two years, but there are quite a few other people who are going to suffer a lot more.  We talked about what we could do and visited a progressive local church on Sunday.  We are going to get involved locally, hoping to make a difference against this red tide that's going to erode away rights, freedoms, and protections.  Sigh...and I'm spending more time working on hobby projects, which is soothing, and having a few more sweet treats, ditto.  I wasn't planning on posting this week, but we've seen the last of the fall colors...

...which seemed worthy of mention.  In this past week, we've spent time with friends...

a hike in Indianapolis

a crafts-heavy slumber party with a friend's daughters...we made these!!

...tried to focus on positive things...

horses across the street

a pretty splash of color in the woods

...and spent a lot of time in pajamas...cat in lap.

Holiday puzzles were finished...

...and games have been played.  In short, life has been moving on.  

Frances gets it.

Beautiful sunrise the other day.  Here is the progression.

I'm too grumpy to make a positive metaphor about this.

Thanksgiving will be here in a couple of weeks.  It will be nice to spend time with friends.  Laugh, have some good food, and get on with the business of moving forward and looking ahead.  Being positive, making positive changes.  2025 is going to be interesting.  

Have a great week!  

the warm storm

 Last week was "peak leaf week" in our neck of the words.  Our daily walking trail was just amazing.

Around the house, too...amazing color.

It's been so warm, though, that Todd has continued to mow for exercise.  In shorts.

New flowers continue to pop up.

Bees and wasps continue to bustle around fallen apples.

It's going to be close to 80 F today and tomorrow...in November!  No rain, though.  It's such odd weather.  

We celebrated Halloween in our usual way.  Making treats to mail out to friends and family...

...and making a last-minute treat for ourselves.  Wanting to make it a little healthier, I took my favorite healthy pumpkin cake recipe and cut it in half, making five small cupcakes.  A cream cheese glaze and a dash of sprinkles makes the perfect Halloween snack!

We finished up our 31-day Halloween scary movie marathon with a "Blair Witch Project"/"Rosemary's Baby" double feature.

And now we turn to something even scarier:  the election.  Todd and I have been sickened over the transmogrification of the Republican Party and the possibility that they might gain control.  If you are a Christian whose faith informs your voting choice, please read this "Medium" article and consider its words.  A few choice excerpts:  

Jesus was unequivocal about what it means to follow him: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

Trump’s entire being violates this core teaching. His rhetoric is rooted in division, derision, and contempt. While Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, Trump has systematically attacked and demonized immigrants, people with disabilities, communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, and women.

A vote for Trump is not a neutral act — it’s a choice that supports a worldview fundamentally at odds with the radical, inclusive love that Jesus embodied.

The contrast could not be more stark: Where Jesus lifts up the poor, Trump exalts the wealthy. Where Jesus welcomes foreigners, Trump builds walls and threatens to deport. Where Jesus heals the sick, Trump tries to strip away their healthcare. Where Jesus speaks truth to power, Trump wields lies to maintain power.

Jesus envisions a world where the last shall be first, where enemies are loved, where strangers are welcomed, where truth prevails.

Trump envisions a world where the powerful dominate the weak, where enemies are crushed, where foreigners are demonized, where lies are weapons in the pursuit of power.

And if a core task of the follower of Jesus to help bring about the Kingdom of God in this world, nothing does more at this moment to actively prevent the coming of God’s Kingdom than a vote for Trump.    - Andrew Springer for "Medium"

Food for thought.  Have a great week!