this is the end, beautiful friend

Halloween has come and gone!  We concluded our 31 days of horror movies with "Rosemary's Baby" and some spooky homemade Almond Joy bites.

We went to a costume-optional Halloween party a couple of weeks ago.  We've gone multiple years and everyone always wears a costume...this year, it was just me, Todd, and someone's teen son.  I worked on my costume for a week (Puritan woman getting burned at the stake for being a witch):

I took ashes from the fire pit to smear on my face and arms.  Unfortunately, my hat and apron were more 'French maid' than Puritan lady, and at least one person asked me if my costume was 'dirty wench.'  Meanwhile, Todd threw his costume together day-of.  He went as a LEGO brick.  He cut holes in a cardboard box, used cut-off yogurt container bottoms as the protruding studs, and painted the whole thing red.  Since it was hard to eat while wearing a cardboard box, he took it off once we got inside.  Then it was just me and some teen in a costume.  Sigh.  Better luck next year!

Of course, Pepita participated.

Weather is still warm and sunny, with impossibly blue skies.

still so green!

So many "I can't believe it's November" moments, like when I found wild strawberries blooming in the yard.

Still, we're having some nice color.  This is our neighborhood, taken from the car with my terrible cell phone...

...and some trail pics.

And house:

lilac leaves...one of my favorite!  

We've had some insane sunrises.  These are going to look unnaturally enhanced...but they aren't!

Despite the advanced date, we're still seeing bees, butterflies, and other insects.

a clump of brown marmorated stink bugs

Berries are still everywhere.

from a couple of weeks ago...leaves have changed by now, but still berries!

Speaking of berries...these might be wild gooseberries or some weed that is some variant of a wild tomatillo, but I love them.  They grow in our side garden and I pick them every year in the fall.

After they dry out, they resemble tiny delicate lace cages.  They're so pretty!  

Even the morning glories on the porch are still going strong!

It's going to be near 70 today, but as Jim Morrison said, this is the end, beautiful friend.  The forecast by Sunday is 24 degrees and snow. It's time to set up Falafel's shelter and then hunker down by the fire.

Pepita approves.

Have a great week!

an udder thudder

 Some warm, sunny fall days!

A little bit of color...but not much yet.

It's nice hiking weather.

But our regular hikes are over for a while...with Pepita, anyway.  She was spayed on Thursday morning.  She was one sad pup...spay instructions are NO hiking, running, roughhousing, jumping, or climbing...for two weeks.  No walks, no fetch, no jumping up on the couch...nothing.

She had to wear a post-surgery suit to keep her away from her stitches.  The website we ordered the suit from said to prioritize body length over other dimensions, but because she's part dachshund, she has a really long body.  Because she's part pug, she has a stocky chest.  The suit wasn't a great fit.

I had a lot of trouble getting the velcro straps off and on, although Todd got really good at it.  We ended up ordering a blow-up donut.

It's been a rough few days!  She doesn't seem to be very tender, but her pain meds (a prescription NSAID) caused diarrhea.  Particularly at night.  Because I'm such a light sleeper (and a terrible one...if I get woken up, I can't get back to sleep), Todd volunteered to sleep on the couch and take Pepita outside every hour all...night...long.  He's on day #3 and is really feeling it!  Once I realized that there was a meds connection, I stopped giving her the pills.  We're cautiously optimistic that tonight will be a little bit easier!

Somehow, amid the chaos, I finished the Halloween decorating.  Same stuff every year!  I can't help it...I like what I like.

A little bit of activity on the trail cams!

On the last video...I read that fawns bang on their moms' udders to stimulate milk flow.  Interesting!  We also saw skunks, possums, and coyotes on the cams.  

Looking forward to more of the same...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!