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If you have pierced earrings, you're probably familiar with this joy. An earring, lost for several days, found!
I usually put a little silicone backing on my earrings but once in a while I get in a hurry and don't. And then occasionally I'm reminded why I do. You can buy a whole bag of a few hundred backings for a very nominal price.
My Halloween candy is ready. Two big bags. Because maybe this will be the year! I know better, though, plus the night is supposed to be rainy and cold.
In a minute, I'm off to sweep the oak leaves off my sidewalk, to be repeated again and again in the coming weeks. My neighbor's oak tree is old and huge but the acorns are very small. The leaves are plentiful, or so it seems.
On our recent North Carolina trip we planned a visit to see a pretty fall view. It was not to be, but we did get some spooky Halloween pictures.
Instead of a hike and fall scenes, we had a shopping trip in town, which was fun too. There were a couple of brewery visits. Thumbs up to the Sanctuary Ginger Fig beer. Both traveling days were pleasant weather, with the rain and fog sandwiched in between.
Now I'm home and looking forward to moving forward on some long-term sewing projects. Sometimes it seems as if my projects involve taking out lots of stitches as well as putting lots in. This morning my seam ripper had the beginning of that little tell-tale wobble that means it's time for replacement soon.
I just had a call from the gutter cleaning people letting me know it's time to schedule the fall cleaning. I knew that. I like to wait until all of oak leaves fall from my neighbor's tall tree before getting on the schedule.
My Thursday late afternoon mall seat, during Nora's bassoon lesson. Kids come in and out of the store with cases carrying various kinds of musical instruments, I'm picturing several lesson rooms in the back. With mall music in the background, there are sounds of instruments being tried out in the store. Toward the end of lesson time, I stroll down to the end of the hall to the Aunt Annie's for a container of Niblets and Nora's beverage of choice, strawberry lemonade.
Yesterday Nora agreed to stopping at Panera for take-out of chicken noodle soup, her favorite food, probably. I'm more of a carb person, so I picked up a whole wheat bagel.
And then, my favorite part, Nora found on her phone the music she is working with. Chatted about the coming concert next week.
On Tuesday, I saw the dietician for the final time in the study. My cholesterol was 168, HDL increased to 48. And so, I feel motivated at the end of the study and I feel like I have some good new habits. I'm working still on adding in all those veggies. Fruits are easy. Whole grains, those are easy too.
I'm happy with the low fat, low sugar, cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese options that I've discovered. Low sodium isn't an issue as long as I'm eating at home. I'm encouraged that even as a vegetarian I can eat healthy and nicely balanced meals. Meaning for me, fewer grilled cheese sandwiches and cheesy casseroles.
It's been an amazing experience to be able to work with a dietician one-on-one. Not to mention, trying out the online grocery shopping. If you get a chance, try it. It's so worth the small charge.
Winnie and Sarah bought me this nicely scented pumpkin candle when we were out and about. And, I watched Winnie "trim the wick" of a used candle by wetting a bit of paper towel and running it up the wick. The gloppy stuff was gone and the wick was like new again.
Rain this morning, in the darkness, which I wasn't expecting but which we so need. For that, I am thankful.
The three little visiting dogs were not fans of the neighborhood deer. Or the raccoon that hissed at them. They are used to different critters.
Thinking this morning of mindfulness, and of confidence. Things I am lacking in just now. Thinking of how to bring them back into my life.
And then there are days when the last bite of toast is about gone. The white car with two loved people and three little dogs went up the hill and life at my house is way too quiet and the visit is over.
The lovely toast was at Baker's Table, which is a wildly popular breakfast/brunch dining spot on Monmouth Street in Newport. We waited patiently for our table and it was so worth it. Definitely recommend.
The reason for the visit was to experience Blink!, which is a light projection experience in Cincinnati and Covington. Sort of an evening festival that goes on for four nights. I didn't go to all the places that the others did, but I enjoyed what I saw. One of the bridges was lit up and closed to car traffic and that was a popular and crowded scene.
Yesterday I did little. Got new library books, washed sheets, ran the dishwasher. Reset.
There are those days when the football falls just the way you want it and you recover a fumble and the aunts get to see you play and your team stays undefeated and your blue eyes are dancing at the end of the game.
And there are days when the bridge, which will be unbelievably crowded after dark during a huge city-wide art event, is already closed but almost empty early in the day and it feels like freedom.
And there are days when school is closed for in-service and there can be mid-day pizza at The Gruff, along with soup and fries with homemade catsup.
Those are the days, my friends, that we need to remember.
New Halloween quilt hanging in the dining room. It is minus the binding, but I wanted it up before company came, Sarah and Winnie. I feel pretty confident that no one will say, "That quilt doesn't have a binding." I can do that after Halloween.
I have a feeling that "after Halloween" will extend into mid-November, when it will be replaced by a Christmas quilt. Maybe there will be a visit to IKEA before then, a couple of the clip rings need to be replaced. Maybe I'll look at Target first, that store is much closer.
The gang went to Blink in Cincinnati last night, it's a light show on various buildings. I stayed home, by that time I was ready for rest, not for walking. It was a good choice, they said they walked a lot.
My house now has dog beds and little mattresses and even a co-sleeper for the tiniest dog. It's a happy house.
It feels like awhile since I've actually completed something, but here's a baby quilt started at retreat probably last spring. The green strips in the center came from a bag of Moda scraps from the local quilt store, remember, someone else's scraps are always better. The little pink blocks are from my own scrap bin. The strips have free motion quilting, the "solids" at both ends are quilted with the walking foot.
I'm usually drawn toward making baby girl quilts. That's ok, since others are drawn toward making baby boy quilts.
Finally, last night, gentle rain, most of the night. Yesterday my daughter and her husband were putting the winter cover on their pool It's finally a new season. Aaron told me that he had visited six haunted houses on his visit to Kings Island Saturday night. Maybe today, I'll get out a few Halloween decorations.
I watched the end of the Bengals game yesterday. Nothing to celebrate there.
The thirty-ninth block of forty for the tee shirt quilt I'm making. Just one more. I'm finding that I like the pieced blocks best. Each finished block is 12" x 12". Somehow, I had the same number of blocks fused for the front as the back. I hadn't counted.
Last night I stopped at my daughter's house and found Aaron swimming in the twilight. Probably still ninety degrees, on October 1. The pool water was silky warm.
I took Nora's now-repaired trombone. No more dent in the bell or crease where the mouthpiece attaches.
I'll worry about both grands in the heat this afternoon, Nora at band and Aaron at football. The high is expected to be 94 at 4:00 p.m.
First Worship Committee meeting at church this evening. I'm hoping that I can be a good contributor. I was on that committee once before, but it's been quite a few years.
