Our exceptional Fall weather has broken at long last. We’ve been enjoying the color change and moderate temperatures for the past few days, and finally we are going to see some rainy weather.
The sky is gray and cloudy. We’re not quite to the “overcast” stage yet, but they tell us it’s coming.
I refuse to complain. We need the rain, and some of us need the solitude that a rainy day brings. If my mother could have her way, it would be 78 and sunny all the time. I like the occasional stormy day that draws the world in, and slows it down, and I like the snap of a cool Fall day.
I’m savoring the green just outside my office window. The magnolia has just begun it’s change to a buttery yellow. You can see the lighter color interspersed amid the deeper green. The forsythia is still going strong, but the poison ivy climbing the tree further down the lawn has gone yellow.
We have a beautiful maple tree that we are loosing. The bark is split up the trunk, and either it has suffered from a lack of water, or from an infestation. It still has one branch showing it’s fiery Fall plumage. This will be it’s last Fall.
I hope that where ever you are, you are enjoying these days as much as I am. It’s lovely out there.

I never talk about politics. I feel that you could elect any of the people who have run in the past few years, and they would, for the most part, be carbon copies of each other. I’m not sure why we even have a two party system. No candidate wants to make a statement that could loose him votes, so there’s very little discussion or debate of solid issues. I’m astonished that the present candidates have agreed to have four debates. I’d like to see the list of requirements that had to be met before the debates could take place.
If you could create the candidate of your choice, what issues would he have to address? Here’s a list of some topics that matter to voters:
Our presence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia etc.
Homeland Security
The Economy
Affordable Health Insurance
Social Security
Pro Choice or Pro Life
Gay rights
Prayer in School, “God” in courtrooms and on money
What issues must your candidate support? Recently I heard a man say that he’d like the candidates to explain why we spend half a billion a week to support five other nations, when his family of six had NO health insurance.
Supporters of the war in Iraq have various reasons for us continuing to be a presence. Some want to see a democratic government installed, and others want to be sure that they can get the oil they need for business. Some want to prevent Iraq from being a stronghold for terrorism, and others want to free those who have been terrorized by their own government. For whatever reason, this is a HOT issue.
We will always be a nation divided on the subject of abortion. I fail to understand how someone Pro-Life can justify killing doctors who perform abortions. While I doubt that I would have ever been able to have an abortion, I strongly believe that a woman should have the right to determine what happens within her body. And, having said that, I’d work to prevent women from using abortion as birth control. I know, I’m conflicted on this issue, but I think of myself as Pro-Choice.
Gay Rights is another hot button. I’d like to know just how many gay people there are in the U.S. Either there is a lot of them, or they have just become very vocal about their treatment by the government, and I can’t blame them wr wanting change. I don’t understand how the government can refuse them the same services and benefits that heterosexual couples have. The constitution doesn’t support the rules the government has put in place.
The DJ I listen to in the morning said that Homeland Security is most important. He feels that you have to be alive for any of the others to matter, so he ranks that as his most important choice.
I’m still trying to decide. I’d like to take bits and pieces of all the Presidents who have served during my life, and some who served before I was born and roll them together into the perfect candidate. I want someone who is honest, moral, strong in the face of adversity, a great diplomat, and good at foreign affairs. He or she would have to find a way to care for the poor in our own country, to educate anyone who wanted to go to school, and make health care affordable. He’d have to find a way to keep us safe from terrorists, without closing us off from the rest of the world. And he would have to resist the pull of power. “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton.
Unfortunately, the paragon of virtue I just described doesn’t exist, so I have to choose from lesser candidates, and it means that I’ll have to sift through the issues and decide which of them are most important to me. It’s going to be another tough election.

Yummmmmmmmm!!!!
I’m having lunch, and I need to thank Cop Car and HH for it! Usually the term “leftovers” has a terrible connotation to it, but that’s not the case today. I’m eating Country Rigatoni. I was served so much last night that I brought at least half of it home, and I’m happy to tell you that this is one of those dishes that’s even better the second day!
Thank you, both for a great dinner, and even better company!

Continue reading →

We had an exceptional visit today with Cop Car and her Hunky Husband, Bogie’s parents, and WichiDude’s in-laws.
Cop Car called on Friday when they made it into the Chicago area, and we agreed that we would meet at one of our favorite restaurants for brunch. I gave them directions, and we discussed how much time they were likely to need, and we rang off. What we didn’t think to do was to describe ourselves so that we would be able to recognize each other in a busy waiting area!
It didn’t matter. I called HH’s phone to see if I could catch them, and as I was turning around, here was Cop Car, ready to give me a hug, should I be the right person. We had a lovely meal, chatting and getting to know each other. I was told that I was unkind to walk her past two tables of dessert on the way back to our table. *G* After the meal, Cop Car rode home with us, and HH took our map, so he could join us later.
Not only did she bring me two red bud trees, but she graciously allowed me to show her just about every quilt in the house! That takes patience, and we swapped stories as I put out quilt after quilt. She’s seen the almost-completed top that I talked about at the end of January. I’m working on the borders now, so it should be ready to be quilted soon.
Cop Car brought us gifts, among them a jar of Bogie’s salsa. I was teasing about that at Bogie’s blog, but we’re glad to have it. We bird watched, and she tried to hear our chickadee’s song, so that she could tell us what kind it was, but the birds were quiet just then.
We chatted away the afternoon, and then went to dinner at an Italian place. I have to be reminded now and then to let others have a chance to talk, so it was a good thing that dinner tasted great. Thanks for dinner, Cop Car and HH! We called it a night just about the time I started complaining about the political debates. They needed to find their way back to the motel for an early start in the morning.
Guys, I had a lovely time. You helped me stretch my birthday celebration over several days, and I really enjoyed your visit. We’ll have to make a serious effort to head out your way so we can visit again.

It’s an absolutely spectacular day! One of those perfect Fall days where the sky is a clear blue, and it’s cool, but not cold. The sun warms you when you walk or work and everything feels RIGHT!
I dragged my mother to the Farmers Market this morning. I wanted to pick up gourds and pumpkins and corn to use as decorations, and we needed to drop a gift off. The man who sharpens knives refuses to let my mother pay for his services. He flirts with her as he pumps the treadle for his wheel, and she loves the attention. And this year, he sharpened my pruners and knives and wouldn’t let ME pay him. So, I chose two bottles of my favorite wine, and wrapped them up, and added two jars of Mother’s home made chili sauce. This will be the last time she sees him this year. He wanted the chance to wish her well for the winter, so I’m glad we went.
I stopped at McDonald’s and got Mother settled with a cup of coffee while I went next door to have the car washed. Then, we went to a local nursery to pick up a bale of straw and play with their nine week old Australian cattle dog. What a sweet pup!
I plan to use the rest of the day to get some outside chores done. I want to repot a couple of things, and get a few last minute plants into the ground. It’s a good day for it.
So, I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend, too! Catch ya later!

The time has come for the Arr!! to be hauled out for the season. Dear Husband is going to spend the night on the boat so that he can get an early start on Saturday morning. He wants to be at the front of the line at the crane, where they un-step the mast. Then, he can motor down the Chicago River to the boat yard, where the boat will be craned out onto the trailer.
Normally, boating season goes to October 15th, but we asked Dear Husband to join us on a visit to my sister and her family in Indiana next weekend. The boat yard announced the day the crane would be set to take down masts, so he didn’t have a lot of choice about when the boat would come home. If he misses the crane on Saturday, he’ll have to join a flotilla of sailboats going down river, which is a lot more work.
Flotillas gather so that they can all go through the bridges at the same time. The City of Chicago used to open a bridge for any sailboat that wanted to pass, but a number of years ago, Mayor Daley changed that practice. Now, the river fills up with sailboats waiting for the bridges to open. It can be dangerous when the river is clogged with small boats. They are obligated to yield the right of way to commercial vessels and government vessels. You have to give way to tour boats, tugs, and fire-fighting boats. So, if DH has the option to motor down the river ahead of the pack, that’s his preference.
Saturday afternoon, he’ll make it back to our corner of the world, and he will very carefully back the Arr!! up our driveway, and settle her in the north 40. He’ll have to back up close to 300 feet, with a gentle bend about half way. Right at that spot, there are trees on either side of the drive. It’s quite a process, getting it settled for the winter.
Over the next month he’ll unload the perishables, and anything that won’t winter over well on the boat. The bilges will have been emptied, and he’ll pour a couple of gallons of cheap vodka in to winterize them. Maybe by Thanksgiving, I’ll see him again. Home is the sailor, home from the sea.
Welcome home, Arr!!

Isn’t there a song in “My Fair Lady” that starts out that way? …where Eliza’s father is getting married and he’s celebrating before he has to go to the church?
Well, in a few more hours it will be my birthday. I expect this one to pass quietly; this is not a milestone birthday. I generally don’t care to go clothing shopping, but I may take some time to pick up some new clothes for this fall.
Dear Husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and beyond a few new quilting books, I didn’t have any suggestions.
It’s supposed to be rainy off and on tomorrow. The storm is on its way in now. I don’t mind the rain, but I wish I had made better use of the good weather to get some yard work done. If the rain keeps everyone out of the stores while I shop, so much the better!
Soooooo….I’ll just be off quietly celebrating over here…..

I’ve been casting about, wondering what I wanted to write about. There’s a lot on my mind, but most of it is trivial nest making, and it isn’t the thing to inspire great posts.
I have to tip my hat to billy who can make a blog entry out of not having the time to blog. I teased him about his absence in the blog world lately, and I got a lovely letter, and then found he had blogged about visiting my blog. *G* I can use all the help I can get in terms of links, but he was linking to a blog that has been too darned quiet lately.
So…first, I want to say to billy…..I totally understand, hon. We all have other things that demand our time, and most of them rank higher in importance than our blogs (unfortunately). I’m sorry I made you feel bad with my comments. More to the point, I should have said I missed you, but I understood. (I’m still waiting for Dr. D’s comment on your comment about packaging.)
Secondly, I want to THANK billy, for giving me something to write about in my blog! lol I have unabashedly stolen his idea and repeated it here. *G*
Maybe things will pick up here when gardening season ends. No….what am I thinking. We’ll be headlong into the holidays by then! Well…maybe in the new year I’ll find time to write.
Until then….be patient with me.