Tomorrow we will be at the hospital for Jay’s surgery so you are getting a heavy dose of Halloween tonight!

Enjoy your day and remember the little guys tomorrow night!

Four days to go counting today and my desktop has several Halloween pictures waiting to appear this year.  Of course this one is our Molly with the pumpkin that went to the place where pumpkins go when a crack becomes a break.  I have been searching for another to take it’s place but alas I have failed.  Maybe next year I will succeed in replacing it.  But at least the picture is still with me.  Wow it seems that I have an extra finger sprouting out of my hand today that is adding extra letters to everything I type.  This is a real pain in the buttt.

Another look at the Fire Bush yesterday…..

..only reminded me that Winter in marching slowly into Michigan and Fall will take away the bright colored leaves and warm sunshine. 

Brandy and I walked out into 30 degree weather (according to our thermometer tuck in the corner of the porch) to get the Sunday paper down at the road.  There was frost on the truck, the deck, and spread across the yard sparkling in the morning sun.  Thank goodness the big plants from the deck are nestled in the corner of the the living room. 

I have started filling the feeder for the larger birds again and already have the Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Doves emptying it quickly.  Of course the thistle feeder has been out all Summer and I have kept suet out for the woodpeckers most of the time. 

I had the urge yesterday to can some apricot and some apple butter but I remembered that I needed more jars so I changed my mind.  But next year by golly they will be on my list. Also I think the purchase of a new pressure cooker so we can put up some non-acid and meat dishes is in order.  I must confess I really enjoyed canning this year.  If fact I wondered why I haven’t done more of it before now. 

Well if you live in place like I live in stay warm if not just play it cool.  Remember the laughter and the lungs!

I feel like Agent 86—you know Maxwell Smart from GET SMART!  Yesterday morning the phone rang—not my shoe phone but the regular one.  It was Dr. Fortin’s office calling to say if I could get my Pre-op test faxed to them today I could have my surgery on Monday.  I called Dr. Hukill’s office to request the test and was told they would ask and call back.  In the meantime Dr. Fortin’s office called to see if I would be able to get the test results.  I replied I didn’t know yet and they replied that was all right.  Not 10 minutes later Dr. Hukill’s office called to say if I could come in right away they would put me in.  I called Dr. Fortin’s office back only to find they had already filled the appointment.  All I could think of was Damn I missed it by just that much—Max’s favorite saying.  Oh well I have everything setup for the November date so I guess it is better to stick with that. 

The ghosts are back again—this time in the kitchen. Every Halloween they fly in for a visit.

Gregory looks surprised that I got half the kitchen walls washed,

George however is still pointing out the spots still on the walls that are yet to be done.  Don’t that kinda piss you off when ghosts do that? 

But look at Gerald. 

He is downright disappointed that I didn’t finish the job in one day.  Such is life Gerald. Oops can I say that to a ghost? 

Good Morning—A chilly 42 degrees out this morning as Brandy and I took one Doctor’s payment and one prescription payment down to the big green mailbox that stands along side the road.  This is my way of overlapping.  I get the lungs filled up with morning air, make the feet and legs wake up, and activate Brandy’s elimination system after a long night in her cage in the bedroom.  Why in the bedroom you ask?  Well sometimes duty calls her in the middle of the night and like when a new mother hears her baby wake we can hear Brandy to take her out. 

The gentleman in the side picture is Mr. Flurry.  Knitted from a pattern from The House of White Birches he is approximately 11 inches tall.  I hope to get a few more made before Christmas—but time will tell. 

Well the merry go round is beginning to move again.  I see Dr. Rohr today to check out some ‘floaters’ in my eyes.  Oh boy that means I get to take YOUR RIDE to my appointment not drive.  Jay uses it twice a week to go to dialysis but I seldom climb aboard that white van to go anywhere. 

A week from today is Jay’s surgery with Dr. Webb to tie off work done in his left arm and take some of the extra work off his heart due to the grafts and fistulas.  What a way to spend Halloween! 

Then of course in November I prepare to to play One Legged Jake for a few weeks starting on Thanksgiving Eve.  They tell me I will be coming home on Thanksgiving Day but they didn’t say if they would feed me the traditional dinner before they kick me out!!!!  Oh the fixes we oldsters get ourselves into .  But hopefully I will be able to someday increase my aerobic exercise that Dr. Hukill has been asking me to for the past umpteen years.

Speaking of years we will have lived in our dome for eight years on the 29th of this month.  A dream my hubby and I thought would never be realized. 

On Monday I managed to get half my kitchen walls washed and the utility room took only a little dusting to bring it up to snuff.

So things are slowly coming together and I’m going to feel much better about the surgery this time.  The last time, 18 or 20 some years ago, I had this type of work done I was working, which meant take time off.  I resented being out of commission for six weeks with little to do.  But this time there are no stairs to crawl up to go to bed.  Everything I need is on one floor.  I have projects lined up to do.  I have started planning how I will feed my pets, with Jay’s help.

Now I have one very important thing I didn’t have before.  I have Mommas Corner and a lot of friends to visit with as I recuperate.  Can’t ask for any more!!!!   

Good Morning!  Both Caroline and Diane reminded me that Sunday is a day of rest.  Then a look around the room reinforced those comments.

Nothing like stretching out in the sunshine on a Sunday morning.  Believe me if I thought I’d have one chance in h*** of getting back up without hurting something I’d be right down there with Brandy and Molly.

The leaves on the trees are getting fewer everyday now.  I can see Rhea’s house behind me now but in summer you wouldn’t even know it was there. 

I’m saying this very softly because I don’t want to wake the ‘Canning Fairies’, but I think we are finally done.  I tried the Dilly Beans the other day..Quite tasty but I wouldn’t want them too often.  I’m very happy with all the chutney flavors and the marinara sauce turned out good also.  Our first batch of Concord Grape jelly turned out very spicy (lots of cinnamon and cloves) so I hesitate to send it to anyone.  But if you like Spicy let me know and I’ll make arrangement to get some to you.

Answering a special request from Mrs. Dof.

The ears are a little ratty because we didn’t fight hard enough to get them brushed out but otherwise here she is. 

I grab a last picture of the roses as they started dropping petals yesterday and then trimmed them back. 

There were seven blossoms total this time. 

Well I plan to spend a little time with Harry Potter today.  Also to work on Mr. Flurry.  He needs a body stuffed, his hat finished and a scarf made. 
So my friend do have some good and happy days until we visit again. 

They say life goes on if you pay attention or not and I’m here to testify that that is true.  While I was away Olive Riley the world’s oldest blogger turned 108 years old.  Dof and Mrs, Dof celebrated their 27th wedding Anniversary on October 18 th. Silver Fox’s granddaughter had an accident but is on the mend now.  Grammie Pammie has just finished 27 afghans for the Ghana Project. My son-in-law had a birthday also.  My good wishes and congratulations to all.  Also my apologies for not being around. 

I must confess I spent time with Harry Potter (over 1/2 way now).  I finished trimming the vines around that last tree.  I sat curled up inside night before last as a tornado touched down a few miles from us while the wind and the rain whipped large trees around in the yard.  I also started working on Mr. Flurry a knitting project from House Of White Birches that I will get a picture of when he is done.  I bathed Brandy yesterday after I chased her through the woods the day before.  I got Jay and I down to Shawn’s for those much needed haircuts today and stopped at Pet Supplies Plus on the way home to start stocking up on supplies for while I’m laid up.

I am procrastinating terribly on the wall washing.  I know if I don’t get at least the kitchen and utility room done before the surgery I will worry myself sick over it because that is what I did last time.  The other rooms are in pretty good shape so I just have to set my mind to getting it done.  When I accomplish it I’ll wonder why I agonized over it in the first place! 

Well my friend it is 7:39 pm, dinner is in the warming oven probably drying out, Jay has had a nice long nap, and I’m getting hungry.  So I guess it is time to wake him up and feed us.  Enjoy your Sunday and exercise them lungs with laughter.

Good Afternoon!  Yes it is a sunny dry day in our little 2 + acres of the world.  The bird houses have been emptied, the bushes and vines around the base of the trees out back have been cleared away.  If fact I drove the pick up out there and filled 2/3 of the bed with cuttings to empty out back by the shed.  I lack clearing the base of one tree that is closer to the dome but that will be done within the next couple of days.  All the furniture has been moved off the deck and stored for the winter.  The two large plants and the rose bush were moved inside with the help of a flat dolly for moving heavy things. 

This morning was spent taken Spirit into Dr. Buck’s office for his checkup.  We got a good report on his health and had his claws and beak trimmed while we were there.  I also picked up more food for Molly since this type does not cause her to spit up half digested food.  Then of course we needed Heartgard for Brandy.  Plus Frontline for both Brandy and Molly.  Needless to say I almost drop my teeth when I saw the bill.  But these are not cheap pets but they are members of our family.

I went through my large loose leaf binder of recipes we have tried and liked the other day.  The object was to pull all the canning recipes out and put them in another binder.  This accomplished I now have to make divider pages for it as soon as I buy them.  I want to take my Print Shop and make a cover design for it also. 

I am attempting to knit a Snow man that I found a pattern for but the going is slow.  I did however visit with Harry Potter again for a bit yesterday—still not half way through but trying valiantly to get there.  It is not the story but the other duties and projects around here that keep me busy. 

The pumpkins in our picture were bought in 1996 and are lit up on the front porch every year.  The sign above them announcing that the witch is ‘in’ tells a true story.  In fact I try to remember to switch it to the ‘out’ side when I leave. 

Speaking of witches you should see my hair.  I could play the Wicked Witch of the East with no make up at all.

Don’t you agree?  Well Saturday Shawn will remove the haystack from in front of my eyes and I will be able to see again.

That pretty much covers the last few days so I’ll close for now.  Remember the laugh out loud edict is still in effect!!!!! 

In October of 1979, yes some 28 years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend a 16 week Dale Carnegie course sponsored by Michigan Bell Telephone my then employer.  I found a lot of confidence in myself that I didn’t know I had.  I can remember one session we worked on doing things five times better or trying five times harder to achieve a goal.  I remembered I had stickers with 5 X plastered all over.  They were on my sewing machine, my notebook at work, the dash board of my car, and every where I felt I needed to try harder.  Some years later as I smiled to myself I scraped the ones off my sewing machine.

This training however faded sometimes when difficulties, worry, or illness intervened.  It wasn’t until a while ago that I felt the need to reinforce those positive feelings again.  My first attempt came from a friend’s blog post. 

After I read this I printed, and frame it to hang somewhere.  Wanting to see it every day I hung it in the bathroom next to the mirror.  But I wasn’t happy with it there so I moved it to the wall right across the toilet stool.  Now every time I go in to sit I reread this positive thought. 

Just a couple of months ago I came across another positive thought.  I copied this into green cardboard and it hung on the wall at my right shoulder when I was at the computer until I could get it framed. 

Now it hangs at the head of my bed and every morning as I put my shoes on I read it. 

Why do I do this you ask?  I don’t really know but maybe it is because as I age many things I used to do I can’t do as well any more.  Some things I can’t do at all.  So I must think of the positive things I can do. Then like the 5 Xs I must find, copy, frame and hang them all over the house. 

…we planned yesterday is suddenly changed today.  A glance at the outside thermometer informed me that it is 32 degrees this morning.  Spying the shed out back I saw frost on the roof.  The two bird houses just to the back and sides of the shed need to be cleaned out.  The new branches and vines at the base of the trees need to be clipped off.  The two big plants and the Patriot Rose need to come inside.  The fountain pump needs to be cleaned and taken in.  The lawn ornaments need to be gathered up and put in the shed.  The umbrella table and chairs need to be taken off the deck and put in the basement.  This was not what I’d planned for today.

Yesterday went the same way.  I had planned crocheting a few more squares and maybe a little kitchen cleaning.  What transpired was completely different.  When we canned marinara and chutney on Tuesday it had involved buying tomatoes which we bought a little more than it called for.  I ended up with five large tomatoes left over.  I swear there has got to be some Scottish blood in me somewhere because I couldn’t see just letting them rot.  Jay found a recipe for Sweet Salsa which with a little tweaking might not be too hot for us. 

When pulling the canning equipment and jar back upstairs I debated bringing the stainless steel pot up for cooking.  I told Jay we needed a another pot for smaller batches.  He called and found an eight quart stainless steel pot at Ace Hardware.  Thinking of all the canning that will probably be done again next year   we went out and bought it before we started the salsa.  I had not wanted to make a salsa before because our stomachs don’t like hot (seasoned) foods but this turned out fine for us.  The results were nine 8 oz jars to add to the food closet. 

I immediately hauled everything back downstairs and last night knitted one and crocheted three more squares.

This morning I have 21 instead of 10 squares to box up and mail to Pammie this afternoon. I don’t know how much outside work I’ll accomplish but I can afford to get a little dirty today. 

Hopefully I won’t have a ‘but first’ day today.  ( You know those kind—when you start something, see something else and say to yourself—but first I’ll do this then finish that).  You probably hear about a lot of those days in my life. 

A special congratulations to my nephew Clyde and wife Nancy.  The are new grandparents of a beautiful baby girl!

…again!   

Yep up around 9 am ( slept late again) to start putting the canning results and equipment from yesterday in the back of the truck to take to the basement.  Love that under the dome garage/basement.  I can back right up to the garage door and wheel everything on a steel cart into the basement where the food room is located.  Speaking of canning results please visit Jay’s Jammin’ to see the results.  We even used the new Food Mill. 

Today’s Halloween picture is the French Doors in the dining room.  Seeing as they look out on the back yard nobody sees it but the deer, rabbits, birds, and us I don’t see much sense in buying more stuff to hang on them. 

Pammie mentioned the other day that she had lavender but no purple squares so I made two in different shades of purple. 

She was also saying she needed more red and orange yarn.  I spotted this Hot Red in Fairway’s ( an area variety store) and it matches the variegated color combo I already have.  I also had a skein of orange so it looks like mailing will be delayed a little longer but I promise I’ll get them to you Grammie Pammie.

The temperature this morning is 49 degrees with scattered showers expected and a high of 51.  Looks like a taste of Fall today!  Have a good one friends and remember the laugh often and loud it improves the lung power!!!!