Friday - October 31, 2025

Happy Halloween, if you're into that sort of thing.  

I'm not.  

My first memory of Halloween happened when I was about 2 years old.  The family was preparing to go down the road to my aunt's house.  We did not have any candy for trick-or-treaters (probably couldn't afford it); most of the lights in the house were off.  Daddy had set me down on the couch until everyone else was ready to go.

There was a knock on the front door.  From the bedroom, Daddy hollered, "Come in."

What stepped through the door was a monster!  It was wearing a plastic mask, one of those cheap ones with the elastic string that goes around the back of the head.

I let out a blood-curdling scream.  

I remember Daddy snatching me off the couch.  Everything past that is a blank.

I do not have happy memories of Halloween.  ;)

* * * * * * * * 

Yesterday, the daughter-in-law came over to work on her t-shirt project.  She'd seen a how-to video and wanted to try it.  My plan was to mostly stay out of her way, but she'd never done much sewing and needed occasional help.  It took almost all day.  

Speaking of projects, I need to find a road-trip project.  We've got another long drive ahead of us next week, and I'd like to keep my hands busy while on the road.  But I don't know what it would be.  I'm not in the mood for needlework of any description.  Maybe I'll go peruse the hobby store.  

Dreading Winter - October 29, 2025

It's rainy, windy, and cold today.  

Oh, how I dread winter.  

* * * * * * * * 

Yesterday, I went to the second of four drawing classes I'm scheduled to take.  That morning, I woke up with a headache.  Before long, I started seeing watery "lights," which I recognized as the onset of a migraine.  It's been a long time since I'd had one of those.  I took some Tylenol and followed up with a couple of aspirin a couple of hours later.  They didn't really work.

The class started at 1 p.m.  My heart wasn't in it.  At 2:00, an hour before the class was to end, I packed up, came home, and stretched out on the couch with a blanket.  Ten minutes later, my daughter-in-law came in to work on a t-shirt she wanted to make.  My head was still pounding, and I wasn't much help.  She finally gave up and went home, planning to come back today.  

A month ago, I made a tincture for migraines, clematis virginiana soaked in pure grain alcohol.  Last night, I decided to try it - just a few drops.  It seemed to help.

I went to bed before 8 p.m., slept until 3:30 a.m.  Finally got up around 4, ate some toast, opened a book, and read a few minutes before falling back to sleep in my recliner.  

My eyeballs are sore today, and I still have a mild headache.  A few minutes ago, I tried a few more drops of the tincture.  It's supposed to be better at forestalling a migraine than at treating a full-on headache already in progress.  It's very SPICY - not sure whether the heat comes from the clematis or the PGA - but the burn only lasts a few seconds.

I don't have a plan for today.  Not in the mood to tackle a big project.  Maybe I'll just be quiet and read.

Dinner with The Grandson - October 24, 2025

I'd promised The Grandson that we'd have meatloaf and creamed potatoes for dinner.  He wanted green beans, too.  

I'd planned to go to the grocery store for fresh ground beef, but I didn't really want to go to the grocery store, so I went to the freezer.  The first package I picked up said, "Use or freeze" by some date in 2022.  If the meatloaf had been just for The Husband and me for dinner, I'd have used that 2022 package, but since it was for The Grandson, I dug around and found some from 2024.  Good enough.  I thawed two pounds of meat because Carl would be coming to dinner, too.

Mid-afternoon, I checked the potato situation.  I'd picked up a bag of russet potatoes last week.  They were green - like, lime green.  The internet frowned on eating green potatoes - they could give you a stomach ache - but I've eaten green potatoes before and did not die.  I peeled one; the green was just skin deep. I peeled and cubed enough for dinner and left them to soak until time to cook them.  Rinsed them again and boiled them.  They were fine.  I wasn't particularly thrilled with the texture, but I think that it was the TYPE of potato that made the difference.  I like red potatoes for creaming.  

My family likes green beans cooked down low in an iron skillet.  I opened two cans, since I'd be feeding two big boys.  About 5:00, The Grandson texted me that he'd be here around 6:30, and that Carl wasn't coming.

The Grandson arrived right on time, and dinner was ready.  We sat down at the kitchen table and had an enjoyable visit.  The Grandson had seconds, so I guess the food tasted okay.  And my stomach isn't rumbly today, so I guess the green potatoes weren't lethal.

I don't know what I'm going to do today.  It's cold, too cold to be comfortable on the porch, so I'll have to find something to do inside.  It's time for me to start moving my workstation indoors.  

Snake in the Grass - October 22, 2025

When Husband came home from work yesterday, he showed me a picture he'd taken on the way to our door.  Snake!  Red and black (mostly), curled up in amongst the monkey grass.  He said it was stretched out across the threshold when he approached the front door.  I hate knowing there's a snake on the loose.

I mean, I know in the back of my mind that this yard, surrounded by trees and ivy and fields and unruly flower beds, is prime real estate for a snake.  There could be one anywhere.  SEEING one is a different matter.  Makes it more personal.   

This morning, before The Husband opened the storm door on his way to work, he peeked out to make sure the snake hadn't come back on the porch, and then he eased the door open and looked up.  His looking up TOTALLY CREEPED ME OUT.   I would never have thought to look UP for the snake.  If a snake were to drop down on my head, I'd have a come-apart.

Thankfully, the snake was not on the porch, nor anywhere in sight.  This afternoon, I went out to plant a hydrangea in the edge of the yard, and I was r-e-a-l careful about where I stepped.

A few minutes ago, The Grandson texted me and asked if we had dinner plans tonight.  I told him that his grandfather is out of town, and I am having toast.  He asked if I would like to have dinner plans.  

Truth was, I didn't want to have dinner plans.  I really didn't want company, to be honest, even if it is my only grandson.  I have been on the go all day, and then I came home and dug a big hole for the hydrangea, and I am tired.  Nevertheless, this IS The Grandson, and I was a little worried that something was amiss.  

So I texted, "Well, I could.  What are you thinking?"  Meaning what restaurant.

He replied, "Anything that you are able and willing to make.  And can I bring my friend Carl?"

As I was reading the text, I was on the phone with The Husband, and I blurted out, "AW, HELL NAW!" and busted out laughing.  Told him about the texts, and how I was too tired to cook.  He said, "And, anyway, we don't have any groceries."  Truth.

I called The Grandson and begged off for tonight.  But tomorrow night, he's coming over for meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  

And Carl's coming with him.

Welcome back, Sasquatch - October 21, 2025

Sasquatch is back.

He/She/It comes around about this time every year.  He/She/It makes a sound like two wooden drumsticks repeatedly knocked together.  The first time I heard it, I googled, "animal" and "sounds like two sticks being knocked together?"  Google said it could be Sasquatch.  Intriguing, but I figure it's something closer to a turkey.  In any case, whatever he/she/it is, his/her/its name is "Sasquatch."

* * * * * * * * 

I finally made it to the grocery store yesterday but came home with the same old boring stuff.  Meat is ridiculously expensive.  We're going to eat from what's already in our freezer.  Starting tomorrow, I won't be cooking dinner every night since The Husband will be out of town for the rest of the week.  It'll be toast or sandwiches for me until he comes home.

After the grocery store run, I picked the community garden peas.  There were so few green pods left on the vines that I did not see the point in trying to eke out another picking, so I pulled up the vines.  There was one tiny squash to pick, and the vines look like they're on their last leg.  I think I'm done with the community garden this year. 

This afternoon, I start a new art class, a 4-week drawing class.  We'll learn perspective and color theory.  I'm stoked, not so much for the learning as for the chance to socialize a little.  

Found it - October 20, 2025

On our back porch is a cabinet made from two salvaged bathroom vanity cabinets, nailed together and topped with ceramic tile-covered plywood.  When we put it out here, I envisioned it functioning as a buffet table for all the cookouts and parties we were going to have.  

It has never been used as a buffet table.  Instead, it functions as a catch-all.  

Currently on the cabinet is a big basket of gardening tools.  Yesterday afternoon, I happened to glance at the basket as I was walking past it, and something unusual caught my eye.  A thin, dark cord.  I stopped and turned around.  There was the Kindle charger I'd been hunting for two days. 

I have zero recollection of putting the cord in that basket, or even being anywhere near the basket with the cord in my hand.  I would have blamed it on The Husband - a practical joke, maybe - except that he was standing nearby when I found it, and he seemed as surprised as I was. 

Had to be Herman.

* * * * * * * * 

It's cold this morning.

I need to get up, get dressed, and get myself to the grocery store and the community garden, but I don't want to take off my warm jammies and fuzzy housecoat.  

 

Where did I put it? - October 19, 2025

I have turned the house upside down this morning, looking for my Kindle charger.  I seem to remember taking it to Gatlinburg but don't remember using it (or handling it) while we were there.  It was not in the most likely place, the schlepping bag of art supplies and other necessities.  Checked the truck, checked the suitcases, and everywhere else I could think to check.  Not anywhere.

Fortunately, there's an old back-up Kindle on the nightstand.  It is charging as we speak.  

Yesterday, The Husband's office held its annual barbeque get-together for the retirees of the factory.  About a dozen showed up, all of them in their 80s and older.  It is sweet to get them together once a year, since they worked together for 25+ years.  During the party, Granddaughter #2 called to ask if I could alter a romper for her.  I said I would, and asked when she needed it.  "Six-thirty."  "TONIGHT?"  "Yes, ma'am."  This shot down my plans for the afternoon.

We still need groceries, and I had planned to stop at the store on the way home and force The Husband to go in with me and find something that would tempt his appetite.  Nix that idea.  Straight home to work on the romper.  We tooted the horn as we passed by #2's house.  She came right over with the romper AND an elastic-waist skirt for #3 that needed to be made a tad tighter.  All the romper needed was to have the strap buttons moved up 3".  Easy jobs.

This morning, Fall has stuck it's foot in the door.  I've got my furry housecoat on over my clothes.  May stay that way all day.  

I went outside a few minutes ago to look in my car for the missing charger.  (There's no reason why it should be in there, but if I hadn't checked that's where it would've been.)  Granddaughters #3 and #4 were out in the yard, riding bikes and scooters in the driveway.  The three dogs were outside, as well.  I did not want to yell "hello" to them, knowing that the dogs would hear it and barrel across the road, so I just stepped to the end of our driveway and waved.  The dogs saw me and came running, as I feared they would.  I ran toward them, scooped up the little dustmop dog from the road, and led the big boys back into their yard.  

Granddaughter #4, wearing only a t-shirt and her underpants, ran to me for a hug.  She swore she wasn't cold, but her legs were like popsicles.  The last thing I said to her before I walked back home was, "Go inside and put on some pants and shoes!"  Little Rotten Baby.  

But I just had it ... - October 17, 2025

There's one good thing about being absent-minded: I get more exercise, searching for THINGS I JUST HAD IN MY HAND.

This morning, I decided to ink some greeting card drawings that I sketched in pencil yesterday.  I used a waterproof pen to trace over the pencil lines, planning to erase the pencil marks and paint the drawings with watercolors.  I decided to scan the drawings before I paint them, in case I want to change/re-do them later.  This required moving my laptop from the back porch table where I was working to the sewing room - er, studio - where the scanner is.  While scanning the drawings, I noticed on one of them a place that needed work, a simple fix with the pen.  When I got back to the porch, the pen had gone A.W.O.L.  Had I been holding it when I moved to the scanner?

I re-traced my steps through the kitchen to the studio.  The pen was nowhere in sight.  Thus began a search of the house, even checking places I probably had not been while holding the pen.  No luck.

Ordinarily, the pen lives in one of the containers on my worktable, but I'd already glanced through them prior to the house search and hadn't found it.  I came back out to the porch and cleaned and reorganized the table.  No pen.  

About the time I started to cuss out loud, I saw it.

Right there, where it's supposed to be, the whole time, unless Herman the Trickster has been here this morning. 

At least I got 10-15 minutes of "exercise" in conducting the search.  ;)

But now I'm plumb out of the mood to paint.

* * * * * * * * 

This morning (right in the middle of this post), I planted ginseng seeds in our backyard.

A couple of weeks ago, I planted ginseng roots and a little patch of ginseng seeds in the woods between our house and the pond.  I had a lot of seeds left after planting the little patch.  Ginseng would probably thrive in the gulley behind our house, but I am not about to go down there.  It is treacherous.

It lately occurred to me that the area directly behind our back porch might have the right growing conditions for ginseng - mostly shady, well-drained, loamy soil.  So I put some seeds there this morning.  Thickly.

Still had a small handful left.  Chunked them down the gulley.  They landed on a carpet of last-year's leaves, as they would have done had they'd dropped naturally from a stem.  More leaves will fall on top of them in the coming weeks.  Maybe they'll take root and grow.

* * * * * * * * 

I need to go to the grocery store.  

The Husband and I are in a slump when it comes to eating.  We can't think of anything we WANT to eat that we SHOULD eat.  Lately, we've been cheating, re-visiting foods from by-gone days, like Cheesy Macaroni Hamburger Helper.  A Chef Boyardee Pizza ain't out of the question.  Last night, we had leftover chicken alfredo with leftover pork loin chunks added to it, along with a salad made from anything in the vegetable drawer that wasn't floppy, slimy or growing fur.  We put the leftover leftover alfredo back in the refrigerator.  The salad's going to the compost pile.  

I could use a little culinary inspiration.  

Life's Big Problems - October 15, 2025

Today on social media, I saw a post from a young mother of a two-year-old boy who has developed the habit of chewing on the neck of his shirt.  Everywhere they go, his shirt is wet.  She can't figure out how to stop him from doing it and asked her friends for advice.  

A friend my age (we are now both grandmothers) had a problem with her 5-year-old son rubbing his pee-pee to help him fall asleep at kindergarten naptime.  The teacher was complaining.  At the time, being a young, inexperienced mother, myself, all I could suggest was to get him a rabbit's foot keychain to keep in his pocket to rub, instead.  (Someone who actually has a pee-pee probably finds this solution preposterous.  <shrug>)

About that same time, I was struggling with a two-year-old who twisted my hair while he sucked his thumb.  He slept in the bed with us (for longer than I ever imagined when I let him sleep with us when he was sick).  He would twist my hair all the way to my scalp, slurping and smacking on his thumb, right next to my ear.  It drove me INSANE, and when I would make him quit, he'd roll over and twist The Husband's hair.  It was a nightly battle that resolved itself only when he was old enough to reason that he was physically too big to sleep with us.  (By that time, his brother had joined the crowd, and nobody could roll over; we kicked them both out of our bed at the same time.)

I just laughed about the shirt-chewer, and hoped that this is the worst trouble he'll ever give her.  :)

   

Yesterday's lunch with The Old Boss was relaxed and fun.  We made tentative plans for a day-trip to see a mutual friend.  

I guess I should stop calling her the "The Old Boss," since I no longer have a current boss.  :)

I stopped by the community garden on my way home, planning to just look at the peas and squash.  But the peas needed picking, and there were a couple of small squash, so I went to work.  Picked almost 10 pounds, altogether.  Wonder what portion of that weight was pea HULLS?  

All of the food that we grow in the community garden goes to the food bank.  I doubt the volunteers will shell the peas before they give them away.  I hope they don't.  I'd like for the families to experience pea-shelling and eating freshly-shelled peas.

Old-timers sometimes made jelly with the pea hulls.  My friend made some to see what it's like; she said it might be an acquired taste but was pretty in the jar., a beautiful shade of lavender  :)   She gave a taste to the person who had introduced her to pea-hull jelly; she said he closed his eyes, savored the bite, and said the jelly was taking him back to his grandmother's kitchen.  She gave him the jar.  

It's unlikely that the recipients of the community garden peas will be making jelly with the hulls.  In the first place, nobody knows how to do it, and in the second place, these pea hulls are not very purple.  A dull brick red is about all they can muster.  They wouldn't make pretty jelly.  

Cousin Roger called yesterday afternoon.  I like Cousin Roger, so I answered.  He said, "Hey.  Whatchoo doin?"  I said, "Nothin'.  Whatchoo doin?"  He said, "Nothin'."  Then he said he bought some new elastic-waistband pants to wear to his class reunion this weekend and can't get them up past his butt.  He wondered if I could do something with them, maybe put some more elastic in them, or something.  I imagined myself trying to put on a pair of elastic-waist pants and being unable to get them past my butt, and considered what it would take to get them all the way up.  I said, "Naw, Roger, I ain't that good."  

In retrospect, I should've told him to bring them on over here and I'd see what I could do.  I could've split those pants down the back and sewn in a big V-shaped piece of quilting fabric in bright colors.  I swear, I'd do it today if I had more gumption, just to see what he'd say.  

He'd probably wear them to the reunion if I did it with Tennessee orange-and-white-checkered fabric.  

I don't plan on doing any sewing today.  I *could*.  There's a stack of lavender quilt blocks on my sewing machine table, ready to have the hexagon flowers appliqued to the background fabric.  But I ain't feeling it.  The problem is that these 24 quilt blocks are only half of the blocks required to make the whole quilt, and I have not firmly decided the design of the other half.  My original plan for the remaining 24 blocks was not very imaginative; the sample block didn't "pop" with the hexagon flower blocks.  So I may do something different.  But that's a job for when cold weather drives me indoors.

Last week, I re-did the portrait of Granddaughter #2, but in chalk pencil instead of wax pencils.  It is sooooo much easier to blend the skin tones with chalk.  I have not done the background, and may not do one, since the paper is a light, muted green color.  A couple of days ago, I started Granddaughter #3's portrait in chalk.  It still needs a little work.  Granddaughter #1 is up next.  She will be easy (I think).  I'm saving #4's portrait for last, since her mass of curly brown hair will be the biggest challenge of the four.

2nd Tuesday - October 14, 2025

It's the 2nd Tuesday of the month, the day on which my former boss and I have a standing date to meet for lunch.  

Yesterday, I almost over-booked myself for today.

Another art class, a 4-week drawing/perspective class, was scheduled to begin today, and I wanted to go.  It was to start at 1 p.m. and last until 3 p.m.  Lunch with the boss is at noon and is 10 minutes away from the art class.  I texted The Boss to ask if we could meet at 11:30 instead of noon.  

While I had my phone in my hand, I called my cousin, an 82-year-old woman who teaches a weekly line dance class.  (She also teaches weekly tap dance classes.)  I wanted to join the line dance class (don't laugh) purely for the exercise and to get my reclusive ass out of the house.  Cousin Kay didn't answer - I knew she wouldn't - but I left a voice message.  She called me back a few minutes later, as I was driving to town to check on the community garden.  She'd love for me to join the class, she said.  It starts at 2:30 today and is 5 minutes from the art class.  To get to the dance class on time, I'd have to leave the art class early.

We talked all the way to town (had to catch up on the family gossip, you know).  I ended up telling her I'd see her in November.  By November, I will probably have forgotten about it . . .  or maybe chickened out.  She told me that the class often performs at nursing homes and community events (she referred to these performances as "shows").  There's only 4 or 5 of them, all of them in the neighborhood of 80 years old.  They wear matching sparkly costumes.  I'm not sure I'm up for all of that.  

I went on to town, dropped off some stuff at Goodwill, took my laptop back to the county IT guy, checked on the community garden.  I could've picked a few peas, but they should be ok on the vines until a few more ripen.  Somebody else had already picked the squash.  :-|  

Anyway . . . . 

About the time I got home from town, I learned that the art class has been put off until next week.  

I still hadn't heard from The Boss by that time, so I texted her and told her to ignore my previous text.  She finally replied this morning.  We're on for noon.

I spent the rest of the afternoon battling flying insects on the back porch.  The stink bugs are out in force, as are a zillion moths that apparently hatched out of a bucket of bird seeds.  They're driving me crazy, buzzing past my head and even landing on me.  The old stand-by Dyson vacuum cleaner is plugged in on the porch, and whenever a stink bug zooms past me and lands on the screen, I grab the vacuum and suck it up.  Do not try this with a vacuum cleaner that you intend to use inside the house.  Once in the canister, the stink bugs loose their juice jets, and the air coming out of the vacuum cleaner is foul.  Odor-wise, it would be less stinky to just swat the stink bugs, but then I'd miss that satisfying thump as they go down the vacuum cleaner hose.

It's harder to vacuum the moths.  

I had no idea these things would hatch out of bird seeds.  The seeds are in a clear plastic bin with a tight-fitting lid.  The bin is in a chair on the back porch, and one day, when the sun was shining just right, I saw moths swarming inside the bin.  I take it outside when I want to open it, but they are somehow getting out and are zooming around inside the porch.  

They are agile and very hard to catch in the air with the vacuum cleaner hose.  

Long Weekend - October 13, 2025

Friday morning, I hauled myself to the community garden to see if anything needed picking.  Someone had already picked my squash.  I picked two small ones and a plastic grocery bag full of peas.  The squash plants looked terrible.  Squash bugs and mildew have wreaked havoc, but there was new growth.  I pruned the old diseased leaves and hauled them out of the garden.

The cabbages I planted in our yard are still surviving.  

Saturday, I did some household chores, one of which was to empty a chair in our bedroom that had become a catch-all place.  The chair, itself, was full, and spilling over.  The Husband had bagged up some clothes to be donated but somehow could not find the time to drop them off.  Next to the chair was a box of files and notebooks that I had accumulated while I was working, as well as the laptop I'd used while working for the county.  I hauled everything, clothes and all, to my car.  

This morning, I'm going to town to distribute all that stuff.  After that, I'm going to the community garden to pick peas.

Lentil Bread - October 9, 2025

Last week, among the videos YouTube suggested to me, was a recipe for bread made from red lentils, no wheat at all.  It was said to be high in protein, fiber, and vitamins.  

We struggle with healthy breakfasts around here.  The Husband and I were not raised on fresh fruit and yogurt; we woke up to sausage gravy & biscuits, cinnamon toast with sugar and butter, bacon, Captain Crunch, bacon.  This lentil bread looked like something healthy that might suit us both.

I watched the entire video and wrote down the recipe, then added the ingredients to my grocery store list. One ingredient, psyllium husks, had to be shipped.  In the video, the cook used an immersion blender to grind up the lentils.  I've wanted an immersion blender but have never had one, so I ordered one of those, too.  The psyllium husks and the immersion blender arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  I went straight to work on the bread.

The first step was to soak the lentils for an hour or so.  Without checking the recipe, I dumped the whole one-pound bag into a bowl and covered them with water.  Two hours later, I pulled out the recipe and saw that it called for one cup of DRIED lentils, but I'd already soaked them all.  Had to google to find out how many WET lentils equaled a cup of dried lentils.  (FYI, one cup of dried lentils equals 2 to 2.5 cups of cooked lentils.)

Things went downhill from there.  

Long story short, I made mistake after mistake, such as dumping the leavening ingredients into the bowl of extra beans instead of the food processor (which I'd decided to use instead of the immersion blender since I had not yet washed it).  In the end, into the oven went two loaf pans of bread batter, one of them not quite as full, each of which contained a questionable quantity of ingredients.  They came out of the oven just about the time The Husband got home from work.  

The bread wasn't too bad.  But it wasn't too great, either.  It came out half (or less) of the height of the bread in the video - *maybe* 2" tall.  Maybe my loaf pan was bigger.  The bread held together well enough to be sliced, but despite the parsley, cheese, and garlic that went into it, it didn't have much taste.  

Here's the sad part: 

The thing that made me want to make the bread in the first place was not so much the bread, itself, as the yogurt-based spread they made to go with it.  Yogurt, fresh mint, lemon, toasted sesame seeds, other stuff, smeared on a slice of the bread.  The bread, itself, had yogurt in the batter.  I had bought enough yogurt to make one loaf of bread AND the spread.  Of course, having made TWO loaves of bread, I'd used all of the yogurt and couldn't make the spread.  

We'll eat the rest of the bread - at least one of the loaves - with dinners.  But I probably won't be having it for breakfast until I can put some yogurt spread on it.

* * * * * * * * 

It's chilly on the back porch this morning.  My hands are cold.  I need to think of something to do inside until it warms up.  

On my sewing table are the portraits of The Grandchildren.  Technically, I could call each of them "finished."  The Granddaughters' portraits were done in colored pencil on mixed media paper, the Grandson's in chalk pencil on pastel paper.  I would like to do all of them again in chalk pencil, preferably on pastel mat, which I don't have in the house right now.  

The yard needs mowing, but ever since I ran over a mole trap with the lawnmower, the mowing is now The Husband's job.

Maybe I'll just paint.

Slim Pickin's - October 8, 2025

It was drizzling yesterday morning when I got to the community garden.   I put on my gardening hat and picked a few peas and a few squash.  Someone else had picked the volunteer melons in the pea plot while I was gone.  The squash plants looked bad, yellow.  The pea plants were loaded with pods, but not many of them were ready to pick.  I do believe that the peas are not purple hull peas, as I originally thought.  The pods never get purple, only a sickly pinkish-yellow.  They must be some type of cowpea.  

My grocery store order was ready by the time I finished in the garden.  The Husband went to work late, so he was here to help haul the groceries to the kitchen when I got back.  Spent nearly $200, and still don't have much to eat in the house. 

It's hard to shop for groceries when you can't think of anything you'd like to eat.  I need some exciting new recipes.

Last Monday, I made spaghetti, thinking we'd have leftovers for a couple of days.  In the sauce, I used a package of meat from our freezer.  No telling how long it had been in there, but it looked OK and smelled OK.  As we were eating, The Husband said, "This spaghetti tastes a little . . . strange."  I guess the meat was a little freezer-burned, after all.  We ate what was on our plates, but after dinner, I dumped the rest of the spaghetti in the garbage and had to re-think dinners for the rest of the week.  

Our recent road trip interrupted my artistic mojo.  I took some art supplies on the trip and did some sketching and watercolor painting on the cabin porch, but I was not very inspired.  The view from the porch was of the rooftops of a dozen other cabins sticking up between the trees, with mountains in the background.  The fall colors hadn't set in yet, so the view was mostly green (including the cabin roofs).  Didn't make for very interesting art.  

I need something to do, something fascinating.  Wonder what that would be?

Home - October 7, 2025

We've made it home from our trip to east Tennessee.  

We stayed in a huge cabin near Gatlinburg with about five other families, all friends and relatives of the bride and groom.  The wedding was lovely and sweet, and the company was enjoyable.  The weather could not have been better.  

BUT.

There was an event in town, a gathering of car owners driving little cars with loud tailpipes that emitted noises like gunshots.  Traffic was a nightmare.  We had to make a grocery store run Friday afternoon, and it took us over 30 minutes to go 5 miles.  Saturday night, there was a fight among some of the drivers, resulting in the cancellation of some big event scheduled for Sunday.  Evidently, many of the folks went home, for Sunday was quieter.

We started home yesterday but stopped in Knoxville to have breakfast with Granddaughter #1.  We pulled into our driveway about 4:30 yesterday afternoon.  I was in bed by 9.

I did a walk-about in the yard before I went to bed.  Either the rabbit has not discovered the cabbages or it doesn't like them, for they are still standing.  

I need to go check on my community garden plots this morning to see if anything needs to be picked.  I've also scheduled a grocery store order to be picked up between 9 and 10.  It's raining sporadically right now.  Hopefully, I can catch a break in the rain to pick the vegetables and unload the groceries.

It's so good to be home.

Killing Time - October 2, 2025

We'll be starting a road trip in a couple of hours.  I've been up since 5.  My stuff is packed and ready to load into the truck.  The Husband won't be ready for another two hours, so I've got some time to kill.  

Nanny is going with us.  

It's gonna be a long day.

My art bag is packed for watercolor and for drawing with chalk pencils:  pencils, sharpener, sketchbooks, pastel paper, erasers.  Kindle.  Chargers.  If I keep finding stuff to add, I'll need help carrying it.

I just had a walk-about in the yard, checking on the cabbages.  Nothing ate them last night.  

In the tray with the cabbage seedlings were about 8-10 peat pots of broccoli seedlings.  The broccoli got a much later start than the cabbages; they are very small and spindly.  Yesterday, I came this close to dumping them in the compost heap but re-considered.  This morning, I watered them and set the tray back out in the sun to be dealt with when I come home, if they haven't dried up by then.

I meant for both the cabbages and the broccoli to be planted in the community garden when the peas and squash play out.  But, really, it will be easier to grow them here, where I can check on them without having to drive for miles. 

While on my walk-about, I had to admire the lantana.  I have tried and tried to grow lantana, but it never survived.  This year, I bought two plants in 6" pots, and my niece gave me one.  I accidentally broke a limb off one of them and stuck it in the ground to see if it would take root, and it did!  And it's thriving, and so are all of the "store-bought" ones.  When it gets cold, I am going to mulch them heavily in the hope they'll come back next year.

  

Cabbages in the ground - October 1, 2025

In early July, I started cabbage plants from seeds.  It took them forever to come up, and they were spindly.  About a month ago, I transplanted them into bigger pots and fed them and moved them to a sunnier spot.  They shot up and grew big leaves, but they're still kind of spindly.  I'm tired of fooling with them, so today I planted them around the edge of the phlox bed.  

A rabbit will probably eat them now that they're at ground level.

Yesterday was my final chalk pastel class.  I'm kind of disappointed that it's over.  We did not make much art in class.  The instructor would spend a few minutes discussing specific painters or paintings, then she'd pass out laminated copies of paintings for us to use as a reference for the remaining class time.  We tried different types of chalk - hard, soft, pencils, pans - from each other's stash to get an idea of which we liked best.  After yesterday's class, the instructor and a classmate had a long lunch together.  It was fun.

Today, I'm working on The Grandson's portrait, which I'm doing with chalk pencils.  He currently looks a little like Church Lady.  ;)