Fall colors, pbcc cookies and high anxiety

The leaf colors this year have been the brightest in years

And Misfits now and then reminds me of what I'm saving and how kind this is to the planet 

Some of my Misfits box went into a few peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. 

which look as if they're talking back 

And the flowers I was given, some of which I don't recognize but which might eventually become dried for the winter 

Filling both my Lenoxes.

I did a bit of painting Monday partly to cope with the high anxiety about the midterms. Chances of a blue wave are good, and chances of an orange retaliation equally so.

The box of painting supplies came out with a flourish, and as usual I used very few of them. But it's nice to have then there just in case.

I need to get back in practice, but it was a nice interlude. 

Happy day everyone, keep breathing.  We've got this, and whatever the results, much more work to do.  Let's hope for a Congress on the right side of history this time.

My mom was an English suffragette. Go vote if you haven't yet. Do it for Lizzie!

Great week of October weather and other good things

Here's how it's been this week 

Beautiful, and here's the beech tree, source of part of my fall fireplace arrangement.

And here's another 

Daylily foliage at the end of the season, natural sculpture 

And here's the fireplace arrangement, oak, beech and daylily stems.

This time of year the sculpture of flowers shows up 

Here's the Sweet William seed pods. I think flowers appeal to painters, the pods to sculptors.

And here's a draw I entered, four rare breed sheep,  roving items. 

I'm all  out of roving and this would be a wonderful reentry into spinning. I'll definitely let you know how it goes. I can buy some if, by some wrong chance, I don't win.

Thursday I met my new doctor; above is her waiting room with multipurpose tree.

I liked her a lot, very smart, very cheerful and we hit it off pretty well. She'll also set me up with a different endo in the same group, not the insulting one I refused to go back to. 

At that time she was the only endo in the group, but now there are more to choose from, also practicing in my town, in the same group, same Medicare acceptance.

While I was out, Misfits arrived

No apples nor potatoes, but I shall survive 

The green beans are processed and steamed as a side with the quiche which is still going strong.

The shrimp will not be defrosted in the fridge, unless in a container, after the debacle last time, not wishing to go through all the cleaning again.

I have plenty of yogurt to go with the blueberries in the freezer. I'm thinking of making chickpea crackers, also stew with diced tomatoes I already have. The dandelion greens will be frozen then maybe go into in the next soup.  The current one is still going.

Two red pears, not Starkrimson, but okay. Lovely unsalted butter, always unsalted for my choice, and parsley, it's been a while. And beautiful eggs, always good.

I have plenty of cheese, block, shredded and crumbled, so there will be that egg, tomato cheese bake on toast meal soon. It's been a while for that, too.  Better quality coffee beans, to try them out.

Today was about one neighbor visiting, with apple cake and future offer of three transplanted echinacea to be planted by Gary who doesn't know yet.

Then while she was still here, another, invited this time, neighbor arrived bearing flowers, for tea and banana bread.

In among all these I took a walk and made a video from which I took the still at the top of this post. 

We also had an odd sighting, in a week of total sun and low humidity, a rainbow.

Happy day everyone, I hope for all the good things for you, too.

Textiles and Tea, Misfits, Knitting group, third party Freecycle

I made it to the knitting group this week, bringing my new portable weaving.

M brought her wheel and was spinning some bluefaced Leicester and silk roving. I made a video for the YouTube channel which caught her explaining the process. 

Here's my new little weaving, a seamless pouch for my phone. The loom is the side of the box my Ashford loom clamps came in.

You see how you weave round and round to make it a seamless tube.

Such talent in this little group. Chat fell into many tributaries rather than group, for various social reasons.

Home again for Textiles and Tea with high energy 

She's an English woman, former professional oboeist, now wildly creative weaver and teacher, currently based in southwest France, in this great studio/teaching space 

 Here's her latest book, full of fearless ideas and philosophy 

Behind her are stalactite forms woven in a variety of threads including paper

She pursues seemingly impossible results and gets them. When she teaches, she limits the group to two or three so as to give maximum attention to each person's journey. 

I asked her if high jinks pretty much summarized her life and adventures and she cheerfully agreed that was a fair assessment.  I've rarely seen a happier more joyful worker, who tackles steep learning curves with total energy. 

Meanwhile back on earth, Wednesday saw me in the cardiologist office 

Shortly before being seen by a procession of nurses, nps, and the cardio, all of whom told me I was doing well and needed an annual ultrasound, or something, come back in two weeks. 

I notice my doctors now all have a walker at the scale, good thinking. Stepping onto that wobbly platform is a fall waiting to happen.

Then Misfits arrived so early today I never saw the driver, being upstairs getting dressed.

A couple of items were out of stock, dandelion greens and salty chocolate mix. Too bad about the greens.. 

I ordered a couple of starkrimson pears, of one of which I gave a sample slice to contractor Mike, who made a note. He and his wife are once again eating healthier, so he was glad to learn about a pear he'd never had.

The carrots are partly cooked for future quiche purposes, with the rest of the kale and maybe mushrooms from the freezer.

This is why I stocked up on the various cheeses. They're not in stock often, so I seized the day. Lunch may be a tuna melt, haven't had that in a while.

The strawberries will accompany the favorite yogurt, now back in stock. And maybe a smoothie or two involving bananas. Black beans to go with other pulse foods in the house. 

The bathroom is almost complete, soon to be usable again. I'll be glad to get my house back. I haven't seen so many people in years, more than I need really. 

The knitting group, all the doctor personnel, Handsome Son, who's always welcome, contractor Mike, neighbor who brought over a fall chrysanthemum, on and on.  My social cup is overflowing and I need recovery time. 

I put up a "spotted locally" Freecycle notice about this bicycle 

I know little about bikes, but I see the chain is rusty and needs attention. Maybe someone will want to rehab it.

Happy day everyone, well done, Alberta,  and everyone keep pushing for the good people. Most countries are in a right wing wave just now, and resistance is required, sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula