just for donald......

i am making homemade stuffing (cornbread and shredded wheat...it's good)
i'll make rutabaga for me
and candied (yuck yuck yuck) yams for bernie
a salad i think for a veg
gravy homemade from scratch
mashed i think for potatoes so i can do cream of spinach soup after
homemade fresh cranberry orange sauce (with star anise, it's wonderful!)
maybe creamed corn (again for the leftovers, i am thinking a turkey pot pie)

we'll have turkey bagels on friday...... it's TRADITION

i am debating on pumpkin cheesecake or maybe apple turnovers for dessert?
but i will cheat on the turnovers and do frozen phyllo dough

i asked bernie and he wants baked brie this year..... hmmm
maybe forget the apple turnovers then? and go with either a cheesecake or pumpkin custard minus the pie shell?

and CIDER
yup yup cider

do you realize

thanksgiving is almost here?
do you?

DO YOU?????????
oh man

ok so stuffed mushrooms or baked brie?
baked potatoes or mashed?
whole turkey or breast?

oye

now yesterday i did night crates...... thank goodness!
and i have clean duckies
naughty ones but clean ones
next is chicken day pens
and then duckie day pens
i have however misplaced my pitch fork........

today is breezy and coolish, i suppose i should do laundry
i should also do more dishes, and clean something else
have i mentioned how much i truly hate to clean
i wouldn't mind if there was someplace to put everything but there isn't

now i also would like to figure out something for bernie for christmas, most likely a dvd player
his is a crappy one that never worked right to begin with
it freezes up mid dvd

that's about it right now as i have to run
how about someone commenting?
so i know you folks are still out there?

it's so sad

all the family having gone home.

the weather here is warmish, so not fall like.
today we have fog ... a LOT of fog
and bernie is very tired. i am so glad that tomorrow is friday, i expect him to sleep in and do some wood and such
we got the cesspool pumped, which seems to have alleviated the burping of the pipes
i need to blitz the house now

has anyone knit aeolian? if so let me know...i am having an issue with printing out the charts!

i can't believe it's almost halloween, then the slide into thanksgiving and christmas.... to new year
we still are not ready to light the woodstove
with the family in and out all summer a lot didn't get done
including the replacement ceramic fiber blanket in the top of the woodstove, but it's sitting there waiting
we also didn't get a tank of oil either

bernie seems to have sold the white van
which leaves us with my van .......just one running vehicle
i am not so sure that's a good idea

ok in garden news we still have tomatoes!
and i have more garlic to plant
because of the weather and then the family coming i am behind on that as well
but as i realized, after all the excitement i need down time...it's that adrenal thing again- i try to fight it, however it kicks my ass every time.
(we also were NOT eatting right while colleen was here since we ate out daily due to being in nj so far away from home)
i am still in down time, and overwhelm ...it's going to take a while

ok i best go now

i dream an aweful lot.....

the other night dad came...... talking about my nephew
he is concerned.

today i dreamt i was going back to art school......and had to run and pay tuition
then got into a discussion about oil paint verse water color
and realized that i knew oils
but just started to really tap watercolor
in the dream i was running across the street to pay tuition and wondering if it's ok that i draw ducks

in waking news....i got my back out again
plus i need to move three cords of wood so the septic guy can get in to pump
we have a problem with the sceptic
bernie went to work
oh man
i am going to call the chiropractor to put my back, back together. and find out if i can stack wood so i can clear the driveway to get the septic guy in
wish me luck

i think i am back

colleen left yesterday.
i met my mother in law...... for the first time
EVER
after what? 34 or 35 years of marriage
i took my nephew down with us one day....he met his gramma
i will be going back as often as i can to see her.....by myself it looks like

i was accused of stalking my nephew because i am concerned about him, and i am concerned about his welfare. which i think is all a bunch of bullshit to cover some guilt up with
i am trying to recover from the last week or so

rhinebeck rocked as usual
did you all miss me?

i am so tired, and i am worn out right now emotionally
my nephew is most likely being deployed by spring...... add that to the worry.
he also had an accident pulling into our driveway the other day
oh man

in knitting news....i am about done with the manditory family hat knitting, i have one more to do and that is for my mother in law. i will use acrylic though for her as the nursing home won't hand wash

the next projects for winter are
1) replacing the ceramic fiber blanket in the woodstove
2) stacking the last three cords of wood
3) doing storm windows
4) tank of oil
5)covering the ac unit in the studio

and then we are done i think
meanwhile......i am sort of feeling sorry for me and missing the family

so now you all need to remind me to post again daily

vi

dentist, family and rhinebeck

be back in about a week and a half.....

you all better miss me

sniff
i'll miss you all

life is good ****

why can't we know that for ourselves sometimes?
**** this post is brought to you by nothing in particular except it's stuck in my head****

one of my friends who recently buried her mom, called me not too long ago crying.
she misses her mom. this doesn't seem to unusual but this person was so busy being strong for her mom, for her family...... and doing all the legal stuff and guardian stuff that she didn't have time to realize....
she was going to miss her mom when her mom was gone.

she realized now

what does that have to do with life is good?

well i wish she'd had some inkling of that revelation while her mom was still alive...but that's ok better late then never.
however she missed the opportinity to tell her mom while her mom was in the flesh
she did however get a 'vist' from her mom, the other day and so told her then.

how often do we get mad at our family?
i know i get mad at bernie a lot...... part of it is worry on my part, when he works late 6 nights a week, comes in and falls asleep in his chair before he eats.......
or when he does something in the house in such a rush that i know it's going to take a ton more work to undo it and then redo it right

but the reality is, i do love him with my whole heart and soul and toenail.... i just get disappointed sometimes.

isn't that the way?

also i keep wishing for an addition....funny a few years ago all i wished for was enough money to survive....just pay the bills, buy heat and food......

AND A KITCHEN WITH COUNTERTOPS--

however i think we are in a better part of our lives.....so while i look forward to an addition to the house..... sometimes i am just happy to BE

and if BEING means pain free so much the better

i also realized, a lot of things i do take away from other things just as important to me
and i would like to find a way to streamline some things ( like chores) so i have a bit more time drawing and painting, making dolls, cooking/canning, and knitting
i want to spend more quality time with bernie, and i am hoping that he can get work (once past the new office opening) a bit more streamlined so he can get home at a decent hour.

i realized what a waste of time some things are.....and how some people can waste your time and spin your wheels. (yes that person who didn't show really got me annoyed)

anyway...
what is good in your life? what are you going to keep? what are you going to dump?

a hat a day?

next week is rhinebeck, which my sister in law colleen is going to for the very first time
sooooooooo
as it's due to rain (sorry mo, i think it's going to be cold wet and really nasty weather.....)
i knit her a blue and grayish white tweed colorknit hat
in about six hours
but since it's not any thing really spectacular..***hello, only six hours***
i expect she'll only wear it if the weather is nasty
i am going to wear i think bernie's light blue one
he'll wear his darker blue one or maybe colleen will wear one of the solid blue ones
anyway
we have hats for rhinebeck
(mine will most likely be a barn hat)

oh and the budgies are all getting along fine btw, the yellow one is now estella from 'great expectations'

now i have a question for you all, about your levels of tolerance for other people, and their stupidity or whatever

do you find yourself more tolerant or less tolerant of other people and their personal 'quirks' as you get older?
i think in many ways i am much less tolerant- a case in point, yesterday someone was to have come over my house for me to do them a favor...they never showed up nor called... i got a PM last night- that since i didn't call THEM, they didn't come, besides they had a bad day.....!
can i do it for them today or tomorrow
now the deal was.....i did this favor for them, they helped me plant garlic, (which i actually didn't expect them to do as it is actual work) and i am thinking that the garlic planting had something to do with them not bothering

here is my thing, i think that if you want a favor, you show up when it is most convienent for the person doing it for you.....
or does a favor imply inconvience for the one doing it?
while ordinarily i don't mind doing something for someone, i do mind when i feel imposed on

as a side note, this particular person asks for favors a lot....swears she is going to 'help me'
i hear 'let me help you' regularly..... but have yet to seen her show up to help
this happens a lot around here
i hear offers of help a lot but no actual help ever seems to happen.
 so i figured i would ask you all

what do you think of this ???
what's your experiences?
(also if you post i will answer in the comments ok?)
i really would like to get a dialog going here about this if we can.......since this is something that puzzles me

i had the oddest dream

both my folks were in it......and dad apparently worked with bernie
my cousin's wife michele was in it too
we were around the table (we're italian where do you think we'd be?)
some woman came up to dad from behind and put her arms around him and commented on how cold his hands were
mom didn't notice!!!!!!!!!!
bernie and dad commented that they both needed to be back at work but no one moved and we all sat around talking and eating
part of the dream was me asking bernie what it felt like to have a kid with another woman
as i figured that in raising that child they would have an interaction and intimacy that really should be framed in a committed relationship (or a marriage)
now in real life bernie doesn't have any children with anyone that we know of...
so this was an interesting part of the dream
oh and i woke before he could tell me

now that one was an odd dream
then i woke up to henrietta crowing like a rooster.....(she isn't a rooster she lays an occational purplish egg)
she actually sounded like a young roo! i was shocked when i heard her
well today is a go to town fast day.....so  i can't dawdle.....
the budgies are all ok still .....getting used to sharing a big cage
emma and the captain are still hot and heavy
poor boy, emma follows him around and bosses him too
oye

a budgie soap opera

all the budgies are now together in the big flight
and captain cuttle has abandoned mrs fezziwig for his own true love, emma ( one of the easter budgies)
meanwhile estella (the yellow easter budgie) is heart broke with unrequited love for captian cuttle.....
mrs fezziwig doesn't really seem to care either way
such DRAMA
so intense suspense......

will captain cuttle and emma abandon the other budgies and raise a family in the corner of the flight?
will estella ever find true love with a new yet to be purchased MALE budgie
will the new, yet to be purchased male BUDGIES (plural, we have to get two of them) be interested in the girls or will they be interested only in each other?????

stay tuned to have these and other questions answered when we return to our next episode of 'ah the budgie turns'

oye

and the countdown begins......

28 days (giver take)
i love halloween
not the gory stuff
but the pumpkins, ghosties and witches..... bats, cats and full moons
add that to the fall leaves, apple cider, doughnuts, etc....
oh yeah am i ever THERE
we've been putting some stuff up in the house now.... since jackass neighbor is gone we feel we can celebrate now!!!
so pumpkins are starting to show up all over the house....... hmmmm even in the bathroom
hahahahahaha
did i mention i love halloween?
ghost story books are on the nightstand
and the mantel
and i am trying to hang orange lights over my drawing space...mmmmmmmm orange lights!!!
 meanwhile in family news, my sister in law colleen is coming back, not only to come to rhinebeck with us but to visit her mom who she's not seen since i think she was.....11?
and of course to meet kevin
one of my other sister in laws may come to rhinebeck as well (rhinebeck is on her birthday) and i hope our new friend susan comes with also
we'll be meeting vicki and bob up there ..jen and scott are following us
life seems very sweet right now
in spite of the heat coming on during the night..which can only mean one thing,

 THE FIRST FIRE OF THE SEASON

and i can't wait... i love my woodstove so much!
sadly however, after halloween comes the much harder darker times of the year.... when i freeze putting the animals out, and when i worry about if i am going to be able to haul water out and wood in by myself.
but right now i am not going to worry about that....
i am going to revel in halloween and rhinebeck....... the BEST TIME OF THE YEAR!