Halloween

Happy Halloween!  K and Z had some friends over today.  We spent the morning shopping and early afternoon gathering wood for a fire.  The friends came over mid afternoon.  We walked the property, visited and a had cookout.  After the sun set we watched Over the Garden Wall.  They have a projector and screen.  We used the seats from the bus and sat outside like at a drive-in, only without the car.  We set up a kerosene heater between the seats.  It didn't keep us warm, but it gave us a place to stand to get warm if needed.  There was frost on some of the equipment by the time it was over.  I was inside by 9:15, so I guess it is cold out.  I forgot how tired cold makes me.  Happy things for today:

• Monday is my meal prep night and I think I know what I am making and have everything I need for it.
• I have wonderful family and friends who tell me what things are when I don't know.
• Gideon and I made pigs in a blanket for today.  The 'pigs' were all beef, so we called them cows or calves in a blanket.
• Walking around the property this afternoon.  Many leaves have fallen but it still looks so much more alive compared to when we moved here in April.
• I have surprised myself be completing Inktober.  
• Being able to sit outside in the yard to socially distance a show.

Mottled orange carpet

Setting up for the show.

We found a mouse outside.
(Much better than inside.)

The witch tree.

Sunset.

Hanging by the fire.

The setup.

Moon rising.
The brightest star is Mars.

Full blue moon and Mars.

Inktober-Crawl
This ends Inktober.

☮

Stay safe.

First Snow (or Too Many Pics)

 We had the first snow this season today.  There wasn't much accumulation, just enough to make things look clean and beautiful.  The evergreens were frosted white as were the trees that still have leaves upon them.  Every year when it snows I try to describe the smell.  A fresh, yet dusty ice scent that I love.  My decription never seems sufficient to me.  When I stepped out after work for the walk and entered the back part of the property I felt an instant, almost child-like, joy.  My spirits lifted so fast I wanted to run.  I didn't, the terrain is still too scattered to ensure good footing.  First snow is my happy for today; that and learning that all the household can curl their tongues.  

Snow covered wild lettuce.

The Oak Tree (Also known as the Witch Tree)

I wish I could remember the name of this plant.
As a kid it was just 'the little trees.'

Swamp Reflections

Into the woods.

Prints

Inktober-Ominous

Almost a full moon.
And that star (planet, maybe mars?) right above the tree to the right.

☮

Stay safe.

Thursday

 It was a long day.  I didn't get the job I have been interviewing for.  I'm undecided at this point whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.  It does however mean that the waiting is over for now, and that part is good.  That is the news for today.  Some happy things for today are:

• Part of me thinks that not getting this job is a good thing and will help me step out of my box a little going forward--or maybe just change directions.
• When my memory works.
• Today at work I walked so much that I had 8500 ish steps when I got home.  Ten minutes of jogging/fast walking in the house after the interview and before dinner and my step goal was achieved.  
• It was Halloween costume day at school.  There were some friend groups that dressed in similar/same costumes.  There were three crayons-all different colors and three ducks-all the same style costumes.  

Inktober-Shoes

☮

Stay safe.

Trees.

 There are things I should have done tonight.  Spending time with the family is also important.  I also took an art break.  I've been wanting to try to use water colors like the students are working with at school.  It was fun.  I may have to go over some of it again, parts need more definition.

Art?

Doing art, even poor art is a happy for today.  Other things are:

• Taking a walk this afternoon with a friend in the rain.  My glasses fogged up enough that I had to take them off.  Thankfully I didn't trip on anything.  The few pictures I took are much clearer than things looked to me.  Good walk with a good friend.  
• Cookies.
• I had some tea today.  Yogi tea has a little saying/fortune type thing on the tea bag tag and mine said "You are unlimited."  I am thinking that could mean so many things.  My first thoughts about the meaning were good and thus this tag made my happy list.

Inktober-Float

☮

Wear a mask.

Bridge

 Work went well again today.  This is a good thing since I was observed today for my yearly evaluation.  I'm not sure if anxiety for the evaluation is why I didn't sleep well last night or if it was all the exercise I did right before going to bed.  Either way, I am tired and looking forward to sleep.  Some happy things for today are:

• Walked after work with a friend along a rail trail.  We walked from Epping to Raymond along the trail which was only 2.5 miles each way.  The plan is to make our way along the trail a little every week until we get to Manchester.  Walking as many of the rail trails in the state as I can is something I have wanted to do, but never thought I would.   One step at a time...
• One of the things I enjoy about the rail trails are the bridges that used to have trains go over them.  There was one on this part of the trail that went over the Lamprey River.
• Another marvelous dinner tonight.  K made butternut squash soup and bread bowls to put the soup in.  
• E, K and I broke out in song today.  This is something that happens and it is something I love about being with family.

Inktober-Music


☮

Stay Safe.

AAAND She's Off!

 For a Monday, today at work went pretty well.  Other happy things for today:

• Some quick but important errands were remembered by me and done after work.
• It was my night to make dinner.  A friend shared a recipe with me that I made and everyone enjoyed it.  
• The trees out back looked kind of eerie tonight as some fog descended.
• And then it is 9:00 PM and I realize that I don't have 10,000 steps yet.  😲  I've been reaching that goal every day since August 13th and tonight would not be the night to break it.  I got up off the chair and started walking around inside the house.  After a little bit, Z and Gideon decided to become race announcers, "Here she comes around the corner, followed by-herself!" It was a fun way to end the night and get those steps in.  They each even followed me around for a few laps to join in.  One mile in nineteen minutes of walking around the house and I had my steps in.  I made sure to thank my sponsers when the "race" was over.  😂

Getting foggy.

Inktober-Hide
Someone is hiding behind a hide.

☮

Stay safe.

Along the Sidewalk

 This morning I slept in.  This was a good thing.  Z and Gideon were making pancakes for breakfast when I came downstairs.  Yum.  K and I had a meeting at 1:00 PM and most of the morning was spent trying to prepare for that.  There were obstacles.  It was good to see people at the meeting.  Other happy tidings for today are:

•  C and others in the family did some amazing cleaning and the front porch is at a good place again.  It had begun to collect things that weren't supposed to be there.  It looks so much better and I can easily get to my plants again.  
• I finally made it out to the sidewalk to finish cleaning up the section in front of the house.  There is a stonewall that has things growing out of it along the sidewak that shouldn't be there.  Others in the family helped out when it started to get late.  So thankful; it started going much faster with many hands.  
• One of the things that we gathered from the sidewalk today was dirt.  There are large dents in one of the yards, made by large logging equipment, from before we bought the property.  Much of the dirt was put into these areas.  It is my hope that the ground there will eventually become flatter, or at least less bumpy for when I mow.
• E made a lovely dinner called comfort soup.  I skipped lunch (forgot about it with all the productivity) so dinner was important and good.
• E and I walked out back today.  She hadn't been out back since returning a few weeks ago.  Even with leaves falling and winter getting closer, the property looks much more alive than it did when we moved here in April.

Before the sidewalk clean up.

After clean up.

Some decorations for Halloween.

 Some kind of thistle.

Sunsetting.

Inktober-Buddy was today's prompt.

☮

Stay safe.

One Step Forward

 This morning I emptied two or three boxes and sorted a bunch of record albums.  I'm not sure why I am keeping some of the records, but I'm not quite ready to get rid of them.  More are going away than being kept at this point.  In the afternoon we worked in the apartment and sorted through things.  There are now more boxes in my room to take the place of the ones I emptied (two steps back?).  There is a very large bucket of clothes to donate and some things actually left the house today, never to return.  Other happy snippets from my day:

• Staying up last night playing Minecraft with TF.
• I cleaned the car out some today.  I was specifically looking for the locker keys that I had dropped under the seat and just kept pushing away when I tried to reach them.  Another thing that I found was the key to K's van that had been missing for almost exactly a year!  It disappeared when she and Gideon went to Texas for Halloween last year.  It was a big mystery after packing up the entire house to move this spring and we still didn't find it.  
• K has a special dance she does to find her phone.
• It was Gideon's night for dinner and he made, with some help from K, macaroni and cheese in the crock pot.  He used some spices that I wouldn't have chosen and it came out really good.  
• Texting with a friend today and she sent me a recipe that I plan to use on my night to cook.  
• Cinnamon ice cream.  I don't remember where K said she found, it was a shop, and it was delicious.

The sun shines bright on this hill before sunset.

Leaves have mostly fallen.

Those clouds.

Inktober-Dig.
For a twist I added it to...

dun, dun , dun...

Yesterday's Rip drawing.

☮

Stay safe.

Friday!

For some unknown reason the keyboard on my laptop is working again. I don't have any idea why. The clock is wrong though. I'm not sure if the two problems could possibly be connected or not.  Technology will remain magic for me. Yesterday didn't go as well as I had hoped. Today started out on a shakey note driving to work when I saw blue flashing lights in my rearview mirror, pulled over to let them pass, and they didn't.  It seems that Z had forgotten to register the car last month. So my first happy for today is that the officer only gave me a warning because it isn't my car. It could have been towed.  Other happy things include:

• It was a professional development day at work (no students) and we got a workable plan for one of the students going forward.  
• On the drive home I was not pulled over again.
• Z was able to register the car after work because the town hall is open late on Friday. (phew)
• Unfortunately I wasn't able to walk with a friend after work today.  I did walk down the street though and got a hearty, "Hi, Mom!" from out of K's car window as they drove by to get the cars registered.  K's registration expires this month so my being pulled over was a gentle reminder.
• Tonight was Z's turn to make dinner.  He put in a lot of work to make something that everyone but me liked.  I am a very finicky eater.  I do appreciate all the work he did though.

Inktober-Rip or RIP, take your pick.


☮

Keep your distance.