Oh, wouldn't a raccoon be fun-after the cat for eden, of course! Can't wait to see, 'bug. Planting a tree for someone is one of the best ways to memorialize, I think. Ed sounds like an amazing person.

heading to the nursery-I am turning the area in that first picture I posted into a garden with a path, so I need to amend the soil. Trying very hard to get rid of as much grass as possible! The hollies in front of the house will probably be moved if I can't prune them to my liking-they used to be open and had a zen feel to them, but no more. Now they are just big and bushy which would work better in the back in front of the fence somewhere.

I'm hiding indoors because DH is up on the roof cleaning out the eaves troughs (gutters in the US). I can't watch. (Remember, he'll soon be 69 years old...) I got him the gloves and wheel barrow and then took my leave.

Ms Phoebe was so sad that she wasn't invited to visit with our company this morning. She just gets too excited and I couldn't risk it. She had an accident in the house last night...something she's never done before. Poor girl. I cleaned it up without ever saying a word to her except that she's a fine girl. She'd be so embarrassed!!! Problem is she's used to dallying on her walks before doing her business and now her walks are very short...apparently too short. Thank goodness she chose the linoleum for that problem!

Well it is decided, a raccoon is the next project. It will be a bit more difficult, but fun to do. I think if there's time later, a cat will be easier. I'm aiming for six of these critters by Dec 25th. I wish I could use buttons for eyes, but I don't dare risk it with Ivy. I've become paranoid about safety.

I love the idea of "responsibility for all" but just don;t know how to teach it. I'm all for school taxes because I'd rather pay for education than jail. In my experience, admittedly from the late 60s, kids were too embarrassed to accept the free meals at school. Stupid, but true. They really needed food in order to sit still and learn. This was beyond being kids of single parents though. These kids didn't know where home was or who would be with them for the next hour or two. Police brought them to school. No place knows how to help these situations I'm afraid. It used to be that many of these people were dumped in an institution that didn't know how to deal with the wide range of problems no less pay for the treatments. Then they closed the institutions and parked everyone on the streets. The families didn't want crazy aunt Nelly back so under the bridge she lived. OK, so now who has the "responsibility"? Neither schools, institutions or prisons seem to help the weak learn to live in society. Either way, we pay the tab.

It's enough to make me feel you should have a strict license system to bear children. Maybe require four parents per child. (LOL...imagine the chaos!) And then there are parents of all types who do a fabu job of it all as well as kids who shine in spite of awful circumstances. I think S's Mom thinks a new boyfriend (wealthy of course) will solve her problems. The last two didn't.

I need a few weeks of Sundays to catch up on projects and unwind from frantic Fall activity. Too bad, no rest for the wicked...

Cyn, your gardens remind me so much of Woody's place with the filtered light. Just a lovely soothing spot.

Yeah! DH is indoors once more.
'bug

Just a quick note to let you all know my dad died at home yesterday, which from my viewpoint is amazing good luck to be home with family and not in a hospital bed, where he was just the morning of the day before. My mom is doing fine, and the next week will be a blur of relatives and plans, etc.

(Michelle, the yellow plant is a big shrub, Cassia bicapsularis aka Christmas Senna, bloomed all November, one of those late semitropical bloomers like tibouchina. So sorry to hear of the complications for little Kenzie. Thank goodness she has you and Rick, the gardens and the farm as a mainstay.)`

Rather than scanning, Mitch took a photo of their wedding photo, 1952, elaborate marriage canceled when orders came to report to duty ASAP in Newfoundland, so my mom quickly bought this suit to marry in:

{{gwi:187619}}

I'll catch up with you guys in a bit.

What a beautiful photo, Denise.

Thinking of you...

Saucy

Denise, such a beautiful photo. Full of youth, hope and promise which I'm sure your dad carried out in a fine fashion in his life. Warm thoughts to you and your family in the coming days.

Marie, "But I asked first!"..in my best whiney voice. LOL, just kidding, a raccoon will be a very cool puppet. I'll be waiting to see my cat eventually though:)

Addressing the subject of parent accountability gives me a chance to brag on my daughter. Megan has always been the sole provider for Bella. She works 7 days most every week. But she still manages to volunteer at Bella's school, take her to church every Sunday, and cart her around to numerous lessons. She takes her to the library, the park and is always there to tuck her in at night. In order to do this she's had to make Bella her only focus in life for now, which is as it should be. Children deserve to be well loved and taken care of and there should be no drama included. I wish that could be the case for every child. No clue on why that so or how to make it happen though.

Cyn, I've turned some similar areas in my yard into garden by simply using the lasagna method in the fall. Putting down layers of newspaper, adding a thick layer of leaves, then bagged compost spread over that to hold everything in place through the winter. By spring I had beautiful garden soil to work with. A painless and easy way to do it.

Two posts in one day, I don't know what's come over me. I must be missing you guys. Denise's news made me think how much we've all been through together over the years. Births, deaths, illnesses, marriages and divorces. Our greatest joys and deep heartaches. We've woven each other into the fabric of our lives and are all much richer for that.

And so with that thought I'll leave you all but will soon be back to check on what you've all been up to. I'm nosey:)

Eden

Very beautifully captured Mitch! I zeroed right in on Mom's suit though, I'll confess it. I remember studying the styles back then: the fru fru at the neck, the collars, buttons too. Note the indent at the waist, the shoulder pads, the white gloves.... I was ten years old then and the Sears catalog was my bible!

But imagine, Newfoundland! Only became a province in 1949, so he was there early in the game. Even today it is an amazing place, a foreign country almost!

Aw, stop the whining kiddo! (Just teasing Eden) The cat will happen. As to Megan, she has been outstanding, but Mom & Dad deserve great credit for getting her aimed in the right direction. Both daughters are charming...and great cooks as well. And Bella delights everyone! Good to have YOU back here too. And it's true about the Idylls. Lots of memories over the years. Many missing persons, but they left their marks and are not forgotten!

Denise, I am so sorry. Your story is like mine. I brought my dad home from the hospital the day before he died. We actually didn't expect it, but I think he had a stroke. Anyway, I think you will always be glad that he was at home. I know I am.

Eden, that is exactly what I am doing-lasagna! Sorry about the raccoon-didn't mean to jump in front-lol. If I were as clever as 'bug, I'd make you a cat puppet!

'bug, my DH is 63 and I just couldn't stand the stress of having him go up on the roof any more. I found someone to clean the gutters and I pay for it myself two or three times a year-"Oh, I just called Mr. O and he is coming next week, so no need for you to climb up there!" Teehee. Then, quick to the phone. Thanks for the kind words about the yard. However, lovely and soothing? One of the captions that didn't come through on the really small photo (oops-didn't resize) says "Three plants the idiots haven't dug up...yet." LOL. Anyway, they do make me laugh.

All for now-time to get in pjs and watch some of the Eagles' football game. Glad the Packers won today and always happy when Brett wins even now that he is in Minnesota!

Denise, condolences to you and your family. What a beautiful wedding photo! Sometime later it would be interesting to hear about your dad and Newfoundland. (bug, I didn't realize that it only became a province in 1949 - off to Wikipedia to brush up on Canadian history.)

Chelone, you hit the nail on the head with one foot on the dock, one on the gunwale. The *itch of it all is that one is unhappy in the present situation, but the present situation demands time and energy. And the unhappiness leads to sapping of energy, which makes the leap into the new boat appear to be a near-impossible feat.

One of my obstacles is that I have not "looked" for a job since 1988. The last three changes more or less came to me with not a lot of effort on my part. You know what? Just writing that has made a little light bulb go off above my head - maybe that's why part of me believes a new job should just come to me? Worked for the last twenty years, right? Anyway, I did a cursory review on the online job listings, and it does look like there are possibilities out there. I'm sure the competition is fierce so it won't be easy, but I think I now have convinced myself that it is not impossible.

Hmm, the provincial flower of Newfoundland is the pitcher plant. I would expect nothing less from a province that is on a time zone 30 minutes different from the rest of the world.

Back to my book for the evening. I've made great progress this weekend, but I still have about 350 pages to go! Yes, about the length of an average book. The book is "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. Interesting, but some of the violence is a little too graphic for my taste.

V.

((Denise)) Our condolences to you and yours...

(((Denise))) , and such a very nice photo you shared with us. What a handsome couple. Best wishes to you and your family.

I had to work today, it was long and tiring , with a few frustrations, mostly having to do with my battle fatigue over too many years of hand-holding for people that need to take ownership of their own destiny. So when I got home tonight there was discussion here of parental responsibility that mirrored the issues that I dealt with today. I really enjoyed reading the posts - so nice to see Eden around- I agree with Chelone-though we FBers see you daily your contributions here are missed ! and the warmth and conversations posted here today are a snapshot of the Idylls at their best .

Catch you guys on the morrow

Kathy in Napa

Hugs and sympathies to you Denise. What a lovely picture - your dad was a very handsome young man. I like the play of light across the photo.

V, I was hired last in 1986. I have been very lucky in terms of my interview to job ratio. I guess I must 'interview well'..I have gotten the job more often than not. I really urge you to see what is out there-the hours we spend at work are such a chunk of our lives , unless it is absolutely necessary for pragmatic/financial reasons I say look for something that makes you happy. I think if I were looking for a job right now, I would ask to see the P&L though !

Two Cents, and Idylls Rock.

Kathy in Napa

Denise, my sympathies to you and your family on the loss of your father. The photograph is lovely and Eden said it so well. Another era but a gentle comfort as a reminder that they, too, had youthful beginnings and many wonderful years together ahead of them. Thinking of you in the coming days.

Cyn, youre good to go on posting pictures of your pups now! I see a few hostas in your gardens; all that dappled shade looks perfect for planting more. I planted a holly today and after looking at yours, Im hoping its not going to receive too much sun.

Just a quick drop in tonight to post a birthday card for Saucy. And Happy Birthday to Sarah also, kind of neat to have your special days close together. I know its premature but by Wednesday well have guests sleeping in this room and my computer time will be non existent for a few days!

{{gwi:187620}}

The next two days are full of shopping and preparations so Im wishing a safe and healthy Thanksgiving to all the Idylls a little early!

Health tip of the day: Keep your friends close

{{gwi:187621}}

What a nice surprise this morning, Candy! Sarah has enjoyed the health series :) Each day she's tuned in. She couldn't figure out what the wet cat was..."is that a dog?"

Very nice sentiments here this morning. V., I say go for an interview. It'll give you a little boost of confidence...and let you know that you don't have to wait for the right job to fall in your lap.

Kathy, I must interview well, too. I got that first job at Baskin Robbins with one try, and every job since then. For a while I temped which made it so that I could try out jobs before I took them full time :)

I am liking going to the office everyday. I really can't believe how different it is than working from home. Maybe I'm not a work at home kind of woman anymore :)

I painted the front door "Eggplant" yesterday - it is a great color for this house. I got the front porch painted and am planning the decorating phase. Things are coming together just in time for holiday decoration :)

Sarah has talked me into baking her cake for her birthday, but that is not the part I'm worried about. She wants us to decorate it together like they do on the Food Network's Cake Challenge. Fondant and tiers! Maybe it'll be fondant and tears, lol! I've decided that we should video it and make a little cake challenge of our own. So each night this week is occupied with a task for the assembly on Friday. We're also baking a gluten free cake for me with ganache :) to bring to Thanksgiving dinner.

Time to get moving, I just remembered that I have a new hire this morning that needs direct deposit paperwork.

Trying to get back into posting mood again...

Eden - good to 'see' you again...

Denise - that picture is a special one. Your mother's suit is great- I like that very tailored fit and could imagine wearing one like that these days. (The hat is the piece of the outfit that 'dates' it the most.) Fashion seems to have a ~30 year cycle - I remember my mother saying in the early 1970s when platform shoes were the 'hot' fashion item - 'those things were in fashion when I was young'. As a teenager, that seemed like a very ancient time:-) so the response was 'But these are different...!' And then 30 or so years later, they rolled into fashion again for a while... I guess that says - don't throw out your good clothes for 30 years; they will be fashionable again!

Cyn - Nice garden! It looks like I'd feel right at home there...:-) But it looks bigger than mine - how much space do you have? And we definitely need pooch pictures now!

V (and Chelone) - Tough times to be contemplating stepping into unknown territory - good luck with whatever you choose. I wonder how much age affects the worry about such things. I remember in the bad ecomomic times of the early-mid 1980s - I was fresh out of university; worked a few years in a job and changed jobs without ever thinking about the possibility that it would be hard to find one... The blind confidence of youth!

gb - I thought I had posted this comment yesterday but I don't see it... The black and white puppet didn't remind me of Lambchop (I thought she was mostly white) What it reminded me of is Phoebe in the snow.... Phoebe's leg reminded Randy of his fathers because of the line of stitches down the center! But Phoebe's stitches look neater that FIL's were :-)

Randy's father went home early last week. SIL is at the condo with him - but she works crazy hours so hasn't been able to do things like take him to the hospital to see MIL. FIL is still weak enough that he can't take a taxi to the hospital on his own, mainly because once he got there, there would be too much walking to get from the entrance to where she is. He's not strong enogh yet for that. So he's (understandably) a bit cranky about that. I'm sure there are volunteers at the hospital who could wheel him where he needs to go but they haven't got organized enough to look into that. I think Randy may need to try to call someone and see if he can arrange it from here.

We went yesterday to a flu clinic and get the H1N1 shot. Ouch! One of the side effects possible is joint pain. I woke up about midnight last night to go to the bathroom. My left knee was so sore I was afraid I couldnt walk on it! Its still sore but much less than it was last night fortunately. My right hip and my back are also sore and I cant raise my left arm (the one I got the shot in) more than a few inches without significant discomfort. The side effects like this are only supposed to last a day or two I hope thats true! I was waffling about whether to get the flu shot or not but decided that, since my surgery date is likely to come up in the peak of the flu season, its probably best to have it and perhaps they might not be willing to schedule me for surgery if I havent had the shot.

Ah, catching up on Idylls always brings chuckles and sighs and tears and this time is no different. I probably should get like Deanne and make little notes as I go along, but some of the things that stand out:

Michelle -- Ky had some tumultuous times when he was Kenzie's age and my regret is that I didn't leave his father sooner. Sometimes kids "get it" before their parents. While I was supporting my own life as well as his Dad's and his, I knew it was the right thing to do for the long term despite being on the losing end (Ky living with his Dad for the sake of his education and being absolutely shunned from any news other than what was necessitated by more $$ being needed or Ky felt that listening ears weren't around). Guess what I'm saying is that in-law and marriage difficulties hit kids the hardest as they have no control and, as Ky has recently told me, make them feel invisible. His grandparents (my mom and dad) were the constant in his life during those too many years, and that you and Rick are there for Kenzie first -- hey, her mom and dad are the grownups and talking is good but they have the ultimate decision for themselves -- will matter every second it happens now and for years to come. The listening will get harder before it gets easier.

V -- I think you'd work 100 times harder if you were on your own rather than getting lacsidasical (?sp) about it since it's your exclusive reputation that's on the line. The work, as Rich as told me, feels "prouder." During this season of gratitude, perhaps you can realize that your entire work life has lead up to this point and if you're in a situation to do it, why not?? It's never a bad thing to spiff up the resume, either, and I'll be you'll be pretty darn impressed with yourself after the first draft.

((((Denise)))) It will be my turn to say goodbye sooner than later, and the grace and strength you have shown during your Dad's illness will be an inspiration to me when my folks are officially angels. Mitch's take on the picture is perfect. Love the yellow plant.

Kathy -- Thought of you as I was sending a client off on a wonderful four-day tour of Napa as a contract value-added. Couldn't quite fit in her suitcase, but she did promise a good bottle to share upon her return.

Woody -- Have learned from my three-year-old neighbor that the little mini rose hips also make great turkey eyes on pictures, especially when one uses sparkly glitter glue.

Eden -- So good to hear from you twice in one day and catch up on Kate and Bella's progress. The first heart beat......nothing more magical than that, and I'm always amazed at how Fast those little hearts go! Will they be discovering gender or let this one be a surprise? I remember when Bella was juuuuuust born and the commitments your family made to Megan. Just what families are for....

Saucy -- I think all who have built a biz from scratch as you have deserve the right to feel a little bit better at an office than working out of home. You've earned the right to close the door and "leave it" to the best of your ability, and obviously was a great investment choice! Eggplant is one of the colors we considered for our bedroom, but I like the front door idea much better.

'bug - Boo sends all good wishes to Phoebe. Since they are same color he feels they are simpatico. I swear this cat really does talk, and know you understand. Do tell about anything Travel related -- it's always a great story!! I'm jealous of you having students over for dinner. Until Ky is back in school next September the table seems just a little less culturally diverse.
Cyn -- Did you do that rock wall yourself? It seems like such a peaceful place and one I can't wait to see in bloom.

Thinking of and waving to everyone else and will stop back during T-Day preps. As far as I know, 14 here for sit-down dinner with more desserts than anything else. If we end up with turkey and pies and nothing else, I doubt it'll matter to those gathering :-)

Later -- Martie

(((( Denise)))).
I am certain that I posted this earlier, but it apparently went "poof"!!!!
I am so worn out, mentally and physically, from the past weeks's activities. Unless I perk up considerably, I will not be doing much more preparations for this weekend's company.

Just a quick pop in.. hope to stop back again later today or tommorrow...but wanted to tell Denisez how sorry I am to hear about your dad, but so happy he was able to be at home with family. I love the wedding pic, and hope you are hanging in there.

Drema

Technical question, didn't someone say if I upload to Photobucket it automatically resizes the photo? Can someone tell me which line to copy into my message? So far it just shows the writing that I copied in... Thanks!

(((Denise))) I will be thinking of you and your Mom over the next several days. It was good your dad could be at home when he passed. I know he hated being in the hospital.
I enjoyed seeing their wedding photo.
I also loved the photo you posted for Marians birthday. The colors in it are awesome.

Bug I hope you are resting tonight. I hope Pheobe will be still long enough to heal properly.
I too cringe when DH is on the roof. I keep telling him I don't want him up there anymore.

Cyn your gardens look like a such a peaceful place to be.

It's nice to have more people posting again.

Woody good to hear from you. I know you and Randy have a lot on your plate right now. I hope the side effects from the flu shot are abating by now.

For those of you not on Facebook, T has announced the birth of a new grandson today.

I'm hoping this is not another Idyll epidemic. I have been very down over a big upset between youngest son and wife. I have heard the story from both sides and have no easy answers for them. I think I hurt as much as they do and so hope they can work through it.

I washed some of my windows this afternoon and will hope that when the morning light comes through them they are acceptable. Anything will be better than they were.

Saucy, did you just learn recently that you are gluten intolerant? The cake challenge with Sarah sounds fun.
The cake at the baby shower I went to yesterday was layered with fresh strawberries and a whipped cream type frosting. It was so good. Probaly had nothing to do with the fact that it was the first dessert I've had in two months either. You think? LOL.

I finished reading "Merles Door" and yes it was sad in the end, but I enjoyed knowing him.

Martie Niki is a talker like Boo. She gives us her poor little lost kitty routine all the time.

Bug did I say I like the puppets. I can see those getting some good use.

I have some research to do so good evening to all.

Norma

Been cleaning all day here. A bit more to do tomorrow and then I should be good through the weekend. My dad will be down Tuesday, He stays with my sister but I'm having him at my house Wedneseday. I've also got 4 pies to bake for Thanksgiving, 2 pumpkin, an apple and a pecan. Thursday we'll be at my sister's for dinner and Saturday we have a wedding. Add Bella and Kate to the mix and it's shaping up to be a busy week.

Woody, sorry to hear the effects of your vaccine. Hopefully they won't last long. I decided to opt out on it as has Brad. I kind of wish he'd decided to get one since he has asthma. Jennifer, being pregnant, also decided against getting one. Hard to know which is the right way to go on this one.

Saucy, you and Sarah should try making a topsy turvy cake. I'll link a tutorial below. There are lots of pictures and instructions for making one if you google it. I think they look like Dr. Seuss cakes. A friend of mine made one for a shower not long ago. Her's was only a two tier and was very cute.

I'm a fan of purple doors. My front door's purple too!

We have a new game called Uno Moo that Bella just loves. It's based on the Uno card game but with farm animals that you drop into a barn. She's waiting for me to play as I type. I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting so be back soon. Have a good evening.

Eden

Martie, no we didn't do the wall ourselves. We had a patio and dry creekbed (trying to solve huge drainage issues) built at the same time. I will get more pics to show everything, but the idiots have dug up almost all the plantings in one area above part of the wall which runs along the side of the garage and behind it. The part you see in the small picture is curving around one of the oaks. The straight wall with the steps in the middle that you see in the pic taken from above is old and was here when we moved in. Now, THAT is a nice wall! One of the reasons we bought the house-that and the trees.

Norma and Martie-looks can be deceiving-did I mention that the caption for the small picture of the wall is "three plants the idiots haven't dug up...yet"-lol.

Woody, we have 1/2 acre. Wish we had more , but that is a good-sized lot here. Most of our neighbors have only 1/4 acre. Hope you are feeling better. I haven't been able to get the vaccine yet. They are still only giving it to certain groups around here and teachers aren't included yet! I cringe every time one of my kiddoes coughs or sneezes right in my face. Oh well. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right????

I will post dog pics this weekend.

Our front and kitchen doors are purple, too! I love it, but we need to repaint because the new windows which were supposed to be purple on the exterior (boysenberry) are more burgundy/reddish. So disappointing.

Very funny, saucy-fondant and tiers/tears! Should be worth a picture when you've finished.

Uno Moo sounds like fun-I have visions of everyone making animal sounds.

We need a post from Cindy and Deanne to round things out nicely Maybe Cindy will visit up during the holiday weekend, but I know Deanne is probably rushing about like a maniac prepping for the big to-do she has every Thanksgiving. And Mary !

Great to see a post from you Woody..when you commented about Denises Moms shoes it reminded me of a similar remark from my mother, she said they called them "chippie shoes" , chippie being a euphemism for a lady of the evening. !

Well Martie, regrets are painful arent they ? They always come with a dollop of guilt for good measure. Seems though that Ky has turned out OK in spite of it all ..its not always easy to be well adjusted. And the all important constant ..Yay for your client , I can tell you it has been one of the most beautiful falls I can remember here, so the timing is great ! Hopefully she will reward you with her gratitude.

Saucy, how nice that you are enjoying awfice life ! Hopefully your hours are just right , with the proper amount of leisure time.

bug and Michelle posted some great fall pics on a separate thread, I am going to put mine here as I only have 3..I am going to take a drive Thanksgiving morning to get more photos if the weather cooperates.

Fall vineyards .. {{gwi:187622}}From Napa Fall 2009
{{gwi:187624}}From Napa Fall 2009
{{gwi:187626}}From Napa Fall 2009

Hi to Norma, Eden, Marian, V , Cyn, Candy...and all !

Kathy in Napa

Eden, you did realize that you sent Saucy to mysweetandsaucy.com? Yes, our Saucy is sweet indeed! Looks like another fun blog - I enjoyed her post about baking cookies for Ellen DeGeneres.

I have no need to be surly today, as the bossman laid low most of the morning, and I spent the afternoon at a customer's. She gave me a gorgeous mixed evergreen container for my front porch. By the time it arrived home, it was too dark for photos, but I shall get a photo of it tomorrow.

DD comes home tomorrow for Thanksgiving. She's been sounding very homesick so I am eager to see her and give her some hugs. DS and his wife are coming for dinner tomorrow night. It will be nice to have just the kids before all the craziness of Thursday. And I'm taking Wednesday as a vacation day, so I only have a two-day week that is half over!!!

V.

OOooo Laa La! Fall has come to Napa :)

Laura, I smiled at "My Sweet Saucy". We like the Topsy Turvy cakes we see on the show, but wanted to start with plain tiers. Tonight we colored the fondant.

Norma, I think I found out last February that I might be gluten sensitive, and when I went gluten free before testing, all gas and bloating disappeared. My doctor said that was enough for him, but I took the test anyway and came back as gluten intolerant. I still don't understand all the differences between intolerance and Celiac, but it doesn't really matter to me. The truth is that I feel better, and that is all that matters.

GB, I am loving the puppets...and Chelone, Mr. Green Jeans was my favorite character on Captain Kangaroo :) Jim Henson was the best :)

Kathy, I'm the boss, so why wouldn't I like it? I make my own hours. I come home for lunch. I take every Friday off :) I worry that if something happened to Nick that things would go south fast, so time for me to tackle that worry.

I had better get to bed. I'm reading The White Garden on V.'s recommendation...set in the Sissinghurst Garden which reminds me of Mary (I hope she's on the mend now!)

Saucy

Thinking of Michelle and Norma and Marian too. How we moms worry about our children...even when they are 40 or more! I know my Mom worried about us when she was in her 90s! Those 'small' worries with little ones become giant ones with age. How wonderful to read about V's, Saucy's, Drema's and Eden's children and the pride they bring their families! I'm forgetting others here I'm sure. Yes, Ky...

Phoebe is trying to heal too quickly. She wants to run and gallop about but I am mean and forbid it. Very hard.

As to puppets, Mr Raccoon is nearing completion. Maybe tomorrow? DD's forums are full of questions about giant gifts for babies. I guess the economy is doing OK after all? No one speaks of making presents any more. How quaint I must seem to my offspring.

Yikes, DH has invited his class over a week early, THIS Friday evening. Hmmm, what will I make? One vegan announced already...and one student with H1N1. :(

Sweet Dreams to all,
'BUG

Not a very good start this morning. I got to the pool and discovered that I didnt have my swim bag. Which means no underwear since I had my suit on under my clothes, as well as no towel, soap, hairdryer etc. So I drove back towards home and DH met me. Of course by this time I realized that I needed fuel for the car. Needless to say there was no time for swimming. Ive come to rely on this to loosen me up and relax me for the day - just another manic Monday.

Eden, its so nice to have you posting again. I love hearing about the things you and Bella do together. Of course your garden always interests me along with your decorating. The cake is quite something. Rick and I had a fondant cake for our wedding cake. There was a pretty topper of flowers made out of it. I still have it in my curio; it now looks like porcelain.

Kathy, wow what fabulous vineyard shots. I guess I never knew that grapevines took on such beautiful colors. Ive got you beat, I was last hired in 1983 for a job that I didnt go looking for, it found me.

Norma, sorry to hear about the big upset. Hopefully, there is a resolution.

Drema, that would be me. If you put your mouse under the picture you can click a little box (you can click several pictures) and then click the box on the bottom called "generate HTML and IMG code" it will generate code for all the pictures. I use the second set of codes, just copy and paste.

Candy, that has to be the best pooch picture yet. I love the baby rottie.

Saucy, eggplant is a wonderful color for a door. The door I just replaced was cranberry, but it had this horrid 70s trim on it. DH removed the trim, filled the holes and painted it white. It now graces his machine shed.

Martie, my DD was only a couple of years older than Kenzie when her dad left us. She still deals with disappointment over his actions. She told me he recently called her and that up to that point she wasnt sure he even knew she has lived in FL for over a year. I hate to see Kenzie deal with this all.

Woody, great to hear from you. Randys parents situation brought to mind the Kathy Mattea song "Whereve you been?" a song about a couple and the sadness be apart brings when youve been together for so long. It must be awfully difficult for both of them.

Enjoy your evening sisters

Michelle

Purple veranda door here too. I'll have to check it's real name. Desert sunset or something like that I think...

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Happy Birthday Marian!

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Happy Birthday Saucy!!

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Hi Everyone
Happy almost Thanksgiving...

Michelle, thanks for the repeat. I tried to skim and find them, but couldn't. I used my interpretation of your instructions, can you tell me if my pics showed up too big for downloading. I didn't resize them, just let Photobucket do the work. They seem okay from here, but I am not sure. I know what you are saying about wearing bathing suit under clothes and no underwear. I have done the same thing. One day I thought I would be ahead of the game and be at the gym at 5:30 when it opened. After my swim, realized I had no underwear in bag. Had to wait till 7 when WalMart opened to buy some, I could have gone commando, but didn't have nylons either. That was when I had the 1 1/2 hour commute to Cleveland, was late to work:)

Bug, I keep forgetting to mention how adorable your puppets are. I really need to develop those skills.

I am excited today because I think I found a potter's wheel on craigslist that I can afford. I already have a kiln that one of Skip's window customers GAVE me. Now all I will need is some clay, and I can go to town. I love to make pots. It is very relaxing for me.

V- have fun with your kids. I'm glad things are going better for you at work. I feel for you, been there.

Cyn, good job on uploading your pics!

I have to run and pick up a turkey and trimmings, and other errands. Can't seem to motivate myself to head out. I think I am going to have to buy a new pair of excercise shoes. All summer I wear slide shoes, or flip flops. The few times I forced my foot into gym shoes to exercise, they just caused me agony. I can't find any that don't hurt. I am seriously thinking of trying a man's shoe, hoping that it would be wider. Don't want to go up a size overall. Any ideas out there from fellow arthritis sufferers? It is my big toe and that bunion area. I don't have a bunion, but don't want to get one. Am trying to baby it.

Hope you all have a great day!!!

D.

Cloudy morning with light showers. It figures just washed windows and all.

I have a hose to put away and one or two more pots to take care of. Need to rake the front yard one last time.

One grandaughter thrilled to have moved into their first house (even though it needs lots of love) and one fretting about making the rent payment on her apartment. What a mix of emotions I have these days. It's a good thing that age and experience tells me most things work out ok.

Drema, hope you get the potters wheel. I always thought that would be fun to do.

Seems there are a lot of shades of purple doors amongst us. Mine is more of a dark wine.

Michelle I hope your day smooths out. Somedays I can't seem to do anything right.

Kathy nice fall colors.

Bug, I thought your two soups idea sounded great.

Well I need to get moving here. looking forward to going to see the inside of the new house at youngest grandaugters. She called this morning so excited. I was curious how thier cat had handled the move since he has never been out of the mobile home they lived in. She said he had buried himself in the bed between them last night and wouldn't get out this morning. Her DH carried him around this morning trying to show him it was ok. He clung to his arm and wouldn't look. The only way he could get him off was to put him back in the bed. LOL.

Later Norma

My plans for this weekend's company have changed. I am now thinking turkey chowder and a nice cake will be the menu!My right arm and shoulder is really hurting. I need to go to town, too, but can make do with what I have if necessary.

Thanks for the additional BD pics and wishes. Drema, that is a handsome begonia.

Denise, the pic of your mom and dad resemble some of my relatives! Are they originally from Nebraska? They are a good looking couple. My mom always wore a hat like your mom's.

Kathy, I love your vineyard pics.

Norma, cute cat story. Sometimes I think I'm turning into a cat. I don't like change, dislike being in water more the older I get, and would be pretty happy never to have to leave the house but just curl up in a cozy chair in front of a warm fire. I really like your words of wisdom that most all things work out. So true but hard to remember when you're in the middle of something.

Michelle, usually if a day starts out like your's did it's all downhill from there. I think Megan's having one of those days today. On FB this morning she posted when she got in her car it was low on gas and that Bella stepped in dog poop and then sat on her foot. Sounds like they got off to a rough start.

Drema, have you tried New Balance shoes? I'm not sure about the women's but Brad always buys the men's. He has wide feet and they're the only ones he finds comfortable. I hate new shoes. They always bother my feet in the area you mentioned. I keep the laces looser there and once my shoes are broken in I'll wear them until they're falling apart.

Bella took a clay class this fall and got to use a potter's wheel. We all have pieces of her art in our homes now.

I did notice the name of the site I posted for Saucy but not until after I'd posted it. Then I wondered if she's notice. Saucy, fun that you and Sarah are working with fondant. Something I've yet to try.

Cyn, 1/2 acre is a nice size for a garden I think. Just big enough. Looking forward to seeing more picture from you.

Kathy, the vineyards are beautiful in autumn. Thanks for showing us.

V, enjoy your kids and your time away from work.

I've been to the grocery store this morning and now have a bathroom to clean. I always save that for last. Don't know why since it's really the easiest, fastest room to clean. Must have something to do with that dislike of water I was talking about, lol. My dad's in town for Thanksgiving and I'm making him dinner tomorrow night. I decided on beef stew in the crock pot and peach cobbler. Easy stuff since I'll have both Kate and Bella with me all day tomorrow. Then tomorrow night is pie baking time. We have a big group at my sister's every year, 30 or more, so I'm doing 2 pumpkin, 2 apple, and a pecan. I have today all to myself, no husband, he has racquetbal, then work, and no kids! Looking forward to the peace and quiet :)

Eden

Marian, I'm sure they'll enjoy whatever you make. It's hard when you're hurting. Sounds like it's time for Tim to start bringing you and Nolon to his place for Thanksgiving. You need a break. It'll all work out, just do what you can and don't worry!

Eden

Saucy -- Happy Birthday!!!! Thought this link might be perfect for you on your birthday. Wishing you a year of strength in all ways :-)

Martie

Martie, here's a more modern version of "the periodicities of nature and of life".

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And here is the third in the series. Eden, your time will come!

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Well Norma, turns out the party will be pizza and various student type foods. I was nervous about my spicy soups for this crowd. I'm adding other things too, then ice cream for dessert.

Denise, I'm so sorry for your loss. Hugs to you and yours...

Jerri

P.S. Hi ya'll and Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so far behind I can't begin to comment. Maybe I can catch up over the holiday? LOL

GB - you make the best puppets! I wish I could make a puppet like that for my kids. I love that you took a photo of the racoon on the floor for us :)

Back to work...

Cute! Cute! Cute, Marie! You out did yourself on this one. The children will love these!

Hi Martie!

Hi Jerri!

Eden

gb - that puppet is definitely the best one so far!

Cyn - You have twice the property as we do - 1/4 acre here... I would love to have more but in my rational moments :-) I know we have as much property as we can maintain - so I just garden every inch of it! In my fantasies - that include winning a lottery! - I'd like to buy the neighbour to the south's property when they eventually sell (they are elderly), knock down the house and expand my garden south! Dream on...!

Martie - clever idea to use the rose hips for turkey eyes! There're loads of the hips here this year but I think they will just be food for the birds - and no doubt add to the thicket of roses by seeding around...
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Randy is quite pleased with his first retirement project. The garage is now mostly finished inside and half-way organized...:-) It's a good thing we have a double car garage but only one car now because the other side of the garage will shortly be entirely filled with the pots of strawberries, blueberries and garlic that overwinter in the garage!
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Next up - hopefully - is to paint the kitchen before Christmas...

I appear to be mostly over the side effects of the flu shot because I was able to raise my left arm over my head by this afternoon...

Tomorrow is a samosa-making day here. Barb and Naznin will be here and we'll have our regular assembly line going. We each make a batch of the filling up to the point of adding the onions and green chilis the day before, then combine the batches, add the onions and chilis, fold and stuff the pastries and fry them. Then we split the outcome three ways - we make enough to last a couple of months (frozen). We make them here because Naznin's teenage son complains he doesn't like the smell! :-) (And my kitchen is bigger...)

The weather forecast for the upcoming 4 day weekend is promising ! Sunny skies with temps in the low 60s , perhaps a little rain Thanksgiving evening. Hoping to complete all cleanup outside and start the process of readying the house for Christmas guests. I figure If I start now there wont be quite as much last minute frenzy. And of course I need to ponder The Fabulous Mantle Display. Will I repeat one of my old standards or come up with something new ?

Lol Eden, re: your feline attributes. I concur too, on New Balance shoes, I use them for my walking shoes and find them very comfortable, good traction, good support and lots of styles to choose from in terms of design and weight. And by the way, so glad to see you posting again !

The raccoon is great bug.

Woody, I love rose hips and and wish I had room for some of the heirloom varieties that have such showy ones. I have 2 that send out a decent display , if I can restrain myself from deadheading.

Thats all she wrote tonight, going to read the papes..

Kathy in Napa

Good Morning, Beef stew for tonight's dinner is in the crockpot. Just a salad and dessert still to make for a small family gathering at my house. Dessert will be an easy peach cobbler that only involves peaches, a yellow cake mix and butter. With ice cream of course. And I think I'll split it up and bake my Thanksgiving pumpkin and pecan pies today and do the apple ones in the morning. I like apple pie best the day it's baked. I thought I'd have Bella and Kate today but my sister kept Bella overnight and will have her today and since Megan doesn't have Bella she's spending the day with Kate. She loves to get ahold of her baby niece whenever she can. So other that cooking I have pretty much a free day. Guess maybe I should make a trip to the basement and care for my poor plants that I can almost hear crying out for water.

Rose hips...rosa glauca, my Heritage rose and my angel wing rose (like Woody's) all have nice ones this year.

Woody, Randy did a great job organizing the garage. I like looking in people's open garages when you drive through a neighborhood (nosey). I'm always amazed by the really neat ones and also the one's that look like you couldn't cram another thing into them. You can leave your garage door open with confidence Woody:)

Kathy, looking forward to seeing the mantle display. It will be fabulous I'm sure.

I think I may be getting back into the swing of Idylling:) Have a good day everyone.

Eden

Ahhhhhhhhh, the day before the feast and the house smells like cranberries and orange and roast walnuts. Later the stuffing will be chopped and mixed, the table will be set (with placecards this year -- after six years or so it's time to mix up the various family lines!!), the bathrooms will be spiffed and dust will be wiped up.

Tonight, our traditional french toast and bacon for an early supper. Don't know quite how that came about but it's quick and easy and good!

Long WALAT yesterday afternoon, but without sun the various garden happenings looked pretty blah so no pics. It's been this way all week and is expected to stay this way. Guess what? I don't care!!!! To not have to check the blackberry and not give a hot da&( about what's happening with clients is vacation in itself.

PM-inspired Digitalis has reseeded itself everywhere. Ditto Salvia argentea, strawberries, bronze fennel, Thymus serpyllum, some sort of double shasta daisy and Potentilla thurberi. Hidcode lav self-sowns look like they're trying but not holding out much hope. Lots of others yet to be identified. Grosso lavs are finally old enough for cuttings next Spring. Next year the hoist weekend will be interesting!

Viburnum carlesii is blooming like crazy and I think this plant is really confused! Also noticed some of the alpine strawberries are quite red. Neighborhood kids (who are braver than me to taste at this time of year) report that they are sour but not awful. Consensus was to leave them for the birds.

I swear, promise, commit and Will wrap up the Hydrangea macrophyllas this year!! Yes, I will!! LOL

Like Eden, it's nice to be back in an Idyll swing and talk plants knowing there's nodding heads rather than blank stares!! LOL.

'bug -- The puppet is fantastic, as is the timely aging pic.

Cook on, friends!!

Martie

Holy Moly! Miss a few days and I nearly missed an entire thread!

I'm sorry to read of the loss of your father Denise. You did well by him.

Bithday "hello"s to all that I missed -
Saucy, Sue, Marian, and anybody else that I may have left out. Hahaha, typo I am so sorry! That should read BIRTHDAY. You ladies are not Bith's!!

Somebody posted that her birthday is July 3rd, Candy or Cyn maybe? Anyway, hello sister - mine is the same day. I won't bother to tell you which year though!

Poor Poebe - the leg looks pretty sore, but is sure sewed up neatly. I wish the surgeon had sewn up my elbow that well thiry plus years ago *LOL*

Great puppets Bug - I would love those myself!

Did some serious thinking over the last few days about Chelone's comments on responsible parenthood. How do I defend my son? Simple, he did a lot of things wrong but one thing right: He brought the baby home. As far as I'm concerned, responsibility for kids should be, and often is, assumed by extended family as well as biological parents. There was no question in our minds that TCS simply could not be cared for by his parents, and that we would step up to the plate as much as and for as long as we could. And here we are. I am proud of my son for his role in that a lot of young guys would have just walked away from the girlfriend, leaving her with the "problem". In our case, it was the other way around. But TCS has not been abandonned by his family, and we all consider ourselves lucky.

Sadly, I know of a family who son and girlfriend found themselves in a similar situation. They stuck together for six months after baby arrived and finally apporached both sets of grandparents for help; all refused. The child went into the black hole of public care, and none of them knows where he is. Unthinkable, to me.

Love all of the purple/eggplant doors! I have been "discussing" a colour for our front door with DH for two years. I have given up on green or purple, but it seems I do have an agreement for a dark slate/blue kind of colour. That is, agreement in principle - it will probably take us to next Spring to actually find something that we both agree on!

I don't think I can really catch up on the rest of this thread! You sure can tell on here when gardening season winds down! Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American Imaginary Friends, and to all those that I now have met. You are all Real!!

Cheers,

Julie

Holiday greetings all - I feel so out of touch - and out of touch I've been of course.... I hope everyone has a lovely, peaceful Thanksgiving. (First day off here in a long time so determined to Idyll some of it!!)

I managed to read this thread and like Jerri hope to get back into the habit -- the last 6 or so weeks of circus at awfice just seemed to suck the life out of me for anything else -- not good -- maybe I need a checkup too. But in any case, hopefully things will now quiet down a bit now that I've unloaded 2 of the 7 attorneys they had me "working" for (the 2 prima donnas have become someone else's problem at long last), Toaster Woman (aka germ woman) is gone,so there are positives to Change....

Im so sorry to read of the recent sorrows -- Denise -- and family troubles -- Michelle -- and likely have missed many many other big things of Idyll life -- Birthdays too.

So, hoping to swing again in idylls as Eden put it, LOL...

From the wayward,
Cindy

The accurate name of our front door colour is "Desert Shadows" and it is a brownish purple...if that makes sense. I love it! I failed twice to get the hue I wanted...and Benjamin Moore came to the rescue. I remember that Benjamin Moore was what Honey (where ARE you???) chose for her smart red room too. As far as house projects, the last thing around here was replacing lightbulbs (6 of them) and some flashlight batteries. No big projects on the screen for a while.

Cindy, so nice to hear from you. I hope your weekend is all about relaxation. Glad things are looking UP. Speaking of circus...I'm reading Like Water for Elephants. WOW, what an opening. The retirement home is so depressingly accurate, except that the ladies seem more verbal than the ones I met at Mom's place.

Well, the puppet I started as a cat ended up being a bear! In fact, I'm not at all sure it is recognizable as any animal in particular. DH thought it might be a wolf! It is at least fuzzy and brown. Not being able to use button eyes is a real problem as far as critter personality is concerned. I'll try to make the next one a CAT!

Woody, I'm so glad to have you posting again. The garage is looking so tidy and clean. (Ours is not, though several garbage bags worth of plastic pots were given away.) That last photo of Randy is not the best I've seen. You ladies have to know that he is one very handsome dude!

I am of course glad to have Eden and Martie stopping in again frequently.

Today seems to be the day of frantic cleaning and cooking, that is, south of the Canadian border. I have done little this past week along those lines and mainly served soup and cheese and crackers as dinner. That's fine with us, it's Autumn after all!

Julie, just always filled with admiration for you guys turning your lives inside out, after retirement no less. It is for the best of causes and I hope DS has an inkling about what you have done for him as well. I can almost imagine abandoning such a project...but I would have done what you did in the end, given your circumstances. If anyone deserves huge thank yous, it is the two of you. Of course we don't always get those...but I hope you do!!!

I'm told that Ms Ivy was discovered on the second stair up to the main floor, in spite of the gate having been firmly installed. Such a physical little rascal she is. I guess if you aren't pushing through teeth or growing long hair you gotta do something. She stands next to everything these days: walls, the couch, chairs, etc. She also falls at times too.

Drema, that birthday begonia (?) for Marian is one gorgeous plant! I always fall for white blooms...and get teased for it too. And Marian, I hope you are feeling a bit better with each day.

DH is in Toronto once again, so I'm off to nibble a few things and call it lunch.

Later,
'bug

Julie, I just wanted to say how much I admire you for what you're doing. I do help Megan out with Bella alot, but she always goes home at night and I have "days off". We also don't have any financial responsibility. To be completely truthful, I don't know that I have it in me to do what you're doing, and doing so well. Sometimes by day's end I'm exhausted and so glad to see Meg's car pull into the driveway. I guess you don't really know what you'll do in a situation until it's given to you. Hopefully your son realizes and appreciates the sacrifices you've made. I know TCS will someday as an adult. You and I are definitely on the same page considering ourselves lucky to have these little ones in our lives.

Cindy, at least you have some positive changes happening at work. Hopefully the tide's turning there for you. Good to hear from you. Enjoy your down time.

I'm avoiding pie baking. And I wanted to post a link that's become an Idyll tradition. Wouldn't be Thanksgiving here without it.

Eden

Why don't I ever remember these things on time? Thanks Eden!

And here's another...

woody, re: lottery

From Dorothy Parker-

"I've never been a millionaire, but I'm sure I'd be darling at it."

I think we'd be pretty adorable, too!