That takes the cake, Rosie!

Literally.

Rosie ate J's birthday cake, as it cooled on the counter supposedly out of her reach. J hid his disappointment well, saying it was the thought that counts, and he doesn't need a cake.  Since I am going to work tomorrow (I know!) and he took the day off, I told him if he picks up another box, I will make it when I get home.

To make sure the day wasn't a total washout for J, I will include some of his Halloween pictures.  We actually doubled our trick-or-treaters this year... to 2!

Hope everyone's Halloween was a happy spooky one!

Restoring Sanity with Mr Crazy

Ameranth took a bus last night to attend the Jon Stewart Restoring Sanity Rally in Washington DC. J and I watched it live on TV this afternoon, but didn't see her there, although we had told her to wave. She called later so we know she not only survived the huge crowds of people and the bus ride with strangers, she also had a good time.

I enjoyed the rally, but they were preaching to the choir since I appreciate moderation in all things (except food) and hate the name-calling and venom so often in the news.

Meanwhile, we were dealing with important matters at home. J's birthday is Monday and I needed to know what kind of cake he wanted.

J: Well, my favorite is chocolate with chocolate frosting, but since Ameranth doesn't like that, I'll have white cake with chocolate frosting.

Me: White? or do you mean yellow?

J: Oh, I do remember Aunt Edie's white cakes- they were the best, but you like yellow cake, so I'll have yellow.

Me: It's your birthday, and I like any kind of cake so- white or yellow?

J: White....You know what I'd really like? Banana cream pie!

Me: Okay- that's even easier. Banana cream pie it is.

J: Mmm Mmm Banana cream pie. Wait- what is that again?

Me: Banana cream pie? It's bananas in pudding with whipped cream and a graham cracker crust.

J: Oh, you mean a 'pie' pie. I meant Boston Cream Pie.

Me: Well, which one do you want? They don't make the Boston Cream Pie mix anymore. (Betty Crocker, why have you failed me? And yes, I can make it from scratch but it just doesn't taste the same as the mix my grandmother used)

J: Boston Cream- that's what I want.


So off we go to the grocery store. J always parks in the same two rows: first we go up the second row in, and then down the outside if nothing's available in his first choice. That way we go in the correct door to grab a cart and circle the store in the proper direction. Today we had problems- too many people were shopping and 'our' rows were full.

J: Hmm, no openings. Now what do we do?

Me: Why don't you try the third row? I saw some spaces there.

J: All righty. That's what we'll do.

Me: Oooh, exciting. I don't think we've ever parked in this row before!

J: I think you're right. My, aren't we adventurous today?

It's a pity none of our children were with us. They so love our humor. 
But they might have decided we need to restore some sanity right here in Maine.

Back off, Bird!

The cardinal was back this morning, tapping away to wake me up. Maybe there are little bugs on the window sill, but I don't think so. Ameranth thinks he remembers the bird feeders we used to have out back, before we had silly dogs who try to eat the suet and jump at the feeders.

He woke me in time to see fog making the morning soft and furry, but as fast as I dressed, it was still almost too late to catch any photos.

The pasture picture doesn't really show the fog, but to the south, our neighbor's house and the road are still misty.

I ended up just preparing the steps today, since I noticed some dirt and mildew spots that needed to disappear. It was beautifully sunny and hit 70 this afternoon, which is my kind of fall day.

Maybe the bird was telling me to get my butt out of bed and enjoy it!

Tuesday Randomness in Maine

Today was a beautiful day here- sunny, not windy and in the 60's. A tiny Indian summer, and I wanted to stain the steps. But I read the instructions first, dammit, and while I was going to ignore the "wood must be completely dry" part, the "no rain expected for 24 hours" part got me. It will rain tonight and probably tomorrow, so no go.  Buuut, Thursday and Friday are supposed to be fairly warm and fairly dry, so I will aim for then. The next picture of these steps will have color in them. I hope.

Sunday we cleaned the chicken coop and added insulation, then covered it with the panels we saved from the bathroom demolition. Not the prettiest job, but good enough to keep the hens from eating the fiberglass- which they would.

Some of the girls venturing in when we finished. One really wanted in while we worked, I suppose she may be one of the few that are laying. I wish there was a way to tell which ones were worth keeping. Maybe I should try a hidden web cam.

 

Went to the dump Sunday and found that the hours are changing next week, from 4 days a week to 3 for the winter. The roof over the reuse area is finished now, so the unwanted-but-too-good-to-throw-away stuff stays drier,and I assume more desirable. So desirable in fact, that there is a two item per person, per day limit. Why? Isn't the idea for someone to take the junk and recycle it?  I did hear one of the workers tell the story of how he stopped someone from cherrypicking golf clubs. If he wanted some, he had to take them all, plus the bag. Hardcore rules, indeed.

I made a pot pie from leftovers tonight and it was good. J and I were both a bit leery of the idea but happily enjoyed it. Ameranth used the leftover pie crust dough for a little apple tart, so everyone wins!

That's about all the random non-news I have so- Good Day!