George Washington - Library Scofflaw

 

That's the Point

 

Writing does too, by the way. Makes me feel I am talking to you.

Heads Up!

 

The Four-dollar meals are okay...but there's a catch about the $1 offering. Go here to find out more.

Monday (er, Sunday) Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Forward We Go

      Life goes on. 

     I've been saying (and feeling) this pretty much all month -- but it's true. We both had some flu-ish days, but have kept going ... the Brick, until the potato harvest was done, and me on a two-day trip to Granby. Five hours drive each way, and one very long day while there (10:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., with breaks in between). It was worth it...but boy, was I tired getting home. 

     This week: getting ready for winter, and concentrating on work. We had threatening clouds and rain last week, and the Blancas got snow -- but the roads stayed surprisingly dry. Castle Rock, Denver and so on, up to Empire, were a different story -- scary amounts of rain, and Berthoud Pass was full of snow. But thankfully, the roads on the pass and afterwards weren't too bad. I'm grateful -- driving in the rain was pretty iffy. 

     In spite of the wind and rain, we still have some fall color, though it's largely the deep goldens and rusty browns that signal the end is coming soon. Ah well. It had to happen eventually.

By the way -- I am not sure why, but visitors to the blog have gone up substantially! Welcome, new friends -- and faithful Gentle Readers. Glad you're here. 

Meanwhile, I'm sending this on a day early, so I can get some other fires put out.

Buy a rare Keith Haring mural -- and get a free Tribeca loft with it! The mural was found accidently under layers of drywall...and the owner says more could be there, too. Price: a measly $25 million.

The secret life of an Oompa-Loompa:  Past, present and future.

Fifty invaluable dumpster finds. Maybe not all are priceless -- but they're certainly interesting.

More thrift shop/dumpster discoveries...

And while we're at it -- Crazy Things found in people's houses.

Cheap meals - from cheapskates.  Some interesting ideas here!  (But not all. Some are a bit *ahem.*)

Have a good week. Are you ready for winter??

Here's the link, if you're curious!

It's All Relative...

 

A Storm's Coming!

     We've got one moving in... the wind's grumbling around the house, and temperatures have been dropping for hours.

     I got one rosebush and a struggling blueberry bush out of their pots, and planted. One more rosebush to go -- then I'll put empty dogfood bags on them for the winter. (That's how the Brickhouse rose survived last winter.)

And what's playing -- a 'first winterish storm' tradition:

Dvorak's New World Symphony. Performed dramatically.

The dogs are snuggled by any heat source they can find, including yours truly, with an occasional sigh because the music is so loud. Poor babies.

The mountains have had snow off and on for days. Maybe it's our turn next. Even if it's just rain, we can use the moisture.

Here it comes.

Yep...

 

Who needs to breathe, anyways...

Ummm...

 

And I thought telling her to quit scrubbing my face with a licked handkerchief was bad...

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Moving On

      We're here, but that's about it.

*The Brick finished his driving gig for the potato harvest. Just in time, too, because temperatures have dropped and the wind's picked up. Eating dust while you're driving is no fun. His long hours have paid off in some welcome paychecks -- and potatoes.

*We went out for a drive to see the fall colors -- just before the wind picked up. Some of the paths still had our yellow aspens -- but so many leaves blanketed the ground that the roads looked golden.

*Still plugging along on work. I have three reports to go out to the post office...and more to come. Fighting off some sort of flu, but can't take much medication because it makes me groggy. 

Only one goodie to share with you:

Meghan Markle's one-pot pasta.

I know... whoop-tee-do.  More soon. Have a good week.

Walk Like A Zombie

 If you're a fan of silliness, zombie-style, you'll love this. 

Monday (er, Wednesday) Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: A Friend Gone, Moving On

      It hasn't been an easy few weeks.

     The Brick has been putting in long hours, harvesting potatoes. During this period, I lost a very dear friend...and almost missed her funeral. (We were left off the text group -- and no one mentioned it on elsewhere, until another dear friend asked if I was going to the service.) 

I was incredibly grateful that we were able to visit before she stopped talking -- it was a God thing. We just happened to be going to Denver to hang out with another friend in the hospital -- and heard that Jo was going on hospice. We saw her on a Friday; she died the next Wednesday. 

Put all this together, plus reports that I'm supposed to be finishing up -- and life has been a little bleak. I've needed to take care of several things, because of the Brick's working hours. And I've had to jam in extra trips, as well. 

     Just a bit longer...and life will calm back down again. But I still miss my friend.

The leaves are finally starting to turn, though not as lavish as in this photo.

 We're in the high desert of San Luis Valley, after all.

The mountains have had their first snow. We haven't -- yet.

Meanwhile:

Some terrific (and easy) oven dinners anyone can make.

A centuries-old sculpture -- found in a salvage yard. 

This is one of the strangest-ever Instagram events: a full apology from a woman who tried very hard to destroy Tanya Zuckerbrot and her brand, F-Factor. Yes, this person will pay money, too...but I'm wondering. What in the world possessed to do this -- and keep it up over SIX YEARS?!?

Contestants who cheated -- and got caught doing it.

A famous Hawaiian landmark collapses.

St. Elmo's Fire -- it still happens!  You read about this historically, but rarely today. 

Kurt Russell reported seeing UFOs -- the famous Phoenix Lights. I thought about this while watching him in The Thing.

Cookie baking tips from the School Lunch Lady.

Marcos Rodriguez Pantoja -- raised by wolves.

Betrayed by your brothers, to the tune of 12 MILLION DOLLARS.  But incredibly supported by your wife. 

How to keep hallway runners and small rugs from slipping.  (Thanks, The Spruce.)

So not wearing nail polish is white supremacy??  That's what this columnist for the BBC said -- until the article quietly disappeared. I am sick and tired of people trying to read racism into every detail possible.

Hopefully you're having a good (or at least a better) week.

So Many Things Happening in Life Right Now...

 

Persistence

 

Well, That's Telling 'Em...

 

I'm not sure exactly what...but hey.

I've Wondered This

 

The rest of the song makes about as much sense...unless you're high.

Go figure, I guess.

Ummm, Okay...and Updates

 

Before you laugh, consider -- this hasn't been that unusual.

Isaac Singer, the great sewing machine magnate (and serial copier --though he made all the little 'improvements' work together in one machine), had multiple families -- at least five. Did they know about each other? Certainly the kids did -- because they stopped by the office to get $$. Singer's life unraveled when Wife #2 saw him driving in Central Park with Wife #3. She promptly filed for divorce, only to discover that Singer had never officially divorced Wife #1.

What a mess.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We saw a little blue in between clouds today! They've been rolling out, pushed by the wind, even though it's still dreary. And that strange light -- could it be THE SUN?!? The Blancas are showing a bit of snow, and a frost warning is out for tonight.

These past few weeks, we've seen far more precipitation than I can ever remember while living here. Supposedly we've got more than third of our usual yearly amount. I'm hoping this is starting to refill the wells, streams and reservoirs that have been going dry. It is a strange thing to see rain like this. After growing up in Michigan, and spending time teaching backpacking in New Hampshire, I've lived through plenty of 'soft' days. But here?!?

The Brick hasn't been able to work at the potato harvest pretty much all week, due to the wet. Hopefully that will change soon.

The 'girls' -- in drier days