I May Have Too Much Time on My Hands

Cinders the bear will soon be able to don a Swoop the pterodactyl costume and become ... drum roll, please ... Bearodactyl. Yeah, I should probably find something more lucrative to do with my time.

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Two of the three things I'm making this afternoon: a cherry cheese pie (recipe from The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook) and spider monkey, the second in a planned series of Beanie Baby mutants. The third thing I'm making is bread, which is rising.

Are We Falling into Winter Already?

As one looks out the door from the master bedroom onto the upper deck, the fall colors are amazing. And while my friends and family to the north might laugh at the slight snow scum on the deck, this is a big deal here. It is not supposed to snow in October, nor in November for that matter. This may not bode well for what's to come when winter does.

Looking Ahead by Looking Back

My latest read looking ahead to returning to Hue in the spring. At the time of the Tet Offensive in 1968, Hue's population was roughly 140,000. After, the homes of some 116,000 of those people had been destroyed. Visiting a very bustling city today, you would never know it except perhaps in the eyes of some of the elderly people. On the other hand, you at least see elderly people in Vietnam. You don't in Cambodia.

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

SnailPony needs a friend or two or dozens. Bearodactyl? SpiderMonkey? CatFish? Pelicat? Just don't ask what I might be thinking of doing with the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey. You probably don't want to know.

It's Only Once a Year

The wristband is from this morning's mammogram, something I hope won't need to be repeated for a year and a day. Uncomfortable, yes, but worth it in the bigger scheme of things.

Putting My Best Foot Forward

I actually barely feel the plantar fasciitis in my right foot, seen here taped for tonight's karate class. I toy with the idea of not taping it, but I'm basically running scared of re-aggravating it. I so do not want to miss another three months of karate.

Symbolism

My head is still reeling from a morning of proofing the university's organizational chart.

Shiny Box

It's going to by a shiny box in which I store all my shinies, otherwise known as found objects. First, though, I plan to decoupage it with papers collected on some past travels and find some fun, recycled packaging to divide the inside into sections. A place for every shiny, and every shiny in its place.

Life Needs Pie

Meet Apple Caramel Crunch Pie, courtesy of a recipe in a tourist guide magazine I picked up in Montana. It is not at all low in calories, but it will be tasty. What can I say? Pie rules.

I'm Thinking New Workout Book Here

Throwing axes at trees is a much more fun exercise than lifting weights.

This One's for Me

The second sleeve of an Icelandic sweater I'm making for myself. I love the no-sewing-them-together aspect of Icelandic sweaters. Knit one circular body, two circular sleeves, then connect them all and knit one larger circle. Can you tell that I hate sewing the pieces of a sweater together?

Fall at Last!

It didn't really look like fall when I left for Montana 10 days ago, but it's getting there now. Fall may be my favorite season, because there's just something in the air that I find invigorating.

Falling into the Pages

I get in severe reading moods, when that is what fills every free moment. I started The Fifth Woman yesterday while donating platelets and finished it this morning. Now I've started One Step Behind looking forward to tomorrow morning's wheel alignment. Nordic mystery has sucked me in yet again.

Inside the Window

I do not hate stink bugs as much as some people I know, but I do find them irritating. Choose your battles, and this one isn't worth obsessing over ... yet.

Loose Ends

Returning home always means tying up loose ends. Some laundry has been done, groceries have been obtained, and bread is rising. There are still two bags of garbage to take out, sitting on the floor behind me as I sit at the desk in the kitchen. You're seeing what I'm seeing; I just have a wider angle view all around.

The Early Bird Gets Tired

Not quite the time I got up for my 6:00 a.m. flight, but close enough. The advantage of an early departure, though, is that I will get home to Virginia before my stepmother leaves Great Falls, and I will be sound asleep before she gets home to Florida. I guarantee it.

A New Slant on Things

Central Avenue, Great Falls, Montana, looking west, toward the civic center. I didn't know they still had front-in diagonal parking anywhere, but they do here. They also have extremely attentive meter readers. We were able to avoid tickets, but one time was almost too close for comfort.

Inside the tipi at the visitor center at First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park. The kids on the various school field trips there probably did not appreciate what they were seeing and hearing about what it took to herd buffalo (more correctly, bison) miles and miles ending with leading them to run off the edge of a cliff. We adults, on the other hand, found it simply amazing.

Farewell in the Wind

From the north bank of the Missouri River, overlooking where Box Elder Creek flows into the river. With Frank Sinatra singing "My Way," we scattered Dad to the winds this morning. The Subway napkins we found littering the area afterwards confirmed that we'd picked the right spot.

My Legs Really Were Shorter Then

At Giant Springs, now Giant Springs State Park, Montana. This used to be a huge hill, up which I would trudge and down which I would run with the wind or even stop, drop, and roll. The hill now seems more of a mound, and I did not run with the wind or roll down. I sat instead at the top and reflected upon lifetimes, Dad's and my own, until the others happened my way and I rejoined the here and the now.

You Can Go Home Again

You just can't go inside 44 years later. We moved to this house, in Great Falls, Montana, the spring of my second grade year. We moved out two-and-a-half years later, to a rental house one street. The trees in the front yard were much smaller then, and the front yard was much bigger then. Or perhaps it was because my legs were so much shorter then.

I'm a Card-Carrying What?

Badass, thanks to a present from the sons that I do carry in my wallet. I feel more badass some days, some hours, some moments more than others.

Dad Would Be So Proud

I completed a class today that meets the educational requirement for a concealed handgun permit in Virginia. Unlike the one I completed for the permit I already possess, today's class actually included real handguns and the firing thereof. Dad would be proud that it was a National Rifle Association class, the political activities of the NRA being something on which we somewhat disagreed. This one's for you, Dad.

Will Work for Pie

Younger son has been oh so patient and supportive during two rebuilds of the operating system on my new netbook that I thought he deserved pie. I love it that the triple berry filling actually pushed the top crust up and off the bottom one. If there is a next time on the rebuild front--which I desperately hope there isn't--I may actually be able to do it myself. And make pie. There should always be pie.

Out the Kitchen Window

The view outside the kitchen window called to me as I was breading this morning. It hardly looks like fall, though it definitely feels that way. I wonder what it will feel like in Montana next week. I'm thinking layers in terms of what I pack.

Just Why Did I Do That?

I bought this nail polish today and made an appointment for a manicure and pedicure on Friday. I do not know why I did this except that not doing martial arts for the week starting the next day means that the color may actually endure for a while. I think this is called pampering myself. It is not something that comes easily to me.

Contrasts

I go between fine and basket case at the drop of a hat right now so is it any wonder that I gravitated to light and dark in today's photo? And FYI, Blogger will let you antedate your posts. Yesterday's 12:31 a.m. post was actually at 12:31 today and using the Schedule tab to set the date and time.

It's Still Monday If I Have Not Yet Gone To Bed

It's been a rough day, but not as bad as the day(s) had by the stink bugs resting in the acetone lining this empty cat litter container. More have been sucked up by the vacuum cleaner. As for the rough day, a year ago I was in Florida saying good-bye to my Dad.

Drowning in the Little

Of the long list of little things to do, I managed to accomplish a trip to the office supply store, grocery shopping, and bread-making, or at least getting the bread to the rising stage. I could still forget all about it and have it rise out of sight or forget it in the oven and have it crash and burn. It's just that kind of weekend.

You Expected Fiber Maybe?

Yes, today was my day to work at the Fall Fiber Festival. I came home, though, to the book I've been waiting for. I can't remember why I started following its author on Twitter, but when she posted the first 78 pages of this online recently, I read the first two and was hooked into pre-ordering. Its retrieval from the mailbox was greeted with squeals of glee. I shall now try to save it for the three flights I will take a week from tomorrow to get from Richmond, VA to Great Falls, MT.