T-Day Came and Went

A blur of days has happened. A highlight was walking around the farm perimeter with Keoni and Aidan on Thanksgiving Day...

They are now young men. Aidan has his Barelona muffler on. 

Besides the deer, Wendy has trodden the path around the farm with the running regimen she has been keeping up. Frezz and Sebastian tear around the path with her. Dear Fancy is now too old to run so she gets a walk around. Hard on her to miss out on the run part.

I got to hear the part of Keoni's sonata he is writing for a class he's in. He wrote Aidan's cello into it, too. The recording I made isn't too good so I'll wait until maybe Xmas when Keoni's back again.

Gosh, it's fun doing stuff with them. And, I enjoyed making some of the dinner with Wendy. She had it all planned out well. Wonderful turkey and dressing. We finished off the meal, dessert, cleaned it all up and the boys and I played poker. John picked me up and drove me home. Alas, I went off without my plate of the good food. Bummer.

I made a business card to go with the craft sale at church Saturday where I'll sell (maybe) the greeting cards I had made at the Walmart. They are from picture I made of art work and some of the photographs. Twelve of them. Expect a greeting card from me if I don't sell them all.

Here's the business card...

Frezz always comes to the gate to meet us after the walk. Sometimes, the others do, too, including Toby. After our latest walk, the chickens stirred and walked and scratched their way past...

Marge messaged yesterday evening that they were having snow over in Ohio where she is visiting family this Thanksgiving week; also, saying it was headed this way. Sure enough, after a blasting wind all night there was a dusting of snow to wake to...

The pansies that Marge planted along the fence smiled bravely through the snow.

The wind continued blasting coldly through the day and during my walk filtered through every button hole of my coat. You out there in the Southwestern world, rejoice!

I am grounded. My pony Subaru sits idly in the driveway while I learn lots about cardiology and hematology and much else that keeps my attention off the election results. Now comes the time when I must ask others to drive me to all those appointments that seem to grow exponentially. I'm suddenly acquiring experiential empathy for my dear friend, Phil, who faced this dilemma a few years ago; albeit, different reasons, but now I have a taste of that. It's doubtful that this is permanent but will last until something is determined, decided and fixed. When I walked over to the Dunkin' Donuts this afternoon I was thinking 2017 will have another doughnut hole for me. So, I just drank some decaf and went back out into the wind.

What is helpful here with Marge is that I am within walking distance of much of what I need. I ordered one of those little hand cart thingies (you know, the kind old people trudge around with) on its way to the Walmart which is a 20 minute walk away google says, though my speed is below average. Also, let us not forget amazon! I'm not finished looking into what might constitute taxi service around here. And, Wendy and Marge and friends will help here and there as needed.

Since the leaves are pretty much gone from the trees, I saw these bird houses this afternoon...

And, these residents love dogs.

As different as my personal life just became, it still isn't as disconcerting as the election and post-election orangeness.

I Crawled Out from Under the Bed...

...and kissed the dust fuzzies goodbye for awhile and today I am at Fuzzy Dice getting new tires for my pony. He's getting the annual once-over for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, too.

Aidan played FIVE soccer games on Saturday. The fifth one was the championship game that went into double overtime; then, two sets of  five PK (penalty kicks) one goal takes all. But, there was no joy in Mudville...

Post game.
They had the best shirts of any team in the league, but I doubt that it was important at this moment.

Yes, he's not only taller than his mom and dad, but taller than grandma, too.

A first for me at my new address--Aidan spent overnight after the game. John and Wendy left for John's employer's bash at Bryn Mawr. A pleasure to re-visit those old times we had nearly weekly in Tucson.

It's growing more wintery...

After that, I saw way too much of the world of health and medicine. I am fine and the matter is being addressed with investigative testing.

I guess if I want to write to you about old age and health issues that eventually sneak up, I could add a list right here. But, I don't want to. Suffice to say I'm still here and have many thanks to others who are and were there for me. Living is precious and so quick.

I am sad we lost some people we all know and have loved; among them Gwen Ifill. Let's pause a moment and listen to the music of another one.

Me and the Dust Fuzzies

Toby! where are you?

Aarrrggghh! It's Almost Over

As I walked along this morning to my voting precinct to cast my ballot, I spotted Democratic candidates' signs that had appeared overnight in the neighborhood. I have to say it was heartening to see some last-minute counterbalance to the proliferation of the other party's top of the ticket in this region.

Closer in to Philly the neighborhoods reflected a lot that made me smile.

Let's back up to Saturday when a call from Wendy sent me to the farm where Toby was again treed. This time on Neighbor Joe's property in a tree four-and-a-half feet from busy Ridge Road!

None of us can imagine what sent him up this tree because he hates Ridge Road.

One thing I learned last week on PBS' Nature was that domestic cats' hind claws only allow them to go up. Others in their species have rear feet and claws that can twist into reverse. Wish Toby'd watched that program.
The New Yorker pictures it this way...
 http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/I-ve-done-it-again-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8542955_.htm

Well, that's the main event of the week. At least for Toby, if not for me.

A trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art included seeing urban trail riders crossing the Museum parking lot driveway...

They could have been riding in solidarity with the Zapatistas depicted in the museum's current show of Mexican art
Paint the Revolution.

Otherwise, the fall grabs my attention constantly...

Marge's seasonal decoration for the front porch.

Marge and I went to the Tuesday cheap show and saw Benedict Cumberbatch wield all sorts of power as Dr. Strange. If you go see it do stay for the credits at the end.

It is almost time for the Newhour, so I am going to come back to the reality of what's happening now. I hope it doesn't make me run to crawl under my bed and contemplate dust fuzzies for four more years.

Wendy's pullets have begun to lay. The big white ones are the three old Leghorn hens' eggs. Perhaps, they are a good closing to new beginnings.
They certainly taste better than the dust fuzzies.