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     This morning, hubby was feeling particularly poorly so I turned the pups outside to play away from us in the house.  After about 30 minutes, they were nowhere to be seen, would not come when called and though we live on 30 acres with nothing but farmland around us, we are only 4/10 of a mile off of the road up to Mountain Lake Hotel,, so I began to worry about them.
     My concern increased when after about 15 more minutes, they still had not appeared, nor came when called.  On went the jacket and sneakers to set out looking for them.  The plan was to go look down the bull path to the sinkhole as they often come out of the woods from that direction, then if not there, to get in the car and go check the local roads.
     Fortunately, and unfortunately, I found them, in the sinkhole, Shadow running back and forth through the muddy creek, Ranger laying like a fat sow in the mud beside the creek.  Once caught in the act, Shadow came up the hill at a trot, muddy from the bottom of her paws to the tip of her ears and wanted to launch herself on me.  After finding her leash, I led her to the yard hydrant and hooked up the hose to wash her down.  Hubby walked to the bottom of the hill and retrieved the slow moving hulk of a mastiff to slowly follow him.  While  he was bringing the beast up the hill, I tried to hose down the shepherd.  She danced and jerked on the leash like a puppet on a string, not at all in favor of the cleaning, so I brought her in and tried to bath her in the tub.  She was in no more favor of that and tried to bolt from the tub, spinning and tugging at the leash like a dervish.  Once semi cleaned and not willing to be dried, she was put back outside on a tie down, also not to her favor.
     In the meantime, Ranger was dancing and trying to eat the water coming from the hose, thinking it was all a big game and hubby enjoying playing with him.
     Shadow has not been allowed outside for the remainder of the day or evening without being tied out on a long chain.  She is not pleased with that and I am not pleased with her. It may be a while before she is given free run outside while Ranger is also outside.  We may have to invest in invisible fence or work more on training them as to where they are allowed and to come consistently when called.  If we could figure out how to keep Ferdinand the neighbor’s bull from coming up the path, it would probably keep the dogs from going down it, but so far that has been a failure.

                                                                Warm spot of sun,

     The news is reporting that this is an early flu season and that the strains of flu this year are wicked.  I can attest to this.  What I thought started as a cold over 2 weeks ago, flattened me a week later with pneumonia.  Leaving the doctor’s office with antibiotics and a heavy duty prescription cough medication, I came home to curl up in my recliner with a quilt and a book, which I slogged through between naps as the cough syrup’s primary duty seemed to be to make me sleep.  As I was fighting to get better, my hubby was coming down with what he thought was the cold.  Yesterday, we were both back in the doctor’s office, he being given the antibiotics and cough medication for bronchitis and a sinus infection, both of us being given inhalers to try to help tame the inflammation in our lungs.  Usually by now we have both had flu shots, but as hubby nearly always reacts to his, we delayed  because of household visitors and a trip to Texas for a birthday party for a cousin.   We both have had pneumonia shots, both endured the not too effective shingles shots to hopefully stave that malady, but the flu found us and in both of us, produced secondary infections.
     Rest assured, as soon as we are better, we will get this year’s version of the flu shot and will be in front of the line next year when they are available.

   
     It has taken me 4 days to do 3 loads of laundry, just washed and dried, not folded and put away.  And thank goodness the turkey was huge, soup made and coldcuts leftover from our daughter’s visit, otherwise we wouldn’t have eaten for those 4 days.  My ribs hurt to move, breathe and oh no, not again, cough.  The meds started Monday afternoon and this morning, so far, I think I am on the mend finally.  There have been lots of naps, curled under a quilt, most of a book read, no knitting done.  The dog hair is taking over the house, Christmas shopping and decorating not a priority.
     None of the herbal remedies I took when the cold started 10 days ago did much good this time and I wonder what shape I would have been in if I hadn’t had a pneumonia shot last spring.  The cold was nearly gone on Sunday when I crashed hard with pneumonia.  Not an illness I wish to repeat anytime soon.  It is going to be a while until I feel like decorating and shopping, but at least I have remade the two guest beds this morning and I am about to fold a load of clothes, then I think it will be time for another nap.

     Today, I officially become a senior citizen.  Birthdays at this point in life are mixed messages, thankfulness that I have survived another year and a reminder that the years move too quickly and there is so much left to see and do.
     There is much to be thankful for this birthday, there are many well wishes from friends and families as posts on Facebook, in calls and cards, flowers and dinner out tonight.  This week is especially celebratory for our family, it contains 4 milestone birthdays.  My stepmom turned 70 yesterday, our youngest granddaughter turns 1 this Saturday, our daughter turns 30 next Thursday, and mine today.  It is special that our daughter and her husband, son, daughter and their dog are visiting us for a week from Florida and will help us celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow.  Because they won’t be here for daughter’s birthday, I prepared a Mexican feast earlier in the week for her birthday at her request.  Tonight we go out for Thai, tomorrow we fix the turkey with all it’s fixings.  Saturday will celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday with a homemade apple cake for her.
     Life is good and I hope for many, healthy years to come.

     Bright and early this morning, our daughter, her husband and two kids and their dog arrived after driving all night from Florida.  They will be with us for a wonderful week, celebrating three birthdays while they are here, though daughter’s actually isn’t until shortly after they arrive back home.
     Their daughter is our youngest grandchild.  She was born on Thanksgiving Day last year, so her celebration is the biggest, her 1st birthday.  She is just on the verge of walking, cruising around anything she can grab on to or pushing behind a little cart walker.  She has a little vocabulary already, responding with “Dog” each time she sees or hears one of the 3 dogs.  She constantly points and says “What’s that?”  Her sign language vocabulary is larger than her verbal one.  A beautiful little girl.
     Their son is the youngest of our grandsons, a bright, verbal child about to turn 6.  He has an amazing reading ability, I love listening to him read, sounding our words he doesn’t recognize on sight. 
     Our skittish, shy little German Shepherd has decided that he is ok and doesn’t run and shy from him, allowing him to pet and hug her.  Ranger, the Mastiff loves everyone and has been found standing guard over Nadia a couple of times.
     Today was mostly a stay at home day, to give them some relax time after their drive.  We did all pile into their new Honda Pilot to venture to Target to return a coat for Nadia and get a smaller size.  They were unable to find a coat in Florida for her.    This was after a short trip to the farmer’s market, which is winding down for the season.  Several vendors have already quit for the season and a couple of our friends finished their season today.  There will be a few vendors that continue on most weekends for the winter, with meat and cheese, so our trips will be fewer until the spring arrives with a renewed growing season.
     We will take advantage of the fairly nice day tomorrow and the fact that the hunter’s won’t be out tomorrow to take a mountain hike, maybe with all three dogs in tow.
     Monday we are off to Floyd to School House Fabrics, lunch and to pick up our free range turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner.
     Daughter will be getting knitting lessons, sewing lessons, and soap making experience during the week.
     The two sweaters for the kids, both fit!  Yay.  The Darth Vader and Monkey hat and mitten sets were a hit. 
     We love it so much when we have one of our children and their family here for a visit. 
Life is good.

     Since moving to the mountains, my almost shoulder length hair has grown to nearly my waist, I recently cut 2 inches off, it has grayed around my face and thinned considerably, probably due to the cysts on my thyroid discovered about 4 years ago. 
     I’ve always had a bit of a swayed back which makes me look thicker in the middle than I really am and this has bothered my self image since I was very young and way too thin, no eating disorder involved, quite the opposite, but as a younger person, my metabolism was raging.
     As a knitter, as soon as I felt confident, I started making sweaters for me, worsted weight, top down raglans, usually loose and comfy.  For some reason as the weather has chilled here, and chill it did last night, down to 24f, and I pulled out my wardrobe of handknit sweaters, as I put each one on, I look in the mirror and feel frumpy.  Only one of my handknit sweaters, a fair isle red wood zipped cardigan doesn’t strike me that way.  As a result, I have taken to wearing thin store bought, machine knit sweaters and thin omniheat fleece tops to ward off the chill.  This bothers me with the stack of sweaters I made sitting unworn on the shelf of my closet.

     Every idea, I have to unfrump goes against my nature, I won’t dye the gray out of my hair, my hubby and I like it long, so a short cut isn’t likely.  I have lost weight, so that isn’t the issue, I’m not at this stage of my life going to start wearing makeup, so I guess what I’m going to have to do, is quit worrying about how I think I look and break out the warm wool handknit and enjoy them.  Maybe while I sit cozy and warm in them this winter, I will make a couple of thinner yarn and be more cautious of fit so next winter, I can wear handknits that aren’t frumpy.

Fran on Doc

     Riding lessons continue, we have learned to make the horse move sideways to facilitate opening a gate, to back up, to pivot around a front leg.  Jim consistently is given the choice of Levi, shown below or Nemo, who I rode last week, they are large, tall horses and though Nemo is a good mount, I decided that an average size mount is better for me.  I started on Nippers, a round bellied paint, very good natured and easy to ride.  My third lesson was on Squirt, a bay, also good natured.  Today, I was given my choice of any of the three I had previously ridden or Doc, the flea bitten Gray.  Not literally flea bitten, just his coat has speckles of chestnut in it.  I learned that they are called Gray’s because their skin is black, their coat is white.  Doc was a bit more spirited and a fun ride.
     Today we were challenged with obstacles at a trot, poles laid on the ground, then divided into thirds with cones and barrels that we had to zigzag in and out at a trot.  Each horse has handled a bit differently, some requiring more reining, Doc liked control with your legs.  I feel fairly confident at this point, can get the horse in, saddled securely and bridled without assistance.  Walking and turning don’t bother me, trotting occasionally makes be feel a bit off balance, but I’m getting the hang of it.  I am actually more comfortable when we are asked to trot without stirrups than with them, I feel I have more control of the horse.
     I’m glad Jim talked me into lessons, though I’m not sure I’m ready to go out of the arena and on to a trail yet.

Jim on Levi, Fran on Doc

     I promised photos and Reanna, our instructor was happy to take them for us.
    

    
 I don’t know when Indian Summer is supposed to fall, but after several very cold, windy, wet weeks, this weekend has been delightful.  Today is warm enough for only a long sleeve T-shirt, the sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful shade of blue.
     To take advantage of the delightful day, we took the pups to Pandapas Pond and took a two mile walk in the woods and around the pond.  We weren’t the only locals with that idea, as we saw families with dogs, horses and riders, cyclists all enjoying the day.
     Since we aren’t expecting freezing nights for a while, I removed the frost covers from the greens, just leaving the bug covers which will suffice in a light frost.  The cabbages and broccoli that I thought would not mature look like they might after all.  The other leafy greens look great and I think a mess of greens is on the menu tonight.  I also removed the solar charger that electrifies the fence to keep the deer out of the garden as there is nothing for them to eat that isn’t covered, so the charger will spend the winter in the garage out of the weather, hoping to extend it’s life by a few seasons.  The fence wire will remain in place, perhaps a deterrent to marauding critters.
     After chasing Ferdinand off yet again, we built a downfall fence across the path he uses coming up from the creek, a narrow, steep path between a near vertical hill and a fence.  Maybe this time we have foiled him until the neighbor has his fence repaired.  It also is the day that the tractor was moved back to the barn for winter storage.  It will come out occasionally to keep the mice out of the engine block and to run it once in a while, but its work usage for the year is done.
     The remainder of the week is supposed to be more seasonable temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s, with a couple of rainy days, but the weekend has been worth the discomfort to come.

     Though the next few days are going to tease us with warmth and sunshine, the past few weeks have reminded us that winter is headed our way.  Will it be mild and dry, cold and wet, frigid and snowy, that remains to be seen.
     Regardless of the level of winter that befalls us, most days require a jacket or coat, a scarf, hat and gloves.  The winter stash of these items has been dragged off the shelf, reminding us that hubby lost his leather gloves in the spring.  A trip to the mall just before Halloween to look for a new pair showed all of the Christmas decorations up, not just before Thanksgiving this year, before Halloween, but alas, though the decorations were up, the coats displayed, no leather gloves yet.  Apparently they are a Christmas gift item and haven’t been received as yet.  We left with a thin fleece pair with a leather palm for driving which will have to do him until the others come in.
     I was reminded that I have a scarf I started last winter to go with a hat I designed and knit last winter that I suppose I should finish.  One of my other hats I knit is lovely fall colored handspun yarn that I bought at a craft show several years ago and I made a silk scarf in one of the greens to go with it.  My favorite hat is yarn from Unplanned Peacock, a local friend who is an independent yarn dyer and she only made a couple of skeins in a lovely Ruby color.  She made a hat from one, I made a hat from the other.  She hasn’t been able to duplicate the depth of color again so that I can make a scarf.  Maybe someday when she dumps her leftover reds together at the end of a dyeing session, she will accidently hit on it again.
     When I started spinning and making yarn, I just put it aside and admired it.  My spinning friends convinced me that I should really be knitting it, so I found a scarf pattern, Chinook by Ali Green and knit the scarf and it just yelled my stepmom’s name.  The yarn was a creamy white and I dyed it peach, one of the colors she wears beautifully.  Now we don’t exchange gifts anymore, but her birthday is one day before mine and this year the rule will be cracked a bit and she will have a cozy warm scarf to wear on a winter’s day.