I sneakily fooled my sick camera into taking one photo today.  At least it was a good one.

Not much to report domestically.  I did the Aldi run, a small one this time.

Nationally/statewide, of course, we have crucial midterms, which could turn the vile toxic tide, if everyone votes wisely, unimpeded by trump goons.  It won’t fix all the additional damage done, but it could mean the difference between life and death, literally.  At least for those not dead of hate and violence already.

That’s my cheery post for today!  At least flower-wise.

I managed to squeeze two photos out of my dying phone before it quit again.  That’s a sick Avdi 😢 curled up in the hammock, and the woodsy path raked by me.

This morning, after having systematically compared every single detail of all the narrowed down health insurance plans that would work for me, I finally picked one.  I hope it turns out to be as beneficial as it claims.  Insurance is a crap shoot in the USA.

After working on the grocery list for tomorrow, I watered front and back.  It’s late October, and many trees and plants are still green and growing.  It continues to be perfectly warm and sunny out.  I mean, it’s about 75º out!  Leaves are falling, mostly brown.

Friday I baked challah–success!–and made dinner.  I also worked on B&B setup.  Saturday I spent the day doing more of same.  I also used the wood chipper to grind up the pile of sukkah branches and dump it in the wood chip section by the compost.

This turned out to be one of the best B&Bs ever, in my opinion!  The only setback was my broken phone camera, extremely annoying.  So Stacey was kind enough to be talked into taking photos for me, so you can get at least a taste of a great time.  I apologize for the no pics of the actual bonfire, the badminton before and after dark, or of the last minute drop-in of Akasha and friend Lincoln.

Everything else went splendidly.  The kids had lots of friends over enjoying themselves, and the older friends that turned out had a nice reunion.  I worked hard planning and setting up ahead, so Avdi wouldn’t have to do as much.  He made mulled cider, and had an Octoberfest beer tasting.  N as usual baked some great cookies and pretzels.  We cooked hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire.  Loucious got to see lots of people, including the kids who used to own him.  After we wound down, I think the Gkids and friends partied on.

I spent the night, but couldn’t sleep much.  This morning I cleaned up some more and then went home to bed.  Later I went back and enjoyed a drink outside with Loucious and briefly, Avdi.  Avdi took down the last of the sukkah.  We didn’t have our usual meeting, so I returned home.

I’ve got half a mind.  That’s how I feel sometimes!  Possibly it’s the allergy meds I took to see if they deal with a contact allergic reaction I seem to be having.  I’m even more lethargic than usual.

But I did manage to take down the rest of the branches from the sukkah, which is now a mere skeleton of its former glory.  I threw the leaves and debris onto the 3 sisters, and left the branches to be chipped, hopefully.

Also, I refined the three sections for leaves, chips, and debris, by removing as much of the rich black soil as possible to the woods trail.  After hosing it down, it looks more ready to receive its respective offerings.

I did the usual homey chores, but mostly I played with fire.  This is my FIUH time of year.  After water, fire is my element.  I attempt to rehab all the old candles, mostly just to stare at fire!  So productive.

I made up for yesterday and got lots done today.

I cleaned up the strawberry area more and planted N’s strawberry plant, and a row of native Passiflora (passion flower) seeds to stratify.

I cleaned off the patio and weeded the patio beds.

I removed most of the branches from the sukkah (except the roof) and laid them on the 3 sisters raised bed.

I hand-cultivated around the greens in the veg garden and the rest of the empty space in the back.

I watered the back and the front.

I played frisbee and ball with Loucious.

I put up some more light strings, this time in front on the railings, little conifer, and hedge.  It’s supposed to be purple.  Inside the front door, I put up orange, purple, and green lights.  Apparently my camera is colorblind.

In between jobs, I got some research done on the upcoming election, and on insurance plan comparisons.  Plus the usual housework.

Sorry about the overuse of “I”.  At least it’s not AI.

Today I had what may be my last dental appointment for the foreseeable future, at least with the dentists I’ve come to trust and like.  That’s what our insurance system does, ensure that you won’t be able to consistently see and afford a good dentist for long.  But that’s a story for another time.

Then I ran some errands for the family, picking up meds and groceries.  It was too gorgeous out to stay inside for long, so L and I played frisbee and ball, and I took down all the sukkah decorations.

Then I finally rolled back the gourd monster from the strawberry bed, and cleaned up that section to match the other two.  Now it’s a nice big bed for perennial fruits and veggies.

Later, while Avdi and S worked on HW etc. at the table. Stacey and I had a good conversation on the patio.

All the small gourds you see were grown here.

I spent the morning comparing health insurance plans.  How utterly tiresome, but necessary.

Then I picked up my new reading glasses!  That was fun.

Then I made an Aldi shopping list for tomorrow.  Using my new glasses.

I barely made it to the garden, on a perfect warm spring I mean fall day.

Loucious is now Soccer Dog.  He’s a dog of many talents.

Y is now M.  Got all that?

After “sleeping”/not sleeping overnight at A’s, I was a zombie.  The rest of the family had plans to go to the RenFaire, so predictably, Y decided not to without letting A know, K/S had forgotten after weeks of planning, but managed to rally late, N was up early but didn’t feel like going, and half of A’s costume had mysteriously disappeared.  It would be funny if it weren’t so par for the course.

They eventually got themselves there, meeting up with Stacey and S, and Jess and family.  I gratefully went home to bed and slept for hours, through all the usual angsty texting back and forth.  How did they live back then without smartphones?!  Probably just killed each other with leg of boar.

It was actually chilly out, and warmer inside!  I love it, mostly because I use very little electric at home this time of year, but also just because.  I was emitting steam this morning in the garden!  When you realize it’s not our job to “clean up” i.e. ravage and commit creature genocide, which only makes things less sustainable for next year, it frees you up to just admire the natural changes at work.  I do compromise a little and manage it, since I’m going for a mini-MOBOT after all.

Get a last look at the sukkah, before it comes down.  🥲

Erev, continued…my two smallish challot actually rose this time!  Stacey brought her excellent homemade borscht and a chocolate and orange cake.  Jenny also joined us.  Even with some absentees, it was a full table, and a lot of hanging out was done.  The skeleton may have partied too hard, and lost his head.

The theme of this post should be lights in the dark.  Sundown happens earlier, so we had Shabbat candlelight, the rope lights outlining the yard for badminton, and the big bundles of old light strings from the sukkah.  I’ve ordered additional light stings for the front.  One can never have too many!

The cool rainy front has brought a huge inhale and exhale of relief for the whole plant and animal/human community.  I can feel it in myself.  I can’t wait to get back to ‘helping’ our micro-ecosystem prepare for the next transition.  It’s the opposite of neurotic “fall cleanup”.  It’s how forests and savannas do it.  We’re just the caretakers.

A dramatic change came over the atmosphere today.  It was very cool, very windy, with intermittent rain and sun, and the hoodie officially came out!  L and I and the garden were loving it.  Flowers are blooming still, as you can see from the bouquet.

I got three more jobs done (besides challah): I swept the patio and dumped the leaves on the cardboard-covered walnut stumps.  I took down all the light strings from the sukkah, for whenever we disassemble it.  And I went ahead and sowed the mixed natives I got from Great Rivers Greenway/Pure Air Natives, in the second half of the strip along the trees.

Just a few more big jobs on my list, and then comes dumping leaves, wood chips, and mulch on things.  Also a bonfire B&B is in the works.