all is calm

sunset tonight ...

CW sent me this one this evening ... they're directly across the lake from us ... 

 

and just maybe ....

wild week on 3rd -- furniture got moved around and a million staples got dug out of the carpet

after errands in Mankato this afternoon, Mom and I picked up supper to go and came to the cabin for the night and part of tomorrow ... I've had a hankering for Taco Johns for MONTHS .. so we backtracked to TJ and got early supper to go .. 

Mankato was utter chaos -- every where .. argh

this is Marie -- sitting on the floor between the desk and the back shelf -- this move is known as a "Robyn" on 3rd street -- bent over in my chair to pick something off the floor and whooosh the chair popped out from under me ... bruised ego .. Robyn did the same thing two years ago and scared us to death ... she broke things ... getting off the floor was a process .. and the floor was filthy so Friday am was 90 minutes of office vac'ing

I think this might be our last night at the cabin for the season -- although the forecast looks pretty good for the next 10 days ... by the time we got here it was almost 5:00 and the darkness had begun ... 

It was project day on Daisy Lane:

1    vac'd the porch 

2    vac'd the basement

3    baked cookies (take and bakes) 

4    supervised the roomba

5    2 loads of laundry (office window quilts)

6    blew the straw, dust and cobwebs out of the cat house

7    tossed shit out of the cat house

8    blew out the old showroom 

9    rinsed, drained and stored my sprayer

10  blew out the shop floor 

11  loaded up a load of trash from shop

12  mowed lawn for  2 hours

13  chopped leaves -- what a mess

14  finally got a shower 

15  packed for the lake (food, clothes, projects, clean bedding)

16  Mankato for returns at Kohls and Old Navy

          and finally got out here, unloaded and into my jammies .. 

          the furnace is perking and it's toasty warm ... 

tomorrow 

1    leaves at the cabin

2    review County Board packet for Tuesday's meeting

3    stash the patio furniture cushions

4    dinner -- meatloaf, squash, brussel sprouts - a sunday feast

5    wash the truck

it never ends.

this is setting the peeps over the edge 

trying to be consistent with office hours and scheduling "work" time ... so I decided we'd close early on Friday's -- thru tax season ... Fri/Saturday 8:30 - 2:30 .. mind you we won't be leaving but we won't have appointments either -- and then there's the Federal Holidays -- I'm not going to book appointments -- everyone wants an appointment on those days .. well -- we can't accommodate everyone - so opt'd for no one -- I'm terrible at setting boundaries and hold firm to them -- time will tell.

 

just quilts

 

Election Day

   I'm running unopposed so I really shouldn't be worried about anything but late in the afternoon I got a little jumpy.  I dashed to Traverse to vote at 4:30 ... and got to do my civic duty!  Voting is a constitutional right - it shouldn't be ignored or wasted.  In my 66 years on earth and 48 years of voting I don't think I've missed an election.  Ever.  I think Reagan/Carter 1980 race was my first Presidential election.  I turned 18 in the fall of 1978 = 

   This one feels different.  Our world is filled with hate and hate is encouraged.  We must do better.  Always do better.

   Yes, I'm that OLD.  

   I finished my 2 day continuing ed gig shortly after 3 ... it was a long two days.  They always are - and I always feel the need to respond to emails, phone calls and the like with trying to focus on the seminar gig.  Never goes well.  We're trying to plan out, plot out tax season and all the details to keep things ripping along somewhat smoothly -- losing that battle already.

sunday's at the lake

  be advised -- long and wordy ... argh 

ah, sunday after the time change -- that extra hour where I try and squeeze in another 60 minutes of whatever.  With the time change my sidekick was up and moving earlier :)  she's never going to be an earlier riser as much as I whine about it -- change will not happen.

We made it to Mankato this morning -- drove the new and improved Hwy 22 and it is nice .. stop 1 was tractor supply for $110 of cat food -- after a morning disagreement regarding said cats .. I've been feeding them twice a day for 14 months .. 7 days a week -- 2 hours a week that I don't have -- not to mention schlepping cat food from Mankato .. I told her she had three weeks to get her shit together to start feeding her own cats .. won't happen

made stops at Michels Crafts, McDonalds, Goodwill and Kwik Trip -- finally got to the cabin - pizza and salad for lunch .. and now it's project time out here -- my list was pretty long

1.  stripping the bedding

2. sorting clothes and packing them up

3.  tidying the bedroom shelves

4.  stashing office / computer supplies

5.  packing up extra groceries / cleaning out the fridge

6.  working up the energy to vacuum ... 

7.  surfing the internet

8.  feeling sorry for myself that lake time is dwindling

the sun has disappeared - those dang clouds of November .. the lake is like dark gray glass .. the leaf island drifted north to the bay .. the road noise seems louder today -- no leaves to buffer it .. and the sounds of mowers and leaf blowers is regular

the oaks are the last to fall out here .

   fall puts me into a funk.  I love the cooler weather, the beauty of the changing colors - but the encroaching darkness just sets me off.  I need my light.  Part of it is knowing that soon I'll be going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark (well, I already do so).  

   lake time is easy time -- while I'm out here I tend not to think about the things, projects, irritants that dominate the rest of my life.  I'm still cooking, cleaning, wondering what the shadow is doing, but it's easier .. 

   people are weird lately - election/no election jibberish -- just weird, we've all come to expect/demand instant solutions from others to self created problems.  and it's not just the generations behind me .. my generation is just as bad.  i'm old and crabby and need some attitude adjustment .. not sure what that looks like -- working on it.

   Friday I had a client yell at me because I refused to grant an appointment on Friday's after 5:00 or the Friday/Weekend after Thanksgiving.  yes, said client is self employed -- but she surely could drop her planning documents off and we could manage from there.. Friday .. after 5:00 .. if I'm crabby now - imagine Friday after 5 ...

   got 'em all nervous with the "retirement" hints as well ...

 

 

 

Horder

 well, I have 2 lovely pictures of my yarn hording stash.

 "failed to upload media" is the message 

 

 Almost done with the clothes clean out ( evil sneer ) .. the donation bags are in the Jeep .. I have a couple returns at Kohls -- so I'm ready to rumble.  I even sorted jewelry.  I'm going to attempt to clean my pandora bracelets this evening .. key word: attempt -- 

Heading to the cave for morning purge -- 

I borrowed Brandon for 15 minutes this afternoon -- had him fork out the hay in the cat shack .. too many critters other than cats living in there -- old hay gone - new bale of straw/hay requested ... I'm counting it as a done project.

T G I F ??

stressing out again -- probably over nothing .. 2026 has been the year of really weird shit.  really weird shit -- and when I stress out I get weird.

so last night -- I took no homework home -- there wasn't anything I could do from home ...  so I -- cleaned the house garage -- the fall cleaning is a breeze -- blow out the dust and cobwebs and toss any trash .. a breeze --- and then

I went back to the closet purge -- (scarlett o'hara moment) - as God is my witness -- I have TOO many clothes TOO many ... I used to think it was to small of a closet -- that's a freeking dream .. TOO many clothes .. so last night - another hour of purging and sorting -- more purging than sorting -- the donation bags are already in the Jeep and ready to go ... the bag count isn't at double digits .. but if I attack the craft supply stash in the sewing cave -- it could hit double digits .. 

more frogs

Weekend - End of October Project List:

1.     move garden hoses to storage

2.     weed whip (hate this project)

3.     recycling to recycling

4.     Jeep  gas/wash

5.     laundry (rugs)

6.     delivery Halloween treats 

7.     sewing room purge

8.     actually sew ....

9.     clean out porch fridge

10.   spot of cabin time

            start hauling stuff home - clothes/canned goods/freezer stuff

            more leaf relocation

            wash windows

11.    wash windows at home

12.    start winterizing the office (ugh)

13.    spend a couple hours cleaning in the shop

14.    car wash Ruby and truck

15.