Happy November

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Temperatures are dropping, as are all the pretty autumn leaves. Late fall is setting in and winter won’t be far behind. Pumpkins will be tossed … but before you do, consider this:

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Critters love pumpkins. And if you aren’t blessed with chickens? Please cut them in half and toss them in your nearest woods. Many creatures can’t cut through the rind, but they love the juicy interior.

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Funny, and very true. I’ve never canned a single thing in my life and don’t intend to start now.

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If you’re tempted to wear these on Thanksgiving? Please… for the love of all that’s holy… post pictures.

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Dudley photo dump

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Because we love him and he’s simply too cute.

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Walkies are still proceeding nicely. And though I haven’t had to scramble up a tree after him again….

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That doesn’t mean he’s not thinking about it.

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And like the rest of us, Lord Dudley Mountcatten has put on a few extra Covid pounds. He used to be able to slink under this shelf, now he just gets stuck half way in.

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I’m not sure why, but Dudley will walk around the barn…

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But will never get on the porch. If I pick him up and put him there? He jumps down as if burned.

Conclusion: Cats be weird.

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And tired.

The beast must sleep 19 hours of every day. If I sound jealous, it’s because I am.

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Please, no.

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I dislike cutsie.

My house is not filled with smiling cherub chotchkies or puppy angel geegaws. I do not post overly sweet photos of newborn babies reclining in hollowed out pumpkins.

So it should come as no surprise that I’m not a fan of nauseatingly precious named products.

If you have a pet odor remover? Say so….

Don’t get cute.

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This goes for crap collectors…

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Dog litter…

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And pet bathing hoses.

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Rinseroo?

I feel a cavity coming on just reading these.

But the worst?

This answer to the question Who’s your daddy?

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Pet fur is not the correct answer.

No.

It’s not even close….

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I love my town.

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This week’s headlines from my little corner of the world.

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It’s duck season in Maine, so you can’t blame the poor bird for trying to find safe water.

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Not being a fan of eggs, I refuse to give this pie the recognition they believe it deserves.

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There you have it. A one of a kind chicken conveyance.

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Keep grandma off the streets!

Buy jam.

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We have chicken neighbors, but the rude things never drop by.

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So that’s what a Voodoo doll feels like.

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If you’ve been a loyal reader, you’ll know that I blew my right knee out last fall. Deep root radial meniscal year with damage to my MCL. The pain was intense and it swelled to grapefruit proportions.

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I had xrays and MRI’s, a cortisone shot, numerous orthopedist appointments and rehab. I tried heat and cold and massage and gentle exercising. Nothing worked. For a solid year I moaned and groaned and yes, complained.

Western medicine’s answer to the pain? Opioids, that I didn’t take. Their solution to the problem? A surgery that will put me in a cast for 3 months and on crutches for another 3. The success rate for this surgery? 25%.

Tired of being in constant pain, and tired of hearing my orthopedist say, “ It will either heal or it won’t. If it won’t? We’ll cut.” … I decided to seek alternate treatment.

So now, twice a week I lie on a table for 40 minutes and stare at the ceiling, or this.

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I also know exactly what it feels like to be a Voodoo doll.

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Yes, I’m doing acupuncture. And while the skeptic in me scoffed at the slightly woo woo environment….

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The chronic pain ridden patient in me is beyond impressed.

After the very first treatment… I felt relief. My knee felt less swollen and tight as soon as I got up from the table.

After the second treatment, I didn’t cringe in pain when I rolled over in the middle of the night.

After the third treatment, the swelling had gone down considerably and my knee was beginning to look more like a knee again instead of the fruity ingredients for a Paloma.

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in pain and far from cured. It’s a process, and won’t be healed overnight. But any relief is progress and I’m convinced this is going to be the path forward for me right now.

Even if I do look a porcupine twice a week.

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P.S…. If you’re feeling the need to lay a curse on a co worker or (used to be) loved one? I’m available Mondays and Thursdays from 11:00-12:00.

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And the harvest continues.

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Our apple trees are still loaded with fruit…

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Though the deer have taken their share from the lower branches, which means….

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It was time to send the husband up the ladder.

And when the fruit in reach of the ladder were picked clean? It was time for the antique tools.

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Apple pickers from an 1850 orchard.

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If you’ve ever tried to use one of these, you know it’s not as easy as it looks. And after 10 minutes of fruitless ( See what I did there? Fruitless. I’m so clever, it hurts.) maneuvering, adjustments had to be made.

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Not a pretty technique.

But highly effective.

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Oddities.

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A friend sent me this picture of a beverage she saw in the grocery store the other day.

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She said she saw it and thought of me.

Busty Lush.

I’m not sure if I should be offended… or flattered she knows me so well.

I thought about buying some, but when I saw the non alcoholic label, I figured… why bother?

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It’s back?

I don’t remember goat poop ever disappearing.

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I can think of numerous other ways to say Happy Holidays besides the gift of livestock dung, but maybe that’s just me.

And what’s with “Artisan” goat poop?

Is there some Jackson Pollack spattering going on or what?

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More random nonsense.

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With Thanksgiving right around the bend, my mind naturally turns to food. Visions of a glistening, perfectly roasted, juicy bird take center stage… and I can guarantee you it’s not this kind.

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A plant based turkey?

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An already stuffed with God knows what plant based turkey?

Not on my holiday table.

🤢

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Backyard color.

(Disclaimer-this pic was taken before the N’Or Easter. The wind stripped her bare)

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But yes, the burning bushes are burning.

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I have to ask… wouldn’t duct tape work just as well?

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten doesn’t care.

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I’ve always found this to be true.

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Another gutter installation goes wrong.

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Out of nowhere my husband decided this section of gutter need to be replaced. And as usual, it didn’t go well.

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When my other half works? OSHA cringes…

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And my flowers die.

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All was well until they got to the downspout.

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It was crooked.

And leaking.

And kept coming apart.

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When they reached for the screws and caulk?

I had to go inside before my eyes rolled up so far in my head they wouldn’t come back down.

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