Forest Haven

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Still Alive.

Reading friends posts but sadly not commenting much.

You all are much better company than the panic and anxiety of late.

Good therapist, friends, family, the meds and time will see me through.

Tired a lot.

Getting Christmas cards addressed. If one did not arrive at your abode last year, and you want one, let me know. My list gets kind of muddled at times so folks get left out by accident. I try to keep up with changes of address, but again if in doubt that I have your latest please let me know.

Take care everyone, especially so many of you who have been struggling with pains-physical and mental as well as anxiety and depressions, etc.....

Pain pain pain, fever, cough, every muscle hurts.... the flu must have arrived.
Have quarantined myself, I will not be responsible for others suffering.

Doing my best to not let the anxiety it triggers overwhelm me too.

It's a struggle.

This pain and the anxiety it causes will not last forever. It will pass.

Novemeber 1st, helped my mom take down Halloween decorations and put up the Thanksgiving decorations. Began addressing Christmas cards, watched some Hercule Poirot.....

November 2nd... work, pleasant sunny day, attempted to tidy up my cabin loft,

November 3rd, adjusting to the day light in the morning when I get up.

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel.....

I never knew his brother Boreslaus murdered him!

Boo!

Halloween is here again.

Time to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and "Arsenic and Old Lace" starring Mr Cary Grant.

I also have a new Halloween favorite I discovered last year, the 1976 "Paul Lynde Halloween" special. It is so trippily uber-fantastically nostalgic and campy. It is gay icon Paul Lynde at his best. He has such a mish mash mash of guests, Betty White, KISS, Donnie and Marie, Tim Conway, the actress who played the witch in "The Wizard of Oz", Pinky Toscadero, Florence Henderson, Witchy Poo,etc.....

The musical numbers including Paul Lynde as the Rhinestone Trucker, a Halloween disco and the like are so incredibly over the top and campy. I can not imagine anything airing on network tv in the 1980's or 1990's but there it was way back in 1976.

I am happy to report that two out of three of my air layering attempts were successful. The two branches I tried on the Giant Willow worked. The one on my Japanese Maple did not. It is kind of what I expected as Willows are so notoriously easy to root. I cut off the two Willow branches today and planted them. I am creating a small grove of them outside the large picture window at my folk's place so every spring they can enjoy the giant catkins welcoming the first days of spring as the snow melts.

This weekend another former employee died. He killed himself. He was in his mid 20's. He had not worked for us since his high school days, but his Aunt still works with us, and is a dear friend. He went to school with two other co-workers, Swany and Favorite Cousin, and worked at the local hardware store.

It's an odd time at work, losing two former employees/co-workers this month. They both lived right in the small town we are closest too, so it's not a distant thing, it is right here among us.

It has not depressed me or made me anxious but it has been difficult mentally. A kind of fatigue seems to have settled over so many folks.

Today was one of those glorious Autumn days here that one sees in Halloween or Thanksgiving movies. Sunny, blue skies,forests a blaze with color, corn fields dry and rustling. Like a postcard.

Ran to the Chiro this morning, then stopped and created my Christmas cards as well as my folks. It has been nagging at the corner of my mind to get it done and paid for so that feels nice. I ordered some photo themed holiday presents as well as some copies of old photos of various ancestors to give to my brother and cousins.

Scary movie night at Favorite Cousin's house tonight. Swany and Tekla joined us. It was fun spending time with good friends. Tekla and I got there early to spend some time with River, Savy and Brenjo before their bedtime. Good friends, my little ones, lovely day....grateful.

Went over to Favorite Cousin's place after work. We looked at my collection of coins from around the world, made some cool jewelry from the craft goodies, and then eight year old Savy and four year old Brenjo used the Halloween make up to basically draw on Uncle Todd. Each took an arm and decorated me with tattoos. I asked them to avoid the face, but Brenjo did sneak in some Endora the Witch style lipstick on to my lips. It was classy.

Took me a lot of scrubbing to get the decorations off, but it was well worth the pleasure of spending time with my kiddos.

Busy day.

The Moon and The Sun came down to the valley to help Grandma make Halloween soft sugar cookies. Uncle Todd did his best to help out. The Moon was all into making bat shapes, leaving the pumpkins, and ghosts to The Sun and Uncle Todd.

The Moon loves the feel of flour on her hands, which neither my mom or I can stand. It is too much like having dirt on your hands, which is probably surprising to those who know I work with plants and garden at home. The feeling is just too overwhelming for me, much like when I sweat or get wet from rain. I have to get dry right away or it drives me to high levels of anxiety.

We had a good time putting frosting/icing on them afterward. Lots of laughs and smiles.

Later, The Sun wanted to play monopoly. He has discovered the game and loves to play it. I had eight year old Moon play on my "team".

I had such a good time. They are such great kids.

It has been raining almost steadily since last evening, so it is soggy out there. Even with all the rain though, the landscape just glows. Autumn here amazes me year after year. It is so extremely beautiful.I love it all so much. I sometimes try to take photos of it, but they never do it justice. I think my impulse to photograph it, is me wanting to save it, to stretch it out, but it's fleetingness is part of it's gorgeousness.December through April here is pretty blah to my eyes, so soaking in this symphony of autumn colors is precious to me.

We planted the memorial garden for our friend who passed away. Her daughter, husband and sister-in-law were there helping us after work. The rain was coming down but we got it done. She was so young and her passing so unexpected. It was hard to be there in her house among her things, out in her beloved gardens with her plants, her decorations, her vision. Gods but it was hard.

I always liked Leviticus 19:19
An engineering professor is treating her husband, a loan officer, to dinner for finally giving in to her pleas to shave off the scraggly beard he grew on vacation. His favorite restaurant is a casual place where they both feel comfortable in slacks and cotton/polyester-blend golf shirts. But, as always, she wears the gold and pearl pendant he gave her the day her divorce decree was final. They're laughing over their menus because they know he always ends up diving into a giant plate of ribs but she won't be talked into anything more fattening than shrimp.

Quiz: How many biblical prohibitions are they violating?

Well, wives are supposed to be 'submissive' to their husbands (I Peter 3:1). And all women are forbidden to teach men (I Timothy 2:12), wear gold or pearls (I Timothy 2:9) or dress in clothing that 'pertains to a man' (Deuteronomy 22:5). Shellfish and pork are definitely out (Leviticus 11:7, 10) as are usury (Deuteronomy 23:19), shaving (Leviticus 19:27) and clothes of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19). And since the Bible rarely recognizes divorce, they're committing adultery, which carries the rather harsh penalty of death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:22).

So why are they having such a good time? Probably because they wouldn't think of worrying about rules that seem absurd, anachronistic or - at best - unrealistic. Yet this same modern-day couple could easily be among the millions of Americans who never hesitate to lean on the Bible to justify their own anti-gay attitudes. ~Deb Price

Excellent excellent day.

The weather was sunny which made the Autumn leaves even more splendid.

I carved Jack O'Lanterns with The Sun, The Moon, River, Savy and Brenjo. We had a fun day here in my wee valley along the Mississippi. We camped in out secret garden spot, made stews of leaves, grapes, fallen apples, aronia and viburnum berries, went hiking in the woods searching for acorns, hickory nuts and the like, played games and just had a good time. To see them together, happy and healthy is just the best of the best for Uncle Todd.

It's tacky to wear diamonds before your forty~ Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffanys.

If going to church makes you a Christian, does going to a garage make you a car?

I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant. ~Paul Newman

What do drag Queens in Scotland wear? Pants? Thank you, thank you, I'll be playing at the Steuben Legion Hall all week.

Spent time with River, Savy and Brenjo after work.I had not seen them in ages and it was a treat. I had missed them so, and I think by all the hugs, wrestling and such, I was missed too.

The landscape is beyond beautiful here just now. Autumn colors blazing away.