New Look

During the week I had technical issues with the Blog software and decided, after 11+ years, to change the “Theme” of the blog page. (Themes control the look and formatting of the blog pages.) The current theme is Hemingway from WordPress.

One change is the location of the “Comments” tab; it is now under the blog post title instead of at the bottom of the post. Please click on this link to leave or read comments.

Another difference is the Main Menu which has links that will take you to other parts of the web site. So far I have not found out how to make the links open in new tabs so clicking a link will take you away from the blog page. To return to the blog you would have to click on your “Back” button in your browser. I am working on this.

I hope you like the new look!

In other news, I had an MRI taken of my right shoulder at the Mayo Clinic on Monday. Nothing remarkable about this but it took longer than other MRIs I have had in the past. I coupled the trip with stops for shopping at a couple big box stores, so the event took pretty much all day.

We celebrated Pam’s birthday on Wednesday. Birthdays are now low-key events for us, but Pam did receive a few gifts from myself and friends, and both kids called and spoke to her at some length. It was a good day.

Trees in the area are now pretty much bare and neighbors’ leaves are blowing into our yard. We did a couple clean-ups; a couple more before the snow hits are probably going to happen but they should be much lighter (fewer leaves) than to this point.

I have a couple “yard” photos this time. The first is funny; Pam noticed a squirrel in one of the lilac bushes, “burying” a nut in the branch.

And, in spite of the below-freezing temperatures we have had, a pansy was still blooming until mid-week in the front flower bed.

Now the cold weather has settled in. The 10-day forecast has us at or below freezing for daytime highs the entire time. We have plugged in the outside cats’ water bowls and added an extension cord to operate the squirrel water bowl. (The cats have two bowls, one in the catio and another outside by the garage for the roaming cats.)

Windbreak tarps have been put up. These give some protection from the wind to the south (back) door and the NW corner of the dog run. Pam wrapped the maple tree in the east yard as protection from deer, who nibbled at the young tree last winter. (We thought it would not come back but it thrived this summer.) Screen door inserts have been swapped out for storm door inserts. None of these are big tasks but they did take some time.

Our youngest dog, Bru, went to the vet to have some skin growths removed. A few were beginning to bother her and it was time for them go. She has some stitches that will need to be removed but seems to be recovering OK.

The kittens are getting bigger and enjoying the run of the house. I can hear them in the upstairs hallway running and chasing each other. Elmo sometimes joins the fun.

I have a somewhat poor quality video of a black squirrel drinking out of the new water dish. (In my defense, my hands are not as steady as they used to be and it was windy and cold.) Click on this squirrel video to view the 51-second clip.

The upcoming week promises to be fairly uneventful. Little will be done outside due to the cold temperatures and chance of snow, but inside projects will continue. Pam is working on holiday cards and has a dental appointment to repair a chipped tooth. I am will work on the blog look-and-feel as well as starting to scan more of my negatives and slides. I will begin installing the inside window inserts in the smaller windows; the bay windows will wait until after we put up/then remove Christmas decorations.

Our son Toby plans to visit us before Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to his visit. (So nice to have a guest bedroom available for visitors, a room with a decent window and a modicum of heat.)

Neither of us likes this time of year. It gets dark so-o-o-o early, it is windy and cold, and the NE Iowa countryside is somewhat dreary after all the crops have been harvested. In some ways a blanket of snow is preferable as it covers some of the bareness of the fields and gardens.

Photo Archive

The first photo is of Pam’s mother, Lorraine, with two of her granddaughters. Felicity is on the left and cousin Caitlin is on the right. 1990 or thereabouts.

Next is an artsy collection of cameras at a camera shop in Boulder, Colorado, also dating from around 1990.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

Poor little Bru dog had 18 lumps + cysts + skin tags removed; she looks like a dot-to-dot. I will need to pull out a load of stitches in the next weeks.

One of my birthday gifts was a dog grooming razor (battery operated, from Jer.) When I use it on Bru later in the winter, hopefully I [now] won’t have to avoid 18 lumps/cysts/skin tags.

Sorry, no cute kitten photos this week. Elmo is busy teaching both Stirling and Vienna bad habits – like sitting on the dining table, opening drawers, climbing the wood slats on the rustic pantry cabinet…

Happy Trails.