A lovely birthday weekend Sunday of blood sausages and corsets

This is us.
I mean, mostly. At the museum today I was viewing some of the Venetian portraits, and the tour guide was talking about how they were interested in the character of a person and not just the likeness. (I wasn't actually on the tour, just eavesdropping)  I also read it on one of the little explaining-side-panels. The image I was looking at was this cocky, dark-haired-bed-head beefy dude looking all dude-ish-tough in armor. The Jon Snow of ancient Venice, only one who smiled. I love this picture because it kinda covers not only our individual personalities, but how we relate to each other. My friends will read this blurb, and one will sarcastically ponder it, and half-heartedly consider it, and the other will laugh and think maybe the blood sausage I ate is poisoning my mind.

One is thinking: I'm stuck with these two. One is thinking "Muahahaha" and one is
thinking "Can I hold this expression any freakin' longer? Take the shot already." I
also have some serious crazy eyebrow going on.

I ate blood sausages!

Well, I ate a part of a blood sausage. It was disguised on the menu. They didn't call it a blood sausage in English, and it was the only menu item that wasn't described in English. But the waiter explained what it was and what mustard went with it. It's the darkest of the four sausages, and the filler was curry, because blood sausages need a filler in order to be edible. (My friends and I are now experts on blood sausages because after we all tried it, we wikipedia'd it... I really only ate a few bites of the blood sausage. It was one of four from the  sausage sampler for I te for lunch, and I am pretty much now not going to eat until Thursday. I couldn't even finish the four sausages. But I can tell you the sausages were local and delicious, and now I want to try more blood sausages to see if there's one that has a filler I like more. We're also as a group, going to find Haggis, and eat it.

Museum trip!
This is my friend.
She's been my friend for like, ever.
Okay, like, a very long time. Loong time. Years.
We went to the museum for my birthday.
And played dress-up.

There was a Masters of Venice exhibition, and we were struck by all the Madonna/child images where the mother figure looked less than pleased with the too-old-to-be-a-baby baby figures. This is my friend reenacting one of those portraits.

She rocked it.

We're still slightly confused by the order of dress, but close enough. I only regret she didn't do the neck ruffle.

Apparently, we found one of the few places you could play with clothes and trinkets... though they were apparently meant for children... who knew?

This is a picture of my other friend. Who I've also known for ages. She tried on the outfit, and completely rocked the neck ruffle. But instead I'm putting this picture of her standing and looking out the window at a view of Denver and beyond. I don't know why I like this one, but I do. It's very her. I mean, the neck ruffle was her, too, so it was a tough call.

There's pictures of me but they are inappropriate to put online, because it turns out, I can rock a corset and make pictures inappropriate. I could also put one online, but I'm shy about what I look like in photos (ha!).

I did play with fabric, though, because there was also an exhibit on Japanese fashion from the 1980s and 1990s...  There was a great little room on fabrics and yarns and threads... that also featured a lovely knitting group. If I lived closer to the museum, I'd probably hang out there all day, too. As for the Master's of Venice, I know using gold was kind of their thing, but it didn't take long for me to think that their obsessive use of gold in the renaissance was just not something I could appreciate. I know, I know, it was big back in the day.  

November is Nanowrimo. There are a lot of rules. Well, no. There's one rule. Write 50,000 words, and write every day. The Great Gatsby was apparently, only around 50,000 words. We should bring novellas back. I like that length. Anyhow, my personal goal isn't to just write 50,000 words, but it's to get through most of the first draft of my next novel. This means I might have to put revisions on my sci-fi draft off until December, which is okay, since no one is going to want to look at drafts in December anyhow. Also, I've revised the first five chapters, and the last three, mostly, so feel comfortable sending the novel out, knowing it takes weeks to get a response.

It's going to be a quiet month, November, because I'll be working and then coming home, and shooing everyone away from me so I can write. I'm kinda looking forward to it.

Turning into a recluse!
I mean, I'm not, but I really appreciate the quiet time when I'm pretty much left alone. I've got a lot of things to deal with, and I'm mostly an introvert, so the more I have to deal with the more I like to hide out, and the winter is the perfect time to do that. I expect a lot of early-nights in loungewear writing or quilting or coloring or doing some other craftsy thing.  Take tonight for example. A big day at lunch (I ate blood sausages! and the museum and it's 7:15 p.m. and i'm wearing plaid pajama pants thinking about how to make a Russian felt hat for my costume for Halloween tomorrow thinking about how I need a day to recover from my fun day.

Fall leaves are beautiful here, too!

This was taken on a walk from one building to another 

today at work. I wish I had my 'better' camera but

I wasn't expecting to see this :)

This morning, out the window upstairs, some leaves

blew by, just like they do in those old Charlie Brown 

television specials and Winnie the Pooh books.

Winds blowing yellow leaves through the sky.

These leaves had a slight crunch, not as crisp as they

will be in a week or so. 

Fall is beautiful here, in Colorado, too, and just colorful

enough to remind me of all those favorite, beloved fall

days when I scattered leaves with my sneakers and stomped

on piles to hear the crisp sound of dry leaves cracking in half.

Happy Fall!

Train!

This train stopped me from getting home quicker.

I raced it on the highway, thinking I could make it, but nope.

So I sat in my truck, watching the train roll by, listening to its horn, 

staring at the red blinking lights on the rail road crossing signs. 

I could have been annoyed. I could have.

But I remembered all the times my boys would get excited

every time we were stopped and they could watch a train roll by and 

well, I'm kinda like my boys. I like trains.

....except the ones that roll through, horns blaring at 4:30 a.m.....

Happy Birthday to all of us

I love this picture.

I don't know why it's all fuzzy and blurry, I blame the lighting.

It's Turbo and his Aunt Nikki.

It's cold, and I love this blanket. And my aunti..zzzzzz

It was the 'everyone's fall birthday bash' which is a brilliant idea. The entire lot of us have birthdays between September and December, from Nikki's husband Code and Nikki, Husbear and myself, Drama Girl, and Turbo and Bear. We are all fall births. September through December. So we all get together sometime in October or so, it's only the second year so it's not fully established, and watch the younger kids open up presents. Okay, and us, too... Nikki gets the best cards. I'm hanging hers up on my 'best cards' wall. Also, I don't get cards, so I'm going to put in a reminder to send them all e-cards.... 

Cards aren't my language of love, right? ummm...

This photo though, is great, because there's really a deep affection between the boys and their aunt and uncle. They love Code, too, but somehow I don't have a picture of him. What the heck n crap. Anyhow, here is this dark, blurry, super-adorable pic of Turbo and his aunt.

Happy birthday - find me that mug... you know the one....

The oct. 17th images

I am quickly taking a picture just to take a picture because I said I would. It turns out, though, I'm not outside as much as I think I am in October. Even though it's often nice out. Except today. Today was crazy windy and I had to send my boys chasing after the outdoor toy box that got blown away. They don't even use the toy box anymore. Now it just collects spiders.

This pic isn't a a great one, but it's a great indication of what my nights between now, the season of early sunsets and chillier nights, and spring, the season of endless days and warmth, will consist of.

The outfit I will be doing most of my

writing and revising in this fall and winter.

Is it winter? It feels like it should be winter.

The cat that will watch me write, because his perch is 

right next to my computer, at desk level, and he has 

learned that sometimes, oftentimes, too many times,

writing somehow involves ice cream.

Also, to make up for the craptastic pictures I just posted (is it the lighting? was there a filter? why is it blurry? do I just have blurry vision now?) here are some random lines from the book I'm revising:

“Warning. Warning. Ship functions not fully online” 

The ship kept repeating this over and over as we flew through the hangar door - still in the process of opening - and straight into space. We rolled and tumbled with the high speed acceleration and would have been tossed about the cabin if we weren’t strapped in. The ship’s gravity wasn't working yet and the ship was spinning out of control.  True to Jam’s word, he barfed. I did, as well. My throat burned with the acid left behind. Hennie just closed her eyes and hummed. Figures she wouldn’t barf. Finally, we stopped tumbling and spinning. We were in space and off the OEF ship. Now, we had to flee.

It's not the best passage in the book, but it's one of the passages I need to revise.

Good night all!

Picture-less Sunday

I don't have a picture for today.

Which makes me feel guilty.

So here.

My Sunday night attire includes fuzzy slippers. Imagine that.

After this blog, I'm going to sit down on my couch, prop up my fuzzy slippered feet, and finish Stranger Things on Netflix, which is like, one of the best shows I've seen in a long time.

I'm completely and fully aware of the election coming up in three weeks, as all of us are. My ballot is being mailed to me on Monday, and sometime Tuesday, Wednesday or so I'll get it, and I'll spend the night filling it out not just for president but for all the other myriad issues and candidates on the ballot. I've got a big, thick voting book and the internet. I'm not just checking boxes.

But I did say I'm done talking about it on Facebook.

I don't know if I can go all the way to November not talking about it on Facebook. But I'm going to try.

I'm obsessed with politics right now. I'm obsessed with the electoral prediction maps. I'm enthralled by what is going on in Utah. I'm terrified of orange-haired clowns. I'm disturbed by the threats and hate calls people who express their opinion are receiving - for instance the Republican newspapers endorsing a Democrat for the first time ever. I'm sick of twitter-rage promising civil war. I can't believe Russia is so invested in our election, as if a Russian dictator thinks he can influence the election - which, btw, should be terrifying.

So I'll try my best. I'm avoiding the debate because it's an embarrassment for our country to have to watch. I might watch it because we all like disaster movies. I don't know.

Happy Sunday everyone, we have three weeks to go...

My Friday Night Boys

Well, boy.

But the other boy is doing the exact same thing.

Turbo with headset, whatever game, Overwatch maybe,
and using my coffeemug which I totally said he couldn't use.
Also, that's my waterbottle. WTH kid.

They have a four day weekend - no school today and no school Monday.

There is so much joy in their hearts right now.

I'm not even quite sure why they have the days off, but they don't need babysitters anymore, so I don't really pay attention. It's made my life simpler.

These boys of mine make me smile. Except when they don't do laundry. Or clean their room. Or say annoying things when you're out getting them their favorite pizza and throwing in horrible-for-you pretzel bites filled with cheese and bacon they're like 'Mom can we hurry I'm sick of being here.' 

Mostly, they make me smile.

Hello Fall

It's nice to see you around for this short while

before a strong wind comes, and knocks the color

off your branches or maybe a big rain storm will

will cancel your parade of colors.

The light wasn't great. This is fall at later dusk.

You can see the bright of the yellow where the light

of a dusky sun is peeking through. Dusky sun. It's

not even a thing. 

Getting darker.

I like the yellow against the dark bark. 

Wednesday, Oct. 12 - blurry boy caught not being blurry!

I didn't take a picture yesterday afternoon. I looked at all the leaves on the trees changing colors, and thought how beautiful they were, but didn't snap a picture. Doh!

This morning, though, I did.

Remember the blur, from the last post?

No! Don't look away!

He's a blur today to.
'Are you trying to take my picture?'
'What, who, me? No.'
He sees the phone.
'Really?'

'oh COME ON kid. It's my project. I just want to take a picture a day this month.'

'um you want to take a picture every day of me?' he says in a voice that indicates his concern for my level of affection, and reinforces his belief that maybe I really am turning into 'that creepy mom' he keeps telling me about, in hopes by discussing his fears, it won't come true.

'NO. I want a different picture every day of different things. Lots of things. Trees and stuff. But just one of you, occasionally. Okay? Just one?"

"Okay.

Maybe he's just blurry in life, too.

"Um, dude, what are you doing?'

"You're making me laugh."

"Can't I have a smile?"

"No."

"Okay. There. Why can't you smile?"

"Every time you make your eyes do that thing it makes me laugh and when I laugh I turn away."

"I was trying to get you to smile. Why can't you smile?"

"It makes me turn away."

"Yes, you're very skilled at being blurry in photos."

Fine, alright, go to school blurry man.

This morning's photo

This is a cute photo.



It was taken this morning when I ran out of milk for coffee and had no creamer.
I used whipped cream. So that white foam in the green cup is my creamer :)
The boys' heard that sound of upcoming yumminess, and ran over to where I was, snagging bits of whipped cream off the top of my cup right before they left for school.

One of my favorite times of day is this morning time, between 6:20 and 6:45, when the boys and I are the only ones up, and we're in that in-between time, where they are all ready for school and downstairs scrounging for food and I'm drinking coffee before I get ready for work. It's about 20 minutes of stress-free time for the three of us, and it's our time. We talk about nothing and everything, but not about school or work or chores because there's a full day of that ahead. It's morning. The beginning of the day, and there's no need to do anything other than enjoy the 20 minutes before that beginning.

I grabbed a quick pick. Turbo is in the hoodie, Bear is the blur, because Bear's superpower is running from ever having me take his picture... I was not stealthy enough. He doesn't mind having his picture taken. Just when it's taken by me.

That's my Monday photo!

Picture catch-up!

I said I'd take a picture a day every day this month and post it, because it's my favorite month, but I didn't post any this week.

I did take them, though!

Tuesday, Oct. 4th's image:

Ghoul eyeball cupcakes!

Tuesday, I came home to my sons carving the pumpkins I was trying to get the energy up to be excited about! I was happy (yay, I didn't have it in me) and bummed (wtheck-n-crap they don't need me to carve pumpkins anymore?) So I made ghoul eyeball cupcakes.

Wednesday, Oct. 5th's image:

I wasn't feeling Wednesday. Not at all. It was a chilly day. I was up late the night before watching the final season of Game of Thrones. It was a rough day at the office, as in, I got to the office and was having a rough time just starting... and I needed a morning coffee. The Starbucks line was just too long so I strolled into this little Tea and Cakes shop and it made my morning.
I also got a breakfast burrito which has nothing to do with either Tea or Cakes, but was fairly delicious.

Thursday, Oct. 6th's image:

GASP. I forgot! But here, have a nice image of our Halloween-themed table!

I'll have you know, that is a bowl of fresh roasted pumpkin seeds, done by yours truly!

Friday, Oct. 7th's image:

I've already tweeted this image out. It's a cup of pumpkin spice outside of Ozo coffee in our new sort of hang out mall-esque area. We'd gone out for a date night and had burgers and then decided to kill time before the movie sipping lattes in front of the fire pit. I didn't want to do a selfie or anything. In the time we sat there, our friends crashed our date night and hung out with us, which was a lot of fun, and we saw another friend of mine wandering by. It was a nice, cool night and perfect. Then we saw the Magnificent Seven, because Husbear and I both love Westerns.

Saturday, Oct. 8th's image:

Happy birthday Husbear! 

We made his favorite dinner: Bibimbap. Then watched a movie, which wasn't super great, but Bear and Husbear liked it. Turbo isn't really into movies unless they are super interesting. Like, Pacific Rim... (/cry)

Marinated flank steak. Cucumbers in red tangy sauce. Tang sauce. Sauteed carrots
and spinach. Bean sprouts (mmm). Rice. And there's kimchee, too. Mmmm.

This is one of our favorite dinners, though, and the only reason we make it infrequently is because of the many different side dishes and components that go into making it. 

There aren't a lot of people in these images, but they are a great representation of my week this week, so there's that! Next week I'll try for actual people. Maybe. No promises!

And finally, today's image:

Everyone is dabbing. Even the dead.

And if you don't know what dabbing is, look it up. Also, it means I'm waaay cooler than you. Because I know what it is. And our purple tattered skeleton friend here knows what it means too. 

Yesterday's post!

I said I'd do a daily photo to celebrate my favorite month, and didn't post one yesteday!

Doh!

I meant every day-ish...

But here is yesterday's photo, taken yesterday, but posted today...

Ahh, my mini-Yorick, I knew thee not at all.

But you are a great addition to our Halloween

themed kitchen table decor. 

I inflicted family fun day - the great corn maze and pumpkin patch trip

Years ago, in a corn maze not far from here....

The first year we did the corn maze.
And nothing else because tired and cranky
kids don't want to stay around corn all day

And today, in a corn maze not far from here....

This is today. When they are not interested in posing for mom. Because whatever.
Not one good pic of my daughter. Because she only does selfies. It only took us 30
minutes to become the bickering family in the corn maze - it's because we know how to family.

Bear said I could take his picture, because with his shades and hat, no one would recognize him....

He still resisted a bit, but,  I know the secret ways of the camera. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Mr. UK Dude-To-Cool to Smile.

He smiled until I pulled out the camera. Because cool does not smile,
unless it's an ironic smile. Or maybe a sneer. And disdain. He's so 12. He
was the crazy grinning one in the top photo, too. 

And you, Mr. Actually enjoys the camera.

I adore this picture because of the cool hat. I don't know why he wasn't smiling.
I think his brother infected him. But we were on our way to the pumpkin patch.
It was between this picture and one that showed off his amazing freckles and half-grin.

I have to put this picture in, because omigosh.

My shades are cool. My hat is cool. And I'm looking at you
while pleasantly bemused. I'm too good looking for this family.
Why am I even here with these people? Where are my people?

We rode weird bicycle pine derby car things, too.

I smoked them after, because I'm better at pedaling. But it took a while to
sneak around and pass the little road hogs.

Go go go derby rider! 

We also collected a bunch of pumpkins that shall be carved and set outside for squirrels to feast on all month. 

I did all of this after spending the first hours of this morning (4:30 a.m. hours, because my nose) trying to cure a sudden bout of a head-coldy cold. It appears a hot shower, two saline rinses, 3/4 of a pot of coffee, a maple covered donut (feed a cold, people, feed a cold) and some weird sinus spray that may or may not have expired, will get you through for a day. It also appears that you can take all the elderberry syrup you want, you'll still get a cold.  Stupid elderberry. And of course I didn't have to put any of this in here, I could have just left it out, but honestly, I feel like whining a little. Here, have a pumpkin patch shot!

The pumpkin patch, corn, and the front range in the distance touching the clouds.
 Look at our skies. We have forever skies in Colorado!

Picture a day: October is so my favorite month!

Can you see the yellow in the trees, and the hint of oranges? Can you see the
leaves on the ground? It's not a New England fall, but Colorado has its own fall beauty.

September is ending, and now we're into my favorite month of all time. I love October. I love the changing colors of the leaves on the trees and the crunch of leaves on the ground. I love cool mornings and sunny afternoons with a crisp bite of cold, not enough to shiver, but enough to know winter is... well you know.

I love pumpkins and sweaters and flannels and the color orange. I love walking and hiking in this weather. I love getting excited about soups and stews and winter nesting.  Which is why this month, I'm going to try to do a picture a day. I want to capture the things I love about October.  Not to diss September, September was really enjoyable this year, and I like the month, but October is kinda mine. Oh, and it's my birthday month. But I stopped counting years because once you stopped getting carded for things, who cares? Somehow, though, October became my favorite month. Fall my favorite season. Followed by spring. Maybe I just like the times in-between.

Today's picture is in the park in my 'hood. Can you see the hint of yellow changing in the trees? Can you see the leaves on the ground? They are sprinkled on the roads and sidewalks and it makes me happy. 

Today's picture was going to be a coffee mug, but I think I overdid that in August. Happy October!