Harvest tree

My sister's fabulous decorated harvest tree. What a masterpiece.

It appears that poor Doodles has fretted himself down to a skeleton.  Just kidding! But I sit on the sofa looking at this thing wondering if it could anatomically correct for a Dachshund? If so, what a strange creature with spine and ribs like a serpent. Spooky enough!
 

Thank you for your patience

McCarran Airport Las Vegas

What a miserable morning in Seattle yesterday, with drenching Pineapple Express rain. The day turned into the usual hurry up and wait flying experience. Checked in with time to spare (I thought) and then spent almost an hour weaving back and forth in the security line. 

No time for food or coffee and got to the gate just as it was boarding. For me, a little too close for comfort. Finally everyone was settled in their seats and just as we were scheduled to leave, the pilot announced a problem with the back door. The estimate was a hour delay.  

Of course a collective groan went up from the passengers. The maintenance crew arrived and the problem was indeed fixed within the hour. Finally ready, but then no ground crews were available, so another 30 minutes before we pushed off from the gate. 

So we sat on the ground for 2 hours before the 2 hour flight. No one likes this. You hear a lot about air rage incidents these days, mostly regarding masks, but it's nice to report the vast majority of people act in a civilized way the majority of the time. Like good children, the fight attendants thanked us for being "considerate and kind." Hey, whatever works.

What a beautiful afternoon in Las Vegas, like landing on another planet. Crystal blue skies and really the sweet spot of weather here, with cool nights and temperatures in the high 70's. 

I got a silent Uber driver to the house, a rare and pleasant experience. He was a fast but competent driver. Very happy to see Dad doing so well. The only one who isn't happy is Doodles, nose seriously out of joint with Marji gone. He makes it quite clear I am a poor second at best. 

Halloween weekend

 

 

Once upon a time, I'd bake and decorate dozens of sugar cookies for John to take to work-- pumpkins at Halloween, hearts for Valentines and of course, many Christmas cut-outs. No matter how many kinds I made, plain old iced sugar cookies were the perennial holiday favorites. 

Yea! My days as cookie supplier to the Boeing Company are past. However, I know a gentleman in Las Vegas who appreciates a sugar cookie, and that's where most of these are headed tomorrow. The rest stay with John, holding down the fort in rainy Seattle for a few days.  After a week of relentlessly bad weather, looking forward to some desert sunshine.  

Things are looking pretty spooky in Twisp. Nice job on those pumpkins. 

Oh, yes, big excitement. The girls brought the new hamster home yesterday from Wenatchee. The Prince looks pretty relaxed on the 100-mile drive home to his new palace.

Getting back

 

When my ukulele group played for the last time at the West Seattle Senior Center in early 2020, no one imagined the changes ahead. A few months, surely, and things would be back to normal.

In good news, the Senior Center is open again, proof of vaccination and masks required to enter. The place still feels like a shadow of its once vibrant self, but at least some of the old programs and classes are coming back, including the weekly ukulele sing-a-long. 

There were just a handful of us yesterday, seriously out of practice but giving the old songs our best. It was almost like going back to square one. When I first started going to The Ukes 6 years ago, the core group was about 10 people and over the years grew to about 40 players. Fun times we thought would go on forever.

Time will tell how the group evolves and rebuilds. If it does. Some folks will never be back. Pandemic aside, the difficulty of getting to West Seattle and the elimination of the free parking lots makes it much harder for people to attend.   

We met in the large dining room because the popular hot lunch program is still cancelled. So there was space to spread out and we dutifully wore our masks, except for 3 people (including our leader) who thought it was OK to wear them under their chins and pull them up if someone from the Center walked by. How annoying. Since we're basically guests at the Center, ignoring their rules was rude, to say the least. 

 

What's new?

 

"Lemon" the Hen

I usually get a reaction to vaccines, but this time my immune system said, "Meh, whatever. One more weird thing stuck in her arm. No reason to make a fuss."

The pharmacist was quick and skillful so I got lucky. Watching TV, it seems like just about anyone can give shots these days, but obviously some people are more practiced, like nurses. I'm getting to be a connoisseur on the subject, having had so many this year.

In the germy Safeway pharmacy room (ugh) I sat waiting my turn and thought about the little old A&P in Quakertown where we shopped for groceries once a week. You went to the drugstore for medicine, the five and dime for sundries, department store for clothes, hardware store for nails, etc. until the big box retailers changed everything.  

In the 1950's, the thought of a grocery store employee giving shots to customers would have been stranger than science fiction. Only doctors gave shots, or we lined up in the hall for the school nurse. 

Some cute pictures Amanda sent from Twisp this weekend, where the weather was much nicer than here.

Tom and Nova's two-weekend construction project. Believe it or not, this is a new hamster home. The lucky rodent will come from a pet store in Wenatchee, a 200 mile round trip from Twisp.

In other news, the bomb cyclone brushed past Puget Sound and then headed up to the west coast of Vancouver Island where fortunately hardly anyone lives. Seattle dodged a bullet, although outlying areas were hit hard. Down in California, too much of a good thing, in this case rain, but that's the weather story-- feast or famine.

Leaves, leaves, leaves

 

The Pacific Northwest "bomb cyclone" got quite a bit of press this week. The powerful storm bypassed Western Washington and stayed well out to sea. However, there is a potential for another one on Sunday and Monday. 

The jet stream is super charged, which I think means moving much faster than usual. It's very unusual to have two bomb cyclones in one month, let alone one week.  Hopefully it tracks north or we'll have a damaging wind storm in Seattle.

The leaves seem to be coming down all at once this year.  It's sad seeing the trees bare and the soggy mess on the sidewalks, but for a few days it's like walking on a gold carpet. I felt a twinge of guilt for not raking maple leaves across the street, then I thought, naw.

Today is National Nut Day. Eat some or maybe just do something nutty.  Have a good weekend.