Playing Catch Up

I totally forgot to tell you about another odd experience I had recently at my own home. The evening before I left for California, as I was walking home from Angela's house with Baxter, I heard someone calling out...."Can we pet your dog?" Turning towards the sound, I saw a mother pulling a red wagon holding two children. "Sure," I called out.  Ava, the little girl jumped out of the wagon as they got to our yard, rushing up to pet Baxter who was duly unimpressed. She began talking a mile a minute with her Mother barely able to get a word in edgewise. Eventually Ava asked if she could see our house to which I consented. Scampering through each room, she kept talking and talking. After maybe 45 minutes I told them I was leaving for California in the morning so I had to finish up with my preparations. This did not stop Ava. She wondered if, when I returned, she could come over for a "sleep over." During our conversation I learned that the husband has multiple small jobs, and at one point the Mom said she really needed a haircut but couldn't really afford it. I could so empathize with her situation. I remember the days with small children, not enough money, and the weariness of it all. Because I'd just purchased a pineapple which would have gone bad in my absence I asked if they would like it. I gave each of the children a print, and after doing a little photo shoot in the yard, off they went. I've not seen them since.

She was quite the character, so much so, her name is the only one I remember out of the group!

Because I didn't know I was going to California on Wednesday, I made a cake on Tuesday. A marble cake. Ever made one? I hadn't, and I'm not so sure I'd do it again because it is pretty messy. You make the batter, scoop out a bunch and combine it with the chocolate mixture you've made in another bowl.

Following the Martha Stewart recipe, you layer the separate batters in a loaf pan, making, what she describes as a checkerboard design. All very messy and sticky as is evident on the sides of the pan below!

And, here is the finished product which I think looks pretty good and tasted it as well.

These days when I bake I pass it around to our neighbors, in this case Angela wanted only two pieces. I got a text from her while I was gone asking for more, which she found in our refrigerator.

It's that time of the year when the flocks of birds are overhead at dusk making their way to parts unknown--a sight I never tire of.

It appears in the last week or so Obama supporters are indeed playing catch up in the yard sign wars. Here's some folks who apparently don't throw much out.

This sign say Forward in great big letters, however, the ground securement must not be that great because it is falling backwards in the middle:

These Republicans are making it known they are voting Democrat in this election:

There have been a few letters to the editor complaining about yard signs. I say lighten up folks--it is a time-worn tradition. In more ways than one I am sick of political correctness. Anyway, I don't know what prompted this little addendum to the Obama sign, but I am in no way in favor of mean-spiritedness!

My sweet husband took the red-eye flight home last night, arriving here about 8 this morning. He wanted to come with me tonight to FAVO. I love that man! After unpacking his bag, I scrunched his dress shirts into a plastic bag, put it in my bike basket, and rode up to the dry cleaner. Along the way I saw this sign pasted on the empty Shell station.

Believe it or not, this used to be the nicest gas station anyone could ever see. Clean and neat, the landscaping was a marvel. Closing around the time Obama was elected, it has been empty ever since, growing grungier by the day. So sad.

Because this blog has been around a while I just checked my 2008 post President Obama's election. Here's what I had to say.  Not only did I write about the election in that post, I wrote about my illness which seems so foreign to me now. Thank the good Lord!

Who can believe Thanksgiving is merely 20 days from now? Oh how the time flies when you're having fun. Speaking of which, I hope you have some of that this weekend....