Surfacing ...

    Death can sometimes draw families closer together.  But not always, and not all family members.  It can bring out the ugliness that we've chosen to ignore until there is no choice but to confront it and end it.  For our own safety and peace of mind.

    The last twelve days have been mind-boggling in the amount of unnecessary anger and hatred coming from one such family member.  And overwhelmingly sad in how much that person, and immediate family, will miss out on because of ties being severed as a result.

  Life is short.  Unmercifully so at times.  Fortunately, a family doesn't always have to be who we are born into, but who we choose to surround ourselves with.  For that, we can make healthier choices.

  I have to go back to my photos to remember what I've been doing lately.  Most of it has not been photo-worthy.  The weather has gotten cold, trees are changing color and losing their leaves.  On a recent cold, windy, and rainy day Lucy (birthday girl turned 5 on the 1st of October) had the fuzzy snuggle plan down pat.

   Last night at Bible Study I got some gorgeous green tomatoes, and plan on making fried green tomatoes as soon as I can get some breadcrumbs ... or may make some of my own with the last few pieces of whole grain bread I have.  I've never had fried green tomatoes, but remember that my Uncle Ron when he came to visit in Florida before my father died would want to go to a specific "hole-in-the-wall" local restaurant for theirs because they were the best he'd ever had.  I will think of him when making mine.

  A few weeks ago (before the recent drama llama) I went to a Farmer's Market in Lewisburg with a friend and got a beautiful pint of "Lion's Mane" mushrooms, and fresh basil.  The mushrooms I sliced, sauteed in butter, and devoured.  They had the taste and texture of lobster ... and much less expensive.  The basil I chopped and froze with olive oil to use later.

  With the colder weather, I'm keeping my toes warmer, running the thermostat a little lower to keep the bill down, and snuggling with the furkids on the sofa and in bed.  Now that my office has been moved upstairs, I think that it will be a much better winter for me and my toes.

   I did get some mums and Halloween decor put up, but not much.  This will be my first Halloween here, so I'm hoping for lots of little costumed trick-or-treaters to share photos of on Sunday.

   I'm also transitioning some of my plants from the kitchen window (coldest room in the house during the winter) to the office upstairs, and have been working on a mini signpost for my succulent garden.

   Healthwise ... I'm doing better.  I still need to get a new CT scan to check my lymph nodes before anyone says I'm cancer-free.  There were a few miscommunications on getting that done this month, but I'm claiming that by the end of the year I will be healthier than when I started the year, and cancer-free.

   I've made many new friends/family lately at church and with a creative artist group of people.  I'm so blessed by all of them.  I had signed up for a watercolor class before Mom passed with the intention of sending her the cards I made for Christmas, but instead just used the time to get out of my box and laugh.  November, however, will be some keeper projects including alcohol ink Christmas baubles, and another watercolor class.