Late Summer Shadow

One Word Wednesday

FLYING

This past weekend

I love September.  The lengthening shadows and shortening days promise that fall and winter,  my favorite seasons, are on the way.  Here in very southern Southern California, late Summer and early Fall are typically the very hottest time of year and this year, so far, is no exception.  But, I still love this month.  It always feels like a new beginning to me.  Here are some views of September so far.

Clouds like this produced a lovely lightening show last night, far enough away that the thunder couldn't be heard.  (Sometimes having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom is a good thing!)

Granola.

A stocking cap knitted completely with leftover yarn.  We'll see how it turns out and whether or not anyone (besides Darby) is willing to wear it!

A lethal weapon.  Back in June, I bought a finial very much like this one in a little antique store in rural Virginia.  It never occurred to me that the TSA in Richmond, VA would consider it a lethal weapon and confiscate it.  I burst into tears when they took it away from me.  Of course, I had the option of going back to the ticket counter and arranging for it to be mailed to me, but even though we had an hour before our flight was to leave, I was too nervous about the long security lines to take the chance of missing our flight.  When I visited Erika last month, we went back to the shop and bought this one and I checked my bag this time.

Tongues -- The Brother and Sister Edition

Bailey

Pumpkin

If all goes well with our plans to move to Virginia in two years, Bailey and Pumpkin will meet each other again when they are about 5 years old.  It will be fun to see if they remember each other and if they still like to play rough and tumble like they did when they were pups. 

Oh! If only the world could take a lesson from them!

If only the world could take a lesson from the two other species who live in this house with us! 

 Natural enemies who never completely let down their guard, 

 but, still find a way to peacefully coexist.

 And we think we're smarter than they are!

(It's hard to tell from these grainy iPhone photos, but Pumpkin is grooming Harry -- licking first his paws, then his ears.)

Here and there

After nearly two weeks away from home, I flew back to San Diego on Sunday morning.  It was hard to leave Erika and her crew (husband, two dogs, 16 baby chickens, and an unknown number of black rat snakes) but it is so good to be home with my crew (husband, one cat, two dogs and no known snakes.)  Here are some photos of here and there.  Or rather, there and here. 

There: spinning on Erika's front porch on the wheel Christian found for her on Craigslist.

Here: knitting fingerless mitts with the newly-spun yarn to keep my hands warm when I help Erika with her chicken duties on our next visit this Christmas.

There: 40 inch wide section of a huge fallen tree that a sawyer with a portable mill is slowly reducing to fence posts and boards.

Here:  My one souvenir from this trip there. 

There:  View

Here: View

Here: Blurry photo of my girls.