Halloween Decorations On Thursday

 

Halloween Decorations

Dancer decided he was a Halloween decoration, too!  LOL.  I sewed the table runner (the matching cushion covers are on the cushions on another sofa) and the mug was a gift from my sister to my daughter when she was about 3 or 4 years old.

On Thursday, I slept in.  I woke up once around 6:30 a.m. (after going to bed around 2:30 a.m.), went back to sleep, and got up at 9:30 a.m.  

Halloween Decorations in the Family Room

The trick or treat bucket in the family room was bought when daughter was 5 years old and she forgot her pumpkin treat bucket at home when we drove to her piano teacher's house to trick-or-treat.  I stopped at a grocery store and picked up this bucket for $1 or so.  The scarecrow is something my mother bought for my daughter who was probably 5 or 6 at the time.  

Here's the pumpkin bucket we bought for daughter for her 1st Halloween:

Jack-O-Lantern Bucket and Kyo (an Anime Character)

It was a sunny day with a high of 80F.  I walked for 20 minutes in the late afternoon.  I have not managed to walk twice a day, yet, but, that is a goal.  I weighed myself today; I have not gained or lost anything, but, I'm happy I've maintained my new weight.  

The Matching Cushion Covers
(the sofa seats are covered with old bedsheets to keep Dancer 's fur off)

This year, I propped the wreath on the mantelpiece; the scarecrow in the middle of the wreath was bought by my mother at the same time as the scarecrow pick shown in the second picture.

Halloween Wreath

Daughter and I had cold cuts sandwiches for brunch.  Dinner will be leftovers; rice and chicken curry, most probably, with dhal, etc.

The autumn display was moved to the dining table and will probably be there until I decorate for Thanksgiving.

On Thursday, I am grateful for:

- Being able to sleep in
- Another sunny and warm day
- Walking for 20 minutes
- Halloween decorations with memories attached
- Daughter being home with me

Today's joyful activity was spending time in the garden, in the sunshine.

How was your Thursday?  Do you decorate for Halloween?  If so, have you decorated yet?
- 

The Virtual House Inspection on Wednesday

 

Mirabilis (Four-o-Clocks)

I woke up fairly early for me  on Wednesday.  I was expecting a call from the dentist's office about rescheduling my appointment, but, they didn't call and I called and left a message, later.

I was also anxious about the afternoon's virtual house inspection.  So, after morning prayers, I picked more flowers for the altar and mantlepiece, cleaned both bathrooms,  made up the beds with my quilts, had daughter upload the app I was required to use for the virtual inspection, and had her print out a couple of documents for me, just in case they were needed (they weren't).  

Shortly after 1:00 p.m., the phone rang and it was the inspector.  Daughter was on her lunch break, so she was able to help me.  Basically, the inspector wanted us to walk through the house and take pictures of certain rooms and areas - the kitchen, the bathrooms, the water heater, the garage (exterior and interior), and the exterior of the house.  It probably took all of 10 minutes, if that.  The main purpose for the inspection was for them to get an idea of replacement costs in today's economy.

We asked what the next step would be and the inspector said that she will forward the pictures to the underwriter and assuming everything was fine, I would receive the usual notification of insurance renewal (and bill).  If there is anything missing or any repairs need to be done before they can offer a renewal, then, the underwriter will contact me by phone or letter.  

After that call ended, I felt quite worn out!  Daughter went back to work and I rested.  

Later in the afternoon, the dermatology pharmacy delivered the medication refills I had requested and gardener friend M arrived to tend to the garden.  

Still later, I walked for about 15 minutes and then, decorated the house for Halloween, because daughter was looking forward to the Halloween decorations.  I don't have a lot of Halloween decorations, but, I spread them around the house.  I didn't remember to take pictures, but, I'll do that another day.  

Later in the evening, friend R called and I chatted with her for a bit.  And I got caught up on several blogs.

Brunch was toast with peanut butter and bananas.  For dinner, I baked a frozen pot pie for myself and cooked some frozen green peas and some carrots; daughter had leftover rice and pork chops with the green peas and carrots.  

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- Daughter's help with the whole inspection process
- The inspection seemed to go fairly smoothly
- Medication refills being delivered
- M's help with the garden
- A clean, tidy, and decorated house!

Wednesday's joyful activity was decorating for Halloween.

No big plans for Thursday.  I expect to hear from the dental office, I plan to cook some chicken I bought earlier in the week,, and maybe do a load of laundry.  

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans, if any, for Thursday?

More Four-o-clocks

October Meal Planning: Week 1 Review and Week 2 Options

Milk Rice with Lunu Miris (left)
 and Seeni Sambol (right)

These were my meal planning options for October Week 1 (which included the last two days of September, as well):

October Meal Plan Options: Week 1

Brunches:  Leftovers (lots of bits and pieces from which to choose)✓, milkrice and seeni sambol/jaggery/sugar (Wednesday; October 1)✓; cold cuts sandwiches✓; cereal and milk✓

Dinners: Rice and chicken curry and vegetables✓; pasta with ground turkey✓;  ground turkey "cottage pie"; pork chops with rice✓/pasta/potatoes and vegetables, if I manage to make it to the Tuesday only sale at the Armenian store (pork chops are on sale again for $1.99/lb.), or something else!

Snacks/Desserts:  Fresh fruit,✓ granola bars, cereal✓, crackers✓, Sri Lankan sweets and snacks✓!

The big question was, will I stick to the meal plan or go off of it, again?  

And here's the answer to that:

Monday:

Brunch:  Assorted leftovers

Dinner:  Ground turkey cooked with onions, a grated carrot, a cubed potato, some cut up snowpea pods, tomatoes, and seasonings, with pasta.

Snacks/Desserts:  Sri Lankan sweets, the last of the milk bread, etc.

Tuesday:

Brunch:  Toasted half a bagel each
Dinner: "Burrito" with a warmed up tortilla, ground turkey mixture, fresh corn, avocado, and lettuce (daughter) followed by pasta with ground turkey mixture

Snacks/Desserts:  Sri Lankan sweets and murukku snack mix, strawberries

Wednesday:

Brunch:  Milkrice with seeni sambol and lunu miris (me); with sugar (daughter); and M who was tending to the garden had his milkrice with lunu miris.

Dinner:  Rice, chicken curry, sauteed curried okra (from the garden), tomato chutney, cashew curry

Snacks/Desserts:  Asian pears, Sri Lankan sweets, Lemon Puff cookies (me); ginger biscuits (daughter); cereal with milk (me)

Thursday:

Brunch:  Milkrice with chicken curry (me); with seeni sambol (daughter)

Dinner: Leftover biriyani rice and chicken (me); rice and chicken curry with okra (daughter)

Snacks/Desserts:  Sri Lankan sweets and snack mixes; Lemon Puff cookies (me), Strawberries

Friday:

Brunch:  Piece of chicken curry and a frozen meal (Teriyaki chicken and pineapple with rice) (daughter); I didn't eat brunch

Dinner:  Pasta with the last of the ground turkey mixture

Snacks/Desserts:  Strawberries, Sri Lankan sweets and snack mixture

Saturday:

Brunch:  Turkey cold cuts sandwiches, chips, flavored water

Dinner:  Hamburgers and fries, 

Snacks/Desserts:  Asian pears, ice cream cones

Sunday:

Brunch:  Toast and peach jam (me); bagel sandwich with cold cuts, avocado, etc. (daughter)

Dinner:  Rice and pork chops (I did buy the pork chops on Tuesday; I bought 8 pork chops, sauteed them all with onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, etc., to eat over the up-coming week)

Snacks/Desserts:  Kalu dodol (a traditional Sri Lankan sweet made with coconut milk, rice flour, and jaggery); murukku snack mix

I think, all in all, it was a fairly good week of following the meal plan, more or less.  

On to October Week 2 Options:

Brunches:  Scrambled eggs (with lunu miris), bacon, toast, orange juice; Uppuma (Indian style cream of wheat/semolina, cooked with curry leaves, dried red chilies, roasted peanuts, etc.);  Toast with peanut butter and bananas; Cold cuts sandwiches, Pancakes or Waffles with bacon and syrup/blueberry compote; leftovers from dinners

Dinners:  Rice, chicken curry, dhal curry, ala thel dala (spicy sauteed potatoes), okra, cucumber salad, tomato chutney (Monday's dinner). Pork chops with rice or potatoes, and vegetables, Mac & Cheese with tuna and salad, Leftovers

Snacks/Desserts:  Fruit, Sri Lankan sweets and snacks, maybe another bread pudding?

Monday Brunch

Monday:

Brunch:  Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast  

Dinner:  Rice, chicken curry, dhal, spicy sauteed potatoes, cucumber salad, tomato chutney

Snacks/Desserts:  Sri Lankan sweets and snacks; bananas

Tuesday:

Brunch:  Uppuma (Indian style cream of wheat/semolina)

Dinner:  Leftovers - rice, chicken curry, dhal, spicy sauteed potatoes, okra, cucumber salad, chutney

Snacks/Desserts:  Sri Lankan sweets and snack mix; bananas

Uppuma

Are you meal planning, too?  If so, are you keeping to the meal plan?  Or, do you allow some flexibility when you plan?

On Sunday and Monday

Okra Flower and Okra Pod

On Sunday, I woke up with a sinus headache - too much fresh air and sun at the beach, I guess?  Or, maybe I was dehydrated.  Eventually, the headache went away, after a cup of tea and a light brunch of toast and jam (daughter had a bagel sandwich).  However, later in the evening, I had a touch of vertigo, which was not fun.

Sunday afternoon, my daughter turned into a whirlwind of tidying, clearing surfaces and putting stuff away, including the last of her kitchenware she had brought down, some of my paperwork that I had allowed to pile up, and reorganizing things!  She moved a stack of plastic drawers that I had in the family room (which no longer fitted into the space I had it in after the new shelving unit was set up) into my bedroom.  We pushed my bed and the night stand a bit over to make room for it and it fits in very nicely in that space, between the night stand and my closet door.  She moved another stack of plastic drawers that she had brought down with her into my bathroom for extra household supplies.  I have yet to fill those drawers, but, extra storage in the bathroom will be very useful.

It took her a little over 2 hours, but, she had the whole house tidied, much to my amazement.  It would have taken me days to do what she did in a matter of hours!  The impetus for this round of tidying and organizing is the upcoming virtual home inspection for insurance renewal.  We want the house to look tidy!  

She broke down several cardboard boxes in which cat food and various other items had arrived and I took them all to the recycling bin.  There were several brown grocery bags and another couple of boxes filled with various papers and other items to be recycled, too, and I filled the recycling bin with them and the broken down boxes.  The bin will be emptied on Tuesday morning when the trash and recycling will be collected.

I still need to do my bit and tidy up my desk and the side table near my sofa, and vacuum, but, the house looks much better after daughter tidied it.

I ordered more groceries and picked up the items in the afternoon, did a load of laundry in the evening and walked for 20 minutes.  We had rice and pork chops for dinner and a Sri Lankan sweet called kalu dodol for dessert.  

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- Daughter tidying the house
- Being able to order and pick up groceries
- A sunny day with a high of 80F
- Working appliances
- My headache and vertigo went away after a while

Sunday's joyful activity was filling the recycling bin!  

On Monday, I felt fine; no headache and no vertigo.  I slept in a little bit, then, I washed my hair, paid three bills that were coming due, folded and put away a load of laundry from Sunday, did another load of laundry, spread three bags of shredded papers in one of the garden beds to act as mulch, walked for 20 minutes, watered the back garden and the houseplants, and took the trash and recycling bins to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning.   I did most of the tasks on my to do list and felt very good about it and my time management. 

I made us scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for brunch and cooked a dhal curry and spicy sauteed potatoes and made a cucumber salad for dinner, to go with leftover rice and chicken curry.  I will post my meal plan tomorrow.

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- Feeling well, again
- Getting the majority of my to do list done
-  Being able to fit, once again, into the last dress my mother sewed for me (I held onto it even when it was too tight because it was one of the last dresses my mother made for me)
- Another sunny and warm day
- Water for the garden

Monday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden.

Lantana Flowers

Plans for Tuesday include tidying my bedroom, doing another load of laundry, and vacuuming the house.   

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for the week?

Dancer's New Box

Dancer Claims a New Box

Two large bags of kibble were delivered earlier in the week and we opened one bag for immediate use and stored the other bag in the spare bedroom.  That left an empty box and it didn't take long for Dancer to claim it as his new box!

"Nothing hiding in this corner"

"I do wonder what happened to the kibble that was here"

"I wonder if this box will suit me?"

"Yes, it seems to fit me"

"If I tuck my paws it, I can lie down"

"Time for a catnap, zzzzz"

We left the box out for a couple of days for him to enjoy, but, daughter broke it down on Sunday.  More about Sunday in another post.

A Lovely Outing on Saturday

 

Sand Dunes

On Saturday, my daughter and I went to the beach with one of her friends (my late friend A's younger daughter).

The original plan had been for daughter to go with her friend and the friend's friend.  I was to drop daughter off at her friend's place and her friend would give her a ride back.  But, plans changed as the other girl couldn't make it, after all, and I asked if I could tag along because I have been longing to go to the beach!  In fact, it was on my wish list of "7 before 70".

Surf

I love the ocean, but, the last time I had gone to the beach was when daughter was in high school!  The nearest beach is not that far from where I live, about an hour's drive away, but, going there seemed to be a lot of trouble and that beach tends to be rather crowded. 

More Surf

The first beach we went to didn't allow dogs and my daughter's friend had her little dog with her.  Plus, it looked rather crowded.  So, she drove to another beach and dogs were allowed there and it was not at all crowded.  There were a few people, but, no one within 20 feet of us and I felt comfortable enough to not wear my mask.

I took way too many pictures of the ocean!

It was a lovely, sunny day, with a high of 68F at the beach, which was quite comfortable.  Perfect fall weather.

Mountains in the Distance

We had brought some water and granola bars with us, but, daughter's friend made a stop at a nearby grocery store and picked up turkey sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a couple of bottles of flavored water to share.  So we lunched at the beach and spent a couple of hours there, walking along the beach and enjoying the sunshine, the sounds of the waves, and watching the sail boats and birds.

A Sail Boat on the Horizon

I took my library book to read while I was there, but, I only read a few pages as I preferred to just sit and enjoy being there.

Pelicans

There were seagulls, too, but, I was more interested in the pelicans.   This was the best my cell phone camera could do.  

More Pelicans

Eventually, we left and drove back to daughter's friend's place where I had left my car.  Then, daughter and I drove home, picking up some hamburgers, fries, and two ice cream cones on the way.  What's a visit to the beach without an ice cream cone?  

After we got home, daughter took a nap.  I did a load of laundry and relaxed.  It had been a lovely day and I was grateful for:

- Being able to take a trip to the beach

- My late friend A's daughter for taking daughter and me to the beach
- A safe drive there and back
- Perfect weather for a fall day at the beach

- Time to relax 

My joyful activity for the day was spending time at the beach!

Starting October

 

A Fall Arrangement: Home Grown Squash

Daughter and I put together a fall arrangement with home grown squash, a table runner my mother crocheted, a brass platter I had, a white lantern that my daughter received (with a floral arrangement inside) when she was a bridesmaid at her friend's wedding, and some fabric fall leaves she had bought for a craft project.   We used what we had on hand, so it was a frugal decoration and frugal fun.  It was also one of the activities on my list of Fall Joyful Activities.

On Wednesday, October 1, I greeted the new month with fresh flowers for the altars and the mantelpiece (I picked some of the sprigs of bougainvillea that were coming over the wall from my neighbor's garden) and milkrice.  I almost burnt the milkrice because I left it on the stove while chatting with M who had come to tend to the garden, but, I managed to save it before it scorched and M was able to enjoy a bowl of milkrice, along with my daughter and I.

M mentioned that he wanted to buy a table cloth for his patio table.  I had a table cloth that my mother had sewn (she bought the fabric and hemmed it) which is too small for the two tables I currently have and which I had been thinking of donating.  I offered it to M and he accepted it.  So, I managed to declutter one item on the first of the month.  

In the evening, I ordered and picked up a few groceries as daughter's coffee was on sale and we needed half and half.  The coffee was on a buy 5 or more and get $1 off each sale, but, I got a text stating that two of the coffee we wanted were not available and I was not offered a substitute, so, I didn't get the multi-buy deal, after all.

I also restarted my daily walks, which I hadn't been doing on a regular basis, lately, walking for 15 minutes up and down the driveway and on the sidewalk in front of my house.

On Thursday, I spent a rather relaxed day.  I celebrated 10 years of being a cancer survivor (thank you, everyone, for your kind comments on that post), called one of my cousins for a quick chat, and walked for 20 minutes.  My goal is to walk for 30 minutes a day, either in two 15 minutes sessions or one 30 minutes session.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but, I am trying to accommodate my various joint aches and pains.

In the evening, my daughter finished her first pass of the spare bedroom and sorted and organized things for me.  We plan to do a second round, later, but, the kitchen is the next room on her agenda.  Since she'd doing all the work, I'm going with her schedule.    She decluttered several more items and we have another pile of donations for pick up.

Today, Friday, I called the charity I have been donating to, lately, and scheduled another pick up for Monday, October 13.  I should easily have 15 bags or boxes of donations ready to go on that day.  

I made a couple of other calls that were on my "to do" list, and then, my cousin called and we chatted a bit more.  

Later in the evening, M came to tend to the garden.  He watered and tidied up the place and I picked the remaining moringa pods.  

Moringa Pods Hanging on the Tree

Today, I managed to walk for 25 minutes.  

As I start the month of October, I am grateful for:

- Cooler days (daytime highs in the upper 70s and low 80s; nighttime temperatures in the low 60s)

- Being relatively well and alive
- Daughter's help with getting the house decluttered and organized
- M's help with the garden

- Friends (including blog friends) and family

Joyful activities have included putting together a fall ornament, gardening, and blogging.

Plans for Saturday include an outing with my daughter and one of her friends.  I'm looking forward to it.

How was your week?  Any plans for the weekend?

Thriving in September

 

Rain Lilies (Zephyranthes candida)

My goal this year is to thrive each month.  To that end, here's my review of September: 

Spiritual:

In September, my spirituality included daily prayers and meditations.  I consider this part of my life to be thriving.

Daughter:

In September, we found out that daughter will continue to have a job; she has been reassigned to a different project that is funded with non-federal grants.  We are very thankful as it means she will be able to receive employer paid health insurance and other benefits.  

Daughter has been decluttering, not only her room, but, also, the spare bedroom which contains some of her stuff that I have stored for her as well as some of my stuff (paperwork/files, fabric and craft supplies) plus some household items (extra rolls of paper towels and toilet paper, etc.)  She says the kitchen will be next.  We are still in the process of merging our household items.  

I can honestly say that my relationship with my daughter is thriving.

Health & Well Being:

In September, I had an appointment with a dermatologist and was diagnosed with stress-induced psoriasis and prescribed some ointments/creams and shampoo, which have been working very well.  I also had an appointment with the prosthodontist that my dentist referred me to.  It was mostly an initial consultation and I have a follow up appointment scheduled for mid-October.  

My sleep schedule is still completely turned around and I seem to tire really quickly, but, I feel that I made some progress where my health was concerned, in September. 

Family, Friends, & Community:

Social interactions in September consisted mostly of phone calls, emails, and texts with family and friends.  I did receive a visit from my friend S who returned the Sri Lankan decorative items I had lent her for her friend's display and brought me some delicious food for dinner.  In return, I gave her a bag of freshly picked moringa pods and leaves and curry leaves.

Plus, of course, the twice weekly visits with M, my gardener friend, who has been tending to my garden for over 32 years.  We always chat a bit before he starts watering the garden, and I often share some treats with him.

We also ordered food to go from several local restaurants and shopped at a few local shops and I am counting that as supporting my local community.  

I'm pleased with the amount of interaction with my family, friends, and community, in September.

Finances:

I was able to keep my finances maintained in September.  I stayed under budget when it came to regular groceries and then, I spent the rest of the grocery budget, and more, at the Sri Lankan store where I stocked up on my favorite tea, bought a couple of items for the almsgiving, ingredients for Love Cake to be made at Christmas, some groceries, condiments, spices, and treats.  Everything had increased in price due to tariffs, but, I was grateful that the items were available.  Some people go on vacations and cruises; I go to the Sri Lankan store and the restaurant!  LOL.  

There were other expenses, too, but, I budget carefully in order to meet those expenses when they occur.

I think I am managing well where finances are concerned.  

Time Management:

I felt that I was not making much progress with my time management in September.  I still got things done, but, I procrastinated getting started on them.  As a result, I often felt I was behind and stressed because I didn't have time to do everything I wanted to do and let some things fall by the wayside as a result.  Time management is definitely a work in progress and I don't think I thrived as much as I could have where managing my time was concerned.  

Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:

In September, leisure/hobbies/crafting activities consisted of blogging, reading, gardening, watching videos and playing games online, some sewing (mostly mending, but, it is something I enjoy doing), and participating in September's monthly photo challenge.  I would have liked to have done more crafting, this month (I really didn't do any), but, I did have plenty of leisure time and I am going to say that I thrived in this area of my life.

House:

In September, daughter and I (mostly daughter) continued with decluttering our possessions.   She decluttered a lot of her old clothes, dance and Halloween costumes, books and plush toys, and I decluttered a few household items and some clothes.  I called and scheduled a donations pick up and 15 large trash bags of donations (the maximum they would pick up at one time) were collected in the 3rd week of September.  Since then, daughter has decluttered more and I need to call and schedule another pick up of donations.

I had received a letter from my home insurance company stating that they needed to do an inspection of my house prior to renewing my home insurance.  It took me some time to schedule that due to the fact that the phone numbers I had been given to call and schedule the inspection were no longer valid and the agent who had sent me the letter with his contact information was no longer working there and his voicemail didn't indicate that.  Eventually, I managed to call and schedule an inspection, which will take place next week.  Hopefully, that inspection (a virtual one) will go well.  

In general, we are still working on merging our belongings, but, the house is being maintained.  I think I'm making good progress in this area of my life.

Garden:

The garden continued to thrive in September.  I picked the last of the Asian pears and some of the butternut squash.  The okra plants and the moringa tree are still producing well.  M continues to tend to the garden and now, my daughter is eager to start growing some vegetables of her own.  We are making plans for the cool weather plants, such as chard and peas, we want to grow, next.

Over all, September was a good month.  There is room for improvement, as always, but, for the most part, I can say that I thrived to the extent that I could.

I'm looking forward to thriving in October.

October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month/Ten Years Ago

Breast Cancer Awareness/Mountain Climbing Quilt

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  

This was my post from 10 years ago, on October 2, 2015:

"Home after surgery. Feeling fine. Good pain meds., I guess.  :)  We'll know more abt. results next week. This typing with left hand only is slow. Thank you all for prayers and kind thoughts. I feel so blessed and am so grateful. p.s. Right side is perkier than the left now!!   :o    ;)   :D"

Ten years ago, I went for what was supposed to have been a routine mammogram.  It led to a diagnosis of stage 2 breast cancer and a lumpectomy which was performed on October 2, 2015.  

Today, I am still taking oral hormone therapy as a treatment and to, hopefully, prevent the cancer for recurring.

One of my dear friends, who also reads this blog, told me to envision my cancer treatments as climbing a mountain, which inspired me to make a quilt, which is pictured above.  You can read the post about the quilt, here, if you like.

Today, as I rejoice in the fact that I am still in remission and still alive, ten years after my surgery, I am very keenly aware of ongoing debates about cancer screenings and women's health.  I am not going into politics here, but, I am one example of a woman for whom having access to regular medical care, cancer screenings, and treatments, made a difference and it made a difference in my daughter's life, too.  

Many of my readers have been there through this process with me and your prayers, positive thoughts, encouragement, kindness, and empathy have helped along the way and I thank each and every one of you for being there for me and my daughter.

Today, I feel blessed and I am grateful for:

- Being alive
- Access to health care and treatments
- Medical insurance to help cover the costs
- Skilled medical personnel, including doctors, surgeons, nurses, technicians, and support staff
- Medicines 

Today's joyful activity is being alive.  

Monthly Photo Challenge - September: Blue

Blue is the theme for September's monthly photo challenge, hosted by Eileen at A Bracelet of Days.

These are my finds for this theme:

Plumbago Flowers

Blue Skies

A Blue Car

Blue Plush Toy

Recycling Bin

Asiatic Dayflowers Commelina communis

I thought I would be able to take more photographs of blue objects, but, these were all I took.  I hope to do better in October.  Thank you for hosting the monthly photo challenge, Eileen.  I wonder what October's theme will be?