Happy Birthday Dennis

Today is the birth date of Dennis, as everyone who follows this blog, will notice his picture in the top right of Grace's homepage. I have not spoke to Grace as of yet today, but thought she might want to take the day off and reflect. No Coyotes, fresh tomato plants or scorpions here in the Northeast, but we have snow and cold temperatures.

The holiday season is upon us and as look out my office window the people braving the outside here in Boston are scarce. My mall is in downtown Boston, and if you think it is stressful and difficult to be in malls during the Holiday Season, you should try going to one everyday. People are short tempered, stressed and as we go into the final week, beat up.

Copley Place is a  Luxury Mall with stores like, Neiman Marcus, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Christian Laboutin, Tiffany's and Burberry to name a few. We do not open up on Midnight on Black Friday we don't extend our hours past 9PM during December. We have many international travelers that come to the city and many are drawn to these stores. The mall is directly across the street from the subway / commuter rail station which brings us many thousands of people cutting through the length of the mall to work or many other final destination. We are attached to two large hotels, Marriott and Westin which generates foot traffic and customers.

Grace has large following from all over and I would like to invite anyone reading this to share any personal or national ways you celebrate the Holiday. Or even how individuals have their own traditions. Let us all take a positive look today and share..........until next time....Alan

I was tatting when it happened

A beautiful nip in the air this morning that will only last until this afternoon when we will feel temps in the mid 70s. All is well in the garden

This is ready for my salad tonight. I know, only one at a time, but that is okay...there are lots on the plant. No beans yet...but they look like a good crop coming. Let's not talk about the Alien Snail Vine...
It was a nice morning yesterday. I was sitting in the living room recliner tatting when all of a sudden...a sharp burning pain on the back of my neck. I touched it an jump with pain.

I looked  in the mirror and it was instantly bloody red. A short time passed when Glenda stopped by to get something and she looked and said ...you need to get it checked. So I went to the Urgent Care and saw a PA on staff. after a few questions she announced that it appears to be a bite....an insect bite. She could say it was not a mosquito or spider and thought it could be a scorpion. Not all scorpion bites cause extreme problems. Nothing to do but watch it. This morning is less of an area that is red and not as red as yesterday. It is less painful so I will just keep an eye on it.  Before you ask...yes I did search the area and the chair for signs of any bug but found nothing. My life is so exciting! But it is.....later as I s
at in the same chair tatting...I saw

yes, a coyote walking in front of my living room window...around 4:30 PM.

He scratched up the grass a bit and looked at me through the window before strolling by. I returned to my tatting which is coming along if I could only stay focused without distractions!
So, that was yesterday...I can only hope that today my only distractions are how to get the computer mouse working properly. I have tried so many things I am about to give up. Typing is a challenge when you can not find it on the screen. So, I will stop typing and enjoy my coffee and a piece of toast. Glad we had time to visit. Thank you for your kind words and you friendship. 

Problems with a mouse

Oh not the run around cause problems kind, although this mouse is causing me frustration at every move! I still have  this issue and tried everything . The setting are the same, the battery replaced and still it disappears and is not right.
Last evening the sis Lynowl called and we talked about my Skype fun with The Brother Alan...she said...I have Skype ----I said good we must try it...3 hours later.....yes we did Skype. Lot of fun and thank goodness we are sisters because neither of us was photo ready! Speaking of photos....

A package arrived yesterday.....it was from my niece Tonya..."just because" and this beautiful angel was broken. Tonya did bubble wrap and mark the box fragile, but remember it is the postal service we are dealing with. I sat and cried....fro her, not me.  I emailed her this picture. The angel is about 12 inches high and so pretty. I love her for the thought.
Laundry finished...only one today...the bedding. Already in/out of the shower and hope to sit and tat. The tree is lit and I will soon have Christmas music playing. I stepped into the garden...

The Snail Vine has become an Alien! It is rapidly reaching out everywhere...spreading now on the ground and has no desire to climb the arbor. I must get the step ladder later and convince it that it is in the best interest to follow the rules.
The Heirloom Beans are doing well

I probably should attach some garden twine and try to have them climb but...they are probably as defiant at the Alien Snail Vine. All in all the garden is holding it's own with little help from me. I did loose the Parsley and the Basil plants...but that is okay. One of these seasons I will get an herb garden to grow.
That about covers my day so far. I do need to have some breakfast soon.....maybe tea, toast and peanut butter. So nice to chat with you today. Thank you for the kind words and most of all your friendship. Just got to get this mouse to cooperate!

You read it first here

Of course it would be my fault...The Brother Alan has caught a cold...no, as he said my cold. That's right. When we Skyped the other night my cold transferred to him...think he has been out in the cold too much. But, the good news is that the Skype issue is resolved thanks to Honey who spent time to investigate and fix the problem. So, last night The Brother Alan and I were able to finally see, chat and all without the telephone. Guess I will have to look my best at all times in case someone Skypes me! This morning however, my mouse pointer arrow seems to be confused and gets lost and it is difficult to direct it! Never ending computer issues.
Some lovely mail arrived

This pretty card and pattern along with angel buttons is from June. A lovely message inside the card form her as well. Then this arrived

The card is from Debbie Burke with a pouch that is both knitted and crocheted. Perfect to hold some needlework accessories. The also arrived a box which will wait until Christmas to be opened. Thank you ladies for your thought gifts.
Some of my packages have arrived and a few are still in transit....but at least all will should arrive in time for Christmas. I did the laundry yesterday and today will be to check the yard. The monthly Pest Control will be here in this morning so I usually get the yard swept before they spray. Had my coffee so now I will get outside. Glad to chat with you today. Thank you for your kind words and for you friendship. Let's hope I can get this mouse to cooperate soon. Think it will help if I put a mousetrap on the desk?

At least we laughed

Early and dark morning here and chilly....in the 50s to start but as it did yesterday it will be warmer by afternoon, in the 70s. Socks on my feet this morning for sure.
My finally Post Office visit yesterday and a complaint. I mailed a large manila envelope to my niece Tonya...clearly addressed and guess what? It was delivered to me! It was never cancelled. So I brought it to the Post Office and told them to handle it and get it to Tonya. they were puzzled?! But mail did arrive from The Brother Alan and Lisa last week

Yes--- a Web Camera so we can Skype. Simple enough. Plug it into the computer and get account and settings and you are ready. Not so! Last night we decided to try it out. We could see one another but I could not hear him...yes, he heard me.

My goodness we had so many laughs....and we won't repeat some of the words out of Alan's mouth...I could understand  even if not hearing! Anyway, he finally called me via phone so we could chat. Now, I totally blamed his end of the set up for the missing volume.....probably something from my end! Tonight Honey (Keith) will stop by to check it out for me. While we chatted, he and Lisa opened the gift I sent as I told them they did not have to wait until Christmas unless they wished to. So it was fun and nice to see them open the box. Lisa bought a new dress and she even modeled it.She will be wearing it this weekend to a party...no matter what, we had fun....now if we can only fix this....
Today will be a quiet day here...laundry and hopefully a tatted snowflake! I will try a different pattern and I plan to succeed. I checked with my friend last night and the procedure went well....now to wait for results...so please continue to keep good thoughts. It has been nice chatting but the washing machine refuses to work without me. Thank you for your kind words and most of all your friendship. 

I think I am I think I am

Yes, it just may be that I am over this thing called The Common Cold! Let me tell you, it was not common to me. It is a week today that it began and just might be ending. About time because I still have a few things to do and today is the day I must get at least 2 items off the list.

Just outside the kitchen window is the tomato plant...almost ready and there will be a few to enjoy. Glad the plant is on the system or it would be gone by now. I have not venture into the yard all week. I did stroll out there yesterday and then spotted

The beans have flowers! Yes indeed, we will pick beans. There are plenty of these sweet blooms on the plants. These are also on the system! By the Spring a few more plants will be hooked up to the irrigation lines which will be helpful. So far all is well out there. The Snail Vine is a beautiful "weed" that just continues to spread everywhere since I have not been out there to tame it.
Yesterday I decided to try the Italian Herb Bread again

this time I substituted Italian Seasoning mix for the individual herbs and it does taste better. I had it toasted this morning with some butter. Will I make it again...not sure. I also used Light Olive Oil instead of Extra Virgin which gives it a milder taste. The best of course is just the regular simple breads.
Most of you know how much I love the coyote encounters. The sounds of them in the evening when they are out hunting to survive is quite the thing to listen to. The sight of them strolling into the courtyard or out on the street is nice. At all times I do remind myself that they need to survive and that is with the rabbits. Having said this....

last week I found this part of a bunny tail on the sidewalk. Now...please do not get upset...this is just a partial of the tail also the bunny still lives. Sad as it may seem, if the coyotes did not hunt them we would be overridden with the rabbits in the neighborhood. there are several large hutches just within our property. The bunnies get away more times than they are caught...they are very fast and get into the many underground homes quickly. A few of their homes are built under the Prickly Pear cacti and the coyotes just can not fight the spines. A Navajo women told me once that we must respect all creatures and not interfere. When I look up at my wall of Native art, there are pieces of fur from many animals incorporated into them. Using the fur tufts this way honors them. So this little tail tuft will find a place with my Native art in honor of the nature around me. So glad you visited with me today. Thank you for your kind words and most of all your friendship.
Today a friend, "Bobby" is having a medical procedure so I ask that you keep him in your thoughts for a positive outcome.