Things That go "Snort" in the Night...

My dog snores. Snorts. Sometimes so loudly that she wakes herself up. It's amusing in a way, but when her own DAUGHTER leaves the room in a huff, you gotta wonder...

It was really funny last night. I couldn't figure out if she was having a dream OR snoring, or perhaps having a dream AND snorting. 

Either way, she eventually woke herself up and toddled out to the living room. 

If reincarnation really does exist, as many people believe... I want to come back as my dogs.

Therapy Gig...

Today is another Tuesdays with Tippi day, and for this festive season, she's dressing as a witch. This is an "extra" since October has 5 Tuesdays. Normally, we go the first and third Tuesdays, but I figured this special one was worth it. 

Lucky for us, the rain is holding off. Tomorrow is supposed to be a "buckety" kind of day, and Madame does not get wet. She's very grumpy when wet. Not to mention sorta smelly...

Yarns...

She's still enjoying it, so we keep doing it. She's not exactly jazzed at the costumes, but she gets salmon treats. It's all in how you look at it, right?

Yarn...

So, yarn pics as promised. And the lovely bag from LMR Knittery. Love the quote on it, "Get they to a knittery." Shakespeare made a bunch of references to knitting anyway, so this is just catchy.

Top to bottom: Madelaine Tosh sock weight, specially dyed for Le Mouton Rouge Knittery; Opal sock; Cascade Paints. The MadTosh specialty dye even impressed Hubby. I know this one and the Cascade Paints look similar, but they're destined for two different things. MadTosh is going for a lovely cowl. I haven't figured out where the Paints is going, but I will. 

Knittery Bag

And of course, the Opal will be socks. Pretty basic ones, though, because the yarn speaks for itself, and often, knitting can get in the way of what you're doing. I mean, yes, I could do a lacy leaf-ish pattern. I actually have that pattern. But then, I could also do a Simple Sock and the yarn would shine. All in what you're aiming for, and I think that sometimes "brainless" is better. For both the knitter AND the yarn.

The Fluffy Scarf project is temporarily stalled while I work on the assembly of the Charity Afghan. That's rolling along nicely. I have 15 squares done, 9 more to go. That includes on-the-fly filler of single crochet, and then a border. 

Good thing my family stopped procreating. I can knit on other stuff. But I'm still holding onto the idea of starting a sweater for myself really, REALLY soon. Maybe in that lovely merino + silk in that pretty lilac color. 

Politics...

So now Mr. Graham is having his own hissy fit. Lordy, Lordy - what's up with these Bible Belt Conservatives? Is "Benghazi" the new "Nazi" word?? Love Rocky Mountain Mike's take on it here. Of course, anyone who can parody so quickly is a total genius. 

Clinton nails it. Do y'all remember Medicare Part D? Yes. Do you remember the pillorying that the Democrats gave the Republicans when the computers crashed during Part D's implementation?

Of course not. Because there wasn't any. Look, Democrats are hardly squeaky-clean. But in the case of Medicare Part D, they just rolled up their sleeves and got the thing rolling, without so much drama as we see today. 

I mean, my God. You'd think that the ACA was the ONLY social program to have ever had a computer problem. Darrell (Witch-Hunt) Issa is now calling for Secretary Sebelius' head. 

Grant you, I'm thinking they should've done more testing prior. And used an American developer. Right-on there. But obviously, nobody in the Republican party will ever admit to having been through a roll-out of a software program that has galumphed right into massive potholes. I don't like it, but it's fixable. Without throwing anyone under the bus. 

Fall...

Back yard tree, late afternoon

So the cold snap everyone was complaining about here? Lookee... This is what happens. Our back yard tree is coming into its color finally, and the front yard one is also moving right along. The back yard tree is a Norwegian Maple. And the front yard is what's called a "Lipstick Red" color when it's all decked out. It's a Flame Maple, I think. All I know is that, when they're in full color, our house in the middle of the block is actually visible at either END of the block because of the brightness of the trees. 

Yoga...

So I got hurt in Therapeutic Yoga training! Well, not hurt badly. Just yanked around a bit. I was having an adjustment in Ardha Candrasana II involving a strap at my standing leg's hip crease and ending on my raised leg's foot. As I opened up, the instructor increased the traction, which felt really good. 

Till I got in the car to drive home. By the time I reached my driveway, in a relatively swift drive of about 45 minutes, I was not happy. It's eased up now. 

I have the 3-day Sanskrit training this coming weekend, so by that time, I ought to be pain-free. It was a little interesting teaching my Monday night beginners, but I told them I got hurt, and used it as a teaching moment to underscore the fact that yoga is a great thing, but as with anything involving the physical body, you have to be aware of your own self. 

Fall Sky

Random Picture...

The other day, the sky looked so lovely outside my office. I took a picture of it. I love the "painting" of the clouds on the blue sky. I often bemoan the fact that there aren't a lot of trees in the area of my building, so the parking lot can get really hot. But on the other hand, I have such a lovely view of the sky. 

Trade-offs. I'll take the sky. I love the way I can see incoming storms, the "Michigan Mountains" (storm clouds building over Lake Michigan), all the air activity because we're so close to the airport without it being obnoxious, and all the birds. We have owls, hawks, geese, crows...Just a great area to remember that along with the humans and "civilization" we also have a good chunk of Mother Nature here. I couldn't work or function in a concrete jungle.

Food...

This is my new favorite salad blend. It's just a treat in a salad raw, and then you can also saute it or use it in smoothies. 

Great salad mix!

And as you are all aware, of course, you still have to wash it, even though it says "triple washed." Don't believe them. Wash it anyway.

And if you're eating it cold, use a basic vinaigrette dressing. It'll help to soften up the chard and kale. While baby kale won't knock you across the room, it's still best with O & V and not a creamy dressing. 

I would also use this in addition to a regular lettuce blend, just to share with people who "don't eat greens." Because the flavors are that subtle and enjoyable. 

I'm glad I decided to try this. I've never eaten chard and I always wondered.