We Interrupt(ed) This Blog...

...for a wicked virus involving feverish delirium, muscle weakness, and much bronchial tumult, followed by Thanksgiving, a return to work on Bookish Friday (the day after T'giving,) a restorative outing to see our favorite bar band, and now, frantic rearrangement of junk so that the basement windows can be replaced today. My apologies to faithful readers. Both of you. Until something more interesting happens (soon, I promise,) here are two happy orange things that buoyed my spirits while I was sick: my new little Nertera (also known as coral-bead or pincushion plant,) and some of the prize-winning peach jam that's handmade in Vermont every year by my friend Kathy.

Yes, I Do Cook Sometimes

The cold autumn rain kept us indoors this Saturday, and I baked up a storm. Brownies and oatmeal raisin cookies and apricot-blackberry-oatmeal bars. I don't know what came over me!

Here's the oatmeal thing, which is supposed to be cut into bars, but all I had clean was a round pan, because of the aforementioned brownies. (Where is my other square pan?!) I plan to pop this in the freezer before I think of a reason to eat it. The brownies and cookies? Took them to a party. My willpower goes untested today.

The Princess and The Pea, 21st Century Style

Okay, there's a dead pixel on my monitor. One dead pixel. One.
And it is
Driving.
Me.
Crazy.

Colorful Cauli

We took a leisurely drive out to the North Fork this past Sunday, and came back loaded down with wine, fruit pies, old Cheddar cheese, and some outstanding produce, like this beautiful purple cauliflower. It looked so dramatic against the black tile in the kitchen, I photographed it for posterity, just before DH chopped it into salad.

Talk To The Tail!

I scolded this guy for scarfing up the birds' breadcrumbs this morning. He took issue with that. You talkin' to ME?!

I don't see anysquirrel else here, so you must be talkin' to me.

But man, I ain't got time to waste talkin' to you. I'm out.

Isn't Something Going On Today?

It didn't look like anything special was going on when we voted this morning at the Lonely Little Polling Place, our local firehouse, shown above. That's what it looked like at 9 a.m. on Election Day, while elsewhere, (like at Queens' Central Library, also a polling place,) the lines stretched for a block or more at the same hour.