october lake

It is so pretty in the woods in the fall. 

The drive up was spectacular too.  As we made our way through the St. Croix River Valley I commented to Kari what a spectacular sight it was in the afternoon sun.  The sky was bright blue, the river dark indigo, and the trees all golden, orange, and red.

Here's our next door swamp, where all the peepers create racket in spring, now quiet.

 The sun and the light were so perfect late in the afternoon.

  I love this in the fall when the docks are out and the water is the color of bottle glass.

 The water was sparkling clear, could see fish swimming, and it made me incredibly lonesome for Sam.  I am fond of Elin and find her easy to indulge and be friends with, but she's a kid, a young squirrel.

I miss my real dog.

I've felt this feeling before, when Jenny and Maria died in that fire when we boarded them at the kennel, back some 25 years ago.  Spooner was a first rate dog, but that summer he was an asshole, sorry to say, damned fool puppy.

I had a broken wrist and morning sickness, and I missed my real dogs so much.

 No disrespect to Elin.  She's patient and good.  I didn't bring her kennel up today, no room. But now she's sleeping on an old quilt in the spot we normally place her kennel.  She was on the bed here with me, but got too hot.  I opened the window.

 Oh, this mess.  Jay's brother's wife Barb, gave this boat to Little Jay, a gift from her father.

It's Little Jay's boat.  And it is doggone sunk.

Tomorrow. 

We'll bail it out and raise it up and at some point it'll be stored upside down back in the field.

 Renee? This huge awesomely weird mushroom?  I took a picture of it just for you.

 As I returned from the lake to the back yard, the light was still absolutely gorgeous.

 She's appealing the dead battery situation on the fake leaf blower.

Again, a problem for tomorrow.

 Those big brown eyes are something else, and the eyelashes too.

 Yes, that's an actual bike helmet worn by an actual human child, while they play around, trying to kill themselves with a large sewer pipe.

Get it away from all things you could roll off of and hit your damned heads.

Sigh.

 Later we played many hands of Apples to Apples, at p.j's request.  These stupid, weird beetles are so annoying.

 Last year p.j. asked me if they were angry.

Sweet Jesus, I have no idea.

Kari ventured, "Yeah, it's so hard to discern the emotions of a beetle."

Angry? 

Nah.

They seem to be huddling for warmth or community, but I still hate them crawling into the corners of our ceilings, blech.

Back to Apples to Apples.

Part of the problem is that our version of the game is becoming dated. The pop culture references require a memory some of these kids don't have. Like I hope their social studies classes have informed them of the difference between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

John Lennon is different from John Philip Souza.  That's the main problem with our old Family Feud game--all 90s cultural references. The little kids are so lost.

 Her and me. Not sure who took this picture.

 And just her.

It was a fine and lovely Thursday, which turned into Friday exactly 14 minutes ago.

Love, Val