Akannie’s Weblog

An exciting time in history to be voting and living in the USA. For the first time, a black man is running for the highest seat in the country and it’s looking like a very good chance we will win.  I’m getting ready to go vote as soon as I finish this.  I am hoping this landmark vote will change the direction this country has gone in the past 8 years, and lead us into a future bright with hope for each and every one of us, and not just the top 5%.

 That’s my political rant for today. Nothing left to do but go do it.

  It’s chilly again this morning, 44, and starting with tomorrow’s predicted rain, we are going to be sliding back into autumn temperatures. This past week or so was delightful; though, with yesterday’s temps at a high of 76. There’s a lot to be said for the changing seasons, and I m,issed them living in California for so many years. But I have to say, I don’t like the winters here. I have some bad arthritis from being crushed by an 80,000 pound machine a few years ago, and when it gets cold and rainy, I can barely walk I hurt so bad.   The cold is bad. The rain is bad ebough. The two of them together are a formidable opponent.  One day at a time, one foot in front of the other. And so I go.

  I have several errands to run today, I have to get turkey cooking bags, as I will be cooking 2 birds  Thursday morning for the speaker meeting and potluck that night. I’m also making this delicious concoction my DIL makes called crockpot corn…it has cream cheese and butter and sugar and corn in it. Almost a sweet corn pudding.  But it’s to die for.  The group is doing the food and the potluck part is desserts.  We always have a good turnout when we do a big spread like this. I probably need to call and remind everyone about what they’re bringing.  I don’t mind doing all the main cooking for these things, and I’m always amazed at how many women don’t know how to cook. It gets to be a challenge finding things they can bring that don’t require any particular skills. 

   I have some applesauce left over from my apple days that I think I will use up today in an applesauce cake. Haven’t made one of those in a long time. It’s a nice spice cake.  I pout a broiled frosting on it made with butter, coconut, pecans and evaporated milk and brown sugar. It’s wonderful, and puts a neat crispy topping on a soft sweet cake.

   Okay, I’m off into the day.  Vote like your life depends on it!

Monday morning. The conflict between man (woman) and nature continues.  First thing this morning after half a cup of coffee, I was out with the cannister vacuum with the long nozzle that reaches to the ceiling, in my ongoing pursuit and erradication of the small orange beetles that have decided my house is their favorite off season ressort.  I’m nopt actually erradicating them…really just a massive relocation program, as I take them out and dunp them near the compost bin.  Husband laughs at my antics, and says “Why do they even bother you so much?” Husband is nature man extraordinaire.  An dI cannot answer this question. The smell maybe. Part of their defense mechanism, I have learned, is that their legs release a small amount of blood (the yellow stuff) that stinks, warning predators that they are foul and possibly poisonous.  I now (as probably you too) know more about ladybugs than I ever wanted to know.  My biggest problem, seriously, is that they fly into your face and hair when you try to go out the door (where they’re all waiting to come in and pick their rooms).  Ever since I say the Hitchcock movie The Birds (when I was 12), I have had a thing about things flying into my face. Go figure.

  Mostly it is quiet and serene here on Detour Road this morning.  One of the dogs has dragged a deer leg into the yard -yes, it’s that time of year again. You could hear gunshots Saturday and Sunday as the hunters are out massacreing those beauties. It makes me sick…then they field dress them and leave all the carnage wherever they are, like most disgusting and inconsiderate litterers. sigh…I would really like to be a lot more tolerant about this stuff, but I just don’t seem to have it in me. More opportunities for growth, I guess.

  Puppy is running in and out, tryingt o get her conditioned to going outside by herself and always knowing she can come back in. So far, so good. Even when the big dogs hjave run off, she generally stays put.  She’s growing up and I just have to let her go…lol

 Well, I have to get something to eat, and then do a little dusting, They gravelled our road a couple of weeks ago, and even a good rain only calmed down the dust for a day or so.  I will be writing today…at some point.  I proibably need to set a more definite schedule, but my life ebbs and flows around here and I think nightime would probably be the least amount of distractons.  But last night I was in bed at 10:30.  Exhausted by the time change.  LMAO….

  Alrighty then. It’s Heigh-Ho, and away I go….

Sunday morning, and I am realizing the error of my statements yesterday about Daylight Savings Time. I guess it’s the return to Standard time, instead.  My bad. Whatever it is, we’re up early and have already fed and watered and cleaned up after all the critters, and fed and taken care of the neighbor’s dogs. I made potatoes (with onions and bell peppers) and eggs and toast for breakfast. That was good. We’ll go in less than an hour to the morning meeting. It’s a good meeting, topics are always the 12 and 12. They always have donuts or coffee cakes, so I try to make sure we eat at home first. I’m on my second cup of coffee, Kona this morning. Interestingly enough, a friend from Canada sent me this great coffee mug a few years ago from the “Bad Ass Coffee Co.” of Kona, Hawaii.  Then last year one of my sponsees went to Kuai (sp) and brought me back a bag of Bad Ass Coffee Co coffee! So today, I’m having that coffee in that mug. lol. Serendipity…

  It’s supposed to get up to 76 degrees today and tomorrow. Wow. Interesting temps for November, but I’ll take it.  Maybe I can get some more work done outside later today.

  I have to bake 2 turkeys for next week’s speaker potluck.  I’m not seeing turkey’s advertised anywhere yet. Surprising, since they usually start putting them on sale the last of October.  If it’s possible, I wouldn’t mind getting an extra this year and putting it in the freezer, if the price is right. I also have to cook one for home on Thanksgiving Day. All the family is congregating here-it’s my turn again.

  Before I moved back here, whether it was in NC or CA, I always had big Thanksgiving to-do’s at my house. We would invite all the folks from meetings who had no family around or nowhere else to go, and we’d always have a ball. The first year I was back here, all my family came, plus AA friends from Tennessee and Georgia. It was great. Last year we went to my nephew’s new house.

 I think instead of Evites, I’ll print out invitations to send everyone.  That might work better.

  I’ve been taking echinacea with vitamin C and so far, I have not caught any of the bugs that seem to keep going ”round and  ’round.  It can get tricky in AA meetings, with everyone doing all that hand holding and hugging. lol

   Talked to a friend this morning from Flori-duh, who had mitral valve replacement surgery this past week. She is doing well and I am so glad to hear it.

  Okay-off to post the message about her on a recovery site we both use.

  Y’all have a grand Sunday, okay?

Apparently, tonight we turn the clocks back.  Where have I been that I haven’t read or heard anything about it being Daylight Savings Time already?  sheesh…

  It was a lovely computer free day for the most part. I got up and wrote for awhile. My NaNoWriMo project. And read a llittle and promptly turned the sucker off until about 9PM. It was quite freeing, actually. lol

 Made some baked chicken for supper, with mashed potatoes (leftovers) and fresh steamed broccoli and a dollop of applesauce on the side. It was yummy. Hubby and I have been reading and watching tv most of the ewvening. He’s finishing up watching a 1966 movie, The Russians are Coming-Coming. It’s hysterically funny, with Alan Arkin and Carl Reiner and Jonathon Winters and I can hear him in the living room just cracking up.

 I wanted to come post a bit, not so much, and try to get to bed at a decent hour tonight. I wrote a little more, am up to 1650 words today. So, I think that’s good. Good enough for Day One, anyway.

  Didn’t go to a meeting today, but we will go in the morning. Did laundry and cleaned house a little and went to the springs and got drinking water. It was about 73 today and just beautiful.  Managed to spend a little time outside playing with the pups, and that is always a blessing.

  I’m feeling a serenity and contentment I have never known in my life. This morning, I walked down to the pond to say my prayers and do my morning meditations, and there was a Great Blue Heron fishing off the bank. He was gorgeous…all stately and grey. I could hear the cardinals chittering away in the trees and saw a small flock of Eurasian tree sparrows.  The chickens were grazing contentedly and making their soft little chicken noises, puntcuated from time to time by the rooster’s crowing.  The breeze was singing it’s way through the treetops and I felt so absolutely at peace and at one with my world.  I love moments like that.

  OKay–I’m off to post some gratitude and blessings and then it’s off to bed I go. (After I go ’round and turn all the clocks back…)  Nighty-night, all…

Ahhh….the last day of October. We are having a beautiful turn in the weather, (70’s),  which has caused a massive migration and awakening of lady bugs EVERYWHERE !!! I want them in my garden-I do not want them in my house.  That being said, they stink. Cute little things  “Lady bug, lady bug–fly away home” we used to sing as children when they’d land on your arm or your hand.  They seemed magical then.  Not so much now.  lol

  After a lengthy phone conversation this morning, I am thinking of how tangled up we get in our emotions and our fears and our hopes and our trust.  Especially mothers and daughters. And how we act out the same scenarios over and again…never ever quite learning any kind of conflict resolution because the emotions run so high. I got the chance to read out of my Etymological Dictionary of Modern English today…and that’s always a bonus for me.  lol  I keep hearing all this sarcasm tinged with so much fear in this little girl (well, 30 something, but still….) and I remembered when I was told to look that word up, back in the day. And the Greek roots of the word SARCASM mean ….”TO TEAR FLESH, TO BITE ONE’S LIPS IN RAGE, HENCE TO SNEER.”  Believe me, it stopped her in her tracks for a minute.  lol  I try to remember that when I find myself being sarcastic.  It’s a great thing to hide behind, sarcasm.   Makes me untouchable.  Puts me above you.  And really, when I hear it coming from someone else, it  sounds so ugly. Or sad.  I can’t decide which.

   The neighbors are off to Flori-duh  for a few days to see their daughter the veterinarian. So I was up early and over to feed and medicate their dogs. 2 get fed only, one the older guy, Hunter, gets fed and medicated. He gets a thyroid pill and an arthritis drug at night.  They’re great dogs, one almost was ours, but we hadn’t moved here yet and he sashayed on over a couple of  properties and got adopted by the old man who has since died. He was too much for the old guy to handle and he passed him off to his present owners. He was a young pup when he first appeared on the scene. Now he looks like a rasta dog, thick chocolate brown fur like an abominable snowdog.  They named him Bosco. 

  Today is pumpkin slaughter day. Tonight we will go to a speaker meeting and potluck for supper. I am looking forward to it. I have 3 medium sized pumpkins and don’t know for sure just how much pumpkin will come of it.  Like I said last night, I wouldn’t mess with them before, and I may never again.  lol  We shall see….

  My computer is making more weird sounds than ever upon startup, but seems fine after it runs a while. I can’t afford to take it in to havr them look at it right now, so it shall run on a wing and a prayer and we’ll see. I do need to get my photos copied onto jump drives just in case. I have had the damn things for months and just keep not doing it. And my writings too, I guess. That’s really all the important stuff.

  Okay…the day beckons.  Gonna read a bit and then get on with it.

  Tally HO !!!!!