Will the chill last?

It was a very busy week and the next one promises more of the same.  Winter clothes in my closet feel really good now, but many of them are just a bit too large.  I'm thinking they need to head for charity before I decide to grow back into them.  I feel some shopping for light weight long sleeved tops and perhaps a pair of better fitting pants may be on the agenda.  In fact, I probably can move down one size in jeans.  If I buy them when they are just a bit snug, I will be motivated to walk briskly and remember my weight training.  (note to self: find box with free weights and resistance bands).

My sis is bringing Papa down on the first of the month to spend a week or so with us.  Because of his progressive dementia, one of us will need to be with him at all times.  Not so long ago, he could spend several hours alone if he had a good western to watch.  Now, he seems to wander around and we all fear for his safety.  Still, he is cheerful and always appreciative of all his children.  Sadly, he cannot always remember our name.

We still await the estimate for building the new garage.  The builder had promised to have his proposal to us early this last week and we are still waiting.  Ol' Abner is beginning to share my frustration.  When we moved to the Ozarks and purchased a home needing an addition, the local builders were enjoying a building boom and couldn't be bothered with our little job.  It took us six months to hire a contractor and another two months before he could begin work.  Seems we have moved into an area with another "building boom".

Halloween parties were the news we kept hearing this weekend, so the Trick or Treaters cannot be far in the future.  A check of the calendar reminds me that my cute goody baskets are all still on a shelf at Mountain Girl's new home.  I guess I'll just use any old basket to hand out candy on the designated evening.  My neighbors haven't mentioned the quantity of children we might expect to treat.  With a small bag of snickers, I  will dispense candy until it's gone, then turn out the lights and go to bed.  I do hope it's dark by then!

Changing Seasons

It's time for an oil change in my car.  Not so long ago, the date dictated the time to refresh the lubricant, more so than the mileage. The excitement of my new surroundings are stacking up miles to the next service quickly.  My car is several years older than it's miles would reflect.  Most of those miles were accumulated on the highways of Missouri with an occasional trip to Texas.  Now that we are back in Texas with the big open roads and generous speed limits, I'm racking up the miles again.  Over a year ago, Ol' Abner suggested we consider replacing my car before it aged out of warranty time.  I was resistant.  Now that's changed a little.  My problem?  What might I want to drive?  Always being fiercely loyal to American brands, those lines have blurred with all the uproar in the auto industry.  Furthermore, I hate wandering around car lots fending off the advances of sales people.  I would love to have gadget plug-ins that are more readily accessible.  I like being able to see up over the traffic ahead on the freeway, but don't know that I'm ready to sacrifice the decent gas efficiency presently enjoyed.  The ease of parking a smaller car is comfortable, although I've adapted to maneuvering large tanks into small parking spaces most of my adult life.  Oh the days of driving my Volkswagon Beetle!  That was a very long time ago and today's version of that icon are totally unacceptable to my aging body.  Maybe my current car needs one more winter in my drive!

Seasons

Autumn! Ahhh! Yes I love the cooler breezy days of autumn.  In the Texas hill country, falling leaves aren't much of a problem since the oaks here are mostly of the Live Oak variety and shed lightly year round.  I miss the spectacular views afforded by Ozark forests as they change to the fiery colors of fall.  Sitting on my screened porch watching the treetops or enjoying the morning sun from the treehouse with my first cup of coffee made this such a special season.  I wonder if Mountain Girl is over her cold and enjoying those beautiful moments as much as I did.  From my new windows, the outdoors look much like a summer morning.  The sun is bright and golfers and joggers are still wearing shorts as they make their way down my street.  A closer look reveals no apparent sweat.  It must be cooler outside.  A walk doesn't mean getting out at dawn to avoid heatstroke. Oh yes! Autumn is here.

Yawn! I wish...

This is the second morning I've awakened in the wee hours with a return to sleep elusive.  It's not unusual to find myself waking for a few moments during the night, glancing at the clock, realizing I can return to sleep with next awareness coming hours later.  It is unusual to toss and turn, remaining wide awake for an hour or more.  We are settled into our new home.  Life seems to be fairly calm for the moment.  No strange noises are going bump in the night.  Household temperature is comfortable.  Ol' Abner's sleep habits haven't changed and the dog hasn't adjusted her bedtime ritual of tucking us in then moving to another room to sleep.  So why, I wonder, am I wide awake at 3AM?

I could probably accomplish something productive.  A couple of knitting projects could be completed.  Several interesting books are at various stages, and a few moments of reading might be relaxing.  The last sleepytime teabag was used one evening last week when I felt a chill in the air and needed pre-sleep warmth. I should have replenished that supply.  Maybe I'll make a grocery list or rearrange the pantry that seems to have shrunk since we settled into the house.  Several missed programs from the last couple of weeks are waiting in the dvr to be viewed.  There was a time in my life when these were my most productive hours, but I find little satisfaction these days from nocturnal ramblings.

All I really want to do is sleep...or I think I want to sleep.  Maybe my mind and body are undergoing another evolution and three hours of sleep are all that I need.

Now I'm aggravated!  Ol' Abner left his air compressor on in the garage and it just kicked in and scared me silly!  Maybe I'll go wake him and fuss!

Limited Revelry

Last weekend we traveled to a wedding a few hours to the north.  It's never cold in North Texas until the days leading up to Halloween. This year was the exception.  An Autumn wedding long anticipating the warm autumn evenings required sweaters for most of the guests.  The ceremony and dance to follow the reception were both planned as outdoor events.  The bride and groom took their vows while the sun was still low in the sky, barely warming the cool air.  As we moved inside for the dinner, I shivered and was thankful for the sweater Ol' Abner had suggested I bring, even though it didn't exactly complement my attire.  As the dinner and cake times passed, the music warmed up outside in a large dance area.  The bridal dances were all  shortened by shivers and I retreated indoors ahead of the crowd.  It wasn't long before the tables were being cleared and the music being lured indoors.  The celebration became cozy with the guests sitting and standing around the perimeter of the makeshift dance floor.  I understand the celebrations continued well into the night, but Ol' Abner was tired and we had enjoyed the visits and views to our satisfaction.  We are now the older generation allowed to leave the party early enough to get our necessary rest.  Can our second childhood be far away?

Crawling

Getting settled in Texas Hill Country has been a busy, exhausting and exciting experience.  The manly playhouse is still not started.  The household boxes are all unpacked. Two storage units are still brimming and  we must begin planning for yet another trip back to Dogpatch.

I couldn't resist a bit of indulgence last week to assuage my longing for companionship of knitters.  Seeing  the emails updating happenings at Gabriele's reminded me of those left behind.  A visit to a yarn shop nearby sparked the need to touch some fibers and see others with similar obsessions.

Friendly owners encouraged me to join them for open knitting and mentioned the upcoming "yarn crawl", an annual event.  It sounded like a great way to locate shops where I might find touchy feely satisfaction for my fingertips, so I signed up.  I thought I might make my way to five or six of the shops closest to my comfort zone and that was the limit of my ambition.  The Hill Country Yarn Crawl is a four day event.  We were happily committed to attendance at a wedding three hours to the north in the middle of the four day weekend.  On Friday morning, after Ol' Abner had vehemently declined my invitation to drive along with me, I set out on my trek.

A beautiful drive through the hill country crossing the Pedernales River three times, the Colorado River several times and wishing I had a driver so I might stop to taste some wine along the way.  Oh yes, the hills are alive with vineyards and signs to aptly named wineries with tasting rooms.  That will probably be a day trip for another time.

 The Knitting Nest displayed a pattern for a knitted quilt using puzzle pieces as a tribute to those blessed with Autistic children.  A demonstration of needle felting was taking place and delightful bits of whimsy were forming on the felter's block.  I'm thinking a trip back to this shop may be in my plans.  The staff was friendly and fun.  They seemed to love the fibers as much as I.  It's probably not a part of town I would like venturing into at night, but an afternoon would be well spent.  I think I would love to spend a day just wondering around this part of the older area so near downtown.

On my second day, actually the last day of the yarn crawl, I hit the toll roads at the luxurious speed of 80 mph and  made my way to the remaining shops on my list.  I had managed to visit six of them on the previous Friday, so four seemed ever so manageable for my Monday drive.  The first shop was just over seventy miles from my home, but I flew by car easily out to Paige, Texas.  I am sure I've been there before.  It's along the highway between Austin and Houston and I've never noticed the little town...actually an unmarked intersection.  I turned down the listed street and found the most awesome shop and a whole flock of ladies chattering about their latest and their next projects while wearing the last one completed.

The last three shops were near central Austin.  I drove down South Congress in awe of the view of downtown I love the most, and realized I had never noticed the Hill Country Weavers on the right side of the street just as the Texas Capitol Building comes into view.  Again, this is probably not a shop for me during prime time, but daytime or weekend classes are definitely in the future here.

No doubt, a return to Wimberly, Greune and Comfort will be in the future.  I loved those shops and the views around them.  The Tinsmith's Wife in downtown Comfort was nestled among many other unique little shops and eateries.  The Old Oaks Ranch was just that...a working ranch with a yarn shop and sculpture garden amid the pastures where alpacas and other beasts grazed.  I'm thinking Ol' Abner would have enjoyed that stop, and perhaps he will one day soon!