I'm Back!

Hmmm. I seem to have missed October. And much of November. Oops. Would you care to hear about how transitioning from homeschool mom to taxi driver to a busy high school student has thrown me for a loop? Or about how the election hoopla and surprising (to me) results left me dismayed and gobsmacked? (Not to mention glued to my computer in horrified fascination.) How about, on a happy note, how we've been enjoying frequent chats and meals with my parents, who arrived back in NC from Maine in early October? I think that's what we'll focus on. They're here, and we are so glad to have them around!

But, since a picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words (though perhaps some are worth more than others), I will fill in the rest of the details with some pictures of what we've been up to.

Here's Katie, drying Finn after giving him a bath. Livy weeps when people go outside and she has to miss out on things. She weeps loudly enough that if you are raking leaves at a distant part of the yard and she is trapped inside, wailing at the screen door, you can hear her clearly. She is a very passionate cat.

There have been many cakes, pies, and cheesecakes. All small. I've taken to baking small desserts. 

And this is a small pumpkin which a friend of Katie's gave me. I cooked it and made soup of it. The second batch turned out very nicely!

And I turned 51 and Katie decorated my birthday cheesecake. I have the best family!

Is she adorable or what?

Travis is also adorable.

And Ed. Obviously.

We went out to eat at the pirate restaurant, and it was wonderful! I do love not cooking.

This is not my birthday cheesecake, but it was another good one.

Here I am playing with my birthday blow torch. I cooked the chicken in the pressure cooker and it looked much prettier after I applied the flame. Plus, it was fun!

 Here is Katie in her homecoming dress. I can hardly believe I have a daughter who needed a homecoming dress (and shoes), but there you are!

A very small but delightful blueberry pie.

My dad, enabling Finny to lick Harold. Harold was very disappointed in him (in my dad, not Finn. It was precisely what he expected of Finn, but he hoped for better from my dad.).

Katie outdid herself in the pumpkin carving department this year!

Travis's pumpkin was also creative.

And he voted! His first election. The results were not what we hoped, but it certainly was a memorable election!

And here is Finn, wearing a hat. This was either for election (taco) Tuesday or for Halloween, and I really can't remember which. In either case, he prefers Not to be put in costumes, poor boy.

 And Livy. Isn't she just the sweetest?

Except...
She's pretty naughty! Not only does she remove refrigerator magnets, she also steals my fish oil capsules (Omega-3 -- it's supposed to be good for you!) if I leave them on the counter, and she's figured out how to open Finn's treat boxes (even the Alpo "snaps," which are crunchy, and who would think they'd appeal to a cat?) and she takes them Out of the box and eats them. Right in front of poor little Finn!

But what she Really likes is canned cat food. Or tuna fish. And, despite her many skills, she has yet to figure out how to open the refrigerator. On her own, that is. She has perfected the art of making Ed open it for her!

A lasagna, made in the pressure cooker. The beauty of this is that it's only a 1 1/2 quart bowl, so it's just the right amount for Ed and Travis for two dinners, and a lunch for one of them.

A lasagna in the pressure cooker (which turns itself off when the cooking is done, unlike the oven!) means that Finn and I can go for a walk and not worry if we forget the time a bit. Which we did, but dinner turned out well anyway.

So, that's what we've been up to! Upcoming events include seeing the new "Harry Potter" movie with my parents and cooking Thanksgiving dinner. And reading! Lots of snuggling under blankets (and cat), reading.