Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

The burning bush is so gorgeous right now! I love that it doesn’t reach full color until after most of the fall color in the surrounding trees has faded. It’s like Mother Nature says, “Wait! I have one more surprise for you!” And she does. I never tire of looking at it.

An interesting update: I was scanning Facebook Marketplace yesterday and there was the dollhouse I wanted. It had been missing from the listings for about 6 days. So I have no idea what is going on. If it’s still listed, why isn’t the seller answering my messages? Of course there could be something going on in her personal life that’s keeping her from Facebook. I don’t know. I was encouraged to see the photo, but now I’m even more confused.

Yes, we have a Medicare Advantage policy that I now realize was perfect for us. (Don uses it more than I do.) Anyway, whatever option we choose, we will be losing some of the benefits we had. We really don’t want to pay more – things are so tight – so we’re talking to an advisor this morning. My theory is that changes to Medicare Part D are fueling these cancellations, but of course, I don’t know that for sure. I am sure hearing that a lot of people are getting cancellation notices.

I spent yesterday afternoon making a Christmas tree for the Beacon Hill.  I forgot how unbelievably messy this process is. Glue all over my fingers, bits of lycopodium (preserved pine) all over the place. I’ve had the pine for years and it’s been used for 4 trees, so it was a pretty good deal. I have to trim it on the sides so it’s a bit narrower. And, of course, I have to re-glue some pieces that weren’t fully attached. It’s a pain in the tush, but worth it.  And now I’ve finished off the lycopodium (preserved pine) and I have no more in my stash. It looks like it’s increasingly harder to find; both miniature shops that used to carry it no longer do.

Okay. I’m off to make our second cup of coffee. I finished the puzzle and I’ll get a photo of it later today.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

They’re still thriving! I leave the calibrachoa on the porch because it’s too difficult to move the planter to the shed and so far, so good. There are a few other plants on the porch because their pots are too heavy to move – including the pansies. The rest are in the shed, but they will be freed today. We’re heading into a warmer stretch of weather. You know me: my mission is to keep them going as long as possible.

I’m in a strange space right now, not really motivated to do much on the dollhouse, thinking about the election on Tuesday, working on the puzzle (which is almost finished) and feeling restless. I had a disappointing experience on Facebook Marketplace – I had my eye on the perfect dollhouse to rehab (the Glencroft from Greenleaf.) Frankly, I dithered too much about the 3 1/2 hour drive to get it, the cost of gas, etc. It had been listed for a few months so I figured I had time. All the while, I was having a conversation with the owner via Marketplace. Anyway, last week I stopped getting return messages. Maybe she was ill? Maybe she was on vacation? I’d just seen the listing on FB a day or two before her responses stopped. Then I checked again. No listing. And again – no listing. I checked the ‘sold’ listings and it wasn’t there.  Finally,  I got it through my head: she had sold it to someone else. That’s her right, of course, but I wish she had told me someone else was interested, so I had a chance to say “I’m on my way.” But she didn’t. Anyway, I’m sad. It turns out this is a hard house to come by and it looks like Greenleaf is no longer making it. I see a couple of Glencrofts listed, but they are either too far away or in pretty bad condition. Lesson learned.

While I was typing this, I got a message from Greenleaf – I had written them asking if they were still making the kit. It is currently out of stock. Thankfully, they are. It should be back in stock in the spring. If I don’t find something in the meantime, I might have to build the house myself.

We’re also dealing with the discontinuation of our particular health insurance policy and we had a good one. So we’re in the midst of trying to find something that works for us, but it’s clear that we will have to pay more money than we’d like to.

Sigh.

But, we’re watching the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series and they are amazing. A little glitch last night, but I know they’ll come through. They are playing old-fashioned baseball in the best sense of that description and we love it.

By the way, comments have greatly decreased this last week. I’m not sure why. As you know, I don’t pressure anyone to comment on a post, but I’m wondering if some of you are having problems with accessing the blog. Also: if you use an ad blocker or, as in my case, an ad free browser, you might get a big orange pop up urging you to allow ads. That is not from me – it’s from my ad company. All you have to do when you encounter it is reload the page and it will disappear. That’s what I do. Anyway, if there are any problems, let me know.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

I have no other photos at the moment and I love this kitchen, so that will be the photo for the day.

Not much happening. I read most of the weekend as I’m trying to finish a book and get it back to the library. It was due yesterday. The library is closed today. But I should be able to drop it off today or tomorrow morning. Life Out of Order – by Audrey Niffenegger. It’s beautifully written. After I return it, I will start Emily St. John Mandel’s newest, Exit Party.

It’s been quite cold the past few nights, so the porch plants are still in the shed. I open up the shed doors during the day so they get some light. Tonight will be warmer, but then Tuesday night will be below freezing. After that, I should be home free for at least 8 days. I know, I know. Eventually, I will have to give up, but not yet!

Dollhouse work has slowed down because there’s really no more ‘construction’ that needs to be done. Next month, I will paint the exterior. And, as I’ve said before, I need to add lots of little things, like lamps, and rugs, and books, and tchotchkes. That takes time.

I need a new dollhouse project.

We’re going to go see Judy Collins in concert on November 13th. It’s her farewell tour. We are big fans. I think the very first concert I went to was at Judy Collins at Masonic Auditorium in Detroit. It was exquisite. In those days, you could get backstage very easily. I met Gordon Lightfoot that way, and I met Judy. In that case, I just walked onstage and there she was. She signed my program. Don has also met her. We hardly ever do anything like this but we decided to treat ourselves. I’m so looking forward to it.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.