Randomness on a Monday

Happy Monday,y’all.

Today is the first day of autumn – well, it will be at 10 something tonight, anyway. 

Autumn.

My favorite part of the year – when the miserable heat and humidity of late summer finally gives way to the crisp, cool days of Fall.

I love the temperatures, the falling leaves, the crisp, shockingly blue skies punctuated with cotton-ball white clouds.  I love walking in the crunchy leaves and watching Mother Nature put her creation to bed for the winter – going out with a spectacular explosion of colors and sights and smells.

I can’t wait for the cooler temperatures they’re promising later in the week. And I’m hoping they stay that way with no boomerang of Indian Summer to surprise us in October like it sometimes does.

The girls are both at home sick today with viruses. Not sure they’re the same virus, but they are both sick nonetheless.  Little Bit has been sick since last Thursday and I am hoping that we’re at the end of her virus and that she’ll be back to school tomorrow.  Big Girl just started today, but maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll be feeling better by tomorrow.

I made them some potato soup for lunch…  Good for what ails ye.  I used Pioneer Woman’s recipe and substituted some frozen hash browns instead of the fresh-cut potatoes to speed the cooking process along a bit.  Big Girl’s in the dining room enjoying her soup and toast very much.  She says it is one of her favorite soups.

I’m making some progress on the shawl I started a few weeks ago.  I think I have about 6 or 7 more “points” to make, which translates to about 50-60 rows left to knit? I think.  I think 6 or 7 more points sounds a lot closer to being done than 50-60 rows. What do you think?

Anyway, I love it and I am looking forward to finishing it so that I can wear it as the weather cools down.

In other news, we have (another) new kitty.  This one showed up a month or so ago as a stray and has decided she kind of likes it here even if we do have puppies in the back yard.  We’ve named her “Mushi” – partly because of her moustache and partly in honor of a kitty I had as a teenager that had the same tuxedo coloring.  This new Mushi is quite the chatterbox and demands to be petted and talked to whenever she is around when we go outside. Her favorite place to lay is underneath the bird feeder (smart kitty) and she has her very own “blind” of shrubs that she hides in and melts into the shadows.

She’s very sweet. Very independent – doesn’t like to be held or cuddled.  She is also very curious about the Triplets in the house (as they are about her as well) but we have not attempted any introductions yet.  I let them smell my hands after I’ve been petting either of them so that they can at least get used to the smells of each other.  I have dreams (nightmares?) about Mushi sneaking into the house while we’re sleeping and being awakened to kitty cats who are “getting to know each other.”  Yikes!

We will see what happens when the weather gets cold.  The girls are already campaigning for the puppies to spend the winter indoors again.  And Mushi, too.  I’m not sure I’m up to a winter filled with 2 dogs and 4 cats (plus 2 kids and one husband) in the house with me!! That just sounds like crazy-town to me.

Speaking of crazy-town, I should probably go check on my sicklings…