This post is just about a bunch of random thoughts and things going on.

First, as Rick mentioned, we find a tick on at least one of the dogs now on a daily basis. EWWW… I let Rick get them off. I hate the things. I have no clue what is going on all of sudden after finding ZERO up until now. Plus, the dogs have been Frontlined since before our move here. Granted, I stretch the time out a bit as I hate to over medicate the dogs, but still…you’d think it would be working. The ticks are not supposed to attach, but they do. So far most of them have not been swollen up, just attached except for one. Today I found another one on Bode. That makes 3 so far for him. One for Daisy; one for Hailey, and two for Sailor. I’m not crazy about this trend!

Johnny and I did the yard again today. GEEZ, this grass just keeps growing! When will it stop? Now the wild onions have decided they are going to come up again. We haven’t seen them since spring. Phew~! The stench from mowing over them was making me nearly sick! Are the ticks and the onions connected? Doubtful.

The leaves are changing a few at a time. No big color yet. I’m hoping that it’s not like a few scattered ones here and there change, then bang, they’re gone. The days are definitely cooler, although this past weekend was quite warm. Today was a glorious fall day! Summer here was pretty short compared to Colorado, but other than not being able to swim anymore, I welcome fall wholeheartedly.

The cicadas have basically given up. Once in a while they’ll start up at night, but they sound worn out. They play at half speed now. Rick and I sat out on the deck the other evening just before dark and watched the bats whirling over our heads catching bugs. I like bats, don’t know quite why. Maybe after my encounter with fruit bats in the Seychelle Islands when we vacationed there back when were living in Amsterdam. They were huge, friendly style bats. Not perceived the same as our bats here in the U.S., which most people associate with evil things and Halloween. Midway through bat-watching the cicadas started up albeit feebly. I fear they are not long for this world. Sad.

The pool is another sad story. It was like someone turned a switch the weekend before Labor Day. OFF: no more swimming for you! The temps plummeted and our courage failed. Somehow taking the plunge at less than the 68 degrees we started out with just doesn’t cut it for us. BRRRR. We so enjoyed our nightly skinny dips and my morning dips. It still looks very enticing with its crystal clear depths [now that Rick has gotten it back on track], but reality is something quite different. We’re having it closed in two weeks, plus having a safety cover put on. It’s costing a small fortune for the safety cover, but we’ll pay almost anything not to have to drain water off, or worry about the dogs possibly falling in over the winter. And considerably more attractive.

Now that it’s fall I’ve taken up my needles again, so you’ll be hearing more about my knitting projects. At least I hope you will. Local yarn shops are further away than in Ft. Collins, so it’s more of a day trip than a jaunt across town to My Sister Knits. Julie, wherefore art thou?? I’ve joined the Knitter’s Review Forum and made some great contacts, so time will tell. I do miss meeting Tammy and Kathy every Tuesday at Starbuck’s. So ladies, if you read this, treasure those moments!

Stay tuned for my post on our trip to the Shore coming [hopefully] by tomorrow!

Cawk, cawk, cawk, cawk, cawk. That’s the noise I make when calling “my” turkeys. We started with a family of six; two hens and four babies earlier on in the year. They first came for the bird seed and I tried going out and spreading more seed for them. This usually met with the turkeys taking off at a run across the front yard, or squawking like mad with lots of wing flapping until they were out of sight. Slowly they came to trust me. Nothing bad happened to them each time I appeared, so they slowly gained trust in me. I open the door and start talking turkey to them right away, while rattling the food around in the pail. They stop and listen. They cock their heads from side to side. First only one of the hens decided I was okay; the other ran. Two of the babies also thought it was okay to stay close. Now all six don’t go very far, and almost come right up to me.

I’m sure you are thinking I am nuts. Just what Lynne needs is to have yet MORE animals in her care! But the turkeys don’t ask much of me. Just that I don’t forget to spread seed twice daily. Sometimes they visit 3 or 4 times per day. I can hear them clucking in the woods next to our house throughout the day. One day I let the dogs out and they must have been inside our fence as all I could see was flapping wings and dogs looking up into trees. Poor turks. They managed to fly out of the yard safely.

Well, the word must have spread about easy food, because now we have another family of 12 turkeys that have been visiting us. As near as I can tell they have no connection to the family of 6 that we are used. to. They are still skiddish, and the other day when I saw them out there and went out the door with more food, WW3 broke loose. They took off across the yard, and most of them were airborne, like the very devil was after them. Okay, fine. If you can’t tell which side of the lawn your bird seed is buttered on then fly away! I still have some turkey taming to do with them. But, they come now almost every day.

We’ve watched the kids grow nearly every week. They are really getting big now but I have no clue what sex they are. One looks bigger than the others with a different look, so I’m beginning to think it might be a tom. They recently lost the feathering on their heads so they now have that “vulture” look going on which is not particularly attractive. Yet they are so ugly that they’re horribly cute.

I look forward every day to my turkey visit. When they don’t show up at their appointed times I am really sorry! And NO, we have no Thanksgiving plans for them!! Stop those horrible thoughts right now!!

I’m certain you are beginning to wonder about me. And after you’ve read this post I am most certain that you will verily and truly wonder about me. I haven’t posted much in a long time. Mostly because I’ve not felt the need to write, and partly due to the lack of things to write about. I’m sure you get as bored as I do about my excessive rants and raves about daily life. So be forewarned, my friend, as this night I have a long tale to tell.

This fine tale is about a bizarre trip into the past. The Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, New York to be exact, which is only about 30 minutes from our house. I have long been fascinated by this part of history. I’ve read many books that take place during this period of history, and at times, I think I may have even lived before in that frame. It just feels right. Okay, I’m scaring you off. Fine, go. Whatever. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part. Rick and I and intended to go to the Faire a few weeks past [or is that a fortnight ago] but other things intervened. When my good friend Carolyn said she was coming to visit while Rick was on an international trip, I thought it would be the perfect time to see just what all this was about.

Let it be said that I like to dress up and play character roles. No, quit thinking kinky stuff!! NOT the ‘spank, spank, you’ve been a bad boy to nursie’ kind of stuff. Stop it now! We used to do How to Host A Murder Mystery dinner parties with friends and it was then that I realized my love for play-acting and role playing. Given the right costume I became that person, if only for a few hours. In fact, one time I found out that I was the murderer and I played my role so well that no one guessed it was me. It’s great fun to dress up in character and become someone else for a while.

I knew people dressed the part for this kind of thing, yet I didn’t really have anything in my wardrobe that was entirely suitable. I had a handkerchief skirt that was brown that would work as far as the bottom half, but nothing really suitable for the top half. I did the best I could. I even took an old copper belt that was Mom’s and wrapped it around my wrist as a multi-tiered bracelet.

It was quite obvious the minute we stepped through the gates that folks here were quite serious about this Faire. I had imagined maybe 40% of the people would be in period dress. Hmm…more like 85% were decked out in all kinds of finery of the day. They ran the whole gamut from the refined right down the almost “biker chic.” Buxom bosums bounded over bodices [a term I became familiar with a bit later] at every turn. Egads! The bawdiness of it all! WHAT FUN!! We had only walked about a block of the main thoroughfare, and it was quite obvious we’d have to learn the language. Thee, thy & thou; m’lady, good’ay, fare-thee-well and hardly ever a word in English as we know it now was spoken.

One of my goals was to buy a peasant blouse. The first shop we stopped to browse in was presided over by a comely wench whose bosum threatened to spill over her bodice. She asked if I wanted to try on something, telling me it would “lift thy spirits.” Me thinks it was going to do more than lift my spirits  if her spirits were anything to go by! AHEM! I wasn’t quite ready yet. I had planned to just buy a blouse, but it was obvious I needed the vest [or bodice, as they are referred to] to complete the look.

We came upon a rather nice shop with a large selection of garments. All kinds of blouses in every color, chemises, overskirts and of course, bodices. I had a chat with Lady Debbie who would be waiting on me. She looked as stuffed into her bodice as the rest of the women, so I asked her if it was comfortable. ‘Of course,’ she replied, ‘The ribs adjust after a while.’ Geez, that sounded a bit like torture. Did I really want to do this? Yes, sure, why not!?  We started with my brown skirt that I was already wearing. The bodice came next as it would determine the color of my blouse. I fell in love with several tapestry ones, but Lady Debbie wisely steered me away from them as they were quite a bit more expensive than the others. I settled on a teal, rust and brown paisley that reversed to a brown corduroy. We ended up choosing a long sleeved rust colored blouse that complimented both other pieces nicely. I chose an off-shoulder version that was gathered twice before flowing into long sleeves that were cut at the elbow. More dramatic that way, don’t you agree?

Next came the fitting. Firstly, the blouse went on over my skirt and was then pulled off the shoulders. Secondly, the bodice had to be dealt with. There is no way of securing it other than lacing it up. Might I add that the bodice before it is laced, does not meet in the middle of your body. No indeed, it misses by several inches. The lacing is what brings it together. It’s quite a shock at first to be laced into this age-old corset masquerading as a push-up bra. Maybe not quite as dramatic as Scarlett O’Hara holding on with all her might to the bedpost as Mammy tugs on the strings of her corset, but close. After a few minutes it actually begins to feel okay. Good, even. Kind of sexy. Hey, I like this! I was also thinking it was going to do wonders for my posture—no more slouching allowed!

I was having some doubts about where I might wear these garments in today’s world, so Lady Debbie and I talked about the possibilities. Well, she said I could always wear the blouse with jeans, or the bodice without the lacing as a vest [and it did reverse]. But also, she replied slyly, ‘You can always let your Lord and Master help you lace your bodice up, or maybe it would be more fun to have your Lord UN-lace you.’ She had a point there. Poor Lady Debbie had to suffer lacing me in and out of my bodice about three more times as I tried different things. I tried on a chemise [a full length one-piece garment] but didn’t think I’d get any use out of it. [Now I wish I had gone that route and used it to sluff around the house in instead of a bathrobe!] She was cheerful and helpful throughout the whole process. Whilst Carolyn, bless her heart, very patiently waited.

While I was paying for my purchase, one of the other maids attending the shop was musing aloud about how she wondered what had become of ‘Mrs. Titmouse’ that weekend as she had attended every weekend of the Faire since its beginning. The only ‘Titmouse’ I knew of was the bird that frequented my feeder, so I asked her why the lady in question should be called ‘Mrs. Titmouse.’ I was not expecting the answer I was given. ‘Well,’ she began ‘it’s because she carried a tiny stuffed mouse tucked in-betwingst her…er…bosums.’ Okay, you get the idea. I laughed so hard my bodice was pinching me. [Please note: There are many strange folk that attend the Faire, and Mrs. Titmouse must surely be one of them.]

By now I felt the part, and as I walked out of the shop I shed my present day self and became—a wench. I even carried myself differently. [Or was that due to my bodice lacings?] I now blended in with the crowd.

By this time we both needed to eat something so we headed to the nearest “food court.” If you’ve never been to this kind of event before, just think grease and you will have the basis of all the foods available. There is, of course, the inevitable greasy HUGE turkey leg, the onion blossoms, the dragon chips [potato chips where the potato has been peeled in one go like an apple peel and then fried, natch], and foods of like kind. We managed to avoid the grease as Carolyn had a pasta salad and I chose Steak on a Stake [a kebab]. We did, however, have to suffer the folk sharing our table eating all of the above atrocities. I pity thy stomachs upon returning home.

We walked around and partook of all the sights. And believe me, there were plenty. Just to sit and people watch would have been entertainment enough. We found the courtyard where the midday joust was taking place and managed to find a seat on the bleachers in the shade. We clapped and yelled for our favorite knights to be successful. Do we choose by the noble steed they are riding? By their knightly colors? Or by how handsome their countenance? Decisions, decisions. Tough choice. Nice steeds; cute knights. Well, maybe one was a touch too beastly for my delicate tastes. [The knight, not the steed.]

I think we missed many of the goings-on. It’s a very large park and a bit confusing to find your way around to all the different stages and such where events are taking place. We seemed to do a lot of walking around in circles. Next time we’ll know better exactly what we want to see and do. After spending four hours or so in the Renaissance, we decided our poor tired feet had had enough, and we began our journey home.

Alas, I’ve come to the end of this long tale of mine. Reality set in as soon as we got home to a house full of barking dogs and a basement with water in it, complete with many water-logged boxes. [Unbeknownst to myself, My Lord Rick had unplugged the pump to the air conditioner, which we had need of that day, resulting in a mini flood.] SIGH. I felt a twinge of true disappointment as I unlaced my bodice and tossed aside the persona of Lynne the Wench and sadly became Lynne the Dog Mother and Basement Mopper-Upper.

And if I might be so bold as to give you a small piece of advice from my experience? Mayn’t I? Please do think twice before you partake in any kind of shopping, such as shall we say, stopping by the paint store for a can of paint on your journey home? Do change your clothes.

The signs are everywhere. 1) In the outside temperatures. Just two short weeks ago we were having days in the high 70s and low 80s. Nights were in the 60s. Not so anymore. Now we are lucky to reach 70 during the day and the nighttime temps blissfully drop into the mid-50s every night. AHHH. Not so so good is our pool temp.  2) which has not gotten above our lowest “swim-able” temp from the first time that we went in at 68 degrees. Ouch. Time to close the pool. So sad. It seems like just yesterday that we opened it up for the first time. 3) The trees are losing their fill and becoming pale. Many trees around town are already showing signs of changing. 4) The cicadas are as numerous now as the crickets. The crickets started in about 2 weeks ago, and according to my mother, is one sure sign of Fall. The cicadas only sing at night and very rarely now are heard during the day. 5) Our turkeys seem to be banding together. We have had a family unit of two hens and four chicks that come faithfully about 2-4 times per day. Today I looked out and saw twice that many at the edge of our yard. Hopefully they will stay on private property when it comes turkey season and they won’t get shot at! I’ve come to think of them as my extended family. [more on the turkeys in a later post.]

Here in the East [so far] we’ve experienced a “true” Spring and Summer rather than the extended seasons of Colorado that mainly exist as Summer/Winter. Spring was April-June. Summer was July & maybe August. We’re hoping Fall is the same and will last (hopefully) until at least early December before the snow flies. We are looking forward to fall foliage as we’ve not seen it before. Stay tuned.

We expected so much more from all the weather reports. On Friday they were predicting 2-6 inches of rain and lots of wind for after midnight that night and into Saturday. I took heed and cleared our pool area of all things that could blow away or get washed away. I carted all my flower pots into the garage. I took down the tiki torches, the patio umbrella and stored them inside the basement.

We had three cords of wood delivered last week and I’ve slowly been stacking it in a dry spot under our deck. I made some progess this past week [and picking off the slugs was a lot of fun], but it was pretty rainy and wet so we still have a huge pile of wood in the back yard. I bought a new tarp at Home Depot on Friday and we covered it up to keep the wood from getting any wetter. We had plenty of programs stored up to watch on the Tivo and were almost looking forward to spending the weekend inside, cozy and happy. We were prepared for Ernesto to do his thing.

I woke up several times in the night expecting to hear rain pounding down on the roof, but I didn’t hear anything. When I got up Saturday morning it was barely wet outside and drizzling a bit. We had about a tenth of an inch of rain overnight. Big whoop! It was pretty nice in the morning with only ocassional drizzle. It started to rain around noon and continued throughout the afternoon and evening. The wind blew pretty hard and the rain kept coming down. It was a tad chilly so we decided to start a fire in the fireplace and watch a movie. It had turned into the cozy kind of day we had wanted all along. By the time it was done we had gotten about 2 inches of rain. Not bad, but nothing like we had expected either.

Yesterday we carried all the potted mums back out onto the pool deck. They could have benefited from the nice rain, but who was to know that they wouldn’t get battered? The sun came out and gave us an absolutely beautiful day with a touch of fall. The dogs got to take a walk down to Green Turtle Pond. Thank you Ernesto, you treated us kindly.