Sidling Mountain near Cumberland, MD.

"They" cut a big hole in this mountain to build this highway. Check out the interesting rock sheers (is that what it's called?).

It's looking very peaky around here.

Romanesque. That's what this was called at the Amish Market today. I bought it for the picture, but will of course eat it.

Blogs are so great. I found a great picture (http://www.ianhayhurst.co.uk/w/IMG2832) from someone in the U.K., and this quirky description (http://grocerytrekker.blogspot.com/2007/02/romanesque-fractal-broccoli.html):
"What is this light green vegetable which delights a Paris market shopper, which prompts musings of the Fibonacci sequence...?

"It's romanesque, or romanesque broccoli, the “fractal vegetable”. The geometric symmetry is mesmerizing, discernible even as a little tiny piece.

"With its firm texture and taste reminiscent of young broccoli or cauliflower, it held its own among absolutely gorgeous itty-bitty vegetables in the burrata and gnocchi dish I mentioned in the previous post. A vegetable to savor? Precisely."

Sometimes I'm glad I'm a packrat.

Found this old drawing, from November 1991. Check out my sweet daughter's note on the back of the drawing. Also note hearts flowing up between us. And my shoulder pads. In 1991 I may have indeed had such shoulder pads in my dresses. Also note that she signs it "Becka" and "Becky." And I call her Becca.

Near the highest point in Maryland.

My sister's house. Where we had a great weekend.

Oct 31, 2008

Obama will win
Washington
Oregon
Calif
Minn
Wisc
Mich
Iowa
Illinois
Michigan
Illinois
New York
Vermont
New Hamp
Maine
Mass
RI
Conn
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
DC
Hawaii

McCain will win (??? electoral votes)

Tossups (Obama needs 32 to win)
Nevada - 5
New Mex - 5
Colorado - 9
VA - 13
(the 4 above = 32)

Indiana - 11
Pennsylvania - 21
(the 2 above = 32)

Ohio - 20

This is how the knitted scarf looks in the instruction book.

And this is how mine turned out.

I've learned that you need to stuff each ball with dark (black,gray) batting instead of the standard white batting I used. See it peeking out on the left? Still, this was fun to make. It's all one long piece, no stopping or starting until you reach the end.

My dad with someone other than my mom...probably just after WWII.

Meanwhile my mom seemed to be having an OK time somewhere else. 1940-something.

But it all turned out OK. At least when this pix was taken. 1946 is my guess.

Grasses galore. I planted a lot of tulips in that empty looking bed in the foreground.

Not much better. Poor old bush. I should put it out of its misery.

Blaise in today's WashPost.

From The Washington Post, October 29, 2008
...And so began the 23rd annual Halloween High Heel Race, held last night on 17th Street NW. The race -- for the benefit of newcomers unfamiliar with this venerable institution -- happens on the last Tuesday in October, when drag queens and queens for a day pull out their best size 12 pumps and hightail it down two blocks of the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

You had your moose-ear-wearin' Sarah, your Sarah 'n' McCain, your Sarah 'n' Todd, your Sarah 'n' Bristol's baby, all sporting tousled bouffants, all blowing kisses to a crowd that screamed and shivered and packed the streets. You had your Wasilla-consignment-shop Sarah ("The original," boasts costume-wearer Philip Gerlach), and you had your Neiman Marcus Sarah, with handwritten price tags dangling from the expensive-looking jade ensemble. Purse: $990; Suit: $2,390.

"Women's size 20, and I tailored it myself," says Neiman Marcus Sarah, a.k.a. Blaise Williams, who arrived with friends dressed as Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama. "The wig was actually originally a Farrah Fawcett, but I'm a hairdresser so that was no problem."

And the shoes -- those darling peep-toe pumps -- can Williams run in those shoes?

He looks down at his gigantic feet, flexes a muscular calf. "Oh yeah."

Healthy euphorbia, not-so-healthy euphorbia. Hoping that spring revives the not-so-healthy.

I can't help feeling that I caused not-so-healthy's ratty appearance. Maybe I plucked off the flowers too soon.

The boys.

This is what happens when you don't prune a butterfly bush.

A bit windy today to say the least. I tried to pull-push this "bush" back upright but wasn't successful. I guess I'll hoist it up with a rope tomorrow. Very shallow root system. And I'm dying to prune it back but was advised to be patient and wait until spring.

White House garden.

Nice youtube embedded in the title (but it doesn't seem to be working & I don't have the patience to figure it out---just go to YouTube and find the White House Garden video). Apologies to whomever I stole this idea from.

Arbusian photo.

Lyle on the road in Philadephia. Back stage at a club somewhere in the city. They look so tired.

His band, Gangi, is back on the road. In the next week they play Atlanta, Houston, Austin, Santa Fe, Phoenix. Then home to LA. Rebecca flew from Phila to LA on Saturday. And landed a job today. Happy for her, but.

From the park next door. The tree trunk caught my eye.

Mistake.

I wish I hadn't planted that Lady's Mantle so close to the grass. It was hidden for most of the summer. I always underestimate how huge those grasses get. On the other hand, the Mantle may not be able to withstand full sun, so the grass protected it from that. I planted it last spring but it never bloomed. Maybe next spring. Gardening is complicated. Especially when you're stubborn / contrary like me and garden, mostly, by the hit or miss method. I don't like to use owner's manuals.

Russian sage blooms for months and months. What more could you ask of a plant?

Deer rub. Love is in the air.

The very last one.

I found this tomato hiding under a bush. It was on a rogue plant that produced just this one fruit. I keep cooking (and giving away) green tomatoes but I still have dozens and dozens. I'll make up a couple of casseroles this week to take to my sister's house next weekend. Up in the Old Country.

The pond next to my house. Finally getting some color.

Worried but hopeful.

But he's not even in office yet and I've got a request for him: I'm a little worried about Afghanistan. What does he want to accomplish there? If it's just about finding OBL, that's one thing. It's even possible that he could convince me that it's worth trying to shake up the Taliban. Possible. But anything that sounds like nation-building will make me very, very unhappy.

Ornamental grass in its prime.

More late fall flowers.

The old "ripen green tomatoes in a paper bag with a banana" trick seems to work.

My grand experiment.

I've been mouthing off on other blogs about how much I hate leaf blowers. Noise and air pollution; waste of gas; no faster than raking. Then when I couldn't get my (gas) lawn mower to start yesterday I decided to buy a scythe. I ended up instead with this tool (called a grass whip), which actually does cut the grass. It would take a long time to make my yard look trimmed and it doesn't produce a manicured look, to say the least. But it IS quiet and clean. Using it is a little like playing golf.

If my entire gardening effort was reduced to these flowers and that green tomato casserole my summer was a success.

I made a green tomato casserole tonight. Highly recommended.

Got the recipe from Kitt in Denver:
http://kittbo.blogspot.com/2008/10/green-tomato-casserole.html. Think I'll make a bunch more tomorrow and freeze them.

Eggplant & peppers are from a family farm one county away. Tomatoes are from my garden.

A favorite line from Hannah and her Sisters (on the TV right now in the background while I browse through blogs).

How the hell do I know why there were Nazis? I don't even know how the can opener works.

Look at all those tomato vines! My compost bin is happy.

But my little 5 x 5 garden looks so barren. Just a little lettuce left, and if we get frost tonight, as predicted, that might be gone in the AM. I'd like to build a cold-frame but don't think I can do it in one day. But I COULD cover up the plants tonight I guess. Hmmm.

Fall flowers.

A sort of harvest.

I guess I planted 2 kinds of rosemary. Wish I had better records.

Aww. Gus sleeping with his head on his big gray catnip mouse.

So many green tomatoes still on the vine. Tomorrow I'll harvest them.