150 Pats on the Back and A Rather Expensive Week - With Autumn Colors

Leon polished my headlights (really) and saved us $150+ which it would have cost to have it done at the auto shop. 

He used Comet cleanser! Worked great. I gave him at least eleven pats on the back. So, at a $1 a pat, I owe him 139 more pats on the back. Good job honey!

Headlights Before and After the Comet

My 2010 Honda Fit has not cost me much in repairs over the years. Regular maintenance, a brake job, tires, but at just over 142,000 miles this past week, the clutch gave out. Thankfully we have AAA because the car had to be towed about 40 miles. 

I had to have a new clutch installed to the tune of $1,400. 

That came right after the MRI of my lumbar region ($300 co-pay) subsequent to a severe case of sciatica that had me hobbling around with debilitating pain in my left leg and calf and numbness in my left foot all over the Central Coast of California while on vacation. 

Followed by ordering my very first pair of hearing aids at Costco ($1,600 - which is almost a thousand dollars less than the co-pay for the ones that my Medicare Advantage Plan is pushing). 

And the month is not over yet. Looming in the near future sometime around November 14, is the Government Shutdown which means hubby will be out of work without a paycheck for who knows how long with no guarantee of receiving back pay. 

(Don't get me started on the ridiculous, petty, selfish republican members of the House of Representatives who are poised to cut spending by eliminating social security, medicare, foreign aid, and any program that actually HELPS people, but will let the budget lapse and it will end up costing more in the long run....vote them all OUT!)

A shutdown will cripple a lot of people financially. Luckily we saw this coming and so have a cushion for this eventuality. (Those republican fools in the house need to grow up and get their act together. Each one is worse than the next.)

I'll leave with a few photos of autumn in New Mexico. It's no secret that I often feel overwhelmed by the stark landscape here, the chalky brown earth, the endless juniper trees, the dead grasses and weeds and prickly things everywhere. 

We are fortunate to live near the Rio Grande and its Bosque (forest/woods). So we have a bit of color in the fall here in the Land of Entrapment.

Autumn in New Mexico 2020

Took a walk down in the Bosque along the Rio Grande this afternoon. What a perfectly glorious day.

Despite the fact that I live with chronic insomnia and fight depression often, today I was in an exceptionally good mood. I made banana-blueberry muffins this morning and to hell with insomnia, I had a cappuccino to go with one for my coffee break.

The most excitement we've had during the pandemic occurred this past Wednesday.  

Our dog Benni went out the garage door on Wednesday morning around 6:00am when Leon pulled out to go to work. 

He just never does that so when I smelled a skunk I announced to Benni who is usually sleeping in the bedroom at that hour, "Benni, don't go outside there's a skunk." 

I got no response and went through the house, bedroom, guest room, kitchen, garage and back deck looking for Benni. Then I opened the front door and there he was, standing there. 

But I was still in denial, thinking perhaps someone had run over Pepé Le Pew whose body was oozing skunk smell out in the street. 

So I let Benni in. The skunk smell was still lingering so I went outside. It was strong. I came in and it seemed like it was stronger in the living room…and the bedroom...

 

To make a long story longer...it FINALLY dawned on me that Benni got skunked. Amazing what living in denial can do.

Well everything came to halt while I got the peroxide, baking soda and dish soap to treat the problem. It did some good but Benni was moping around all day feeling defeated. 

 

I told him that that was a lesson he was supposed to learn as a young dog, not now in his senior years. 

Three, four, five days later the odor lingers slightly on his head and neck but is gone for the most part.

Photos: Down in the Bosque near the Rio Grande in Pena Blanca (near Cochiti) this afternoon. Cottonwood trees. Benni went in the water and the skunk smell seemed to get worse. Oh well.

The Maple leaves were at 4th of July Canyon State Park in Cibiloa National Forest, NM.

 

Taking A New Mexico Fall Foliage Tour

Taking a break from reading the news feeds about all the political crap that's such a downer lately. Even though I did enjoy Saturday Night Live's last skit spoofing the debate.

But for a change of pace here are some photos of the fall foliage here in the Rio Grande valley between Cochiti Pueblo, Sile, and Santo Domingo Pueblo.

Not exactly New England, but gorgeous golden Cottonwood trees follow the river and well, see how pretty they are:

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. No church, no gifts, lots of food, casual clothes, and a reminder of what the good earth has provided. Grace included thanks to the farmers who grow our food, the plants and animals that sustain us, the cooks who prepare our meals and the family and friends who share the bounty of our table.

Family and Friend

Unfortunately I was too busy in the kitchen to take pictures while cooking; I always think of those things too late. But fortunately Leon got in a blurry shot before we hacked it up. I chose a 20-pounder because I love turkey leftovers and it will save me from cooking for the next two weeks (just joking). And there'll be turkey soup as well.

The menu included a 20 pound turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, finocchi gratinati in besciamella, pearl onions in cream sauce, butternut and acorn squash, cranberry sauce, our traditional meat and bread stuffing and my own concoction, a meatless dressing for our guest who is mostly vegetarian. Red and white wine, sparkling Catawba grape juice. 

Desserts included homemade apple pie and strawberry rhubarb pie with two flavors of locally churned ice cream - vanilla and sweet cream, and fresh brewed dark roast coffee.

My plate - and I did not take seconds!

I had to bake an apple pie but alas, we never got to taste it. It was payment for services of a lovely woman who volunteered to proofread my manuscript. Her eagle eye spotted several typos and some misconstrued words - a service well worth this pie. Fortunately my sister made an apple pie for our dinner - but no pics of that either.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Some Relief or Re-Leaf From All The Politics

It's almost 9PM and I don't know if I have the stomach or the emotional fortitude to watch another debate.  Here are some pics I took today.

Taken on "AUTO" setting

Same view on "MANUAL" setting