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Life got very busy for several weeks after my last post, so here's a long-ish catch-up one for you. I'll try to stay current now. Again.   

When I left you last, we had a houseguest and her two cats staying with us. My aunt travelled very safely, going from Florida to Colorado, where she stayed with her son and family, then she came here and stayed for two weeks. Those weeks flew by! We socially-distance-visited some family in outdoor settings, went to a local nursery and walked amongst the flowers, spent a morning at an antiques shop not too far away, and did lots of crafting.

We made wooden bead strands with twine tassels for decorations. (I'm having a difficult time not putting them everywhere in my house.) Each of us sent some off to family as gifts. Then we started some macrame. I just got a small wall hanging finished (really small), and she started a larger project, but only got partially through it. I'm waiting to see it when it's completed. 

One afternoon was spent going through my late grandmother's photo albums. When we cleaned out Grandma's house, I ended up with the small trunk full of photos, and recently thought I'd paint said trunk for use as a side table in the guest room. I sent her a photo asking if that was okay, she said sure, then I sent a photo of the inside of the trunk with her grandfather's name, and it became a different scenario. No, I didn't paint the trunk, and yes, she came to see it in person. What a fun afternoon going through photos and Grandma's diaries. I scanned tons of pictures so I can share with cousins. 

A week or so before my aunt arrived, our 25 year-old HVAC system gave up the ghost. Again. Same problem with the control board we'd had the last couple of times for repairs and hundreds of dollars each time. We opted to make do with a small window air conditioner and fans, which was great when the outdoor temps were under 90°. The week our guest arrived, temperatures were in the upper 90s and our little window unit could not keep up. We got some estimates and the company we chose was able to get our new furnace and air conditioner put in the next week. Now, any time I'm asked what modern amenity I don't want to live without, indoor plumbing and central air are my choices. I am, not for one second, unaware of the privilege we have with both of those things. I am just a much nicer person when both of those things work inside my home.

So the week after my aunt left, I got busy and started painting, getting rid of all the red walls in the kitchen and sunroom. Then half the kitchen cabinets were scrubbed, primed, and painted. We love how clean and bright all the new paint makes the kitchen and back door area look and feel!

I'll post the cabinets when they're all finished. I got the one half  of the kitchen done, then kind of ran out of gas.

Other things that happened: I taught my first Zoom class for the local community college learning center. This one was called "Fudgy Fun" and I made three different recipes, each using a different method. It was okay - all of my participants turned off their cameras and muted themselves, so I couldn't see or hear any of them. It felt like "The Tammy Show". I prefer interaction, so my next class, which was last week and was about 10 ways to cook eggs, they weren't told they could turn off their cameras. They interacted, asking questions, giving suggestions, and laughing at my jokes. It went much better. One man cooked along as we made creme brulee. That was fun. 

At the end of September we acquired two new kittens. They were just barely 6 weeks old. Clapton (all black) is technically Rudy's uncle (striped tabby), and is a week older. 

It's been four years since our Max passed away, so it's been nice to have pets in the house again. Both boys got sick a couple of weeks after we got them. Rudy couldn't keep down even water, so back to the vet we went. The vet suspected leukemia, but the test was negative for both, thank goodness. We went home and within another day and a half they both started feeling better. Now they're sassy and snuggly and everything in between. They gallop through the house like little horses and no surface is safe. They are very well acquainted with the squirt bottle. All I need do now is pick it up - I don't even have to squirt the water anymore. 

The day after the kitty boys came to live here, Bradley had his 11th birthday. He's a big Harry Potter fan, so we had a replica of Harry's 11th birthday cake made by Hagrid in the first movie. The easiest cake I've done for the kids in years! 

We've made it through September - October was when I did my fudge class and painted cabinets. We missed going to the pumpkin patch, but carved pumpkins a couple of times. The grandkids were okay with that. They've been so flexible and understanding about us having to re-think traditions and activities during this time. We're doing all we can do to keep them and ourselves safe and healthy, yet provide them with fun memories. Halloween was an evening at our house, carving pumpkins, having a simple meal at a table set for spooky fun, and finding their treats outside in the dark using flashlights. They enjoyed that so much that it's going to become a new tradition. 

November has arrived and already so much has happened. The election was uppermost in our minds this past week. That's over and now we're planning Christmas gifts. I've done a bit of shopping, but Jess and I are making the gifts for extended family. More on that another time. We have family chat coming up this next weekend with my family (have I told you about that? If not, I'll elaborate next week). We're going to have supper together to celebrate Thanksgiving, and each of us is making a pie to share virtually. This means we'll have Thanksgiving twice, which Greg is pretty happy about. It's his favorite holiday and favorite meal. 

Greg is home this next week, trying to use up vacation time. It's been tough for him to get any time off with so many people gone from his job because they say they've been exposed to Covid. Whether they have or not, who knows - it's several paid days off work. Greg's assistant was quite ill with the virus, but is back to work now. We're very glad she has recovered, but she says no one should take it lightly. It was horrible for her, and she's a young, otherwise healthy woman. Anyway, while he's home we're going to put up the outside lights for Christmas. I want to be able to turn them on Thanksgiving night. And I want the outside of our house to be festive this year! We need Christmas festivity everywhere this year.

We continue to stay home as much as possible. We miss our extended families. We know this is a life season for every human on this planet, and it will pass, so we're patient. It's not always easy, but it is right. 

If you got this far, thanks for staying til the end and catching up with me and mine. I'll be back next week with family chat Thanksgiving details!