Lately, I've been. . .
- Trying to come up with at least part of my Christmas gift list. I know I'll probably still end up scrambling at the last minute, but the plan is to have lots done before the tree goes up. ;o)
- Shopping for computer chairs with Donald. If he's going to be putting in (even) long(er) hours seated before the home computer, he wants something more ergonomic than what we presently have. (Especially after the problems he's had in the past with pain that was most likely associated with sitting for extended periods.) We were surprised to see how little obvious difference there was between the chairs in the stores we visited. For instance, not one of them required you to bend your knees around a padded bar or sit in a kneeling position. (g) Then again, maybe those really kooky models from a few years back were never available in the local stores. . .
- Hoping for summer to finally back off a little more and begin to mellow into autumn. (It's been breezy today, which is nice, but the humidity and temperatures are still summery.)
- Being thankful that Ike isn't coming here, but also thinking about the people I know in Texas who might have to deal with it instead.
- Explaining to Donald that we really need that stash hundreds of tealight candles that we ran into when we were emptying the dining room cyborg. He's threatened to blog about it, if/when he ever starts blogging regularly, so I decided to beat him to the punch. ;o) Tealight candles are emergency supplies, silly! Everyone knows that! Next time we're left in the dark when the power goes out (which admittedly doesn't happen very often, these days), you'll be glad I thought to stock up on economically-priced light sources! Just wait and see!
- Watching a few shows that are back for a new season-- and some that are brand new. Mostly, though, we're still waiting for the new episodes.
- Slowly re-reading my way through Anne of Windy Poplars. I always think of it as an autumn book. It isn't all set in fall, of course, but it begins with autumn (and that old, familiar back-to-school atmosphere of excitement), and some of the most memorable passages seem to have an autumn feeling. Also, there are two chapters that showcase LMM's flair for ghoulish tidbits. (I'm thinking of the cemetery stroll and the visit to Tomgallon House.) Both seem suitably spooky reading for Halloween, so they contribute still more autumn flavor. I still enjoy portions of this book very much, but the whole "Anne can make anyone do anything" theme begins to wear on my nerves after a while. (I like Anne as much as the next fan, but come on! She's much more sympathetic when things aren't always going her way and people aren't constantly payiner her pretty compliments. Like when the Pringles are still against her. . . and when that girl whose name I forget storms in and accuses Anne of trying to ruin her engagement.) I'm almost finished with this reread-- just Little Elizabeth's story to finish up-- and I'm itching to start something new.
- Devising new ways to fill the dogs' Kong toys. (We broke down and got one for Molly, too. It really wasn't fair for Trixie to have one and Molly not-- even though Molly is often exasperating, lately. Still jealous of the new "intruder", I guess.) Right now, my favorite way is to mix peanut butter with kibble and some small bits of bacon-flavored treats. This way they aren't eating quite so many treats per Kong, yet they think the kibble's "special", since it's all coated (lightly) in peanut butter. Peanut butter and bacon seems like an odd combination, but so far there have been no complaints. ;o)
