And there it sits while I ponder if this is the way I want to go. I think it is, but wallpaper is tricky. When you first apply it in an empty room, it’s overwhelming. That’s where I am now. But I know that it will be balanced by furniture, appliances, rugs, paintings on the wall, books, flooring, etc.

I think the next step is to install a floor and see what that does. Also, installing the beams for the ceiling will help as well. Looks like I have some work to do today. I was curiously inert about doing anything more to the room over the weekend. But both Don and I were really tired. I don’t know what’s floating about in the air but mowing the other day gave me far more allergy problems than I had at any other time this year.

We were also sort of wiped out after the bear encounter and the two days with the chrysalis turned Monarch, saving his life four times, as well as rescuing him from the ground and installing him in a tree. Lots of worry and stress last week, including doing our tax deductions, knowing we’ll have to pay but not knowing the amount. Last year it was very high. We’re seeing our savings not-so-slowly being depleted by a combination of the tax changes and the pandemic. (And fallen trees.)

Anyway, all that is to say that we needed to hang out and rest this weekend.

But you can be sure we shared the bear story with Little Z yesterday. He was wide-eyed and listening to every word. We were going to tell him about the butterfly, too, but we figured that was too much storytelling in one FaceTime. He was pretty animated yesterday, starting off the call with a joke. He’s such a neat kid, so funny and so smart. That call made our day.

Thrilled about the wins for Schitt’s Creek  at the Emmys. We watched the awards for about an hour and a half and I think they did a bang-up job of finding a creative way to deal with every nominee being at home instead of in the audience.

It’s still really cold here but tomorrow will bring a warming trend, so hopefully we won’t have to turn the heat on again for a week or two. I saw that there had been a frost advisory last night when I got up this morning. I had no idea. Luckily there was no frost on the ground here this morning but everyone up in the mountains might have suffered an early end to the growing season.

I’m close to the end of the Louise Penny and I’m stalling. I know that this is it until next year, so I’m taking my time so that I’m present for every word. It’s excellent, with a very complicated plot and a Paris setting. (Oh, how I wish I was in Paris!)

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Another morning where the furnace kicked on. That means we have to order heating oil this week. And so begins the extra cost of heating the house. Sigh.

I think tonight will be the last night that gets this cold for a while, but this is a wake-up call. It’s Fall and it’s been colder than usual, rather suddenly. Both Don and I were mourning the passing of summer yesterday. I love autumn, but it heralds the onset of winter and that season is never easy for us and will be all the more challenging in this time of COVID.

I mowed a lot of the property yesterday and Don helped, after finishing his work up in the woods. The other day, I ventured into the woods for the first time since “The Bear.” Don had already done it on his own, but I hadn’t. I sang a song the entire time I was walking the paths, so, if by some chance, the bear was out and about, he’d hear me.

So far, so good!

I have to end this early, as Little Z just face-timed us and that pulled me away from the post. If I don’t publish now, you won’t get the email.

So take care, stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

The chrysalis has joined the other inhabitants of the Plate of Curiosities. You can see it next to the robin’s egg and the cicada wing.

Friends, I’m tapped out. The news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing last night was shocking. I suppose that I, like most everyone, thought she’d hang in there until January. She was that fierce and that strong. RBG was extraordinary and she will be greatly missed. Her legacy will be enshrined in history. McConnell’s will live in infamy.

Keep up the fight. We can’t back off now. She wouldn’t have wanted that.

I woke up too early and because my first thought was about RBG, I couldn’t get back to sleep. So it’s mowing and cleaning today to keep me busy. Don’s off to recycle.

In the past two days, we’ve watched two documentaries that I highly recommend. The first is Unfit, and it’s from Duty to Warn, a large group of mental health experts who have spoken out about Trump. It centers on Trump’s pathology and how dangerous he is. It’s available on several platforms, but we watched it on Amazon Prime for $4.99.

The second, which we watched last night, is The Social Dilemma  and it’s available for free on Netflix. Excellent. It’s a warning about social media (from those who helped develop it) and the ways in which it is changing the shape of who were are, how we respond to things, how it effects children who are exposed to too much of it, how it shapes public thought, and it explains the whole “how can they believe that?” question I seem to constantly utter. It’s really well done and I urge you to watch it. I know that both Don and I are thinking long and hard about it today.

The heat kicked on this morning even though we were determined not to turn it on. It went down to 39 degrees last night and will be even colder tonight. This will last for a few days and then we’ll be back to more normal temps. I am currently wearing my pajamas, a hooded sweatshirt with Escape to Margaritaville  on the back, and a wool cap I got in Edinburgh. Yikes.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.