I couldn’t resist. As I was trying to capture a photo of the ever-elusive Riley the other day, his tongue came out at the exact moment I snapped the picture. What would be your caption for this photo? I have several ideas, but I will keep them to myself until I hear yours.

Thank you, sweet friends, for all the lovely anniversary wishes. They made our day! As I predicted, yesterday was spent raking, raking, raking and then more raking as we cleaned up the outside of MHC a bit. Of course, more leaves will fall, but the Maple in the front yard is almost bare. We’ve had a few windstorms lately that have hastened the process. We also cleaned out the gutters. Lots of fresh air and work makes for a good night’s sleep! Apart from the work outside, husband went into town and brought home Thai food for dinner. Ummmm! Love Pad Thai. As you know, Don does 98% of the cooking here and he wanted an evening off. Well deserved, I might add. Our anniversary was low-key and quite lovely.

Today I continue on my cleaning binge. I have a list and everything must be completed before my sister arrives on Thursday. We go to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, otherwise known as Rhinebeck, every October. It is this coming weekend. Meredith has been dealing with swine flu – both her boys have had it – and she needs a restful time at her sister’s! I adore her and can’t wait to see her. We laugh like crazy, the dogs get spoiled by their Aunt, we talk about everything under the sun, she gets to knit without distractions, we watch baseball and generally have a great time. Don is playing at a cafe on Friday night, so Mer will be able to hear him live.

My latest obsession, or about-to-be-obsession? Antique hatpin holders. I saw one that was going to go up for auction yesterday, and had Heidi bid on it, but it went for more than I was willing to pay. So I visited ebay – oh my gosh, there are so many beautiful hatpin holders! I see a new collection coming on!

Have a great day, my friends.