Finally our trees are starting to show some color. They are slower than the other trees around town! Taken bright and early this morning.

Life is never dull for long. Yesterday I got back from taking Mom home. I let the dogs out of their basement room. One look at Daisy and I knew something wasn’t quite right. Her face and nose were all swollen up on one side. This had happened to Bart the day before too and I had given him some Benadryl thinking it was an allergic reaction to either a bug bite or possibly poison ivy. His went away. Daisy’s didn’t, so this afternoon she is going to the vet. I think it’s infected; she won’t let me touch it to take a really close look but I can’t see anything.

Also yesterday after I got home from taking Bart to the vet (he has a urinary tract infection) there was a message from Rick saying that the Suburban was not running right and OnStar was trying to direct him to a Chevy dealer. Great. What now? We’ve never had a bit of trouble from the Sub. Turns out that the squirrels where he parks at work have been busy chewing through the wiring harness! So, I had to go and pick him up. They should have the new wiring harness in by this afternoon.

All this on top of not feeling very well; swollen glands in my throat, sneezing, etc. All the symptoms of a head cold or bug. So, I’m going to try and relax now until Daisy’s vet appointment. I have some posts to catch up on but I can’t concentrate on writing them right now, so stay tuned for Manhattan Momma, A Shore Thing, and Pick Me!

Update: Daisy got a big shot of Benadryl and something else for the reaction. The vet found a spot on the inside of her mouth that looked like it could have been a bite or sting. She was running a little fever as well, poor Do. I hope this makes her more comfortable.

Recently we revamped our wall in the kitchen where we’ve created a hearth room effect instead of having a kitchen table. I took our certificates that we earned at cooking schools while in France and a couple of menus, bought frames for them and did my own “ready-made” framing job. We tried a few different wall colors from Benjamin Moore, but couldn’t quite find the right shade. I got some samples from Lowe’s and we ended up with Del Coronado Amber from the National Trust Collection of paints.

It’s known as our “Wall of Fame” because we have certificates from the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and Sylvie Lallemand’s Provençal cooking school in Gordes where we went several times. It also includes an autographed menu from Paul Bocuse, and another menu from one of our favorite restaurants, Le Cep, in the Beaujolais wine region.

Here is the wall in before and after mode.

Last night a funny thing happened. Bode and Bart were outside asleep on the deck for a long time, just enjoying the cool weather. When I let Bode in I noticed something on his back. At first I thought it was a small leaf so I reached down to brush it off. ACK! Not a leaf, too slimy for that! What the heck? I looked closer and when I did, it jumped! A teeny, tiny brown frog! He leaped off Bode and quickly became camouflaged on the rug. Then he hopped again and I couldn’t find him. I got the flashlight [didn’t want to step on him] and found him hanging on to the wood of the TV cabinet. Rick helped me round him up and he took him out in the yard and let him go. He must have been keeping pretty cozy snuggled into the fur on Bode’s back. What better place for a wee froggie to sleep on a chilly fall evening?

Yesterday I went to pick up Mom to bring her back for a week’s visit. It was a beautiful day. Clear blue skies with a few puffy white clouds. The trees were changing in spots. Traffic was light and not too many trucks on the road. With Becky’s surround sound turned way up, the miles slid past without my even noticing as Steve Tyrell and Andrea Boccelli sang to me. My guide posts went by quickly. NY State Thruway comes one half hour into the trip. Next at one hour is Poughkeepsie. Kingston/Rhinebeck about 15 mintues after that. A short pit stop at the New Baltimore service area with a Starbuck’s latte to keep me going. Albany comes next at right at two hours. After I pass Lake George I start to feel “home free” but it will be another half hour or so before I pull into Mom’s driveway. The weather was so pleasant I opened the sun roof. I took the windy Pottersville Road at about 60 mph this tiime. Becky likes the curves and hills.

My Mom, bless her,  always has a bottle of wine waiting for me when I arrive!

We made the return trip back this morning.