Rainy again. The leaves are finally changing. In Samsonville it was pretty this past weekend, at least as far as I could tell through the rain. Monday was a clear and cobalt-blue sky day, though. Monday night we had a killing frost. I didn't cover anything, although I was a little sad to see the coleus, impatiens and cherry tomato go, but I figured October 14 is pretty late so whatever. Today we had to have the a few minor parts replaced in the furnace, because the pilot wouldn't stay lit. I made baked apples to warm up the house. Good thing I washed all the blankets recently!

I spent much of today installing AOL 8. At first I was a little nervous because I thought it had screwed up my machine. I was kind of distracted when the furnace was being repaired, what with trying to keep the dogs entertained. I had to coax Sophie upstairs, as she is nervous around strangers and she kept barking. It takes a long time for her to haul that hotdog body up those steep stairs! Luckily Rudy stayed with her and she calmed down. (He is such a good dog.) So it was probably a stupid idea to start the download at that time. I really should have been working on my classes, but I'm in OK shape for a day or so. Generally I don't upgrade right away, instead waiting for the bugs to be worked out before bothering. But this version has been receiving so much hype that I was tempted. The result was that it froze up several times and I figured it would never let me sign on. Anyway, I wound up deleting all the files and starting from scratch with the upgrade after the heat was working and things had calmed down here. All's well that ends well, because this time it worked fine. Next on the agenda is completing my virtual museum on apples at the GBP website.

Another Tuesday Too (on Wednesday)

1.) I know we've been here before, but perhaps you got a different one now. What's your "must see" movie, and why should I see it?

How about My Big Fat Greek Wedding? It's funny, it's heartwarming, it's independent, and it's breaking records. I think it is still at the movies in most places. Go see it! (For a rental movie, I really, really like Sya's suggestion of The Red Violin. What a beautiful, imaginative story.)

2.) What have you been procrastinating on, that you've just got to do, or finish up?

Three things come to mind. First, putting my button collection back up. I cleaned the dust off them, organized them, made .jpg images of them, posted them at my website, and they have been sitting here, waiting to be re-displayed. (Today I made some progress on this; I put the sheets on which they are fastened into archival sheet protectors; now I have to hang them up). Second, finishing the curtains on the porch. I have had four panels done for months; there are four to go. (A few days ago I bought a cheap little sewing machine to make this job easier). Third, really making a commitment to the treadmill, which is a struggle for me. Sometimes I am good about exercising, sometimes I am not. (I have just started to use it again.)

3.) Are you wondering, what in the world is happening? Are you afraid to pump gas? Do you think the US media has focused too much on the Maryland sniper? Why, or why not?

I don't drive, so I don't pump gas! But seriously, yes, I do wonder about what is happening. It is scary. I don't believe coverage in standard media (newspapers, radio, network television) is excessive, but all the cable news channels always obsess too much about all sensational issues. When programming is 24/7, that is to be expected.