Pie in the Sky

Starting to put out Christmas decorations. Candles in the windows, lights outside, two banners.

One of the banners that I made a couple of years ago. Got to work on a couple of quilt projects this afternoon. In the process of organizing my sewing/quilting/crafting area - a slow process for sure. My book group met Monday night. A rather disjointed discussion. We missed our October meeting due to Hurricane Sandy and then the snow storm. Plus with all the catching up it was hard to focus. Almost everyone liked Deadline (except one which didn't surprise me). I was flattered when three members said they had recommended the book to teachers to be included in the curriculum. One (a principal) asked two students (a boy and a girl) to read it to get their feedback. I am really curious as to their reactions. Everyone enjoyed Work Song. That was a better discussion- we learned about the expression "pie in the sky", labor unions, the little red book among other things. Very descriptive writing. Would like to read more by Ivan Doig. Our next meeting is our annual Christmas Party with Yankee swap. Potluck dinner with good friends- doesn't get better than that!

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful day.

Last post it was snowing. We got national attention with a record 13.5 inches of show! And by Thursday afternoon a significant amount had melted. Crazy weather. Have started reading Memoirs

of An Imaginary Friend. Interesting premise. Borrowed the book from my niece who selected it for her book group. She said everyone really enjoyed it. Tonight I am attending a talk at the library by Kathy Leonard Czepiel who wrote the book A Violet Season.

Set in the Hudson Valley in the last 1800s it is the story of a mother and daughter and their journey facing hardship. I had heard that it was good so it will be fun to hear the author (who is a professor at Quinnipiac University) and how she came about writing the story and the research for it.

The election is over. Tired but glad- no more political calls, nasty ads and I am hopeful for the future. Today our weather forecast was for an inch of snow and then turning to a rainy mix. It has been snowing since 10:30 and hasn't let up. We have at least 5 inches of snow and now it is predicted to go through the night. Roads are icy and slick. So, hurricane last week and now a Nor'easter today.

Hard to see but I had three deer in the backyard early in the storm. Have filled up the bird feeders twice today- poor birds. Good night to stay in, read or quilt. Have filled the bathtubs (again) and hope we don't lose power......

I hope this week is more "normal" than last week with Hurricane Sandy, no power etc. Having written that, it is unrealistic to expect that this week will be anything like normal since we have an election tomorrow that is very close. Too close. Very worried that people haven't been paying attention to the steady but slow progress our economy has made, the changes that work against women that the Romney/Ryan ticket support and propose and are only listening to promises that protect the 1% (very wealthy) and do away with services and programs that help the less fortunate. When I became 18 I registered to vote as a Republican. In fact the majority of voters in my hometown were Republicans. And families back one and two generations were Republicans, it was just expected that you would- Democrats were considered bad and not good for the economy etc. After I got married and moved back to my home town (still a Republican as was my husband) the first year I voted on our town's budget referendum, the budget was defeated. After 8 referendum (referenda?) and manipulations by the Republican controlled administration I went to the town hall and changed my party affiliation. I was appalled that the First Selectman and his party had actively worked against supporting the education budget. I truly believe in providing an excellent public school system and in our town the most money was going to the town side budget. Long story but in the end I don't feel I can relate to anything the Republican party stands for today. Having said that please go and vote tomorrow. I am supporting Barack Obama- I think he has done what he said he would do in spite of the lack of cooperation from the Republicans. And he deserves another 4 years. The economy is improving, albeit slowly, women' rights will be protected (this is a big issue for me), the country is getting out of the wars..... I just don't understand how anyone, especially women, can vote for Romney. Please vote tomorrow. Please support Barack Obama for another term.

My husband and I had the opportunity to go to Aruba for a week courtesy of a friend who had not rented his time share. Lovely to be away despite cloudy weather the first four days (Hurricane Sandy) and while the trip home was nerve wracking due to the situation of HS we made it home with just a minor delay. Pictured are some of the fishing boats near the high rise section of Aruba.

Our son had prepared the house for the storm- filling bathtubs, taking in furniture etc. We were without power for 5 days but thanks to a great utility crew from Nova Scotia our power was restored late Friday afternoon. My book club had to cancel our meeting on Monday night due to the storm and will discuss two books in November - Deadline and Work Song. Lots to talk about. While on vacation I did read a bit but not as much as I had anticipated. Rules of Civility, Moonflower Vine, When in Doubt Add Butter, My Brilliant Friend and The Case of the Missing Servant. I also grabbed a book from my daughter's book shelf- real chick lit- True Lies of A Drama Queen (very silly but fun and light). Have started The Case of the Man who Died Laughing set in India. Getting ready to vote on Tuesday. Working as Moderator of Absentee Ballots. Weather hopefully will be nice on Tuesday although a Nor'easter is predicted for Wednesday....