Well, the temperature here in Southwest Ohio went from the 80s to the 40s like it saw a State Trooper. 
Wow! Shockaroo! Yesterday, it was 36 degrees when I awakened and stuck my nose out the door. Earl Gray and Gracie slept in. They knew a good thing and stayed snuggled in tight little balls in their beds in the garage.
Pumpkins and gourds are everywhere! I love all the colors - blue, white, yellow, all shades of orange - and shapes. There are at least three places selling fall vegetation - bundled corn stalks, Indian corn, along with all the pumpkins and gourds - and one offering hay rides. Such fall fun!! 
I have been busy knitting Knitted Knockers. Knitted Knockers are 
handknit soft breast prosthetics for mastectomy patients. They are a wonderful lightweight and cooler alternative to silicone prostheses and can be worn immediately after surgery forever or until reconstruction surgery is performed. I had heard of this program and took a class last February where I learned how to make them. I expressed interested to KnittedKnockers.org re: making them and they asked me to serve as a state supplier. I said yes and WOW! the need is high! I started accepting requests for Ohio October 1st and to date my friends and I have knit 34 plus Knockers. If you are on Facebook, please check out my page - Knitted Knockers of Southwest Ohio. Click LIKE, too!!! There are three ways to help - 1) become a Knitted Knocker knitter, 2) donate money to help us offset expenses (email me or comment on this post for information on local donations), and 3) 
Spread the Word!! Knitted Knockers are knit with love and hope and are completely free to customers requesting them.
A big happening this month - Daddy turned 90 years old!!! We celebrated with a trip to La Comedia in Springboro, Ohio to see the Tom Daughtery Orchestra's "Victory Canteen" - Glen Miller Orchestra Army Air Force Band Tribute. By the end of the week, he had also celebrated with a grand total of three birthday cakes. He was very celebrated and deserved it!
Lily, Mom and Daddy's dog, also celebrated a birthday this month. She turned 15! She's such a good pup! 
Kind of deaf now and sleeps a lot but still has running spells and enjoys her daily walks.
I have sorely neglected my gardens this year. With Mom's repeated hospitalizations this spring, I never got a chance to mulch and tend to them properly. Then, it was too hot and buggy to bother. Now, they are winding down and it's cooler - time to get out there and weed, prune, and mulch. I have so enjoyed the zinnias. They have bloomed like crazy! They hummingbirds and butterflies have enjoyed them, also.
I lost my cuddle-bud the end of September. Five year-old Buster started running a fever and had a decreased appetite. All he wanted 
to do was come in and sleep on the footstool where I sit and knit. I took him to the vet on a 
Tuesday and they kept him overnight. When I brought him home on Wednesday, he seemed to be better. Then on Thursday, he had a fever and wasn't eating again. I took him back to the vet on Friday. They did bloodwork and an ultrasound and called me with the results. His blood counts were low and his liver, kidney, and spleen were all enlarged. Verdict - he had a mass and with 3-organ involvement. Dr. Ruth said it could either be a whopping infection or more likely cancer (lymphoma being the most common with this presentation). Both scenarios 
would require a lot of traumatic treatment for poor Buster so I made the very tough decision to put him to sleep. I just couldn't put him through it. I was with him through the end and brought him home to bury him. I miss him so much! Earl Gray and Gracie - not so much.
With the cooler temperatures, outside walks are soooooo much nicer! Plus, there's lots of fall stuff to see. On a recent walk down the Wellman Meadows road, I spied lots of Milkweed pods busting open. Good to see all of these because the Monarch butterflies just love them.
Happy Fall to all of you all! As always, thanks for reading!
