Halloween is for dogs!

Toby (across the street) and Zeke (Bozeman resident) are dressing up for Trick or Treat. Toby put on his bumble bee costume this morning and posed for me. Does he look like he's having fun? I think not.




Zeke looks a bit like Brenda Starr, Girl Reporter, except I don't remember her nose being so big or her face so hirsute. But the red hair is a dead give-away. Zeke is the more placid, easy-going of the pair. Huck was having none of it.

I believe I have commented in these pages that Halloween is my very least favorite celebration in the year. I never have liked it, even as a child. I was not allowed to eat anything I brought home so saw no point in the whole effort. I didn't like dressing up, didn't like going door-to-door. What a drip. Our neighborhood is almost empty of children now; they've all grown up and moved away but the parents have stayed here. It will be quiet tomorrow night. I think we had one trick-or-treater last year.

Meanwhile, we are without water in the kitchen. We think the faucet has failed. I don't think it's the piping in the house as the dishwasher gets water. Mr. C tried taking it apart, got only so far and without the investment of several hundred dollars in plumber's tools, is stymied. The plumber comes tomorrow. If it can be fixed, fine. If not, we'll have to buy a whole new faucet set-up and then get the plumber back to install it. I, of course, will be wiling away my time in court during all of this. One week down, three to go.

bears in the neighborhood

Living in a city we all are plagued by pests. You know, ants, mosquitoes, sometimes pesky cucaraches and even mice. How's this for an annoyance:

Due to a recent bear sighting by our neighbor (on her front porch!), Mike took it upon himself to clear our apple tree of any "bear temptations." We have had a bumper crop of apples this year--very juicy and sweet! We've already made a giant vat of apple sauce, and I made an apple cake last night for my Book Group. On the menu for breakfast this morning is oatmeal with diced apples. And today is coring/peeling/slicing/ziploc bagging for freezing. If any of our Thanksgiving recipes call for apples, rest assured!

This is from Cait in the wilds of Bozeman. No more whining about bugs, hear?

the long arm of the law

I can tell you this; jury duty, especially in this case, is not a restful duty. I came home from today's session absolutely exhausted. Although the actual time in the courtroom is not long, it is very intense. One has to pay close attention to every question, every statement, every nuance, every inflection of both question and answer. We are now through day four of a possible 18 ~ two days off because of the holiday on the 11th and the judge's conflict on the 4th. I'm going to try to get a massage on both of those days. I'll need it.

I remember (barely) when Mr. C was still practicing and how tense it was around here when he was in trial. Early to bed, early to rise, no socializing as long as it all lasted, little conversation. Total immersion. Now I truly understand the stress and the concentration. And I'm just an alternate who will, in the end, have no say about anything.

other people's lives

Since I can't tell you anything about what's going on with me, except that I'm in a room with 13 other jurors, a judge, a couple of attorneys, some witnesses, and a charming bailiff named Jason, for several hours a day, I'll give you a taste of how others are living.

These are photos sent by daughter Caitlin from Bozeman, MT. Fall has definitely arrived and, with it, all the gorgeous tricks Mother Nature has. These are pictures Cait took on her walk yesterday. Enjoy!

This is the meadow behind Cait and Mike's house.

There is a big barn across the road from their house with these golden aspen trees.

At the end of their street there are some houses around a lovely little pond.

We'll be there in a month to celebrate Thanksgiving with them and the rest of the family. By then there will most likely be snow on the ground and in the mountains. Can't wait!

meet alternate juror #2

I was unable to dodge. The bullet hit me dead on. For the next four weeks I will be in a civil trial in Yolo County Superior Court. Not many girls can be that lucky. I'll tell you all about it when it's over. Meanwhile, my lips are sealed.

A day of complete rest, lots of tea and chicken broth, and a couple of books returned me to perfect health yesterday. My neighbor, her sister and their two dogs and I went out for a beautiful long walk in the early morning sun. The leaves are falling, the chrysanthemums are blooming in all the gardens. There are clusters of brilliant pink and ruby cyclamen that light up winter gardens. When we were living in Italy in 2004 we bought many pots of them to put out on our balcony to brighten up the dreary, gray winter days.

Early walk tomorrow morning to stir up the blood and get me ready for several hours of legalese. I have a zillion things to do before leaving for Mexico, but duty calls.

Saturday blahs

Woke up with sore throat and stuffy head. Don't know where this germ may have come from. But I have to report for jury duty on Monday. That may have something to do with it. Fall cold? Hope not. Had to cancel both my walk and my massage. Bummer. Spent the day mostly in bed reading; Russell Hoban's Ridley Walker. One of the most clever, inventive, imaginative books ever. Post-apocalypse society and our hero, Ridley's account of it.

Gorgeous weather holding as I could see from my sick bed. Maybe better tomorrow so I can get outside for a nice morning walk.

Go Cardinals. Given tonight's score, are they playing football?

to cable or not to cable . . .

Let me state right from the start that we do not have cable TV delivery in our home. Or I should say, for complete disclosure, we do not PAY for cable delivery. It's a long story but one year when we returned from the beach, the person who had been house sitting for us had installed cable for her use. She was here for only two months, moved out and, presumably, canceled cable service. However, the company did not discontinue its service so when we returned we had this fantastic buffet of TV choices. This went on for three years until one morning, we couldn't get half of the cable channels but still got what might be called low-down-basic channels. This technological delivery did not come with any bill. We were sucking off cablevision without paying for it.

Last evening I ambled out to the den and turned on the TV for the news. Nothing but one of those rainbow test patterns. All the stations were dead with a message to contact the cable provider for its latest translation boxes if I wanted to continue to receive the signal. What? All I wanted was KQED or KVIE for the News Hour. I called immediately but was told it might be several hours before I got a Service Representative since the call load was very heavy. I bet it was!

So I logged on to my computer and watched the news. But this would not work for long. This morning I decided to go to the cable provider's local office and find out what the problem was. However, I needed to be very careful here. I was getting cable but was not paying for it. Who was? I had no idea. I didn't want to be slapped with a bill for 5 years of unpaid cable use to the tune of several thousands of dollars.

No problem. Yes, the provider had changed its requirements in the middle of the night and no problem that you are not a subscriber. Take this little magic box, follow the instructions, pay $10 for a month and you'll get what you want. Very basic. Network, PBS, a few extras. Sounds good. I returned home clutching the magic box, the instructions and a list of channels we would get for the rock-bottom, no-frills cable membership. Mr. C wrestled with it for a time, couldn't get it to work. I called the help line for advice. Another example of fantastic and patient help. Do you have the box plugged in with the power cord? Ooops. Once we did that and waited for the operator to send the signal we were in the land of cable watchers.

All of this for one month's service. We'll probably actually get cable legitimately when we get back from the beach. Right now we have what 's called "Limited Basic." For next year I'm eying Starter; it has MSNBC. That means Rachel. It's an election year. Essential!