....GOOD EVENING.......

I've got a lot to discuss... nothing important...but I'll start by saying...

hApPy HaLlowEeN....

 So, the last couple of weeks...busy, busy.  We have been discussing a remodeling project.  I've wanted something different with my kitchen window for a long time.  It might be going to happen... if the amount of time we've spent discussing it is any indication of how quickly it'll actually happen... I'll be dead of old age, but I'm hopeful.  Mark DID buy some materials (and of course a new tool) to use on it.  But, I'll take pictures, of before, during and after.. if we ever start.

Sailing season is over. Boo.

We went into Chicago last week, spent the night so we could get an early start the next day on the big sail.  We took our car up to Waukegan, road the train down to Chicago, checked into our hotel, and had dinner with Scarlett and Dan. 

Before dinner, we did go over and check on our boat.  A dreadful storm hit the Wednesday before and caused a LOT of damage in our harbor.  A real lot.  Like last count we heard, 27 boats broke loose, and 9 sunk.  We saw sailboats with their masts broken, sails  ripped, debris everywhere.. it was awful.  We were lucky, only problem we had was our anchor blew off it's holder and scratched our hull a bit.  Hardly worth mentioning looking at what others had. 

We set sail a bit before 9 a.m. on Saturday and it was a beautiful day.

I'm always sad on  this day...summer is over, boat goes into storage, and winter is coming soon... It seems like the 6 months it's in the water is a whole lot shorter than the 6 months it's out... hum...

Anyway, we left Chicago, enjoying one last look at our 'spot' and headed north.

Sailed by Scarlett's building, that's the last time we'll see 'her building' from the lake.. they are moving.... more on that later.

Sailed by my vacation property... I love this building, really.

I keep suggesting to Mark, he call Rahm and see if it's available... he looks at me like I'm daft. I can totally see myself arriving by  a little motor boat, in a mink stole....okay, maybe it's a bit Tippi Headron(ish) with all those damn evil black birds on there, but, I'm sure we can be rid of them.  Don't be so negative...

I took the helm for a while. Whilst I was 'manning' the boat, we had a small bird join us.  He fluttered around and landed on the head sail's rope... right near me.  I yelled and Mark came running, thinking it was something major... not just a little bird.. in close proximity...to me... little or not, they still flap and have beaks.

He wasn't the only stowaway we had. 

We also had a Monarch butterfly fluttering around us. This always amazes us, where do they come from?? He landed on Mark's coat, and rode along for quite awhile.  He seemed very content to rest there in the sun.  We seem to be joined by a Monarch often... Sometimes I think he might be someone we know...

Anyway, the day AFTER we sailed the boat up to Waukegan, we had to go back, because I stupidly left my leather jacket on the boat.  We took the convertible and meandered down Sheridan Road back to Chicago by the lake.  I gotta tell you... there are some extremely large, palatial homes along that road.  I really should probably live in one...

But I don't. 

I live here, in Victorian Hell... which brings us to my next tale... so I'm watching TV one night last week, and happen to glance into the kitchen, where I see a small mouse meandering along the edge of the island.  My doglet Millie, was sitting on the hassock, facing said mouse, tipped her head as dogs do, and turned around and looked at me like 'well, aren't YOU going to do something?'  Right.  I did go into the kitchen and the brazen little devil sauntered away... ugh.  Then, a while later, I was taking the dogs out for the last time that night, opened the door carrying Clemmie, Millie charged out to the porch, where she came face to face with a baby opossum. On. my. kitchen. porch.  I screamed, dropped my flip flop, Millie ran into the house and I slammed the door.  The stupid thing stayed out there for about a half hour, hanging out, with my shoe. 

What's up with me and the rodents? Reminds me of an old Alfred Hitchcock episode.  Remember?? The one with the rodent pin... that kept getting bigger and bigger??? 

Alfred has been heavy on my mind lately....