Random fall color.  Boy it's pretty this year.  There are rumors that peak color is this weekend.  I don't know, we still need some yellows to go with the blazing reds and oranges.  It really is a banner year for color, and the weather has been wonderful--warm days and cool nights.  Foggy mornings with sunny clear afternoons, great dock days for people who don't have to work...

It's busy in the neighborhood these days, everyone trying to get our final visits and events in.  Last week I had dinner at Linda's Friday night, fed Duncan & Sue at my house on Sat. night, and had brunch with Linda & Erd., Sue and Duncan at Duncan & Sue's Sunday morning.  Very busy and wonderful.  Last night Duncan & Sue fed us delicious Greek food, sitting on the screened in porch.  Very nice.  Tonight it's dinner with the Holts (and Duncan & Sue + Bill).  Tomorrow is another brunch, then the cider pressing at Lin & Ralph's.  I bought a bushel of "utility" apples for my contribution--we call them drops, not utility apples, but I think they're the same.  Should be fine anyway.

I got a Facebook note from a college friend.  I saw him a couple of years ago, met him and his son in Keene Valley when they were looking at colleges.  Ted and I were good friends in college and lived together the year after I graduated, when I was a secretary.  There were 3 of us in the house and things got complicated--not because of the 3 of us, but because other people interfered.  But that's history, and Ted is a nice man.  He wants to come visit in late October, and that doesn't freak me out.  Yet?  Or maybe I'm just more relaxed about having company.  The upstairs is presentable, the bedroom there is in good shape.  Bathroom needs to be cleaned, but that's doable.  So there you go.  Come on along, Ted.

Dogs are doing well.  They were BAD DOGS on Monday.  I put the baby gate up to keep Tess inside while Treasure was out and I was in the shower, forgetting that Tess is not intimidated by a baby gate.  She crashed through it and she & Treasure took off.  I searched and searched but couldn't find them.  I had to be at a meeting in Champlain that morning, so I left them out with the front door open.  I did that another time with Tess and it worked out fine.  As it did this time.  They sure were happy to see me, though.  Treasure ripped up some papers and chewed on the handle of a favorite basket (BAD,BAD Dog).  She spends her days in a cage because she apparently gets bored, or frustrated, or whatever, and always finds something to rip up if she's loose.  Tess seems to sleep most of the day, unless I leave the garbage unlocked.  Last week she got into that and spread it all across the kitchen floor, as if she were searching for a diamond earring or something.

It's a banner year for mice and they're all coming to my house.  Well, no, Linda has a lot of them too.  So far I've killed 19--my record is 21 and after that I got a cat.  No cat now.  I'll just keep slaughtering the little buggers.

I had a nice trip to Lake Placid last week.  There's a new director, replacing the wonderful woman who was there but died recently.  She was a hard act to follow so I did a lot of reassuring the new director--mostly it was a cheerleading visit but the trip was nice.  Sunny with color just coming along.

Hard to believe that next week will bring October.  I have a meeting with the NY State Retirement rep, let's see where that goes.

I need to mow my lawn and get rid of the dead plants in pots on my deck.  And at lest think about closing the boat house.  I've been walking the dogs when I get home, sometimes to the mailbox and sometimes to camp.  They sure do like that.