Today, Murphy and I went out to enjoy a bit of fresh air.  Murphy had a ball, fetching the skunk and then tossing it about and shaking it with wild abandon!

I don’t know who had more fun….Murphy or me.  It was so nice to just be able to play outside for a few minutes!

I love Spritz.  I love them with frosting lavished on them with little sprinkles.  Mmmm…..actually, I am just a cookie monster, liking most varieties!  So….I got out my handy-dandy cookie press….placed some dough inside the cylinder…..put the press together…..pulled the trigger…..POW!!!  The cookie press broke. Imploded. I had to pick tiny bits of black plastic out of the dough. 

Thinking fast on my feet, I decided to convert my pressed creations (by the way, the press broke on the very FIRST cookie!) into Thumbprint cookies.  I rolled dough into delicate tiny balls, then placed my thumb into the center.  After all the cookies were on sheets for baking, I placed a bit of blueberry jam in each center.  Oh my!  The cookies were very good.

Don’t believe me?

Ask Murphy!

He climbed up on my chair when I left the room to place the first sheet in the oven.  He decided perhaps he needed to get a little more “personal” with my goodies!

Mark was sitting there next to Murphy, giving him tiny little pieces of cookie! 

As far as the Explorer goes, Mark is waiting on calls for several options.  In the end, it is likely we won’t get much for the vehicle.  I’m okay with that….We had hoped for a nice return to help pay for the new Subaru, but…..

Ah well!

Today, Murphy was rather mild-mannered, listening to our instructions, then promptly lying down on the floor as if to tell us he simply was not going to make things that dreadfully easy for us!

As you can see, Murphy is just downright cute, so how could I ever yell at him? And yes, in the end, our model was greatly rewarded with cookies!  Mmmmmm!

A couple of mornings ago, after eating his breakfast and going outside,  Murphy and I settled down on the couch to just relax and enjoy the pre-dawn time together.  Or, so I thought.

Murphy hopped down off the couch and began sniffing around the rug, checking to see if perhaps a tasty morsel appeared overnight.  Then, suddenly,  “CRUNCH!”

Murphy had found Mr. Fox….his toy with the empty plastic water bottle inside!  He crunched and crunched, throwing Mr. Fox into the air, then chasing after him when he landed on the floor.  Yes, it was early, and the noise is enough to raise the dead,  but Murphy was so cute!

Yup. Murphy fought the evil Mr. Fox, and he won!

Murphy has always been a bit on the “camera-shy” side….leaving all the glory and glamour of photography to his older “brother”.  Well, since Angus has been gone, things seem to be subtly.  Murphy now takes his place in a more prominent area most of the time, rather than hiding in some silly submissive mode!  And, on the day these photos were taken,  I think he was actually enjoying having the attention.

Here are my most favorite photos of my little Murphy.

And so, on this November Autumn day when the temperature has been warm enough to be unusual,  and the sunshine was poured out so wonderfully,  I am so thankful we have our Murphy.  It is so tough saying good-bye to Angus, but having Murphy does take a bit of the sting away….

I thought about this for awhile, then told him he ought to contact the Mennonite company that builds and sells lots of sheds in our area. He agreed this might be a good lead, so he called.  The nice girl on the line answered a couple of questions, then said she needed to talk to one of the guys that works there when Mark asked about trusses.  She came back with a business name and telephone number for Mark of the guy who builds their trusses.

Mark dialed the number and I sat in the room with him.  As the man spoke, Mark said he sounded like….but I couldn’t hear who he thought the guy sounded like.  As I listened, I thought he sounded like the guy who we hired to add the large addition to our garage in 2005.   The funny thing is, it was him!  Apparently, he is no longer doing building, but is now building trusses!

When the fellow asked for Mark’s name and telephone number, he said he did some work for him several years ago….Yup! It really was him.

I took a few photos of Murphy today with my little camera.  He went for a walk with Ben and I up in the woods and was so cute!  He must have picked up a zillion leaves in his “skirt”!  He also had them dangling off his nose.  We had taken along some treats for the wee one and he posed so nicely for the camera!  Problem is, the camera isn’t here at the moment, so perhaps I will post the photos tomorrow.

Today I am thankful for the beauty that surrounds us! God has given us such an incredible world, filled with so many blessings.  Today was a fantastic day full of sunshine and warm temperatures. It is hard to actually believe it is November!

We spent the day today running around..a lot!  We had to drop Michelle off at school.  Oh, but *before* dropping her off,  we had to rush to WalMart so the kids could buy a bunch of the special Halloween candy on sale for half price.  This was important. To them, anyway!

After Michelle was off to school, it was time to rush over to Mark’s mom’s house.  She had a doctor’s appointment.  After getting her squared away at the doctor’s,  we went on over to Home Depot.  We were checking out some pricing on lumber and when I saw all the pretty Christmas baubles,  I was like a piece of metal to magnet.  I will never understand the draw for me,  but I just love all the colors of Christmas.  Oh, not *just* the reds and greens, but all the others as well.  And speaking of red and green,  I cannot even begin to believe all the variations of these two colors.  Just awesome!

After picking my mother-in-law up when she was done, we took a leisurely drive on over to Sam’s Club.  We were there for quite awhile.  I really like their big packages of chicken and roasts.  The prices are so great and with all the Crockpot meals I have been making, it is so nice to be able to pull out pre-packaged chicken breasts and thighs.  (I place one breast or thigh into a small baggie, then place the small baggies into a large marked bag…so simple!)  Mark’s mom even bought a large package of meat to make up several meals.

When we got done shopping, we were off to Mark’s mom’s house.  She is such a stitch!  She bought a wireless doorbell at WalMart she wanted to show me.  It was pretty cool. The button goes outside, as is typical, and there is a wireless receiver you plug into an electrical outlet.  It makes a very nice “ding-dong”. 

After seeing the cool wireless setup, she went and got out another box.  This was way way cool!  She loves watching QVC and sometimes buys things from them.  Well, she bought an awesome wireless doorbell that plays different songs.  It has Christmas selections as well as titles for other holidays.  The most impressive had to have been the Hallelujah Chorus.

Although today was fairly warm compared to the past several days,  I got chilled.  We were working outside at Mark’s mom’s and it was shady and cool.  I went and sat down in the car with Murphy.  Mark opened the tailgate and Ben put one of the seats down so Murphy could see what was happening.  The little bugger sat in the back of the car and watched every little thing!  He was so cute sitting there, tilting his head back and forth! 

One notable difference with Murphy being the single pup is he is no longer such a wild man when it comes to food.  When Angus was around,  if you offered Murphy a treat, you would have to place it in your palm and hold it up to him.  If you tried to have him take it from your fingers….OUCH….Murphy would clamp down on your fingers like a ravenous wild animal! Today, my mother-in-law (bravely) placed a treat in her lips and told Murphy to take it.  We used to do this with Angus and he would ever-so-gently remove it.  Not Murphy….he was out to do some lip-piercing!  Today, however, Murphy gently eased the treat from her lips!

As we were getting ready to leave today, my mother-in-law confided that Murphy reminds her a lot of Angus. That was awesome, as this woman absolutely adored little Angus!  When we used to go to her house, Angus would see her and his ears would lie flat on his head….his lips would curl back, exposing his teeth and his rearend seemed to come undone, as though totally disengaged from his body!  He would hop up and down until she came over to him and talked to him.  Oh, how we missed that today…..but Murphy was different….totally warming up to her.  It was so cute as he followed her into the garage to get a “cookie”.

We were a few minutes late picking Michelle up from school.  She and Ben were so excited, as a nationally known band was going to be doing an accoustic set at a local business in Rochester this evening.  It started at six, and the best part was, it was free!  Tomorrow, they are doing another venue, and it is expensive to get in. 

Michelle got into the car and asked us to crank the heat up.  She asked Mark to go to McDonald’s to get her a sandwich as she felt like she was starving.  After she ate, we went over to WalMart.  She stayed in the car with Murphy and when we came back out, she said she wanted to go home.  She then told us her throat was so sore, she just wanted to go home and go to bed.  Poor Michelle.  I feel so bad for her….

As soon as we got home, everyone acted pretty tired;  even Murphy flopped down and fell asleep!

Only one photo.  I took this one yesterday.  You see, we moved into this house just a little more than nineteen years ago. In all those years,  we have never, ever, had one child come trick or treating!!  The first few years we were here,  I always bought big bags of candy, expecting someone to stop by.   But, it never happened.

Sooo……there is always a first, right? 

There were four “kids” that came by just before dusk last night.  Aren’t they just dear?

The fourth little one was photo shy!

And so, this November first,  I am so thankful for all my friends and family! Where would be be without all the loved ones in our lives?

Angus always wanted to be the “top dog” and he ruled with an iron paw. If Angus was sitting on a chair or the couch, you had better believe Murphy would be on the floor.  Even in the truck,  Angus would suspend himself on the back of the front seats….his left front and rear paws hanging on the back side, right paws over the front side!  Murphy was either on the seat or the floor!  When I used to say that Angus was the King, I meant it!

So, back to Murphy.  On the day that Angus passed away,  we had gone to Country Max in Henrietta.  As we walked around the store,  we spotted a “gutted toy” (one that had no stuffing) that had a velcro tab in which a plastic water bottle could be inserted.  Murphy loves the crunching sound these bottles make when he chews on them, so this was the toy for him!

A few days ago, I was washing dishes in the kitchen early in the morning. (about 6 am)  I was working away when I nearly jumped out of my skin!  WHAT was that noise?  I hurried to the living room to see little Murphy scooting about, dropping the fox on the ground, then nearly throwing the toy into the air as he picked it back up!  Crunch!  Hearing a plastic water bottle make that sound when the house is entirely quiet is somewhat alarming!

Yesterday morning,  I watched as Murphy hopped onto the recliner in the living room and “buried” his fox under a blanket that was sitting on the chair.  I love watching him do this as every time he pushes his nose across the blanket, he makes a squeaky noise!

This evening, Murphy went a bit crackers,  racing all over the living room, fox dangling from his mouth.  The little fellow played and played,  then sprung (much like Tigger with springs!) up onto the couch where he placed Mr. Fox on top of my coat.  After Mr. Fox was placed “just so”,  Murphy rested his head on his little treasure!

Murphy will never replace Angus….each pup comes with an individual and distinct personality….but having him sure takes some of the bite away from losing Angus!

We “borrowed” a car from a dealer yesterday to see how it might work out.   One of Mark’s goals is to have a car that if he decides to go out by himself,  he will be able to without depending on anyone to help him in and out of the car.  For this reason, he had considered a minivan,  but then decided we might be better off with all wheel drive.  I think there are few minivans with AWD, and if they have it, they might be pretty pricey.

We borrowed a 2011 Subaru Outback and it seems like it might just work out.  The trick is to put the backseat behind the passenger seat down.  Mark can then transfer into the car, then reach out and disassemble the wheelchair and put the pieces on a blanket in the backseat.  It is a little tricky, but we think it just might work.

Mark and I went out this afternoon to Penn Yan.  I wanted to make a recipe from that awesome book  I bought, called Slow Cooker Revolution.  The recipe called for 4 teaspoons of Curry Powder, but like Mother Hubbard, my cupboard had none!  I wanted to drive the car, since I hadn’t tried it.  Mark agreed to take a spin to Oak Hill over in Penn Yan.

We were surprised at the fuel economy of this car…it is rated 22 MPG, city, and 29 MPG, highway.  Well, since there are no “highways” between here and Penn Yan,  but hilly, rolling country roads,  we were surprised that the average miles per gallon is about 29.4 since we got the car!  We have been driving backroads and that means some stopping and starting, just like city driving!

We got home later than we thought we would, and I hurried to make my Curried Chicken in the crockpot.  Instead of taking several hours,  I turned the cooker to high and left it there for an hour.  The chicken was fully cooked in about 3 1/2 hours. (I turned it back to low for the last 2 1/2 hours. ) The recipe turned out well and everyone liked it.  Another winner! LOVE that book!

Well, one photo tonight…..this one was taken for my daily photo journal…..Murphy, the model.

Oh, and one funny true story from this morning….

Ben said he got bored last night, so he decided to make a “man” sitting in the chair in the living room.  He used some tubes to make legs, covered by a pair of his gray socks.  A pair of Michelle’s boots on the legs.  Shorts and a shirt, stuffed with pillows, and a pumpkin on top for a head.  The pumpkin wearing a baseball cap. 

I carried Murphy downstairs as I do every morning.  As I rounded my way off the stairs and turned toward the living room, poor deceived Murphy just about had a heart attack, seeing that “MAN” in HIS living room.  My eyes had been a bit bleary…plus, it was on the dark side….but the first thing I saw when I looked up was the pumpkin head.  Murphy!!! What a nutty little dog…..trusting his eyes instead of his “sniffer”! It was very comical, though! (Sadly, Ben took his effigy apart this afternoon before I photographed it….it really was pretty good!)

Yeah….while Angus is “all about business”, Murphy is ridiculously clueless about his surroundings!  Little fellow just wants to be our baby!

On a little diversion to Salamanca on Monday, I walked around the town a little.  Coming into the town on Main Street,  one passes over a bridge and sees this pretty mural on the side of a building.  Salamanca is located on Indian (Native American) territory.  It is a pretty little city which was also the home of Ray Evans, the man who wrote the lyrics for the Christmas song,  Silver Bells.

On Monday, I took a brief walk around the park to see what I could see.  It is fun to walk as one sees things that would never be seen from the car.

Tadpoles or pollywogs? I don’t know!  There were many of them in a stream I saw while crossing over a little foot bridge.

These pines along the road were so pretty against the sky of blue!

This was my find of the day, though!

Later in the day, I was hungry so we stopped by the Administration Building at Redhouse.  I got a menu and ordered a sub. It was a toasted turkey sub. Very good and it came with a pickle and fries! Wow.  The price was good, too.  I had to run upstairs to the restaurant to grab it.  I had never been up there and what a surprise. It is a pretty little place!

Amazing how cozy this restaurant is…it has dormers on the front of the building, facing the lake.  The only downside is that the restaurant doesn’t have an elevator, so Mark cannot go upstairs.  Downstairs, though, there is a lodge area with chairs and huge windows overlooking the lake.  One of the waitresses told me that if we were to stop by when it wasn’t too busy, one of the waitresses would run a meal down!  The lodge is located down a few stairs from the main level, but there is a little lift there so wheelchairs can access that area.

After our busy day of exploring the park a little (believe me, there is TONS more to see and do there!) we stopped by the Quaker Lake gift store.  I found a real treasure there!  I am always, always uploading photos off the SD cards and forgetting to put the cards BACK into the camera.  Oops! 

Yes, this awesome brightly-colored little pouch (necklace) is perfect for storing an SD card in its case!  AND, it also gets compliments!

On Tuesday morning, we left the park shortly after ten in the morning to go visit my parents. On the way, Mark stopped at the Butterfly Field (yes, it is designated as such) so I could see if any butterflies were around.  Apparently, they are late sleepers because I only saw one as we were leaving!

This field is huge and I walked a trail that covers its perimeter.  I was so disappointed.  It was pretty hot in the sun, too!

I think I felt how this spent Thistle looks after all my traipsing about!  Although I didn’t see butterflies, the entire field was absolutely buzzing with bumblebees and honey bees, working in the Goldenrod!

I already mentioned that we went to my parents’ to visit on Tuesday.  While we were there, my older brother, Bob, came by. Bob lives in the country and has quite the garden.  He really loves gardening and has always had a garden, even when he lived in the city.

Bob brought along some zucchini squash, yellow tomatoes, red tomatoes, and corn.  Well, my dad decided to deck himself out!

Uh huh.  Now we know where my sense of humor came from, right?