The new normal....

---is really, really aggravating me and I am needing to construct a more vibrant life here in the country. I am finding that I have landed in a rut...a healthier rut than I had been in before but nevertheless, a rut. Life has been spiced up recently...met three new ladies last night and went out to dinner and to see the movie: The Help, which I highly recommend. Workouts at the gym are improving and I find I am making healthier choices...not so much chocolate and red wine these days. Miss them but not as much as I would have expected. Now, to be honest, the bag of M&M peanut candies that Richard bought to surprise me when I got back from Florida, lasted less than one whole day. Yup...ate the whole bag of candies. Well, I did share some with Richard but not very many.

Each day tends to be a mixture of exercise, healthy eating, a tad of housework and some interaction with a couple of people. I am awaiting calls for substitute teaching and found out last night that there is a local food bank so will try to get involved there. Weather is tedious...cold, windy, blustery and grey which is somewhat of a downer. Noticed today as we drove into Caro to do the big bi-monthly grocery shopping trip that the fields are all turning brown just as the trees are turning glorious shades of red, orange and yellow. What I am NOT doing is something nice for other people like I was doing with Hope Hospice. Just was sent a project to do for them and that will be good...but solitary. Needing more interaction.

In Caro, we checked out a few of the stores we hadn't been to in the past and checked out what possibilities there are there for restaurants and places to go. Pumpkin Festival here in Caseville today and tomorrow and I forgot about it...need to check the website and see when the bands are playing. IF they are as good as during Cheeseburger that will be great fun...IF the weather holds. Whining, aren't I?

Oh, the neighbors who are feeding the feral cats found one of the kittens that were part of the group which were abandoned in our wood pile. Ours are dead but they had one, now named Beauregard, which they found under their porch and which is now being bottle fed in their home. Beau is about three weeks old and soooo tiny. At least he hadn't been eaten and bitten like ours had. Issue: this guy most likely will be let out to go wild and he will be causing an increase in the wild cat situation going forward. These neighbors don't like pets but I am tickled they salvaged this little guy. Had a fast moment when I thought...maybe we could adopt him but not going to happen...three dogs and one kitten. NOPE

Enjoying the fall foods up here. Trish, our neighbor is selling apples so I have a huge amount of them and am making apple cake and tonight, for dinner, we are having a pork roast, cooked with apple cider, ginger, a bit of brown sugar, cored apples and potatoes. Smells heavenly in the house. Oh, making pumpkin muffins tonight....pumpkins everywhere. One of the ladies I met last night had pumpkin pancakes for dinner and that surely is something I can make soon for the family. Why is it that cold weather brings on the cooking jag?