The Cheese People

 We have a quiet morning (a gift!) before we go to the hospital for Bill's hip replacement surgery.  Thank you for your prayers today. Usually, I'm at school by now, getting ready to stand out in the hallway to greet the sixth graders.  Ahhhh.  It feels good to be home.

 How are YOU doing, this first full week in a new November?  I hope you are feeling fine, feeling calm, and feeling the first sprinkles of the upcoming holiday season.  That's a good feeling.

 Look at these pretty white sweet potatoes!  They are white inside, so I thought I would see if they are as yummy as the orange.

 Here is the big Susan Branch calendar.  You can tell that Susan loves fall, can't you?  Take a look at the WHOLE month below.  Look at all that time open, all the days unspent.  Isn't that a nice feeling, too?

 I took down the hanging parsley.  Dusty parsley didn't sound delicious, but I left the delicate lavender.  It smells very sweet.  Beatrix Potter called it rabbit tobacco.  Which reminds me of something Jeff told us last night at dinner.  He was at a customer's door and she breathlessly told him that her three year old daughter had caught a rabbit. Jeff's first thought was, "That must be a fast little girl!" He learned that this bunny loving little girl sat at the edge of the bushes with a glass terrarium set on its side. She placed carrots in the glass box and when the bunny moved in to get the carrots, she quickly tipped the terrarium over, capturing the bunny.  I think she might be a Beatrix in the making!  Of course, they let the bunny go.   

I want to tell you about the cheese people at my nearest grocery store.  First, you need to know that the deli department at our store is ALWAYS crowded.  They have a huge selection of meats to slice and they also stock various sorts of delicious dishes, all prepared. Waiting in the deli line is slow and boring.  However, the cheese people do not get as much attention.  They love to tell customers all about cheeses and they are SMART!  I love their friendly exuberance, so I listen to all their cheesy ideas and I buy cheese.  One sweet cheese mouse told me that blue cheese tastes wonderful on a ginger cookie.  I tried it and she's right!  GOOD! I like blue cheese with a sliced Honey Crisp apple, too.  
Speaking of cheese reminds me of mice and it's that time of year when mouse families look for warm homes.  Bill saw one trying to get into our kitchen, so we've been keeping the screen door closed, no matter what.  I may get a darling baby mouse-catcher after all.  
I'll be back tomorrow to update you on Bill and again, thank you for your prayers.  (BIG HUG!)