Good morning.  I'd like you to meet the newest member of our "family".  Peter Kevin calls him Cornelius but I think that is much too civilized a name for this fierce creature.

  As you can see, he is BIG (over 8 feet tall).  His wings move back and forth as if he is fanning flames or getting ready to fly.  His eyes glow laser red and his belly is full of purple fire at night.  He is so cool.  It's hard to wait for Hallowe'en to allow him to be blown up and outside.

Labor Day has come and gone already and even if the calendar says it's summer for another 2 weeks, the feeling around here is that the "lazy, hazy, crazy" days of summer are gone and the more industrious days of Fall are fast upon us.  It was cool enough over the weekend to pick up some roving and spin for a while.  I pulled out the Starry Night roving I got in Maryland and made one skein of n-plyed yarn and have 4 bobbins of singles waiting to be plyed.

It has mohair in it so it has a bit of a halo which I like.  It's been just lovely to spin.  I hve nice even singles and my plying is getting more even. 

The weather was cool enough for some baking so I made a family favorite, Whoopie Pies.  

I don't know why they're called Whoopie Pies but they are so good.  Elanor and Pk helped in the making of the cookies and the putting them together and of course, the Quality Assurance part.  We packed them in pairs and put them into small brown sandwich bags for a picnic at Valley Forge with Em and Jim.  We were in our usual spot but were beset upon by bees and had to pack up a bit earlier than we might have.  Em and I are both allergic to bee stings and while we carry EpiPens, we'd prefer not to have to use them (they'd be very expensive to replace!)

Elanor turns 33 this month.  We got her a hummingbird feeder.  She and Pk have had such a good time all summer watching the birds come to the feeders in the yard and she mentioned that she'd seen a hummingbird.  It was a bit early but they migrate soon and if we waited till her actual birthday, she'd miss them altogether.

An email from Pk's brother last night informed us they are planning to come east for a visit in a few weeks.  It's a perfect time of year, before the holidays take over.  I know he's looking forward to it.

This coming weekend is the Garden State Sheep Breeders' Show.  I really like this one.  It's small and never that crowded so you can spend time talking to vendors and actually ask questions about their products.  I also enjoy watching the 4-H kids showing off their animals.  It's endearing to see a kid with an animal who is as big as or in some cases, bigger than they are showing sheeps and goats in the ring.  There are sheep dog demonstrations (those Border Collies are a wonder)

And I almost forgot.  They always have Kettle Korn.....

                                                           

Other than that, it's quiet around here.  We are setting up to get some house chores done after the heat breaks and before the cold sets in.  In October Pk and I will celebrate our 35 wedding anniversary and in November I will be 59 (and I don't know how that happened).  Time flies not only when you're having fun but when you're not paying attention!

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