Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause
between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

26 October 2006: I made an emergency trip to UVA with my Dad who needed another procedure on his esophagus. He's tired of being sick. Weather has stayed chilly; our water hose froze overnight. Now it's raining which is good because this area is still short a few inches of its annual rainfall. No matter the rain, Harry is out hunting. His age is showing. He hunts and stays out most of the night then drags himself in the next morning too tired to jump up on the sink to get his drink of water. He sleeps all day to get ready for the next night's hunt. He's a very happy cat. I worry about the high speed vehicles on the road out front, but Harry tells me that he knows about vehicles. He's even had a few very close calls, but he's lived this long and I should give him credit for that. Smart cat. Sadie continues to nap with me and fight with Tom.

24 October 2006: More snow flurries today and it's staying cold. I went with my Dad to UVA and he's cancer-free and on the mend! Now, when my Mom recuperates from her recent cataract surgery, Tom and I will head to warmer weather.

23 October 2006: I ventured north to MD last Thursday to meet with my Gal-Pals in Howard County. We talked of family, travel, and school. I was also pleased to spend a few chatty hours with my friend Susan in Frederick, MD. I'm back in VA chauffering my parents back and forth to doctors' appointments. The weather has turned very cold, so Tom and I may head south sooner than we had planned ... I even saw a few wet snowflakes today!

14 October 2006: I've been busy reading, writing, and cleaning. A cold front came through bringing wind, falling temperatures, and heavy frosts. It also brought me a change-of-weather cold with cold sores, sore throat, and headache. Tom and I joined Becky for lunch at the Swinging Bridge Restaurant in Paint Bank on Friday. The fall colors were glistening in the cool sunshine and we had a fun time.

04 October 2006: Jenny from Western Rivers Conservancy contacted me by email to request permission to use some of my photos of Smith River in northern CA in their newsletters. Permission granted.

03 October 2006: I'm still chauffering parents back and forth to doctors' appointments, but I do see some light at the end of this tunnel. Tom and I will be heading south in mid-November. The weather remains dry and warm. Yesterday, Tom and I ventured out to see Roaring Run waterfalls. Even after this summer's heat wave and continuing drought, there were waterfalls! The walk up to and back from the tallest waterfall is 1. 5 miles and we did it with little struggle. It felt good to be walking in the woods again!