Daily Notes- October 23

It's raining.  I have all the lights on as Riley is discomforted by the dark (during the day).  He's had his mood altering chewy.  I am sitting here by the computer making typing noises.  I have just raised the temp on the furnace.  G has left the building to get his haircut.  I am encouraging Riley to stop pacing and drooling.  (he is sitting and staring into space)

In Good News we purchased a roll of chicken and vegetables from Freshpet and I chopped about a 2 inch segment into Riley's prescription dry food.  He gave the bowl a look and then turned away.  Then when I was no longer obviously "looking" he scarfed the entire meal down and licked the bowl. Same with Supper later and this morning's Breakfast.  I am going to write Freshpet a lovely thank you letter.  Riley's hip bones are sticking out.  He's getting so thin.

Mostly, today, this morning, Riley is thinking- no walk today and that is making him very sad. And no Law and Order today on WE.  Criminal Minds all day--- which Riley and I both find way too scary.  We tried watching a Christmas movie on Lifetime yesterday.  It's like a slightly gamey version of Hallmark with the same sets and actors.  Kids talking to dead parents.  Imperfect mothers. Skanky sisters.  No baked cookies.  No ice skating. No curling iron curly hairdos. No hot chocolate.  None of Hallmark's standard features.  The one I watched- not even a tree. But there was hockey.  Hallmark loves hockey but I think it's because most are filmed in Canada.  Christmas hockey.  Dee will need to add that to her Hallmark Bingo.  I loved that she had a square for "mechanical failure".  Dee- I laugh out loud when it happens--thinking of you!

Daughter came by last night- dirty from a day of Fall Cleanup in the landscape world.  She brought me Purple Smoke Bush leaves for my eco printing. She was disappointed they weren't as deeply pigmented as last year's.  I said- no killing frost yet.  And she said- "that's why we're still working". I tucked all the leaves into a plastic storage bag- quart sized and will let them "ferment" until needed.

This Spring I used some (from last October) that had composted themselves in the baggie.  Lovely prints.  Today I will wash out the grape leaf bundled cloth.  I let it dry for two days to "set" whatever happened. My feeling is that the grape leaf water (boiled twice and cooled to cold each time) does act as a mordant.  I might need to double up on the leaves to water ratio next time.  And I'll see what the color is after the wash.  Right now I like the dirty grunge of it.

I have a cloth and backing to stitch on today.  And I am reading a British romance- Kinsela.  Early days but it's taking me a while to get the lingo.  Make a good Hallmark movie- already had a mechanical failure, baking cakes, cute meet and a curling iron and not even 50 pages in.  Cheerio!!