I love autumn...

Delicious satsumas from the co-op and walnuts from my friend, Marilyn.  Life is good...
That nutcracker has been in my family for as long as I can remember.  It was such a joy to pull it out of the drawer where it's been stashed for years and put it to use.

A new family member...

David with Rosko the Dog

This little guy appeared in our cul-de-sac about a week ago looking lost and very frightened (the dog, not my husband who is holding him).  He figured out how to get into our back yard and stayed huddled in a corner by the wall.  We put out food and blankets for him, speaking gently and trying to make friends.  Saturday, David was sitting outside reading and suddenly felt someone pawing at his leg.  He looked down and our new little friend jumped right into his lap!

We're pretty sure that someone just abandoned him because the poor thing spent a lot of time standing in the cul-de-sac staring at the main road.  Plus, he's housebroken and is such a joyful thing, now that he's not terrified.  The thought of someone abandoning an animal fills me with outrage.  How could anyone be so heartless?

I have to admit that a chihuahua is not the sort of dog any of us imagined owning, and we really weren't looking to add another animal to our menagerie, but we can't turn away someone in need.  Besides, how could we resist those ears?

Apples

Freakin' HUGE apples.  The size of my two fists together.  Got 'em from our co-op yesterday and now it's all about apples.  Apple butter cooking in the crock pot.  Apple bread baking in the oven.  Apple compote on the pancakes this morning.  Apple pies this afternoon.  Apples to eat with friends.  Yep.  Thirty POUNDS of apples...

What I did this weekend...

Spooky tree ATCs

Spooky tree envelopes

Finished!

Hurray!  I actually finished the second mitten last night, but was too tired to post the picture.  Other fiber news:  I finished spinning/navajo plying the second bag of the dreaded turquoise mohair (looks just like the first skein, so I'm not posting another pic), spun/plied some lavender/pink/blue wool that had been sitting on a bobbin for ages, and am currently spinning some black wool roving with some sparkly stuff that will be a novelty yarn (pictures of that when it's finished).

We went to Venice Beach and spent four glorious days away from the Las Vegas blast furnace, walking uncounted miles all around this bit of paradise.  Here is a view of the Grand Canal:

Earlier that evening, my husband and I encountered this fellow on the Venice Pier:

Everyone was madly snapping pictures (me included) and he just hung out like a rock star:

It was quite an experience to be so close to him.  Doesn't he look prehistoric?  And that wingspan was enormous!  You'd better believe that we all made way when he spread those wings...

The Portable Writing Desk

I have been searching for a portable slope writing desk for quite a while.  At last, I discovered one one Ebay.  Mark, the seller, was willing to negotiate on the price and last Tuesday it arrived:

It is about 160 years old, mahogany, weighs a ton, in beautiful condition, and exactly what I was looking for.  The felt on the writing surface needed to be replaced.

So I did:

This is what it looks like on the inside:

There are two pull out drawers under the cubbyholes, but you can't really see them in the picture.  The original key was lost.  I went to a nearby locksmith, who suggested I go to Gene's locksmith shop, which is not too far away.

This is Eric,

who hand filed my key.  He is of a disappearing breed - a locksmith who loves antique locks and taking the time to create things by hand.  Here is the beautiful key he made:

It works perfectly.  Needless to say, I love my treasure and use it every time I write a letter or practice my penmanship.  I believe that things like this should be used, not sat on a shelf to collect dust.  I like to think about all the letters that were written on it in the past and the lives of the people who used it.  Now my desk will have new memories to collect...

Done!

Starting the second one tonight...