It's All-Fall Again . . .

This has been pretty much a perfect weather week -- for a change. We only had to use the a/c once briefly and the rest of the time we did use the heater briefly in the morning -- "to take the chill off".

Our windows and doors remained open throughout the day mostly -- and that was so nice. Dino enjoys that too as he looks out an open door at the variety of things that interest him.

We have had small piles of leaves in the last week or so but unlike days of old, we could not burn them. The smell of burning leaves is something that I remember so well -- I even bought a candle that replicates that fragrance.

The vineyards are starting to turn and the landscape here in wine country is stunning. We do know that some parts of the country are forecasting winter soon along with even S-N-O-W -- can that be, it just seems like those areas were going through heat waves.

And if it is snowing in some parts of the country, we need to get ready for some rain -- and we welcome that.

Maybe this year we will get the appropriate amount of rain to keep us from being in a "drought" period.

I think we are ready for the rain -- except for some of the gutters and maybe parts of the roof -- next year we need to address the possibility of replacing the roof . . .

Just with owning a home, there is always something that needs attention. This week we had our share of things needing attention -- 1) Our stand-up freezer was acting up and not performing correctly 2) Our dishwasher would not drain & 3) Our wave responding kitchen faucet was on the "Fritz" . . .

It took three visits from the professionals, but all is back working nicely again and we can "sleep better" . . . what's next?

Many years ago, "what next" might have been the news that Sears was filing for bankruptcy and closing most of their stores.

Growing up in La Grange, Illinois in the 40s and 50s our usual Saturday consisted of my father driving my mother and some of us kids into town.

Mother did not drive in those days, so it had to be Saturday. Often while she cruised through the aisles of the A&P store, we kids (and our father) might head over to Monkey (Montgomery) Wards or Sears.

Sometimes we would take our allowance and head to Kresge's or Woolworth and look for "stuff".

Our father usually went off by himself into maybe the "Craftsman" tool department at Sears while I might have purchased a quarter pound of Spanish peanuts at the candy section -- to tide me over till lunch or dinner.

Sears though has not often been a destination in the last several years for us except for once in a while peek at their appliances. Too many other retailers both brick & mortar and online have replaced them.

Sears though did outlast Mongomery Wards as they "bit the dust" in 2001. I wonder what stores took their place in our old home-town . . . it is amazing to think that a store such as Sears, that may have even produced a home-kit that was used in building the home of my grandparents in the late 1800s, is going out of business.

The only people that should be interfering with our elections is "us".

This year may just be the year that voters will register AND vote in huge numbers -- at least that is what some are saying.

There seem to be so many reasons to vote against something more than to vote for something.

We will vote by mail again this year -- it is so much less of a hassle. But I still remember going to the ballot places even as a child, along with my parents for sure. It is hard to imagine such a complex and protected system that we have and yet the elections are being impacted by outsiders.

Maybe the influence just came about in unsophisticated ways in previous elections. It is something to think about.

But we have other things that need our attention.

We have watched many of the playoff games leading up to the World Series and tonight we will watch the final playoff game between the Dodgers and the Brewers.


The game tonight will, of course, determine which team will play against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series that starts next week -- Tuesday.

No matter who wins tonight, we will be watching the Series and rooting for the "best playing" team.

I always like it when the series goes the limit -- that is a full seven games. It is not satisfying to see one team "win in four". So, we look forward to the games and we often make a lot of progress on whatever our current puzzle happens to be . . .

Winning "a $Million" would be unbelievable -- BUT, winning "a thousand $Million" would be unimaginable -- yet, it could happen for someone -- in the next few days.

We had/have tickets for the MegaMillions that ran last night and did not have a "big" winner. The Powerball runs tonight so we can dream a little about that as we still have that opportunity.

Tuesday of next week brings another shot at the MegaBillions drawing . . . it would really be nicer if 1000 folks won a $Million rather than one person winning it all unless it was "yours truly" . . . just kidding.

And last but certainly not least:

Always a "Nay-Sayer" when it comes to genealogy . . . and as one forgotten politician used to say:
"Nattering Nabobs of Negativity" . . .

That is a bit of our week, hope to see you all "in a few"! 👥