I love Rachel Maddow's show, but today I had to turn it off after about five minutes because it was making me so tense. I know there are many people who have more to worry about than I do under this shambles of an administration, but I can still feel my anxiety levels increasing every time I read or listen to the news.

Autumn has arrived in Otter Lake. Leaves are still green but I expect the coming week will change that status. Sitting here with multiple layers of clothing and space heaters running. Big bowl of oatmeal and mug of coffee. The forecast for the week ahead only gets to the 60s during the day and 40s at night. Tonight 38!

See how I am talking about the weather rather than the lack of common decency or humanity in our political system.

Good for you, Laura. That's the line I'm trying to hold, as well. It's mid-60s during the day here, and high 40s at night, until next Friday when it's supposed to fall to low 60s and mid-40s. We've had rain for several days, which the area needed after the dry summer. I see color on some leaves, but we haven't caught the full force of it yet. It's precious, though, as we're mostly conifers.

If I was ever going to visit back east, it would be mid-October on the Blue Ridge. I miss leaf-peeping season.

Happy equinox!

I got up early and dragged myself up to the park for a chilly run in the redwoods. I forgot my headphones, and was cranky about that, but it was also nice to hear the silence in the forest, and the occasional bird chirping.

Then I went out to brunch with my niece and sister, which was very nice. My niece (who is now in grad school) told a story about some "mandatory" training from campus police about active shooters, which degraded rapidly when the cop refused to answer questions about how to protect other students from inappropriate calls to the cops. You know, like what happens all the damn time. So the grad students all walked out, which I'm glad to hear. But seriously: it's a major university in a progressive area, and this campus cop was talking like he was on SEAL Team 6, very aggressive and impatient with their concerns about police over-reaction.

Now I have two loaves of garlic-spice bread in the oven, and a bunch of dried fruit macerating for fruitcake, and Paul Simon on the stereo. A bunch of local teens found some electric scooters and are doing laps around the block. It's sunny but not hot. There are worse afternoons.

we slept in late had rice omelets for brunch and went and grabbed a few things from the farmers market . I am going to make some beet chips . We went evening shopping last night and spent all the money on all the cheese ,plus some other things so we can eat all the food. Matt is on call this week so it is good to make things easy and tasty.

So I am thinking about food, not the news

I have the most boring diet--voluntarily. I dislike being challenged by my food.

I boiled some eggs, made egg salad, added tuna to half and now have several sandwich meals of each kind of salad. I used up the last of the elbow macaroni (already finished off the shells) and the last of the butter and the cottage cheese along with sharp cheddar and made several servings of mac&cheese. I've a freezer full of veg to add at opportune times, and fruit chunks for dessert. I filled the rice cooker and have several servings of rice ready to go, and made a pot of pinto beans. They can be had with mac&cheese and some kind of greens, or over rice with a bit of tabasco and black pepper.

I love clearing out the fridge and pantry and getting to start with fresh stuff.

I always eat the same stuff. I go to the store thinking "My meals are dull, let's get something else," then I never eat it because when I'm ready to eat I'm too tired to eat something unfamiliar. I'm thinking Spinster Chow might not be a bad concept. Based off mashed potatos.

We went to a company thing of husband's that I was worried might be just bowling, which I'm not the biggest fan of, but turned out to have unlimited video game playing, so we spent like three hours doing that. That was pretty entertaining.

David MyLastName in St. Petersburg, FL, just bought him some vitamins at GNC and had the receipt sent to my email. Exciting day for both him and me.

I did nothing all morning, went out to get a massage and also bought new bras, and now have a load of laundry in. Perfect.

This evening I went to a talk for what might be one of the best photography books ever published, and there were maybe six people there.