Today would have been Oktoberfest at the Frontier Culture Museum, but the weather had other ideas.  I’m pretty sad to be missing out on Bratwurst, beer, and Oompa bands.  They’ve rescheduled it, but it’s on a day I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it. So, to console myself I made pretzels and bratwurst, and I’m going to enjoy a good pumpkin ale brewed locally.

The recipe is from Sweet Paul, and it’s my favorite soft pretzel recipe (and yes, I’ve tried quite a few).  If you make them, it’s worth it to be sure you have some pretzel salt (or coarse, or flake….just not regular ol’ table salt) on hand.

The rain is still coming down in buckets, and I’m still trying to slog through yarn dyeing.  I can’t use the multi-burner stove we have outside, so I’m down to one pot going at a time, and between the humidity in the house from the steaming dye water all day on the stove and the solid walls of water coming from the sky, the yarn is not drying well. Very. Slow. Going. Still, it IS going.

Paul is out gathering fencing supplies for the front yard. We are having to start very, very slowly, and small, given the expense. Even so, just seeing any amount of progress is comforting. These poor dogs are so OVER this lockdown nonsense. It has been heartening, just how many neighbors and locals I’ve talked to that have been supportive. It’s also kind of frightening just how many of them have been seeing coyotes. Giving the dogs the ability to be outside a bit more is going to be good; even so, we are nowhere near being able to enclose the entire acreage.

I’ve been drowning my sorrows in food, as usual (my baking knows no bounds lately!).  Paul, on the other hand, had a different idea.

A crazy idea.

An idea that I cannot believe is happening.

Kittens.

One of his coworkers found a bunch of kittens abandoned in a dumpster. The situation ended up being “we need to find them homes or they are going to the SPCA”.

One coworker took 1, and I found a home for 2 others with my sister.  The remaining 2 evidently are staying with us. All I can say is this: thank heavens I have a fantastic – and affordable – vet.

The black one appears to be female and the other male. I say “appears” because they are only 3 weeks old, and all of the vets and techs at the office couldn’t agree.  So, we haven’t settled on any names yet.

I think it’s a crazy idea to take in two more cats.  But then, Paul thought I was nuts to bring home chickens, goats, sheep, and several more dogs, so I guess I really have no footing here, do I?

The kids are over the moon, and i will say this: the little sneezeballs (as my hilarious and allergic friend Lisa calls them) ARE pretty warm and snuggly and a nice way to spend a cold, dreary October weekend.