And it starts.

Last night it was pumpkin muffins. This morning it is pumpkin pancakes, cobbled together from a couple different recipes and my own second guessing.

1 cup white whole wheat flour*
1 cup flaxseed & multigrain flour* (a wonderful new thing from the bulk bins at Whole Foods)
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or less; I love it so I use lots)
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk**

Charlie Brown definitely had it right. Somehow puppies make everything right with the world.

Here are some video clips of their first two magical days with us. "Happiness is", indeed.

Mickey and Joey - first two days

Also some pics here

A few puppy pics

We had to let Tanner go early last week. It had become clear that he wasn't going to get better, he'd been going downhill for a couple of weeks, and had stopped eating. As Hilda and I looked at photos of Tanner over the years, we realized that he had been ill for at least a couple of years with Cushing's Disease. His weight gain, appearance, and loss of energy are all symptoms of the early part of the disease, which are easy to misinterpret, as we did, as aging signs. It wasn't until about April of this year that we knew something was really wrong, and the vet visits began. One of the first things we heard from the vet was that it could be Cushings, and that they don't usually recommend treatment because of the side effects. Not wanting to subject Tanner to that, we crossed our fingers and began a suggested treatment for another possible issue, an immune system disorder, which was treated with steroids. And for a while he really looked like he was improving, but it was not to be.

Uh oh - keep an eye out for Mr. Toad ...

This was intended as a little personal project, to be filed away and perhaps viewed from our rockers someday as a sort of video reminiscence of an ordinary event back in 2011. The kind of snapshot you don't think to snap because it is just so pllain ordinary. But it turned out sort of OK, so here you go . . .

Hilda puts up some of her special tomato sauce, the last of the peaches, and even squishes a few figs into the jam I love. About a 4-minute video.

Putting By Under the Harvest Moon from Anthony Mindling on Vimeo.

I was lying under the car ready to bolt the oil pan back onto the crankcase using the newly arrived gasket, when I wondered if perhaps some sealant was also necessary. Before installing all 23 of the bolts and spring washers, I decided to consult The Complete Official Triumph TR6 and TR250, 1967 - 1976, Comprising the official driver's handbook and workshop manual, published by Robert Bentley, Inc., Cambridge, Mass, otherwise known simply as "The Bentley".