...there are clouds; it was raining earlier. The trees are still heavy with green leaves, but there are signs of fall...tulip tree leaves turning yellow...rusting muscadine vines...leaves scattered on the sidewalk...spider webs in the trees...

...that I should finish putting up the fall decorations, but it's so much nicer to sit here and eat a plum and type!

...that James' fistula surgery is over! It was a very tiring and tedious afternoon waiting for them to let me see him. As with last year's fistula surgery that did not work, he had trouble with low blood pressure after the procedure was over, and also woke having trouble breathing. This has also happened after surgeries and should be on his chart by now; anesthesia takes a long time to clear from his system.

...nothing going on now, but we have chicken drumsticks for supper. James will make them in the air fryer with a teriyaki sauce--we have the most wonderful low-sodium teriyaki sauce we get from Amazon.com--and we will have leftover mushroom rice for a side.

...black shorts and pale blue tank top, white Hanes socks and my blue scuffs.

...I was updating my journal a few minutes ago. Vincent D'Onofrio had created a nice poem on his Twitter feed, so I printed it out and pasted it into a blank page. Sometimes I copy them down by hand, but this was a longer one.

...to have to hit some of the craft stores and see if I can find some fall garland!

...if I can find some good deals at the library book sale this year. I would love to find a discarded copy of the last Maisie Dobbs book so I won't have to pay full price, but that's a pipe dream. Would love to find some Gladys Taber books!

...Sensational: The Hidden History of America's "Girl Stunt Reporters' by Kim Todd, about "Nellie Bly" and her compatriots.

...that James' fistula matures quickly and we can get that permacath pulled out of his chest so he can take a proper shower without us having to drape him in Glad Press'N'Seal and use a shower cape when he washes his hair.

...cooler weather, especially as we now have to go out three times a week to dialysis! Last year we could stay holed up on blisteringly hot days if we wished unless James had a doctor's appointment!

...patience, which is still a chore. Just do your cross-stitch game or edit your stories, Linda, and keep your mouth shut.

...I have stopped in the middle of putting up fall decorations; they are already on the porch and in the foyer. A few are on the dining room table, but that's kinda where I stopped.

...why we don't have better candidates for political office. Or why the Republicans suddenly had to ally themselves with fundamentalist Christians. The United States was founded on the principals of freedom of religion, so why do we have a political party that is asking us to adopt the beliefs of one particular religion?

..."The reality is that none of us are easy to be with. We all suffer from something. So when you meet someone who's willing to stay committed to understanding you and actually wants to grow with you, don't let silly things like ego and pride ruin it.

...Cool weather! I want it so badly! I want to wear flannel and jeans again instead of being sleeveless and in shorts! I want autumn leaves and cold winds that I can drink deeply of and that make me feel alive, not steamy hot air coming up from superheated concrete.

A bookstore visit, I hope! If I don't go into a bookstore once a week, I get twitchy.

...how about a peek into September 1! I went to DragonCon for the day and got to see Vincent D'Onofrio speak, got an autograph, and a photo taken. Here's a photo I took of him. How can you not love a man with eyes like that?