I tend to bruise easily, and often when a black&blue mark appears I can't even remember what I bumped into a day or two earlier.  That's what has happened on my arm - but this quarter-sized one seems to be hanging around longer than usual, since about when I had my flu shot (though in the other arm!) 

I'm tired of looking at the large black smoke smudge on the house behind the grill (don't ask!) every time I soak in the hot tub.  Despite a long-ago 'offer' to power wash it (when I'd first talked about painting over it), that never happened.  

So this morning I looked in the shed, and think I've found the cans of leftover paint from the block wall repair last year.  The shade may not match the house wall exactly, but it'll be pretty damn close.  

Once I buy a paint brush I'll be set to go to work, and certainly expect a HUGE improvement over what it looks like now!

The past two times I've stopped in at PetSmart to pick up more of Brownie's afternoon food they have been out of it.  So today I ordered three 12-packs from Chewy - and was more than happy to take advantage of a $20 off coupon that recently arrived in the mail.  

That food is not cheap - but he absolutely adores it!

In other dog news, Vera will be spending a couple of nights here at Dodge Doggie Daycare while Alex and Gabby go camping at Lockett Meadow up by Flagstaff and enjoy the fall colors.  I expect to see him posting some of his photos of the aspens in all their splendor.

Speaking of pretty pictures, here's Alex's latest painting.

Not sure if he's decided it's truly finished (he may add still a graveyard in the foreground) but then it'll go up on the wall with the others of his and Gabby's creations.

And while we're on the subject of Halloween, 

here are a couple of this month's calendar pages.

Since I had a very unpleasant experience with Moby Dick my junior year of high school (and though it's been a "few" years, I still remember it quite well!) I've always hated that book.