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But only one can win. Without further ado, the pant wearing chicken will be going to...

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Timestamp: 2008-10-30 20:01:15 UTC

Gonzomama!!! Yay for Jessica! For those of you that don't know Gonzomama Knits yet, please go see her beautiful baby girl. Bea is just a few weeks old and oh so precious. Bea's big brother Henry is stinkin' cute too.

Do you ever tell yourself not to talk about the weather? When I find myself talking to someone I don't know very well, or there is a lull in a conversation, I make a concerted effort not to start talking about the weather. It is obvious, boring, and often leads me to complaining that it's too hot, too windy, too dry, too wet, too cold. I'm afraid that talking about the weather will make me seem dull and whiny. But today I just can't help myself. I've got to talk about the weather.

It's been in the eighties for far too long now, which is great and oh-so-typical of California, but it finally feels like fall today. Just look at the sky we woke up to:





Everything was bathed in pink this morning. The clouds were like tufts of cotton candy - I wanted to reach up and grab a piece. There's rain in the forecast and it smells like wood burning in fireplaces. Fall is finally here.

We bought our first half gallon of egg nog yesterday. I had a dollop in my coffee this morning. Mmm, mmm good. The pumpkin bagels turned out well - I had one and a half for breakfast with cream cheese and pumpkin butter. I'm planning on tweaking the recipe a bit the next time I make them. If it works out I'll pass it on.

I've been overwhelmed by recent responses to my blog lately. Thank you all so much for taking the time to comment - it really does make my day. I try my best to respond and answer questions, so please make sure your email address is linked to your user name (easy to do if you're with blogger - just edit your profile to include your email).

I have many new visitors, and a growing number of familiar faces. So I thought I'd share a few things about myself and this blog.

A Foothill Home Companion is almost two years old (heads up - big giveaway mid November). Some of my friends have been blogging for years and introduced me to the blogosphere. The name of this blog was inspired by A Prairie Home Companion. I probably created the blog on a Sunday, the day our local NPR station airs APHC. (In case you haven't already guessed, I'm an NPR junkie.) From the beginning I envisioned that this blog would be similar to Keillor's variety show - some stories, some satire, a few commercial endorsements, news from home. Lucky for you I've spared you from my singing. I'll leave that to Garrison and his talented guests.

We live in the foothills of Northern California. George and I bought our house nearly ten years ago, just a few months after we married. Our home is a very important part of our lives, almost like a member of our family. We are serial remodelers, but more on that later.

I have two children, a boy and a girl. Avery is eight, Aidan is nearly six. Of course I adore them and believe they are the cutest, funniest, smartest children to walk the face of the earth. In truth I believe all children are the cutest, funniest, and smartest. I often identify with children better than I do with adults, which might have something to do with the fact that I'm child sized at 4 feet 11 inches. My children do vex me at times, but I have adopted a Mae West parenting philosophy: When they're good, they're good. When they're bad, they're even better.

I love to make stuff.

I try to garden but am horrible at watering.

I love to cook, but rarely follow a recipe.

I read mostly non-fiction.

I'm a home body.

I ride my bike almost every day.

I take pictures of nearly everything.

I want to welcome all of you to my foothill home and invite you to be my companions here in the blogosphere. It's such a great place and I'm excited to be part of it. Stop by anytime. Introduce yourself. Make yourself at home. My door is always open.