Okay. Bring on the Christmas decorations. Even though Christmas has oozed into October, it somehow seems almost legitimate to have twinking lights, christmas trees, and blow up santas and snowballs now that the pumpkins have been carved, lit and kicked by the wicked "children" who left a trick. We handed out about 500 pieces of candy. Lit and placed over 55 votives in paperbags with kitty litter in the bottom. Seven pumpkins and lots of visits by our friends, children and the community in general. It rained lightly, and then, miraculously dried up.

November brings the SU NYC Trip (11/13-17), Thanksgiving and all the december holiday presents wrapped and shipped. Am crashing on getting the SU stuff done. Somehow this bookjacket cover is tough business...and it just needs to get done. Am looking forward to a little time to "do my own thing" albeit right now everything I touch turns to poop...so I need to stick with my work and maybe pick up a paintbrush to get the gears going.I plan to take the bus to NYC (new for me)--its cheaper and just as quick as flying. Would like to see the Neue Galerie. A show on Josef Hoffman opens today! Also the Met. Need to find out what they are up to.

Have a new client at Cornell, The Baker Institute of Animal Research. They do basic research for dogs, horses and camelids and have been recognized for their work and immunizations. The project should be a lot of fun...and we and really take it somewhere. They are lovely people who are impassioned about the work they do and the world they live in. Should be a good journey. Learned a lot about the Cornell identity and logotype yesterday. Lots of mobility/flexibility in the program...very limited rule...but they live by the three or four musts.

Discovered a new poster artist who did some terrific work in the 1940s--and forward. He has some nice Mary Blair-eque animals...and a poster about holidays in Switzerland I will post as its cute as pie...and very sweet. Make me want to buy a ticket!

Apples in the front hallway.