The turkey is early. And shy.

 Autumn is definitely here.  I don't go walking in the morning because I am a wimp about going out when it's that cold.  I'll probably get past it in another week or so, but for now, at least on weekends, I walk in the afternoon.  This means I take different routes as two of my usual ones get crowded in the afternoons.

Photos are from one of my walks:

   

   

   

He was coolly walking, then scrambled when I tried to get a photo.

I've been indulging in online tours and events, as a break from work.  Friends are "at" some, so we get to "see" each other.  I miss having opportunities to go out with people, and while there are a few opportunities for picnics or walking tours or socially-distanced arts performances, I haven't partaken.  Part of it is not having the energy after a week of 10-13 hour workdays, part of it is being still uncomfortable being in crowds.  I go out twice a week, once to the CSA pickup and once on the weekend to the post office, farmstand, and other errands.

I do feel annoyed and isolated when I see friends reporting about going out and doing things, including visiting family, and when colleagues talk about traveling.  I've read a couple articles this weekend that discussed how people are feeling "pandemic fatigue" and so are taking risks because they are tired of not being able to do things, and because it's clear that even if you take all safety precautions you can still catch COVID-19, so people figure why bother?  I guess I keep bothering because I have older family members I'd like to see again someday, and I want to be alive to do it.

On an up note, I finally heard about the baby blanket I sent overseas at the beginning of the pandemic.  I had planned to give it to one of my best friends to carry to the new baby and parents, but of course all the trips were cancelled so I had to trust the post.  The mother reported that "Ayala loves it (put it in her mouth first thing which is the ultimate test) and we love the pattern and special thought that went into the colors."  Now I cam post a few photos, taken at each stage of the pattern:

   

I chose the colours because the father is from The Netherlands, the mother is Israeli, and while they lived in the USA for several years, they made aliyah (well, for the mother, just returning home) about six months before Ayala was born.  So the colours seemed natural choices for her.

Mid-month mini-resolutions update

These are the three hats I worked on during Yom Kippur, as I reported in the previous post:

The two with flipped colours are the Color Dipper Hat, without a pompon, and the other is Barley Light from Tin Can Knits, using an oddball I never got around to turning into mittens as originally planned.

Instead of working on my Boneyard Shawl, I started a shawl for my grandmother, and then decided to make a vest to go with it:

The shawl is waiting for the vest to be finished, and then I'll use the remainder of the yarn to finish the shawl.  My grandmother chose it when we were out and about on one of my visits, I hope she likes it as much in the finished items as she did in the store.