Isabel has learned to knit and talk on the phone, almost at the same time. She's very proud of herself. So far she has made a small red blanket for her doll-house doll and a fuzzy pillow with some fancy yarn, which she can't believe she can use because, after all, it is so fancy.

My cousin Shannon came to visit Albany, and stayed with my sister Leah in Altamont. We went apple picking at Indian Ladder Farms and then had dinner at our house. The kids played together and tickled the dickens out of Leah.

Calvin had fun flying on Leah's feet.
Leah made the best lasagna that I've had in a long time, even if it wasn't as good as Shannon is used to getting at home (Aunt Kim must make some amazing lasagna). I made apple cobbler with the Northern Spy apples we picked -- which was a hit with everyone even though I forgot to put sugar in the crumb topping. The vanilla ice cream made up for it.

The Princess-Samurai Isabel doing daring acts of acrobatics and dramatic artistry. The other little girl is Laiana Dandles. She comes home with Isabel after karate class, and they play together. It has been lots of fun to have such a good friend come over after school. Calvin likes Laiana's little brother, too.

The warmest cranberry picking ever. Isabel and I picked a gallon of cranberries at the Thurman bog last Sunday. It was very buggy. I was surprised by the number of mosquitoes on the first weekend in October. I was actually afraid to mention them because I thought Isabel would start whining about them. Then I started to scratch like crazy because my ears were all red and hot from being eaten alive -- and I couldn't help complaining out loud about them myself! Isabel said, "Yeah... mosquito bites -- I just scratch them a little, like this, and keep picking."

Wow, she's an Adirondacker bred true. Here she is in the morning, with the fruits of her labor.