Halloween is only a few days away.  People have been dressing up, attending parties and carving pumpkins.  We have some pretty awesome pumpkin carving artists in this family.

Buddy and I took a trip to the vet on Friday.  He has several lumps that I wanted the vet to look at.  We are scheduled for surgery on Nov. 7th.  The vet will take him at 8 am that day, do the surgery and then I will pick him up again at 4:30pm.  The vet said maybe we will be lucky and they will just be fat deposits.  One can only hope.  Buddy will have to stay indoors for a few days after and probably wear one of those cone-shaped collars to keep him from licking or otherwise tearing the stitches.  The vet also said that since Buddy is 8 years old now, he is considered a geriatric patient.  She will do additional pre-surgery tests because of that.
 
Our weather continues to be just about perfect.  The mornings are getting cooler, days are sunny and warm.  Evenings are balmy and breezy, perfect for sitting outside, watching the sun go down, having a glass of wine and just relaxing.

I am almost done with the Christmas shopping.  Yes, Christmas isn't far away.  Tucson is a winter haven for "snowbirds" so I like to try to get shopping done before Thanksgiving.  After that the roads are jam- packed and so are the stores.  No Fun!

I have a new muu-muu cut out for Thanksgiving and the fabric for a new Christmas one.  I have curtains to make for my daughter and I have started a new writing project.  One of the books I just finished reading about writers says that some writers publish a book a year and others only one every five years.  It says to give yourself 3 years to really get into writing and publishing.  One must establish a regular work schedule just as if you had a regular 9 to 5 job to go to each day.  I don't think I will be able to work that many hours at first.  I am shooting for 4 hours a day from about 9 to 1.  Writing this blog today was my assignment for today.  I am also going to the library for additional research material.  Going to the library will also become part of my working routine.

The vet asked me if I still had my alpacas.  When I told her "Yes, I do," she laughed and said "So does everyone else!"  We both laughed.  I really haven't been trying to sell the boys.  I really do like having them.  Now that the shock and pain of losing Tinker and Kardigan has eased, I am even thinking of getting more.  Steve is adamantly opposed to that of course.  So I figure, once I make some money as an author and writer then I will do as I please! Right?  LOL!