I have not yet resorted to hiding out in the attic with a store of food and a shotgun, but this fall's Invasion of the Japanese Beetles is really creeping me out. On sunny days like today (yay, first one this week!!) they start crawling in droves up the sides of the house, looking for any way to get in.
When they get here, they start flying around and banging into things just so I can't ignore them, as if to remind me that there is no way to get rid of all of them except freezing winter temperatures.

I especially hate it when they flutter around in the living room lamp, making clanking noises as they run into the metal lamp shades over and over and over. Andrew found a mess of them that had gotten stuck and fried in the vents atop the shades. Serves 'em right. Home invaders.

These beetles are just one of the many types of bugs we've discovered in the house during the two seasons we've lived here. This new climate is an entymological educational experience. Every month there is a new bug I encounter that I don't recognize. I knew the Japanese beetles, crickets, centipedes, fruit flies, mosquitoes, fireflies and moths from other places, but now I've also learned to identify cicadas, flying aphids and earwigs. I remain clueless about the names of half a dozen others that have become familiar uninvited guests. The new types of butterflies I see here are at least polite enough to stay out in the yard.

For reasons I can't explain, I'm not so greatly disturbed by living among bugs when I'm outdoors all day and night, but when they show up in the house, it makes my skin crawl and I want them all dead and out of sight as soon as possible. The cobweb-builders in the basement are numerous enough that they have forced a sort of detente. They are allowed to live in peace as long as they confine themselves to the areas of the basement I don't regularly use. No promises that their living on sufferance is a permanent situation.

So, Heinrich and gflower told me to have fun at the SCA event they couldn't attend with me this past weekend, so I set out to have enough fun for three.

I was saved from making the trip all by my lonesome by two folks from the shire, Giovanni and Petrona, who took me along with them. We arrived extra early on Friday to help with setting up. The available volunteers were numerous and the tasks to be done were not, so after moving a few tables, unpacking a car and hanging some signs, we left for dinner and took our time about it. Especially since we met up with Francesca (also from Baile na Scolairi) at our table, who's always up for a chat.

I didn't stay with this crew at the hotel. My plans were to crash at the event site, which means setting up a sleeping bag in a classroom of the school. Ran into Thea (my former dance teacher in Jararvellir) and we had a grand old time catching up as we sewed and knitted until bedtime.

I've been to one other Crystal Ball before, and this year's version had all kinds of stuff I remembered fondly from the last one: site volunteers and band musicians were treated to free admission, the musicians were fed first both at feast and the dessert revel, laughing our way through dance classes, ladies stacked up two deep at the mirrors in the changing area fixing themselves up in some of the prettiest garb I get to see all year, children learning the steps on the dance floor, the spectacle of 25 or more sets on dancers for some of the popular dances, flirtatious looks with dance partners, elation while listening to the cheers from the dancers at the end of the band's third set, jokes with the mistresses of the ball and band. Satiated musicians are enthusiastic musicians when it comes to playing for three or four hours at the ball. It's just darned nice of the hosting barony to feed us well, and it makes me think kindly of them.

New bits at this year's ball that were outrageously fun or otherwise brought joy to my heart:
1. catching up with Christian/Orlando, which is a little novel because we used to see each other often enough that the catching up covered less of a time lapse between meetings. It's always a joy to visit w/him and play music w/him (and whatever impromptu group he's pulled together for jamming), and this time we danced one song instead of only playing in the band at the ball.

2. Caroso Ball -- if there was one last time I attended Crystal Ball, I missed it. I'm glad I didn't sit this one out. Had a blast dancing w/partners from the dance classes I took and w/new folks I just met. One of the gentlemen from the Caroso ball asked me to leave the band stage to dance the same song again during the night ball -- very flattering. Also, gossiping and doing handcrafts on the sidelines while not dancing was a nice way to meet new ladies.

3. new musical instruments!! A musician named Aaron who wanted to spend more time playing his cittern let me play his big marching drum for most of the ball and it rocked the house. It was LOUD and really got people's attention. I was happy about the compliments to my playing that poured in, but it was almost embarrassing to have all this attention for borrowed coolness. Besides, the owner of the drum actually played it more skillfully than I did. I just played it for more songs. Also, portative organ! Now that I've heard one in person, I am dreaming about owning one more than ever!
See this link for a photo of one and sound file (also features bass krummhorn and recorder): http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/organeto.htm

4. on the road with Giovanni and Petrona -- good company for traveling to an event and back. Conversation bubbled and the mood was very upbeat.

I stayed up and danced into the middle of the fifth set of the ball, which translates to about 3 or 3:30 a.m. I woke up at 8:45 the next morning and the first thing I comprehended seeing as I stumbled down the hall to the bathroom was Thea skipping down the hall, greeting the Baron of Shattered Crystal with a cheery, "Good morning, Your Excellency!" I remarked to Thea that her bounciness this early in the morning was really distressing, then it dawned on me that she probably was STILL bouncing from all night and hadn't slept at all. I asked her if it was true and she said, "We set a new record! We danced all the way till 8:30 when the custodial crew asked us to leave so they could clean the hall!" That was only 15 minutes before I saw her. And I think the "we" she referred to included at least three other people.

Uffda.

Lest one think I had so much fun that I failed to miss the company of my favorite dance partner and my friend, I was thinking of you both, Heinrich and gflower, at many points throughout the event. Twas the perfect occasion for a "wish you were here" postcard.

Getting bored with rain this fall. It's been raining for three days in a row this week already, and this is just a repeat of what every week has been like since September. Three to four days of light rain punctuated by heavy rain (that's 24 hours a day of rain and general dampness, not just a little rain), a day of sun and warmth, a couple days of sun mixed w/cloud, then back in with the rain again.

Created a casserole recipe yesterday to use up some squash and cooked rice we had hanging around. I named it "Rainy Day Squash Casserole." All this rain really makes one appreciate the sunny days when they come around.

Here's our get-up for the Shire of Baile na Scolairi's birthday party, which is traditionally a costume party at which SCA garb is forbidden, unless it's not your own garb. We dragged along my friend and former co-worker Lynn, who is Santa. Andrew is "party mummy," because nothing says "party" like a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. I'm the "Sweet Corn Princess."





That costume party was in mid-October, but I hadn't had enough dressing up for Halloween yet. I pulled out some fantasy princess garb on Halloween night so I'd be well-dressed to greet the trick-or-treaters.



Trick-or-treaters were numerous and, by popular demand on this journal, all received chocolate. At the door, they also were greeted by my Cheshire cat jack-o-lantern.



To get in the proper mood for encounters with otherworldly beings, I started off my Halloween weekend Thursday by going to the Normal Theatre to see The Shining. After I finished handing out treats Saturday, Andrew and I walked over to Larry and Susan's to relish the ridiculousness that is Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore. This "opera" has the right Halloweeny elements: evil curses, a creepy haunted castle, a great scene entrance by Vincent Price as he walks through fog accompanied by a bat. But the 1980s TV production we saw was hilarious because the evil baronet was a bumbling fool, the dancing was truly terrible, the fourth wall was constantly being broken for silliness, the camera tricks were passé 10 years before this production, and everyone did their part to overact the scariness right out of the picture. Oh, and the absurd logic twist at the end that creates the happy ending is a scream.

I got a job! I'll be a cook in a cafe, and it's possible I may teach a few cooking classes a year. I start on Thursday.

The website of my new employer: http://www.thegarlicpress.com/

Celebratory bottle of wine is open, happy dance has been performed.

During the visit from Anna and Andrew, we traveled an hour north to Starved Rock State Park, which bills itself as "one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois." Our hike was vastly more pleasant than the wonder that is Chicago rush-hour traffic. But seriously, the other six wonders are other lovely parks and historic architecture, described at the site http://www.enjoyillinois.com/sevenwonders/index.html

At Starved Rock, we did a hike of somewhere between five and eight miles (we weren't really paying attention to the distance). We were there on the weekend the park had designated as "fall colors weekend," but most of the trees were not yellow, red or orange yet, they were still green. Should have gone two days ago. One more week of chilly nights has really made the colors pop in our area. Golden boughs or no, the hike was refreshing on a mostly sunny day on the trails along the Illinois River.

Major natural attractions of the Starved Rock trails: river bluffs full of deciduous trees and waterfalls created by creeks that have been eroding canyons into those bluffs for thousands of years. At this time of the year, the falls are more like pleasant little trickles, and hikers can walk farther into the canyon without getting wet.



Here are Anna and Andrew at Lovers' Leap, and Starved Rock is the bluff in the background. The legend of Starved Rock says that the Illiniwek (Illinois Confederation) were blamed for the murder of the Ottawa chief Pontiac in 1769 and were attacked by the Potawatomi, the Ottawa's allies. The Illiniwek who held the rock died of starvation and thirst during the siege of the rock by the Potawatomi. I have not yet heard the legend behind the name Lovers' Leap.

Here are some views of the canyons in fall:







We got a little wet in the rain on the way back to the visitor center.



We were mostly dried off by the time we were back in the car, and a hot dinner with beer lifted our spirits when we returned to Normal.

For Andrew, it started with the dentist. He spent Friday being worn down (got up extra early for 8 a.m. appointment) and upset at the dentist's strenuous recommendations for emergency treatment of tooth roots and gums for a condition he's known about for years. He has been keeping on top of it (meaning, it hasn't been getting worse or better for a year or more) with the help of numerous other periodontists and dentists who never recommended anything so drastic and expensive ($2500 after insurance). He's upset that the new dentist didn't even ask him for copies of his past records or ask lots of questions about his care in the past before jumping off the deep end and deciding to throw everything available at the problem. He's going to look for a second opinion before spending the money.

This morning, I went to a new doctor. The clinic I visited was just as busy as any I've been to in a larger city, and the place is organized enough to run like a well-oiled machine so people don't have to wait long for their appointments to start. They sent me all the forms for new patients ahead of time so I wouldn't have to show up early to spend 20 minutes or more on paperwork. My new doctor gets straight to the point and doesn't waste any time, but any time I had a question for her, she addressed it completely in a way I understood quickly. I wasn't asked questions about all of the items on the form that could possibly be of concern, just to sum up what conditions I've been working with other doctors on and when I had my last tests for stuff that needs regular followups. It was a little disappointing that I put a lot of time into a form that wasn't read in every detail, but to be honest, all the things that I was truly concerned about were addressed, and she delved deeper into a couple issues that she found worrisome. One thing I did not expect that I thought was classy: She asked about my opinion on her recommendation of a test that is optional and a bit unusual for a person of my age, but useful for ruling out some possible causes for a GI issue I have. I told her that it was not a recommendation out of left field as my last doctor in Madison said it could be worth the effort at a later date. Well, it's two years later now, so I am going to go ahead and do it. I thought it was nice that the doctor's office set up the appointment with the specialist for me, since I don't know any of the local GI specialists from Adam. Time to reconnect with the system of specialists on Wednesday.

Went to my current top choice for where to work in town today and did a tasting. I was asked to bring one recipe to cook and the second one was given to me by the employer. I was asked to make a pork loin "pinwheel," something I'd never tried before. It's taking a pork loin and slicing it not quite all the way through twice to make a large, flat, rectangular piece of meat, then spreading a stuffing over it and rolling it up and tying it with twine, then coating it with more stuffing and roasting it. I made up the herb mixture for the stuffing myself because some ingredients in it were not available, but otherwise followed the recipe. I also made one of my favorite salad recipes, my version of Willy St. Co-op quinoa salad. They wouldn't give me the recipe at Willy St. Co-op in Madison, so I made it up myself.

The results? The owners and cooks present who tasted the food made a lot of very positive comments like "mmm" and "this is gorgeous" and "I love the mix of sweet and savory in this" and "wow, perfect moistness" and "I want some more."

I'm so excited they liked it! I am really hoping that I get a call next week offering me the job. I had fun in the kitchen. The employees (one cook and one dishwasher plus front-of-house staff) were good for some amusing banter and people were very helpful when I constantly had questions about where to find something. I feel like I could get along with my co-workers well there, and the kitchen is the right size to be cozy but not cramped. It's very tightly organized because there isn't any extra space for anything and I was comfortable with its cleanliness. I could go on for a bit about how I got a bit turned around by new appliances I hadn't used before and the height of the prep table, but that'd be boring.

Very classy gesture at the end of my kitchen visit: the chef gave me containers to take home two portions of the leftovers to have for dinner with Andrew. Cross your fingers, all, that I get a job in this nice place.

Last weekend was the homecoming weekend for Illinois Wesleyan University. Campus groups and fraternities and sororities were doing homecoming stuff and the community didn't turn out in droves for the game. What folks around town (and my friend Lynn from Madison too) did turn out for was the art fair held on the university Quad (the big quadrilateral lawn in the middle of the campus). The show was juried and included some of the most successful artisans in Illinois and Indiana outside of Chicago. Also featured were student artists at Wesleyan who had some really admirable work on display. There was a large inflatable bouncy slide for the kids (and some of the adults too, including me). I wish we had $2000 just sitting around, because Andrew and I fell in love with the poppies painted by a Bloomington, Indiana, artist using both brushes and palette knife for her highly textured oil paintings.

This weekend was homecoming for Illinois State University, and we were being visited by some sports lovers, Andrew's sister Anna and her husband Andrew, so we got tickets to the game and absorbed some local college football culture yesterday. Anna and I did our best to wear as much red as we could put together to show we were rooting for the ISU Redbirds. The mascot is a cardinal, which is called a redbird in these parts. I'm not much of one for football, but I was excited about the chance to see the big performance of the marching band that I'd heard practicing over at the stadium since August. Our house is within hearing and fireworks-watching distance of the ISU stadium.

Since we were walking to the game from home, we took the opportunity to pick our way through the parking lot full of tailgaters who were grilling out, boozing it up and playing great party music on their stereos. Andrew (the college football fan, not my spouse Dr. Underdressed) accurately predicted before we even arrived at the stadium that the game would be a big win for the home team. Almost as if he was being rewarded for paying attention to the current standings in the Missouri Valley Conference, he got a free sandwich from the Avanti's restaurant golf cart we passed in the parking lot. Wish we could have done some mind-reading to figure out what the deal was with all the students wearing pasted-on moustaches.

Anna pointed out about halfway through the game that the number of people partying in the parking lot didn't appear to decrease when the game started. Clearly, attending the game was not part of the plan for the vast majority of the tailgating public. They could have taken the seats of the one-half of the audience that cleared out by third quarter.

We could see that the focus of the cheer squads (there were three) and mascot wing-waving and other activities was on the student section, which was enthusiastic and well-filled for the first half and nearly empty except for the band during the second half. The band must have started to get bored in the second half, when some members decided to amuse themselves forming a human pyramid in the endzone between third and fourth quarter. I amused myself during the fill-in-the-blank group cheer. The proper response to the announcer saying, "And that's another Redbiirrrrrrrd," is "First Down!" I had more fun filling in the blank with other stuff like "third chance!" and "lipstick!" and "ham sandwich!"

Marching band and pep band geek that I was in high school and college, I was sure not to miss the halftime show and kept my eyes on the pre-game show as much as I could while simultaneously looking for my seat. I was impressed by the ISU band's smooth transitions through their formations and their sound (both from the field and the stands). I was envious on my younger self's behalf of the spiffy red, white and black uniforms and revisited many happy band memories. Also was revisiting memories of listening to the Top Gun soundtrack a million times while playing with Barbie dolls at my friend's house in elementary school because the halftime show was a series of songs from Top Gun. Eyes rolling continually at the '80s revival underway in today's youth culture.

I've got a lot here about all the stuff surrounding the game, but although the surroundings are the part I find most interesting, I did pay attention to the game itself and only missed seeing a few plays outside of the time I spent in line for the ladies' room. Play quality was quite a step up from the many interminable high school games I've watched. I can't say it converted me to a football lover or that I enjoyed it as much as hockey or baseball. I would, however, say I had some fun tagging along for the homecoming experience.

Finished and delivered my first award scroll in the new kingdom -- with two scrolls this year, I will now consider myself to be a calligrapher. Illumination I'm still leaving to other more capable hands until really need to learn how to draw something myself. The stash of blank scrolls that the local scriptorium keeps is impressive. I had a hard time choosing one to use, there were so many truly beautiful designs. I eventually chose one with a wide, multicolored knotwork border. Fabulous.

Sent back edited and re-edited article for Known World Handbook to editor today. I have not been told "your article will be published in the next handbook," but I am feeling very sure that if the article was sent back with changes for my approval, it is being prepared for publication. Made a joke about it to Andrew yesterday that was funny because it was true and a just a little bit mean. He, of course, is a published academic whose work has international circulation within the circle of folks who read journals and conference proceedings about number theory. He also submitted an article for publication recently. I told him in a falsely lofty and self-absorbed voice, "I daresay that more people will read my article than yours." His response made me laugh even harder. "That may be true," he said as he laughed in the way a person does who has just been hit by a surprise cream pie,"but no more hugs for you for a while."

Didn't finish the job of cleaning storm windows and getting them installed. Only got halfway before dinner. Found out one is missing. It's always some damn thing with this &%**#@g house.

Served delicious fall produce dinner to weekend guests. Menu: butternut squash bisque, Flemish mashed potatoes (the Flemish part is onions, butter and spinach), wine brought from Minnesota by guests, and the cookies I've dubbed "Illegally Good Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies" after Andrew tried the batter and said, "is it legal for the cookies to be this chocolatey?" We are hosting Andrew's sister Anna and her husband, who is also Andrew. "The Doctor" and I had good teamwork in the kitchen. "Dr. A" was also a suggested nickname for my husband that came up in the evening's conversation. Sounds nice because it rhymes with other famous "doctors" like Dr. J and Dr. Dre.