Weekly update: sunny days, a concert, more homespun + reading

 Oh, such glorious fall weather!  

We revisited Illinois Beach State Park, Rollins Savanna, and the Des Plaines River Canoe Launch.

Left:  ground cherry (in husks).  Oak leaves, compass plant seed head, prickly pear with fruit, a determined chicory flower, aster, and ground cherries (sans husks).

A friend told me about this trail adjacent to the Rec Plex in Pleasant Prairie, just over the state line.  We checked it out this afternoon (Sunday). 

Saturday evening we went to the College of Lake County (our community college) to hear the Blind Boys of Alabama . They were great!   And with the senior discount our tickets were just $32.50 each. 

Note that I said "evening."  Now that I've had cataracts removed I can see to drive at night.  It makes such a difference! 

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This week I replaced broken things.  The coffeemaker was purchased in 2021 ($).  The Cuisinart food processor was purchased in 1991 ($$).  The molar (#19 per the tooth chart), grown approx. 1959 ($$$$).  [I'm kicking myself for pitching the work bowl from the burned-out Cuisinart because it would fit the new one.  I did save the blades, though.)

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In the studio:  

Here is the homespun project I referred to, now a flimsy.

I'm adapting it from a pattern in a quilt book from 1998.  The pattern uses 1-1/2" strips for 7-1/2" blocks but suggests using 2" strips for 11-1/2" blocks.  I'm doing the latter.   

Perhaps you had this book -- and perhaps you still do! 

(The quiltmaker is (was) Mary Radke of Yorkville, Illinois.  That's in Wanda's neck of the woods. I wonder if she knows her.)

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During her long life and illustrious career Marie Curie mentored many women scientists.  Sobel includes them in this interesting approach to biography.  I admit that I didn't completely understand all the scientific terminology, though Sobel explained it (fairly) clearly.

I'm a life member of AAUW which helped raise money so Mme Curie could  purchase a gram of radium .

Linking up with Oh Scrap!  Sew and Tell   Design Wall Monday. 

P.S.   A woolly bear caterpillar on the trail.  Weather lore says the wider the black bands the more severe the winter will be.