Tunnels and Trees

I don't know why they call New Jersey "The Garden State". I think it should be called "The Graffiti State". I saw a lot of graffiti there, including this on a makeshift gate at the customer this morning

Fo Shizzle!

and I didn't really see any gardens, just a few mums in pots. I did see some capital views of New York City from Jersey City, though, just before we left there yesterday

The backside of Liberty

Harbor in Jersey City overlooking NYC skyline

For those of you who were worried about our starvation of yesterday, I'll have you know that just before we left Jersey City, we stopped to eat at this fine establishment

Retired police officer's second career

Mr. Trucker had sausage and I had hot dogs on a bun, with spicy mustard, grilled onions, sauerkraut and chili! Yum.

Now Pennsylvania, on the other hand, is full of gardens, well...farms really. And mountains. And tunnels. And tunnels THROUGH the mountains

Pennsylvania tunnel

Just try saying "Tuscarora". It rolls around in your mouth
so nicely

My morbid nature always causes me to remember that
Princess Diana died in a tunnel like this one.

While we drove today, we finally conquered a task that we have been putting off since September 1st. Mr. Trucker has to get his HazMat endorsement and therefore has to take a test. I had picked up the study materials at the DMV in Green Bay in early September, but we have been procrastinating. Today, however, we decided the time had come and I read some of the materials to Mr. Trucker so that we can get through it in time for him to take his test Thanksgiving week, which will be our first week home since going out September 1st (except for the 3 days when Mr. T. came home to "fetch" me). The HazMat stuff is pretty dry and I have to read so loudly to be heard over the truck's engine that my throat soon became scratchy and I had to take a break. 

While driving through the beautiful Pennsylvania scenery this afternoon, I heard my normally mild-mannered and peace-loving husband on the phone with his company's "Road Service" department, and he was completely losing his cool. I heard him use the phrase "I don't give a Fat Rat's Booty", so I knew he had had enough of this non-working air conditioning compressor issue. We shall see what happens...

God's beautiful handiwork!

"Oh goody", I hear you thinking. "More fall color"!

I started knitting a new hat today, to wear on really bad hair days, which would be about every other day. It will be a beret. I will post pics when it's big enough to see anything. Also, I finished reading about as many Elizabeth Gaskell books as I can handle (on my IPod touch) and am on to "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens. If you ever have a chance to see the BBC DVD series of Bleak House, starring Gillian Anderson (of X-Files fame), please do so! It is awesome! So is "Cranford", as I have mentioned before, starring Dame Judi Dench. By the way, to my children: These two DVD sets are what I want for Christmas.

Here are a couple shots for my widdle bwudder, Ed:

Bedford, PA

Hey Ed, what time's dinner?

And just to wrap up the week, here are photos of unutterable cuteness

The kittens are two weeks old today! That afghan they're laying on
is one that I lovingly crocheted for Sassy when she was living at home!

Donovan and Jasper in their "Candy Corn" costumes.
I clearly didn't make them large enough, but they would no doubt
hate them just as much, even if they fit properly.

Today's Silly Sounding Place Name: Pequannock, NJ.