Looks the same here in Northern Cali!

how was your weekend?

Are you okay? I work at my own version of White Guys in Ties, and I'm worried. The Financial sector is not feeling that secure these days. Thought I'd check in on you...

Erin my little corner of The Vast Crumbling World of Finance is pretty stable, but of course we are crazybusy communicating that message to all our clients! It is just a very busy nutty time, people in the elevators saying "OH GOD the dow just dropped 400 in ten minutes..." Makes you want to put on headphones and listen to gooey pop songs all day! Hope things are going ok for you...

**Sigh** I am in Santa Ana and it POURED this morning..now it's just gray and muggy!! Gotta love So Cal!!

It doesn't look too muggy. Sorry.
It's a beautifiul fall day in MI. We are supposed to hit scarf weather sometime later in the week.

I used to work for Two Dead Guys, Inc. in that grey building on the right.

The weather is not much cooler in DC. Must be all of the hot air from the politicians.

It does look like a chilly day in your photo! It's starting to get cool here. Sigh. I really should live in a warmer climate. I am not looking forward to snow.

Glad your place of business isn't suffering, its a crazy scary time for lots of them!.

Its not quite scarf weather here either. An absolutely gorgeous in east Texas, a bit hazy but not as humid as summer and not quite as hot(85 right now).

I've got a great kale recipe to share...

1 pound lean turkey breakfast sausage(or Italian if you want), crumbled
2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 bunch kale, coursely chopped, large stems removed
garlic and onions to taste(powder or actual veggies)
dash of cayenne pepper(this makes it, in my opinion)
1 teaspoon savory spice
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 box rotini pasta
handfuls of cheddar cheese, grated

Brown sausage well. Add tomato stuff, spices, and kale. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Add beans to sausage and kale, continue simmering for another 15 minutes or so. Start pasta cooking. When the pasta is almost done, drain it well and add to sausage mixture. Stir well, cover and cook about 10 more minutes til pasta is tender. Serve in bowls, topped with cheese. Yum!

My whole family scarfed this down and we still have leftovers for everyone tonight.

warm and muggy? I vaguely remember something like that once. Oh but that was many years ago.....

I hear tell there is moisture falling from the sky, albeit just a drizzle. How will Los Angeles survive?

Laurie Ann!
I heard this same tale, yet have seen no evidence of it... moisture falling from THE SKY? Surely you jest!

Okay, Debbie. I'll be the one to ask. What does "Two Dead Guys, Inc." do?

Molly -- Pardon my ignorance, but what is "savory spice?" Your recipe sounds great, BTW. Marie

I think it's Coldwell Banker. Think of the ads with the two portraits "talking" to each other.

It's starting to get cooler here in Central Illinois - - this morning it poured BUCKETS from the sky, and tomorrow the high is only supposed to be in the mid-60's. Ah, Fall is here . . .

Hi Laurie! How are the tenants of Chez Furball doing? I hope you had a restful weekend. It sounds like you need it!

Savory Spice was the first member of the Spice Girls to get kicked out!

Here in Ohio is............

AUTUMN BABY!!

Nights, low 50's
Days, high 60's, low 70's

Come visit for a book signing. I'll buy you wine and cat treats.

Girlfriend, we have got some kind or different view. I've got fields and foliage. We're getting the fringes of Hurricane Kyle... a little breeze and a lot of moody clouds. Chilly though... feels like fall.

Here's what savory spice is...

http://www.mccormick.com/content.cfm?id=8231

I had no idea, just remembered it from about 25 years ago when my mom cooked(she was a school teacher but when I turned 13 she went to work for the IRS so I started cooking) and picked some up last time I was running low on others.

Laurie, it must've been the savory and the cayenne that made the dish so good, we inhaled it!!

Oh, and before I forget, we need a cute little brother update! It has been forever since we've seen or heard about him.

Rain? In September? In LA????? Get out! On the other hand, I just heard thunder rumble here in Indy, so I imagine we're gonna get another downpour here on the north side. My big, round, fluffy, calico Chloe hides from thunder. Under the bed, which is just about her favorite spot. Ah, kitty neuroses. They all have 'em, don't they?

I cannot confirm the existence of this "rain" of which you speak. I did see clouds though, and it was very exciting!

How do you get any work done when you have a view like that to look at right outside of your window? Just wondering, is all.

Toni - Two Dead Guys, Inc. is a law firms named after two guys who have been dead for half a century.

What a gorgeous building!

What is the short building in the lower right? Is it the library?

Yes, Maureen, that is LAPL's downtown branch.

Oy. I work in finance as well, and can you say HOLY CRAP! I thought the last couple of weeks was bad, but today -- when I got home the boyfriend had already poured the vodka and cranberry with an extra large wedge of lime...bless his heart.

At least I don't work for Wachovia. I have a friend who does -- and let's just say it wasn't a good day for him.

I came home and looked at my yarn for a while. Not that I had any energy to knit or crochet. Just looked. It was comforting.

I thought of you on Sunday when I was at Target, eyeballing the knits. They have hats of all kinds, mits, of course, legwarmers, and the curious arm-warmers, as well. All in fabulous acrylic, meaning I can make them for about a buck apiece. Don't you just love inspiration? :-)

Cold here, by the way, but hey, it's Minnesota, what do you expect?

2 am and crazy warm here in Maine--56 degrees, that is. Too warm for knitted hat-wearing. Kyle came by yesterday and left us wet, but still standing.

My kitties don't care for thunder, either. Too bad; I love it, child of the Midwest that I am!

Please advise: where does one find kale? Not in the supermarkets up here...

I wanted to say thank you for the recipes. I am in a "soup consortium" with two friends (each of us make soup once a week for lunch so we have three delicious meals plus our own leftovers)and I have made two of your suggestions. I made the black bean on Sunday and it was amazing. I truly think that this is the best one I have made in a year and a half of making soup. I did some converstions to make it vegetarian and it was still amazing! Thanks for the tips.

One of the reasons I love your blog so much is Bob (more Bob pictures please, Frankie and Sobakawa are gorgeous too, more pics of them please) the story about Bob when Drew stayed over makes me laugh everytime I remember it :) I particularly liked that Bob made my own cat George look like a genius, until last night when we were woken by a crash and pathetic meeouwing and discovered George had fallen off the settee into the wastepaper bin and needed rescuing. Please tell Bob I'm sorry I thought HE was dumb, George is way, way stupider :)

My, what big buildings you have.

You're tired of hot and humid you say? Want a bit of cool and crisp? Come to Minnesota - we had frost all over everything this morning. It hit 31 degrees.

I've had my crochet project sitting looking at me all summer and haven't had time to touch it. Last night I picked it up and was amazed at how comforting working on it was. It just felt good.

Also I wanted to let you know that I tried your recipe for black bean soup with lime cilantro sour cream. It was delicious, but you'll have to read about my escapade in making it - you can view it at http://talesfromfrostbitefalls.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-designed-new-kitchen-wall-covering.html.

I could have waved to you if I'd known you were taking that photo. Took a friend to see The Library because she'd never been there. See was properly impressed.

And, Andree, that can hardly be called the "downtown branch;" how about the Central Library.

Make that "she" was properly impressed. And, yes it was suffocating yesterday and looks to be the same today!

Hi Laurie. Thanks for posting the comment about the effect of the last few weeks on your workplace - I'd been wondering if it would affect you.

On this side of the pond, it's a bit like watching a soap opera. Everytime you turn on the TV there is another instalment. When all this shakes out, the real-world effects will be painful. Fortunately, I have enough yarn in the stash to last a while.

- Pam

What a view! It really is cold here in Minnesota already, but I'll Take It! Autumn's my favorite season. I loved your blog header. Made me laugh out loud. In the my husband keeps asking what's so funny from the other room kind of way, not just the "lol" way. Hooo! But, it's with you dear, With, not At. Because I've been there. Blessings, Whitney