We’re packing up and leaving in 19 days. Matt’s got a job in London, UK!

So big changes :O)

After what’s sure to be an amazing Christmas visit with family up there in Canada (the “attic of the United States”) we fly to Heathrow, arriving at 9:00am on January 1, 2006.

Currently we’re tumbling toward a move-out tizzy! This is the biggest purge-time ever in our household… Freecycle wants it, so does Salvation Army and so does Craigslist.. and small electrical appliances, furniture too, be gone! If only that magic wand trick worked ;)

Warning: future posts to this blog may include rants about tenant’s rights and rental issues in Ithaca.

But I just cracked the shell of the new blog of the future, so check it out if you like over at london.different-day.com

Usually when I walk on the Commons the only storefronts I ’see’ are Ithaca Books and Autumn Leaves, both used bookstores with great selection. Most everything else falls into my blind spot.

So I give you my Quick Guide to Gift Shopping on the Commons:

For Kids - Alphabet Soup.
How convenient it is that this store has a large display window and rotates what’s in it very regularly. The best, most fun and newest stuff is in the window, which means you can pick what you like before going in and save yourself further confusion.

For Teens, Women and/or couples - House of Shalimar
Being a lover of textiles, his store offered me the most surprises. They have ‘Ethnic and contemporary clothing, jewelry and gifts from around the world’. Not only did I find a few gifts on my list here, but I bought myself an original felted handbag from Nepal. They have huge, drool-worthy woven rugs at the back, a large selection of batik linens and cool handknit sweaters, but that’s just a smattering of what’s offered.

For Mom & Dad - Handwork or American Crafts
These stores are where local craftspeople get to shine. Handwork has a huge selection of art, woodcrafts and pottery by different artists. In the windows you’ll see several handmade teddybears that need good homes. I picked the one I wanted to adopt for my niece, but the $180 price tag didn’t convince me to bail him out. Many items are more reasonably priced though, so don’t let that deter you. American Crafts is the home of blown glass and jewelry and, if you’ve got the bank for it, stunning wooden jewelry boxes.

For Grandma - April Cornell
Frilly stuff - primarily clothing and linens. The most original items here sit in the jewelry case under the cash register. Granny loves a brooch, so give her a beautiful one!

For The Cook - Now You’re Cooking
A lot of stuff is packed into this store, and I really wish their cookbook selection was organized. As it is, the selection is limited but more hassle to browse through that a used bookstore, which is just ridiculous. But any cook would be pleased with a gift from here.

For a Knitter - Homespun Boutique
Pick out something pretty and buy it. Just make sure you’ve got enough balls.

Stocking Stuffers - Spirit & Kitsch
All matter of very affordable knick-knacks, including fun smaller art pieces made locally.

Also of note: the other day I visited CognoscenTea for their grand opening where I hooked up with Dave, who designed their website. Aside from offering a good collection of teas that make lovely gifts, check out the super-special silver teapot handbag :O)

If all else fails, get some Christmas shopping done where you buy your groceries! GreenStar Co-op on Buffalo St. has organic and natural personal care products in the back…

It’s been too long since I said I’d get some autumn photos to share! The weather has been so mixed (with lots of rain) that I haven’t found an optimal time for shooting, but here’s a link to a new album anyway…

The rain didn’t stop some people yesterday from touring the Commons, browsing tables of goodies made from apples. We picked up a half-peck of macoun apples from the Cornell Plantations stand. I think a half-peck is five pounds, but I’ve never heard the term before so can’t be sure. I know it was enough to make 4 1/2 pints of delicious apple butter! I used Elise’s recipe at Simply Recipes and highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for canning. YUM! We also bought a mini apple pie from the Amish booth.

Yesterday was also the opening of the fall Friends of the Library book sale - “One of the largest book sales in the country, with nearly 250,000 selections which are collected over a 10 month period.” We arrived around 8:30 and waited in line for about 1/2 hour to get in. I overheard the line monitor say that some diehards started lining up at 4am! The used booksellers in town show up first thing to snap up the best deals. Matt saw a guy with a handheld scanner, entering all the book UPC’s for whatever reason. Small paperbacks are $2 and trade’s and hardcovers are $4.50. Hot deals! We got out for 26 bucks, definitely a feat for Matt who eats books for breakfast :O)

After the book sale we tried dim sum at Hai Hong restaurant, which runs on weekends from 11am-2pm. My favorites were the crab-stuffed shrimp ball and sweet red bean paste-filled sesame balls.

I’m hoping the rain lifts later in the week so I can take a drive out to Taughannock and Treman falls for some fall foliage photo sessions. Next week is apparently peak color time and all the rain makes for better falls.

The posted admission for adults is 12 bucks, but here’s a tip: Ithaca residents qualify as ‘locals’, so show ID and pay only 4 bucks! Great deal :O)

There’s an enormous marketplace on the main floor selling products in all configurations of glass you can imagine - some pieces of art we saw were tens of thousands of dollars, but there’s plenty to buy for those with a tighter budget. Christmas ornaments, perfume decanters, glass-bead jewelry, beverage glasses, dishware, and the latest bodum designs… we didn’t spend, but there’s enough temptation.

The museum is definitely of world-class quality and wouldn’t be out of place in the big city, so go if you can! Here’s a link to some pics I took.

In the past three days I’ve trapped four little mice under the sink. I’ve been using the humane ‘mice cube’ traps which are clean and work like a charm. This is becoming too ritualistic for my liking - cutting the cheese, rubbing a bit on the door to create temptation, then placing the cheese far inside to lead the mouse in far enough so the door closes. When one crawls in you can hear the door closing behind it from the next room. This is handy when you’re awake, then you just carry the cube down the block to the park, turn it over and set the critter free!

I just came back from the park where this latest catch - a super-tiny one - stood frozen and frightened, not knowing what to do. So sad..

When the mouse is trapped all night though, I open the cupboard, see the tell-tale condensation lining the inside of the cube (so I have to look close to confirm the catch) and there’s a whole mess of poop in there with it, rendering the trap too filthy for me to want to clean and reuse.

The plug-in ‘ultrasonic multi-pest repeller’ I bought the other day isn’t working so well. It is keeping them off the kitchen counter though, which is a positive thing! We don’t leave any food out and we’re clean, really :O) The problem is under the sink, where for some reason the landlord has cut out the wall and left it unsealed, so the mouses have run of the house.

Grand total trapped in this apartment to date: 6 7

Only store in Ithaca selling humane traps (that I’ve found, and believe me I searched): WalMart

“Missing Person: Sarah’s tale” was written by Sarah Donley, the daughter of the editor of NOLA.com. She tells her whole experience from the time she evacuated the 9th ward on Friday night before Sunday’s storm. It’s almost 5000 words, but I’m sure much-abridged. Here’s an excerpt where she describes the moment she heard news about the fate of her neighbourhood:

The only information we received at all those few days was a woman in line at Saia’s, a small grocery store that opened on Tuesday with no power and two inches of water on the floor. The owner was only letting a few people in at a time, and as a result we waited in line for nearly an hour. At some point I heard a woman behind me in line mention the Bywater. I went up to her and asked her if she had mentioned the Bywater. Yes she had, she told me. Desperate for any sort of information, I begged her to tell me anything she had heard. She looked me square in the eye, and said softly “All I’ve heard is that they are pushing floatin’ bodies out of the way to find survivors.”