Keb, thanks! Yesterday afternoon it was at its worst but by evening was barely noticeable. Today it seems to have cleared up. And yes, I also wondered about the cough - and do Charmion's cats take umbrage at the disturbance or are they sympathetic and better cuddlers?

The sunflowers are almost gone and no crops in the yard this fall. Herbs still - oregano and rosemary make it through the winter; the first freeze will kill the basil. The last of this year's acorn squash has been consumed. My daughter told me that she decided to experiment with her four chickens so carved a few holes into it and gave it to the birds. It didn't take long before they were pecking and prodding and ate about half of it the first day, thoroughly enjoying the seeds and pulp. They finished it the next day. As enrichment activities go she had two days of very happy birds.

I've started working with the dogs on cooperation with each other - there are things they are fine about, others they are jealous. If I take a nap on the couch or the recliner Cookie has been allowed to hop up and as long as she sleeps can stay. Pepper is less of a nap dog. But I've decided to give them access to the sofa if I'm sitting there, one dog on each side. Cookie is very territorial about the couch, so with a dog on each side Cookie was ready to launch herself at the offending Pepper. I did several short attempts and by the last one Cookie had settled down. I'll keep this up until they get the idea. This would have been impossible when there were three since the Lab was pretty leaky and not welcome on any furniture.

Research on diet continues, with attention now to the upcoming holidays and what to bake. Sugar is part of the chemistry of baking so taking it out is difficult. The alternatives look worse (Heathline article 1 and Healthline article 2) so I think it will end up being a combination of stevia with some added bulk (yogurt, applesauce) for volume and a smaller proportion of regular white sugar for additional volume and browning. The bottom line is that sugar is bad for you but the substitutes (erythritol et al.) are worse.