One More Thing

The Boy sent me this. So cool... check it out:

carve your own jack

Ugh.

Thank. God. It's. Over.

Last year we had apx. 190 kids show up at our house. This year I bought extra candy. I ran out apx. 15 mins before the end of Halloween. Fortunately, unlike last year, no one knocked on the door after I shut the light off. Soooooooooo many kids this year. I give candy to anyone who puts forth an effort to dress up, I don't care how old they are. Except if they are smoking when they come up my walk. Standards people. Standards.

I Fell Back

I've never really understood daylight saving. I mean, I get the idea. If we mess with the clocks, then the kiddies don't have to stand outside for the bus in the dark. Instead, they can't go outside and play after school because it gets dark so early. Next year we are moving daylight saving time to November. So where is the sense in that I ask? Wait, that isn't the reason? Something about the farmers? Don't they know that the farmers rise with the sun no matter what the clock says?? Oh.. hmmm. Got it. It's really a government ploy to save money on electricity. Do they tell you that in school? Nope.

Mi Fa Male La Testa

or, Italian for My Head Aches

Ya'll, it's been a long week. And it was busy. And stressful. And quite frankly my dear Scarlet, I'm glad it's over. I'm unhappy to report that the ceiling looks pretty much the same as it did in the picture I posted the other day. As far as I can tell (without major messing around with things) there is no other damage to be found. The tub has developed a leak however (the faucet) that can't be repaired (and lo'.. they no longer make the stupid thing don't you know) and The Boy knows someone who can come in and install the brand new spout/handle/shower head kit that we bought. Always something I tell you. Always something.

Let It Rain Down....

Once my kids reached a certain age, I figured that I could stop worrying about them doing some rather foolish things. Like choking on grapes for example, or setting their bedrooms on fire. I would hear stories my friends told about their kids/grand kids etc. doing silly things and think to myself, "Thank God my kids never did anything dumb like that." I figured wrong.

Last night, I was doing some accounting for The Boy at my desk. I haven't been at my desk lately for much, because it is in the other side of the house from the family room, and having a laptop I am free to compute where I want. But I was on my way out the door to go drum, and figured I'd get the invoice done real quick before I left.

Off To See....

80,000 people can't be wrong... or can they? Each year the city of Keene hosts a fabulous fall festival. It started out as a harvest festival many years ago. It has evolved into a huge Pumpkin Festival that draws people from all over the country. I can't tell you how many state plates I saw on my way to do errands on Saturday. 80,000 people is 4 times the population of Keene. All crowded into the downtown area. There's a reason why we stopped going. Can you guess what it is?

After The Rain....

This week's Saturday Sky submission.. is actually a photo of last night's sky. Yesterday it rained. It rained hard and it rained heavy. We had winds that knocked out power and tree branches for miles and miles around. We were going to attend community night at the Keene Pumpkin Festival.. but Mr. Man was sick and it was raining and well.. the wind was a little scary. Like Wizard of Oz scary. There was a break in the rain however right at sunset. I managed to capture this photo of the sky above our town common. It started a lovely yellow.. and by the time I got the camera, had changed to this lovely purple. 2 mins later it was all gone.

When You Try Your Best...

I went browsing through my archives, looking for a tidbit of information I'm sure is there (but I can't quite find it yet).. and I found this post from early November last year.

Ya'll... I feel like I went through a time warp. I could post the SAME exact thing for today. I wrote this "Work is kicking my arse this year. It's gotten so chaotic and overwhelming, that I can't look past the current day. I can't think about the meeting next week, or a book report my son has coming up, or the project that my daughter is about to embark upon.. because right now I am just trying to get through each day. I am trying, and trying, and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to get up for air. Doing the work of 3 people is a lot on a good day. Doing it day after day after... sucks the very life right out of you."

Few More Letters

Dear Son,
I am sorry that you feel so crummy again. I don't know what type of festering illness is being harbored in your classroom, but thank you for not sharing it with me. I admire you for sticking it out and finishing the day when you felt so lousy. Most kids would've gone to the nurse and headed home. Secretly, I'd like to give you extra ice cream and let you play the computer for as many hours as you want. Because while I feel bad that you don't feel good, I am so in need of a day off from school I could cry. Thank you for the chance to de-stress a bit, take a break from the crazy. Feel better soon.
Mom

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmmmm.......

You Are a Strawberry Margarita

You're so sweet it's a little overwhelming, and people are a little afraid of corrupting you... It's a little difficult to imagine you with a margarita. And you're truly a different person after you've kicked back a couple!

What Flavor Margarita Are You?

Rainy Days and Mondays....

I received yet another email from my dad today, although I didn't read it until just a few minutes ago. Another one of my great aunt's passed away last night. Unlike last week, where it was my grandmother's sister, this was my grandfather's sister. Out of all my great aunts, Peggy was the the one I knew best. When the email came last week, a little part of my brain that knows they are all very old and mostly in poor health, had a thought that we were getting ready to go through a cycle of death in my family. It saddens me, but I think when you reach a certain age as an adult you accept that the elderly people in your family will not be around forever, and therefore it's easier to accept. What saddens me, is that my grandmother is in poor health also, and we all know it's only a matter of time before we celebrate her life and passing. That will be more difficult, as not only will I have to say goodbye to someone who is so dear to me, this will be the first death my children will have to deal with (that they remember). I am not so prepared for that.

In Which We Find The End of A Weekend

These darlings belong to my brother's SIL and her husband. They made their grand appearance on Tuesday afternoon; she (on the left) came naturally and he (on the right) came half an hour later via Cesarean. Mom is doing great, although I don't envy her having to recover from two birthing methods. They are healthy and big (19 inches, 7-ish pounds each) and have fabulous names but as they aren't my own children I won't be sharing them here.

And as the circle of life continues, one of my great aunt's passed away on Thursday. She had been struggling with her health for a long time, and had also suffered from Alzheimer's, so it is a bit of a blessing. She lived a long full life, and she will be missed. My own grandmother (her sister) is also struggling with Alzheimer's and it is a sad, miserable disease.

And So It Goes...

Little Bit of This... Little Bit of That...

I tell you what.. we may have only worked two days this week.. but this has been THE.LONGEST.DAMN.WEEK. You know you had a bad day, when you get home at 3:45, and chug down a beer before going out to mow the lawn for the last time this year. But that was yesterday, and today was a new day. Bit better than yesterday, but not a whole lot.

School was a mix of highs and lows today. We had a baby shower this morning for a coworker who's been trying for years to get pregnant. To say we are excited for her and her DH would be a gross understatement.

Deep Within...

"where are we?
what the hell is going on?
the dust has only just begun to fall
crop circles in the carpet
sinking, feeling

spin me ’round again
and rub my eyes,
this can’t be happening
when busy streets a mess with people
would stop to hold their heads heavy

hide and seek
trains and sewing machines
all those years
they were here first"

Imogen Heap

The Heat is On....

Who could ask for a more gorgeous Columbus Day weekend? Temperatures in the low 70's today.. and the mid 70's tomorrow. Sunny... just gorgeous. Yet despite the lovely daytime temps.. it is cold, cold, cold at night. And so as the temperature inside my lovely old house has been dropping about 3-4 degrees a day.. it was time to turn on the heat. Just to get the chill out of the air. It's not on in all the house. In some parts of the house it's set much lower than others. The Boy spray painted the heater covers from the kitchen and family rooms today, and so the heat isn't on out here yet.. but it's a start. We weren't one of those people who locked into a price for oil by pre-buying. We work on a budget plan where we pay xx amount a month, and pay whatever the price is on the day of delivery. Hopefully the prices will stay down, or continue to drop. I could use to cut a break.

I Just Can't Seem To Get it Right Today

For your viewing pleasure.... some maple trees in my back yard. (well.. this is really the front of my house.. but that's a complex story) These are not sugar maples like the one further down on the blog.. sugar maples turn orange/red. Regular maples turn this lovely yellow. Has to do with the type of pigments in the tree. I looked out the window this afternoon, and saw this view with the leaves on the ground, and the light just right.. and I had to go out and shoot it. Isn't it lovely? Fall rocks.

End of the Week Letters...

Dear Readers,
My grandmother was an amazing women. She was raised in Italy, and came to America with her mother as a lovely young girl. She married a hard, headstrong Italian man, also from Italy and raised my mother to be a fine young adult. Then tragically her life was cut short. She developed breast cancer and died when my mom was 19. I never had the chance to meet her, but I'm sure we would've gotten along lovely. If she had lived in this day and age, I'm sure that her outcome might have been different. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A cause that is near and dear to my heart. Several people that I love have had scares, and the Boy's grandmother also suffered from breast cancer, although that wasn't what caused her death. Do self exams, every month. If you are of the right age, have a mammogram. If you are at an increased risk, push for an early baseline exam. Be informed. Help underprivileged women be tested. If you are able, donate to a good cause. Let's fight this, and win.
Love, B

Meloncholy

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls, the most massive characters are seared with scars." Edwin H. Chapin
In as much as I love fall.. October is a hard month for me. It's no secret that I carry a lot of baggage with me. I've tried to be rid of it, but some things stay with you forever. Each year as I enjoy the glow of the season, and the brilliant colors that mother nature sends.. my soul gets a little dark and heavy. I teeter between a deep rooted sadness, and an anger that ever delicately simmers below the surface. Depending on what other things are going on in my life, depends on which mood graces the people I am surrounded with.

In Which We Find a Few Things...

Ya'll. It's been SUCH a LONG week. (groans) Yes, I know. It's only Tuesday. I don't know how that is possible. But the light at the end of the tunnel.. is a 3 day weekend. Oh how I love a 3 day weekend. The only thing that beats a 3 day weekend, is a 4 or 5 day weekend, and we have one of each in November. Yeah for days off.

Been a bit of a hectic week on all fronts. Got some fall cleaning done Sunday. One room down (and it's the 2nd smallest.. sigh).. 12 more to go. I love my house. I hate to clean it top to bottom. Feels good though to have one room "done." Yesterday we had a fire at school. Seems that some groups of people shouldn't be allowed to have toaster ovens.. and umm... our staff is in that group. At least the toaster was in use this time.. but still. The kids all eyerolled when they heard it was a fire in the toaster oven. We've been through this already. I could hear their brains, "OMG, these idiot teachers can't even work a toaster oven?"