Grandma's Kitchen Table

Last of an Evening

The red eyes add a certain aura to the occasion.

      The pumpkins are carved and are now sporting fine Jack-O-Lantern vestiges.  Mark always has a really great pumpkin with a special theme each year.  This year his choice ended up being a tall lovable fellow with a definite leaning problem, so he is our first special needs Jack-O-Lantern as he needed a little bracing in order to sit upright.  He's our favorite this year, hands down. 

      Matt's is a traditional jag-tooth with a Colts symbol around back for a second view. 

      Alex's guy is just an evil looking dude as Alex gets into the scary side of the occasion much more so than the rest of us. 

      Mine, as always each and every year (partly because I have no creativity whatsoever and partly because I just love the look of it), is a little smiley face pumpkin guaranteed to have the preschool set grinning when they come to the door for treats. 

      It's getting on to be the last of the evening and Mark is roasting the pumpkin seeds in the oven...it smells lovely...rosemary and pumpkin...he can cook about five things:  pumpkin seeds being one of the five.  Last chore of the evening, cleaning up!

First Tux!

      Matt's first tuxedo...looking very spiffy in this, don'tchathink? 

       Four out of five football wins this past weekend...Guerin (second game of sectionals...who knew that was a possibility), Carmel (likewise, second game of sectionals...no surprise there), Iowa (took double-overtime, but they got the job done..."eventually" being better than losing), and the Colts (a slow start, but a great rally for a big finish)...sadly only the Hoos in our lineup lost (I am looking at that in a positive vein preferring to think that the Hoos are down there in Bloomington focusing on what is really important after October 1st...BASKETBALL).   Speaking of the IU Hoos, pre-season rankings, for what they are worth (or not), have them 9th in the country.  Not bad.  We can start with that.   

      Matt celebrated his 700th Mass as an altar server on Sunday morning at SEAS.  Wow.  He also got his first formal tuxedo...the IYC singers wear this when they perform.  Doesn't he look handsome?  (I requested that there be "room for growth" as I can't seem to keep pants at the proper length for this boy...he is still growing!) 

      Alex spent the weekend camping with the scouts (Mark usually goes, but he decided that he would drive scouts there and back, but forego the camping in the tents and on the cold hard ground in favor of a nice warm bed at home...good choice imho.)  After returning home Sunday morning, Alex headed off to Good Will to do volunteer service for the afternoon, Matt to choir, and Mark and I had a whole afternoon to watch the Colts, read, and fritter away the time in irresponsible manners, meaning:  we did nothing really productive at all...dinner out for all of us to celebrate Matt's 700th altar-server Mass, homework for Alex, and Matt and I spent a couple hours reading and discussing Orwell's 1984 -- my THIRD time with this book and if my grandchildren ever have to read this some day, I am pleading Alzheimer's whether I have it or not...three times reading this book is way BEYOND the call of duty, four times is not happening regardless.   So, what went on at your place over the weekend? 

      Tonight is MNO, so I threw a stew together in the crockpot for the guys, made muffins for the swimmer for morning, am baking an apple pie as we speak, and when that comes out of the oven, am headed out for the day.  Have a good one...the leaves here are absolutely gorgeous, how about there?

I Might Be The Last to Know About These

       We just got back from the pumpkin patch and farm stands, so I am a very happy camper as I loved having the day going about with Matt and enough time that we could just head out and roam where the spirit moved us...this also happened to be productive in that we ran a lot of errands, visited with friends, went to the farmstands and pumpkin patches, and Matt got to drive the whole time to practice on various roads, etc.

       I'm probably the last to know about these...but isn't this CUTE?  It's called an Apple Gourd (at least that is what the sign said at the pumpkin patch) and apparently they dry to the buff color of what you think of as a "gourd color."  After they dry you can paint them red or green or yellow to resemble an apple and use them in fall decorating.  I thought it was cute and it is now part of the centerpiece at the kitchen table.  You all knew about these already, right?  Oh, well, I was just delighted to come upon them today...it doesn't take much to absolutely thrill me, does it?

       Alex is packing up and heading out for a scout campout this weekend...forecast is rain, so we are crossing our fingers and hoping that someone might have gotten it wrong this time.  (Hope it holds off long enough so the Guerin football team can play dry this evening.)  A beautiful, gorgeous day, just wonderful all around!

The Last Decade of the Night

      Part of the Rosary Centurion group that met last evening (starting left front and going clockwise:  Lora, Jackie, Tim, Alex B., Kate, Matt, Caroline, Jacob, and Matthew H.)

      We are waiting for the swim police to arrive...we took the entire day off yesterday for fall break and the only water surrounding any of us were the showers we all took.  Alert the media...Matt did not swim yesterday for no good reason whatsoever.  (Andjustsoyouknow, we were up at 4:30 this morning to be at the pool by 5:00 a.m. for morning practice and will be there at 3:20 this afternoon for afternoon practice...so hopefully the crime time won't be that bad, just some frowning maybe.)  It was worth it...the IMA trip with our former homeschooling group was a lot of fun and everyone was happy to see Matt again.

       By 6:00 p.m. we were back on the road to go to the monthly Rosary Centurion meeting (a group of teens who make rosaries for the men in service in the Middle East) and Matt was thrilled that he got there on time (usually he is late due to swim practice), so he got to eat pizza with the other kids before they started the rosary making.  I got to hang out with the moms, which is always fun, and also got to hear all the newsy bits from the kids. 

      Kate and Matt working on the rosaries...the soldiers get the knotted bead ones and those knots are hard to tie.  Kate finished several, while Matt was happy to get one complete rosary finished.

       He finished his last decade around 9:30 and we headed home...the moon was oh-so-absolutely-gorgeous last night, I hope you all got to see it...or, if not, you can check it out tonight...that's the great thing about the moon...it's always around!   

The Last of a Decade

      October 26th...a very important birthday in the Anderson household today...the last of a decade (we won't say which one, okay, Jeff?).   I asked Aimee if Jeff got to be King for the Day for his birthday and she just laughed.  Hmmm...wonder what that means???  At any rate, Happy Birthday to Jeff Anderson...a very fine husband, son, father, friend, etc. who is celebrating in fine style this year, especially since he had to go so far for his big birthday dinner! 

      And, celebrating also today, Happy Anniversary to Dianna and Scott...five years and counting! 

     (Photo is Ian, Colin, and Jeff last year in Gatlinburg, TN.)

Thursday's Favorites Fare

      The view from the little pond at Guerin.  When Aimee and I pick up the boys at Guerin each day, we see the farm field to our right and this view of the pond to our left...a cloudy overcast day, but still beautiful yesterday.  Indiana does Autumn nicely.

READING:  Roman Art from the Louvre, the accompanying book for the exhibit here at the IMA.

POOLSIDE READING:  Thank you to my friend Lisa who suggested Carolyn Hart's mysteries for poolside fare.  Love all the references in these to other mysteries/writers...it's sort of a who's who and sharing of fodder for future fare!

LISTENING TO: CCR...if you have to ask "Who is CCR?" I am way jealous of your youth.  (Bad Moon Rising has been one of Alex's favorites since he was about seven..."I see a bad moon rising, I see trouble on the way...."  I should have paid more attention at that point...just kidding around, just kidding around.)

COOKING THROUGH:  Fall favorites.  In the summer we grill and eat a lot of fresh food, so there is not a lot of action going on in the oven or on the stove top on a daily basis.  Now it is cold out there and no one wants to sit around the grill gently turning this, that, and the other until it is cooked to perfection...it's nice there is a season to things, yes?  A roast, a meatloaf, a chicken, a bit of fish...and all the fall vegetables (except Brussels sprouts as Mark is not a fan and doesn't like to smell them cooking...we have to eat those on the sly or score them on the street).  What's cooking there?  Anything new for me to try?   

FAV NEW FIND:   93.1 is converting to new ownership come Jan. 1st, so they are playing All Christmas Music All The Time until then.  I am not thinking that listening to it all the time is something that will increase sanity, but one Christmas song a day has been kinda fun...I like Christmas music (although notsomuch until December).  Today I heard the duet of Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie which is a favorite of mine (the only duet I like better is Tom Petty and Axl Rose singing Free Falling together, oh be still my heart, it's the best, don't even try to argue that, Shelley).

FAV THING TODAY:  Matthew is off on Fall Break...it is so good to have my buddy home for a few days.  Guess what he wanted to do today???  Go to the Indianapolis Museum of Art...hip, hip, hooray...made my day that he even requested this as an option!  He wanted to see The Romans Are Here exhibit so we went with the homeschoolers and had a great time.  Here is, in my opinion, the best way to see a special traveling art exhibit:  First, go when it opens and let it embrace you and enfold you in it's arms; Second, go and see it with a docent guide, buying the accompanying book afterward; Third, go back again after you have read the entire book cover to cover so that you can embrace each piece with familiarity and knowledge; and Fourth, etc. go back as often as you can before it leaves town, dragging everyone you know with you as your excuse to go back so often so the museum people don't tag you as someone who might possibly be scoping out the place for a heist.  Okay, I know none of you are going to do this, but go ONCE, okay?  It's here in Indy from the Louvre where it has been sitting since the 1800's when Napoleon hauled it all back after conquests and chucked it their way...and how did little 'ole Indy get it 200 years later?  (You want the truth, or do you want me to say that we deserve it...it's both actually.)  The truth is that it just so happens that they haven't moved any of this stuff since they parked it there originally and the Louvre wanted to do a bit of spiffing up, so rather than pack it up and try to find room for it in their basement, which is already way over crowded, they decided to ship the 184 items (50 tons of wonder) over to the USA for a little tour about the place while they cleaned and painted and rearranged things a bit at home.  Hmmm...that's not a bad idea...sending your stuff on tour and have someone else pay for it while you remodel...why did I never think of that???

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;   Zilch...most of the week has been gorgeous and the trees so beautiful that it has been more fun to be out and about in such splendor rather than staying inside and being productive along these lines...winter weather will be here soon enough.  (Week 2 of this excuse...it's getting a little thin.)

GOING TO:   Visit the pumpkin patch, orchards, and cider farms...hopefully the weather will be fantastic.  Also plan to do our yearly Haunted Headless Horseman hayride, etc. at Conner Prairie...a whole evening of fun and entertainment for kids of all ages.  Conner Prairie Headless Horseman (I know this is a repeat from last week, and it is so due to Rich's passing and the fact we did not get to do much of any of this yet.)  Football games, swimming, choir, church, Lifeteen, scout camping...and somewhere in there I am planning to light a fire, snuggle down with my book and my quilt in front of it, and read.  We've got two wingbacks, so why don't bring your book over and join me...we have plenty of quilts here...you can have your very own!   

PRAYING FOR:   40 Days for Life please join me.

First and Ten the Colts Did It Again

     A fun shot of the winners of the 4-H scavenger hunt at Flowing Well Park last Friday.  (Click to enlarge: Sarah, Alex B., Lora, Rebecca, and Kate with winning smiles.)  Sarah is holding up the list while Rebecca and Kate are holding up the digital cameras...can you believe it -- even the scavenger hunt has gone digital!  Instead of bringing back the items, they opted to take photos of them to better protect the environment.  What great kids!

      Fortunately the rain held off long enough yesterday to see us all through Rich's funeral and the trip to cemetery, just beginning to sprinkle as we emerged from the luncheon at the church afterward.  It fit the mood somehow.  All evening the rain came down gently in spurts, lasting throughout the night.  I love having the windows open when it rains so that I can listen to the sound of it as I drift off to sleep.  Everything felt refreshed this morning, albeit wet.  Getting more of that today, so I am spending the morning baking and sorting through this and that on my desk.  It's Tuesday, so there's not a lot going on here...which is good as the last few days have been emotionally draining.

      Anne and the girls hosted a Colts' party for watching the game last night...I don't think any of them wanted to be alone watching the game without Rich cheering on his team.  We watched here...I am getting so old as with the late start of the game and all, by 11:30 p.m. I was feeling that the fourth quarter was lasting maybe somewhere along the lines of four hours...but I lasted to the very end.  A nice little win for the Colts.  I hope the Hoos and Hawks were watching...we could use a little more in the win department for the Hoos and the Hawks.

      Basketball season starts soon.  AND, don'tchaknow, Mark could not bear the thought of a Big Ten Network being in existence and not available to us with our current cable setup, so he has scheduled a bit of a "redo" around here involving all this so that we will get the BTN and be up and running by the first game of the basketball season.  Hmmm...wonder how long it will take me to figure out all the new configurations for all of that??? 

First Run to the Pumpkin Patch

Matt pointing out a possible choice for my little happy face jack-o-lantern that I carve each year. 

      Somehow we could not quite get in the mood for the pumpkin patch yesterday as we are all just a little too sad for frivolity yet, but we knew if we wanted decent pumpkins, we needed to go this weekend.  One of our favorite pumpkin farms has pumpkins out back that have already been picked as well as ones you ride the tractor and haywagon out to retrieve yourself from the growing fields.  We always do the tractor deal...but this year, we were all just thinking that we would choose four pumpkins for carving, purchase some cider, and head back home to watch the IU football game on TV. (Alex opted out of even going to the pumpkin patch as he thought grabbing some extra sleep was more to his liking.  Sleep, with Matt, is never much of an option as he doesn't want to miss anything...not to mention he was already up for swim practice at 6:30.)   On the way home, we stopped at a farm stand to get fresh tomatoes and apples, and Matt said, "Mom, I have fall break this week, so maybe you and I can come back and ride the haywagon and do the things we always do at the pumpkin patch, okay?"  I don't know if he was thinking he isn't ready to give it all up yet, or if he was trying to make me smile and feel better.  Whatever it was, it was awfully sweet of him, and I am hoping for nice weather on Thursday or Friday so we can go out and enjoy the pumpkin patch as we always have each year.  Sometimes, timing is everything.  We're going for a second chance at this one.

      And, in football news, Carmel beat Anderson in their sectionals (no surprise there, CHS being what it is and all), Guerin won their first sectional game on Friday night, on Saturday, unfortunately, the Hoos (vs. Penn State) and the Hawks (vs. Purdue) did not leave the playing fields victorious, and now there is the Colts' game at Jacksonville on Monday night to look forward to...see you there (well, in front of the TV that is)!

The Last Thing You Want to Hear

      The last thing you want to hear when one of your best friends calls is that her husband has just died suddenly of a heart attack.  It doesn't even register at first what it is she is trying to tell you.  You keep thinking that your ears are not hearing the right words. 

      And so it was with my friend Anne.  Rich left for work like always and wasn't coming home ever again.  He had a heart attack while with a client and while 911 was called immediately, too much damage had occurred, and Rich was gone.  Just like that.  Thirty-nine years of marriage, over.  Just like that.  I cannot comprehend it even now...I had no answer when she asked me, "How am I going to live without him?" 

      Rich and Anne were a couple, always and foremost a couple.  They did everything together and it blessed the rest of us just knowing them.  Anne and I finally agreed, "One day at a time, one step in front of the other, just go through all the motions."  It's not like anyone has a choice in these matters.

      Rich was son, husband, father, grandfather, friend, etc. extraordinaire, and I cannot imagine either how one goes on without him around.  I laughed much with Rich...he was always about the laughter.  He had the greatest sense of humor and shared it with everyone who knew him.  I can't ever recall being with Rich and not laughing and feeling like the day was just better for having seen him along the way.  His passions were his family, his golf, Cathedral High School, and Indiana University.  He led a rich and full life, contributing much, giving endlessly, and enjoying it all along the way.  I would walk in and he would be watching sports on TV and say, "Did you see that, Kayte, did you see THAT?"  I would say, "Rich, I just got here, I missed it."  And he would reply, "Well, it was the best (or worst depending on the case) ever and you missed it!"  I would laugh and go in search of Anne, chuckling at how much Rich enjoyed his sports.  He would say, "Here's one for you..." and tell a joke he heard and I would always laugh and enjoy the joke with him.  It seems like I should end this with laughter as Rich was all about the laughter.  Maybe I will laugh in Rich's memory tomorrow or next week.  Today, not so much.  Please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Richard Leighton, beloved husband of Anne, son of Catherine, father of Michelle, Christy, and Jenny, grandfather to Joe, Sarah, Andrew, Nicholas, and the new grandbaby due next month.  He will be so dearly missed.

Thursday's Favorites Fare

      One of the great things about being an adult is that no one ever says, "Eat your crusts, they won't kill you, eat your crusts!"  I have never eaten my crusts.  Today at lunch I was thinking how nice it was to have that option and not have anyone telling me to eat them (my family has long given up on me in this regard).  I think I am probably the only mother in the world whose children would beg her to "Leave on my crusts and don't cut them off, okay, Mom?  I like the crusts."  Andjustsoyouknow, I always feed those crusts to the birds...if I had thought of it in time, I would have included that on my being kind to the environment list Tuesday.

READING:   Matt's English anthology book...I have always loved anthologies for some reason...it is like having an amuse bouche of literature.

POOLSIDE READING:  Need to hit the library tonight as I am out of fresh material.  Any recommendations?  Remember, this one needs to be something I can pick up and put down with great frequency while waiting around the pool for Matt to finish practice.

LISTENING TO:   Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3

COOKING THROUGH:  Old standbys this week, today a roast with potatoes and carrots in the crockpot as it is was a rainy, stormy morning when I put it in the pot.  Mark will be a happy camper...he loves this dish and would eat it once a week, so the rest of us humor him fairly often.

FAV NEW FIND:   Little plastic (I know, more plastic) notecard box holders to keep track of all those little index cards the boys use for classes.  They have a snap to keep them closed and tabs and dividers inside.  They keep all the cards together and free from floating around loose in the bookbags and lockers.  (And, they come in cute colors, although we just got red and blue for obvious reasons, i.e. the guys not being much into "cute colors.")

FAV THING TODAY:  This afternoon's beautiful bright sunny skies, delightful fall temperatures, lovely colored leaves on the trees, and being able to be out and about in it.  Just wonderful.

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;   Zilch...most of the week has been gorgeous and the trees so beautiful that it has been more fun to be out and about in such splendor rather than staying inside and being productive along these lines...winter weather will be here soon enough. 

GOING TO:   Visit the pumpkin patch, orchards, and cider farms...hopefully the weather will be fantastic.  Also plan to do our yearly Haunted Headless Horseman hayride, etc. at Conner Prairie...a whole evening of fun and entertainment for kids of all ages.  Conner Prairie Headless Horseman

PRAYING FOR:   40 Days for Life please join me.

Our First Music Concert at Guerin

      Tonight Mark and I attended the first music concert at Guerin for the year...sort of a little sampling of what the students have put together so far for the past two months.  We got to hear the band, the orchestra, the guitar ensemble, the choir, and the new dance company did a number from Hairspray for us.  It was all just delightful.  Matt sings in the choir and is pictured here in his choir robe...although it is a purple robe and for some reason a lot of these purple things come out blue in photos.  Why is that?

      Matt's friend, Colin, plays cello in the orchestra and he is pictured here with his mother, Aimee (this photo is for you, Dianna, as you read this crazy blog out there in KC, MO...I knew you would enjoy seeing what these two were up to tonight).  Can't wait for the Christmas concerts as it will be fun to watch the progression of talent between now and then.  Oh, I just love this kind of stuff!

First Catholic High School in Indiana to Receive This Award

      This is what greeted me as I drove to Guerin this afternoon to retrieve Matt from the halls of learning.  Bishop Higi visited the school this morning and announced the big honor for Guerin and presented them with the fancy banner that will be hung in the school and this little sign for out front.   Everyone was very very excited.  Matt said they all got ice cream at lunch and are being treated to a pizza party for lunch on Friday.  Even better, according to the students, is that they get a half day off of school the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  What does this honor mean?  Out of 1200 Catholic Schools nationwide, 50 were selected for top honors.  Guerin was one of the fifty.  Not bad for a school that is only four years old.

Lasting Efforts

      One lonely little duck this morning on the little pond in front of Guerin...he didn't seem to mind all that much, or maybe he was just the first to arrive...I like that idea best.

       To answer the emails I had about two of my posts recently...the 40 Days for Life is Pro-Life Action and I learned about that from our Project Gabriel group at our parish as well as the Indianapolis Catholic Home School Apostolate. Obviously, with Matt and Alex coming to us as they did, we are even more supportive of the pro-life movement.

      The environment list from yesterday's post was something my friend Sue in Iowa came across through her Greenpeace connections and being the VOICE that she is, got several of us together to share what we try to do to help protect the environment...believe me, I learned much from everyone's lists and have a new list myself from their inspiring contributions.

      The ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) walk was Sunday here in Indianapolis and our swim club participates with walkers, contributors, etc. as we have all become much more aware in the last four years with the Nocco family experiencing this firsthand, so that is how participation in that came about. 

      October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Indy walk was the first weekend of the month, and our neighborhood ladies all walk for that...if you don't walk, you can contribute funds. 

      This Saturday is the Stomp Out Parkinson's Walk in Evansville and we plan to contribute somehow to that after learning more in regards to a friend who suffers from PD. 

      There are quite a few things occurring in October in regards to all of these causes, as you can see, but the work goes on all year long.  I always feel quite inadequate as I am guilty of not paying as much attention until they become personal and affect someone I know.  Pick a cause meaningful to you and go out, contribute, walk, recycle, promote life...people are depending on you and waiting for you to lend a hand.  Everyone can make a difference!  If you begin this October, think how great you will feel and how involved you will be by next October! 

Apologies First...

      You might think this was breakfast this morning, but no, in fact, breakfast was a slice of cheese eaten on the run...this is my lunch which I am just getting around to now, and I didn't have an appropriate photo for the blog today, so I figured I would just feature one of the items mentioned...refillable glass milk bottles. 

      Okay, apologies first.  A full dozen of us agreed to post (yesterday) on Blog Action Day.  Eleven of you did so.  So, today I received 11 disgruntled emails regarding my lack of post yesterday.  Honestly, I thought about it and I tried to write it, but then as I was writing it, knowing that you all know me full well and how compulsive I am about things like not using a towel more than once before laundering it, etc., I figured you would all just figure I was doing so little that it would not hold a vapid little sputtering flame to all of your efforts.  Mea culpa for chickening out.  Wow...I have to say that you are all doing so many things, and that in Iowa this seems to be a very big deal...way to go Iowa! 

    Okay, a little bitty contribution next, assuming you accepted my first bit...the apology.  I can, more easily, sit here and think of all my sins (probably that great Catholic guilt complex thing going on that I am so very good at), so it is difficult to come up with anything that doesn't sound trite next to my "sins."  My little bitty list: 

            1.  We recycle (I know, I know...everyone does this).

            2.  We use a lot of vinegar, water, baking soda type cleaners (again, everyone does this, I know.)

            3.  I "dry on the sly" outdoors (our neighborhood policy is one of NO clotheslines, etc., but I have a deck that is very private, surrounded on three sides by trees, and when I know the fourth side neighbors are off at work, I drape things around on a rack on the deck and dry the towels by hanging them over the deck railing or across the chairs, etc....don't tell anyone as I am getting by with it so far...oh, how I long for a clothesline like I grew up with in Iowa...hanging out the clothes, smelling them as I take them down, and watching them blow in the breeze as they dry!).

            4.  Using the crockpot saves a whole lot of electricity and money...roasted chicken and pot roasts are great in a crockpot and I think the comparison for a roast is like the difference between 23 cents and $2.17...so that helps if you can figure out how to cook in the crockpot like an oven.

            5.  We reuse the paper sacks from the market.  I have a few LL BEAN totes as well that we have used for years and years.

            6.  We grow some of our own vegetables, flowers, and herbs. 

            7.  We have milk and dairy delivered...milk is in refillable glass bottles that we return each week, all the other packaging gets recycled, and much is made of recycled materials.

            8.  We hand down clothing.  We give all our old towels and sheets to our vet who uses them for the animals at the clinic.

            9.  Our pool uses a solar chlorinator so that we do not have to use chemicals except over the winter.  (But, who am I kidding...having a pool in the first place doesn't count, I am certain.)

            10.  We contribute to causes supporting ecology, etc.

            Okay, my list is really puny compared to all of yours.  I could barely come up with the ten items we agreed upon (and I know...some of those are a stretch)...maybe I will do better this coming year just so that I can post more items next year.  In the meantime, thanks for keeping me accountable...left to my own devices, I am way too irresponsible.  Oh, and we carpool when we can...does that count as you all know how much I am out there driving to and fro to things...I didn't list it as I think it probably won't count...staying home more might count, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.  So, am I forgiven for not posting yesterday with the rest of you?  Thanks, Sue for getting us going on this...I really am sorry I am late with it...I will try to do better next time...what's our next assignment?

First Look

      No photos from the swim meet this weekend, so some of the last of the flowers from our gardens will have to do.   (Photo courtesy of Alexander Gerth)

      First look at the new swim season was a good one!  The Kid swam 12 events over the weekend at the swim meet and ended up with 9 new best times...not a bad start to a new season in an aging up year...not a bad show at any time actually.  Time well spent.

      Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning were all occupied with the swim meet (a timed finals meet so we had no evening sessions for once...very nice indeed). Mike came over Saturday afternoon and he and Matt draped themselves on the couches down in the Men's Den and played video games to "wind down," or so they managed to convince us as to why they were spending the entire afternoon of an absolutely gorgeous day inside on the couches. 

      This afternoon Matt had IYC rehearsal, followed by a winter sports meeting and pizza party at Guerin for the dinner hour, and then off to church and LifeTeen...the only real free time being Saturday evening which Matt and I spent reading and discussing the 1984 Orwell book for three hours together.

       Alex spent the weekend cleaning his room (which is a polite way of saying he was somewhat grounded for excessive smart mouth)...although I have yet to venture down that particular hallway to have a peek as I am not sure if I actually want to know if any progress was made or not, fearing the "or not" part obviously.  Mark and I are sitting here wondering, "Where did this weekend go???"  Pumpkin patch and cider run will need to wait until next weekend. 

      What did you all do over the weekend?  The fun part about this question is that your emails answering these things are always so interesting and diverse.  I love that.  I love having friends who are so different from myself.  (Basically, by and large, I am quite boring, predictable, and secretly would love to be leading lives vastly different than my own occasionally.)  It gives me great pleasure and great vicarious enjoyment to hear all about what you all are doing...and I judge not...regardless what you all think and tease me about:  I judge not...I truly enjoy hearing about it all! I think you are all marvelously talented and leading wonderfully productive and fun lives.  Thanks for emailing, thanks for posting, thanks for sharing and adding such fun to my days!

First and Last

                                                   

First and Last...my favorite things on earth...flowers!

Thursday's Favorites Fare

Walnut Tree ripe with walnuts.

READING:    Nothing educational.  I know, I know...so unlike me and now you all will have nothing to roll your eyes at this week and go, "Spare me the details!" 

POOLSIDE READING:  Abandoning Donna Leon's mysteries set in Venice.  I like the Venice part.  I like the main character, Guido.  Some of her topics, shall we say, are a little not-so-much-me.  Enough said.  Missed a Diane Mott Davidson book along the way, Double Shot, so am reading that this weekend poolside at the swim meet. 

LISTENING TO:   Beethoven...the ISO performed Beethoven last week and I have been playing pieces all week...and saying to myself, "This is such a gift to us, this man wrote this as he was going and after he went deaf...how lucky are we?"  Listen to Beethoven, even if you think you don't like classical music "all that much"...it is a gift to you, he wrote it for you as a gift to be enjoyed when he could no longer do so.  Just think about it:  how could someone write music so wonderful without being able to physically hear it?  How long could any of us still hear a note in our mind if we had not been able to actually physically hear it for whatever amount of time?  How long would we remember even a single note...we can hear a note over and over and remember it, but if we could not hear it, how long would we actually remember the sound of that note and how soon would we forget what it actually sounds like?  He was a genius...he not only preserved the memory of one note in his mind, but thousands of note combinations played by all the instruments alone and then all together and then some in tandem and then others in tandem when the others were playing in tandem separately, etc....how long could anyone possibly do that without the constant hearing of a note every day or every week, etc.?  How long would the memory of any one note stay with us?  I am always just in complete awe of his music.  Come on, dust it off, give it a whirl.  Who doesn't love at least Ode to Joy?  It's a gift...for you from him...it would be rude not to listen, right?  Enjoy!

COOKING THROUGH:  I have found Ellie Krieger on Food Network and I have to say...I think she is good at what she does with her take on healthy cooking.  No fake ingredients so far, and very tasty healthy food...she has a cookbook coming out next year, I believe, but for now you can get the recipes off the Food Network site.  Mark loves all that New Orleans Cajun/Creole Jazzy type food, so I made the Jambalaya with Shrimp and Ham this week for him from her recipe and he liked it very much...it was good.  (Have probably made a dozen of her recipes, all a huge success around here.)  Make the Jambalaya with a nice salad, put on a little Jazz, eat outside sitting around the table with your favorite beverage until the stars come out, and you will feel like you are in the French Quarter...well, almost...good enough for a weeknight anyway!

FAV NEW FIND:   Alex thinks I am "sorta cool."  (Okay, pick yourselves up and dust yourselves off and continue reading.)  Last night on the way home from driving him to his bass lesson, he said, "Well, it is nice to have a mom who has decent taste in music.  I mean I would rather be driving around with you and listening to the Grateful Dead and all the metal bands than with other moms who make their kids listen to things like Barry Manilow and Kenny G and stuff like that.  You are sorta cool that way."  High praise, let me tell you.  And, just so you don't think this is way too sappy...within ten minutes he was trying to persuade me to take him and his friends to the Van Halen concert Sunday night, so I figure he was doing a bit of groundwork for his need of an escort to the concert.  (Mark's take on this:  "Wow, he must have been pretty desperate if he was trying to talk you into Van Halen."  I am not a big Van Halen fan, but I will concede that Eddie is probably a master at what he does...VH has just never been one of my top ten.)  All in all, I will take it as an extreme compliment that The Cool Dude even thought to ask that I take him and his buddies to said concert...especially since most of the time he tells his friends that I grew up on the set of the Waltons.

FAV THING TODAY (AND YESTERDAY):   Getting together with my homeschool chums and catching up with all that is going on in my former circles...it has been really difficult for me to adjust to not being part of all that this year as for so many years we were so active with it.  Homeschooling isn't just schooling at home, it is an entire way of life, and it feels a little like going down with the ship by not homeschooling anymore...have faith, I am adjusting.  It is just taking me some time to do so.  Thanks for the kind thoughts and words while I struggle along finding my way without all of that this year.  I had a great time with both ICHSA and FACES friends and catching up with the kids and their activities...thanks for making me always feel valued and welcome...my life definitely wouldn't be as rich and fulfilling without all of you. 

SCRAPBOOK PAGES THIS WEEK;   Zilch...been too busy...at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

GOING TO:   First swim meet of the USA short course season...three days worth of swimming and best of all, only 15 minutes from our house, right through the remaining farmland of Hamilton County.  This will be the first time Matt is swimming senior level, age 15 and above, most of the time called Open...a building year no doubt as we start at the bottom and work our way up for the next four years.  We aren't looking for star status at this juncture...just improved times that will qualify for the highest relay team possible.  Let the season begin!

PRAYING FOR:   40 Days for Life please join me.

Last on the List

Tall grasses poolside...Autumn is definitely upon us.

      Bill came and closed the pool.  It's a done deal.  Each fall Bill and I have a little ritual that goes something like this:  Bill calls and says, "Hi, there, it's that time of year when we need to schedule your pool closing and I was thinking tomorrow would be a good day if that works for you."  My reply is always, "Go away, Bill, I am not listening, I do not hear you."  (Fortunately, Bill and I are friends and he knows that this is just a little song and dance we do each year.)  Bill continues, "Now, Missy, you and I both know that it is time.  I will put yours the very last on the list, so you can swim until I get there at 4:00."  My reply, "Go away, Bill, I am not listening, I do not hear you."

      The next day Bill shows up on schedule, hikes the first bit of pool closing equipment down to the pool, and says, "You got 5 minutes and then I am dumping in the stuff that will kill algae and take all the skin off your bones."  My reply, "Go away, Bill, I am not listening, I do not hear you."  To which he always replies, "I have reinforcements with me...don't make us pull you out of there kicking and screaming like every other year...just exit nicely for once...."  (And, FYI, I have never actually had to be pulled out kicking and screaming...whining, yes, but actual kicking and screaming, no.) 

      I love summer.  I love that pool and being able to just walk down there and swim any old time I want to.  We have a whole lotta good times around and in that pool.  I see Bill as just a big old spoil sport when it comes to closing it down for the winter...surely the frost will not be on the pumpkins much before November...surely I have many fine days left of perfect weather for swimming (i.e. anything above 69 degrees works for me).  And lastly, I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, "Have a great winter and I'll see you in the spring!"  Bill is a cruel, cruel man.  (All the same, I do like him immensely, after all, he does put ours last on his list.)

First Monday in October

      First Monday in October...I just love it when it actually falls on the first of October...it abets my compulsive personality to have it line up that way dontchaknow.  As I am typing this I am wondering just what the Supreme Court Justices actually do on the first Monday in October.  I know they head back to work today...but I wonder if they actually get any work done the first day back.  I assume they don't have to spiff up their offices or anything as surely someone is hired to dust, run the Hoover about, and water the greenery while they are on break for three (and some odd days) months during the summer.  Do they get new clothes to wear (after all they sit in their robes all day and who really knows what is on under those robes...it could be most anything) like "new school clothes" for the First Monday?  Let's just head over to the Supreme Court site and see what's actually up for today.  (Short break while checking this out.)

      Turns out, yes, they do actually hear oral arguments on the First Monday in October.  Three of them slated...all about education rights for the disabled, political guidelines, and more political guidelines.  Tuesday continues on with cases about illegal drugs and sentencing guidelines.  Wednesday's list includes gambling, money laundering, and such with a bit about election guidelines thrown in to end the week...oral arguments just being a M-T-W kinda thing, except for next Monday as it is the official commemoration of Columbus Day, and therefore a vacation day for the Court. 

      So now you know, in case you were wondering:  the Justices do more than water their plants, schedule a back-to-court lunch bash, and compare new outfits on the First Monday in October.  (I still like thinking of them there with their newly sharpened pencils, fresh legal pads, and shiny shoes, however.)