White Halloween

I wasn't dreaming of a white Halloween, but the snow is flying and starting to accumulate. We had a few minutes of thunder snow, which is very cool. I was ready for fall temps, not winter weather advisories. It would have been nice if the white stuff could have waited until Christmas. It'll probably be warm and sunny in December.

I got tickets for a scary movie, but I think we'll pass. Mike is good with that. It just seems like a good night to be cozy at home. Trick or treat was Sunday so tonight's festivities will be dressing up the cats in their basket full of costumes.

And speaking of trick or treat, we didn't have many kids come by and the ones who didn't even open their mouths to say boo. No trick or treat and no thank yous. Most of them helped themselves to a handful of candy without pause. I didn't care because I wanted it out of the house, but it struck me as piggy and rude. I miss kids with personalities and manners. I blame Covid.

The world we live in today fills me with relief that my kids are grown. That they came of age in kinder, simpler, safer times. I live in fear of what the world will be like if and when my kids have kids. The levels of suffering, hatred, judgement, corruption and tyranny are making me question humanity and democracy.

Just another reason to stay home.

Catching Up

The last week was good and full to the brim. This morning I couldn't be any happier to be here in my quiet house with my cats and my coffee. I returned from my quick trip to NYC Thursday night. Three days and three nights is the perfect time to spend in the city. We had time for some business and some fun. Fun as in good eats, successful shopping, a show, and plenty of people watching. It was a bit of a deja vu trip. I was good with that because midtown felt very safe and normal. We went across the street for Italian at Cellini one night and Greek at Nerai the next. We raved over the lamb chops and lemon potatoes, and were delighted to be able to eat outside on the street. It was more summer than fall during our visit. We scored first row tickets to Gutenberg and while I'm not really sure what it was about, I laughed through the show. Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells are such a great comedic duo. Their riffing made up for the meh story, and the forgettable lyrics and songs. I won't soon forget the rickshaw ride home. We were doing donuts on the city streets and chair dancing to MJ. Thursday morning we walked to Central Park before packing to go home.

In the time I was away, the colors peaked. We drove through the parkway oohing and aahing on our way home. It was just as warm here, but I think we have seen the end of summer temps. This weekend was much more seasonal. I'm good with that too. It's time.

Last weekend we enjoyed a fall family weekend, or more like day and a half. The kids were home for exactly 36 hours. We made the most of it. My brother and sister-in-law came for dinner Friday, which we sat down for at 10:30 when the kids finally got home. We had fun carving pumpkins while we waited for them. I cleaned seven - one for each of us and I roasted every single seed. I made my mom's pumpkin squares for dessert. Saturday we picked apples in the rain and then celebrated 28 years of marriage at a fun farm to table German beer hall that had amazing pizza. Quite a concept. The restaurant and 28 years together! I'm a lucky girl. It was fun to celebrate with the kids and yes, I did bring out the wedding album. I did not make them watch the wedding video. We watched GOT instead.

The kids left early Sunday morning. The car was packed full with leftovers and groceries for the three of them. They didn't even have room for their pumpkins.

Today will be a good day for yard work. We can take a break to watch the Packer game. Last night our neighbors came over to watch the Badger game. They brought the champs and we picked up pizzas and canolis at Gloriosos. While their was no reason to celebrate, we did nonetheless.

 

Nesting

I just got home from an after work walk on this mid-October eve. It is pleasantly crisp and the parkway is getting showy flanked by flaming maples and glowing poplars. The leaves on the oaks remind me of warm cinnamon toast. And speaking of toast, we picked up the scents of wood burning fires and also someone firing up the grill for some steaks. It's my favorite time of the year. It's still outdoor weather, but we come home and light candles and curl up under cats. These nights Gus takes Mike's lap and Hazel is happy on mine. We're still adjusting to an emptier nest missing Teddy, Lily and Finn, but we are good.

We'll have a full house this weekend, which I am very much looking forward to. Mike pointed out how quickly the next few months will pass, and before we know it we'll be on a beach in Zihautenejo. That is one of my happy places, but I'm in no rush to speed the plow. I'd like the next few months to linger as long as they can because October's cozy, November's gratitude and December's joy feed my soul for the rest of the year.

We've been staying close to home the past month and I'm perfectly good with that. The world feels tenuous, sketchy, not particularly safe. The wide world and also my little corner of it for the record. Case in point, we were driving on the highway on a beautiful Sunday afternoon a couple weeks ago and an approaching car unleashed a few rounds. I felt the gunfire in my chest. I don't think anyone was hurt, but it was hard to tell because we were going 65 miles in the other direction. This is just kind of normal these days. Only it's not.

I'll be in New York next week. I have mixed feelings about this trip after the last 10 days of news. My head will be on a swivel and my hand on my alarm. For once, we're going in fall and expecting fall temperatures so that's a bonus. I'm just not sure how much time we'll spend strolling the city and yet on the other hand, I'm expecting it to be fine.

My big outing last weekend was to see the Taylor Swift movie with Jess. I've been singing her songs in my sleep the past few nights. They are catchy and she is quite a talent. I still won't call myself a Swiftie, but I can see why she has such a following. Jess and I stopped for an afternoon happy hour and had such a nice time drinking wine on a Saturday afternoon. It felt good to be out in the world so I convinced Mike to go back out with me after the Badger game. We just went to our local watering hole and had fun running into some familiar faces and catching up on kids. The general consensus is that empty nesting is not so bad.

And that being said, I'm excited for a full house this weekend.