Haunted in Delaware

Recent text conversation from Libby:

for the blog:

the jury is back on the hauntedness of my apartment - all clear, non-haunted and super cute.

however, the jury has concluded that the beach house is absolutely 100% certainly with[out] a doubt, haunted.

The lights in the lower corner are her apartment lights, in a portion of a larger house that contains dorms and a kitchen.

I concur that her apartment is in fact "super cute" and "not haunted".

When Libby refers to the beach house, this is the building she is speaking about. It is where all the activities happen, such as after-school programs, summer camps, special events and even weddings.

Libby: "pics don't do it justice - image this but you're 18, its pitch black, and you just want to fill up your water bottle"

This concludes the tour of Libby's current living situation. I am deeply jealous and plan on visiting as soon as possible. I may even see a ghost!

Life Expenses

On Wednesday I had a scheduled day off. I was planning on taking it easy and getting some things done around the house. Instead, I woke up to a house full of sick kids and a request to help Ethan move. So I spent the day helping Ethan move, buying popsicles and juice, and then collapsing on the couch that evening. Grace had a load of clothes in the dryer and Sam had clothes in the washer. Sam asked us if we could transfer his laundry before we went to bed. We agreed and Grace and Sam both headed off to bed. I collapsed onto the couch, exhausted after a crazy day.

Michael and I decided to watch a show while we waited for the laundry to finish. Fast forward to 10:30 and Michael and I are finally heading to bed. That's when we discovered the heating element on the dryer had stopped working. So I ended my day by turning the living room into a hodgepodge clothesline/rack, Michael ordered a replacement part, and we finally turned in, really tired, and with a little less patience and money.

Meanwhile, the cat has mostly led a non-problematic life. She hasn't required more than some basic cat food and a warm place to sleep. When Libby moved out we discovered something. Namely, the warm place Gertie likes to sleep is cuddled up to a person's face. This was not a problem for Libby, but Grace is rather allergic, which is the person Gertie now tries to sleep with. So we bought Gertie a bed, which she likes. But not as much as Grace's pillow and face. So we bought her allergen-reducing cat food, which costs a whole lot more than her previous cat food. She cannot sleep with Sam or Michael as they are both horribly allergic as well. So far, the expensive cat food and reasonably priced cat bed seem to be helping. 

So the cat problem is almost under control. The dryer heating element came the next day (extra expense of expedited shipping), and I crawled behind the dryer while Michael brought me tools and we got the dryer sorted. Ethan was also getting settled in his new apartment, and I felt like I could finally breathe again. 

But then Appa must have felt left out. She has had two surgeries on her ACL and she has been healing nicely. She loves to play with the kids and go for slow jogs. Everything was going well until suddenly it was not. Michael and I went on a date Saturday evening, and Appa was calmly hanging out with the kids while we were gone. By the time we got home, though, her leg had completely quit working. She was refusing to put any weight on it and was in visible pain. We are still waiting to get an appointment with the specialist (who is impossible to get ahold of) to find out what is happening. 

Moral of the story: kids and pets are expensive.

The Day of Truly Frightening Festivities

Pumpkins were carefully (kinda) carved.

The jack-o-lanterns were lit, after knife removal.

Grace and Sam donned their costumes:

The mighty Donkey Kong,

 

and the music star went door to door in search of candy.  Grace opted to wear a mask as she wasn't feeling well. 

She managed to score a ton of candy, though. Halloween was a grand success. 

What 45 Looks Like

We celebrated my birthday a couple days early this year, as everyone had friend plans on Halloween. So Michael, Grace, Sam, Ethan and I gathered on Sunday evening to celebrate and eat. Michael spent the afternoon in the kitchen and made fluffy biscuits, sausage gravy, and grasshopper brownies for dessert. We were awash in whole milk, cream, and butter. It was delicious!

After dinner Grace needed to run a "quick" errand before the party started. Her errand took forever, but she finally arrived home breathless and frazzled, as she had got repeatedly lost on the way to the store. I was startled that she had gotten lost on such a familiar path, but then she handed me my presents. She had biked into the nightmare that is downtown to get chocolates and flowers from Trader Joe's, as she wanted to get me something that she really thought I would love. Raising teens can sometimes feel like I'm raising sociopaths, but then they will blow me away with their thoughtfulness. Having four teenagers is never dull, sometimes exhausting, and absolutely wonderful. 

Grace explained, again, how she got so lost.

Libby wasn't able to make it, so she sent me a gift. A portion of the card,

"happy birthday. halfway to 90. I would like to apologize for the janky aspects of this gift, while also acknowledging that i am the best daughter ever. I have to figure out how to A. go to the post office and B. how to send a package..."

She successfully sent the package and I received a book and delicious jam. 

Michael got me a new knitting bag, and Ethan got me new headphones.

I am ready to nest for winter. Chocolate, books, jam, audiobooks and knitting. I might be 45 going on 80, but I like it. 

I used my supplies to make up these odds-and-ends socks, left over from all my other pairs of socks. They might be my favorite to date!

Here's to another year of family, food, fun, and knitting.

Autumnal Vibes

I don't want to make several blog posts, so I'm just smashing a week or two of October into one long stream of consciousness. Stream of consciousness is always super interesting,  right?!

October 14th started gray and cloudy, which was deeply disappointing. We were looking forward to an annular solar eclipse that morning. We were stocked with a supply of solar glasses and ready to view the phenomenon. As the time drew nearer, the clouds began to part, and we all gathered in the front yard for maximum viewing delight. The neighbors were curious to find us staring at the sun but joined us when we passed them glasses and explained what was happening. We had an impromptu neighborhood party, including my niece-in-law and her boys. We did not get a picture of the eclipse (eclipses are so hard to photograph) but I am sharing this photo of the sun's shadows reflecting on a piece of wood during the eclipse. Pretty cool, huh?

After the eclipse, we retired inside, where Finn showed appreciation for our new rug. It is awfully cozy. 

The front of my house was also ready for fall to begin. The lawn may be shaggy, but the pumpkins are amazing! 

Later that day my sister Becca and I headed out to Ontario. Michael's sister Amy invited us over for a night of Bunco and revelry. We didn't really know anyone there but ended up having a wonderful time. Becca won the bat, but only briefly. I also briefly had ownership of the bat before it was snatched away. Alas, the pitfalls of gambling. By the end of the night, we were well-fed and well friended, Becca won a few dollars and we were glad we had gone.

A week or so later, on the way home from Sam's voice lessons, we stopped at my Halloween work party. Sadly, it was really cold, Grace wasn't feeling well, and it was tailored toward young children. Sam did grab a few donuts and we got a great picture. Then we scurried home.

This fall has been lovely, but it always makes me sad as well. I don't like the days getting cold and dark and the world growing weary. I'm making a concentrated effort to celebrate the season instead of dreading the short days to come. Bring on the blankets, books, knitting and chocolate.