We received a letter from Lyra's school last week. The Ministry of Education has declared that the week of December 7 is a holiday and all schools are required to be closed. The reason for this is a Muslim holiday coming up, Eid al Adha. The school had already planned 2 days into the calendar for the Eid holiday, but in the last week, the Ministry has decided that the full week should be off. They did this at the beginning of the school year too, during Eid al Fitr.
So, now the school has had 2 unexpected week-long breaks in the calendar. At Lyra's age, this isn't any big deal. But for the high schoolers who are prepping for exams this is now interfering with the exam schedule. So, to make up for the days, the school now has 3 Saturdays scheduled as make up days. My first thought was "Wooo-hooo!" I'm already excited about having some days to goof off with Russell.
I was imagining how this would go down in the US. The schools write you a note that in two weeks, the school will be closed for a week. My dad was once on the school board and I can tell you that his phone would have been ringing non-stop for a week with complaints from parents. Here, you just have to go with the flow. No use getting up tight about it. If you called to complain, you'd have very little sympathy.
The call would go something like this:
Julie: I'm calling regarding the recent changes to the school calendar.
MoE: Yes, madam.
Julie: This is a huge inconvenience to our family.
Moe: Yes, madam.
Julie: Why would you have waited until the last minute to make this announcement?
MoE: No, madam.
Julie: No. WHY would you wait until the LAST minute to make this announcement?
MoE: No, madam.
Julie: How am I supposed to arrange for last minute child care?
MoE: Yes, madam.
Julie: No. HOW am I supposed to arrange for LAST MINUTE childe care?
MoE: Yes, madam.
Julie: AGGGGHHH - never mind.
MoE: Yes, madam.
I'd end up even more frustrated than when I started. Not that little old me is going to influence the Ministry anyway. And besides, I'm psyched about the days with Russell.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Turn off your TV
Happy people watch less television: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/research/20happy.html?em
The study doesn't say if watching television makes you more unhappy or if being unhappy makes you watch television. But I say, give it a go - turn off your TV - see if you aren't more happy. I think you'll find that there's so many other things to do. Life is certainly more interesting without TV.
When we moved here, we didn't get ourselves signed up for television. We thought we'd try it out for a while and see how it goes. Now, nearly 18 months later, we have no desire to get it. We have set up a flat screen so that we can watch DVDs. And we do watch a few shows on-line. And of course, there's Russell's addiction to YouTube (which is kind of like watching TV). And we like it that way. Life seems so much more relaxing.
By coincidence, we live next door to probably the only other family in Dubai without television. Juliette was telling me that other school mums always say to her, "Oh, I wish we didn't have TV." Hmmm - that's not so difficult. If you don't want it, unplug it.
Try it for a month, you'll be amazed. You'll have games nights, you'll read, you'll make a nice dinner, you'll spend more time with the kids at bed time, you'll have a glass of wine with your spouse - it's liberating.
The study doesn't say if watching television makes you more unhappy or if being unhappy makes you watch television. But I say, give it a go - turn off your TV - see if you aren't more happy. I think you'll find that there's so many other things to do. Life is certainly more interesting without TV.
When we moved here, we didn't get ourselves signed up for television. We thought we'd try it out for a while and see how it goes. Now, nearly 18 months later, we have no desire to get it. We have set up a flat screen so that we can watch DVDs. And we do watch a few shows on-line. And of course, there's Russell's addiction to YouTube (which is kind of like watching TV). And we like it that way. Life seems so much more relaxing.
By coincidence, we live next door to probably the only other family in Dubai without television. Juliette was telling me that other school mums always say to her, "Oh, I wish we didn't have TV." Hmmm - that's not so difficult. If you don't want it, unplug it.
Try it for a month, you'll be amazed. You'll have games nights, you'll read, you'll make a nice dinner, you'll spend more time with the kids at bed time, you'll have a glass of wine with your spouse - it's liberating.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Turkey Day
I'm thinking about Thanksgiving. My sister and aunt are coming again - YEAH. They'll arrive late on Thursday - actually, they'll probably arrive into our house in the early hours of Friday morning. It will be a small gathering. Probably just the five of us.
Thanksgiving dinner is always traditional for me. With Christmas dinner, I'm willing to experiment with the menu a little. But not with Thanksgiving. I've got to have some dressing (sage & onion), must have cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, gravy and of course the turkey. Last year, we had so many left overs, we were eating it for days afterward. So, I'm thinking about how to cut down a little. But I don't want to leave out anything critical from the menu.
The local Organics store had fresh turkeys last year. Maybe Russ can take a trip down there this week while I'm in Saudi. One year, when we were in London, we paid GBP 40 for a turkey. That's about US$60. Whew - we weren't expecting that when we picked it up from the butcher. The same butcher that Russell saw a customer pay US$100 for a crown roast. That year we told everyone we had a "40 pound turkey" - heh, heh. I'm sure the fresh organic turkey will be a bit pricey, but none of the shops have a 29 cent/pound special on the Butterballs. My mom used to stock up on the turkeys during those specials. She'd buy two extra and have the butcher saw them in half. A couple of times a year, she'd pull out half for our dinner. So, if you have a deep freeze, get a couple extra turkeys!
We can pretty much get anything we need for the traditional dinner. Even cranberry jelly - but I think we have a can of that left over. Actually, I prefer a relish made from fresh. Last year, Amy packed a bag in her luggage. Canned pumpkin is also available here - it's popular for a lot of Indian curries and soups.
Sounds like some shopping is in order tomorrow to see what we can pick up.
Thanksgiving dinner is always traditional for me. With Christmas dinner, I'm willing to experiment with the menu a little. But not with Thanksgiving. I've got to have some dressing (sage & onion), must have cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, gravy and of course the turkey. Last year, we had so many left overs, we were eating it for days afterward. So, I'm thinking about how to cut down a little. But I don't want to leave out anything critical from the menu.
The local Organics store had fresh turkeys last year. Maybe Russ can take a trip down there this week while I'm in Saudi. One year, when we were in London, we paid GBP 40 for a turkey. That's about US$60. Whew - we weren't expecting that when we picked it up from the butcher. The same butcher that Russell saw a customer pay US$100 for a crown roast. That year we told everyone we had a "40 pound turkey" - heh, heh. I'm sure the fresh organic turkey will be a bit pricey, but none of the shops have a 29 cent/pound special on the Butterballs. My mom used to stock up on the turkeys during those specials. She'd buy two extra and have the butcher saw them in half. A couple of times a year, she'd pull out half for our dinner. So, if you have a deep freeze, get a couple extra turkeys!
We can pretty much get anything we need for the traditional dinner. Even cranberry jelly - but I think we have a can of that left over. Actually, I prefer a relish made from fresh. Last year, Amy packed a bag in her luggage. Canned pumpkin is also available here - it's popular for a lot of Indian curries and soups.
Sounds like some shopping is in order tomorrow to see what we can pick up.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Iskender
It is Turkish for Alexander.
It also is a great dish made of spiced lamb grilled and served with a big dollop of yogurt on a freshly baked pita (or pide as they spell it in Turkish). In Istanbul, it was garnished with a generous portion of still bubbling melted butter poured over the top. On the side: baba ganoush, tabbouleh, hummous, and moutabel (a great mixture of roasted eggplant and tahini) scooped onto oven fresh pita. Yum!
Russell's plotting how he can open an Iskender shop in Bay View. Menu options would be Small, Medium, or Large. Well, since it's Bay View - he'd probably need to offer some sort of meatless Iskender, too. But the Istanbullers will be rolling in their graves at the thought of their home dish being tainted with meatless spiced-lamb.
I say he parks a cart on the corner of KK and Lincoln from 11:30pm to 2:30am. He'll make a killing.
It also is a great dish made of spiced lamb grilled and served with a big dollop of yogurt on a freshly baked pita (or pide as they spell it in Turkish). In Istanbul, it was garnished with a generous portion of still bubbling melted butter poured over the top. On the side: baba ganoush, tabbouleh, hummous, and moutabel (a great mixture of roasted eggplant and tahini) scooped onto oven fresh pita. Yum!
Russell's plotting how he can open an Iskender shop in Bay View. Menu options would be Small, Medium, or Large. Well, since it's Bay View - he'd probably need to offer some sort of meatless Iskender, too. But the Istanbullers will be rolling in their graves at the thought of their home dish being tainted with meatless spiced-lamb.
I say he parks a cart on the corner of KK and Lincoln from 11:30pm to 2:30am. He'll make a killing.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Expressway Sightings
I no longer find these sightings odd or startling:
1. A man riding his bicycle against traffic up the freeway.
2. A group of men perched on the edge of the expressway waiting for an opportunity to dash across 12 lanes of high speed traffic. Often they are pushing their bicycles.
3. Impatient drivers working their way past a traffic back up by trying to straddle the paint lines and drive in between the lanes of cars.
4. Cars flying up behind me, flashing their lights from more than 200 yards away, coming up on my rear so closely that I can no longer see their headlights or number plate.
5. Impatient cars taking off from the lanes of traffic to head through the sand trying to find some possible cut off into the neighborhood.
6. The same car 5 minutes later driving along the highway in the sand trying to pass up the traffic queue.
7. The same car 5 minues later forcing his way into the front of the queue to get back into traffic before his exit.
8. Buses parked in the right hand lane (no, not on the shoulder) to let off or pick up their passengers - this is the right hand lane of the FREEWAY!!
9. Cars backing up to try and get over to an exit that they missed.
10. Men sweeping the freeway with a broom. Another man watching the sweeper. And another man watching the watcher.
Edited to add:
11. Drivers driving with a toddler or baby in their lap.
12. Kids with their heads poking out the sun roof as the car roars past at 140kph.
1. A man riding his bicycle against traffic up the freeway.
2. A group of men perched on the edge of the expressway waiting for an opportunity to dash across 12 lanes of high speed traffic. Often they are pushing their bicycles.
3. Impatient drivers working their way past a traffic back up by trying to straddle the paint lines and drive in between the lanes of cars.
4. Cars flying up behind me, flashing their lights from more than 200 yards away, coming up on my rear so closely that I can no longer see their headlights or number plate.
5. Impatient cars taking off from the lanes of traffic to head through the sand trying to find some possible cut off into the neighborhood.
6. The same car 5 minutes later driving along the highway in the sand trying to pass up the traffic queue.
7. The same car 5 minues later forcing his way into the front of the queue to get back into traffic before his exit.
8. Buses parked in the right hand lane (no, not on the shoulder) to let off or pick up their passengers - this is the right hand lane of the FREEWAY!!
9. Cars backing up to try and get over to an exit that they missed.
10. Men sweeping the freeway with a broom. Another man watching the sweeper. And another man watching the watcher.
Edited to add:
11. Drivers driving with a toddler or baby in their lap.
12. Kids with their heads poking out the sun roof as the car roars past at 140kph.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Fairies Come Out at Night
Yesterday's conversation with Lyra.
Lyra: Mama, you know Raven (a friend back home) had sparkles on her. And she showed me her sparkles and said it was from her fairy. But I don't think it was a fairy. I think it was just sparkles.
Me: Hmmm. . . you don't think it was her fairy?
L: No, it was just regular sparkles. Because fairies aren't real. Only the Sandman, the Toothfairy, and Santa are real. Just those special fairies are real. Other fairies aren't real.
M: Why don't you think fairies are real?
L: Well, because there aren't any unicorns. . . or . . . or . . . other things that aren't real, so there can't be any fairies.
M: [can't really argue with that logic] Maybe you're right.
L: [backing off a little] Well, if there are fairies, then they only will come out at night. Because they're shy and they don't want you to see them.
M: Yeah, maybe they only come at night.
Lyra: Mama, you know Raven (a friend back home) had sparkles on her. And she showed me her sparkles and said it was from her fairy. But I don't think it was a fairy. I think it was just sparkles.
Me: Hmmm. . . you don't think it was her fairy?
L: No, it was just regular sparkles. Because fairies aren't real. Only the Sandman, the Toothfairy, and Santa are real. Just those special fairies are real. Other fairies aren't real.
M: Why don't you think fairies are real?
L: Well, because there aren't any unicorns. . . or . . . or . . . other things that aren't real, so there can't be any fairies.
M: [can't really argue with that logic] Maybe you're right.
L: [backing off a little] Well, if there are fairies, then they only will come out at night. Because they're shy and they don't want you to see them.
M: Yeah, maybe they only come at night.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Splish Splash
This morning, as I neared the time that my alarm would go off, I was having vivid dreams that I was sleeping in my bed in Milwaukee. My dreams included a rainstorm accompanied by thunder and lightning. Back home, my bed is in the attic and the sound of rain falling onto the roof can be clearly heard overhead. The gentle sound of water running down the gutters and the swish of car tires driving down a wet street are sounds I don't hear any more. In my dream, I heard the gentle roll of thunder and the lashings of rain against the window.
It was so vivid that I was jolted to reality when my alarm went off and I awoke shocked to find that I was back here in Dubai. But the feeling of being in my bedroom in Milwaukee stayed with me all morning as I got ready for work. I was pining for home and the sounds of a cold rainy autumn morning. In my imagination, I enjoyed leaping over rivulets streaming down the street and curbsides filled with soggy unraked leaves. I imagined the twinge of wetness as my shoes landed in a puddle while running to my car. But alas, I am living in dry arid Dubai.
Imagine my pleased surprise (and total disorientation) when I went out to the car - and it was raining. I dodged the rain on my way to the car and laughed at myself as I struggled to unlock the gate and get into the car without drenching my clothes and hair. I had a brief flash of curiosity about what might be hanging on the clothes line in back. But, too late to do anything about it then.
It wasn't a dream after all - or was it?
It was so vivid that I was jolted to reality when my alarm went off and I awoke shocked to find that I was back here in Dubai. But the feeling of being in my bedroom in Milwaukee stayed with me all morning as I got ready for work. I was pining for home and the sounds of a cold rainy autumn morning. In my imagination, I enjoyed leaping over rivulets streaming down the street and curbsides filled with soggy unraked leaves. I imagined the twinge of wetness as my shoes landed in a puddle while running to my car. But alas, I am living in dry arid Dubai.
Imagine my pleased surprise (and total disorientation) when I went out to the car - and it was raining. I dodged the rain on my way to the car and laughed at myself as I struggled to unlock the gate and get into the car without drenching my clothes and hair. I had a brief flash of curiosity about what might be hanging on the clothes line in back. But, too late to do anything about it then.
It wasn't a dream after all - or was it?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Rememberance Day
Tuesday was Remembrance Day. I looked at my watch at 9:50am, but forgot to look again until after 12:00. So, I missed it.
At home, Veterans' Day has lost some of its significance. There are still many gatherings of Veterans. But mostly it is Veterans remembering one another. Fellow soldiers taking a moment to honor their buddies lost in battle. A few people pick up a poppy to wear on their lapel from the local American Legion or VFW post. I can't say that I've ever been to any Veterans' Day event. It's sad really. Somewhere along the line, although we respect our soldiers in America, I think we've forgotten to honor them.
In the UK, Remembrance Day is a big deal. All public officials and television personalities proudly display their poppies in their lapels. Kind of like the recent US Flag lapel symbolism, it would seem unpatriotic to not have a poppy on your lapel.
The national events are televised live on all the channels. The Queen hosts visitors from all the Commonwealth countries. Wreaths of poppies are laid at the Cenotaph - a memorial to all servicemen and women who have died in the war. And at the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month, there is an observation of 2 minutes of silence. Even in the office, they would interrupt the day to have everyone observe the silence. You would never believe the complete stillness that decends upon London - and across the country - during those two minutes. It's pretty impressive that they've been honoring their soldiers in this way for 90 years.
I was always drawn to watch the television broadcasts of Remembrance Day. Appropriately, November 11th always seemed to be a drizzly, dreary day. I was humbled by the enormity of the honor that the UK continues to bestow upon their soldiers. It is quite a contrast to what I grew up with.
At home, Veterans' Day has lost some of its significance. There are still many gatherings of Veterans. But mostly it is Veterans remembering one another. Fellow soldiers taking a moment to honor their buddies lost in battle. A few people pick up a poppy to wear on their lapel from the local American Legion or VFW post. I can't say that I've ever been to any Veterans' Day event. It's sad really. Somewhere along the line, although we respect our soldiers in America, I think we've forgotten to honor them.
In the UK, Remembrance Day is a big deal. All public officials and television personalities proudly display their poppies in their lapels. Kind of like the recent US Flag lapel symbolism, it would seem unpatriotic to not have a poppy on your lapel.
The national events are televised live on all the channels. The Queen hosts visitors from all the Commonwealth countries. Wreaths of poppies are laid at the Cenotaph - a memorial to all servicemen and women who have died in the war. And at the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month, there is an observation of 2 minutes of silence. Even in the office, they would interrupt the day to have everyone observe the silence. You would never believe the complete stillness that decends upon London - and across the country - during those two minutes. It's pretty impressive that they've been honoring their soldiers in this way for 90 years.
I was always drawn to watch the television broadcasts of Remembrance Day. Appropriately, November 11th always seemed to be a drizzly, dreary day. I was humbled by the enormity of the honor that the UK continues to bestow upon their soldiers. It is quite a contrast to what I grew up with.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Things and Such
During my break in blogging - much has happened.
First of all - what a relief that the election is over. And how totally awesome that Obama won. So, Russell and I can stop talking about a pending move to Canada or Mexico in order to escape the madness. And now we're missing all the excitement at home. I'm catching a bit of the hype on-line, but that doesn't really give a real sense of how people are feeling. We caught our plane home to Dubai on election day at 9pm. The results from early states were just starting to come in, but the suspense hadn't started to build. By the time we were landing in Dubai, the TV announcements of his victory had long-ago been made and his victory speech in Chicago was over. We had a brief announcement from the flight attendant as we neared for landing.
Everyone in the office is excited as well. Many of them watched Obama's speech in Chicago and were really moved by what he said. For most outside of the US, although they have heard of Obama, they have never really listened to one of his speeches. So, it was a real introduction for them to the person that the US elected.
Although people are hopeful that there will be a change in tone with regard to US and Middle East relations - they are mostly realistic. There's a long way to go until there are real changes in policies. But certainly a negotiation or meeting where the US recognizes that it's not as black and white as has been portrayed for the last 7 years would be a good starting point. So, my news obsessions have abated, but I'm still following closely. Thanks to on-line versions of The New York Times, Washington Post and MSNBC - I keep up.
Enough about politics.
While we were in Florida, we attended our neice's wedding. Lyra was the flower girl. She totally grooved on being a part of the wedding party. If Jaclyn and Brian thought this day was about them - they forgot the cute-factor of a very sociable flower girl to divert attention. She was just perfect. Since she was flower girl at my brother's wedding 3 years ago, she was pretty sure that she knew what she was doing. So, very few nerves on her part. It also helped that the Matron of Honor was a former babysitter who lived a couple blocks down the street from us in Milwaukee. So, a bit of a reunion for Lyra and Nicole (or "Micole" as she says).
As the preparations were occurring, the petals that she was to sprinkle on the aisle came out. "Where's the basket?" Lyra asked. The wedding assistant went off to find something and came back with a basket shaped something like a church collection plate or bread basket. "That's not what I was picturing," Lyra said. "I'm thinking it needs to have a handle - kind of like an Easter basket but not the same colors as an Easter basket." Of course she was right. And luckily Jaclyn had a cute little basket for her to carry.
From there, we went to visit some friends in Weston (about 40 minutes away). We had met Chip and Karen when we were in India earlier this year. We totally hit it off with them and they said, "If you're ever in Florida. . ." We told them, "Actually, we'll be there this November for a wedding." So, we hooked up. They live on the eastern edge of the Everglades. We went out for an airboat ride - which was totally interesting. Saw 4 fairly sizeable aligators, some turtles, and lots of sawgrass. But for Lyra, the highlight of our stay with them was feeding the ducks that are in their back yard. She continuously would ask for pieces of bread so that she could go out to call them in from the lake and toss bread to them. Surely, at least one loaf of bread was fed to those birds in the day that we were there.
So, now we're home. I was brutally reminded of the fact yesterday when a construction crane fell into the road just a block or so down from my office. It blocked traffic for nearly 12 hours. Luckily, no one was hurt. I'm sure we'll never know or hear why the crane fell. Traffic was horrible for tons of folks. Many in our office reported more than 4 hour commutes in the morning. Luckily, I avoided this - well since I commute in at 6am I rarely run into nasty traffic.
First of all - what a relief that the election is over. And how totally awesome that Obama won. So, Russell and I can stop talking about a pending move to Canada or Mexico in order to escape the madness. And now we're missing all the excitement at home. I'm catching a bit of the hype on-line, but that doesn't really give a real sense of how people are feeling. We caught our plane home to Dubai on election day at 9pm. The results from early states were just starting to come in, but the suspense hadn't started to build. By the time we were landing in Dubai, the TV announcements of his victory had long-ago been made and his victory speech in Chicago was over. We had a brief announcement from the flight attendant as we neared for landing.
Everyone in the office is excited as well. Many of them watched Obama's speech in Chicago and were really moved by what he said. For most outside of the US, although they have heard of Obama, they have never really listened to one of his speeches. So, it was a real introduction for them to the person that the US elected.
Although people are hopeful that there will be a change in tone with regard to US and Middle East relations - they are mostly realistic. There's a long way to go until there are real changes in policies. But certainly a negotiation or meeting where the US recognizes that it's not as black and white as has been portrayed for the last 7 years would be a good starting point. So, my news obsessions have abated, but I'm still following closely. Thanks to on-line versions of The New York Times, Washington Post and MSNBC - I keep up.
Enough about politics.
While we were in Florida, we attended our neice's wedding. Lyra was the flower girl. She totally grooved on being a part of the wedding party. If Jaclyn and Brian thought this day was about them - they forgot the cute-factor of a very sociable flower girl to divert attention. She was just perfect. Since she was flower girl at my brother's wedding 3 years ago, she was pretty sure that she knew what she was doing. So, very few nerves on her part. It also helped that the Matron of Honor was a former babysitter who lived a couple blocks down the street from us in Milwaukee. So, a bit of a reunion for Lyra and Nicole (or "Micole" as she says).
As the preparations were occurring, the petals that she was to sprinkle on the aisle came out. "Where's the basket?" Lyra asked. The wedding assistant went off to find something and came back with a basket shaped something like a church collection plate or bread basket. "That's not what I was picturing," Lyra said. "I'm thinking it needs to have a handle - kind of like an Easter basket but not the same colors as an Easter basket." Of course she was right. And luckily Jaclyn had a cute little basket for her to carry.
From there, we went to visit some friends in Weston (about 40 minutes away). We had met Chip and Karen when we were in India earlier this year. We totally hit it off with them and they said, "If you're ever in Florida. . ." We told them, "Actually, we'll be there this November for a wedding." So, we hooked up. They live on the eastern edge of the Everglades. We went out for an airboat ride - which was totally interesting. Saw 4 fairly sizeable aligators, some turtles, and lots of sawgrass. But for Lyra, the highlight of our stay with them was feeding the ducks that are in their back yard. She continuously would ask for pieces of bread so that she could go out to call them in from the lake and toss bread to them. Surely, at least one loaf of bread was fed to those birds in the day that we were there.
So, now we're home. I was brutally reminded of the fact yesterday when a construction crane fell into the road just a block or so down from my office. It blocked traffic for nearly 12 hours. Luckily, no one was hurt. I'm sure we'll never know or hear why the crane fell. Traffic was horrible for tons of folks. Many in our office reported more than 4 hour commutes in the morning. Luckily, I avoided this - well since I commute in at 6am I rarely run into nasty traffic.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
It's the Little Things
I was just home in Milwaukee for a couple of days. It was nice to be home and nice to get in a little bit of autumn weather. It's the little things that make a place feel like home!
Driving home from work, I instinctively avoided the potholes and road patches on Bay Street. I was impressed that my body remembered they were there when my brain didn't.
It was great to see the huge piles of leaves as big as two cars forming outside on the curb. There hasn't been much rain in Milwaukee, so all the leaves are still crunchy and blowing about. I love walking down the sidewalk and hearing a satisfying crunch as leaves disintegrate under my shoes. I'm inordinately disappointed when a leaf turns out to be wimpy or soggy. What a waste of stomping energy!
I remembered to bring some jackets and scarves to keep myself warm outside. However, I forgot how cold it gets inside. How did I forget this? I should have brought some slippers and a robe or house coat.
I missed the Halloween excitement. Milwaukee had Trick or Treating last Saturday. Milwaukee has always been a bit odd that way - scheduling Trick or Treat on a Saturday or Sunday. I always love seeing the costumes. Hopefully, Lyra will get in a little Trick or Treating here in Florida tonight. We're supposed to go to the rehearsal dinner for my niece's wedding, but hoping to sneak in a little trip down one street before we go over there. I'll soon be posting pictures of our little cocoon.
Lyra's already plotting her costume for next year. She had considered caterpillar to complete the triumvirate of cocoon, butterfly, caterpillar. But now she's reconsidering. I've told her she has plenty of time to make up her mind.
Driving home from work, I instinctively avoided the potholes and road patches on Bay Street. I was impressed that my body remembered they were there when my brain didn't.
It was great to see the huge piles of leaves as big as two cars forming outside on the curb. There hasn't been much rain in Milwaukee, so all the leaves are still crunchy and blowing about. I love walking down the sidewalk and hearing a satisfying crunch as leaves disintegrate under my shoes. I'm inordinately disappointed when a leaf turns out to be wimpy or soggy. What a waste of stomping energy!
I remembered to bring some jackets and scarves to keep myself warm outside. However, I forgot how cold it gets inside. How did I forget this? I should have brought some slippers and a robe or house coat.
I missed the Halloween excitement. Milwaukee had Trick or Treating last Saturday. Milwaukee has always been a bit odd that way - scheduling Trick or Treat on a Saturday or Sunday. I always love seeing the costumes. Hopefully, Lyra will get in a little Trick or Treating here in Florida tonight. We're supposed to go to the rehearsal dinner for my niece's wedding, but hoping to sneak in a little trip down one street before we go over there. I'll soon be posting pictures of our little cocoon.
Lyra's already plotting her costume for next year. She had considered caterpillar to complete the triumvirate of cocoon, butterfly, caterpillar. But now she's reconsidering. I've told her she has plenty of time to make up her mind.
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