And Then There Were None

Just in time for Halloween, I finally read my first Agatha Christie novel.  It was clever, although I will admit to having a hard time keeping all the characters straight for the first 80 pages or so.  Aside from the ten house guests getting killed off one by one, the creepiest part of the book was that they kept pulling canned tongue from the pantry and ate it for just about every meal.

Tongue, anyone?

Dear Winter,

Cute, winter... really cute.
And now this?

Your Severe Weather Watches and Warnings

LUNENBURG, MA

Your Radar | Current Conditions | 15-Day Forecast

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 
400 AM EDT FRI OCT 28 2011 

..A STRONG AND EARLY SEASON WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT MUCH OF
SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND THIS WEEKEND... 

STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE JUST SOUTH AND EAST OF SOUTHERN NEW 
ENGLAND FROM LATE SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY AND MOVE INTO THE 
CANADIAN MARITIMES SUNDAY. 

Relax, winter... Fall isn't quite done showing off.

Which came first?

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and feeling rather bleary-eyed.  I had a list of things-to-do, a few places to go and some things I wanted to accomplish besides.  When I went into my closet looking for something to wear, the options seemed especially lackluster: faded jeans, some shapeless brown corduroys, a passel of t-shirts, a sweatshirt?  My daily uniform.  Boring.  I decided that my commonplace routine, though a bit dull, merited some lively clothing nevertheless, so I put on some tights, a skirt and some heels, and accessorized with a red bracelet and my shell of confidence.  Off I went to teach a piano lesson, cash some checks and do some shopping.  When you look good, you feel good.  But is that the way it really works?  Or do you have to feel good to decide to look good?  I will tell you this: I felt better about my appearance than if the faded jeans and t-shirt would have lent themselves to my aura.  There was a kick in my step that my sore throat and bleary eyes might not have produced if it weren't for a little mixing-it-up with the wardrobe. 

 I wore my church clothes, and I didn't even go to church.  It made me think about my friend Leslie, and her amazing domestic art series.  

Who says you need sneakers to mop the floor?  

If your mood says heels, go for it.

spotting Enrique

Finding Enrique at Gillette 

was like playing a live game of Where's Waldo?  

I found him from up above, 

in the big mix and on the big screen.

weekend update:

 Progress was underway on the tree fort.

 Everywhere I drove (I mean EVERY where!) the foliage took my breath away.  Seriously.

 Mr. Dub and I had a fun date at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro (home of the New England Patriots)

where we enjoyed cushioned club seating, a disappointing but still entertaining match between UMass and UNH (UMass lost 21-27) and a stellar performance by the UMass Marching Band.

Hooray for the weekend!

Welcome Crisp Autumn Air

Our first fire of the season!

It took the chill off so nicely.

We enjoyed a relaxing and restful afternoon together in front of the fireplace today.

Sisters

rock.

Ahhhh..... Friday.

-gel insoles for my sneakers
-kids who want cold cereal for breakfast
-an amazing sunrise
-laundry and vacuuming done before 8:00am
-a bagel with peanut butter
-having at least one morning person in the house when most of us are NOT
-garbage day (take it away!)


-and-


-meeting my sister in New Hampshire for lunch and to hold her sweet new baby!


I hope your Friday brings you JOY~

I should have obeyed my alarm the first time

Then I would not have gone back to sleep and dreamed that I miraculously gave birth to a green-eyed little boy with a full head of sandy brown hair who was about four years old (by myself, with no assistance even though I was in the hospital).  I managed to get him fully dressed before I realized I forgot to record the birth weight.  Next thing I knew, I was bringing him home to my dilapidated VERY old 70s-decorated farm house with a dirty orange-blend shag carpet going up the treacherously steep stairs (with no handrail); as I ascended the stairs, they caved in.  My feet had just touched down on the second level, so I thought we were safe.  Then the entire second floor collapsed to the lower level, so I climbed into a bed on the first floor cradling my very large newborn toddler.  My mom came to visit me.  She sat across the bed in the place where I wanted my legs to go.  I really wanted to get comfortable, but I didn't want her to leave or to make her feel bad, so I just made the best of a cramped situation.  Then I woke up panicked about missing a morning deadline.  Ack.  Dreaming.

out the back door

 GOOD MORNING!

Good Fall.

Seen on a drive through Cambridge Friday afternoon

Happy Fall Church-going!

Four boys and a jaunt to Boston

Unceasing Energy and Perpetual Motion!

A Memorable Visit (MOOOOve over!)

Last night I was out paying some Relief Society visits.  It was a fun night; dashing through several towns to see many amazing women before it got too late.  At one house, the family members jumped up to rearrange the seating a bit to accommodate extra bodies (despite our insistence that we wouldn't stay).  It reminded me of a visit I made as a missionary, in the city of Palmira in Colombia many years ago.
(Early 1987) We were making visits in an area I had never been to before when my companion remembered a family in the neighborhood that she had visited several times prior to my arrival.  It was approaching dinner time, but we decided to pay them a quick visit.  We were received warmly by several young women, their mother and a young boy.  They offered us a seat and something to drink and we proceeded to enjoy some casual conversation.  I can say at this point that I will admit to not completely following every bit of the discussion as my Spanish language skills were still emerging.  I do remember the conversation coming in my direction, and felt it was obviously my turn to speak when suddenly and in a shockingly abrupt turn of events, everyone (except me) jumped up and out of their seats and started rearranging the furniture.  I think I was too stunned to move.  The distinct feeling of having missed some nonverbal cue settled over me like ill-timed drizzle on a good hairdo.  I remember hearing a shrill whistle from the street, and the boy ran to the door and opened it wide, sort of standing at attention with the door knob in his hand.  Next thing I knew, there was a herd of cows (followed by the boy's father) making their way through the living room and into the back part of the house, where they eventually went out the back door and settled in the small back patio area for the evening.  I have never had that experience again, and will never forget when my living room chat was interrupted by cattle.

Wonder Twins ACTIVATE!!

Happy Birthday BeckyBen!

You guys totally ROCK.

XO

Arrived yesterday

I have such great friends!!

swinging at the park

Saturday Night Football

Where there was

college football

and winning,

but mostly it was about the entertainment

going on all around the game.

 Enrique

was dancing in the aisles

as he sold Band Day programs...

 Mesquite was out there too,

but it took us a while to spot her.

UMass Band Day:2011