But not quite Halloween.
Things have at least begun to look autumnal around here. As I feared, a lot of trees didn't really turn, the color just drained out of them. Tons of trees still have their leaves but it's mostly muted shades of taupe and brown, punctuated by a few beacons of orange and red. We've had a lot of wind and some storms, which stripped the leaves off many trees before they'd finished turning, like the purple ash in my back yard. It was bare branched before the two maples back there began turning. One goes red and the other orange and they're usually spectacular but this year the orange one just went sort of ochre, then dropped all the leaves.
Down at the lake yesterday, a large maple that had gone red was sitting in a huge pile of its own leaves, which evidently had all fallen in one night. Not surprising as it has finally dipped below freezing at night. I've gotten up to the sight of frost on the park a few mornings this week. The trees outside my front window are still covered in leaves but they're just a sort of soft, taupy green with bronze undertones, not brilliant colors at all.
Then there are the trees on my son's place.
Last weekend, we had parties to go attend. Saturday, a housewarming/birthday party in Shakopee. My niece and her daughter have moved into a lovely townhouse and had everyone out for tacos. Katie and I brought BoopityBoop and many of their contemporaneous cousins were there too. It was a mild enough afternoon for the kids to play outside. I was very impressed but the two slightly older boys who did a fantastic job of keeping the toddlers from wandering off and including all the tiny little kids in the games going on back there. The townhouse backed onto a narrow yard with a tree covered berm that provided privacy and beauty for the back deck. It also provided a fantastic playground for nearly a dozen little kids as a football game morphed into chasing each other up and down the hill, then rolling down the hill, then somersaulting down the hill. BoopityBoop joined right in; first running, then rolling and finally going head over heels down the leaf strewn hill. By the time it got dark out and I brought them back inside, they were completely filthy; covered in leaves, with sticks and lawn debris stuck in their clothes and hair. In short, they looked like they'd been at a great party.
Sunday, we were at another housewarming party, this one at the new apartment of a niece on the other side of the family. The party was Halloween themed and served a brunch spread that knocked our socks off. BoopityBoop were there again, this time sporting their Spiderman costumes. They knew they looked good. It was another great party, even though there was no leaf covered hill to throw ourselves down.
BoopityBoop were all in on being Spiderman for Halloween, so Katie got them great costumes; the ones with muscles attached and everything! Then, when they came, Boopity put hers on and Boop said "No, I'm a pincess."
So, they now have these costumes as well.
Megan had planned on coming into town for that party but in the end, there just wasn't time. It's hard enough for a working mom to get everything that must be done crammed into the two days of the weekend, it's twice as hard when your husband has to travel for work. I don't know yet what costumes Xena and Babalouie are wearing but Kitten is ready for her closeup!
Business is still booming, so I have a ton of work to do. This is a very good thing.
Yesterday, I had lunch with Mom and Dad and we played cribbage. Dad has forgotten how to play but cards are good therapy for his hands and moving the pegs around the board are good for him, too. I had to teach Dad the game (things like this are the result of his stroke from a year ago; not too many big things but lots of little things) but the game clearly came back to Mom very quickly.
My mother is a card sharp. She loves to play bridge and she's good at all sorts of other games. If she had wanted to and put her mind to it, I'm convinced she could have won the World Series of Poker. She has this nice, sweet, whatever is the opposite of dangerous personality and you think she'd never crush you like a bug...until you scrape your broken self off the bottom of her shoes. She's like that when she plays scrabble, too.
If my Mom were a plant, it would look like daisies, smell like cookies and actually be a venus flytrap. Cute little old lady is the perfect disguise. She's a good one to have on your side.
Dad had a little trouble with his cards but he moved the pegs well. His poor hands. In addition to the nerves being traumatized by his fall, the muscles have atrophied over the last 18 months of disuse. He has tons of exercises his therapists have given him and he's diligent but things recover slowly when you're as old as the hills.
He told me last week "I've been praying a lot and sometimes I can't help but ask 'why me? Why did this happen to me?' And I keep getting the same response; 'Why not you? You've had it pretty easy so far!'"
It's true. He has lived a very charmed life.
Tomorrow, I promised Josie I'd make mac n cheese before we go to our annual Halloween party. It should be fun!