I had convinced Katie to drag the girls all the way down into town for our family Halloween party at my sister's house for chili, cornbread and trick or treating with their cousins when Kate got a call from their daycare telling her both girls were sporting fevers. When she called to tell me the bad news, I asked "How high are the fevers?"
I know that sounds cold but for those of us who've raised toddlers, we know that tiny kids can have temps of up to about 100 that don't really mean anything. I dose of kid Tylenol and an hour later, the toddler is right as rain.
BoopityBoop's fevers were up around 102. That's really being sick.
Katie was far more upset about the girls missing out on Halloween than they were, they're too young to know what they were missing. Not only trick or treating with Nanners, Bean, Tot and Nana but the pizza party at school the day after.
Oh well. There's always next year.
The party at McCollow's was a quieter affair than it has been in years past. First of all, Andy and Vi's kids are old enough now to want to go hang with all their friends, so that's four fewer trick or treaters. Even Ty and Megan's kids would rather stay in their own neighborhood with all their friends than spend a half hour in the car coming down to ours. Woody and Kathy were on a family vacation with their new grandson, Ziggy. But we still had pots of chili, bowls of candy, fresh baked corn bread, lots of wine and a bonfire! Grandma Punkin and John G. came. Dad was able to walk all the way from the car up the front steps into the living room with his walker and a little assistance on the stairs.
It was cold but not too cold for trick or treating. The neighborhood seems to have hit one of those kid-lulls where there just weren't as many kids young enough to go door to door. Even last year, there were several large groups of roaming trick or treaters. This year, it was pretty quiet on the street but the adults were all having a great time!
In the morning, Katie sent me pics: when the girls had had some dinner and the Tylenol kicked in, they dressed up and trick or treated on their street. Everyone had a good Halloween!
Two days later, Katie's thermostat went out. I was at her house for lunch and the interior temperature was 58. She was calling around trying to find someone who would come over to fix things on a Saturday. Not so easy.
I must say, we've had Service plus since Centerpoint was Minnegasco. When you need them, they're great and they always put furnace issues at the top of their priorities.
The house wasn't getting any colder but it wasn't getting warmer, either.
Later in the day, Ty and his whole family came over for dinner (at our house, which was warm). Josie joined us and Katie and the girls did too, after visiting the Mall of America for pictures with Santa. We had a lovely dinner! Ty brought steaks, we ate in the dining room as there are now way too many of us to fit at the kitchen table. The only one missing was Zack. Jay had texted him earlier but I guess he was busy.
The kids all had a blast together, as they always do. Then the guys watched football or basketball while the rest of us crammed onto the porch and watched the Greatest Showman. Much singing and dancing ensued.
Katie and the twins got offers of a warm bed from everyone who has a house but she was sure that they'd be fine, snuggled up together. And they were.
A furnace guy came Monday morning and Katie just sent me a text with a picture of her new thermostat, reading 70 degrees in her house, with the caption "Hallelujah!"
So all is well.
I woke up this morning to a dusting of snow all over the world. The trees out my front window still have most of their leaves, although those leaves are a very faded beige green and gold. It's been a strange Autumn. Fun, but strange.