A Change in Routine

 Unlike our usual custom, Halloween costumes were not requested in February this year.  October arrived and the mere mention of trick-or-treating was a whisper.  As the week of October 31 neared, we decorated with pumpkins and fall colors, but again costumes were ignored.  

What's up with that? you may ask.  

Well, Hope decided she was ready to visit a haunted house. She would miss trick-or-treating (and still handed out candy to little ones when we got home), but she wanted to move on to bigger things.  

Mike found a small haunted house that looked to be scary but not terrifying.  

As we stood in line, I could feel my heart beating with anticipation.  The four senior girls standing in front of us were screaming and nothing scary was happening, yet.  What if I screamed and the kids did not?  Would that be embarrassing?  I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.  Hope had on a brave face and told everyone she was not the least bit scared.  

We entered the first room to pay the entry fee and the sweetest picture was right next to me:  Jacob standing right behind Hope with his hands protectively on her shoulders.  He was ready to be her knight-in-shining-armor without even being asked.  

When we entered the next room, the thrill began.  Hope was always right behind Jacob with his shirt in a death-grip; she later denied this.  The pitch-black hallways with actors lurking were thrilling especially getting to see it through the eyes of my 10-year-old.  As we exited the haunted house, the chainsaw guy was desperately trying to start his saw with no luck.  Hope was ready to go again!

Outdoors

 As a child and an adult,

 I love to be outside.  

You'd never guess that by being the temperature in my room at school.  

I love growing plants, 

              being in the sunshine,

                           feeling free when the wind is blowing and I close my eyes.  

I can be anywhere I dream to be.  

                            The stresses and difficulties just wash off of me.  

I remember sitting in the courtyard of the hotel we stayed in in Rome.  I was sitting in the sun reading a play by Shakespeare.  I remember the smells:  the roses blooming not too far from me, the garlic from the soup from lunch.  I also remember the night I needed someone to talk to -- to love.  I sat in the courtyard and cried.

A Day in Diamonds

 Like driving through a crystal forest, this mornings trip to work was filled with sunlight, sparkling off the newly rain washed leaves.  With trees lining the road, the branches arching over the lane, the slight wind shaking the twigs, light dances and pranced around me.  Curved lanes fill my line of vision with crystals of sunlight so that it was as if it was raining diamonds. (March 3, 2023)

Our First Time

Houston Rodeo

It's our first time.

What will we do?

Get our tickets

     weeks before the event.

Plan our day.

How much time do we really need?

Buy a cowgirl hat

         and cowgirl boots.

Ask for advice on things to see.

Discover there's a wine garden.

       And beer!

Visit the vendors.

Peruse the ag projects.

Pet the livestock.

Walk    a     lot!

See Zach Brown in concert

              and dance the night away?

Old Friends

 Today, I sat next to my friend at a high school baseball game.  Two games, in fact.  Denise has been my friend for over twenty years.  We met when her oldest son Ivan and my son Jacob played flag football at the age of five.  Then, six.  And tackle at 7.  Denise's husband was the coach, and my husband helped.  We all became good friends.

I don't get to see Denise very often.  Both our sons are almost 30 years old now.  Today though, I sat down next to her, and it was as if no time had passed since our last encounter.  It was as if we had just seen each other yesterday.  We picked up right where we left off.  It's one of the things I love about Denise.  She is open and easy to talk with.  She's genuine.

Initially, my husband and I were at the baseball game to see Denise's youngest son pitch, even though he pitched yesterday.  So truly, we were there to see Denise, to catch up with each other, to spend time with a good friend, to keep her company, and to enjoy a day in the sun.

Today was a wonderful day!  It was spent with a true friend doing what we all love!

Mom, you were right.

"Mom, I have to tell you that you were right."  That's how the phone call from Hope began this evening.  Breathless, she explained how she could hear a lot of cat noise under her house.  A mama cat had gone into the basement and given birth to five kittens.  

Early this morning, she began hearing a lot of meowing and other noises.  Initially, she thought it was something outside, maybe a stray trying to get into her house to aggravate her male cat.  Hope has two cats:  Woof and Puppy.  Puppy is the male and is almost 9 months old.  He has begun to show his feisty dominance when animals from outdoors approach the windows.  As the morning stretched out and Hope was getting ready for work, she decided the noises were coming from under her home.  

She has this huge metal cover that acts as a door to her basement.  This metal contraption is 4-5 feet wide and at least 10 feet long.  It is super heavy.  It lays over the stairs that go down into the basement.  When Hope first moved in, she had me helping.  One of the things I told her was she needed to have the door cut so that it would lay flush with the concrete border.  I told her if she left it with that big gap that she would definitely have animals taking shelter under her home, possibly tearing stuff up.  Her furnace and water heater are located there.  We had a maintenance man scheduled, but she had rescheduled a couple of times and finally, decided to not have the man come out at all.  She has now decided to have him come out as soon as possible.

She decided to go down into the basement and check out what was there.  The mama cat and kittens were easy to gather up.  Hope put them in the portable carrier she has and set them up in a kennel in her spare bedroom.  They are all isolated from her two cats in case the mama cat hasn't been vetted.  Hope has plans to take the little family to the vet in the next day or two.  She has them on several waiting lists for rescues in her area.  That way, they won't end up in a kill shelter.  She is so proud to be taking care of this little cat family.  I know God knew where to direct that little mama cat.  He knew they would find safety with Hope.

I may have been right about the basement cover.  More than that, I am proud of Hope and her huge heart.

Is This Our New Normal?

Mike and I are true empty nesters now.  Our children are grown, have graduated from college and grad school, live in their own homes, and have grown-up jobs.  We moved to a new town due to my husband's job in July of '23.  We are renting this duplex.  It's small and easy to keep clean.

At 4:10, my cell rings daily.  It's my husband, asking what I am doing.  Of course, I am usually still with students and desperately trying to get as much done in those last moments of the day as possible.  It is amazing how quickly my mind works when I have those quiet moments (or at least, moments where students are occupied).  I can accomplish so much.

When I arrive home, I am greeted with the smell of a home-cooked meal, permeating our little home.  Mousse and Maggie and Paddy meet me at the door, wanting to go outside, our usual routine.  After the twenty minute drive home, this is my time to relax.  I put on sweats and a tee.  Dinner is ready so we both sit at the table to eat.  We speak about our day, but sometimes, we just eat in silence.  Mike usually cleans up the kitchen while I finish eating.  This is a new thing.  He seems to want to do it all.

Recently, I have begun walking in the evening.  The sun is out longer so it is a nice time to be outside.  Not too hot.

We usually end up in the living room, searching the channels for something to watch.  Mike is on his phone:  email, TikTok, YouTube, whatever keeps his attention.  We talk periodically but are mostly silent, in our own bubble.  Eventually, we make our way to our room to sleep.

Are we the old couple now?  Is this as exciting as it gets?  Is this our new normal?