Cozy days

For those of you that may be waiting for further episodes from my testimony...they will return after this post. :)

Fall...I love this time of year. We have had beautiful colors on the leaves and now they are starting to fall off. The temperatures are falling. I look forward to the last of the ragweed freezing and my allergies subsiding over winter.

Last night, we told our children that it may snow overnight. Our daughter was so excited. She kept talking about it and woke up looking out the window at...no snow. Then later this morning, even though it didn't show up on the weather radar, it starting snowing amongst the rain. This was all my daughter needed. She was off to get dressed in snowpants and all. It was short-lived and now all evidence that it even thought of snowing is gone. The sun is out.

Yet it is still chilly, so I sit in my snug, warm house and rinse dishes with our "free" hot water thanks to our outdoor wood boiler running since last weekend. Our concrete floor is now warm for bare feet. Hot water pipes going through concrete is a wonderful invention for heat.

I have an Autumn arrangement on the island counter in the kitchen and made my new favorite lunch of tomato avocado sandwiches. Thanks to generous friends, we have garden fresh tomatoes that go wonderfully on top of Miracle Whip spread bread...avocado slices, cheese and sprinkled basil on top. Broil the open-face sandwich to melt cheese and mmmmm!

Our 10 month old is getting around quite nicely-too nicely at times and puts absolutely everything in his mouth. I have raced him to a minute piece of paper, crayon or wrapper on many occasions. When he has gotten to the "prize" first, I have the privileged of doing the finger swipe that we are taught in CPR class. I told my husband that I don't remember our other children putting things in their mouths quite this bad. He states that they did, but then reminds me that we now have two older "helpers" that leave trails of things behind them. I have also had to save our crawling magnet from eminent danger from a falling piano bench. Who needs to play softball and slide into base when you can dive across the living room floor instead?

He is starting to put his head down when he crawls with purpose toward his goal...an open door, the open dishwasher, or down the hallway to where Mom is. Reminds me of buffalo that are charging at each other. He is quite like his older sister who did this. When she learned to run, which was simultaneous with walking, she would lean into the corners of the house at breakneck speed. I am trying to prepare myself for a repeat of that.

Earlier today we went outside while it was "snowing" to put away the last of sand toys, and rescued my son's "digger" for inside play over the winter. Now the children are supposedly sleeping, it's quiet and cozy.

I love the Fall...