A finished post!!

I've started more posts recently and not got them finished...hopefully this won't be another one.

Fall is definitely in the air...the nights are cool, days are cooler...leaves are starting to turn color and fall. Crops in the fields are ripening and I am beginning to see more and more wildlife on my bus route. This morning I saw a coyote near the end of the route and most of the kids on the bus saw a couple of deer at a stop sign. The chaos over the deer sighting was almost funny - one of my students saw it and started hollering and pointing.

Life has been crazy busy lately - we've had cross country meets for the last 2 Saturdays - with at least 2 more to come. In addition Squirrel has had meets during the week - thankfully those have been mostly "at home" but it still means long days for me. Stretch occasionally makes the at home meets but not all of them. Squirrel has been doing quite well - he ran the distance in just over 14 minutes on Tuesday. (It's a 1.9 m race for the middle school age group). He consistently places in the top 15 of the smaller meets (3 or less schools) - this past time it was out of 37 boy runners. (Girls had considerably more runners).

Stretch is in the fall play this year - in addition to cross country. He didn't try out as he focuses on cross country and then just helps with sound/lights/stage management at the play. However one of the kids who tried out - and got a part backed out so he has been asked to step in to take that part over. He does enjoy acting and it's good experience so I'm excited for him.

Dipstick...he's pretty much himself. He dropped out of football early on in the season. I'm sorry that he's not involved in a sport but at the same time it is probably better for his grades. He and I went to Grief Group last night - the same place I used to take Squirrel and Stretch to. He enjoyed himself - had more fun that he expected to. He was afraid that they would just sit around in a group and "talk about it". Instead they do crafts and activities as well as talking. I was surprised at how - even though I did not go into the adult group - I felt so at home there. I was looking forward to having an hour or so when I couldn't go anywhere else to sit and read or journal or whatever - I actually spent almost the entire time catching up with the program director. Pretty much everyone else was completely new to me but I still felt very comfortable and at home.

We've pretty much all been sick this past week - Squirrel started it and it's going around. B is probably the most miserable at the moment. I've been making homemade chicken noodle soup and pushing fluids and vitamins. Hopefully soon we will all be on the mend.

I've spent too much time sitting here at the computer...coffee and toast is finished and it's time to swap laundry loads. I've also got juice for jelly to make...