Autumn strolls

I just got back inside from a chilly walk with Theo. Nothing better than walking through the dark streets with Theo's warm little hand in mine. We pondered weighty questions: Do bats hibernate? What is Halloween all about anyway? Sadly, I must report that I did not know the answer to either question, but when we got back, old encylopedia Eli could rattle off enough to satisfy Theo. And then he added more info. And more. But back to the walks. We are going to try to get out each night between now and Halloween to keep ourselves updated on all the decorations going up in the neighborhood. Oh, and Theo likes to keep track of the McCain v. Obama sign count in the hood. Tonight we came across two McCain before we hit any Obama. His quote, "Boy, we live in a bad neighborhood."

The new oven

Its got an attitude. The old one broke down last week and we called in the trusty Sears repair man. He apparently had a little chuckle and estimated the age of the oven to be between 30 to 40 years. Parts hadn't been made for that model for years...heck, decades. So, since I can't stand the thought of an ovenless kitchen (I've got bread rising right now) we gathered up the kids and made the trek to the local retail outlet. And bought a shiny white oven that was most probably made in the 21st century.

And then it got delivered and placed in the kitchen. And it looked around from its new vantage point and sighed. There is clearly no one else it can relate to here in the Sage-Martinson kitchen. Every other appliance is decades older and the oven just has nothing to say to them. It hasn't even tried. Just sits there in its shiny white glory, quietly mocking the dreary kind-of-white fridge with its faux-wood handle and sweaty sides. It gloats at the 'new' used dishwasher, clearly aware of its checkered, transitory past. And I know it would shrug off the mottled old teapot if it could. Its sense of disdain at having to have that mongrel on its lovely surface is palatable. We'll give it some time and see if it comes around...but for right now we all cut it a wide path, keeping our eyes lowered because of the glare, hoping that some day it will accept its place here in the lowly Sage-Martinson kitchen.

Imagine what it would be thinking if it ever got a peak in our basement! Down there the combined appliance age must be over 2 centuries- most of those years attributed to the TV.

Farmers' Market

Early this summer I started reading Barbara Kingsolver's latest book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I only got in a few chapters before getting distracted, but I got a little inspired by her tale of her family's quest to eat locally for one year. I hear that I stopped in a good place, that as the book goes on it just gets a bit depressing and overwhelming. But after just two chapters I was all fired up to try to introduce more fresh, local, foods into our life. I became very dedicated to the farmers' market, making it every week that we were in town. Each week I ventured into new products- first falling in love with the eggs, then buying meat sticks for the boys' lunches, and most recently going agog over the melons. I don't think I can ever buy a grocery store melon out of season again. The ones that are in the market right now are absolutely lip-smacking. If you haven't tried one yet- get down there next weekend. The greens are back and look delicious, the peppers keep turning up in eye-popping colors, and the late-season bouquets are abolutely stunning. Before too long the market will just dwindle down to eggs, meats, and cheeses- so go now while there is still plenty of produce!!

Goodbye to summer

It's been almost a month since I have taken the time to sit down and write a little. We have been busy getting back into the swing of the school year- figuring out new schedules, rearranging the boys room to make room for a place to do homework, and enjoying the last gasp of warmth here in Minnesota. If my memory serves me correctly, September served us up some glorious weather. Sunny and bright, with some days topping out in the 80's. My brother bought a boat and had us down last weekend. Who would have guessed that in late Septmeber the kids would have been swimming in the lake? But it was almost hot and they report that it felt great. I got my feet wet once when Theo got knocked backward by a hyper german shepard puppy. But that was enough for me.

This weekend I am seeing signs of what is to come....the sun hasn't been out since it set Friday evening, with mist and fog prevailing. Theo and I took the hint and rearranged our furniture to cluster around the fire place, and we made sure the light bulbs all worked in the many lamps that have not been on all summer. And then we did get ourselves outside to meet some friends for a walk in a park. An obscure park that consists of intertwining trails through thick woods. My friend insists it is called "Murder Park" and when we stumbled upon the corrogated tin shanty I began to believe. But it was just what the kids (and me) needed after a restless day indoors. They sprinted down wooded paths, dug into animal tunnels, (I am very glad they still have all their fingers) and collected the brilliant red leaves of the sumac that is turning. We somehow made our way back to our cars -a little damp, a little chilled, but exhilirated by being outside, even when the weather wasn't glorious. Now we just have to remember to keep doing that. For the next 9 months.

Hard to believe that the pictures below were just taken last weekend.....

He swims

Is there any doubt in your mind that the kid pictured below has become a full on swimmer? I mean, look at him.

Showing old Dottie around

Friends from Colorado sent the boys a package- part of a geography project for a second grade class. They received 'Dottie', a stuffed ladybug, and our assignment was to show Dottie around our neck of the woods, send the Coloradoan kids some info about our home, and then send Dottie off to a new locale. So we set out on various errands with Dottie tossed in back. It was great to look at the cities through Dottie's eyes. This is a great place.

First days

They're off. To first and third grade. And they're not really looking back. We had a wonderful summer with lots of reading, good travels, and time with great friends. We topped it off with a hot labor day weekend spent almost entirely at the Highland Pool. The first day of school started out swampy and horrid- not at all fall like. But, like magic, by the end of the day the temps had dropped drastically and it had me thinking of apples and wool socks. Made me fall in love with our seasons all over again.