Friday, October 31, 2008

Mouse, part deux, and picture updates

Ah yes, the return of the rodent. Sadly, it wasn't the rodent but another of its extended family. Friend Husband and the little people went out to ride bikes last night. When they returned, they ran in and out of the house a few times and neglected to close the door that leads to the driveway. I went to close it and heard, "What's that?!" "Hush, don't tell Mom!" Naturally, I had to go check it out. What I saw were Rachel, the twins, the husband, and Abby lined up along the edge of the driveway, watching something in the side yard. I gathered from the way they were positioned and the furtiveness of them that they'd spotted a mouse.

What they had, in fact, spotted was the fact that our spoiled house cat had found himself a mouse and was "playing with it". We stood out there for quite some time, watching the cat-and-mouse game. It was vaguely disturbing but it's hard to feel terribly sorry for a rodent who would gladly eat you out of house and home and spread disease in its wake. We finally came in so that the twins wouldn't startle the cat in a moment of exuberance and cause him to lose his quarry. When I went out there this afternoon, I found the sad little carcass. I did feel a little badly but, as Friend Cherylyn said yesterday, you feel sorry for it, let it go, and you are repaid with 100 in short order. Thank you, no. That's a gift I'd just as soon do without.

I just have to show y'all these cute pictures I've been taking. I was lying on my bed last night, reading after dinner. David crawled up behind me, talked for a while, then was silent. I looked back to see him sound asleep. His twin sister thought that was a hoot and crawled up with him, chattering happily all the while. I finally told her that if she was going to be on my bed, she had to hush and keep still (that child is the most fidgety I've ever seen!) After a while, she too, was quiet and asleep. I finished my book, stood up, and looked back to see them all cuddled up together. It was so cute, I had to take a photo of it.


Could you die from the cuteness? I'm partial to pictures of children sleeping (and not just because it's more peaceful when they're asleep!) but I just thought they were adorable.

So, it's Halloween. We don't partake in the festivities (unless you count buying leftover candy at half-price the day after a tradition) but we do enjoy the fall festivals and such that the neighboring towns and businesses have. The children (except for Sarah) particularly enjoy Shaw Farms with their pumpkins and sturdy wooden cutouts painted to look like wagons, tractors, a pirate's ship, etc. They usually close down the day after Halloween and the children had only gone once, so I thought I'd take the twins back to see it before it closed. The Reluctant Scholars also asked to accompany us. I gave permission, assuming they could get a subject finished by the time we were ready to go. Here are the pictures from this trip.


Please don't ask me why the sight of my children locked up here just soothes me.


Well, they didn't say anything about sitting on the pumpkins.



David wasn't too sure about the witch. He finally approached it and found it was just a statue, like everything else.


This pumpkin was over 800 pounds!


I guess I was fascinated by the white pumpkins this visit!

Tomorrow being the first day of November, it's time to crank out our NaNo novels. As Sarah mentioned on her blog, I'm a little freaked about the process this year. My brain steadfastly refuses to think clearly if at all about the topic I'm planning to capture in words. I'm afraid the whole thing is going to blow up in my face. I went back and read my NaNo novel from last year and I really liked it! I thought the prose was good, the subject was relatively interesting, and the story well-told. Now I'm really spooked about it!

The topic is semi-autobiographical, only the main character has a lot more problems than I do. A big part of the book is e-group postings, blog posts, and e-mails/letters. I have read a few novels in this format and I really enjoy it. I'm afraid, though, that it will bog down quickly. Anyone want to share some funny or strange things that have happened to you in the context of online friendships? I need the inspiration, badly.



So, here's my pre-writing journal (a birthday gift from Friend Cherylyn) and my trusty old laptop (that I haven't opened for 11 months). I hope all goes well...wish us well (Sarah and me). And now you know that, if I don't show up for a while, it's not the mouse who did it.

3 comments:

msta62 said...

Good Luck! I know you are both going to write fascinating and entertaining stories! Happy Saturday from a frosty Sweden! Brrr...

♥.Trish.♥ Drumboys said...

Your toddlers sleeping is cute ... I so agree
('and not just because it's more peaceful when they're asleep!) but it is true here LOL.

I am not sure how I can help you with NaNo ...goodluck. I am doing nablopomo .

Ohio_Momto3boys said...

clearance chocolate pumpkins... really, now,... does it get any better than that? I think not! Yummmm chocolate peanut butter pumpkins..........


Pictures are so cute.