Fashionably Late Fall

We had an uncharacteristically beautiful fall. My arborist friends tell me it was the right mix of water (or lack thereof), night time temperatures and sunny days.

I don't know about the science but I do know I reveled in the larger than life colors that I cannot capture with my camera.

Halloween found us with a cow girl and a clone trooper. Clone trooper bought his costume with his own money - a first.

We ToT in our small downtown area (really a small portion of Main Street) then took a turn around the neighborhood. I keep trying to tell the kids that the kind of Small Town America they get to experience won't last forever. I don't ever remember ToTing like this. When I was a kid the "Columbus Strangler" was afoot and the only ToTing the be had was at the mall.


I'm thrilled that we get to visit our downtown merchants (mostly local restaurants and boutiques, it's a bedroom community afterall) and neighbors at least once a month for First Friday activities, the Christmas parade, or ToT. I don't wear boutique jeans, makeup, or have custom drapes but it's fun to window shop.

It was great weather - just enough cold to keep us from thinking it was late summer, but not so cold that costumes needed major alterations. Of course the kids had a major haul of candy that I have yet to take to the office candy bowl. Thank goodness for student workers who will rid me of temptation by downing every fun size twix bar I can pry from the hands of my kids. Eh, 9yo is in orthodontia. He knows he can't havve caramel. For him, it's the whoppers I have to hoard away.

We carve pumpkins every year, one pumpkin per person. I think the 6yo's turned out best (cat).

I was disappointed with how my Obama pumpkin turned out. It was really to small for the design and was half rotted besides. I was quite surprised that no one vandalized it.

One of the best things about fall is the end of soccer season. I love that the kids are involved in a fun, fast paced, team building physical activity but boy the sight of the soccer fields gets old by the time trophies are presented. Speaking of trophies, what's your opinion on every player on ever team getting a trophy? On the one hand it is a symbol of their ability to stick out the whole season. On the other hand - well, do the trophies mean anything if everyone gets one? I know we have a shelf full and they're pretty useless except for catching dust and cobwebs, both duties they more than fulfill.

We're not into building a future Becks or Pele, just having fun and meeting friends. We'll be right back out there when spring season rolls around.