Leda will next be working on a dramatic reading of the poems of Ezra Pound:

“…A child - so high - you are,

And all this is folly to the world. ”

From A Girl by E. Pound

Today brought the first big snow of the season.  We had nowhere to go but outside.

Today is the first for fall cleanup. Most of the leaves are down and our town collects the leaves (i.e. sucks them up with a truck mounted vacuum from the sidewalk) every two weeks. Thus, we’re tasked with getting the leaves from the backyard to the front. Normally this takes me about 30 minutes. Today it took approximately one hour… likely due to the help (see above). Once the leaves are raked, they must be jumped in. Then re-raked and re-jumped. It’s a long process. Eventually the piles of leaves have to be moved to the front. They travel by bin. 

Some of my best friends also travel by bin. Someone has to tamp down the leaves, you know.

An unrelated thought stemming from this idyllic picture at the pond: “Can you help me, Mr. Popeil?”

Halloween always begins with the creative side of things. Pumpkins must be carved and decorated. Costumes must be assembled and tried out. All must be in readiness so that the orgy of candy and excitement can be fully realized. Leda both painted a pumpkin and instructed Daddy on how to carve the others. Then we put them outside so the squirrels could munch them.

Leda selected Tinkerbell as her costume theme this year. This idea was fully realized in her mind with the requirements of a magic wand and sprinkleable pixie dust. Many dust recipes were consulted until Tinkerbell’s own private mix was fashioned with a blend of 13 secret spices for Leda’s use. Unfortunately, no object was made to fly, regardless of its happy thought disposition.

Second kids can’t catch a break, and Cleo’s costume situation is a prime example. Though she looks smashing as an astronaut this year, Cleo must come to grips with the fact that her costume is a Leda hand-me-down from two years ago. Good things was, she didn’t seem to mind too much. Also, matching her daddy brought a smile to her face. We had a most fun Halloween. Photographic evidence supports in the gallery.

Families have rituals.  Some are carefully nurtured (we began reading stories to Leda at bedtime long before she was interested even in turning the pages), some are just common sense (most hygiene-related rituals fall here), and others seem to arrive fully formed.  And so it was, for us, with Movie Night.  We have not been big promoters of television, though we have not been as firm about this as some principled blowhards, but soon after Leda turned 3, we introduced her to The Rescuers and said that in the future, we could watch movies on “S” nights, contingent of course on good weekend behavior.  For a long time that meant a whole lot of Bernard and Bianca, until The Great Muppet Caper came onto the scene.  On extra-special “S” nights like this particular Sunday, Daddy pops popcorn while Mommy does the dinner dishes, and we all snuggle up together.  Latest photos are up in the third, yes third, album of the month.

Cleo is adventurous, fearless, and compassionate — she offers hugs to friends and siblings whenever they seem upset.  Her vocabulary is at the “growing exponentially” stage, and somehow we’ve managed to make one of those words “Please.”  Go us.  Latest photos in October Part Two!

Today Leda’s Pre-K class, and the Preschoolers too, visited a local farm for a hayride and a few autumnal activities.  It was a blast, as you’ll see in the Pumpkin Patch photo album.  With the other parents who attended, I gained new appreciation for the patience of their teachers who somehow conjure coherence out of chaos every day.

Over the weekend we also picked apples with Grandma at a farm a little closer to home, and took a few photos there as well (n.b. October Part One album).  On the drive to and from Lafayette, Leda rhaspodizes about the beautiful colors the leaves are turning; Cleo seconds, “trees” and “yellow.”  Yay for autumn!