Updates

Hubby~ Has had the worst luck with his car, in the last several weeks. His ancient Toyota- 217,000 miles and still getting 35+ MPG, was sideswiped while he sat in traffic. Pulled off the front bumper, did signifigant front end damage & ruined the tranny. $2,000 to put a rebuilt tranny in. Great. Just what we need, with the holidays coming up, a freshman in college, new car payments. The insurance company will pay for the front end issues, but not for the tranny due to the mileage on the car. We've not decided if we're able/willing to pay for the transmission, so for the moment it's in the repair shop yard. Fabulous. Otherwise he's fine except we have to share a car. That's a post all by itself.

Graduate~ Theoretically still alive, but I've no other info. Spoke with him briefly the day after he took my dad to the VA ER (dad's fine). Jobless. Likely he stopped looking, but right now I've other fish to fry, so I've not pushed this problem.

Anime Queen~ Going to football games and sleepovers. Suffering through algebra. Returned to volunteering at the local animal shelter, and at church. Took the PSAT recently. Has a mysterious boyfriend named John, whom we have yet to see in person. He attends a different school, but lives a few doors down from AQ's best bud.

Pianist~ Studying Corelli and Mozart with his piano teacher. First grade report comes out in a week or so. I anticipate he'll do just fine. So far he hasn't seemed stressed about the academics, just the social issues (locker, class changes, girls, the usual). This coming weekend he's going to a weekend retreat with his Sunday school classmates and our new assistant Rector, Mother Caroline. I'm confident she'll be well able to deal with the kids- she's four of her own, plus she was the "official camp chaplain" last summer. Fortunately, Pianist's best buddy (and chief troublemaker at church) can't go this time, so there are sighs of relief all around.

Moi~ Had a rotten cold in October. Trying to share a vehicle with Hubby. Have been tired beyond all reason lately- not a good sign heading into the holiday season. Am thrilled to death that the weather has finally turned cooler. It finally feels like fall. Of course, it's only two weeks until Thanksgiving it oughta be pushing on towards winter by now. At least, that's how the internal seasonal calendar in my head works. Still on New England seasons no matter how long we've been out of the area. I've started opening my livingroom curtains more. The sun shines directly indoors all winter thus opening the curtains helps me fend off winter blues. Our livingroom is butter yellow and so it has a cheery glow all during the winter.