Autumn Adventures

"Halloween" by Grandma Moses

Listen! the wind is rising,

and the air is wild with leaves,

We have had our summer evenings,

now for October eves!

- Humbert Wolfe

October's commencement has been beautiful. Growing up in Alabama, a real fall was never a guarantee, and rarely did we have the pleasantly cool weather that should always arrive at this time of year. I always dreamed of living in an area that looked like the cover of my grandmother's Ideals magazines. And, I do. I love the fall. I have to admit that my area of the state is not quite far enough north to be a fall tourist destination. There are rolling hills here rather than majestic mountains, and some years the weather is too dry and warm to allow for a really good show. But this year... this is a good year. And this was a good weekend.

Friday was a beautiful sunny morning and after yoga, I stopped at a few yard sales on the way home. I've become rather picky at yard sales lately and have come home empty-handed after many of my summer runs. But this time- Success! John loves to sit out on the patio in the evenings and he has been talking about getting a chimea for quite a while. I found one! It even has a stand. And I found a pair of khaki pants that fit! I am a person who can spend all day at the mall and still not find a properly fitting pair of pants, so to purchase a pair for $1 and a prayer is no small thing! I also found an Itty Bitty Book Light in the box for $1, but because batteries are a hot commodity in our house, I'm not positive yet that my Itty Bitty Book Light works. I picked up a stack of Country Living Magazines and a brand new package of antiqued craft cloth for $1.25. All in all, a Very Successful Outing.

On Friday afternoon, we went to the Anniversary Celebration at John's plant. We toured the plant on a bus and stopped at the firehouse where they let the kids dress in a firesuit and climb all over the firetruck. Afterward, John led chemistry demonstrations for the tour group. He made slime, nylon, luminescence and even demonstrated the Mentos- Diet Coke explosion (with the proper chemical explanations, of course). The experiments were pretty cool and we were properly impressed. The kids were clamoring for a visit to John's office so after dinner, he took us up and showed us around. He showed the kids where he hangs the pictures that they draw for him. Remember how cool it was to get to go to your dad's office when you were a kid? There are so many restrictions at chemical plants since 9-11 that John says they may never get to tour another plant. They'll have fun memories of this visit.

On Saturday, John and I escaped to Cracker Barrel for Brunch (we love having built-in babysitting; I've waited years for this!). John had big plans to finish the garage, but got side-tracked by the Indiana-Illinois and LSU-Florida football games. Oh well. That evening we headed over to Audie's Barn Party, which is one of the kid's favorite fall events. We went on a hayride while the orange Harvest Moon rose on one horizon and the sun set behind the other. We spent the evening roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, enjoying the results of the Chili Cook-off, listening to an old-time country band, and catching up with friends. The kids played soccer and harassed the dogs, cats, chickens and other critters that Audie keeps. Good fun.

This morning started out crazy since John and I both had to be at church at 8:00- John for a CARE group leaders' meeting and I for Praise Team rehearsal. Yikes! Worship was great today and all the Zoe people came back excited about the weekend. We went to lunch at Olive Garden, came home for naps and puttered around the house before leaving for CARE group out at the lake. More hotdogs and marshmallows, singing and good discussion. I'm thinking this many hotdogs and marshmallows cannot be good for us. (Note to self: eat lots of salad next week.) But it sure was fun, and the weather was exactly what you think Fall weather should be: cold enough for a sweatshirt or a jacket, but not cold enough to make your nose cold (at least, that's my definition of perfect weather.) It was a great weekend.