Leaves

Started the process of raking the backyard, but I think its premature as some trees have yet to turn color. Very strange season. The tree in front of Jade's is still green, yet just across the street the leaves turned color in late August and the branches are bare. I'd tried to make it a fun chore by creating this scarecrow which I put outside the front porch for the children to see tonight while they trick-or-treat.

Also, here is a photo of the most beautiful leaf in the yard.

Alan is napping, and I am eager for tonight's festivities!

Hide and Seek?

Fall projects - failed

No progress made on any fall projects yesterday. With my mother-in-law here, I had hoped for a little progess, but except for a quick trip to the gym, we all just stayed inside and played. But it rained all day, and maybe that's a good excuse to just lay low for a day.....

List of things I should have done: (I don't know why I feel the need to share it with you, maybe writing it down is the first step in getting it done)

- Have my mommy friends noticed how dark the playroom is? Well there are about 7 or 9 missing lightbulbs in the track lighting on the ceiling - but I need a ladder (and lightbulbs). Hopefully by Wednesday night (Halloween) the children will actually be able to see what they are playing with!)

- Fire Hazzards! I haven't vacuumed underneath the dryer in very very long time....I can only imagine the collection of missing socks that are beneath the machines!

- Can you guess which kitchen cabinet may fall out at any moment? I have you all fooled! I need to glue it!

- Other things, sort winter/summer clothes, fix towel rack in upstairs bathroom, clean coffee stains on stairs, schedule boiler maintenence, declog bathroom sink, rake leaves (and jump in them!), and you better not look in my garage or basement....its pretty scary! I am procrastinating that it is also time to put the lawn furniture away....

- I also need to make an eye appointment (same glasses for 5 years), I need a new phone, lamps and HALLOWEEN CANDY!!!!!

THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT BY WRITING THIS DOWN!!!!

one more cute photo

Halloween Parade

The rain didn’t stop Saugerties children from parading down Partition Street tonight including our group which featured:

Ricky – Curious George
Ben Ben – Tigger
Ivan – Pirate
Alan – Duck
Jace – Firefighter

I held an umbrella over Ivan and Alan who were pulled by the mighty Jace who tactfully navigated the wagon throughout the parade route. For me, the rain actually added an element of adventure to the evening. Once at the firehouse, pirates, clowns, skunks, witches, etc orbited around Donlon Auditorium to be evaluated for costume awards. My personal favorite was Sebastian the Skeleton.

Alan, who was a bit overwhelmed with the crowd, became a little crazed with the activity until he discovered that all of the “indoor park” toys were stacked up on the stage. He immediately went off route and made a bee-line for the stairs, and when he reached the top of the stage – what do you think he found?

A children’s vacuum cleaner! Now as many of you know, Alan wanted to be a vacuum cleaner for Halloween, and it took me about a week of convincing him otherwise. (I’m not that crafty!) So, I absconded (borrowed) the vacuum cleaner, and as you can see, Alan re-entered the circle (sort of), and began vacuuming the gymnasium. It’s great how that worked out!

After the children were sugared up with donuts and juice (so generously supplied by the firehouse), we returned back to the house for pizza. I guess this was sort of a dress rehearsal for the main event this Wednesday when we will be reconvening for Halloween.

PS – Hope Jace’s tummy feels better

PSS - Was anyone else's kid up until 10 p.m.?

The Duke Turns 60!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Dad, Happy 60th Birthday!! Alan left you the cutest voice mail message. He has been flapping around the house in his new duck costume practicing for tomorrow's Halloween Parade. Remember last year when we went there with Jimbist and Alan was a penguin. That was a lot of fun!

Tonight you would have enjoyed dinner. I made a turkey in your honor with a butternut squash baked in brown sugar. Yummy! "It would have been to your liking!" :) In other news, Suzanne will be coming up tomorrow. After the parade and dinner, we are heading up to magic meadow if the weather cooperates. I know mommy would want to come with us if you guys were here. Anyway, happy birthday - hope your softball team is kicking A$$!!! Miss you and Mom!

PS - Alan is still singing into the radiator in the pink room like its a microphone. He was doing this tonight while in his duck costume, a true performer.

Amazing tree next to my house

Though the morning haze muted the sunlight, when I looked out my office window just now, this tree seemed to compensate by firing up it's orange, red and yellow leaves. (photograph doesn't do this justice --it was taken 2 days ago, but you get the idea....plus my mind isn't warmed up for writing poetry, but if I could, this would be one to write about. Such a gift to wake up to!

Good morning! (time for coffee)

Blueberry Morning

Alan mixed the batter while I added the eggs and berries. Then, I had him ladle the batter into the griddle. Such a glorious morning. How I appreciate these moments! (especially when they are so tasty!) Don't worry, I was right there to supervise (safety comes first!)

Quick note! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" Three days without a good night's sleep - and last night I finally FINALLY got sleep. 9:15-2:30, then Alan woke up so then I went back to sleep 3am-6:45. That's 9.5 hours!!!

Spirituality

Been lacking a sense of spirituality in my life, and I have been bugging family and several friends about trying out the Unitarian Universal Congregation of Catskill - a short 10 minute trip away. I wasn't able to get anyone to attend with me, so I made the bold move to go by myself (with Alan) and attended a service today - got there late - purposefully - wanted to just test the waters a bit. The people were so friendly - I was greeted with smiles. Alan immediately took to the playroom - which is supervised so parents can attend service. I enjoyed the service, and am starting to research more about their beliefs. From what I learned today, it seems to be congruent with my personal beliefs. I also ran into two people that I used to work with, so I definately felt good about that.

Below I have cut and pasted a section from their website which review's their mission. Their website is: http://www.uucckingston.org/

Unitarian Universalism has no one belief or doctrine that members must hold to. Indeed, Unitarian Universalists claim the freedom, the right and the responsibility to form their own faith structures and beliefs. This is not to say that Unitarian Universalists have no beliefs. Not at all. We have many ways of believing: some believe in God and/or goddess, some look to Jesus, or Buddha, or keep their Jewish tradition, or look for truth and meaning in the laws
of science, or find inspiration in nature or in the lives of prophetic men and women. Unitarian Universalism has a pluralistic world view. We accept and celebrate diversity of belief and in our communities we fashion ways for different people to co-exist in peace and harmony. What is most important to us is the way people express their beliefs in the ethical living of their lives.

We, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, have a mission to:

*Provide a supportive place for spiritual, philosophical and intellectual development
*Celebrate and affirm, through the democratic process, our commitments to social activism, cooperation, caring
and love
*Seek ways, for both individuals and the congregation as a whole, of providing service to the community
*Invite and welcome persons in our geographic area to become part of our religious community.

We covenant with each other to:

*Accept the responsibility to maintain a congregation in which to develop the best possible relationships, to
love ourselves and others and to encourage our children to realize their potential
*Provide a respectful place for people of diverse backgrounds, views, and religious beliefs and foster a sense of
well being for everyone in our religious community.
*Respect, recognize and appreciate each and every individual's spiritual search and unique nature, and provide
for alternatives to traditional forms of religious practice.

Pumpkin Carving (more photos coming!) I hope!!!

So my camera was on low-battery when I took these photos, and the lighting wasn't ideal, so this is the best I have so far. The one I took of Rick and Jules singing came out too dark...though I think I have more photos on the way - have to check.....hopefully I can add later...And thanks to everyone for making this such a fun afternoon and to Jules and Rick for the music!

FYI: Scroll down for photos of our trip to the pumpkin patch.

Gummy-scare

What a roller-coaster ride I took today. The morning started out with the dramatic discovery of Alan’s gums looking swollen - a brown yellowish color looking as if his eye tooth was rotting at the gum. I flashed back to earlier in the week when I had been lectured by my own dentist about “not compromising with Alan on health and safety”. I felt awful, and called the doctor. Thoughts of eventually being referred to the dentist who would scold me about Alan’s oral hygiene ran threw my head along with thoughts of children teasing Alan because he was missing a front tooth. The guilt!!! In fact, when Alan learned that we were going to the doctor and said, “Lollipop”, I told him that the doctor was going to give him a sticker instead…..Anyway, so Alan was on stellar behavior at the doctor’s office. He had everyone laughing “mommy, I’m sharing!”, “I hear a baby crying!”

The doctor was very gentle with him, and he actually allowed her to look inside his mouth. But, the thing is….she was stumped, and a little embarrassed. She didn’t know what it was. She said it didn’t look infected and it wasn’t an abscess. Great, I know what was coming next…off to the dentist…She even flipped through some medical books, and couldn’t find anything that looked so yellowish brown. So she took another look. She said, “It looks like a popcorn kernel, but it also feels smooth like skin. I told her that we did have popcorn the other night. She said that she thought there may be a kernel stuck under his skin, but she didn’t have the tools to get it out. Ouch!! So off to the dentist we went!!!

Luckily they took us right away. A nice dental assistant looked into Alan’s mouth and swiped her finger across his gum, and presto - she removed this thin skin of a popcorn kernel - it sat on the tip of her finger like a contact lens. She said that it was suction-cupped to his gum. Problem solved.

On the way home, all I could think about was JulieMis, and how I was going to confess to her that I did indeed give my son – popcorn – a real no-no for a toddler!!! I’ve learned my lesson JuileMis!!!!

Oh well - in OTHER NEWS:

PUMPKIN UPDATE: What an awesome time today carving and decorating pumpkins with everyone. And we even had an impromptu sing-along thanks to Rick and Jules….I’ll have pictures downloaded soon. Check back tomorrow.

Also, Jules and Rick are performing Sunday from 11-1 at Mezzaluna. You HAVE to go see them. They are fantastic!

Pumpkin Patch

Last minute decision to go pumpkin-picking in Red Hook with the Avallone family. Once we arrived at the farm, we followed the posted signs to the pumpkin patch, but we found ourselves confused, because it led to a field of tall weeds. We drove a little further down the dirt road, but it came to a dead end. Upon a closer inspection, we realized that the field of weeds was dotted with pumpkins. I guess we were expected manicured rows of pumpkins neatly lined up for picking, but this was more like hunting in the wild west.

Being late in the season, many of the pumpkins close to the road had already been harvested, so we had to be adventurous and walk deeper into the field. We found a spot that had many medium sized pumpkins and began our search for the best ones, and started to make our piles.

Alan seemed to be more interested in the weeds than the pumpkins, though he did discover a small green pumpkin that I put in the pile. He took stalks and sticks and said "look at my machine mommy!". He also tripped alot, the ground was uneven. But he didn't get hurt or upset. Maybe it's because I prepared him ahead of time that he may fall in the field, and if he did, the ground would be soft.

Ivan had fun choosing which pumpkins to bring home and continues to ask all sort of interesting questions "what is this", etc. He and Nick found a centipede in the dirt that they observed for a little while.

I became a little silly and stuck a pumpkin under my shirt and asked Nick to take a picture of me. (Melanie is 7 months pregnant).

It occurred to us that we would need to figure out a way to carry all of the pumpkins back to the car. We didn't think to bring a bag or wagon, and we needed at least 7 pumpkins for tomorrow's playdate. Nick had an ingenious idea. Note the photos. Melanie is wearing a jacket in one, but then isn't wearing one. Nick created a makeshift sack out of her jacket and made two trips to the car for us.

Afterwards, we went to Gisiano's for pizza and salad (and calamari and dessert) which was very relaxing because of the adjoining playroom for the boys giving us tired pumpkin carriers a much needed rest.

All in all a great afternoon. Tomorrow, more fun as we carve and decorate the pumpkins.

From Eileen

Eileen sent along this Youtube video to me in an e-mail, and I wanted to pass it along to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

WTZA video

I found a promo that has Roger in the field doing a standup along with Jeanine, etc. For those that don't know Roger, he's the first guy reporting from Albany with the microphone reporting from the field. He also shot most of the video in the promo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGCK9GWrjHI

2:22 AM Can't sleep

Just finished a bowl of cereal - breakfast is a little early for me - can't sleep - watching X-Files but not really following what's going on. Such a serious show. I'd much rather watch Lenny crack a joke or two on Law and Order. A friend e-mailed me at 1:30 AM, so maybe I'm not the only one awake right now. I sent her back my AOL Instant Message screen name in the event that she is still up and wants to chat - haven't used it in about 6 months, but it is still active. If anyone wants it, e-mail me and I will send it to you.

Random notes of the day

Nothing exciting to report today - I only had two cookies today. I discovered them in Greenville at my parent's house. They were Snackwelts, so at least they were reduced calorie. At least I did work out an extra 10 minutes at the gym.

I experimented in the kitchen tonight - for a sidedish, I mixed up sauted onions, black beans with corn. Added cumin and oregano (weird combo, but learned from another recipe), then added cheddar. Really good!

Alan quote of the day:
"I'm not listening to you and I'm going to have a time out and mommy is going to keep the door open."

Dentist tomorrow morning

Playdate in afternoon

What else?

Super Sunday!

What can be cutier than this? Here is a photo of Alan, Jace and Ricky on a hayride at Harvest Day in Kingston's Forsythe Park. Alan loved walking around the zoo and listening to the music. As I write this, Alan just said "I went on a hayride!", so I know the day was memorable.

Later, Roger took Alan to New Paltz for a fundraiser, and I attended a folk concert around the corner - Kevin and Carol Becker were the featured musicians as part of a series with the Heritage Music Foundation of the Hudson Valley. With the John Street Jam last night, the Harvest Festival music and this folk concert, I got my fix of live music this weekend!

What else? I've been eating too much chocolate and cookies and pizza. I am vowing to not eat these foods this week! And I am back to the gym tomorrow! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!

Kripplebush Fire Department

Alan and his firetrucks!!! Patterson, and family invited us to the first annual Kripplebush Fire Safety festival. We climbed firetrucks, we watched a demonstration by a sheriff deputy and a drug sniffing dog find heroin in an officer's pocket, we rang the fire bell, etc. The department had two calls when we were there, so there was an element of excitement.... Unfortunately, the event was not very well attended, but as a result, they really went out of there way to make those that attended feel very welcome. (people kept on handing me food....we ate hot dogs, cottton candy, hamburgers and cupcakes...!) We came home with lots of pamphlets, stickers, coloring books, (another fire helmet)...etc. My neighbor Barbara and her daughters came with us, and it was nice to spend time together with them outside on such a beautiful day!

Later, I made my monthly outing to the John Street Jam to listen to amazing guitarists. Roger tells me that Alan fell asleep at 7:30pm. It is now after 8 - that means he slept over 12 hours!!! He missed his nap the past two days, so he sure is making up for lost sleep...that, or he is going through a growth spurt...It's good that he gets his rest...today we're off to the Fall Festival in Kingston....I love this time of year!!!

Note to Bootie: Notice how Alan is wearing the shoes you sent. Perfect size. We call them "bootie boots". He even prefers to wear them over his Thomas the Tank shoes that light up!

Postscript: Alan is just waking up --- 13 hours. I had to quickly come back and write to you, because he is bursting out of the PJ's he was put into last night - he is growing!!! Plus, he is a little super-soaker - off to the tub!

From a friend

Received this from Marie this morning in an e-mail. Here it is for everyone....feel free to copy and paste and send it to your friends.

This should probably be taped to your bathroom mirror where one could
read it everyday. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1 . There are at least two people in this world that you would die
for.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3 . The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to
be just like you.

4 . A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't
like you.

5 . Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. You are special and unique.

8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from
it.

10.When you think the world has turned its back on you take another
look.

11.Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude
remarks.

Good friends are like stars ........You don't always see them, but
you know they are always there.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!"

Alan keeps on coming up with the funniest things. He told me that he is weird. He told me that he is pretty cute. He told me that he will be a good boy at Barnes and Noble. He told me that he is a crawdad boy (folk song)....Now, he's into John Lennon and India Arie, so we watch those videos on Youtube instead of Sesame Street. He also re-discovered Emma's keyboard under the bed, so tonight he played that all night instead of his guitar and drums. He also wants to talk to Edgar all the time now, and reaches for the phone to call him. "HI Edgar!"

So he keeps me entertained. Oh - yeh...instead of "no", he now says "I don't want too!".....So as you can see - i also have my hands full! But i love it!!!!

Fun day

Despite a cloudy morning, Alan and I were able to get some fresh air - went for a walk. Returned back to homebase (the porch), and we spent some time playing the guitar and singing, and was joined by Jennifer and her two sons who were also coming back from a walk.... Jennifer plays a little guitar as well. She is also a singer and actress! Jimmy and Miera continue to paint the front of their house and seem to enjoy Alan and all his friends. It won't be long before Alan is recruited to join their work crew!

After Alan's nap, we hosted a playdate which had been scheduled for a park in Woodstock, but by the afternoon, it was too rainy. Jules (Ben-Ben and Ricky) along with Melanie (and Ivan) scurried around the playroom, and we all ate cookies and muffins. More guitar after dinner - Alan wanted to play "his" guitar. (he created a song called ding-dong)...Then, we made the round of family phone calls including lots of birthday messages on Suzanne's cell phone.

Bump

Crazy thing - fell asleep on the couch and in a disoriented state, I got up to go back upstairs and knocked my head on the door, and within seconds, I had a golfball sized bump on my forehead. Had to wake up Roger and we iced my forehead for about an hour. Just when the itching subsided with the poison ivy, then this!!! Anyway, by the morning, swelling had gone down and the bump was hardly noticeable.

We had a nice Monday. Melanie and Ivan came over for lunch. It's still warm enough to eat on the porch, but I am afraid that those days are dwindling! Edward stopped over and met his grandson Hugo who is a little younger than Alan. They became instant friends, because Hugo brought over a guitar for Alan to play with. Edward (remember, he's the chef), is ready for us to cook together again. He enticed me with onion soup this time and some other dessert I can't pronouce, but Melanie said was really good - but you use a blow torch to make it. I'm not sure if I am ready for that!

Later, Roger came home from work early and I headed out for a little quiet time. Brought my guitar and ended up at a park and played for a long time....THEN - and remind me to never do this again - I had the stupd idea of eating McDonalds....It's been a very long time since I ate fast food like this - I am still suffering while I write this. The fries were good, but the burger was cold and tasteless....I felt sick almost instantly....Then a quick stop at Barnes and Noble and then home in time to see Alan before bed.....

I will treasure today for a long time

I will treasure today for a long time. Suzanne, Edgar, Alan and I took a peaceful hike though magic meadow. As it’s pretty late in the season, the tall meadow grass is overgrown with dried wildflowers, berry-sticks and ivy, about waist high. But a path leads the way to the site of the last bon fire. Suzanne pointed out that you could also see wax melted on the rocks that leads the way to last month’s drum circle.

Alan kept thinking we were heading for the “mighty Hudson River”, and would stop periodically when he discovered a stone he thought would be good to throw. He carried a fist-sized rock for most of the way back, and we pretended that the Hudson was a dry creek with a slight trickle (puddle). Sure enough, he made a pretty big splash.

Then we headed for Mount Tremper to visit the Zen Mountain Monastery. When Suzanne originally chose this as a destination, she wasn’t aware that a memorial was erected in honor of our cousin there. It’s been about 10-15 years since my last visit, but I found it immediately. It’s a short hike up a secluded mountainside. A wooden stake with Richard’s name is there among about 25 others in an outdoor Buddhist Temple. We spent about an hour creating rock formations by his memorial. Alan helped too. I felt very connected here, it is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been.

Later, our group split up – Alan and I headed home for a little while so that Edgar and Suzanne could continue their visit to Woodstock. I quickly put together a meal for us which we later enjoyed outside on the porch - ravioli and a salad (and of course birthday cake!)

Happy Birthday Suzanne! Love you!

October or July?

Hot! Good thing I didn't pack away the summer clothes yet. Mom and Dad, I think it was hotter here than in Arizona? 86 degrees! I have a little sunburn from sitting out too long at the farmers market. It was great though - Jules and Rick were the featured musicians today and I really enjoy their music. Too hot to nap, Alan had an early night. My sister Suzanne is coming up tomorrow and there is a Mum festival at the park....

Michy's Got her Groove Back

I felt great today - even with the poison ivy. Deserted Saugerties for nearby Woodstock - needed to get out of town for a little while, even if it's just a few miles away. Spent sometime with Alan at the Andy Lee playground and tried out the Woodstock Library. I guess I needed a change of scenery....Had another run in with "the Gooch" (two bagel day!) He's driving a charter bus these days. He introduced me to the entire library staff. I still think he's working undercover though. (He's a private investigator as well) He told me once that he has a whole closet filled with service delivery clothes. I believe it.

Alan had a great nap, and I practiced some new Raffi songs on the guitar. Then, we took a pleasant afternoon walk around the village and met up with some neighbors for a quick porch visit. All in all, a great day.

Hope to catch up with some Ulster Mommies next week. What's everyone's plan for Monday??

Update - ivy and more

As my poison ivy slowly heals, i have totally lost track of time. They tell me it's October already. We're just scratching the surface of the fall folliage, and the only thing changing colors in my self-absorbed life are the various rash hues on my arms, legs (and other parts). Dark red to pail pink. I am trying really hard to not be so hyperfocused on my condition. I apologize in advance if you were one of the lucky recipients who I felt the need to show my battle wounds to - especially in its early stages. I am over the hump, and feel about 75% better, but still have isolated itchy spots that get vigorously sprayed. With all of this stress, I've let my diet go and my exercise has been shotty. Chocolate seems to help alleviate itchiness when eaten in large quantities. I need to get back into my routine - for everyone's sake.

In other news: My sister Suzanne is turning 35 next week. She's coming up on Sunday with my aunt and uncle. She wants to visit the Zen Mountain Monostary...I also received an e-mail from cousin Monica about a girls weekend in November. That sounds fun! And Roger lost 10 pounds on his new medically supervised diet with Northern Dutchess Hospital. Alan had a growth spurt this week, and looks taller - his legs are very long, and he is talking in more complete sentences. He continues to love music and strums the guitar with me. Playing the guitar has been such a great outlet for me. I am really loving it!

Well, that's all for now!

Day 3 Poison Ivy

Productive day despite having this awful condition. Today I found if I just kept extra extra busy, it helped distract me from itching. Compared to yesterday, I am feeling a little bit better. I did have several non-itchy moments, but my skin looks so awful! Can't wait for all of this to be over! Roger just went to the store to get me more poison ivy spray - seems to work the best out of all of the things I have tried.

Other than being so self absorbed with all of this, I did have a good day. Went for a long walk with Alan this morning around the village, took him for a grilled cheese sandwich and built a giant castle with multicolored blocks. I also completed some tasks on the computer, etc. With being so focused on my skin the past two days, the house was a mess, but tonight I was able to get everything back in order and Roger was nice enough to vacuum up the trail of baking soda in the bedroom. I made a healthy dinner (Roger has lost 10 pounds), and I was careful with the pile of laundry - not sure which clothes were explosed to the poison ivy.

I am hoping to be back into a routine tomorrow. I missed the gym for two days now, and have been eating more, though today I didn't have any chocolate! (only because I ate all that was in the house!)

Hope you are all doing well and thanks for reading this self-absorbed account of my day....

Poison Ivy 3AM

Day 2 of a really bad case of poison ivy. My whole body feels itchy and I can't sleep. I thought that typing on this computer would be a great distraction from not scratching, but I find myself pausing after every 3rd word to itch either my arm, leg, etc. I can't take a Benedryl for another hour. That seems to help a little, but tonight it's affect diminished by an hour, leaving me counting the minutes until my next dosage. I made two urgent visits to the pharmacy today and spent a fortune on various creams, medicated pads, sprays, antihistamines, etc, but nothing seems to work. (bad word should be inserted here!) Natural "home remedies" like baking soda only work a little, and a trail of white powder on the floor, bed, couch, etc mark where I have been. I even placed a bananna peal on an infected area, wasting a perfectly good piece of fruit. By 4pm this afternoon, I couldn't take it anymore, and went to the "doc in a box" and they prescribed me prednizone. Hopefully this will speed up the healing process. I never did like mums.