#Inktober and real live decor

 

#Inktober keepin’ on

 

October is SO pretty in Ohio

 

A life lesson

 This post is for those of you amongst my Tribe who tend to procrastinate and then get fired up (almost as if someone had lit a fire under one's nevermind) and tackle a bunch of stuff at once, because you are My People and you'll get this.

Last year, I never hung our heavy drapes in the Old Lady Room. I left up the sheer cream and wine colored curtains because I wanted more light in a room that has a wine colored carpet and greenblack walls and no overhead light. What the builders were thinking when they left no light fixture is beyond me. We've since found wine colored lamp shades for two of the table lamps in addition to the halogen lamp stationed in the corner. It's still darker that we'd like most of the time, hence the light-penetrating curtains.

However, this week it got down into the 30s at night and I definitely noticed a chill on the back of my neck and shoulders whilst I was sitting on the couch which abuts the big windows. I figured I should probably rehang the cream colored, insulated drapes. Sometime. Soonish. Probably.

For some reason, I decided that time would be this morning.

Before I had taken my allergy meds.

Before I vacummed up what used to be spider webs and moths and stinkbugs.

Before I remembered that drapes require curtain hooks, I was already behind the couch, but before that I had said, "move, Couch."

Couch merely snickered at me and said, "yo, move this."

So I attempted a shove. Not a big one, just a "get outta my way so I can hang the dang curtains" shove. 

Couch wasn't having it.

I realized, in fact, the slider thingies were not permanently under Couch, something I should have checked first. 

"Fine. I will get behind you and do this anyway."

Lest you think the other members of my household are awful people who could have lent a hand, they were already working on the sink in the loo which has been dripping and dripping faster and is now drippingdrippingdripping alarmingly fast. We've kept a mixing bowl underneath and have been using the water to keep the water bowls full for the dogs and have been watering plants with it but I know we are losing some down the drain. I didn't want to deter that progress.

So there's me, squashed in the less than a foot of space behind Couch and the window wall. I'd had the foresight to dump all the drapes onto Couch, but they were still all folded into each other from two springs ago when I put them away. I'm twisting to reach and detangle the drapes when I realized, "oh *insert pirate-y talk here*, these need the dang hooks!"

I holler to Damon, who is in the room we call the Library as he has the day off school, and he appears in only his underpants, device in hand, as I try to twist further to gesture to what I need and where they are across the room from me. As he retrieves the plastic cup containing all the hooks (yes, we run a classy establishment around here, I know), they dump out and he's trying to simultaneously stuff them back into the cup whilst watching his video. 

Eventually, he hands me the cup (and had fetched me the vacuum, as well) and I start threading those into the drapes, all the while cursing living in a climate where anyone even needs to have summer and winter curtains and the fact that I was smashing the Count Chocula that I'd had after my Cheerios and that I probably should have pooped first.

I'm reminded of something my Mary Alice had shown me years ago; a sign that started off in huge letters cautioning PLAN AHEAd with a tiny, smashed letter d because they ran out of room. Somedays that is my life.

But the drapes are up! Just in time for it to be in the 70s again most of this week. If anyone needs me I'll be washing the sheers.

Looking Halloweeny

You probably can’t tell, but there was a great Cheshire Cat smiling moon this morning amidst the naked trees.

And check out this fool who thought it’d be a good idea to build a web between the ice and water dispensers. Sheesh. I think he was the same guy I saw in the kitchen sink the other day… I guess he is Araña de cocina, haha. Guy gets around!

 

#Inktober out of order

 

Sweet nothings

 Grandmama informed me that today is National Chocolate Cupcake Day, so I had to act accordingly. I even got to use up my homemade chocolate buttercream icing as well as cans of both cream cheese and salted caramel frostings. Win!

More #Inktober

 

Another post of Random

 Dada hit yet another auction, this time with Thing Two, and brought home at least three boxes of books. Now we get to sort what we want to keep, will actually use, will never use, what goes to the used bookstore for book credit, and so on!

One of Thing Two's science experiments isn't going as planned. The Dixie cup on the left has three bean seeds. The Dixie cup on the right has 15 bean seeds. The glass jar in the middle holds a few but aren't part of the experiment. 

He's supposed to find out what happens when seeds are overcrowded. I told him to just look at our garden for an example of overcrowding. None of his initial three beans have even come up, three of the 15 showed up, and the ones who don't matter are thriving. Beans.

I was killing some time last week when I saw these lovely colors together and had to take pictures!

Being in a college town, you end up with lots of coffee shops. This is one of our favorites. The week before, Thing Three had beaten Thing Two who proceeded to shellac him this time!

These next two shots were taken at the bus stop first thing in the morning. Well, first thing for some people. Right around 7 AM. Some of us had already been up for hours. It's so dark!

It's rare to see this kid conked out like this. He's always in motion, but he sure had a great nap this weekend!

Tis the season for shepherd's pie!

Have a terrific week!

#Inktober kickoff

 Clearly I'm going to have to remember to press harder so these show up better. I've decided to go themeless this year (usually I stick with fairies when I attempt Inktober) and I'm not penciling anything, just doing straight-up ink. Hence the lightness and hesitation, haha! Here are the first six. Feel free to click on them to see them larger. The prompt is on each.

Dada-ism

I forget what I was teasing him about, but I mentioned an expanding waistline. He fired back: 

What waistline? I have more of a hemisphere.

Recent Liamisms

 I braided Liam's hair the other day and a few minutes later he mentioned his ears were cold. I mused, "hmm, you need a ..." and mimed a headband over my ears. I realized I had a hat from the days when I used to have a ponytail to stick through it, so I dug it out and tossed it to him. With glee, his braid popped through and he declared, "this is my hat now!"

***

As I reminded Liam that when one puts the dogs away for the night one also needs to lock the back door, he quips, "Everything was okay, right? We're in the middle of the woods. Nobody is going to come here." 

I wasn't really expecting any repartee as I thought I was just imparting information, so I stumbled along with a "you don't want the fairies to come and steal you away."

Bewildered, he replies, "What kind of advantage would that give them?"

***

We have fruit flies, again, this time because of the tomatoes from the garden, not bananas. And Liam has bean seeds sprouting for his science class; he's supposed to be experimenting with overcrowding (ahem, just look outside at the garden and don't do that) and he said a cloud of them emerged when he watered the seeds this morning, much to his disgust.

The other day I overheard, "DIE! *whack* DIE! *crash* DIE! *slam*" This pattern repeated about nine times, along with various mutterings. I called in, "okay, Coach Hedge," which is a Percy Jackson reference to a satyr who thinks he's invincible. 

Liam exclaims, "Jeez! That was the Buggernaut! *whack* HahahahaHAAAAA, two down!"

As if any of you are wondering why we can't have nice things...

***

Dada and I snuck out for a coffee date earlier this week and then ran an errand or two. I told him I hadn't left a note for Liam saying where we were headed. When we pulled back into the driveway, Liam was strolling out, in his pajamas and bathrobe as usual. He opened my car door, leaned in, and quoted, "Beds empty, car gone, no note!" We both completely cracked up as that's one of our favorite Harry Potter quotes when Molly Weasley goes off on her sons. Not only did he have it fresh in his head to say, he had written it on post it notes and stuck them to the front door. This kid is a piece of work. Pretty fond of him. You can't have him, fairies, he's ours.

Eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, or a perspective lesson

 I've talked about this before; a creative writing teacher of mine once said that writers need to write every day. If you can't think of anything to write, just describe what you had for breakfast. She said sooner or later something would break through the eggs. Now that I think about it, by "break through" did she mean something would hatch out of the eggs? Hmm. That's kind of a nice image. All this time, over 20 years' worth, I was thinking scrambled eggs- the only kind I like- not still intact ones. Ha! Guess I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer or the brightest crayon in the box. I usually get there eventually. Teehee.

At any rate, initially I thought that I didn't have much to say today. Upon further reflection, I realize that I have many much thanks to give. My brother, sister-in-law, and cousin on Dada's side have all come through Hurricane Ian with the vast majority of their possessions and their health, which is miraculous in and of itself. People, Florida, Cuba, and Puerto Rico are going to need more than your thoughts and prayers. Do some homework. Google "how to help Hurricane Ian victims" to get yourself started, find someone with boots on the ground, and donate some of your excess to help those who've lost everything. Or half their things. Or their roof. Doesn't matter. Bust out those checkbooks or the "text to give" or use your extra vacation days to travel there, roll up your sleeves, and pass out water or pick up sticks. Do something! 

I'm thankful for hot, running water and lights that come on when I flip a switch. Magic! Some people are doing without those simplest things. I'm thankful for the load of firewood we had delivered so that on these pretty but damp fall days we can dry out the house a little more and be cheered by the fire as well. I'm thankful for the contents inside the side-by-side fridge I despise and complain about because it's so narrow it's like playing Tetris every time I get groceries, but when I flip the picture, I can see how blessed I am that I have choices of what to eat and that I didn't have to hunt it or process it myself!

I'm thankful for the education my kiddos are getting, that one of them has a field trip this week, and that it is supposed to be 70 degrees for said field trip! I am not really looking forward to the wet, muddy laundry after the river field trip, but I am very thankful that I don't have to haul it all to a river myself to wash it or spread it on a hot rock to dry. And that I don't have to haul water daily for cooking or washing. Wow. Though I would have great muscles, I suppose! And I can see how the time with my fellow female water haulers would be precious time together...

I'm thankful that my hubby is working from home and that we can take walks together most days which helps us stay on the same page as well as giving me a chance to make sure he notices all the beautiful wildflowers or clouds or insects or whatever happens to catch my eye, too. Squirrel!

Speaking of squirrels (which equates randomness in my head for those of you who missed that connection- it's not your fault. My brain doesn't work in steps like a geometry proof- it's all spiderwebs because everything connects to everything else for me.) Where was I? 

Boy, that train of thought didn't just leave the station... it is gone. *sighs, puts head down on folded arms on computer table, wracks brains, considers squirrels*

It's back! #Inktober 2022 is going on now! Click here if you're curious! I'd like y'all to hold me accountable because I think it'd be a fun commitment and no, I haven't started yet and yes, it's October 3rd already. It's okay! Just stay on me to post them.

Another fun commitment might be to begin or restart a gratitude journal or list. Or three things you're thankful for each day on a post it on the mirror. Or just one thing, even if it's that you are physically able to get out of bed. Coffee can be your one thing. Not for every single day, unless it tops your list of more than one thing. Get creative. You can share your list or don't. Keeping track just for you is okay! I know, I know, Thanksgiving is not this month, and around here we are fervent about Halloween happening before the Christmas stuff comes out and all that, but it's nicer to go into the season of thanks with a thankful spirit all warmed up and stretched and ready to go. Yes, fall allergies are a thing, but enjoy the pretty leaves that are starting to turn. Yes, it's getting colder, but enjoy adding that extra soft hoodie or those thick socks to your wardrobe. Yes to coffee, hot tea, hot cider and hot cocoa. And yes to whipped cream and marshmallows. You think you're going to live forever? Dump that stuff on there. You're worth it. 

Now that you're properly situated, go be someone's sunshine!