For Sarah’s school, it was spirit week. That meant dressing up for different themes each day, culminating in a spirit-wear dress-down on Friday for the pep rally. Monday’s theme was “little lie” so kids were encouraged to wear shirts that said things that were obviously untrue about them. Sarah wore a shirt with musical notes with a sign taped to her shirt that read “I hate music.” For Tuesday she coordinated with some classmates for “rhyme without a reason.” Sarah’s friends were Sheep and Jeep to pair with Sarah’s Sleep. Sarah loves wearing pajamas at any and all times, so this was ideal. For Wednesday she was to dress as Adam Sandler, wearing gym shorts and a large sports or school-related shirt. Thursday was a dress up day so she wore a black and white striped dress and dress shoes. When she got home on Friday she changed out of her spirt-wear and into a pink t-shirt for the Pink Out that her school was encouraging for the Homecoming football game – pink in honor of breast cancer awareness. I took Sarah to her acting class, and Carl met her when it was over to take her to the game. They had a pink blanket and pink fleece for Sarah in case she got cold.
Amy has been wanting it to get cold so she could get in the fall spirit, but then as soon as the temperature actually dropped it was a little less fun. She did, however, dress as a fall-witch on the day Sarah dressed as Adam Sandler. The cooler temps also helped us feel more in the mood to decorate our porch for Halloween, although the cooler temperatures are so far just in the mornings. Yesterday afternoon was still sunny and warm. We decorated nonetheless. Amy did fancy Halloween makeup with orangey-brown shadowing and black bats around her cheeks and eyes.
I was away mid-week for a book talk at the Swarthmore College bookstore. Long ago I remember sitting on a bench in first grade and looking at the sixth graders and thinking they were so big and grown-up and that I would never be so big and grown-up. Then in college I remember going to a poetry reading and book talk, sitting in awe of the featured speaker. Now, here I am. Apparently I made it to sixth grade and beyond, and now I was the one giving the book talk at my college. I didn’t have a huge audience, and almost all of them knew me or were related to me, but it was an honor to be there and an honor to have all of those people want to spend their time with me in that way.
When I got home from my travels I was completely surprised to discover a new dining room table in place of our old one. We ordered it months ago because our old table would no longer reliably expand and contract as needed thanks to years of glitter and spilled food filling various crevices. I didn’t expect the new one until November, just in time for Thanksgiving. Instead, Carl and the girls were so very sneaky and no one told me anything about the new table arriving. They took apart the old one and moved it and the chairs to the back deck, assembling the new one and letting it wait for me to come upon it unawares. I think I gasped in astonishment. It looks great, but I’m still getting used to it. I feel like I’m sitting at someone else’s table.
If you are in Pittsburgh this week, remember that I will be at Riverstone Books in Squirrel Hill for a local author panel on Thursday October 9th at 7pm. You need to register to attend. The other authors are Nancy Kilgore, author of Pennsylvania Love Song, and Seyed Nourashrafeddin, author of In Search of Rain, From Motel Qu to Pittsburgh.
Wishing you all a day to dress in your most favorite clothing.
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