Cool Days, Warm Knits, and Sleep

Fall is definitely in the air, and Winter is coming soon...maybe a bit too soon but oh well. As the days grow shorter and colder, my fingers begin to itch and twitch to pick up my knitting needles and make something really spectacular. But what to make first, and when? Do I work on Christmas gifts for "others" (non-immediate family members), or do I make something warm for my kids? Of course, the answer is to make something for my kids...for each of the 4 - 7.

Hats, mittens, and scarves are always in great demand here during the Winter, especially for my two youngest daughters. Ben...he doesn't really use knitted mittens or gloves during the winter. He spends a great deal of his time outdoors (or in his ice house) and needs that heavy-duty bulk, durability, and warmth that can only be provided by choppers. Kirstin...she doesn't play in the snow, but she does play in her high school band and pep bands, which means she plays at football and hockey games...need to have warm fingers and hands in order to play the french horn in freezing weather. I made her (disastrously) a pair of convertible mittens last year, but as I just implied, they didn't do the job. Maybe I should make her a decent pair?

My two youngest daughters...they DO spend a lot of time playing in the snow. Mittens and hats get snow-covered; scratch that; snow-encrusted. Going in and out of the house means the snow melts, and the mittens and hats get soaked. I definitely need to make them both a couple pairs of mittens and a couple of hats. What about hubby? He's a second year nursing student, will be living with friends during the school week and coming home on weekends. What happens if he has car trouble somewhere along the road, especially in that 40 mile stretch in which there is no cell phone coverage? He definitely needs to have a warm hat and mittens to keep in the car, just in case.

So...if I make hats, mittens, and scarves for everyone in my immediate family that will be 5 of each. I guess I'd best get knitting, eh? or house cleaning, or doing my school work, or getting the yard and house ready for Winter, or cleaning out the garage, or helping my parents get ready for Winter, or, or, or...sleep. Oh, wait. With Winter coming, make that hybernate.

Early

In memory of the sweetest and most even-tempered member of our family who taught us all how to love unconditionally. We all miss you, Early. Wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge.

School is in the Air Syndrome

School is definitely in the air around my house. The kids are starting to get antsy; there seems to be a sense of urgency surrounding their daily activities. I think inside, they are all subconsciously asking themselves, "How many friends can I play with or hang out with today?" "How many sleepovers can I go on or have at my house this week?" "Have I yelled, ran around, swung upside down, climbed on the monkey bars, slid down the slide, and ran around with really large sticks often enough this summer?" "Have I gone fishing, lost enough of dad's tools, used up enough gas in the three-wheeler this summer?" "Have I seen my boyfriend often enough, have I seen my boyfriend often enough, and have I seen my boyfriend often enough this summer?" (Obviously this last part is about Kirstin.)

I know part of the "antsy" with Becca, at least, is due to some new medications she's taking for her asthma. A week ago, she had a severe attack that resulted in a quick trip to the doctor for review. At first they were just going to renew her inhaler, but upon realizing that her asthma was not under control, she was also given a nebulizer and Advair. So...one of the side affects is an increase in level of activity. Imagine that, eh? A 10 year old being active.

David starts back to school next week already. He'll be in his 2nd year of Practical Nursing. He, too, is suffering from School is in the air Syndrome." With David, however, the syndrome manifests itself in slightly more subtle ways. Okay, so maybe they're not so subtle. Witness (if you were here, anyways) the gentle ways in which he interacts with his family. Example: When eating his dinner, "Dang nab it! Where's the pepper?" hmmmmmm All of us realize, of course, that this is a part of School is in the air Syndrome, and react (I should say "don't react") accordingly. David (sadly) will not be home during the school week. Because his school is 75 miles from here, and most of those miles are on a road that does not have cell phone coverage, and because we have really nasty winters, we have decided that David will be staying with a friend of his during the school week and coming home on weekends.

I think it's going to be very strange, once school starts. No husband sleeping after a hard night's work, no kids and their friends running in and out and all around; no phones ringing off their hooks for the kids.

I think that Back-to-School is maybe not something to be looked forward to after all.