The Verdict

Disappointment...

The snow is currently falling hard, but it didn't start early enough.

It looks like Ill have to navigate traffic and crawl all the way to school with the other suckers. And I'm sure that the area around the school will be horrible!

Oh well...

Will it or Won't it?

Snow is on everyone's minds tonight!

The forecast is calling for 5-10cm, but the big question is, will it fall hard and fast enough? And at just the right time?

In the best possible world, the snowfall would begin sometime after midnight, and would hit its peak by about 6am. And then, just maybe, we would have a snow day!

Hurray!

But I don't really think it will turn out that way...

The alternative is that the snow will start in the morning and we'll drive to school as it just gets going. The streets around the school, in their little micro climate, will be treacherous and slippery, but there won't be quite enough to call it a snow day. The phones will ring constantly with parents asking, "Is there school today? I didn't see anything on the website." (Which would clearly indicate that, yes, there is school today.) And then, some time later in the morning or afternoon, the whole thing will change to rain and create a sloppy mess on the roads.

Blech!

A picture paints a thousand words…

Life’s a bit like that…

(That was four thousand words.....)

More Fall Changes

Oh, how things can change quickly.

Here is the school field (I just love the tree at the bottom of the field!) about three weeks ago. It was a beautiful day!
And here is the same spot today. The gorgeous tree is more difficult to spot, as it is all bare. How did those leaves fall so quickly?? Well, I guess that's why we call the season 'fall'!

Can you see some snow on the mountains? They were so beautiful this morning, with a dusting of powdered sugar. Mmmm! This is the kind of day that makes me like the season!
We had our school Remembrance Day assembly this morning and watched a video about a Canadian nurse serving in World War I. I cried.
Tomorrow, I will go with my dad to the cenotaph ceremony. We will listen to the speeches, watch the veterans carry flags and lay wreaths, listen to the Last Post and Reveille, and spend a minute in silence to remember.

And, of course, we will wear our poppies.
Never forget.

Fall Delights

We are deep into the season, and are always grateful for a dry, pleasant day! The trees are at different points in the leaf-losing process, some completely bare and others still green and leafy. The boys and I took a little walk to the park this afternoon. I had to do quite a bit of coercing...This was my favourite photo. It captures their personalities very nicely!
After the delights of the park ("Hurry up, mum, I have to leave!"), we came home and enjoyed a wonderful Face Time call with my niece, my dad, and other assorted family members. Do you remember wondering if, one day, we'd be able to see each other on phone calls? Well, now we can!

I love my iPhone!
The most delightful part of the day was the time change. We put our clocks back last night, and had an extra hour to relax this morning! Which means that, although from now until March, I'll be driving home in the dark, at least I'll be leaving for school in the light for a while longer!

Solomon, the wise one

Our friendly neighbourhood lizard has now been named.

The boys called him “Solomon” because he seems so 'wise' (entrepreneurial? opportunistic?)….especially when it comes to getting people to feed him!

The boys were on the computer the other day, when there was a banging on the glass door next to them…..surprised, they looked up to discover Solomon trying to get their attention.

We appear to have become like a “Drive Thru” or “Takeaway” service.
Or perhaps Lizards are like Cats, and consider Humans their personal slaves.
Whatever the case, it was very clear what Solomon was wanting.

I’m sure if we listened hard enough, we would’ve heard an “Oi !!!”….

He's putting on a bit of weight!
Maybe Solomon is actually a Selena....



Or maybe.....he's just very clever at getting what he wants!

Halloween

It's October 31, the night when children dress up and take home impossibly huge amounts of candy.

For weeks, stores have been flogging large packages of chocolate bars, tacky pre-made costumes, and horrible decorations. Houses have sprouted huge cobwebs, graveyards, and ghosts hanging from trees. (That's the part I really dislike.) We're modeling a strange kind of hospitality...

I, however, carved three sweet pumpkins. They are currently glowing on my front step.
I did my part to support the fake chocolate industry. After I bought 100 little bars for the 30 or so kids who usually show up, Big Bear decided (completely in character) that more is better, so now we have 150.
Now, at 8:20 pm, the visitors have trickled to an end and we're left with more than half of what we bought. Uh oh! Who will eat all that chocolate?

We had quite a few little customers, most looking cute in their costumes, though a few were positively ghoulish. It was fun to welcome them and to send them off with treats.
And then, off they trotted to their waiting parents.

The fireworks are now banging away and the older kids are roaming about, looking for more serious excitement. And we have a huge bowl of chocolate to deal with.

No rest for the weary!