Beautiful Fall

We've been enjoying a lovely fall here. As you can see, our mum plant is going strong--the two or three hundred flowers Elsa has picked off it don't even show. I hope that this nice fall leads into a mild winter. I've been thinking about last year's snow and I'm not sure I can do it again. There's not much else exciting around here--school has been particularly busy this year and I'm trying hard to keep my head above water. I was talking with my university students yesterday and they commented on much I've helped them. I was shocked! Of all the things I need to keep track of, the university students have gone to the bottom of my list. I haven't involved them well in the class and many days they stand around without much to do. I was glad that they are happy with working with me (or at least that they'll say they are) and it made me feel a little less like a failure this semester.

Our deck is coming along well. Derek added another railing and set of stairs. He has a few more finishing touches to add and then the deck will be ready for some good times next summer and fall.


Halloween was low key. We've been battling colds around here, so Elsa had been napping and was not dressed in her Halloween costume when her cousins stopped by. We quickly put it on for a few pictures and then ran over to her grandparents' to show them. (It really wasn't such a big deal because she's been wearing her Halloween costumes off and on for the last six months. EVERYONE has seen her in her costume.)