30 October 2011

Snowy October and Pumpkin Painting.

Who would have thought that a day before Halloween the ground would be covered with heavy, sloshy, wet snow that grips the trees, and is taking off whatever remaining leaves are still clinging desperately to the branches? This is Maine, after all, so nothing should surprise me. 

You could feel it in the air yesterday.  By mid-afternoon, the imposing gray clouds were hanging low, and one deep breath let it be known that the white stuff was on its way.  There's a common term in snow country---'it smells like snow'.  And it does.  There's a tangible feeling, especially for the first of a season, that reaches all of your senses, warning you, preparing you, for what is to come.  This one was no different.

My final thought before drifting into dreamland last night was a sleepy prayer to the electricity gods that we not lose power.  It's what I hate most about winter. Well that and driving in snow.  And the fear of slipping on ice.   And the utter bone-cracking, cuts-right-through-you bitter cold.  Yeah winter's not my favorite, but I tolerate it because the Maine summer and autumn make it all worthwhile. 

I had decided this morning that it was going to be a lazy Sunday for G and I.  Terry is in the home stretch of preparing the new bookstore to open this week. Translation--he's been working every single day for about a month now.  A must as the new head honcho, but it takes its toll on all of us.

We never did make it back to the orchard to get more pumpkins, so in deciding what to do today, carving was not on my list. We have one giant pumpkin that my parents gave to G and yesterday while in Target, I decided instead of carving we were painting.  After breakfast this morning, I set up the newspaper, pumpkin and paints on the dining room table and guided G through his first efforts as a mini-Van Gogh. He had a blast and so did I.

Unfortunately it wore him out because at 10 he signaled for heading upstairs to snooze, and three hours later awoke feeling the dreadful hot to the touch.  For the rest of the afternoon he spent sleeping on me, his head nestled in the crook of my neck, with Giraffe and Pooh offering comfort in his tender little grip.

I hate fevers. I hate feeling helpless as to how to soothe him.  But if spending the day snuggled with me is what he needed, I will never deny him. We'll see what tomorrow brings. 




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