Our Little Horse took right to the trick-or-treating routine, showing a natural aptitude for gleaning candy from neighbors. Perhaps at times more candy than they had originally planned on parting with! He galloped up the front porch steps and smiled sanguinely as he blithely pawed through the candy bowls. 

Since he’s so tiny and precious even the most strict “only one candy per person” households melted as he came up triumphant with fistfuls of candy. Then he swiftly planted them into his “feedbag.” Onto the next neighbor! He cantered freely across the lawns…

It was the most festive neighborhood event we’ve yet experienced in our relatively new neighborhood. It was a gorgeous night with bright moon and fairly warm… beautiful sunset… no rain! Plenty of pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns…

We weren’t sure how many trick or treaters to expect being that today marks our first Halloween in our home here. So after a tip off from a neighbor I ran into this morning who whispered, “4:30 pm”, we stationed Jo and Gam with Lake and a big box of chip bags… at least 30 bags of chips. Jo calls me at 5:30 when I’m on my way home: 

People are wondering where you are. Also there’s only two bags of chips left, bring reinforcements!

Okay, I’ll get candy… you can offer them something from our fruit bowl if need be… a pear, apple or banana!

I don’t think it came to that dire potentiality, where we became known as the fruit-bowl trick-or-treat family. But of course Lake took the opportunity and helped himself to a pear!

We had a really fun evening! First handing out candy from home, then turning off our porch light and trooping out and about around the neighborhood, meeting and re-meeting our neighbors. Hey, didn’t I just see you at your house?! Happy Halloween!

I was the one dressed like the rider and he was dressed like the horse, but guess who got the ride?! Horsey rides all over town in his Baby Björn… Lake of course!

The sunrise this morning was something special. Michael was working a later shift, so we had a nice morning moment. Of getting dressed while casting gazes at the sunrise sky. Of admiring the clouds as they lit up with the diffuse reflection of glowing fire. Of smiles and hugs and having a shared laugh at Lake’s latest antics. Then Michael walked down the “Ave” with me to the “Tower”. I adore how my place of work is just a hop skip and a jump away from home. And today a particularly quirky lark-y hop skip and a jump… through the autumn leaves. Hop! Skip! Jump!

A perfect day… a perfect morning commute! I’m glad I spent it with you, my loves.

When we got back from Lindsin at Greenlake tonight…

…Lake was just getting started! As I was putting the jogging stroller away in the wheeled conveyances parking garage he made a beeline for his trailer. He hopped into the bicycle trailer and put his helmet on himself!

I admired his exuberance and initiative, but had to say mañana.

It’s dark honey, time to go inside. 

Ah, goodbye Summer evenings of endless daylight. Make way for cozy fires, books, and hot chocolate!

We went all in for bicycles this summer.

New bicycle for Tolle. Brand new bicycle trailer for Lake. Bicycle helmets all around! Even a high quality used tandem that is long on fun! We had a number of exceptionally fun bicycle adventures this summer. I’m still enjoying it… yesterday evening was the perfect day to take Lake for a spin around Greenlake! It was such a gas we went around twice… Lake took it easy and even nodded off in his sweet ride while I felt the rush of the wind and enjoyed the splendor of the autumn air. 

We have a new game from Uwe Rosenberg, our favorite board game designer, creator of Agricola. The premise of this one is to efficiently design and plant your garden, while raking up points in the form of terra cotta pots or glass cloches. It’s called Cottage Garden and it is super enchanting to discover the pretty patterns of make-believe gardens complete with adorable cat residents that emerge as you play your turns. Moreover, where Agricola tends to turn into a full-on marathon, Cottage Garden is a delightful breezy sprint. 

It wasn’t a double date in the typical sense. Instead it was a double date as in: we had two dates. The first one failed so the second one was a do-over. Actually it didn’t fail. We just didn’t see the play, instead we ate hummus. Allow me to explain. For Michael’s birthday, Jo gifted him tickets to the theater and babysitting so we could go together to see the show. It was on Capitol Hill at the 12th Avenue Arts venue. Parking was nearly impossible so we arrived late to the ticket counter, where we discovered… when the ticket taker announced: no late seating!

Absolutely no late seating. We are too accustomed to the casualness of a film with plenty of trailers or a music concert with an opening band and starting fashionably late at that. Even the Symphony will seat you between pieces. Here was the real deal: starts on time and no late seating. 

They did offer to switch our tickets to the next night however. Thus doubling our date night. 

We made it with plenty of time to spare on Saturday after riding the bus. We hauled in a last-minute baby-sitter, thank you Tom! Thus, on round two, we thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful dialogue and well-acted thoughtful piece that was Why We Have a Body. Thank you Jo!

Michael and I were married two years ago today in our intimate monsoon wedding ceremony. We were gathered in the Woodland Park Rose Garden gazebo exchanging vows while the rain torrented down all around us. Tonight as Lake and I walked home from our Tuesday night Lindsin adventure the sky opened up and sent us an anniversary remembrance. It rained hard! Sometimes marriage is like that: your husband is working late and your neck hurts and you’re walking home in the dark alone with your baby and it starts to downpour. But you make it home, light a fire, and there are kitties and babies to feed and care for and hot chocolate to make. And a husband who’s coming home and who will rub your back and bring you coffee in the morning. And maybe it spills all over the bedding but it’ll wash and you’re irresistibly in love, so it’s all right. It’s home. Where the heart is. 

Lake is really getting into reading these days. He loves to turn the pages of his books. Especially his lovely board books from our baby shower. Sometimes he will bring me a book to read out loud together, but most often he is content to sit by himself with a book and quietly absorb its wonders. He will studiously turn the cardboard pages… one after the other, methodically.He’s steadily improving his speed, accuracy and consistency. He’s a real page turner. 

Meanwhile I’ve been reading a armchair travel gem. It’s engrossing and transportive: living off the land in rural France. Just the kind of page turner this Mummy needs. La Belle Saison, by Patricia Atkinson. La Belle Saison, which is now, harvest time. But really la belle saison is whichever season you’re in. It’s living in the rhythm of nature, eating in-season, and off-the-land, and appreciating the present moment. It’s so good sometimes I would read passages aloud to Lake. Even so, I think he prefers turning his own pages for now.