A Happy Halloween

Ok, so I didn't quite keep my promise. What else is new? I had told Sam we would drive around and look at lights for Halloween but no trick-or-treating. Well, we drove around and looked at lights (where there were any) but when it came to the trick-or treating, I made an exception. One exception.

There's a house we go to every year where an older woman lives ("older", meaning about my age). And every year this woman invites Sam inside and has him select a toy or more often, a stuffed animal. This woman is special to Sam so when we drove around looking at lights, we drove by this woman's house. Thankfully, her porch lights and decorations were on.

I pulled over to the side of the road ("Really??" Sam said) and had Sam put on a mask. I stepped out and helped him put on some rubber gloves, which I had stuck in my pocket before we left - and I gave him two instructions: First, no going inside, and second, don't touch your face until we take off your gloves. Oh, and third, whatever she gives you, we'll let it sit on the porch for a couple of days, just to be safe.

Sam went up to her door and I waited out by the tree in her front yard, like usual, and listened. After a few knocks, she came to the door and I can honestly say she was as happy to see Sam as he was to see her. 

For once, Sam wasn't invited inside, "Due to the  COVID," she said. Sam told it was ok, he wouldn't have been able to go inside anyway. She said she was wondering if he was going to show up this year and was getting ready to give up, that Sam was coming by later than usual. This was true. We were about a half hour later, letting it get nice and dark in hopes of seeing more lights.

They chatted for a few minutes and she gave Sam a goody bag containing a couple of  Hot Wheels and I think a candy bar or two (thoughtfully, no stuffed animals in these pandemic times)... and they chatted a few minutes more. 

Finally, they wished each other a goodnight, a happy Halloween and each said they hoped to see the other again next year.

Back at the car, Sam, all smiles, set down his goody bag, took off his gloves, and we drove off, looking for a few more lights on our way back home. 

 

First Frost

 A very chilly morning...

Better Than The Real Thing

I bring Sam to and from work everyday and almost everyday, when I pick him up, his supervisor, Teri, comes out and chats for a few minutes while we wait for Sam. Often times we talk about about how he did that day - if everything went well, if he had any struggles, etc. Sometimes it's just to touch base. 

During the course of a conversation earlier in the week, she asked what our plans were for trick-or-treating on Saturday night - what with the pandemic and the now-rising cases everywhere.

I told her that it was extremely unlikely that we would go out - at least not for trick-or-treating. I told her we'd probably drive around instead, and hope that people had a lot of lights and decorations lit up for us to look at. Not the same thing, I knew, but it was something.

Even though Sam was a little disappointed, he (sort-of) understood. It wasn't worth the risk. Walking around old neighborhoods, knocking on mostly stranger's doors, reaching into bowls of candy that other strangers have been reaching into, didn't seem like a great idea.

I mentioned to her how, for Sam, it's not really about the candy and how, as a matter of fact, his mostly filled bag of candy from last Halloween is still hanging from his dining room chair and how this year, like every year, I would have to empty it if we were going out.

I told her that I thought a part of Halloween is that he likes to see a few of the people on our route - but mostly, I think it's the adventure of it - or at the very least, the ritual of it all. We like rituals. 

Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from Teri. She wanted to know if on Friday (today), was I going to be bringing Sam to work and picking him up - or was he taking the bus? "No," I said, "I would be doing both, like usual." Then she asked if I could bring Sam to work a half hour later and could he stay a half hour later? I told her that it wouldn't be a problem. Finally, she asked if Sam could wear his costume to work. (Earlier, I had mentioned that he was going to dress up as a doctor, wearing a jacket and stethoscope which Rachael had bought for him. Apparently he didn't like my mummy, construction worker or vampire ideas - which was no surprise.) "I'll check with him but I'm sure he'd love to," I told her.

"Good," she said. Then she told me what she was planning.

She remembered what I had mentioned about the trick-or-treating and she decided to arrange it so Sam could trick-or-treat at work. By waiting that extra half hour, all his coworkers would be back from their various routes and everyone would be able to participate. She would have his coworkers scattered around different rooms in the building and Sam could knock on the various doors, say "trick-or-treat," and and get some candy or small prizes. "But don't tell him," she said. "We'll let it be a surprise."

I couldn't believe it. I had to ask her to repeat it a couple of times. 

After I hung up, I let Sam know that I would be bringing him to work a little late and picking him up a little late - and that he should wear his costume. Beyond a "Oh, that's a little different" there were no questions.

This morning, I reminded him to put on his costume, and brought him to work. 

When I went to pick Sam up, I drove down to the usual set of double doors, parked and waited for him to come out. Right when I pulled in, one of the double doors swung open and one of the ladies he works with, darted out, closed the door behind her and stood facing the doors, waiting in the thirty-six degree weather, wearing some crazy costume. 

After several minutes, there was a knock from inside the door. She opened it to hear Sam say, "Trick or treat!" and she made a big deal of it. 

While Sam finished up, Teri came out to talk to me and fill me in. She shared a photo she took from the elevator, taken as Sam was trick-or-treating (see below). And she told me about some of the things Sam got, including a little flashlight she bought for him - since he's not big on candy. I told her how touched I was. And I thanked her again, profusely.

When Sam came out, he was thrilled. He stammered through telling me about some of his day, including the fact that people kept calling him "Doctor Sam" all day. We talked about what a wonderful thing it was for them to do something like that, and how lucky he is to work with people who care so much about him - and about how they must feel he's pretty special.

I'm so happy and grateful that Sam is working with such thoughtful and caring people - and in such a safe environment. What a gift. 

I still can't get over it.

Doctor Sam. Photo by Teri

Leaf Season

There's a lot I like about the fall - the comfortable days, the cool nights, the (mostly) dry air. And even though I'm colorblind, I also love the colors of fall. But when it comes to the colors of fall, I like the it better when these colors are not all over my lawn. 

It's not that I'm picky about my lawn - not by a long shot. It's that I don't like raking leaves. Thankfully, my lawn is about the size of a living room rug. But even still, raking leaves is not one of my all-time favorite activities.

The weekend before last, Rachael and Sam raked the front lawn clean. This resulted in two, maybe three tarp-loads of leaves which the three of us hauled down the street, into the woods. When all was done, the lawn looked great... for about three days. Then, the remaining leaves fell. Here's what my lawn looked like by the following weekend...

Sam and I spent a good portion of Saturday raking up this Act II. It resulted in another four tarp-loads of leaves being hauled into the woods. Maybe it was five loads. I'm a little hazy from the physical exertion.

I have no one to blame but myself for this leaf problem on my front lawn. The tree these leaves fall from is, after all, mine. So as I might like to blame someone else, it's blatantly my own fault.

What I will complain about, freely and often, are all of the leaves in my backyard. I own no leaf-bearing trees in my backyard. Yet every year, I rake about twice as many leaves out back as I do out front.

This is largely due, maybe even exclusively due, to my neighbor's massive Norwegian maple tree which sits about five feet from our property line. 

I'm told this type of tree is invasive, which I can attest to - at least when it comes to the amount of leaves invading my yard. To make matters even worse, this tree (which doesn't even belong to me, as I think I mentioned) doesn't have to good sense to drop all it's leaves at the same time as the more considerate red maple out front. 

Instead, this tree waits until all the front yard leaves are raked and gone and then it starts letting go - thus prolonging my leaf-raking agony.  Because it waits so long, it often drops leaves right up to, and sometimes even after, the first snow. Here's a picture I took a few years ago...

Pretty, right? Now think about raking this wet, semi-frozen mess off my tiny back lawn. Even better, think about hauling multiple tarp-loads of these wet, semi-frozen, heavy bundles of nature to the woods at the end of my street.

Even though I more than slightly resent raking the profuse amount of leaves from a tree that doesn't even belong to me, I still like the fall. I just wish there was a little less of it all over my lawn.

A Quick Trip

I made a last minute, semi-unplanned, visit to see Jake yesterday. It was the first time I'd been at his place in probably over a year. And the last time he was able to be home (our real home, that is) was back on Father's Day. That was about four months ago.

Jake and I talk on the phone almost every day, often briefly, but it's not the same as being able to see someone face-to-face - even if those faces are responsibly covered with masks. 

He had a bumpy and lonely week last week - or more likely, it was just the accumulation of many, sometimes slightly bumpy, but mostly lonely, weeks - and since my state isn't currently allowing visitors from his state, I loaded up the car with various Jake-type food-type items and headed on my way to see him.

It was a relatively brief, four-hour visit - less time than the round trip of driving - but it was time well spent. He showed me around where he works, we walked the bike path (which, surprisingly, looks an awful lot like the bike paths we have around here), we had some lunch (outside of course - until it got too cold. Then we ate in my car), briefly walked the rocky beach looking for special, one-of-a-kind rocks -  and mostly, we talked. Or maybe, mostly listened.

I'm not sure how much good the visit did for him. But for me, it did a lot. I miss Jake, as I miss all my kids (though, thankfully, Sam occupies my time). But it's especially hard to not be around the people you love when you can't be around the people you love. 

I didn't take any pictures when I was there, but here's one from last year. Picture yesterday exactly like this, except colder...

The Weighting Game

I keep starting a post about nothing in particular and then either leaving it do die in the bottomless abyss along of all my other forgotten drafts - or just putting it out of it's misery and deleting it. 

I've had a little difficulty figuring out why this is even more of a problem than usual - and I've decided that the upcoming election is bothering me more than I care to admit. 

So, there you go. Admitting the problem is the first step towards a solution (I'm told) - but rather than wallow in it, or even waste my time and energy thinking about it, I'll only say that I'll be glad when it's all behind us. 

At least, I hope to god I'll be glad.

A Brief Recap

Boy, does time fly. We're well into fall, usually my favorite time of the year, and I just brought Rachael back to the Big City after having her home for about a week and a half. Like most good visits, it didn't seem long enough - but that's how these things go. Better to feel that way I guess, than feeling like, "Boy, that was a long visit." 

In between picking her up and bringing her back we managed to pack in a lot. We celebrated my birthday with the traditional apple picking adventure - slightly modified (as all things are this year) due to the ongoing COVID situation. 

We carved pumpkins (well, Helaina, Rachael and Sam did), and we did a lot of walking (surprise!). We even managed to make a single visit to the grocery store - an unusual event in these ever present COVID-tainted days (and nights).

Looking at what I just typed and it doesn't look like we really did a lot, but it filled our days nicely. I'll get around to posting some (more) photos (maybe) in the next few days, once I get over the hump of my somewhat-empty-nest, semi-depression.

Lunch Time

If nothing else, this pandemic has given me the opportunity to be at home for an extended period of time and with that, it's given me the chance to teach Sam how to make his own lunches. 

Like a lot of things, this has been kind of a slow, step-by-step process.

"Making Our Own Lunch 101" began in the early months of this semi-self-quarantine and over the months that followed, Sam and I covered different types of bread options, including toasted or not toasted. We covered wraps and bagels. We covered peanut butter sandwiches with various jelly and jam options. We covered sliced turkey sandwiches with various toppings, such as cheese, onions, Italian seasoning, spinach, tomatoes ... and more. 

Over these past few months, Sam has done a great job.

It gives me a a lot of satisfaction to see him get up at lunchtime and, with hardly a word, go into the kitchen to fix his own sandwich. I have no problem making a lunch for him but I like that he can be a little more independent - and I think he likes it, too.

The photo above is a sandwich Sam made for himself the other day. It's turkey on an onion bagel, with cheese, spinach, onions and tomatoes. A fairly typical representation of his lunches lately. And best of all, there was no input from me. 

Back to Work (Again)- Update

After a break of about a month, Sam was back to work at the school cafeteria today. The pandemic continues to affect where he works and what he's doing, just as it does for almost everyone everywhere (at least, those that pay attention and take it seriously) - but the bottom line is, for now, he still has a job.

It's a shortened schedule for Sam, at least compared to last year's schedule - only three, three hour days compared to last year's five, four hour days (which was reduced from five, five hour days), but it's more than his shorter two, three hour days which was his summer work schedule (got it?). 

This fall, all the cafeteria workers from all of the local schools are now working out of the one cafeteria at the middle school. They spend their days bagging breakfasts and lunches which are then distributed to drop points around town, all for the kids being schooled at home - which, for now, is every school-aged kid in town. I'm told this amounts to between 900 to 1000 meals per day. 

So it keeps him busy and keeps him productive. Sam's happy to be working. His supervisor seems to be happy with him (near as I can tell) and other than that, I don't have a lot to say about this - other than, thank god.

Today

 Happy birthday, Dad.