Mission Accomplished
The pumpkins have been carved. All children possess original digits.

This is the first year in decades that I haven’t spent 10/30 obsessing and running around putting the finishing touches on costumes. (With all due apologies to Emily, I couldn’t find the ‘cartoon hands’ in the laundry room. They’ll turn up when we pull out the Christmas stuff.) Eddie wants to dress up as the Phantom of the Opera. He’ll wear the phantom mask that has been blowing around here for ages plus an antique top hat and a cane. Should be simple enough.

We didn’t make the usual expedition to a charming farm in Wisconsin for pumpkins this year. Just not enough time. So we bought pumpkins at the less than charming Home Depot. Plus some bulbs to plant. I found myself staring wistfully at the Ralph Lauren paint display (which didn’t strike this well trained eye as substantially different from the colors at Wal-Mart) and ruminating again about painting the living room/dining room/upstairs hall. Rick bought a new toilet seat to cheer me up. It worked. (I mean it cheered me up. It doesn’t take much. I’m sure it will ‘work.’ When we get around to installing it.)