An Update...On a Saturday...in Southern Illinois

Haunted Chittyville Schoolhouse

Well, so Lilly and Marie (her friend) weren't very impressed with the haunted schoolhouse. Took 20 minutes waiting in line to go 20 minutes through the semi-scarry haunting experience; all for $12.00. They agreed it was a waste of money. Chittyville must have a good PR person...website proclaimed more than it was. Oh, well.

Other Stuff

First quarter ended and Beth got A's and B's, Lilly got A's and B's and one C+. For them, it is a great start of the year! Not much else to say about that, other than keep up the good work girls.

We've been checking out the fall colors, although it rained this week, so lots of leaves are on the ground now. Our Crab Orchard Lake tour was probably the best we'll get this fall.

We've been fighting fleas and other bugs trying to get into the warm house. So, we had to go all out and use the flea defogger, and Advantix the cats. Bethany and I get all the bites. Lilly and Jim seem to be immune to them. Now, the laundry room is loaded. Even all the bedding has to be washed.

This coming week will be filled with more haunting jaunts, getting out winter clothes and putting away summer ones, being sure the lawn is set for the winter, etc.

See a few current shots.. sorry, I'm camera shy!

Just Another Saturday - Almost!

Prayers for Seven wrongly-imprisoned Baha'is in Iran

Please take a moment to say a prayer for these wrongly-imprisoned Baha'is in Iran.

http://iran.bahai.us/2009/10/14/october-18-trial-of-seven-imprisoned-baha%E2%80%99i-leaders-likely-to-be-postponed/

Gotta Bomb 'da House

Yep...the fleas have attacked us. I HATE them! They love me. This is not a mutual relationship! They have to go!!! With the weather changing, these little buggers have found the warmth, two furry resorts, and lots of human skin to attack. I know, yuk! So, for the survival of the fittest, we must bomb our domicile. Then, laundry, laundry, laundry. I really needed this right now.

To Rake, To Mow...that is the question

With our temperatures running in the upper 40's and 50's now, the grass has decided to slow down its summer growing pace. But, it still looks sort of ratty. Then, the leaves have started to decorate the lawn, but not really enough to do anything about it yet. And, the eaves on the house are growing plants! That is a task that I'll have to call someone to handle. I'd rather cuddle up with a blanket, hot chocolate, and a good book.

Chittyville

The haunted school is still calling all teenagers for a cheap thrill! We'll see if our teens are going tonight. Since today is somewhat spooky now, why not make the night spookier? Lucky for them, I found $2 coupons for the entrance fee, so now each teen only has to cough up $10 to get in to this crazy excuse for fun event.

Farewell, Bear

Our little MinPin has found a new home! His new owner is Isaiah, a 3 year old little boy. He has a new fenced yard, and lives on a farm in Rosiclaire, IL. Funny thing, that town sounds familiar...to those of you who followed us when we moved to Southern Illinois. We spent our first month in that little town. Ironic.

I've decided it's a day for abandon...the color-turning leaves and other fall scenery are calling me. It's a day for pictures. Until next post.....

The Haunted Month...October is upon us!

It's called 'The Haunting of Chittyville School. It is an old elementary school that has been renovated to be a Halloween Haunted House. Live ghosts are a spooky feature, along with dark, dark, dark, narrow hallways with thingies that reach out to touch you....Scared yet? Well, it's the hottest thing here in our corner of the world. For the next two weekends I'll be carting teens back and forth. I guess the $12 per person admission isn't the worst way to spend money for a few cheap thrills!!!! Check it out! http://www.wix.com/ucmj22/chittyville


As I hear about winter weather stories from friends around the country, in our neck of the woods, we're having misty wet air, cooler temps (45 degrees), and trees slowly turning color to show the splendor of autumn. We live in this pocket where the weather is not extreme cold or hot (well, maybe hot). Certainly, better than Chicago, Fargo, Denver, etc. Precisely why I left North Dakota 54 years ago!!!!!!

That's it for this morning! It feels like a day to cuddle up with a fuzzy blanket and watch a good movie; or, maybe just take a day-long nap!

Later...

Our Hiatus is Finally Over!

Unbelievable! The gap in posting from last time to now says something about our lives. In a nutshell, here's what's happened:

• We moved from one location in Carbondale to another.
• Immediately following that move, Jim had a heart attack followed up with bypass surgery.
  It has been a long road to recovery. Recovery has been very challenging and is still a work in progress.
• Lilly spent six months with her grandma and dad in Chicago for the first semester of 2008.
• Lilly is now in 8th grade at Carbondale Middle School
• Bethany is now a freshman at Carbondale Community High School
• Jokingly, Bethany is called our 'wild child'! She is the life of the party, and has gobs of friends, including a boyfriend!
• Lilly's library of reading fills her floor to ceiling bookselves. She is an avid Web surfer, and is our resident veterinarian.
• Me? I just celebrated (don't know about that) my 62nd birthday! Doesn't seem possible!
  After having double knee replacement surgery a couple of years ago, I can now dance a jig! Ah, not really!

 Our pets have filled our life with laughs and groans. Bear, our MinPin, chews on anything, especially if it's leather...like my shoes! Our tabby tom cat now weighs 18 lbs., and has given up jumping over the pet gate. And, our latest edition, Isabella, our little black cat, keeps us all running.

Isabella and Tabby Tom Cat

Tabby will never have a sedentary life and may loose some weight with a new adopted sister in his life. There is nothing too high to climb on or too scary to investigate. I opened the freezer one day, and Isabella fell down into my arms!

Bear the MinPin

Unfortunately, we've made the decision to find Bear a new home. His upkeep requires more than any of us is able to focus on at this time. With Jim's health, the girls' schedules, and my trying to hold together everything in the family, poor Bear gets left behind. He will do much better in a home with smaller children, a loving family, and a yard he can call his own!

The latest in the saga of our lives is a new car: a PT Cruiser. We're still getting used to the differences from our habits in the other car. It is fun, though, to see the sky through the sun roof, listen to music on a Bose system, and when folding down the back seat having lots of space to haul stuff, like groceries.

Oh, yes...a couple of other things since our last post:

• I was so happy to attend our daughter's college graduation in Dayton, OH last November. It gave me an opportunity to spend some time with Reyhan and Razi, two of my beloved grandchildren.
• Then, in September, I visited son Greg, his wife Jody, and Austin and Natalie, two more of my beloved grandchildren in Aptos, CA. That's about five miles from Santa Cruz; and for my Baha'i friends, it's just down the mountain from Bosch Baha'i School.

So...that's it for now. I'll try to keep up our 'happenings', and in the meantime, visit my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/mari.hurt?ref=name