Which reminds me of...

"The great gray beast February had eaten Harvey Swick alive."
-- Clive Barker

A poem by Emily Dickenson that I recently came across...
(in a most peculiar place), 

There's a certain Slant of light

There's a certain Slant of light,

Winter Afternoons –

That oppresses, like the Heft

Of Cathedral Tunes –

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –

We can find no scar,

But internal difference –

Where the Meanings, are –

None may teach it – Any –

'Tis the seal Despair –

An imperial affliction

Sent us of the Air –

When it comes, the Landscape listens –

Shadows – hold their breath –

When it goes, 'tis like the Distance

On the look of Death –

Woodland Masks and Butterfly Festival

So early this fall we received a Paper Source catalog in the mail -- it featured woodland animal mask kits -- so I decided we should try to make our own (-:

Lincoln made his own slightly terrifying upside down reversible mask while waiting for me to help him with his animal mask...

 

(Atticus was at a soccer game with his dad while we headed over to the Nokomis Butterfly festival...the kids decided -- happily to me -- to wear their woodland masks...Thea Belle some Butterfly wings...)

Waiting to make felted butterfly caterpillars from roving wool...

There were booths to make butterfly/garden stamps...science stations with microscopes...milkweed garden seed balls...some nurseries with butterfly-friendly plants...a Wild Rumpus Bookstore booth...and live music...

New Kitty Dress!

New dress using the Oliver & S "Hide and Seek" dress pattern. Cloud Nine kitty fabirc, Michael Miller polka dot fabric. Thea Belle personality.

Daddy-Daughter Endeavor

This was my children's response to carving a pumpkin this year...

This is who did all the work...

And this one...note: The Intrepid, Unflagging Worker and The Supervisor

Yep -- none of the boys would dirty their hands...but this girl, game on. She has been like this (and the boys like they are) about Pumpkin Carving from her first Halloween/Reformation Day onward. Yay, Brave Girls!

They all thought Thea Belle did a great job. (-: At least they cheered her on.

Dragon Riders, Dalek, and a Mermaid...

Dietrich and Lincoln are dressed as the dragon riders Hiccup and Burp (not in the movie, but Hiccup's little brother) from How to Train a Dragon 2. I had soooo much fun sewing these costumes -- faux leather and faux fur, rivets/grommets!!!, metal studs, and buckles everywhere. And I love! hand sewing!

Thea Belle wore the mermaid costume her Aunt Lindsey sent her for her birthday this summer. We made a mermaid crown from shells and pearls we found at Jo-Anns. It was a very heavy, impractical crown, but she loved it. (If she wears it while swimming with actual mermaids, the crown will be much more wearable (-: -- buoyancy and all...)

Atticus, as is his operating mode, had an elaborate and enthusiastic and impractical idea for his costume. He wanted to be a Dalek (evil alien species who embody hatred, arch-nemesi of the intrepid Dr. Who). The actual Dalek live inside these kitschy robot vehicles.

And because I can't help it, look at this drawing! Do you know how drew it? -- LINCOLN!!! Unaided, by himself. He has just exploded into creative drawing mode this fall...It is like he's found this area of uber skill and joy...I love seeing him just feast off of the thrill of doing it and the praise that comes from it...Hooray!

"Exter-min-ate!"

Our friends Shannon and Mark came trick or treating with us -- which was fun and also helped us out immensely after we realized how difficult it was for Atticus to move in his costume -- Brad and I helped him with the built-in handles on the Dalek's sides and Shannon and Mark stayed up ahead with the younger three...Thank you! And Hooray! and again.

 

Our street gets hundreds of trick or treaters because it's a main street and because we have a big-time Halloween house across from us. It is very festive and the Dalek added to the fun -- we had people taking Atticus' picture and stopping to talk with us and had fun hearing people trying to explain to each other what a Dalek is -- felt like we helped couples bond a little closer through a kitschy British sci-fi villian. Ha!

Franconia Sculpture Garden...Labor Day

On Labor Day we drove out to the Franconia Sculpture Park. It has been a few years since we visited it. This time the boys were much bigger and much stronger and the everything-is-game-for-climbing thing entered the dangerous-scary zone. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours. We came, let the kids climb and explore. Had two pee accidents (with no changes of clothes -- perils of having kids out of the diaper/potty-training stages but still being kids) which was ensued by one highly emotional and embarrassed man-child having an hour-long angri-sode replete with refusing to eat anywhere near us and then dramatically and loudly moving his lunch near-er and near-er to us glaring death-eyes at us with each re-location. It was terrible and sort of funny (in a mean way). Thankfully, he was able to work his way out of it and enjoy the rest of our trip.

 

  

The three boys climbed up and sat in both bucket things.

 

Deke and Atticus climbed up on top of the structure and were walking along the ridge two stories above the ground...that seemed a little dangerous, even to me. So Brad collected them down.

 

 

 

 

Did I trick you? Haha!

 

 

Inside the earthen maze/cave

Scary Tiger is one of Thea Belle's reoccurring characters

 

Clovers