naked

Not me, this post. It's going to be naked because I can't download photos since I left the necessary chord at work. And I am at home. So photos tomorrow. Photos of a new second grader.

Anna started school today, and what a difference a year makes! She got up at 6:00 this morning and came in and pounced on us; by 6:15 she was fully dressed, was making her own (!) lunch and ready to have me do her hair. I'm so proud of her; when we went, on Friday, to check out the class lists, we found that she is in a different class-room than all of her closest friends. And it didn't phase her a bit; she said "Well, I'll still see them at recess and I'll make new friends!"

Meanwhile, there was one mother there, who, upon realizing her daughter didn't get into the class she'd wanted, ranted and raved and said to anyone who made the mistake of making eye-contact with her "Oh, I am NOT happy. This is NOT acceptable. I will be here at 8:00 Tuesday morning; this is NOT over! Look at my daughter's face!" Her daughter (a SIXTH GRADER) was completely fine until her mother started getting all dramatic. I can't stand those mothers, the ones who have no life of their own outside their children's. Guess who's kid is going to be sneaking out of her bedroom window in the middle of the night when she's 14?

Ahem. Anyway, it was a lovely weekend. The weather has changed and it just feels like fall. It's wonderful. I lazed about on the porch and read, and then Saturday night went with Sarah to the Sound of Music at The Shop. The movie was shown outdoors, on the side of a building. We ended up getting there after it had started so we were stuck in the very back row. The parking lot was PACKED with people, all of whom were enjoying the movie but being awfully civilized. Until we arrived. We were determined to sing along, and sing we did. Eventually, other people around us started singing too, and some even got so into it they got up and waltzed during the big party scene. We had so. much. fun.

Yesterday Anna, David and I went out to Turnbull, the nearby Wildlife Refuge, to see if there were any birds migrating through. Just as we got there, my ex-husband called to tell me that he was on his way to the emergency room AGAIN. He had been backpacking at a high-mountain lake and was breaking camp when one of the tent-poles flew backwards and hit him in the eye! Once he was able to open it again, all he could see was white fuzzy snow. He thought he'd most likely lost his vision in that eye permanently. He gathered himself up and finished packing and started down the trail. His eye hurt so badly (and the other eye was having to work so hard to compensate) that he could hardly see at all; he had to stop every 10 minutes during the 5 mile hike to rest his eyes. At one point he heard what he is certain was a bear in the woods tearing the bark off a tree. He had pepper spray in his back-pack for that very reason; he was deep in grizzly country at the worst time, when they are foraging for food to fatten up before winter. But he realized, sitting there on a stump, that despite having protection, he wouldn't be able to see well enough to protect himself. So he pried his "good" eye open with one hand and hobbled down the trail, checking behind him every few minutes to make sure the bear wasn't behind him. Jesus. He made it to his truck and drove 60 miles of windy mountainous roads until he had cell-phone service; he called his mom and step-dad to come get him. It turns out that he just scratched his eye very badly but will regain his eyesight and will be fine after a few days. Anna is disappointed that he didn't have an eye-patch; she was going to suggest a parrot for his shoulder.

Um...where was I? Oh yes, we went to Turnbull but there weren't many birds out there at all. But it was the perfect temperature and we had a nice hike around the ponds. I did get some nice photos which I'll post tomorrow.

Ok, I'm off to get ready for my doctor appointment. Happy Autumn!