More...

insane busyness.
church commitments.
achy backs.
hungry children.
late evenings.

However, I'm glad to report that I presently have (drum roll, please) --

NO GRADING TO DO!!!

That's awfully nice :)

My camera is gathering dust this week. No time for hunting down pictures, and besides, we're not doing anything worthy of photography anyway. Except perhaps Anna's gleeful dancing around the house this evening. She was rapturously happy for no explainable reason. She's a 16 year old girl. I informed her somberly that it is just hormones. She smiled, and squealed, "I know!!" And danced off.

Peter has finally conquered the box of frosted flakes this evening.

I had to meet with Julia's 2 teachers today. She is living in an imaginary world from the books she dearly loves (reminds me of another 9 year old I knew, about 35 years ago). She's extremely bright but not performing up to potential. She hums and sings in class and distracts other students. She doesn't get her work done and forgets and misplaces things. Dear thing. I suppose she'll grow out of some of this.

Here's a nice poem that my American literature students are memorizing this week. Perhaps it will add to your autumn feeling:

October

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf.
One from our trees, one far away,
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost --
For the grapes' sake against the wall.

-Robert Frost