It’s been quiet around the blog lately…because I have been run off my feet, first getting ready for my anniversary trip to Portland, then actually enjoying said trip, and now, in recovery. We had a lovely time–four and a half days to explore an area of the country completely foreign to us. Waterfalls and various vegetation were the major players. We traipsed through the International Rose Garden, the Japanese Gardens (LOVED them!), apple and pear (and wine!) country, Christmas tree farms and various other verdant, mossy areas interspersed with the wild reds and yellows of autumn. And we even took a leisurely drive down to see the redwoods in Northern California. Hubby couldn’t resist being so close (only six hours!) away without seeing them. They were definitely something. I must admit though that my experience hiking through the gentle giants was somewhat tainted by my crazy wild fear that a grizzly was going to pop out of a jumbo hollow and grab me up as a quick ‘takeaway’ meal without my oblivious husband being any the wiser. Thankfully, I made it out alive, and in looking through my pictures, found this unexpectedly sweet shot taken over the side of the famous Multnomah bridge. (You guys do see that heart I’m seeing, right? Turn your head sideways–I can’t get the picture to upload with the correct orientation.)

And now we’re back…and gearing up for this weekend’s Quidditch match. I’m crossing my fingers for good weather and good sportsmanship and good spirits. At the very least it should be good for some hilarity.

The quality on this video clip isn’t the best, but it’s definitely worth a look. I can imagine opening a jewelry box and finding these two dancing inside. Makes me smile.

Trying to think back over my week and how I filled all those hours while the boys were at school–I don’t know what I was doing–Tuesday may as well be a lost day! Today, for instance, I’d just gotten home from walking the dog when a friend called and asked me to watch her one-year-old for a couple hours. Well, let me tell you that I got not one thing done while he was here. Scratch that–I did get some vaccuuming done, because I turned on the Roomba. After that, the toddler was a piece of cake too, because all he wanted to do was follow it around as it bumped into furniture and transitioned from carpet to linoleum. The TV remotes were a big hit too.

So then I worked out, inhaled a quick lunch, and then headed up to the boys school to volunteer a little. I am an organized and efficient person, and I always imagine each task I undertake (suddenly I’m feeling very Mary Poppins…) will be performed in exactly that manner. Egad, but that school is like a black hole where time is concerned. I must have stood waiting to use the copier (to make 75 copies) for fifteen minutes. And being merely a volunteer, I am lowest on the totem pole–if any teacher comes in for a ‘quick 25’, I’m courtesy bound to let her proceed me in the queue. But they just keep coming!! I honestly felt like locking the door to the copy room. I imagine that sort of thing is frowned upon.

Then, on my walk down the halls, I admired the artwork and noticed the signs hyping a school-sponsored Skate Night. Since it is to be held during Red Ribbon Week (Say No to Drugs Week), the slogan is ‘Skate No to Drugs’. Slightly hokey, but perfectly fine. So one sign I pass says, ‘Skate No to Drung’ and another suggests, ‘Skate No to Durg’. Who, I’m wondering, is in charge of making these signs–they are clearly done by kids, but isn’t there any oversight?? It always bothers me a little when notes come home from my kids’ teachers with misspellings, mis-used contractions, poor punctuation, and a lack of accurate capitalization. Shouldn’t I be worried about this?? These are, after all, the people that are teaching my children the rules of punctuation, capitalization, etc. But that’s a topic for another time.

Then I came home, kids in tow, exhausted, and tried to regroup. Looking back at my day, I really didn’t accomplish much of anything in all those hours of being a stay-at-home mom. Hmmm. Still, my time was (mostly) my own, and there’s definitely something to be said about that.

Tonight we’re watching a Disney Classic: The Moonspinners with Hayley Mills, based on the book by the incomparable Mary Stewart. We are slowly working our way through my favorite childhood movies, including Swiss Family Robinson, That Darn Cat, and The Apple-Dumpling Gang. Should be a lovely evening of time-wasting.