Busy & Dull. That about covers it for today.

Alex missed the bus, so I drove her. Phoebe almost missed the bus, but she made it (with some running involved).

I ran some errands. To the store a couple of towns away to pick up Alex’s iPod case (I know, it’s cracked already, but this should help it from getting worse), to the pharmacy for allergy meds that are no longer over the counter (darn meth dorks), the oil change place, then the grocery store to pick up a few things (salad, noodles, tissues, and a few others). I had a few minutes to run home, put the purchases away, cook the noodles and assemble dinner (for later) before leaving again.

I met Alex after school ended and then got gas in the car, dropped mail at the post office, and got something to eat. I returned Alex to her school (away basketball game) then headed over to get Phoebe.

I parked in the school lot. I was early, but to find a space to park in, you have to be early. I drew a few things and listened to NPR while waiting until the doors opened. Being a kindergartener, I have to go in and collect her from the teacher. We got back in the car and drove an hour away for Alex’s game just to watch her and a little over half the team sit on the bench the entire game. Not to mention that they started the game way late which made it impossible for her to go to practice for her other team (so she could play a little tonight).

Phoebe and I drove back to Alex’s school where we waited for the bus to return the players, then we went home. Ray was outside working on the Jeep some more. I heated up the dinner I had made earlier (I am so glad I did that!). Phoebe and I chilled. Alex worked on homework. Ray worked on the Jeep for quite some time, then read through the service manuals for a while after that.

Tomorrow should be quiet and dull. Yay!

We had absolutely stunning weather this weekend. Warm,  nearly cloudless, sunny, and just plain gorgeous.

Ray spent much of his time working on the Jeep.

Like yesterday, I spent a lot of time either in the car or indoors and running errands. Not really fun things either. I had taken Alex to basketball practice. They were originally going to scrimmage another team from somewhere else, but that fell through. I dropped her off and went to take care of some things while I was “in town.”

Turns out that the oil change place is closed on Sundays. Hmm. The library was open, however. I returned some things and checked out some new things including an item they had on hold for me (Eclipse on audio CD). From there, I went to the hair supply store, but realized I didn’t have my card so that was out. I went into a superstore after that. This particular one used to be my favorite, but they’ve been undergoing a massive renovation. You know the kind, where you cannot find a single thing anywhere. The pharmacy is moved to the opposite corner. The bottle return is OUTSIDE the store (wth?). And, the evilest thing, they removed the Starbucks (how dare they?!)!! Anyhow, I went there, followed by another two stores in search of an iPod case for Alex’s touch (the folding over kind that protects the glass) to keep it from getting worse. No luck.

I also stopped by where our mailbox is and checked it. Of course, there’s a slip that they are holding something at the counter (it was after hours at the time). Then, I headed back to the gym.

When we got home, I helped Ray out a bit. Basically, I would try and start the Jeep while he either fiddled with things or watched what happened. Unfortunately, it didn’t get started today and he’s not sure why, but he’s undeterred.

This week actually promises to be less busy, if you can believe that. And, I have a girls-only party to go to on Friday night (yippee!) that I am looking forward to.

So, I took the girls with me to the mall (close to an hour away) after having made an appointment for the “Genius Bar” at the Apple Store there. Alex wanted to know if they could do anything about the cracked glass on her iPod Touch and how much that would cost.

Basically, it turned out just as I expected. She can get a “like replacement” of the same generation, model and capacity that she has now for $149. She can get and upgrade to the current generation which, I believe, cost $249. Both of which she can get a 10% discount for trading in her current one. Or, she can go through an “authorized apple” whatever place and they will replace the screen, but it will cost a bit above $100. Yeah, as you might guess, she was not happy. But, at least I had warned her and she wasn’t distraught over the news.

After the Apple Store, we went across the hall to Build-A-Bear to look at what they have new. This was Phoebe’s “reward” for behaving in the Apple Store. Yet, despite being forewarned (several times) that we were not going to actually purchase anything today, she still threw a whopper of a fit when we left the store. (She really wanted a new bear! I would have caved on an accessory for her current bears, though.)

She calmed down a bit while Alex browsed through Hot Topic. On the way out I got them each a cookie from the Nestle stand and we headed home. Though, we stopped at the grocery store for milk and eggs just before we got home.

When we did arrive at the homestead, I pulled through the gate and what did my wondering eyes behold? The Jeep OUTSIDE of the barn! You know, the barn that the Jeep called home for nearly four years!

Granted, Ray towed it out with his Foreman, and his truck was running to charge the battery up more and try and jump start it. When we pulled up, he was trying to figure out how to drain the half of a tank of four year old, stale gas out of it.

As of tonight, it’s still not running, but it is getting so very close.

I did way too much today. I hardly sat down. I did a lot of cleaning and tidying and what-have-you today, yet it hardly looks like anything happened. My day also included five loads of laundry (that sucks!).

I hadn’t felt good all weekend. I don’t feel well today, but I felt this odd need to do some of the things I did today, and instead of sitting down and resting a bit in between (I’m still sick after all), I packed other tasks in between.

I picked Phoebe up from school and went home for a little bit (about 30 minutes) then headed back up to the schools for Alex’s basketball game. Afterwards, Ray took her to Hoopsters practice while Phoebe and I headed home. About 15 minutes after Ray returned home, I left to pick Alex up.

In the meantime, Ray replaced the cracked glass in the corn stove. After we got home, Ray loaded up the engine hoist and stand into the truck bed so that he can return it to my Dad and Brother tomorrow. (Thanks!!! Sorry it took so long!)

I’m so tired. I hate being sick.

The seasons are changing. It can be felt in the air. I know that they have already changed based on the calendar, but this week we expect a few nights with lows near freezing!

September is being drawn to a close. Our garden was a miserable failure this year, but I have a few theories as to why. We’ll be purchasing pumpkins for the first time in nearly ten years! The tomatoes did alright, not stellar, but good enough. The green beans were great (those that survived the bunnies and the Japanese beetles munching the leaves). The asparagus was good and when I mowed it all over on Friday, there were new shoots by Monday (it is a cool season crop after all!). Our loses include: corn, peas, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkins (pie and carving), zucchini, and cucumber. That’s a lot that didn’t come to be.

The pool is finally closed. Though we think there is a leak in the seam at the bottom of the liner. So either there will be water in the pool in the spring, or, there won’t be. If there isn’t, it should be easier to find the leak, right? Plus, we’re contemplating moving the monster if its empty anyway. Closer to the patio rather than across the yard (and the gravel driveway). There is space now near the patio thanks to the GIANT tree that toppled over back in June.

The first month of school is essentially over now. Phoebe absolutely loves kindergarten so far. She loves riding the bus, eating lunch at school, and, of course, all the recesses. Alex likes school well enough I suppose. She likes her teachers so far and for the most part she’s doing well (homework is STILL a huge issue with her and it will only get worse next year). She abhors riding the bus and I swear she misses it at times to avoid riding it. (Um, hello? ASK for a ride in advance. It’ll be more pleasant for everyone. Trust me.)

Basketball (for school) is in full swing with practices every day and games twice a week. Their last game is October 27th. Alex is also on her AAU team, though she’s ineligible to play in a game until the school season ends. AAU has practices 2-3 times a week and a couple of tournaments that she will miss due to the ineligibility (and 3 others who are on the AAU and the school team).  All of the clubs are starting up, or will soon: Science Club (Science Olympiad), Chess, Computer Game Programming, etc.

Phoebe is in a high level of ballet than she was last year. They are doing more complicated things, learning to spot, and not goofing off quite as much. She loves it though! Soccer is also underway. Tuesdays are hard because she is home from school for 40 minutes, off to ballet, then off to a soccer game. Thursdays are usually soccer practice (and school) and she has games on Saturday morning. October 18th is the last game. It’s already cold and windy.

October would usually bring cooler weather, but honestly, I don’t want it much cooler! Not yet. We had our corn bin delivered. They guys used my retaining wall blocks to set it on! WTH? So, thank goodness it didn’t have a ton (literally) of corn in it yet, so Ray and I were able to move it onto cinder blocks instead. So, heating season is upon us and no corn yet. Guess that’s alright since the glass on our corn stove has a crack so we cannot fire it up just yet.

Like I said, we’ll be buying pumpkins this year. Halloween is coming (Alex’s favorite holiday) up. We still need to make a trip to the apple orchard and cider mill (the nice one with the press running and all…not just the shack to buy the stuff in).

Time to get the winter garb out, dust it off, clear out the mothballs, and get prepared.

I’m not ready for the cold.