jedimentat

PXL_20201015_190002313.PORTRAIT-02.ORIGINAL

Someone's Halloween display in Hoboken, (not my photo)

Lots of lovely Fall days...

Seven hot air balloons over Hunterdon

Went to Hacklebarney State Park twice, for lovely hikes..

Rainy Day hike

Feeding the animals with the pulley @ Alstede

Everything lookin' pretty Autumnal around here..

Kirk made some "You've Been Boo'd!" cards

Painted some pumpkins with the Kindergarteners

Halloween! Managed to make it fun, all things considered.

And, even though it happens right at the start of November, since I'm getting to this post kind of late, here's pics from Liberty's birthday! My babygirl is EIGHT. God, I love her so much. She brings such joy into my life, and makes me feel so lucky. She didn't have a friends-party (which is a tricky situation this year in itself for her, because she switched schools in September, and it's nearly impossible to make *new* friends right now and have playdates, so it's been a *lot* of socialization with just her brother and us. She's been a really good sport about it.

Clinton Duck Road Rally. I joined the local Rotary. (I think I have a "joining things" problem). This pandemic is making me do strange things, like tie a giant duck to my car

Building, Riding bikes

such a good helper!

The children are taking a few classes at a local riding place

Donkey hugs! I love this Donkey. His name is Elvis. He totally snuck up behind me and nudged my back, and I jumped a mile.

Liberty

PXL_20201003_141857101.PORTRAIT-01.COVER

Kirk

lots and lots of school. Also other Zooms: BoE stuff, church stuff, etc etc.

more backyard Tae Kwon Do (also, Kingfox and I watched 'Cobra Kai' and 'Bly Manor' this month, and 'The Social Dilemma')

Play Practice: watching 3 sets of VonTrapps learn dances at the same time

I'm not saying it's always been great, but just looook at these cuties!

lots of Mario

Gram Darrow, Kingfox's grandmother, who was the last remaining grandparent of the two of us, passed away this month. I talk about her in my subsequent entry.

It's just about Election Time (as I write this). Earlier this month, we sat around the firepit with friends, and darkly discussed what this could look like; just sort of grimly speculating, after we had run out of media to talk about. I've been steadily watching Colbert's Late Show, which has been so excellent. I feel like he's definitely switched from comedian to preacher at this point, and it's good. On a positive note, many local friends and acquaintances have popped in and been like, "I voted for you for BoE!" and it is sweet but also unreal. There have been plenty of weird and harsh Facebook messages and comments, more than I expected for such a nonpartisan, small-time position, but School Board stuff has apparently been a hotly and rather nastily contested thing in this area in the past. It's been an intense experience, as well as trying to get up to speed on BoE duties and issues facing the district, especially as they develop nearly daily, and I've been trying to learn and stay on top of as much as I can, so that I won't be dead weight if elected. The presidential debates happened, Supreme Court nomination happened, and the US is awash in placards, banners, and signs for both sides, so even driving down the road is bound to spike blood pressure. The WaPo had a two page spread which was a list in miniscule print of all the Trump lies and debacles since the beginning of his presidency, and it's pretty incredible. The pandemic rates are rising in NJ and we are back on a quarantine-list for other states, but there hasn't been lockdown action or restrictions like before. As the second school marking period begins, many more virtual students in the district have actually returned to in-person hybrid school, instead of the other way around (and hybrid receives many, many complaints about practicality (not unfounded), and feasiblity and so many other issues). Just making sure my kids make it through all their daily Chromebook Zooms takes up a very large portion of my day.

Porter

made some acorn squash bread

eggplant, beef red curry

cocoa krispie treats

baked bread

PXL_20201012_183443291.PORTRAIT-01.COVER

more bread

snuck away for an early Sunday morning on the beach. Some beach-church and mental reset. Quarantine-bod, don't care. It was lovely and very quiet. So quiet.

in JC

lots of firepit. Media= The Boys, Mandolorean Season 2, Queeen's Gambit, The Social Dilemma

00100sPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200929214722958_COVER

00100sPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200929214343205_COVER

ri-dic-u-lous!

my ortho says that my cyst-gel looks like a balloon-animal, all wrapped around, in there, and it's too deep and involved for a local. I'm putting it off. fun MRI this month..so freaky!! (this pic is not the problem-side, I didn't get a pic of the problem-side). did some 'earthing' to re-arrange my protons back to normal. also took Liberty to a pediatric eye doc to discuss eye-vein issue. It's stressful to do anything medical during Covid, no matter the assurances.

PXL_20201005_175519840.PORTRAIT-02.ORIGINAL

I still have the quail. I want to sell them before winter, but I can't bring myself to sell them to a hunter or for meat. Still figuring it out. They are real sweeties. But dumb. But pretty.