Blue Skies, Happy Feet and an 8-Pointer!

We have had some extraordinarily beautiful days lately.  Yesterday it got up into the 70s.  It has been impossible for me to resist working in my yard.  The kids and I managed to get all the leaves raked and bagged, and I prepped the soil in some of my flower beds and even planted some bulbs for the Spring.

Tomorrow is going to be gorgeous again, but then rain is coming into the area tomorrow night; and although Wednesday is still going to be warm, it is supposed to rain all day.  The rain will continue into Thursday, with a brief respite, then return Thursday night, along with a cold front, and Friday the high is going to be only 35!  That will be quite a shock to the system.  We may get snow then as well.

Well, it was beautiful while it lasted, anyway.

Eler Beth and Thomas went deer hunting Thursday, Friday and Sunday.  She took a break on Saturday, and he went out alone and got an 8-point, 180 lb (after field dressing) buck.  She wasn't jealous, though.  They didn't even see anything on the days she went out.  She had a great time, though, and I will have to post a picture of her in her hunting gear and with her gun.  She's a trooper; Thomas said she's one of the best hunting partners he's ever had, because she'll stay out all day and not complain.  She even used a climbing tree stand!

Friday afternoon, though, she and I had some time together.  We did some shopping, had dinner at this great pizza place and then went to see Happy Feet.  It was good.  There are a lot of little things under the surface of that movie that, happily, the kids don't get.  I did enjoy it, though.  The music was great, Savion Glover's dance moves, even when being performed by a penguin, were exceptional, and the backdrops were gorgeous. 

Andrew joined about 19 friends and some of their parents for a bowling party Friday afternoon, then they all went to the friends' house who was hosting the party for food and games.  Then he left from there with one of the guys to spend the night at his house.  This friend is starting a band and wants Andrew to play keyboard for them.  His mom said they were up until about 6 a.m. Saturday morning! 

But today everything was back to normal, off to school and work (housework for me!).  This evening after Thomas got in from work he made a start on packaging up the deer.  We keep the meat in ice water for a couple days to cool it down and keep it safe until we can get it into the freezer.  Tomorrow I think it'll be some nice juicy steaks on the grill for dinner.  We may as well use the grill one last time this Fall before the cold, rain and snow.

And now I've come full circle, I believe.  I hope to catch up on a few more journals and get my weekly routine back.  Hope everyone is having a good week.