Ahhh Fall

For the past five days we have been up at the cabin on the Blue (three cheers for random holidays celebrating questionable conquests that only state employees get off) It has certainly cooled down here in Tucson, but in the mountains it is downright chilly! All the leaves are changing color and that wonderful crisp nip was ever present. We didn't do too much hiking around, as Patrick is still sporting a sprained ankle, but that didn't stop us from a drive and picnic up on Escudilla and general frolic on the Blue.


Because we weren't going for any family treks, I decided to make a puppet theater for Evie that I saw in a magazine my mom had up at the cabin. I forgot how much I like sewing until I got into this project, which, because it has been years since I have truly taken needle to cloth took me probably twice as long as it would for the normal human. I think it turned out OK though and Evie (and Patrick) seem to think that it is a lot of fun. We didn't have any puppets at the cabin so I turned an old sock into a snake. We quickly realized that at Evie's level of puppetry stuffed animals are really just as good (if not better than) your traditional hand-operated devices, so we quickly had quite the menagerie of characters for Evie's shows. The pictures here feature snake and moose but there was also horse, strange kewpie doll (that we bought for a dollar at the Alpine thrift store) and bear.


Unfortunately Sunday night and all day Monday were spent cuddling poor sick Evie (another minor preschool plague, she is already feeling better) Her sickness, of course, now has Patrick and my parents down for the count and I am just sitting here waiting for it to take me too. Somehow I always seem to be the last one to fall... as I went to bed last night I took a few big breaths through my (unplugged) nose and a nice big swallow with my (un-scratchy) throat, just so I could remember what it all feels like when I eventually get sick. I'll do the same tonight, maybe adding a little prayer to the all merciful deity that occasionally spares parents of their children's viruses.