October's dark, damp days

It's a Thursday, and it feels like it. Rain fell on us in the early morning hours while inside we were tucked away, cozy in our beds. Drizzle dampened the tops of my legs on my 15 minute bike ride to school, and moisture gathered into fat drops on the brim of my helmet as I rode. Light from the streetlamps reflected onto the wet streets stretched nearly a block long and cast the rode in a yellowish bath. Now, the black sky is incrementally growing brighter outside the window in my classroom, but low lying clouds will insure a gray, morning.

Last Saturday I loaded up the family and we drove to Humboldt for the 52nd annual Biblesta parade. I had been contacted by my aunt Debbie to be on the First Baptist Church's float. I portrayed one of two men who encounter Jesus on the road to Arameas. I wore a full length crimson robe and turbin, and the funnest part was wearing an artificial "fu-man-chu" beard. Matt Loomis portrayed Jesus. I've known Matt just about my entire life, so it was good to chat with him. The day started out cool and gray, but then turned to warm sun and cool breeze.

Marin, Jack, and Leo sat on the west side of 8th street in front of the bank with grandma Bonnie, aunt Becky and mom, where they've sat each year for as long as I've been attending the event. Marian tells that Jack completely averted his eyes away from and would not view the horses as they passed, but rather watched her face and asked, "are they gone?" But, he liked watching all the people and he almost worked up enough nerve to enter a "moonwalk" inflatable jumping area. Mom took him to the elementary school playground for a while. After the parade, Marian, Leo and I sat with Becky and talked, while grandma had moved to the park to listen to the music entertainers. Mare and I sampled the hot dogs and pie.

We then took the boys to see grandma Irene. We talked and the boys played and then she joined us at mom and dad's for the ham and bean dinner. Dad still wore his full biker regalia as he was helping to put on the motorcycle show. He'd just arrived back the day before from a whirlwind trip on his bike to Las Vegas. He's the real deal. Then mom and dad had to take off to attend their church's revival, so our family loaded up to leave around 6:30.

Sunday was a bright and gorgeous October day, so we took the boys outside of town to the pumpkin patch for a hay wagon ride behind the tractor. They took us out on a short ride to the pumpkin patch and we picked out three. Jack finally got his chance to try out the moon walk at the pumpkin patch and he tore it up. He was just bouncing and singing and screaming and just being a boy. It was a fun afternoon.

The play is going along well, I've started accumulating my costuming options, and I've nearly got all my lines down pat. I attended Wednesday night graduate class last night. Tonight and Friday night I'll be at the courthouse attending play practice. I'll be relieved when the play is over and I can be home in the evenings.

For those of you who are wondering, Shelby (my dog) is doing well. She's itching and scratching and otherwise underfoot most of the time; same as usual.

I also forgot to mention Marian received a speeding ticket the other day when she was leaving Ottawa, driving to Lawrence. It's an expensive little ticket. She was leaving a 30 mph zone and approaching a 45 zone. I guess she jumped the gun a little.