Harvest-time in Pueblo

Good news: there is autumn in Pueblo! It may not have the same kind of bite, and the foliage may be a good deal more mellow-toned, and we may still get 80 degree temperatures in the afternoons, but there is still a distinct autumn season in Southern Colorado. The leaves are a thick covering over both my front and back yards, for proof (I raked, but you know, wind keeps happening).



I recently had a chance to go OUTSIDE TOWN (gasp!) and into the COUNTRY (double gasp) for Adele's preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. Whee!

It was gorgeous. Warm, 80 degrees, but with all the trappings of rural autumn around it FELT like fall. In the way that the snow trim on the buildings in Universal Studios, Florida can actually make Hogsmeade Village feel like Scotland.

Anyway. Adele spent the majority of her time at the patch cuddling with this kitten. It just melted in her arms. She worried about it when we left, and went back twice because "She wants me to hold her." this is good, because it distracted her somewhat from the rabbit in the petting zoo who was frantically humping the chicken whenever it got a chance.

 She also got to pet a sheep:

We found a perfect pumpkin after a sunny hay ride through the farm.

And took a very agreeable saunter through the corn maze.

corn maze selfie

I had to take most of that day off of thesis writing, but it was worth it. I always do things far, far earlier than I need to, anyway. For example: today I finished a draft of a paper not due in its final form until December. It's how I roll.

The week of October 10 was rather unproductive, since I not only took Tuesday to go to the pumpkin patch, but we took Wednesday off as a family to see a special visitor to town....

I never really thought I'd be squeeing over being in the same room as Hillary Clinton, but SQUEEEEEE

We waited in line for >2 hours in the unseasonably chilly weather (50s and cloudy. very odd). It was worth it.

Adele gazed upon the first girl president. She is a BIG FAN. We let her watch the convention speech this summer, and a *few* minutes of the first debate, but as Mr. Trump has been considerably raising the age-rating of these events, we haven't let her watch much more. When she watched a few minutes of the VP debate, she scanned Mike Pence and Tim Kaine and asked us, "Mum, why are they both men?" Ah, children in the age of Obama & Hillary.

 

Miles enjoyed this too. We spent the first half of the wait in line reading to him from his children's book about elections. The second half he spent regaling the people ahead of us in line with jokes from his joke book. He's a treat. 

We do know homesickness. I know somewhere Leah is waxing to the end of her pregnancy, and that I won't see my new niece for a very long time. I know that I won't be home, either to Blacksburg or to Rochester, for more than six months. Advent will intensify this longing. But so much about Pueblo is nourishing, is just right, for us. And we hope to see some family over the holidays, right here in our home! It will be our first time hosting a holiday, so Pueblo has given us that, too.

Miles map to get to NY

It says, "Home" and "New York". By Adele.

Please pray that I get a job! We need it.

Ascension

I am weeks behind, documenting our lives. I have been leaning into my work, both the work of my MA coursework, and the work associated with applying for jobs. Last week I turned my 87 page draft in to my committee; this week, I scheduled my defense for Tuesday, November 15. In the past week, I applied for three jobs. Because it is time for me to have an income. 

Also, blogging just got a lot harder because the app I was using to blog just stopped working, abruptly, and this replacement app I found only works if I publish from my phone. Thumb typing whole blogs is an unattractive proposition, even as I finally break down and am doing it now.

So I am behind in blogging, but we have been making memories all the same. 

A couple of weeks ago, we attended Adele's preschool Octoberfest. It began with open-house. This specimen of Adele's work caught my eye:

She wants to be an electrician. I'd like to see anyone stop my little red-headed Scorpio from doing exactly what she wants. 

There was a requisite Adorable Performance from the Ascension Episcopal Preschool students:

And then a short outdoor children's mass. Outdoor communion is the best communion, imo. 

This is our church, where I am on rotation to teach children's chapel, where I sing in the choir weekly (and attend weekly rehearsals), where it seems I'll be directing the Christmas pageant this year. We did not waste any time in making ourselves at home. Perhaps it is a function of my loneliness, but I needed involvement.

That the church is connected to the preschool only makes it all more homelike. After mass, the kids thoroughly enjoyed the Octoberfest festivities. 

Faces painted and all.

For the Feast of St. Francis, we finally had a Sociable Animal to get blessed!

Koopa got his blessing...

...and got to meet the celebrity dog in attendance. Tundra is the mascot for CSU-P; she gave a demonstration howl just for us!

The Faithful Spot also got his blessing.

Ascension has received us so graciously, and it promises to be a source for friendship, wisdom, and blessings for our future in Pueblo. 

September: a summary

Blogging is getting away from me. Being a full-time student, it turns out, is as time-consuming as full-time work, at least when you have children in the house half the time!

We're all doing just fine out here, just thoroughly engrossed in the demands of the semester. I thought I'd give a recounting of our new routine, so you can imagine our lives out here.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I run with Koopa at 6:30, and take the kids to school after Jon leaves for work at 7:45. We walk the 600 feet to Miles' school, drop him off, and walk home to make the drive to Adele's preschool. It's only a 10 minute drive, thankfully.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Adele's babysitter picks her up from preschool and keeps her until 3:45 so I can get my work done. I should have a full draft of my thesis this week! And then the revision begins.

On Tuesday and Thursday, Jon does the school dropoff so that I can FaceTime into my class, which meets 9:30-10:45 EST, so here in Mountain Time, class begins at 7:30 am! That's before the kids leave, yes. Last Thursday saw me all dressed sharp, beginning my presentation to the class at 7:30 from my computer, with Miles eating is oatmeal just out of sight at the dining room table and Koopa asleep at my feet. It's weird, but it's working!

Oh, and I've joined the church choir! Weekly practices on Wednesdays are a pleasant interlude to my week. Making art is a good stress reliever. 

Thursday nights are lesson nights! Tap for Miles at 4:45, and Gymnastics for Adele at 6:30. They're loving it! But I honestly drag a little on Thursday nights...

On weekends, we play, clean, attend church and try to get out to see our city, at least a little.

A couple of weekends ago we made it to a free Medieval Festival, brought to us by the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Public Library in Pueblo West.

I love free family events! Not sure if they are really more wholesome or just feel that way because I'm not paying for them...

We enjoyed our free headgear...

 Free food from a food truck!

Free bouncing:





 And free face-painting!



 Free mock battles with medieval style weapons:

 

And free mountain views:

 

I'm still running Koopa once to twice a day. Sometimes, to be honest, it's more of a fast walk/jogging in place; he's not always got his energy back to run the whole time! And he seems to think he should be allowed to inspect the neighborhood with his nose. Still, we enjoy ourselves and get my heart rate up efficaciously.  

  Here we are last Saturday, running in the middle school yard:

see Koopa's ears mid-flop?

 I get the good views in the mornings, when the sun illuminates the Western mountains:

I followed everyone's advice and got new shoes, and my body is less achy already

 Sundays we've been making Koopa's second walk a romp at the dog park. The kids love the chance to pet other doggys, and Koopa simply wears himself out tearing after his friends.

 

See? Still worn out next day

 Now that fall's begun, I'm missing Blacksburg and my community there.





 There's a loneliness to this time, since I'm not at work. But I've made a couple of friends and have many prospects to make more. I have plans to get back to work this January, too, so that should ease that ennui some.

And I have my Colorado skies, which seem to get bluer every day, since fall began:

All in all, we are flourishing. Miles loves school, and has joined the mileage (running) club. Adele loves her preK and I think she loves her babysitter's house even more. She wants every day to be a Miss Alicia day.

 All is well.