Halloween

I can't believe it--it's Halloween already. Didn't we just do this? Here are Thomas and Frederick about to head out for tricking and treating. Notice Thomas is NOT in costume not because he doesn't have one--he does and wore it to a school party yesterday--but because he felt he was "too old" to go tricking and treating. He did want to walk with us, though, and check out events in the neighborhood. I told him to tell that to the "kids" several inches taller than me that came to our door this evening, but that didn't change Thomas' mind. Frederick, though, is a bat in case you can't tell). Here he is trying to look menacing but can't help smiling.
Here they are with Simon amongst the flood of children hitting our neighborhood. Minivans park in the video store lot next to our house and unload 10 or 20 of them. Every year someone gets caught up in our climbing rose in our front yard. This time it was a giant kid dressed as Michael Myers. (I saw one kid dressed as Urkel this year--I haven't seen that in at least 15 years.)

Lazing on a (not so) Sunny Afternoon

Simon and Frederick head out to the "light poles", the name of a walking tour of the College Cultural Area that Frederick mapped out in late Spring. It's about 3 miles round trip and includes stops at a nearby park (the boat park, so called because it features a wooden boat), Mott Community College, and our offices at UM-Flint. Frederick has been known to run the whole route, which Simon loves because it gives him some much needed exercise after teaching philosophy all day.
Dangerous monkey bars (with bars 6 inches apart so kids can get their heads stuck in them) are slowly being replaced with these sorts of things.

Frederick checks out the boat--hasn't changed since the last time he was here, the day before.

Saturday Frederick weighed in at the doctor's office (a check up with his allergenist--we're down to one shot every 4 weeks now! Whoopee!) at a whopping 64 pounds. How long before he can no longer squeeze in through the windows?
Frederick enjoying himself. Is Simon laughing that hard? I'm sure he is. He loves this walk.

Hard Times

Thursday evening and all seems well. Thomas is getting the timpani set up for another 2 hour Philharmonia rehearsal. This season features, among other numbers, a segment of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. So far, it's a bit hit and miss but there has been noticable improvement even since the first run through a month ago.

Omid, Thomas's percussion side-kick for the past 5 years, is clearly geeked to be there.

But a mere 3 hours later Thomas is hit with a flu that lays him out cold. Symptoms: headache, fever and sore throat. Today, Sunday, he is better (he actually ate something!) but has completely lost his voice--scary, but admittedly not necessarily a bad thing from the parental point of view.
And, meanwhile, what has Simon been up to? Acting not his age but his shoe size and getting into a brawl on the basketball court. Here he is modeling his split lip which the doctor sealed up with super glue--faster than stiches and leaves no scars. (Rumor has it that we can thank the US involvement in Vietnam for that piece of medical progress. If true then perhaps our students are right--everything always works out best in the end.)

The New York Times is obsessed with Flint

This is the third article I've seen in there about Flint this year. (These are the other two. Our street even gets a mention:)

For-Mar in the Fall with Frederick

The Rock of (Sad) Birthdays

On the way to Thomas's school we pass by this rock every morning, and two or three times a week it's been re-painted, presumably by elves.  Usually the rock says "Happy Birthday" but usually it's to somebody who died (because their date of death is supplied).  Perhaps painting a rock by the side of a busy road.  I only have my cell phone with me, so you will have to peer to get something of the true glory of the Rock of Sad Birthdays (this is just a selection):