So here's the short of it, 
Happy Halloween

And here's the long.

Another Halloween at this house is over.  The candy is gone. The lights in the front of the house are out and the door is closed.  And Sophie is trying to relax.  She was really on point tonight.  Alerting me each time a group headed toward the door.  I think it was probably a pretty stressful night for her. Almost every group commented on how beautiful she is -- and several youngsters commented on how big she is!

Alan has been working really hard on the front lawn over the last few weeks.  So he concocted a couple of signs to try and keep the kids on the sidewalk!  Believe it or not, it worked to a large degree.  In case you can't make out the sign, it says-


DANGER

QUICKSAND

USE THE
SIDEWALK


I heard several parents telling their children to stay on the sidewalk!

We had over 175 Trick or Treaters.  I always ask them where they go to school to get some kind of idea of where they are coming from.  Tonight they were mostly from around these parts.  We had quite a few who came from the town side of Missionary Ridge, and then scattered ones from as far away as Ringgold and other outlying areas.

Vika R. and her boyfriend came by late in the evening.  I haven't seen her in a long long time.  Vika was adopted from Latvia by a family in the neighborhood just a couple of years after Liga and Valdis came to us.   It was so sweet of her to come by.

So here's the short of it, 
We've heard from Liga every day. 

And here's the long.

Liga bought a text plan that allows her to do 50 international texts for a certain price -- so we've heard from her every day.  She sounds like she's really having fun and that she's making some friends in her group.

Today they were at Tzfat or Safed.  Her text said that it was "gorgeous".  Later on they were going to do some hiking.  It sounds like they are getting in a hike every day.  Can't wait to see her pictures!

My day was particularly long and tomorrow probably will be as well!  I'm sure going to enjoy hitting the bed and getting into the snooze here in just a few minutes!

So here's the short of it, 
Thinking about everyone in the path of the storm.

And here's the long.

There are several folks we know who are more or less directly in the path of Hurricane Sandy -  Shelley, Lou and the kids; Ellen, Keith and kids; and several former students and acquaintances.  Myra has been in Italy and was supposed to be arriving home (Philadelphia) tomorrow - that homecoming has been delayed because of weather until Thursday!

The news stories and pictures are absolutely astounding.  There's this picture of a pretty disoriented and probably very scared bay shark next to someone's front porch, identified on the picture making the internet rounds as Ventnor, NJ.  I suppose it could be photoshopped, but it certainly seems as though it could be as real as some of the others that are making the rounds.  I've heard that Long Island City is underwater - that the New Jersey subways are flooding - that there is three feet of water on the trading floor of Wall Street - and over 2 million people are without power!

I'll have to say that my favorite lighthearted photoshop image shows Poseidon emerging from the sea onto the eastern shore.

On a more serious note, I'm thinking of those we love, those we know, and all the people we never even heard of who are having to live through this unbelievable storm.  I'm in thought and prayer as are folks of many faiths.  Strength to all for the hours and days to come.

So here's the short of it, 
I think that my patio breakfasts are over for the season.

And here's the long.

This morning it was too cold to sit on the patio and eat breakfast.  And yesterday it was too cold.  It's also too dark at breakfast time now to sit out on the patio and eat breakfast. Sophie also prefers to have breakfast outside, but we can manage indoors until the weather warms up.  And who knows - maybe there'll be a day or two on a weekend when it's warm enough to have a very late breakfast or a lunch out on the patio.  In the meantime, I'm moving breakfast into the dining room until spring time.

I'll still share a dish of oats with Sophie.  Raisins in mine - not in hers.  But I'll sit at the dining room table and she'll be nearby.  Maybe every once in awhile we'll have yogurt instead.  And since we'll be inside, once in awhile Lola may come to join us for a bit.  Especially on the mornings we have yogurt.

It's a nice start to the day.

So here's the short of it, 
Liga's off to Israel!

And here's the long.

Liga's long awaited Birthright Trip departs from Newark in just a little over an hour.  It's been an exciting few weeks as the time for departure got closer and closer.

This morning she came over for breakfast so Alan and I could take her to the airport.  It ended up being just as inexpensive to fly in and out of Chattanooga (when you consider the cost of having to get to a remote airport).  She's been good about keeping her nervous Mom posted by text on her whereabouts for each leg of her trip.  By about 7:30 she had connected with her travel group and I was able to relax.  They leave at 11:50 so I'll hear from her after she boards and then not again until they've landed.

Here are a few pictures of her departure!

She did a great job of packing!  Much better than I would have done!!

We sat for just a few minutes and visited before it was time for her to make the first leg of the trip!

Bon Voyage!!!

Here's to a great and wonderful adventure!!

So here's the short of it, 
Birthday thoughts.

And here's the long.

Tonight Alan and I went to services at Temple -- for my birthday.  One of the explications at the bottom of the page included this quote from Martin Buber.

When people come to you for help, do not turn them off with pious words, saying "Have faith and take your troubles to God."  Act instead as if there were no God, as though there were only one person in all the world who could help - only yourself.  Martin Buber

I was especially struck by this. I think it might be a good quote to go on my mirror for this birthday year.  I suppose I first became acquainted with Martin Buber in my college years.  I read I and Thou for one of my philosophy classes, and it had a pretty powerful impact on my thoughts.  That book is still on our bookshelf, but it's been a few years since I picked it up.

I think having this quote where I'll see it a couple of times a day will be a positive influence.  It may even encourage me to look through the Buber book again, But even more importantly, it might help me look at my actions in this light more often.

So Happy Birthday to me -- what a great birthday gift to have this come into my life this evening.

So here's the short of it, 
We should have taken a 3 generations picture in front of the ballot box!  

And here's the long.

Today at lunch time I took Liga and Mom and we all voted.
I love Early Voting!  The line wasn't long, the people were nice, and it's done and we all feel good about it.

This blog could be about our differences of opinion, or about our passion for our candidates, but it's not going to be.

I'd like to say thanks to you Mom and Dad for instilling in me the desire to be a part of it all.  To study the issues and to study the candidates.  To figure out which candidates I think best represent those things that I believe in.  And then to go and cast my vote.  Even when I know that my candidate won't win, or that I live in a state where my vote "won't count".  I vote because You taught me how important it is to take a stand and then try my best to make things happen.

So we voted.  I suspect that Mom and I might have cancelled one another out!  But that's OK.  We both made our voices heard.  And as someone recently said.  Whoever we elect as president will only be there for 4 or 8 years, but our family will be there forever!