Strange Things and Revolutions

Two Saturdays ago ( after spending a wonderful day catching up with Amber and Cari amidst crunchy red leaves, pumpkin centerpieces, a cozy red house, dogs and docks, saiboats and hot cider) I was hit with a nasty flu in which I could barely think or talk for several days because every muscle in my body ached. This was followed by a few more days of tiredness and massive chest congestion, finally one week and one day later I feel mentally alert and energized!

But in the mean time some notable things have happened.

1. Sean and I drove by a female deer whose chest was covered in what appeared to be baseball-sized blisters. It happened so quickly we couldn't be sure of what we saw. A few days later I saw the same deer in the neighbor's yard across the street. I promptly grabbed Sean's binoculars and tried to figure out what exactly was growing on this deer's chest. I am still baffled. I am only certain that the growths are huge. Tumors? An infection? Burn? Healing wounds?

2. Saturday on our way to Port Orchard every car on our road (50 mph) was either moving at a snails pace or pulling off to the shoulder. When we finally arrived at the point that had everyone stopped, we were in the presence of an injured owl. It was staggering back and forth across the road as if intoxicated. We're still not sure if the owl had been hit by a car or wandered out of the woods with a broken wing. There were numerous folks on the telephone, so I trust that the owl is in the good hands of the Kitsap Animal Control. This is the third time i've seen an owl upclose and it causes me to understand why people like Bridget and Nana have such an affection for these birds. I like that many of my favorite people are owl-folk.

3. Sean was amazing this last week. Not only did he cook dinner every night, and fabulous one's I might add; he also humbled himself to go into the video store alone and rent a conglomeration of all movies girly: Ever After, Becoming Jane, etc. etc. He also spray painted a dresser we inherited a robin's egg blue for me, did the cleaning, fetched me endless glasses of water, made enough tea to fill a pond, and even made fresh ginger tea.

4. Yesterday I pondered in my head that if Sean and I ever have children I would like to have a girl named Cleary (after my nana's bloodline, Mary Theresa Cleary) and a boy named Sabot (prounced Suh-beau-after Sean's Grandma's bloodline, LaVerne Sabot-Swearinger, whose parents were from Paris). A few hours after thinking this, we went to go and see City of Ember, and lo and behold there was a lady-character named Cleary! Brilliant! If we never have children, there will definitely be some pets worthy of these names :)

Mary is taking a Revolutionary History Class, which has been so fun for Sean and I as well. She's just begun studying the French Revolution which is our favorite. So tomorrow Mary and I are having a French Revolution Party at which we will watch Marie Antoinette and Horseman on the Roof, eat pastel petit-fours, and make the most of our "big-hair" genetics by piling and poofing our hair into elaborate sculptures. This has led to the decision that if Sean and I ever attend a grand costume party I will go as Marie Antoinette and Sean as Napoleon.