First of Fall

It is the first day of autumn, and we woke up this morning to a typical autumn day: cool and clear with the promise of a warm afternoon. The kids put on their shorts, t-shirts, and jackets, then headed outside, bearing backpacks, to see the newest member of The Funny Farm family before heading off to school.

 We adopted Daisy on Friday. I had resisted adopting a dog, determined to wait until we were in the house. But then a friend posted some pictures on facebook. She was free, oh-so cute, and her farm dog mix of Great Pyrenees, Australian Shepherd, and touch of Blue Heeler made her a dog we couldn't pass up.

I am hoping that Daisy will help Joe get over his fear of dogs. It is working, I think. Joe adores Daisy, but is still apprehensive. We keep reassuring him, "Daisy is just a baby. She is not mean, she just playing. If she is doing something you don't like, you can make her stop." Still, you can tell from this photo- he tries to keep a safe distance.

 While the kids are at school and I am doing chores around the farm, Daisy is my sidekick. I have to be careful, though. If I stop moving for more than a few seconds, she curls up on my feet, tempting me to cast aside all responsibility and plunge my hands into her fluffy softness.

 In spite of the new distraction, things are moving along on the house. We had the building inspector come out last Thursday to give us a list of things we needed before we could get our final certificate of occupancy. I also called the electrical inspector to see if we were ready for our final electrical inspection. We were hoping we could pass that inspection this week, but turns out there are a couple of minor thing we need to fix before that will happen. Maybe next week. Once we have electrical and a few other minor things, we can move in and work on getting our final occupancy.

Countertops are going in! They aren't exactly what I wanted, but comparing the time and cost difference between the in-stock countertops and ones we'd have to special order, we opted for the less-expensive, faster option. Terry, our ever-helpful neighbor, came over yesterday to help Chris install them. I am thankful. I was worried that with our inexperience, we wouldn't do a very good job. But Terry is a pro, and I can cast those worries aside.

In other news, Finley came to me about a month ago, bubbling with excitement and determination. Mrs. Sweeney, the music teacher at school, was about to hold auditions for Melody Makers, a 4th and 5th grade extra-curricular choir. Finley wanted to try out. Warning sirens went off in my head. My sweet, music-loving daughter can barely hold a tune. "That's great, Finley! I am proud of you for wanting to try out. I just want you to know that you might not make it," I cautioned her.

For the audition, the students were to sing Mrs. Sweeney a song, then try to match notes she played on the piano. I practiced with Finley. The results were not very good. I was not very optimistic, but kept my opinion to myself.

The day of auditions, I picked the kids up from school. As I pulled up to the curb, it was obvious, Finley was floating on air. "I made it! I made it!" she yelled before I could even open the door. Out of the 65 kids that auditioned for the 36 member choir, Finley was #36 on the list.

All I can think is that Finley's Sue-Heck-ish enthusiasm won her a place, because she certainly doesn't have the greatest ear. (Chris keeps making Barney Fife jokes to me on the side.) So, thank you, Mrs. Sweeney. Maybe you see potential that we can't. Maybe you just needed some truly earnest kids to boost the energy of the choir. Either way, I don't care. Finley really enjoys it, and I am just praying this experience will help my daughter to sing mostly in tune. That would be amazing.