It has been a long fall, here in Kitchener. Except for a single day where we had a hard freeze, temperatures have remained mild, and the winds slight, with the result that the leaves have kept most of their leaves late into the season. The colours have been gorgeous. I didn't realize how many more trees there were in the new neighbourhood compared to the old, but you really see it today.
This season was also the first halloween at our new house. Vivian, Nora and Erin walked over to some friends places and trick-or-treated with their families, getting a substantial haul. I thought I had grossly overestimated my store of trick-or-treats to give out, having gone to the Bulk Barn to get chocolate eyeballs and green licorice whips (worms). Turns out, I needn't have worried, since the neighbourhood kids cleared me out within 90 minutes, and all of them looked to be under the age of fourteen (and under the careful eye of their parents). It certainly bodes well for next year.
Erin continues to work extremely hard on her writing. Her promotion for The Scorpion Rules should ease up, now that she's had her tours of Austin, Nashville, Omaha, Ottawa and Montreal. There are some readings still to come in Toronto, but that's not so hard a trek. She is back to juggling her half-time job at the Perimeter Institute and revising the next volume in the book series.
As for me, I'm in the midst of edits for Icarus Down, and am pleased with how things are going. I can't help but get a little excited as things ramp up for the book's release, even if it is still a year away. There's a lot of work still to be done. In the meantime, I have more non-fiction commissions to complete. We are kind of running ourselves ragged, but it still feels good to be busy in a career we've chosen.
We still hate the loss of the light caused by the reversion to standard time. I repeat my call to end falling back, but I would much rather stick to daylight savings time, if it's all the same to you. I can handle getting up at sunrise if it helps push back sunset that much farther. The suddenly dark evenings, moreso than the chill nights and the promise of snow, really drive home winter, and is the hardest thing to take of the season.
Still, there's Christmas to look forward to. Maybe we can give ourselves and the kids the gift of going someplace warm?
Photos of our halloween and autumn shenanigans can be found here:
