Good-bye Old Man

We said good-bye to our old cat Tyson in late October. So, so hard for G. He sobbed and sobbed. "I'll never see him again." It was awful. I ached for him.

That night, at bedtime, G asked me to say a prayer.

I started. "Our Father--"

"Not that one," he cried.

"Now I lay me down to sleep-"

"Not that one either," he said, crying harder. "One about Tyson."

"Dear Lord, Tyson came to live with you in heaven today. Please take care of him. He's a great cat. A crotchety old man, but we love him very much. Please let G's grandpa's have him until we can get there..."

G fell right off to sleep before I was even finished.

And speaking of that giant pumpkin...

Pumpkin Carving Night At School

Despite the two pumpkins that served as our dining room centerpiece all month and G's giant, 100+ pound pumpkin (courtesy of the Mark and Barb) parked in front of the house...this was the only carving we did this year. And on the tiniest pumpkin of all.

Critters In The Moonlight

This was a fabulous event held at Hartwick Pines State Park a couple of weeks before Halloween:

"Although this program is especially focused for families with young children, all visitors will enjoy the jack-o-lantern-lit walk through a portion of the old-growth forest to encounter several of Michigan's forest animals," said DNR Park Interpreter Craig Kasmer.

The forest animals will be played by costumed volunteers who will tell participants a little about each animal to dispel some common misconceptions about them. The "critters" will include a bat, skunk, bear, wolf, snake, owl, spider, vulture and others. After the walk, visitors can enjoy a cup of cider and a doughnut at the picnic shelter. Children are encouraged to dress in their Halloween costumes and will receive a treat bag while supplies last.

Although G and I made a date to attend this with D and his grandma, they opted to ride with someone else and see us there. So G and I revised the plan and brought along K and J. So glad we did. Turnout was huge and we never even laid eyes on D and Grandma Claire in the overwhelming crowd.

The "critters" were informative, engaging and funny. And my three boys hung on every word, scooching to the front of our group for each presentation and asking good questions. "What do you do in the winter?" "What do you eat in the winter?"

They were patient in long lines and brave, if not a little nervous, about what lay ahead on the dark trail. They were also tireless. We arrived at 6:20 and didn't make our way to the cider and donuts portion of the event until nearly 9 PM.

Then they chattered away the entire trip home. We dropped J at his house. Then K. And before I returned to the truck after walking K to his door, G had pretty much fallen unconscious in the backseat. As he was in the middle seat, he tipped completely over when I made the first turn toward our house. And stayed that way until I carried him in. Happy but exhausted.

Good boys. Every one.

Love the pic above...they had just overheard talk of a bear up ahead.

What a thrill to see it up close...

Earlier this year, friends Barb and Mark secured an invitation to take G up in the tower at a military bombing range here in Northern Michigan. Our first opportunity came in October. It was truly a "WOW" experience.

While the planes were still outside range airspace, we toured the facility--all of us amazed at the level of training that occurs here, right in our own backyard. At any given time, there are Navy SEALS and/or army personnel on the ground and F16s in the air--training for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Working together to ensure a precision that allows our airforce the ability to destroy targets sometimes within 300 yards of ground forces. Awe-inspiring and sobering.

For G, it all provided context. After a long explanation of how ground troops work--in constant communication--with the folks in the air during combat, G looked at me and said "so these guys keep Kevin safe?" Kevin is our soldier pen pal.

When the planes arrived, we observed their exercises from the tower's outside platform. Everyone, including G, craned necks to keep track of the planes as they circled and bombed targets. But when they finished and began doing 'fly-bys', G was instantly less enthused than the rest of us. I don't think he was as confident that the planes would not hit the tower. And he didn't appreciate the noise so much. Especially because it always came after the plane was already gone--took him by surprise every time.

Overall, an incredible learning experience for all of us and thrilling. Just thrilling. (Thanks to Mark for such fabulous pictures.)

G's New Charge

Although a bit overwhelmed by all of the choices, G ultimately picked this little black kitten--black to match Smokey--to be his very own:

Her name is Sidney and she is without any doubt G's kitten. She hangs limp as a rag doll whenever he carries her around, never biting or clawing to get away. And when he is at school, she pines for him, mewing pitifully in between naps. She sleeps with him every night and enjoys just about every toy he plays with. She especially likes the matchbox cars and Hot Wheels race tracks.

G's adoration is mutual, although it has been interesting watching him grow into the role. His respect and care for animals was there; instinctive, learned or both, I don't know. But the responsibility of it all gave him pause. He's never had a pet so dependent on him or devoted to him. He is proving worthy.

CCC Color Tour 2008

Cooler temps and a different Zimmer this year. Last year, we, along with Uncle Brad, sweated through 80 degree temps at this ride. This year, temps stayed at or below 50 degrees and Uncle Curt was as happy for our camper's furnace as we were.


G enjoyed the onsite kids loop, over and over again with his Dad and Uncle. I lost count of how many times his Dad took him out. And when I joined them for one time through the loop, G graciously waited for me--as I was much slower--and encouraged me to keep going. What a switch over last year. He is so much more advanced this year and hearing Uncle Curt recount his observations of G on the trail both confirmed and entertained (in one of those you-had-to-be-there moments).

G also enjoyed participating in the Kids Skills Challenge this year. This involved riding his dirt bike underneath a limbo bar, over logs and through traffic cones.




He happily placed fifth, collected some cool stickers for it and then filed the experience under the "done that" category. I think he was compelled in part to participate because all the kids were doing it and in part because it was another challenge, something he'd not yet done. And finishing it seemed more important than winning it. It's an attitude that will serve him well if he holds onto it. Have I mentioned what a wonderful teacher he has in his Dad?

And didn't Todd capture his 'game' face perfectly?