It's only 8:30 and already I've run an emotional gamut. From wishing I had not woken up to realizing that my head was hurting and sleep wasn't possible anyway; from feeling groggy to invigorated and then to somewhere in the middle; from joy over news to dread of the day ahead; also looking forward to said day. Gamuts aren't always clear cut.

We're out of regular coffee. I've been tricking myself for the past day or two with decaf but today I wanted caffeine to try to help Advil kick the headache. Sometimes it works. This morning I'm trying hot chocolate with whipped cream. The sugar crash in an hour or two might be counterproductive.

BTG brought home the most beautiful maple leaves yesterday. She laid them all out on the white tablecloth. I neglected to take a picture. Today the edges are curled up and the effect is lost although the colours remain brilliant. She had talked about ironing them in wax paper--I think some of them are salvageable for that. It means changing our school plans to seize the moment. I think it will be worth it. Certainly we've derailed for reasons less noble than the preservation of beauty.

CTM has created a papier mache puppet. It's nearly done. I'm so proud of my children!

And KTU is enjoying stomping around the house in his new winter boots that he has proclaimed as cozy and comfortable. Actually he's not stomping, he's walking very softly. But the boots look like the stomping kind.