There are some companies here that will now pick up your leaves if you rake them into the street in front of your house, as before; that can make quite a pile, though. . . . There are some of those piles in our neighborhood; dh and I are hoping people are hiring these companies and are not forgetting that the city no longer picks up the leaves in the street. Dh does not want to bother with raking an acre+/paying someone else to rake an acre+, so he has dd14 (she chose to be our lawn mower this summer, a paid position in our family 
) mow it with a mulching setting or something. It works OK as long as the leaves aren't too deep in one spot. There is always some raking involved. Dh + helpers rake onto a tarp and then we just throw the leaves into the forested portion of our property. My hens have not come outside today. I took some leftover rice from dinner last night into their coop so at least they'll get something to eat. Iris is now molting and she looks awful; I think she feels awful too. At least Iggy came out yesterday on her own. We think they're still spooked by the new paint; other than Iggy's foray yesterday, they have yet to venture outside on their own since the paint job. Dh threw them outside and closed the door (to keep them from running back in) a couple days over the weekend. Maybe I should do that today too. Who knows what is going on inside their brains. . . .
The power company came and put yellow caution tape around the downed wire. The guy confirmed what dh had said: it is for a street light. Apparently, we ARE getting some Sandy effect way over here; I've heard the Great Lakes, including Lake Michigan - which is still about 120 miles west of us, are having immense waves. Not sure they're record breaking, but I've heard they're about 20 feet+. It continues to be windy here. It was sleeting for a couple hours this morning.
It is 2:30 -- a.m. routine is still not quite done yet. But, I have gone to the groc. store, put everything away, had lunch, had an argument with dh this morning
, sent out some organizational emails, and put pumpkin bread (from Krusteaz mix) in the oven. Earlier, I did drive dd14 to school, take dd17 to a dental appt., and make some phone calls. Goals for today:
1. I am making a meal to bring another family with a new baby today.
2. Take the meal to the family in neighboring town, leaving here around 4:30 pm.
3. Feed my own family -- same meal, of course.
4. Put together rough draft of a "retreat" for the moms group women for thursday.
5. Exercise. I won't be able to get to this until after dinner, so I'll have to go run in circles around the track at the gym. I'd better make sure my ipod is charged. Running the track is pretty boring. . .
Next: finish a.m. routine -- load dw, strip MBR bed, start up laundry. Then, I'll mix up the peanut sauce for the chicken. Other than that, the meal will go quickly: cooking up the chicken stove top w/ some of the sauce, making rice in my rice maker, cutting up and steaming cauliflower. I already have a demi-baguette -- and dessert will be pumpkin bread and tangerines.
Our old neighbors had them, coyotes got them, too, but then they found out their little Scottie dog was getting them, too. 
