dual personalities

My (reproduction) Assyrian relief fell over and smashed to pieces on my office floor.

My colleagues were kind and helped me box the pieces, but they didn’t really understand and they made jokes about how it would seem more authentic if reconstructed from pieces. They were just trying to cheer me up, but I feel terrible. It was a very special gift from my parents. Sigh. I will put it back together, although I’m not exactly sure how to proceed. Certainly, it will take more than gorilla glue.

I spent the rest of the week consoling myself by rereading my collection of Mary Stewart novels.

Well written and civilized, these books are balm for any bibliophile who is tired of finding only things like 50 Shades of Gray on the shelves (not that I’ve read it). I know I sound cranky and old-fashioned, but it’s such a pleasure to read a book — a light romance novel, no less — in which the author assumes the reader shares a certain background knowledge and assumptions about good behavior and societal ideals. And everyone smokes constantly — honestly, it’s like ‘Mad Men’.

In other news, Halloween fast approaches. #2 son came home this week to collect things for his costume and that brought back many fond memories of past Halloween glory. Here he is as the Phantom of the Opera

the same year his brother went as a mad scientist.

Little brother, Tim, has always been adept at avoiding the camera, but I caught him many years ago in character as the Wolfman.

My boys have always loved Halloween — what boy wouldn’t like the chance to dress outlandishly and run around in the dark? It will be very quiet around here this year and I expect to turn the porch light off pretty early, but that will give me time to read Wildfire at Midnight so I don’t mind. What have you got planned?