Goodness

It has been a really, really good week. As the light fades here this evening and I think about dashing off to the next long list of things that need to be done (making dinner chief among them, but then there's the laundry, too...) I realize that I should slow down just long enough to acknowledge how good things feel right now.

Dean took his very first ever standardized test -- first time with a sharpened #2 pencil, an eraser, and nothing else (or else!!); first time filling in the bubble completely and neatly, no stray marks, full erasures only; first time being timed; first time with those daunting, devilish multiple choice questions with at least two answers that sound so plausible. It's his high school entrance exam, and frankly one potential handicap coming from a progressive school (no grades, no tests) is having to quickly figure out how to face these things.

And he did. Aced it. We got his scores Monday and danced the dance of joy. Not because we now know anything more or different about him than we knew before, but because he's got this hurdle behind him and the results won't be a barrier to what comes next.

We've been super busy lately but it has all been working out. We've managed to be where we need to be (individually, in pairs, and all three of us, depending) and we've been there on time. Weather's turned cool (actually had a dusting of snow last night!) but the oil tank is full and we can bring in some wood for the fireplace now. My camera is back from being repaired, my sewing machine is back from being serviced, AND the pumpkin carving tool set I ordered actually arrived today -- before we carved the pumpkins.