Inside, Outside, Upside, Downside

This week's blogger challenge:

• Pick a day this week, and blog about what's going on outside and what's going on inside. I'm thinking in literal terms: outside your house and inside your house. Or outside your place of business and inside it. But if you want to get creative, feel free to blog about YOU - what's going on inside as opposed to what you're allowing the world to see on the outside.Extra points for posting photos! If you can't post photos, then do your best to illustrate with your words. Give us a clear visual of what's happening inside and out!Don't worry about your house being messy, or your outside being boring. Document a day this week, just as you're living it. Tell us about the sounds outside and the sounds inside... or what the squirrels are eating and what you're eating... or what the temp is out there and how comfy you are inside... or what needs to be done outside and what needs to be done inside.Whatever. Be creative. Just blog about inside/outside.

Inside: The house is rather rumpled. The laundry basket is overflowing. There are dishes that need washing. Papers are piled on every known hot spot in the house. The Things are starting week 3 of their 3 weeks of track off. I too am feeling rumpled and worn out. I have no desire to work on chores here in the house. We've all got a good case of cabin fever (or shack rot as my dear old dad calls it).

The cure for the common track off: let's head outdoors...

Outside: Beautiful clear blue skies! You could even see Pikes Peak this morning from Smoky Hill. Lately, the haze and brown cloud has obstructed our view of the Front Range. But, not today: blue skies with puffy white clouds. Just enough crispness to the air to let you appreciate that today is to be enjoyed for tomorrow a cold front is moving in.

Upside: we managed to accomplish a couple errands. The Things picked out their Halloween costumes. We also made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch, aka, Nick's Garden center.

When they were little, I made a big deal of going out to the actual patch. We'd spend close to an hour getting there (Anderson Farms for the curious locals that read this). We'd pay a ridiculous amount of $ to ride the tractor out to the fields, picking our own pumpkins and checking out the other "agri-entertaintment" features that were included in that hideously expensive entrance fee. But, in the end, the only one who was impressed was me. So, for the past couple of years, we've stayed local, and everyone has a grand time. The Things even had the bounce house and the hay bale maze to themselves. It doesn't really get much better than that.

Downside: if the weather people are right, today was the last warm day for awhile. Cold and wet stuff moving in. I've got not a clue as to what to fix for dinner. No magic housekeeper showed up while we were out goofing off so those dishes, laundry and paperwork is still waiting for us. Or rather waiting for me...my mess, my job to pick it up. But you know what, today I just enjoyed being with my boys, visiting old, familiar places and taking a moment to enjoy the day..because as we all know, time marches on a bit too fast most days!