Changes

I was reminded, by the huge inflatable jack-o-lantern with the black cat perched on top, next door, that Halloween must surely be close. Right? Now seemed like a good time to recycle and refit a Halloween skin for the season.

I guess I’m not a dark background kind of person. I did like my craftsman-style skin, but it began to feel claustrophobic. I like light backgrounds. And lots of white space. So, I took the site down last night, did the background stuff that skinning a site requires, and added this black cat for seasonal flavor until I figure out a signature design.

Meanwhile, the lad is off doing a 10k run with the team. Their reward is the annual stop at Hodgie’s Ice Cream. I have to pick Ian and his friend, L, up in a few minutes. I’ll drop them off at L’s house and then they’re off on their abbreviated camping trip up in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Piper Trail on Mt. Chocorua.

I am, in fact, remarkably calm about this. Every cell in my body is not liking the idea of the trip, but the mouth is smiling and encouraging words are coming out of it. I’m very proud of myself. Of course, I’m not fooling Ian one bit. And he’s given me quite a few hugs to reassure me. There are three responsible boys going. The one driving is a true-blue geek in the best sense of the word. Somehow that gives me a great sense of comfort. In day to day life, he’s a complete ditz, but when it comes to things like camping and logistics and engineering kinds of things, he’s the guy you want to have along. Actually, L’s the one who put this trip together. Nothing new for him, having been brought up in an outdoorsy - camping - running family.

The Dad unit, I’m glad to say, is exhibiting the same degree of nervousness. I guess this is a normal reaction to one’s kid suddenly doing very grown-up things.

So, I’ll just bite my nails and stay busy for the rest of the weekend.