Small Joys in Late October

I am sure I will remember some of the bigger joys of October, like the Trail of Treats event on Tuesday night, the onground intensive in mid-October, the Crumley archives banquet, and a breakfast reunion with my mom's Lexington cousins.  Let me record some smaller joys that might be forgotten.

--My wrenched knee has mostly healed itself--just a twinge here or there.

--Our Spartanburg house had no hot water, and my spouse couldn't get the pilot light re-lit.  I called the gas company, who said they would send out a tech, and there would be no charge, if we were willing to wait the 5 days until the appointment.  Yesterday, the tech called and told us it would be a $184 charge.  We said yes, since having a different professional would probably be a similar charge.

Happily, the tech came, lit the pilot light, and told us it would be no charge.

Did the tech use a special tool?  No, just one of those lighters that people use with a fireplace or a grill.  Note to self:  buy one of those if the pilot light goes out again.

--Yesterday, my energy was really sputtering.  Happily, my afternoon Nonfiction class carried me through, with their enthusiasm for the writing instructions exercise that we did (very similar to the experience in this blog post, but with fellow students attempting to follow the instructions).  One of them said, "This is so much fun."  Hurrah!

--I am also inspired by how much good writing my students are creating in their daily writing exercises.

--When I took the trash to the bin yesterday, I got a streak of paint on my shorts--boo!  Happily, it's an older pair of shorts--not so old as to be house renovation shorts, but old enough that I wouldn't wear them during a retreat.

--I'm seeing news of lots of flooding in S. Florida, with historically high King Tides.  I am so happy not to own a house in a flood zone!

--I am often in the mood for evening Halloween-themed TV, but not in the mood for anything too scary or gory--which leaves very few choices.  Last night we discovered the Hotel Transylvania franchise--we watched #2, with a very cute baby that may or may not turn out to be a vampire.  It was delightful.

--Today we will stop by an apple orchard on our way to or from S'burg.  I need apples for tomorrow's Composition class, and I'm happy to have a compelling reason to go to a local orchard before they close for the season.