Poor Cinderella
having to be transported inside that pumpkin. Having gotten a whiff of rotten pumpkin yesterday, I sympathize with her.
Yesterday, the gals (and one child and three boys) went pumpkin picking out on the island. Some of stayed over at Joe's PopPop's house in Peconic the night before (with Gail and Joe and Jack), and some of us just came out for the day.
Highlights include:


Turkey Hats! (brought to you by the O'Hara sisters)
We bought ourselves a kid!
Just kidding of course. This is Liam, who was entertained for quite some time in that shopping cart.

We picked pumpkins! Well, I didn't pick pumpkins, because I don't really like that sort of thing. I took pictures of pumpkins.

Liam runs among the "unkins!" Dude, he really dug the pumpkins. There was like a gadrillion, and I think he looked at three quarters of 'em. Maybe he'll be a farmer!

I got to wear my new hat! I felt a little like I should be selling newspapers, guv'nor.
The only lowlight was when one of the cars wouldn't start, but we all worked together to fix it!

Try to wipe off the corrosion. When that doesn't work, you pray to Baby Cheezits:

When that doesn't work, you call the AAAman:

but he totally fixed it! Yee Ha!

Great pics from the day include (but are not limited to):

Liam and Brain

Shannon and Cat

Katie and Joe

Alicia Kate and Colleen. There's something weird about this pumpkin lap thing.

And a swinging good time.
Then we ate lunch. Then we went to the outlets. I got some pants. I'm sure that sounds exciting. It was. I also got a little special something for me and Katie's halloween costumes. At the Nike outlet, cuz I'm athletic like that.

Sunday Sunday...Can't Trust that Day...

We went to New Jersey for Richie's Half-Family Birthday Party this Sunday. It was fun to see Rich and Cass, but it was superfun to see Carter Meagher! She is hilarious, in my opinion.

Everytime she talks, her voice is just so...funny? so grown up? I'm not sure what to say. But she's like this little person with little people eccentricities and everything.
Here's Carter shooting the breeze with her Moms (yo.):

Carter assists the birthday boy in opening his presents:

The highlight of the day, though, was playing with "Carter's Cafe", a supercool (kewl?) box full of glasses and trays and menu pads and SUPERSWEET personalized menus of many of the special guest stars in Carter's life, including yours truly--Aunt Feath. Although I got Aunt Feath's fishy pizza, which though funny sounding is also funny-sounding, if you're picking up what I'm putting down... Anyway, Cass's friend Betsy made it, and though I have never met her, I'm sure she'd go on my Top 50 Cool people in the U.S.

Richie takes orders (and I have to say, though he was an efficient waiter he wasn't quite fast enough to suit Carter.

With all of her complaints about the service, Carter picked up the check for all of us...and I'm sure she didn't stiff her daddy on the tip.
Aunt Gail and Uncle Joe left after ice cream cake, but me and Pop decided to linger (we can't take a hint). So we stayed, and we all sat down and talked about Uncle Joe:


I'm just kidding. Actually, I asked Carter to tell me a story. There were a few characters representing from Little Red Riding Hood (sorry Cass) with the addition of a monster, named Tocu (sp?) who ate the big bad wolf. Neither the wolf nor Tocu seemed like very sympathetic characters to me, so I think she was going for a rather existentialist moment with her tale.
Next, her fazzer had to tell a story, which had to do with a little girl, four monsters (one of whom was pink), scare tactics and a sequel involving summer camp. The moral of the stories that I walked away with was : You can be pink, but you shouldn't be shy. And go poopies on the potty. (Although that wasn't mentioned, I think it should be plugged at every opportunity.)
In other news, Tom and Keri got married, and looked quite handsome and beautiful, respectively.

I looked adorable, as did all my lady friends, and we had a great time:

The end...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY POPS!


My papa is known for his generous heart, his borderline obsessive organization, and his giant glasses.


He's also a supernice guy. I will tell you a little story about that later.


But it is his 70th birthday--today!






Me and Pops this summer.




Pops with Baby Seanie...

My award winning picture of Pop and Loch (Honorable Mention...whatevs)

Pops reading to Loch and Carter back in the day...




Like Grandpa, Like Granddaughter...


Pops with me and Gail. I'd have to be around five, which would make Dad around 45. I think we were at some kind of fair...


At Aunt Jean and Uncle Bernie's after playing some poker. Mom and Pop must be around 45 or 46, as I still have long hair, which got chopped when I was seven.


Me, Gail and Pop with Aunt Jean's dog, Shannon, who I loved so much.


At the beach, Bear Camp Pond, with Gail, Richie and John. Before I was born


At Sue's wedding with Aunt Edith, John Feak, Sue and Dave, and John Mimnaugh.


Pops. In his younger years. Same bat glasses, same bat channel.


With my mom. 1984? 1985?

with his sisters, this year. And quite a few years ago, with Uncle Bill, as well:

And, just to prove that he's not the only one getting old:

Look at these young men from the Year of the Pimp Hat...

Happy Birthday to My Pops! You get a BirthdayTwoMonths, it is decreed!

Because, hey, you don't turn 70 every day...

Maybe my Soapbox is a little high, but...
You should read a BANNED BOOK THIS WEEK!

The American Library Association keeps a tally and you can see a list of any of the books that have either been banned or someone has tried to ban.

I don't know what it is about people and banning books. If you don't want your kid to read something, tell them no. If you don't want other people's kids to read something, maybe you should tell their parents why you think it's a bad idea. The job of the library is to make as much information as possible available to anyone who wants it.

Read what your kids are reading. If you can't or don't want to or don't care, then you shouldn't really worry about it anyway.
Celebrate your reading rights. And these kids books won't take you long at all. I think Olive's Ocean is one of the greatest books for the 5-7th grade crowd ever written. It will take you forty five minutes to read. Twelve year old Martha's classmate Olive dies. She doens't know her very well. Martha's family leaves for summer vacation on Cape Cod, and she gets to know her grandmother better. Some other stuff happens with a boy, and the beginnings of teenage angst, and it's great.
That's it.
Read a book. Any book. You don't read enough for fun.

Happy Birthday, Richie!

It's my brother Richie's birthday today! And though I will say he is old, I will not say how old he is. Though I will tell you this: he is one year and one month younger than my brother John.
Now, start humming your Kenny Rogers "Through the Years":

Though John has the reputation for messy eating (ear sprinkles-wink wink), Richie apparently can "do it UP".

Adorable, though maybe an "unusually large head".

With Mom and Pop at Grammy's house. Now, I'm pretty sure that this is before Gail was born, so that would mean that Mom and Dad were somewhere around 34 or 35. Weird.

Sear's Portrait.

Richie and ME! (you know I always have to work myself in to the entry). I was just born here! Well, a few days before! And he's six or seven...

And here's Richie with HIS baby, Carter, who is much older than this now. But that's a story for another time! So, Happy Birthday, friend!

HAPPY BEAN DAY!



It's Bean's Birthday, and here she is, in all her glory! Except for the bug picture--that got cut off!
Happy Birthday, friend!

Hola, Fiestaware!
Katie, Katie's mom and I went to Brimfield, MA to a gigantic antique show that they have three times a year. We walked through eight miles of antiques. We were especially looking for the "Hoosier Daddy," who was able to tell her some new information about her old hoosier.
I bought:

Some tiny cars for Gail!

Some political buttons for Joe!

Mini place settings for Gail (she likes tiny things).

I got something super awesome for my Pop's big birthday, but I can't show you it. But it is rilly, rilly kewl.
For myself, I got these Hot Fiestaware Pitchers

and you should contain your jealousy. Because they are bee-yoo-ti-ful.
I also bought a buttload of yarn and fabric (for PAJAMA PANTS!)





Anyway, we had a great time. It was also my first trip to Cracker Barrell, which was, in itself, worth the ride (only three hours), and we stayed in Sturbridge, which is where I had gotten into a car accident a year ago, so I knew the area pretty well.
We also had dinner at Friendly's the next night, so you know I was happy. Fatty fat foods, shopping for weird stuff, hanging with half the O'Hara clan and yarn...I mean, really, can you think of a greater time?
No. You can't.

Sweet Clean Water Bike!

Check out this new invention from Google's Innovate or Die contest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-mvfjyiao
Here is the AquaDuct blog:

http://theaquaduct.blogspot.com/

I first read about it in MAKE Magazine, but now I'm seeing it everywhere. Sometimes simple is best, eh?

Into the Woods
Sometimes, you think is a good idea to go camping with all your friends. And sometimes, it's a great idea! Especially when those friends include Cat and Shannon, who will plan everything, buy all the food, cook all the food, plan all the fun activities, book the camp sites, and generally make sure everyone is safe and happy.

They also may give you a special penny because you've got a sweet face. (I got a special penny, so you can draw your own conclusions!)
Highlights include:
1. My butch camping vest! (Buffalo check plaid)

2. Bocce! And bocce disputes!

3. The Beach!

4. Catherine's French toast, BBQ chicken, BACON!, and delicious hot dogs!
5. Campfire s'mores!
6. Music debates!
7. Quick trip to the outlets!

Lowlights include:
1. Bocce accidents:

Katie made me a splint out of duct tape and sticks...
2. Burnt fingers (Can you tell how graceful I am?)
3. A stop, drop, and roll drill in case we had to escape puke or something worse
4. Thinking cars were going to run me over in my sleep.
5. My own crankyness.

But we had a superfantastic time, we were well-fed, we were unbuggy. Visiting the beach was nice, and if we had more time, we probably would have planned a visit to a farm as we saw a lot of pick your own peach farms.
I go camping in the woods for three days, not a bug bite. Last night I went to a barbeque for two hours--twelve bug bites.
Also, I will share with you a sight that is almost never seen:

Me, at six thirty in the morning. Me, at six thirty in the morning, awake and smiling. A rare sight, indeed.