I have already mentioned that I don't really like Halloween. I had vowed not to take Eleanor and Amanda trick-or-treating this year, but Michael managed to get me to do it anyway by arranging a gas leak...
I got back from picking up Amanda, and I wanted to let her watch a little TV while I nursed Luke in peace and quiet (because if she is in the room, Luke has no interest in eating and wants to eat all night instead). I went downstairs and caught a whiff of what I thought was gas. I really couldn't tell where it was coming from, it didn't seem to be stronger near the furnace room, so I didn't trust myself. You must understand that at the previous house I thought I smelled gas all the time, but no one else could smell it. Also, I had been sure about a year ago that we had a gas leak, and I eventually traced the smell to a very stinky dishrag.
I turned on the gas in the stove to see if it smelled the same---it was very similar, but not quite the same. We had to go to pick up Eleanor from school, anyway, so I turned off the furnace and left the windows open and called Michael from the road. He also wasn't sure it was a leak, but he suggested we open the door to the furnace room to check again. When I got home I opened it up and it was very clear that there was a leak.
The kids and I went to dinner and Michael came home to check the leak. He couldn't find it, so we called the gas company. Apparently, they put more smell in the gas every fall so that people will notice leaks more easily, and the crew works continuously through the week and weekend to fix everyone, so they are prepared to be called out continually. When the kids and I got home from dinner, we had a problem:
I got back from picking up Amanda, and I wanted to let her watch a little TV while I nursed Luke in peace and quiet (because if she is in the room, Luke has no interest in eating and wants to eat all night instead). I went downstairs and caught a whiff of what I thought was gas. I really couldn't tell where it was coming from, it didn't seem to be stronger near the furnace room, so I didn't trust myself. You must understand that at the previous house I thought I smelled gas all the time, but no one else could smell it. Also, I had been sure about a year ago that we had a gas leak, and I eventually traced the smell to a very stinky dishrag.
I turned on the gas in the stove to see if it smelled the same---it was very similar, but not quite the same. We had to go to pick up Eleanor from school, anyway, so I turned off the furnace and left the windows open and called Michael from the road. He also wasn't sure it was a leak, but he suggested we open the door to the furnace room to check again. When I got home I opened it up and it was very clear that there was a leak.
The kids and I went to dinner and Michael came home to check the leak. He couldn't find it, so we called the gas company. Apparently, they put more smell in the gas every fall so that people will notice leaks more easily, and the crew works continuously through the week and weekend to fix everyone, so they are prepared to be called out continually. When the kids and I got home from dinner, we had a problem:
- Michael needed to be home and help out the gas man,
- Eleanor and Amanda needed to go trick or treating,
- Luke needed to go to sleep,
- and someone needed to hand out candy
- Why is it a good idea to take kids around and ask other people to give them candy? I spend much of my time trying to convince my kids to keep the candy out of the house.
- Along those lines, some people give my children gum. How is that a good idea?
- Amanda is allergic to much of the candy people hand out. I did figure out a good way to get rid of all the candy she can't eat: hand it out to people coming to our door. Amanda's idea of candy is either candy entirely made of sugar (smarties, for example) and really good, really dark chocolate.
- It really messes with bedtime. Luke got to bed 1 hour late. Amanda, 1.5 hours late. Eleanor, 1 hour late.
- I hate scary, gruesome, Gothic, spooky and eerie things. Someone had decorated their lawn with gravestones and rubber hands sticking out of the dirt that were actually moving, along with a skeleton playing checkers... They were having as much fun as the kids, I think. I much prefer other motifs (Modern, Victorian, arts and crafts, country, etc.) Being scared is not fun for me.
- The sight of Eleanor and Amanda running from house to house shouting "candy candy candy!" (OK, they only did this once, but it was very annoying.)
- Kids coming to our house, not saying "trick or treat" or "thank you" and not being satisfied with the candy I hand out (some actually ask for more, others keep holding their bags out after I've put some pieces in).
- I realize that if I throw out all holidays which mix pagan religious traditions with christian ones, there won't be any left, but I will go ahead and be hypocritical. At least Christmas and Easter still have some vestiges of christianity associated with them, Halloween seems not to be connected in anyone's mind with All Saint's Day.
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Love,
Steph