good morning

Dear Family --

Last night Dave was up late, working on painting the ceilings in the kitchen and living room. We are installing new lights, and he hopes to get them up before next weekend, when we will be hosting our annual All Hallows' Eve party. It poured rain all day yesterday, and the kids' soccer was cancelled, which was a good thing because I have two coughy coughers -- Martin and JP are both sneezy and hacky -- are those two of the Seven Dwarves?
Kiernan and I have been travelling to India in our social studies program, and she is enjoying reading the Ramayana in a version her Tia, Dave's sister, gave us a couple of years ago. This week we will eat dal and naan and mangoes and try to make a native costume. Martin and I are enjoying Rudyard Kipling's stories of Mowgli the frog and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.
While I am typing this, I am looking out my big front window in my living room and there is a squirrel on our swing on the maple tree in front of the house. The squirrel swung back and forth a few times -- I think he liked it! -- and then jumped off, presumably to keep on hunting for nuts and other squirrely things to eat.
I hope he stays out of the garden -- we have still some lettuce and kale and chard growing well. The chickens' egg production has dropped, so we only get about 3 eggs a day instead of 6. But they are still beautiful!