Weekend Highlight Thus Far: Running Across a Rubber Spider in My Alma Mater Colors, Blue and Green

I've been caught in a web since summer. The beauty of my job is it's exactly what I want to be doing, but the tragedy of it is the fact that besides my daily hour run, I rarely have time to simply chill out and relax.

This is why I was pumped to run across a blue and green spider today around mile four. Who left this? Is it a remnant of Halloween? Does it know that America totally bypassed the Thanksgiving season and already has all of the stores decked out in boughs of holly? I think Santa Claus is already sitting in the mall taking photographs with snotty-nosed kids.

I had to pick the little guy up- a friend - and I ran with him the rest of the way home, putting it with my other toys and knick knacks that Lois used to laugh at me about: "Seriously, Crandall. There could be a pot of gold or a bag of gum ball machine paraphernalia and you'd go for the junk every time."

Actually, it's the playfulness that keeps me sane in the insanity of all the work always needing to be done. I did attempt an Indian chicken dish, bought Borox to clean pillows (read about this online and had to hunt for Borox at the Big Y), and edited a couple of chapters before I began to plan for the week.

I'm happy about my new friend and I'm sure he will make buddies with all the other plastic junk in my house. Either that, or he'll mate with the real spiders living in all my corners.

Ha! I just noticed that the painting ALICE is behind me in this photo. Kirsten bought that me for a dollar when I first moved to Kentucky - a Salvation Army find...and I still have it hanging up in my bedroom (of course I'm in Connecticut now). Always loved that gift...so simple and easy. So kind. And this was before I met Alice!