How we spent our extra hour

It was a cold fall day here, an nice afternoon to spend in front of the fire. My Smart Beautiful Wonderful Daughter took a nap on one end of the couch, while Blonde Niece slept on the other. Spouse stretched out on the floor in front of the fire with a quilt and pillow. Our household boy band was recording music at the other end of the room, with SkaterBoy on the drums and Boy in Black on the electric guitar. As I sat in the comfy chair, with my journal in my lap, I heard the same songs over and over again (Daytripper by the Beatles and Bad Day by R.E.M.). The younger boys were quiet. I'd given With-a-Why permission to play a computer game with his cousin, Suburban Nephew, while Shaggy Hair played against FirstExtra.

When the musicians took a break, moving into the kitchen area to root through the refrigerator, I could feel dusk settle into the house. The fire crackled, the dry logs snapping. I could hear a train whistling as it went by on its way to Chicago. Three deer wandered into the yard, grazing the back meadow, just outside the window behind the couch. I watched the deer for awhile, and then stared into the fire before curling up into the chair and taking a nap myself.