That big event has happened. Yes, it did. Wooooo!!! What event? Why, the first episode of the new Star Wars series, of course.

No, not really. The big event... Both kids are now in school. My little girl is in kindergarten. Two mornings a week, I'm at home, and it is quiet. Very quiet. Almost too quiet. I find myself doing homework, and suddenly jumping up. It's quiet. What is that kid getting into? What mess is being made? Who's hurt? But it's nothing, because I'm the only one home.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. The blustery days, the chill in the morning, the warm, hearty stews and soups. The changes (leaves turn yellow, the days grow shorter, I start using words like "hearty"). This year, though, I miss my old routines. On the first blustery day each year, after dropping my son off at school, my daughter and I would go home, drink hot chocolate and watch Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. This year, the first blustery day was marked by me studying for my Social Psychology test. A little less magic there.

Still, I find I get a lot more done, now that I have those two kidless mornings a week. My normal autumn chores have gone faster. Replacing or repairing the weather-stripping on the doors and windows, cleaning the gutters, replacing screens with storm windows and all the other mundane activities that make winter bearable.

I even took a short vacation and completed some projects. I tore down the 30+ year old cedar fence and built a new one (hopefully lasts just as long. What a lot of work), pulled up carpeting and started refinishing the wood floors underneath (hopefully, I'll finish some day). I even took my wife on a date, without kids and without finding a babysitter. Isn't school wonderful? We went to the observation level of the Columbia building, strolled downtown, ate at Ivar's on the waterfront and then took the water-taxi home. We wandered through antique malls, windowshopped and people-watched. What fun.

I still miss my hot chocolate and Winnie the Pooh.