Neighbor Logan (8) came to us just before his bedtime, wearing his full Halloween costume. He said he’d had a great Halloween, borne out by his beaming smile. I don’t always get everything he says, because he talks as fast as he runs. I have slow ears. I think he was at an event at church, followed by trick or treating with his niece Lily in town. Swooping about on city streets would certainly beat going to three or four homes in our rural neighborhood.

Logan limited himself to a few Kit Kats from our dish, which I thought showed remarkable restraint. He didn’t know when he stepped in the door that we had something other than sweets for him. A few days ago John gave him a drink, and Logan picked out a new owl mug we had on the shelf. John commented on it later, saying the boy always chose our old owl mug whenever it was out. That’s when we realized he might enjoy owning this new one. He immediately gave us an enthusiastic thank you when John handed it to him. Kudos to his parents’ training! I took a quick photo as Logan posed patiently for me. None of us noticed that the owl mug was facing Logan, so you can’t see its face.

We rushed him out the door so that he could get to bed. A few minutes later, Shawn texted his reaction. He told her, “This is my favorite mug ever!”