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Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Winter glory

Monday, December 10th, 2007

I know I’ve said it before, but I LOVE winter, and I love winter in Maine. Imagine getting to see this sort of beauty and inspiration within (literally) a snowball’s throw from the garage doors and while walking the dog-beasties?!!! I’m on to do a small challenge quilt by the end of February on “Winter,” and I think after my walk at 5 yesterday (pitch dark!) I’ll do moon on snow with trees…… Here’s the neighborhood:

In the backyard:

Snow days tree branches with snow

The woodpiles:

Snow days

Taking a gamboling puppy out for walkies (bunnies do the bunny hop, ‘Widgeon does the pug hop!)—and the deeper the snow, the more his short little doggie body loves it!

Widgeon in deep snow

St. Francis on watch…. this was in my late father-in-law’s garden in southern California, moved with him to Washington state, moved to our house on San Juan Island when he died (St. Francis’ feast day is the same date as my birthday… I knew I liked him!), and then came to Maine:

St Francis

The snowy branches, undisturbed by winds, look like the tracery on medeival cathedral windows:

branches across the road

And the trees in front of the Squibb’s house and the dangly branch next door:trees

What to do on a snowy day

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

This past Sunday night, Monday and Monday night we had our first glorious snowfall here in Maine! On Friday, Joshua said his science teacher had written on the chalkboard under Monday “Snow Day.” So what do you do on a freebie day at home? Build a big fire in the woodstove and, if you are Eli, read a book with Zeus the cat and ‘Widgeon the pug:

Eli on snow days

If you are Joshua, you eat while IM’ing your friends:

Snow days Joshua

If you are Yeti the dog-beast, you do the same thing you always do:

Yeti sleeping

If you are ‘Widgeon the adorable, and this is your first real snow experience, you do the pug-hop with glee and abandon at every opportunity:

Widgeon in snow

More family updates and pug-wonderfulness

Friday, November 23rd, 2007

Eli loves his pug SO MUCH!

How can you NOT love that face?!!!!

He is really pretty darn good about taking care of him, too. Recently, we were having a major rain, and Widgeon (the pug) really doesn’t like getting wet. So Paul decided to make a temporary rain coat for him out of grocery bags (that hairy mop in the lower left is Yeti’s tail….)

Widgeon dressed for rain

Here’s Eli delightedly showing Joshua Widgeon dressed for rain:

Eli w/Widgeon on leash

Later on, as we were having the first fire in the woodstove for the season, Widgeon decided to play cat and stretch out.

Widgeon plays cat 1

It got really hard to keep the eyes open,

Widgeon plays cat 2

and finally, impossible to stay awake a moment longer:

Widgeon plays cat 3

and just because he is SO CUTE!!!!!!!!:

Pug love

Eli’s late October and November:

Monday, November 19th, 2007

Eli’s soccer season ended well, with a 3-game round robin up in Waterville on a warm and sunny late October Sunday. Here’s the happy team at the end of the three games…they won two of the matches.

Team photo

Eli lost his good new school shoes, and we had incredible ice cream at John’s in Liberty on the ride home. Before that, Eli (number 17, in the middle) was his usual scrappy, go-for-it self on the field:

Eli on the field

He had a couple of amazing saves as goalie during one game (securing a victory for his team!), and after the game Coach Gross gave all the boys medals for being great team players:

Eli bowling

The team had a fun bowling party to celebrte the end of the season and thank their coaches. Eli helped Kienan’s littlest brother, Cam (in the green) with his first attempt to bowl:

Cam bowls

Now Eli’s back to his regular schedule of karate, until wrestling starts in December, at which point he’ll split his time again. He’s doing really well in school, and reading way above grade level (types his proud mama!).

Catching up…

Saturday, November 17th, 2007

Oh my goodness! I downloaded pictures yesterday from my camera, and it has been TWO WEEKS! I don’t think I’ve ever gone that long without downloading since I got a digital camera years ago! Well, I guess I’ve been busy. I’ve been working on the manuscript for my book (still not done, of course… and every time I look at it, it seems as though there is more to do, not less….sigh). I’ve been working on a quilt for an invitational show called “It’s Good to be Green.” (If you read Gerrie Congdon’s blog, you’ll have heard her mention it, too….). There was Halloween, teaching quilting, and Joshua’s surgery, then Joshua’s 14th birthday. Egads! No wonder I’m tired. And oh yeah, the Coastal Quilters holiday bazaar!

I can’t share a lot of the “Green” quilt, but can share some so will do that tomorrow or in a few days I think. In the meantime, some updates on the family. As a teen, Joshua is too old for trick or treating, but he did go to town and have fun with shaving cream with friends:

J-Halloween

Here’s Joshua getting ready to have all the hardware removed from his leg…

Joshua waiting for surgery to begin

And a last shot of the hardware–we got the pieces (after they were sterilized) back in a bag, and I want to put it together and make Joshua a windchime or paperweight out of it LOL!

J’s leg hardware

And here’s what was on the ceiling of the pre-op room—fun!

Frog on ceilingThen there was the birthday. He LOVES pumpkin pie, so guess what he always wants instead of cake! I started buying number candles for the boys (each has his own set), with 1 for the first (duh) and adding the zero when they hit 10. Now I just grab the appropriate numbers from the candle bag (they borrow their brother’s “1” for age 11) J Birthday 14

Next post: Eli and the pug!