Dog By The Fire: A Canine Portrait

Fergie, enjoying her favorite spot.  Right next to Rob's feet by the fire.

Snowfall!!

So far, the fall has been beautiful.  The first major snow we had was on Thanksgiving Day, and that was a gentle, snow-globe, big-flake kind of snow, which was beautiful and much appreciated.  It can snow like that on Thanksgiving Day any time, in my book.  Today, Reagan and the neighbor kids took advantage of the beautiful day and sledded for FOUR HOURS.  Seriously.  Four hours.  With a couple of hot cocoa breaks in there, but back out as soon as they warmed up.  THAT'S how a Saturday after Thanksgiving should be spent. 

Christmas Spirit

My husband is not known for his gusto at Christmas-time, as far as décor goes.  He traditionally likes things sedate, to put it kindly.  He has always "engineered" Christmas, covering the required bases with the least expenditure/effort necessary.  Which is the complete opposite of this lady.  I come from a family with a Santa Claus figurine collection, a life-sized outdoor nativity, and a genuine Lionel train with animated snow village around the tree. My family culture does Christmas BIG, and starts playing Christmas music well before Thanksgiving.  For years, he and I struggled to find a balance between these two extremes (it wasn't always pretty).  Last year, he allowed some low-voltage, money-saving LED lights to be placed outside on the porch.  They half-flickered, were so dim they could barely be seen, and were depressing.  Seriously.   De.Press.Ing.    All I could think of while looking at them was "Meh. ((sigh))  Have a... Christmas."   

Often in the past, Rob has been in charge of finding the Christmas tree, since he's the one spending time in the woods.  He's come home with the sparse, sickly Festivus Pole that we had to fill in with grafted branches, or (because his wife insisted on fullness) the Christmas Tree SPHERE, that was wider than it was tall and wouldn't fit through the door.  I have never let the man live down either tree.  The tree is important!!  The tree has to be RIGHT.  The right type, the right height, the right shape.    The fact that we have TWO trees has always seemed ridiculous and over-indulgent to Rob, but he's let it slide in the name of family harmony.  Until Reagan was born, I generally decorated the tree(s) by myself - or by forcing two reluctant little boys with loud threats.  Christmas decorating has rarely been peaceful and fun.  More like surviving a civil war.

This year, Rob is REALLY excited for Christmas!! He's excited for Advent, and the Advent Wreath, and the kids' Christmas pageant at church, and decorations and the whole thing.  Blame it on his deepened faith, blame it on family bliss, blame it on the perfect early winter outside.  Whatever the cause, I LOVE IT!!!!!  On Thanksgiving day, without even the slightest prompting from me, the man put up lights outside on the porch.  A single strand of white lights, but... get this... not even LED!!! Incandescent!! FULL WATTAGE!!! Electric-meter be darned, it's CHRISTMAS!!! ( It's like daylight out there!  How are we going to sleep at night?!)   He even suggested we put a red bow on my lamp post outside!  And he got the wireless speaker working so we could listen to Christmas music!  And he found us the PERFECT Christmas tree - perfect height, perfect shape, perfect type, without any pruning even necessary. Then helped me put it up and tie it to the wall, and the tree didn't even fall down once (we have a history of trees falling over in this house).  Then he sat by the fire and enjoyed the ambiance while the kids and I broke ornaments decorated the tree.  The family was practically EXUDING Christmas Spirit.  EXUDING, I tell you.  There might have been a little drama as Reagan crumpled up on the couch crying because she broke not one, not two, but THREE ornaments all by her little self (she might be a touch too exuberant about the decorating thing).  But instead of lamenting the fact that two of my deceased grandmother's Precious Moments ornaments are no longer with us, I scooped her up and gave her a hug.  She felt bad enough about it herself;what good would it do for me to get upset, too?   And later, I knocked over an entire box of ornaments and broke a fourth one myself so at least she takes after her mother.  It's a miracle we have any ornaments at all to decorate with in this household, really, given the attrition rate.

We were so full of Christmas Spirit, with the world a snow-globe outside and all, I even found another brand new package of plain white lights languishing in the basement and suggested we put up TWO strings outside this year.  Maybe on a bush or tree or something crazy like that. 

That might have been pushing things a little too far.  Rob held up a hand and said "WHOA now.  We're not the Griswold's, you know."

((sigh)).  I'll take any and all Christmas Spirit.  I LOVE ADVENT!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

So, my sister-in-law suggested we spatchcock the turkey this year.  I had never heard of such a thing, and wasn't real keen on experimenting with our only bird ON Thanksgiving day.  That's living on the edge craziness, my friend.  Luckily, Andrea is the brave sort.  She came on over and spatchcocked away.  It was a gruesome sight, to be honest.  Not for the faint of heart, what with the breaking of breastbones and ripping out of spines and all.  Jennie and Reagan were pretty grossed out.  I would've been, too, if I had to be the one elbow-deep in a turkey.  But since it was Andrea - I could just stand back and laugh.  That's a city-bred gal with one tough stomach.

Quinn and Reagan were in charge of the stuffing this year, and did a fabulous job.  I'm not normally a big fan of stuffing, but Quinn's "mystery" stuffing was dang good.  Don't know if we'll ever be able to recreate it, what with all his "secret ingredients" and no recipe, but it really was tasty.

The spatchcocking worked!!  The turkey was delicious and moist and baked to perfection (if I do say so myself ;) ).

Then the troops arrived, and we feasted like nobody's business.  We have a lot to be thankful for!!

 Reagan and Bekkie's Beauty Parlor.  Open for business

Lovely.  Just lovely. 

Wish we had grandma Laverne's baby picture to post next to Auddie's.  They looked nearly identical. 

A grand time was had by one and all.  Don't believe the look on Fritz's face!!

Sno-bots in Petoskey, Part 2

This is how the sled-cart Rob made for Wilson the Robot started out.

 

And this is how it ended up!

 

 Working hard!

Wilson, in all his glory.

 

 

Wilson Goes to Petoskey

The Houghton Middle School Snowbots have travelled to Petoskey, to enter Wilson the Robot in the First Tech Challenge regional qualifier.  They are very excited about this big event, as are their parents.  Rob even constructed a special "sled" wagon as a means of transport for Wilson, to keep everything "on theme".  More updates to come as the pictures roll in!!

Middle School Brass

Yesterday at school, Quinn  headed to Dollar Bay to meet with other Copper Country brass players. The students got the opportunity to spend the morning working with specialists in their instruments.  Go Brass!

An unexpected trip to Washington

It certainly wasn't a fun trip, rushing home to Washington because Aunt Laurel died.  But it was good to be there.  Kelli and AJ came to be with Mom and Dad and I, and we were able to spend time just as a family - quiet time looking through pictures, writing the obituary and eulogy, talking, praying... just being.  It was good.  Sad but good.  On the day before I left, we visited a poinsettia farm, which was beautiful.  And then I met Katherine for a quick coffee before flying home.  The visit was cut short, though, when a horrific windstorm of historic proportions hit the town.  71 mile per hour winds - near hurricane force.  We lost power, along with 200,000 other households.  Trees were down all over the place.  A lady died less than a block away from where Katherine and I were having coffee.  It was bad.  Crazy bad.  But the airport had generators, so I was able to fly out the next day, even though all of the Inland Northwest continued to be without power.  Unfortunately, we flew right into that storm, and hit 109 mile per hour winds.  The jet - a Boeing 757 - was tossed around like a kite, and was slipping sideways at a really steep angle.  I honestly thought we were going down, and began praying OUTLOUD.  Then I threw up.  It was horrible.  Just not fun at all.  Probably the most scared I have ever been in my life - the closest I have ever felt to dying. 

So, a sad, quick, crazy, emotional trip.  But I'm glad I got to go.  Mom and Dad will be spending Thanksgiving in Spokane now instead of with us - I won't see them again until May of next year.  It's hard living so far away from home, and friends, and family.  My parents' generation is passing too quickly - so many deaths in such a short time.  Aunt Jeri, Uncle Mike, Aunt Laurel.   I don't like it one bit.  It hits too close to home.  It needs to stop. 

Mount Rainier, poking it's head up above the cloud layer.