AND MORE COLD!

Our resident turkeys

Neighborhood turkeys in their full glory

Toby and Annie in the field

Toby on the trail

Annie and Me in the snow

COLD, COLD, COLD.......

Oh my goodness, is it ever cold this week!!!!! This morning (1/16) the thermometer in my car told me that it was minus-9 degrees (that is -9!!) at 7:30 AM. My hair froze solid as I took three minutes to take a few pictures (featured here!). The ones of the waterfall and pond are interesting....I know the water must be just over freezing (it is fast moving water). But in these sub-zero times, even FREEZING is enough heat to generate steam. Stay indoors, people! (Or at least DRY YOUR HAIR before venturing out.......)

Home for Christmas.....

I love being home for the holidays.........

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas.......

SNOW and SNOW and SNOW......all weekend. We have about 18 inches on the ground. These are pics from yesterday (Sunday) and early this morning. I love snow for Christmas. I am not sure how our neighborhood turkeys feel about it. They look pretty miserable.

So Many Leaves in late Fall!

The oak trees drop their leaves last.....and we have many of them in our yard. Sunday was a lovely, late fall day --- warm for this time of year. Here is J*lia out playing in the leaves in the front yard......

Halloween

J * E at a house where the adults handing out candy were dressed up too!

Scary girls!!!

J went out dressed as "a shadow"

Me working on J's makeup

Only J*lia went out trick-or-treating this year. It was a rite of passage year for the boys! B*n had to work on Friday night, and T*m -- with his commitment to swimming and health -- decided he really didn't need the candy (and besides, he said, 14 is a little old for such childish things). J*lia went out with her friend Emily (F & I came along), and T*m stayed home to hand out the candy. It is a little sad to see the trick-or-treating come to and end.........but only a little! (and we have a few more years with Julia!)

Swimming

Tim has made a renewed commitment to swimming this year, after a couple of years of being pretty ambivalent. He has made it to all but two practices this fall (beginning in August), and has been working hard. In the last two meets, he took LOTS of time off his events --- like 15 seconds off his 200 IM (Individual Medley) time, and 36 seconds off his 500 Free. He is VERY happy ......... got out of the pool at one meet and said to his coach, in all seriousness, "Who would have thought that going to practice would make such a big difference?!?!" Lucky for him his coach has a sense of humor........