Wood, glorious wood

Phew - we were JUST about to run out. That there is three cords, apparently, although there's no way I would ever be in a position to dispute it. It's the second load this winter and we'll probably need just one more...

The Rejected Xmas Cards

Jami wanted to use the third of these and have done with it, but I objected on the grounds that (a) Thomas's laptop dominated the picture, (b) Thomas was gazing into it, and (c) Frederick was in his pajamas. After extensive healthy debate, Jami took some more the next day, and the Xmas cards coming in the mail are the result...

We fought the law

Yes, this is blatant post-padding, just so we get to 100 for the year, but I also like the pictures.

First Decent Snow

And the ducks are not happy about it. Where are the foot warmers they asked for for Christmas, hmmm?

Simon and Frederick headed out to go sledding. It started snowing yesterday evening so I told Frederick last night as I tucked him in bed that today would be a "big sledding day"--which was a mistake as he lay in bed, giggling, for several hours and was up, wide awake, long before the sun was.

Here he puts in the hard work.

After about an hour, Frederick decides that climbing up hills isn't such fun after all and lying down is much more fun.

Now what should we do?

Ah, yes, tree climbing--an all time favorite.

Here is a good vantage point.

Another Christmas Day

This year seemed to feature a lot of giant apes. Here, Frederick sits next to one, which Thomas gave him, a giant gorilla. He also received a giant orangutan.

Thomas had claimed that he didn't want to receive any Christmas presents this year ("There are too many poor people in the world and I have too many things. Don't get me any more things.") Yet he enjoyed all the presents that he got, nonetheless.

Simon cheerful.

For some reason Grandma insisted that face painting was an amusing way to spend an afternoon. Frederick enjoyed getting whiskers and giving her whiskers. "Grandma has whiskers!" struck him as very amusing.

What's That?!

Despite the gloomy sky and the brisk temps, Frederick and Simon headed out for their usual walkies in For-Mar.

There was a strange rustling noise.

And even stranger footprints.

Then, from out of the woods, came a mob of turkeys.

With Thanksgiving long past and ham the preferred dinner for most Americans on Christmas (not us--we're having a veggie Shepherd's pie), these turkeys seems fairly at ease with the world.

Thomas Doing Time

Thomas was roped into doing charitable deeds yesterday for his FIM group, the Flint Youth Symphony. So he decided that the least painful was hours and hours of wrapping presents at our local Barnes & Noble with Omid.

I dropped him off, mid-afternoon during a sleet/rain/ice storm and Thomas was filled with dread at the thought of having the deal with The Other.

Amazingly, he survived, I think primarily because the storm kept most shoppers at home and many mothers took a shine to him and bought him cookies from the Barnes & Noble cafe/coffee shop.

Out Of Season (Fredericks in the mist)

JacQue was sick (for the first time) today, and Jami had to teach, so I was stuck with juggling both kids. Predictably, Frederick and I went to parks. It was amazingly foggy today. The first place we went to was Pontiac Lake. Observe:

Then we showed up to pick Thomas up from school and he announced he had to "rehearse" "a skit" for "about half an hour", so F. and I popped round the corner to the nearest state park, which was if anything even eerier:

Spot the duck, apparently floating in mid-air:

Snow!!

Look what we woke up to today! Snow! The ducks aren't pleased, but it doesn't stop them from pattering about, as you can see from all the duck prints.

Although Frederick has been housebound with the sniffles this whole weekend (he didn't even want to go to the Space Pool this weekend, or go shopping to the mall and see Santa or the indoor train yesterday!) but that didn't stop him from getting out his coat, snow pants and gloves seconds after he sprang out of bed.

It is bitterly cold out so Frederick didn't last long outside--just long enough to sit in a lawn chair, admire the wintery wonderfulness and eat a few fistfuls of snow. Before going out he had mentioned making a snowman, but that will have to wait since there isn't enough for anything other than a guy about 4 inches tall.

I do wish I had put up the yard lights last weekend.

Yesterday was sunny and warm...

...so of course today it's snowing. Clearly God disapproves of Black Friday.

Thanksgiving

I'm thankful that, with everything else closed, For-Mar is open on this day:

The weather is ridiculously balmy, as you can see from F's T-shirt. (I seem to be saying that a lot in recent years...)

Last Blast of Halloween

This past weekend it was strangely warm and sunny, yet another "last blast of Autumn." (We have had three or four of these, separated by bitter cold windy, rainy weather.) Frederick donned his Halloween outfit one last time and traipsed about in the backyard.

We didn't really get a good picture of him in his outfit before, when Greg took him to Huckleberry Railroad or when he dressed up at school so I wanted to get a good picture of him as the complete stegosaurus.

The stegosaurus eyes the photographer warily, suspicious of her motives.

The temperatures dropped from the balmy 60s we enjoyed this weekend to the below freezing temperatures today. Thomas had to load the wood rack and claimed to suffer frostbite as a result. And as I drove Thomas home from his wind ensemble rehearsal this evening there were snow flurries blowing about. I do not expect to see any more stegosauruses traipsing about in our backyard.

Too soon!

Halloween is over, so you know what that means!

Back she goes!

Well, the three weeks really did fly by, and despite pleading with her that we could buy her own house for about $1000 and promising to take her to a different yarn store every week, the wind changed and Granny had to fly off to where others needed her. She is already missed, but will be even more so when the leftovers run out. Don't make it 3 years before next time...

Election Day

Granny discovered a taste for greasy diner food ("it's the way they do the eggs!") so I took her to my favourite in Flint, the Starlite Diner at Center and Genessee. It was packed! It must have been a post-voting hangout, as everyone had an "I voted!" sticker. We got a table after a little wait and then I noticed the following dilapidated van pull up. Obviously a big Debbie Stabenow (one of Michigan's two US Senators and all-round good egg) booster, I thought:

But no, it turned out to be Debbie herself! That's her in the purple top over Granny's left shoulder.

She came and shook our hands and we told her England stood behind her even if we couldn't vote. I expressed a wish that Nate Silver was right, and she agreed. (Turns out he was.)

Outings

To Seven Lakes park:

And Lansing Zoo. A greedy goat:

Snow leopard:

Lions: