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: