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The Church’s tree.

Can you see The Col. practicing his guitar?

Yesterday, I noticed something sticking out of the snow. Is it a bird’s tail? No, I decided, it was some sticks the Boy must have stuck out there. Then he wandered in and looked out.

“What’s that out there? Is it a bird?”

He swore he hadn’t left sticks out there and then he ventured forth into the single digit temperatures to see what it was. It was indeed a bird, dead, sunk into the snow. The Col. looked at it when he got home and said it was a dove.

This morning, I glanced out the window and saw a hawk feasting on the remains. I grabbed my camera but knew if I went outside it would fly off so I snapped a few through the window. So please excuse the poor quality.

He sat there a long time just surveying the landscape. He must not have been too hungry. The other birds, who had been hanging out in the rose bush by the house, began to get brave and venture back to the feeder. Can you see them? There is even one on the ground.

Then the hawk swooped into the air heading straight for the rose bush. Birds scattered!

He gave them a good scare but I don’t think he got one.

Whine.

Pace, pace, pace.

I roused a bit. There was someone, something walking in the bedroom. Not one of the kids. Ah, The Dog.

We have started letting The Dog out of the confines of the utility room. He is older and less apt to chew on things plus the kids aren’t leaving things out so much. He has to be watched a little bit as he will pick up the stray stuffed animal but overall he’s handled his new freedom well. But this night, well morning- it was 2 AM after all, he was pacing by my bed. The whine moved me to action and I pulled myself out and followed him to the door. I let him out, did a thing or two as I waited for him to come back to the porch. I let him in and returned to my warm bed.

Pace, pace, pace.

“Hi Mom!” he seemed to say. “Since you are awake and all.”

That’s when he went back outside until The Col. got up about 5 and I informed him HIS dog was outside.

The gate went back up for a bit and he was confined to his room. But we have loosened up again.

Last Saturday I was snoozing in bed, trying to get some more dozing in before I was rousted out of bed by my hungry crew when I felt someone staring at me. It crept into my tired brain that there was someone by my bed. I expected to open my eye to see the brown eyes of The Otter staring at me. I expected her to announce, as soon as she saw any eye white, to declare her normal morning greeting.

“I’m hungry!”

I pried my eyes open to indeed peer into a set of brown eyes but they didn’t belong to an Otter but to a Dog. He was quite happy to see me move and by the licking of his mouth I assumed he was also announcing that he was hungry. I knew, this time though, that The Dog’s Father was awake and let him get up to tend to his dog.

And lastly, I will leave you with this photo. Apparently, Little Miss Sunshine decided The Dog needed some reading material.

First the parent decides to take the children to an event that would broaden their little minds, expose them to culture and fill their souls.

Then the children loudly proclaim that it will be BOOOORRRRING! And that they don’t “appreciate” that kind of thing.

Lastly, the parent drags children to event, leaving grooves in the cement steps as they dig in their little fingers and scream in agony.

It’s real fun, you need to try it sometime. I just did.

Col. Panic was singing with the local symphony and choir for their Christmas concert. We thought it would be fun, entertaining, interesting and good for the kids to go to the Dress Rehearsal and see their Papa in action. At least we weren’t dumb enough to take them to the real deal thing. I figured they could be a tad restless and we could whisper some if there wasn’t a crowded auditorium. We packed coloring books etc. to help stave off the boredom and headed into town as they moaned and groaned about their ordeal.

Just the trip getting there was interesting. It seems that I don’t know how to drive.

“Do you know how to dim the lights in this thing?”

“Are you going to hit those bumps going full blast?”

I realized the brights were on (apparently I didn’t know how to dim them “in this thing”)and was mentally apologizing to the truck in front of me as I dimmed them when a voice pops up with:

“Why are you turning off the lights?!?”

We some how made it there and managed to sit through Vivaldi’s Gloria. To be honest the kids did very well. The Girls sat on my lap, one at a time. We talked a bit about what was going on and the girls colored. They insisted that it was awful. I enjoyed it.

Then for the ride home they all piled in with Papa and I somehow managed to drive myself home without all that help.

Wonders never cease.

Have you ever tried to get a decent shot of three wild creatures?

Someone is always doing something….odd.

I told them to look happy for the Grandparents and they looked like they were in pain.

One pouts, another grimaces, someone sticks hands on faces.

Add to that lighting issues, dog’s tails, sheet malfunctions and my patience flew out the window.

158 photos later, I threw in the towel. If I get around to mailing out a Christmas photo, it just very well may be one of the above.

I was in the nursery at church during Sunday School. Normally, I am not there during that time but one of the helpers was gone so I was conscripted. I had to work on the Church’s bills and therefore wasn’t much help, per say, just another adult in the room. One has to be so careful these days. Sigh.

Anyway, I was busy working on things, trying to keep my papers from being stepped on and scattered about when I tuned into a conversation.

Pixie is addressing her future husband: “Please put the seat up when you go pee because if you don’t it gets wet and then I might sit in it.”

Oh my. The nagging begins.