this and that

Karen and her family have returned home, after their month away in the tropics. More than the Mexico sun, she most enjoyed riding (at high speeds) with her Uncle on his motorcycle through L.A.. I think there's a "city girl" lurking beneath her Alaskan persona. We enjoyed seeing all of her family at the music concert, earlier in the week. Thurs. night, she came over for dinner, and we had a chance to catch up on vacation news. Now, she must get caught up on her senior high studies.

The Mr. has taken on a (crazy) fall project, which at the start seemed to be much more doable. He's purchased 12 pine trees to plant around the yard, noting that they will eventually be tall enough to help with privacy in the neighborhood, (forgetting that we may not even be able to see out the window in 30 years, when they'll be tall enough.)Ha! The project has become a bit more challenging with our temperatures taking a horrid dip into the 20's. Digging a hole for a tree in frozen dirt is humorously challenging. He's transplanted one happy sapling, and hopes the thermometer might take an upward swing this week, so he could get them all in the ground. Of course they lie dormant all winter, but in the spring they'll waken to their new location and thrive as deputized "privacy pines", with duty and purpose to their existence.

Last night, we were invited to dinner at our friends "A & M'"s, a drive to the north and around the way. They, along with their charming dog Daisy, made us feel right at home, and treated us to an excellent dinner. (made by the resident chef himself!)
We shared in their excitement of soon-to-be parenthood status, and the many improvements they've made on their home. "A" is a walking catalog of "1001 things you can do yourself, if you just have the brains and the energy to make it happen". He's a true "Mr. fix-it", a "Mr. imagine-how-it-will-all-fit-in-here", a nonstop resource for ideas on some super-duper-money-making backyard phenomenon, as well as being the home resident fuel chemist, utilizing veggie oil to make auto-home-brew. As he's thinking and explaining these ideas to us, (at the speed of light), he's equally as aware of the magnitude of life change soon to be upon him, as he is knighted with fatherhood, and his own slack time surely coming to a 20 year screeching halt. He understands what this means. But, as Dad will need to curtail energies from his own projects, he will plug into the kid-awareness and Mommy approved projects. As sure as anything, this soon on the scene little tyke will know how to change his parents car battery before he can talk, and will be picking scraps of this and that from the town landfill with Dad, to fashion into a go-cart or an inside zipline, or a toddler-engineered swingset. Oh, "M", there will be never be lack of entertainment at your house!

"M", you will be such a patient, loving mother to this little one. I can already see in you, all the important qualities that it takes in being a dedicated parent. It won't be long until you'll be a family of three. Enjoy each step of the journey, guys.
Thanks for inviting us over...we thoroughly enjoyed our time together!

We only have a little over a week to go now, until we go to the polls and elect our next president.

Won't we all be sooooo glad when it's all over? I, for one, surely will be.