Moose

This is our Moose. As an eight pound dachshund he weighs about 1/100th of the animal that most normal human beings are referring to when they use his name. He turned ten years old on my birthday this year and he's blind. Not "blind as a bat" blind, since bats can actually see, albeit poorly, but more like "blind as Helen Keller" blind. He has not always been blind but lost his sight rather suddenly last August due to bad genetics, and it has fallen to us to make his life as manageable as possible, mainly by keeping things in their place. This is a daily battle with a busy child in the house, but I think Moose has gotten used to the fact that the play room, at least, is never the same place, morning, noon, or night. Although he'd have an easier time of it if he was more than an inch or two of the ground—as it is he trips over the slightest things, including a flat piece of the favored, and often in use, train track—I think he's used to it by now. The rest of the house we try to keep to a relatively unaltered map, including the front step and garden. One thing we can't help, though, is weather.

Who put that snowbank in my way?

5 days: Christmas jammies (in the snow)

Every year we get new Christmas pajamas. this morning the several of us enjoyed snuggling up, still in our jammies, to read some Chrsitmas books. When we were done reading books he wanted to stay in his pajamas for breakfast. After breakfast he wanted to stay in his pajamas to play with trains. When we started dressing to play in the snow his pajama sentiments had not changed, so we let him slip his snow wear on over them. Now he can say he made a snowman in his pajamas.

Wearing a hat inside

When the furnace breaks and you wake up in a house that is only fifty-four degrees on a morning when the frost is so thick it looks like it snowed overnight, that's a good time to wear a hat inside the house.

When someone in the house finally figures out how to wire the thermostat to jumpstart the furnace and the sweet sound of the blowers fills the air only moments before the heat iteslf arrives, that's when you'll find the dachshund staking out his place by the register under the sink. Don't step on him, he's just trying to get warm. He doesn't have a hat to wear inside.

Happy Fathers' Day

Celebrating fathers everywhere, in all their amazing roles.

5 days: our yule log is here early

Snow and cold, that's what winter is all about.  The flip-side of that coin, of course, is the hot chocolate, cozy blankets, and brilliant fires that keep us warm inside.  Yesterday we shovelled, today we played in the snow (for over an hour), and tonight we sit in front of a warming fire made ever more charming by the scent of pine and the glow of Christmas lights that garnish the room.  Five days are left until Christmas; all of our shopping is done; all of our wrapping is done; we've read the T'was the Night Before Christmas to Calvin more times than we can count; tonight (and perhaps all the others, too) we are sitting back and enjoying the warmth of the season.  We hope you are doing the same!