Boston and NYC

Boston had a lot of snow when I was there.  This is a picture of my son by his car.  He was lucky--he had a nice parking spot right in front of his house.  Parking can be frustrating when it snows in Boston because they have extra rules drivers have to follow.  I guess there are designated parking lots set aside for winter weather.  If your car isn't parked in one of the lots,  parking is limited because Bostonians can only park on the side of the street the city says they can park on or it's 'boo hoo' a tow.  They have to be able to plow the streets you see.  Another interesting Bostonian fact I learned is everyone must shovel their sidewalk.  If a person doesn't shovel, they could get a ticket.  Walking is pretty important to the folks out there (a lot of people use the public transportation and walk to get there).  Their snowbanks just keep getting higher and higher.

Matthew was a wonderful host.  He gave me his nice cozy bed and took the couch.  He even made me meals.  Below is a picture of a breakfast he served!  My plate has the two eggs.  A pancake joined them shortly after this was taken.

To make my Boston experience even more exciting, I was able to connect with an early childhood friend who just happened to live close by.  Matthew and I met her and her husband at a little bar & grill in Harvard Square.  I don't know about you all, but I really bonded with my early childhood friends!  I lived in Heron Lake, MN until I was ten.

In New York I stayed at a hotel called the Mayfair located near Time Square and Broadway.  It was a tiny, but comfortable place and the price was right!  My husband met me at the train station since he was there for a night on his way to Russia.  We walked around had some good food and went to the musical Mamma Mia on Broadway.  A wonderful time!

The reason I wandered off to New York City is because of The Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators was having a conference at the Grand Central Hyatt.  I actually got to see Lois Lowry and listen to her speak about her writing!  Lois Lowry wrote The Giver and Number the Stars and a whole lot more, but those two books have been favorites of mine and my kids too.  The Giver is incredibly creative and if you've never read it, you should give it a try.  It would be a great book to use for discussion.  Another big speaker was R.L. Stine.  He's accomplished a lot, but is probably most famous for his Goosebump books.  I have to say I really enjoyed listening to him talk.  He has a sense of humor!!  Too bad I didn't get a picture of him.

My Mission Underground

See that little hole?  I squeezed through that opening this evening with only a teeny tiny flashlight to guide me. My mission: to search for the pump under our house, unplug it then reset the circuit breaker, then plug it in again. The photo makes it look all bright and cheery, but believe me it wasn't. It was dark and damp and..and there was a cobweb. The flash from my camera makes it look like a happy place.  So deceiving. Anyway,  I felt like a sleuth sneaking around in dark clothing carrying a flashlight the size of my index finger (the one I got from the pres. of altrusa this last x-mas--thanks Cristie!) and then crawling under the house to complete my mission.

                                                                                                                   Am I brave or what?

Bird Feeder

If you look carefully at this picture, you will notice there are two bright red Cardinals in the Japanese Maple tree located outside our back door.  Before I took the picture there were more Cardinals (both male and female), but of course as soon as I lift the camera up to capture the moment they all fly away. 

 I'm enjoying our new bird feeder. Well, it's not really new I guess. We've had it for quite some time, but just recently decided to put it up outside. We've made a lot of winged friends since then. It's been pretty popular especially with the Cardinals. 

Birds amaze me. They can be brightly colored like the Cardinals in the picture and yet be difficult to spot.  They make nests, and nest making seems complicated.  They also survive wind storms which is fairly miraculous seeing as they are so little and all. What do birds go through when the wind is strong. Do they get blown far away from their homes? Can you imagine flying through the air for miles with absolutely no control.  Maybe that doesn't happen. Maybe they have incredibly strong feet and can hang onto tree branches using a mighty grip reserved especially for storms. 

And, birds find the littlest of things to survive on.  It's amazing how they pick in the grass and find stuff to eat even in the winter time.  Minnesota birds have got to be the toughest with all that snow covering the ground, the below zero temps, snow storms and all. You'd think their little feet would freeze right off.  Somehow they keep their feet and stay alive.  I know because my parents have a bird feeder and they live in Minnesota.  They've never said anything about birds losing their feet due to the cold.

Annabelle

My daughter, Janine, is holding her sweet Annabelle. This little ball of fluff with floppy puppy ears, comes with a sweet personality and a wolfie smell.  At least I imagine that's what wolves smell like, I've never actually sniffed one.  It's a wild sort of scent and it doesn't mix very well with a queasy stomach.  Believe me I know! I've had the flu.  One whiff of wolfie and I lose my cookies.

Annabelle knows how to sit and lay on command now.  She's learning how to walk on a leash, how to potty outside, and to understand what the command come means.  She's a joy, but a lot of work for Janine.  Luckily, Janine doesn't mind the work.  Having Annabelle is a dream come true for her.  She's wanted a dog since she was a toddler.  Back then she pulled a rock around pretending it was a puppy.  It actually looked sort  of pathetic.  Like we were torturing the poor child by tying a rope to a rock and saying There. Be happy. That's as close as you're going to get to a doggie. 

Ready for Action!

My nieces, Krista, Natalie, and Kjersten dressed for church.  Just kidding.  They're going snowmobiling!  This is, of course, in Minnesota.

Matthew's Winter Camping out east

Our oldest son joined a Apalachian Mountaining Climbing club.  This was his first weekend camping with them.  He has a very warm sleeping bag and they don't have to worry about mosquitoes!

Matthew is preparing himself for climbing steeper mountains.  He's in good shape, it's a matter of learning to get used to the equipment and different climbing conditions.  I have faith in him, but I'm still a mother and mother's always worry, don't they?  Well, I do.