It is a kilt!

Andrew is getting married this coming August and both he and I will be dressed in kilts. Andrea wanted Andrew to be dressed in a kilt and I agreed to also wear one. Don't do like what Ruth and Angela did when they heard: they laughed.

Hot feet and Spring has finally arrived

I have been wearing sandals all year around for several years and I often tell people that this is evidence of global warming and I tell them that my feet are so hot that they will melt snow. Yesterday it got up to + 20 Celsius and most of the snow melted. However, there was one small drift left on the deck on the north side of the house so I thought that I would prove that my feet would melt the snow.

The hibiscus plant also decided to bloom today and look out the window at the coming of spring.

They are off to the airport and then to Abilene

The picture at the bottom is shortly after 4:00 AM on Friday morning as Imogen has just been rudely awakened from her beauty sleep.
She didn't fuss too much though and was mostly just curious to what was going on. She seems to be recovering from her cold and I hope that her cousins don't catch it when she gets there.

Imogen at church service

Imogen was not feeling 100% so she held her arms out to grandpa and he held her for a good part of the service today. I hope that she gets better before she has to fly to Abilene to visit her cousins' place. Of course she will take her parents with her.

Oh dear, a deer!

Ruth and I went out for a walk and a deer decided to run up our driveway. But then it stopped and decided to take a different route and run down the road a bit.

Imogen and her grandpa

Imogen has a snowball in her upraised hand and she can throw too (but she didn't)! She also managed to fall partly down the outside staircase in pursuit of more snow but her grandpa caught her on the third stair tread. Is it safe to leave her for her grandpa to babysit?

Growing families

Imogen is becoming more delightful and more challenging every day. She can put the shapes in the ageless Tupperware toy (we had one for our kids to use and Jennifer found one at a sale somewhere).






The last picture is of all the babies that showed up at our worship service this morning. Five girls and one boy are in the group. Our church family is growing! We didn't even attempt to get all the toddlers into one picture.

Angela's gift to her mom at xmas

Note: The following poem describes not only the life cycle of this tree but is related to tragic events in life.

Blind Sleep of Death
Apparently dead
To the innocent ignorants
Desperate tears
Drench the earth
The greatest of hopes
Buried deep
Under ground

Falling
Like dry crumpled leaves
A thick fog
Envelops the mourners
Just like the heavy
Sadness that threatens
To suffocate them

"Don't give up," says the blind man,
"Wait."

Wild, uncultured
Reaching, fungal plants
Feast on the stagnant
Naked corps
A mockery to the greatness
Of an unquenchable life
Lying too still.

"Deceptively quiet," says the blind man.

A sweet melodic fragrance
Rises up
Out of the mire
Swaying in a gentle breeze
Trumpeting the first hints
Of victory
While the mighty King lays dead.

"The kingdom advances," says the blind man.

Blood and water
Poured out death
Drink deeply
Feast and live
Crimson red rivers
Streak the white burial shrouds
Delicate goblets of milk and wine.

"It is finished," says the blind man.
"Wipe your tears."

Pulsing, dripping, bursting
From the naked branches
Reaching high into the heavens
Big stretch, yawn
Ripe with life
Luscious fruit cascading through
The apparently dead laughing man

Hog plum
Hog plum
Mombin death
Wild pine
Milk and wine
Bougainvillea
BREATH! [Oct, 2008 A Baggett]

Weekend visitor

Feb. 6, 7 and 8 Varnetta was out for a visit and found a use for the atrium railings as you can see from the pictures. Ping-pong, doing word puzzles, playing the board game "Sorry," watching Part I and II of the Anne of Green Gables movie, and helping to build a quinsey in the snow kept her busy.






Ruth and I were given tickets to the Rankin Family concert. They have a haunting Celtic harmony to their songs which is best exemplified in their signature song, "We rise again"
which they sang, of course. The opening band was a group of three Canadian tenors plus a violin and keyboard player who weren't too bad except I wish I had brought ear protection. Why is it that almost all the concerts nowadays are too loud? Has everyone already been deafened so that they just automatically crank up the amps?

Saba finds Smacky to be tasty.

Have you ever seen a cat that would allow a dog to chew her? Smacky allows Saba to chew her, to lick her and to leave her sopping wet. (Just one of the entertaining sites that I saw while in Texas for Christmas.