New Stories

(image via splityarn of Flickr fame)

Thinking that the person
who was calling
was you,
I dove right in
with endearments.
But she was calling about
some mail that
had gone wrong.
She was not you.
Was, in fact,
a complete stranger
with whom we share
a house number,
though not a street.

We got it all untangled:
the mail at her house
meant to be at ours,
the words in my mouth
meant for you.

And now,
both of our families
have stories
about me
speaking,
for a moment,
with such tender devotion...
to her.

A Changed World

Planting Democracy in Tahrir Square
by @CarlosLatuff

(Click on the image to see it full-size,
then once more for a "size to window" version.)

(Looking back, our years of talking with our son about
what makes a good leader good,
and a bad leader bad,
seem now like a preface for today.)

My Snow Day

The latest storm knocked yet another limb down into our front yard, and this one took out our FIOS line in the process. What's a girl with no cable, no internet, and no landline to do?

Bake, of course!

Almond Kuchen, inspired by my Oma.
Not as good as hers, yet, but still.

(FIOS was out for two days,
and the limb is likely to be there
for quite a while to come. Sigh.)

Perfect Storm

Here's one boy's recipe for a perfect snowday:

1) Roll out of bed and go directly to Lego heaven. (Note inside-out pajama shirt, which helped ensure that the snowday was ON.)

2) Round up some neighborhood boys for a massive snowfort build.

3) Finish up with some review of human anatomy with a good friend in a cozy spot (heat duct + comforter = super cozy!). And yes, the book really is that big.

(Stay tuned for MY idea
of a perfect snow day...)

Taking Advantage

Due to the demands of T's work in the winter, Mr. D and his Tama don't get to see as much of each other in these colder months as they would like. They have established a number of traditions in order to overcome this challenge, and their mid-January trip to the amazing American Museum of Natural History is shaping up to be one of their favorites.

They had already selected Tuesday, January 18th as their target date this year when the weather reports started to come in. Snow. Ice. Slush. Ice. Sure enough, on the appointed morning, his school notified us that they had decided to go with a delayed opening. No problem for our intrepid adventurers, who had long planned to take the train anyway. And no problem for mama, who was granted the entire day off and who looked forward with cozy anticipation to a full day of luxurious at-home puttering.

That was the plan right up until my partner and our son turned up the heat with giant begging puppy eyes:

The next thing I knew, I was dashing for the shower so I could make the train along with them!

(Of course we stopped for a little cinnamon roll action in Penn Station.)

A little over an hour later, we were some of the very first members in the door at the AMNH.

We imagined pteranodons soaring overhead,

and experimented with how much we'd weigh on the moon.

But the room where we spent the most time by far
was the incredible main wing
of the gems and minerals collection.
Our boy is a serious lover of beauty.

At the same time, he is seriously
dedicated to demonstrations
of strategy, determination, and raw power:

(This wrestling pic was taken just three days prior.)

We all had a wonderful day together, and as a kind of reward, the weather bestowed a second snow day on me yesterday, while Mr. D had another delayed opening. We're just loving winter!

(And we remain open to suggestions
for more fun winter adventures...)

Hint Hint

If you've just figured out how close Valentine's Day is and are getting a little panicky, have I got a cure for you! Hop on over to TrueJune's Etsy shop & think about brightening your sweetie's day with one of her necklaces. They are beautiful, simple, and pleasinlgy unusual, and I are likely to go instantly to "treasured" status.

I wound up with the same one I gave to my niece C, and we're both just thrilled.

(Let me know which one - or ones! -
you're pining for in the comments.
Hat tip to artist/author friend
Auntie Nish for turning me on
to the work of our fellow Brown grad.)

Milestones

Today marked the occasion of the boy's first Skype call. And who better to share that moment with than his fantastic Cousin C? It was an occasion for much merriment; the look on Mister D's face when he realized that he could "carry" Cousin C to his bedroom while she "carried" him to her kitchen was indescribably awesome.

Getting to listen to Cousin C's reaction to his latest wrestling highlights video as she watched it for the first time was pretty great, too.

I'm desperately hoping that this technology takes some of the sting out of the impending move to SC (theirs, not ours). If tonight was any indication, I'm thinking that my hopes might be well-placed.

(My next goal?
Musical sharing via Skype.
Just THINK of the rounds we could learn!
How about you? If you need help getting started,
it's likely that you'll find everything you need
right here on the ol' intertubes.)

Christmas 2010

We took this picture to celebrate
the beautiful work
of our fantastic Wrapini (aka Tama)...

...and this one,
to show off the splendor of Sassafras Mama's
holiday home & tree
(note yummy snacks in foreground).

We had a wonderful Christmas,
complete with pleasure reading for the grownups...

...and the joys of catnip for the younger set.

Everyone was in agreement about
the joys of a shared feast.

(Warm thanks to Sassafras Mama & her crew
for once again sharing the holiday with us.)

Merry Merry

That was then...

...this is now.

The freeing the Christmas tree has become
a time-honored tradition in our family. I am
especially fond of the traditions that we've started
without even knowing it.
After that first year of cutting through the tree netting,
Mr. D had a pretty clear idea that it was his job.
And so it has turned out to be.

(Hope you all are enjoying
the gifts of the season!)