Friday, March 13, 2015

February 2015

Walking too slow for our little show off.  Caspian is most likely about to lap us.


The back pasture fencing was finished in January, and the animals have been enjoying another 8 acres to play in.  


Not much eating to be had for anyone but the goats.



An extra youth joined us for one of our Saturday mornings.  She fell into the role of camp counselor.  Caspian won the pancake eating contest.  Face painting in between the trampolining and red light green light games in the yard.


While the kids were doing that, I found an activity for me.


The next day Caspian and I headed into the back woods with a torch in hunt of old brush piles.


Despite our best efforts, and even though the brush piles were over a year old, we didn't get them to burn thoroughly.  Eat Cow was fascinated. 


On to the next activity, we brought out the double headed axe with a red handle that Capsian gave me for Christmas, and we felled a tree with it.


I don't know that technology has improved us as a species.  Our ancestors had an amount of vigor that we are obviously missing these days.


What can I say, it was a fire themed day.



A Monday morning, the kids are in school, Alexe is at work, what to do...


This has been a long time coming.  The local guidance I have received on pigs has put a dedicated shelter in the category of unnecessary and frilly.  They have certainly managed without one through a couple cold winters with a round bale of hay delivered for the cold nights, but even so, I've felt a little guilty.

So, here's what we whipped up.  Metal roof en route.


Fastidious pea sheller.


A date!  Mid day, mid week, kids in school: we hopped in the truck and went to Amish country, where I did not find a ram or billy goat, and we lunched in down town Pontotoc.  Wonderful company and ceiling fans, terrible food.


Yes, this is February in MS.  Prepping an empty lot next to the BTC for a new park.


Family walk to hunt for daffodils.


No words.


Caspian bought a set of handcuffs with his allowance money.  Not sure why that means his sister gets to be the police officer.


I turned 34.  And felt loved, and rich, and happy.


A long walk with my girl.


Somehow I managed to spend the afternoon of my birthday in a 3 hour meeting with our school superintendent.  A story for another time.  While I was away Alexe made me not one, but TWO kinds of cookies.  And she smiled at me.  All day.


A present for Caspian arrived in the mail from u.Ted, his favorite fishing buddy.


One of my birthday presents from a.Caitlin, a junior version of Settlers of Catan.  It made for a great family game night.


And was the perfect level of complexity to keep the kids whipping it out and playing against each other over and over.


For days.


And then it snowed!  Bona fide snow.  School was let out on Tuesday at noon.  It started snowing Wed. at 2 in the afternoon.  School was not resumed until the following Monday.


It was awesome.









Day 2 the snow was melting and sticky enough to make a snowman.


The puppies didn't take kindly to a stranger in the yard.  Their jumping on him slooooowly pushed him over backwards.


Maple syrup on snow.  Vermont maple syrup, Mississippi snow.


Day 3, dry roads, but there were power outages in the county, so comic books and Uno.


And Chess!  So excited to play my first game of chess with each of these brilliant, beautiful little people.  Caspian took to it quickly, and asked to play non-stop for the next few days.  (His first words the next morning were a snoozy, "can we play chess?")  Annaliese was very interested in telling her brother how to play while he was playing his first game, before she has ever played herself.  When she was actually playing for herself she didn't find it nearly as interesting.  However, a couple days later when they ran into the chess club playing in the booths of the BTC, they both rotated in, and won their games playing against kids their own ages.


An impromptu family outing, grab the kids, and head to the used book store in Tupelo for a trunk load of books, followed by dinner in a little place on Main Street.  


Pretty girl. Good pie presentation. Terrible pie.


1 comment:

Big Nick said...

That pie looks like garbage.