Come, Holy Spirit.

Once Upon a Time ...

... there was a little family on the prairie. They were a happy family. They grew a garden, made up songs, and loved Jesus. One day, they decided that enough was enough with the coyotes who howled too close to their house at night. So, they travelled off to Pierre, South Dakota in search of a dog.

She was a lovely dog whom they named Lucy. She wasn't nippy, and she wasn't too jumpy. She was quiet and nice. She was perfect.


She was very interested what was in this barn.


And what was in this barn was very interested in her!


Welcome to our family Lucy! She is a five month old Australian Shepherd mix (mix with what, we don't know) who was found abandoned near Pierre and was picked up by a rescue shelter. After an agonizing drive home (Lucy had no part of it, it was all Ana who has definately hit her version of the twos), she is settling in quite nicely. She is wonderful, and we are living happily ever after!

Smiling Chickens.

Memorial Day weekend, our friends Jenny and Russ brought their two little ones over for a weekend of relaxation. We had a splendid time, especially since Sunday brought possibly the nicest day we have had and could have all year. The temperature was 75, the air was breezy enough to keep the gnats off, there was nary a cloud in the sky, and we had lifelong friends to share it with.

Bliss.

Ana's melancholic temperament definately shone through on the second day when, after having had her trucks stolen away by another three year old, she came looking for daddy and said, "Trucks away, Daddy." Meaning: "Daddy, I am tired of having my toys played with by other children. Can we just put them all away?"

Well, she'd better get used to it. It appears that Toby may be the sanguine/choleric of the family. Or as much as it can appear at three months. While he definately skipped having colic (dodged another bullet), he certainly knows what he wants, and is not afraid to let those wants be heard. That and he has smiles for everyone. Ana, on the other hand, was incredibly stingy with her baby mug.

Here we have Manny asking Ana, what the heck is that?


And one of Toby's smiles.

The New Routine (I hope)

I hope I'm not jinxing this by writing it.

BUT.

The past two nights, something new has been happening. I nurse Toby to sleep and then slip away. Typically, I race about the house, spending the next twenty minutes getting ready for bed and trying to fit in a few household chores before Toby stirs and realizes I'm not there, thus breaking into a tearful state of awake. Except yesterday, and today, I nursed him, slipped away, and then went on to enjoy two hours of uninterrupted bliss until I go to bed and cuddle up next to him again.

It's like I can have a hobby again.

Anyhow, more about bedtime. Tonight, I nursed Toby to sleep, slipped away, and got Ana ready for bed. I explained to her that she has to be REALLY quiet and let Toby sleep when she gets into bed. In preparation for Ana's presence in our bed, I put the still slumbering Toby into the bassinette which is right next to my side of the bed.

Of course, Ana was really excited to be allowed to be so close to Toby while he was sleeping (normally I'm like a momma bear when it comes to letting Ana get anywhere near Toby when we're in bed). But she did very good in not making a sound while she was waiting to fall asleep. I know this because I had the baby monitor on to make sure nothing would go fowl in our little family experiment.

Except for one incident.

Well, incident is the wrong word. Incident would refer to Ana's discovery of a new button of mommy's she can push. Or something naughty and premeditated that Ana decided would be act de rigeur for the afternoon. Rather, I would say it was the witness of one of the more tender parts of Ana's two year old heart.

Over the baby monitor, I heard Ana whisper very softly, "Hi Tobs."

Lost and Found.

Not much new to report at the shire.

Our garden is coming along nicely, as are the weeds.
Dan has found that there aren't enough hours in the day.
Joy has found that there aren't enough hours in the night.
Ana has found that her outside voice echoes to her liking when used inside.
Toby has found his hands.

What happens next?

Toby's Top Ten

I could list several excuses for the thin postings these days. Each one more boring than the last. Instead, lets make a list of a different nature.

Toby's Top Ten Things To Do at Two Months Old:
10. Having his diaper changed everytime anything leaves his body.
9. Examining everything with his big, brown eyes (or raisin eyes as Yi calls them).
8. Laying on the floor, kicking around and stretching out his arms.
7. Having Ana read him stories.
6. Having Ana lay next to him and make silly sounds for him.
5. Having Ana rub noses with him.
4. Falling asleep between mommy and daddy.
3. Viewing the world from the safety of mommy's arms.
2. Sleeping the day away.
1. Nursing often and long.

Ana hearts Bambi.

Ana having fallen fast asleep, with Bambi of course.

All the talk these days is about the recession. So, I thought I'd offer some words of wisdom from one of today's most trusted cultural commentators:

"Security is money in the bank and toilet paper in the closet."

- My dad, circa 1992, after a trip to Sam's club

Day in Review.

Thank the Lord in heaven this turned out to be a beautiful weekend. Dan and I had 56 bare root trees to plant, not to mention some fingerling potatoes and two apple trees. Whew!

Today, we thought we might get everything planted. Ho, ho! Were were wrong! But we did manage about half the trees and the potatoes. The apple trees and the other half of the bare roots will have to wait until tomorrow.

It was wonderful to work until we dropped. For Dan especially, since he's trapped in a chair Monday through Friday. I'm pretty sure that if we lived in the city without all this acreage to keep up, he would go flat like a beer forgotten on the counter. Not that I know what that's like. But to work outside together building what will be our legacy for generations to come ... I can do that.

Speaking of beer, Dan and I have rediscovered cider. Dan summed it up well tonight as we sat comatose in front of the T.V., Woodchucks in hand. He said, "I like beer. But when there's a cider in my hand, I forget all about beer."

We will have to wait a few years until our trees will bear enough for cider, but we won't have to wait long for our HOPS! You read that right. Dan ordered a hops vine for us to plant. So watch your favorite blog for our beer making experiments this fall.

In the meantime, satiate yourself with this lovely photographs of our day;

This one's of Dan separating some of the bare root trees. We bought some sugar maples, silver maples, american linden, and cottonwoods.



And Ana "helping".


My favorite: Tick patrol.

Norman.

Thanks to all who participated in the first-ever Muffinshire poll. As it turns out, the vet made the decision for us. After picking him up from his "procedure" we signed on the dotted line and saw that he had been christened "Norman". That'll work.

It will definitely be an easier transition for Ana - it's still got two syllables.

And to the lone ranger who actually voted for "Merlin": identify yourself!