This & That

We are 11 days into the new year and I don't have any "memorable moments worth mentioning". In fact, things are rather dull. Dull isn't all bad but, since SOMEONE has complained, I'll do my best:



On New Year's Eve day my brother and I went out in search of a snowy owl that ventured far enough south to be within driving distance. Since these owls are arctic birds, it was an opportunity I thought I should take advantage of. Apparently they had a very good breeding season and have been seen in lots of unusual places this winter. Here is an article about them, and here is my less than stellar photo. I really wanted a picture worth framing, but I had to settle for recognizable.



We are almost 8" below normal for snowfall this winter. While that makes some people happy, I see 5 wasted snow days! It's probably asking too much to get out of school for the year 5 days early, isn't it?! This Friday we will be half way through the school year. It seems like we should be so much further than that. Spring break is still a L O N G 3 months away.



Ron's parents came to visit this past weekend. I'm not sure who enjoyed the visit more. In addition to us all getting to visit, Grandma & Grandpa kept the kids for the evening so Ron and I could have a belated anniversary date. The kids had so much fun, and the happiness from all that undivided attention seems to have spilled over into our week. Both kids have been unusually pleasant this week.



After reading comments from other folks about pinterest.com, I decided to check it out. It is interesting - there's a lot of information in one spot - but I'm not obsessed (yet). I think it's a little confusing, and I don't really want everyone else seeing what I'm interested in! The other website I've checked out recently is ancestry.com. Ron's dad has been working on his family tree and shared some of it with me this past weekend. I didn't expect to find it as interesting as it is. It's actually quite addicting.


Tyler has made his way through all of his Christmas books and is finishing up a book from his new favorite author Brandon Mull. He is reading The Candy Shop Wars. He started it last night, and I'm sure he'll finish it tonight. Danielle has fallen in love with the book The Wonder Horse, which is based on a true story. We are reading the Fablehaven series out loud right now. (This is Tyler's favorite series and he thought Danielle would enjoy it.) Once we finish that series, we're going to start on the Misty books from Aunt Leah. I am reading the 2 newest books by John Flanagan. I initially started reading his Ranger's Apprentice series to be sure it was ok for Tyler, but I got hooked. If Ron's reading anything right now, I'm sure it's related to wood turning.


And there you have it.

If you're still awake, you can see why I haven't posted for awhile.