Same Ol', Same Ol'

Gray, overcast, damp--blah, blah, blah.  I need me some sunshine over here.  Puhleeze!  When I was out filling the feeders I took the morning's picture from the opposite side of the backyard so you can see our inviting dinette with the light shining out and, if you look real closely, you can see Durwood and DD having their morning coffee.  I don't think they were having a chat because neither of them had been up as long as I had and neither one of them are loquacious when they first arise.  They're better later in the day.  DD and SIL1 packed up and drove off shortly after I took this picture.  Ours was only their first stop on the Christmas marathon that is their week of "vacation."  I put that in quotes because driving all over the map for Christmas here and there doesn't sound very relaxing to me but then I'm turning into an old crone who'd rather hunch over her needles, yarn and sewing than gallivant all over the place.

We went to feed the geese yesterday out at the Wildlife Sanctuary.  It's a whole lot fancier there than when we took the kids out but the geese are just as greedily hungry for the corn and gobble and squabble as they always have.  There were a few birds of prey out in their enclosures--a golden eagle and a peregrine falcon sat for portraits, the bald eagles and the kestrels were camera shy.

December 23--Alan Kaplan, KAP1005.  Cece and Steve entered the wife-carrying race at the Green County Fair on a whim.  Steve had spent some time at the beer tent after they toured the barns and one of his co-workers had spent the last few weeks going on and on about how many reps he did with heavy free weights at his gym making Steve a little self-conscious, he thought it sounded like a good idea. When the call for entrants came over the PA he turned to Cece and said, "You game?"  She looked at him.  "For what?"  He gestured toward the speaker wired to the pole next to the tent.  "The wife-carrying contest.  Didn't you hear them asking for people to enter?"  She shook her head.  "You can't be serious, Steve, I'm not lightweight and you're no Hercules."  He waved her objections away.  "C'mon, it'll be fun."  That's how they ended up being the lead story on the ten o'clock news and their picture got on the front page of the next day's paper.

I'm off to work.  The last work day, barring any unforeseen emergencies, until January 6.  I am over-the-moon excited about that.  Toodle-oo.
--Barbara