Grandparents At It Again

Last year I composed a brief post on an especially cherished Christmas gift from my parents to Isaac. They outdid themselves this year. Bet you've never seen one of these before. In fact, I know you haven't because my mother made it for him.

A mink!

A pet mink!

A pet mink clip tie! It's a favorite, Grandma and Grandpa, both with Isaac, and with every child at church with two semi-functioning eyes and nerve endings in their fingertips. One little guy even called to see where Isaac had gotten it so that he could save his pennies to get one for himself. Thank you! (Your letter from Isaac will be coming soon.)

Winter Pruning

Why is it that these before and after pictures of the old girl remind me of the time I discovered wee Meggy had made it to church without her unders on? She's just so exposed!

In the bottom photo you can see that our sprinklers froze on (whatever that means). So water froze onto the sidewalk in layers each time the sprinkler ran over it until we had literally 2 solid inches of ice. The kids and I had a grand time "skating" on it until our wet blanket of a neighbor suggested we salt it immediately and post signs so nobody gets hurt, and that we might want to fix our broken sprinkler. Why didn't that occur to me? I clearly am not meant for city life...

To Do List

This was sitting on Isaac's desk the other day.Oh the days when life was so simple. Where have they gone? Will they ever come back?

(Regarding item #8: Jacob told Isaac that he stinks. Isaac asked if he should get some deodorant. Jake replied that he didn't stink like that, he stunk like he was dusty. Dusty? Granted, this is the child that came out of the shower yesterday insisting he had thoroughly washed, with a huge dry patch on one side of his head and bar soap remnants smeared on the other.)

(Another semi-applicable side note, while I'm at it: William has taken to smelling any part of himself that touches James. I watched him hit little Jimmy in a fit over a puzzle, then immediately sniff his fist before he continued his tirade. What is with these kids?!)

Oregon in Fall

What a glorious season. Michael snapped this picture during a fairly recent hike in the Umpqua wilderness only a few miles from our home. It's even better in person...

Dog, Anyone?

Have you ever heard that having a puppy is like having another child? Unless you have a Chinese Crested. Then it's more like having another teenager. Enjoy a tidbit of an email my sister Elizabeth sent:

Annie,

I couldn't resist sending this to you. I told you that I was looking at an exotic animal website. In addition to the wallabies, birds, zebu, etc., they also had some dogs, including Chinese Crested. On their site, they had this dog info to help inform potential buyers before they bought. Sure glad they did. Tell me when you want me to order one for you.

"Where the weather is dry you must keep the hairless dogs moisturized. One should bathe your dogs about every week or so during the summer, which includes a daily feet and belly rinse, and every 2 weeks during the winter. You can use a gentle oatmeal based Moisturizing Body lotion for the hairless.

"Some Cresteds, like people, are born with fair skin and some are born with better skin. Most of the Crested will go through a "teenage" period. This means that you may start to see more black heads and pimples to surface on the skin. This is normal, but some dogs will have no problem and others will have serious problems. Pimples may start around the age when their hormones are changing. With the Chinese Crested this can happen as early as 5 months of age to the age of a year old. The best secret is to keep them clean. During their acne period a nice daily wipe with a warm damp face cloth is sometimes the best remedy. If the problem persist (and it can last for a few months) or gets worst, you may try a lotion like Benzol or a gentle scrub like Noxzema. Remember to keep the skin clean. Talk to your vet and they might suggest a mild antibiotics, too."

Call me heartless, but any dog that goes through puberty and has acne breakouts on their nasty skin is a dog I don't want. But, to each his own. Tell me what you think!