Puppy love

This is what a 6-month-old Newfie lap dog looks like:

Frightening, isn't it?

Many hands make light work

Today was the Breakfast with Santa at our local volunteer fire department.  We met another family there; their two children are some of Matthew's best friends.  The kids got to talk to Santa, everyone got breakfast, and we adults even had time to finish before the kids announced they were bored.  So we invited them over to help decorate the tree.

The kids had a blast and did a beautiful job.  I hope to have a picture of it to post soon; they really did that good a job on it.  It was topped off by our Dumbledore (Sam had to put that on) and has a Geo Trax train running around the bottom. 

And why do we have the headmaster of Hogwarts as our tree topper?  Years ago when Sam and I were shopping for decorations, we ran across a display of  Santa Claus/Father Christmas tree toppers.  There was one wearing a long robe of dark red and carrying a lantern and a present.  He had a long white beard and a very benign look.  We took one look and both said, "It's Dumbledore!"  After we got him home, we removed the present and lantern, stuck a "wand" of apple wood in one hand and perched a yellow bird ornament on the other arm for Dumbledore's pet phoenix.  He goes along with all the dragon and owl ornaments we have, too.

And how is your tree decorated?

Deck the halls!

After doing household chores for the morning and early part of the afternoon, we decided to treat ourselves to some Christmas tree shopping.  So while I was doing some last minute stuff in the house, Sam loaded up Matthew and Skipper into the car and off we went.

Only problem?  Sam forgot to put Skipper's Gentle Leader collar on him.  Skipper has a tendency to pull and a 93 lb. Newfie puppy exerts a lot of pull.  It got...interesting, especially since I have one wrist in a brace.  So I gleefully passed the leash over to Sam to let him get hauled along.

The fellow at the tree farm thought Skipper was a hoot.  We went all over the field looking for just the right tree and finally found it.  Matthew went off to get one of the tree carts, a kind of single-shaft sulky affair.  Sam cut the tree, we loaded it onto the cart. and for a laugh (and because we thought it would slow Skipper down), we wrapped the end of the leash around the handle, joking that Skipper could help us pull.

Turned out we helped him.  He took off and was having a great time.  The owner could see us and was laughing.  Then Matthew was dancing in front of us, trying to tell us something, but we were moving so fast we almost ran him down when he suddenly stopped.  He kept pointing behind us.

So we looked.  And there was our tree, lying on the ground a good twenty to thirty feet behind us.  We'd set off at such a pace, it had gracefully slid off the open back of the cart and we were none the wiser.  I'm afraid I laughed my butt off as poor Sam went back to retrieve the tree while I held on to Skipper; the fool puppy was having a great time and wanted to keep going.

Eventually we got the tree loaded and safely home and set up.  And no, we did not let Skipper pull it into the house.  He probably would've decided it belonged upstairs.  The scary part is that he might well have been able to do it.

New resolution (and it's not even New Year's Eve!):  do not leave home without the Gentle Leader.  Ever.

Here's Matthew pouring water into the tree stand.

chores and more chores

Nothing much to post about.  Winter is coming and we've been getting ready for it, giving the yard a bit of a final clean up before everything gets buried under the snow.  Today we all worked on cutting up the prunings from our apple trees for tinder/kindling.  We heat primarily with a wood stove and having small dry sticks and twigs makes it so much easier to get a fire started or rekindled from a few embers.  The prunings are from last winter/spring when Sam topped a few of the trees to head back their growth and encourage more branching.  By now most were so dry that they snapped easily.  I filled two chicken feed bags with small sticks and stashed 'em in the wood shed.  It was a pleasure to work outside; considering it's December, the weather was mild and we all took breaks to play with Skipper from time to time. 

I've also spent the past couple of weeks working on the bottom part of a hutch that once belonged to my mom.  I went with her to pick it out.  It was unfinished, so we stained and finished it together.  This was back in the early eighties.  My brother and his wife got it--I think when Mom moved to California--and painted it white.  They gave it to us a few years back, but we didn't have room for it at the time and it languished in our wood shed.  But I recently decided I wanted it in the house.  So we made room (at least for the bottom half) and I stripped the piece as best as I was able and re-painted it.  I used a milk paint, which is unlike any paint I've used before.  It's a completely flat finish and has a kind of timeless look to it, I think.

So I got that done--and then Sam asked when I was going to do the top!  I just stared blankly at him; I'd thought we were only going to use the bottom half as a kind of sideboard.  Guess what I'm going to be spending some time doing in the near future!

Old Sturbridge Village and a glorious day

I really should have posted this yesterday, but I was so tired that I pretty much crashed.

We're lucky in our neighbors right next door.  They're a great family and while both boys are terrific, the younger one in particular has done an incredible amount of impromptu babysitting/kid wrangling for us over the years.  So, since he's interested in blacksmithing, we decided to "pay" him for all his work by signing him up for the two days of smithing classes that Old Sturbridge Village offers as part of their Crafts at Close Range classes.  (Btw, if you are within range of OSV, do check out these classes--they're great!)  We thought of it because I gave Sam the two September classes as a birthday present.  We could sign "A" up for the first class with Sam, but the second one on welding can only accommodate four students and it was full.  But yesterday's class still had an opening, so that's what "A" got.

Because he doesn't drive yet, one of us had to drive "A" up and back.  And since it's an hour one way, it made sense that that person stay until the class was over, from 9:00 to 4:00.  I got to go while Sam stayed home with Matthew and Skipper.

I dropped "A" off at the class and headed for OSV proper.  It was a beautiful day and I was the first person there!  And for the first time since Matthew was born, I was able to take as much time as I wanted at each exhibit (bouncy boys don't like to spend lots of time wandering around and checking out each little thing) and got to chat with a lot of the interpreters and listen to their stories.  And for some strange reason, while the village was far less crowded than during the summer, there were a lot of interesting visitors that day.  It was great to listen and talk to them.  I had a wonderful time at the parsonage where the gracious hostess invited me to warm myself by the fireplace and we chatted together and with other visitors who came in and out.  It was just about the most perfect day at OSV I've ever had.

After I picked "A" up and we got home, Sam suggested going out to our favorite pizza place.  "A" joined us (much to Matthew's delight) and we all had a good meal, then went to our respective homes and crashed.  Fresh air (Sam had also spent the day outdoors, though he was doing chores) plus exercise=early bedtime!

I've also made a list of the classes I'd love to do:  the first blacksmithing (you get to make neat hooks and nails); coopering (you make a bucket); tinsmithing (a half-round lantern); floor cloth (painted canvas floor cloth); and there will probably be others.  I've already taken soap making and knitting.

I wanted to post an image, but I forgot the camera.  So I'm going to make do with a photo Sam and I took years ago of  OSV's covered bridge.

Lost: one brain

Ever have one of those mornings when you wake up and realize that not only is your brain off somewhere on vacation without you, but there isn't even a "Wish you were here!" postcard in the mailbox?

Yup, one of those days.  Since I have nothing intelligent to say, I thought I'd post a couple of pictures that I found in our files.  The first is from a hike that Matthew and I took this summer; it was a good seven miles.  Not bad for an 8 year old!

It was such a pretty little thing that I couldn't resist taking a picture of it.

The next photo was taken by Matthew, I'm pretty certain.

I don't get down on my stomach that easily anymore.   The knees yell rude things on the way up or down. This was taken soon after we got Skipper, so he was, maybe, 3 months old or so.  His face is still that cute--just much larger.

Entering the 21st century

 From the Realm of the Dragonlords

 (and the mundane life of Joanne Bertin)

 

After a lot of urging, I've decided that, yes, it's time to start a blog.  I'm not certain just what I'll be writing about; most of the time I don't like to discuss works in progress or even if I have something going.

But certain folks think some of you will be amused by things that happen around here--I sure hope so!

 So what's going on now:  Sam and I are still on our little "farm", our son is closing in on 9 years old (yikes!), we have 2 dogs, and a small flock of chickens.

The dogs are Mickey, a miniature French poodle we inherited from my mother, and Skipper, a Newfoundland puppy we got last August.  Mickey's somewhere around 18 years old now and thinks Skipper's an abomination.  Skipper, on the other hand, is five-and-a-half months old  and would love to play with Mickey.  Unfortunately Mickey weighs about 10 pounds and Skipper's 75+ pounds and has no idea of how big he is, the doof.  Since we'd really rather not have a Mickey pancake, we have to keep them separated.

Some news on the writing front:  my third book, Bard's Oath, is coming out on November 27th!   For the first time, one of my books will be available as an e-book as well at the traditional hardcover.  Bob Eggleton did the cover and I think it's gorgeous.