Lost & Found

Has anyone lost a scarf? I found this on the side of the road and displayed it here on this fence post, but so far no one has claimed it. I love the bright colors, contrasting with winter's browns & whites...

Yankee Ingenuity

What do you do when the snowplow keeps 'takin' out' your mailbox? Well, these folks tied it back together with hay rope!

I guess I was a little bit vague yesterday...My new job is part-time at an animal feed, farm supply type of store, so I'm like a kid in a candy shop! The past 3 days have been spent doing orientation and training. I'm pretty tired, and anxious to get to the real work of running the store. The boys think that the best part is that their mom is now certified to drive a fork-lift!!

One Hot Mama

I found another mother's license plate in my stash yesterday. And, this one thinks quite highly of herself, wouldn't you say? I really wish that we were driving South. Today we're cleaning up from yesterday's snowstorm...I'll try to get out and get you some photos of it...

I apologize for not getting around and commenting as much lately. After exactly 10 years, I'm returning to the workforce! Boy, I thought I was busy before...

TAXYMUM

It's snowing again, and I don't feel like going outside. So, I raided my stash and found another license plate for you. There have been lots of day when I felt like this woman - driving everyone to and fro and back again! And, just like me, she's got her trusty canine companion, along for the ride. This looks like such a nice spring day in the town of West Paris. A couple more months...I can't wait!!

The View

From Tuelltown Road.

Tree Trimming

You can chalk this up as yet another job that I could never do - leaning out of a bucket, high above the electrical wires, cutting branches off the tops of trees! But, I greatly appreciate the service of the men (and women) that do this job. The past couple of weeks we have seen these trucks all up and down the roads. They are cutting down any branches that overhang the wires, so that during our winter storms the branches won't fall down and disconnect our service. "An ounce of prevention..." I think it's great! On Friday, one of them walked up our driveway and apologized for the fact that they were going to have to take down some of the trees on our lawn that were threatening our wires. I surprised him by saying "Yay!" We've been worried about those trees for the four years that we have lived up here. Now, they are gone and they were kind enough to leave behind a pile of firewood. And they were very careful not to disturb our horse fencing, which I appreciated. He was also concerned that the noisy equipment would bother the horses. I told him not to worry - exposure to loud noises is good for them. It keeps them from getting scared when we encounter equipment in our travels. The horses never even batted an eye at the saws & trucks. They just kept munching on their breakfast...

Passing

Here's the shot that Mom was waiting for! Little brother passing the ball back into the game, right to his big brother. It's great to actually catch them interacting during the game!

Basketball Game

This morning our boys played a great game! They are on a combination girls & boys, third & fourth grade team. All the teams that we will face are all boys teams, since the other schools have enough kids to split the players up. West Paris has the smallest school in the district - one of the reasons that we chose to move to this area! Don't think for a minute that the girls are a handicap for our team - they are extremely talented and fierce players! Our boys (This is their first year on the team.) are having fun playing and learning about the sport. The whole family is enjoying watching the games!! Our team is wearing green, and our boys are #2 & #3.

Edge of the Sea Touch Tank

The kids were very excited to see that they were actually allowed to touch and pick up the critters in this tank! They loved that!!

Myrtle the Sea Turtle

One of the highlights of our day at the aquarium, was walking to the top of the biggest tank and listening to a caretaker point out the different creatures as they swam near the top. One of our favorites was Myrtle. She's huge, almost 600 pounds, and over 70 years old! Here you can see her taking a big breath of air before swimming back down to the bottom to take a nap...

Something smells fishy...

The penguins were all very excited about their lunch! What a fun job that must be, although that water looked very chilly. I got a chuckle out of the photo below....the staff had a checklist so that they could make sure that each penguin ate properly. It looked like the penguins were reading the list too..."I'm pretty sure it says on there that I get another one. Yup, right there. See? That's me, #342. I get an extra fish!" Sure you do, buddy...

Splish, Splash!

This was my favorite display - the penquins!! They are just so adorable!! I could have watched them for hours. Here you can see one of them enjoying a shower from a sprinkler. I wonder what he'll be doing tomorrow?

New England Aquarium

This morning we left snowy West Paris behind, and drove South to Boston, to take the boys to the New England Aquarium. My brother & his family went as well and a fantastic time was had by all! I was very pleased with how well all the colorful fish photographed, so they will be adding some brilliance to my blog in the coming days, as I show you our favorite exhibits...

Seen on a Harley...

I spent today talking about horses! This weekend was the Northeast Horsemen's Conference and Trade Show in Augusta. I joined a couple of other members of the team penning club there today, where we had a booth filled with information about our sport. Unfortunately, there was a major blizzard today, so there weren't too many other people there. The driving was treacherous and I guarantee that this Harley Davidson was tucked up snug in its garage. I actually snapped this license plate last summer, knowing that someday I would post it on my blog. Today seems like a good day...

Our Flowers in the Snow

Lily & Daisy enjoy a visit...

20 Degrees Below Zero?

The boys know how to handle the cold - stay inside and watch 'Journey to the Center of the Earth' in 3-D!

Brilliant Sunrise

The really strange part of this sunrise was that those clouds down low on the horizon that are so lit up by the rising sun, were moving across the hilltops really quickly, but those big clouds way up high in the sky weren't moving at all. It really looked like the horizon was on fire! Fortunately, it was just a trick of the light and the windcurrents.

Carrying Wood

Here is our youngest, demonstrating his favorite method of carrying firewood. At first I thought that he just did that to show off for the camera, but he actually carried them all like that! All the way into the shed and onto the pile. Granted, that meant he could only carry one stick at a time, but at least he was helping. And, having fun while doing it!

Splitting Wood

This past weekend the boys helped Dad with the firewood. Here you can see our oldest running the splitter. He was pushing the handle, which drives the wedge into the log and back out again after the wood splits. Pictures like this amaze me - our little boy is getting so tall!!

Cuddles

This little cutie-pie, peeking out of a basket, is my older son's hamster, Cuddles. He was so sad after Ralph died last spring, that he wasn't sure if he would be able to open his heart up to another hamster. But, when his best friend suddenly needed to find a new home for Cuddles in June, he decided to give it a try. She is just as lovable as Ralph was and he's been very happy to have her for his pet!

Dad isn't too wild about the boys' 'cuddly rodents', but occassionally he'll visit with them too...doesn't it look like she's reading his e-mail with him?

Miss Piggy

This is Miss Piggy. She is the American Teddy Guinea Pig that my older son bought at the 2007 Oxford Fair. She has the most interesting hair coat. It's coarse and wiry, but she's still just a cuddly as Inky Mo. If you put your hand on her forehead, she'll push against it so that you have to pet her. It's really funny! She's also a talker - she'll squeak and squeal whenever she wants attention, or something to eat. Her favorite treat is carrots, but she also eats a wicked lot of hay. I should have taken a picture of her with Inky - she's lots bigger!! The boys love to play with their little piggies and the piggies seem to enjoy the attention. They're very good natured.

Inky Mo

After reading Tanya's comment on yesterday's post, I realized that I've never introduced you to our guinea pigs. They live in the boys room and they take care of them, but the whole family really enjoys them. They're very sweet!

This is our younger son's Abyssinian Satin Guinea Pig, Inky Mo. She was a very pleasant surprise. Last fall, our older son's best friend purchased a guinea pig at the fair. (Our son did too. You'll met her tomorrow.) He thought it was a male and when he decided that it was lonely, his mother helped him pick out a second boy piggie from a local breeder, and they set up a larger cage for the 2 piggies to live in together. You can probably guess what happened next, so I won't go into the details. In December, I got an early morning phone call and went rushing over to see the babies. I don't think I've ever seen anything cuter! They were so adorable and lovable right from the beginning. We immediately fell in love with the little black one and named her Inky Mo. Inky for her coloring and Mo because she had the cutest little mohawk on her head. Our younger son asked if he could bring her home and we just couldn't say "No." Finally, in February she was big enough to come home. She is an absolute love and will spend hours cuddled up on our shoulders. She 'talks' and purrs when you pet her.

Momma and her 4 babies when they were just a few hours old.

Look at that little face! Who could resist?

Daddy Guinea Pig

He's getting so big!

It's been a while since I posted a picture of our 'little' piggie. He's not so little anymore! He still loves to be scratched and will run around and play with the boys & dogs - his little tail a-wagging! It's really cute. During our big family Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, he had lots of visitors and he was just so happy to see everyone. Especially since most of them brought him something to eat or drink!

Snow-covered Brook

After we left the waterfall, and walked up the hill beside the brook, I happened to look down and discovered that I could just see pieces of the rushing brook. I thought it made for an interesting photo because it almost looked like the water was boiling up through the snow...

Frozen Waterfall

This was our destination on our wintry walk - our waterfall. Only right now it's not terribly spectacular because it's covered in snow. You can just barely see the huge rock that sits right in the middle of it. That is my very favorite place to sit in the summertime. It's a good 20 degrees cooler there on hot, muggy days. I can sit there for hours listening to the rushing water. And, supervising my little fishermen. Really hard to imagine - all I wanted to do this time was go home to a steaming cup of hot cocoa!

Bird Tracks

Here is a really clear set of bird tracks. We're not sure what kind of bird left these prints, but they weren't very big.

Bunny Super Highway

Scattered throughout the woods there are lots of single Snowshoe Hare trails. However, right along here is what we call a Bunny Super Highway - so many of them have passed this way that there is an indentation in the snow. We were somewhere in the middle, with the trail leading in both directions. I would love to follow it and see where it goes. But, since the dogs were with us, we led them away...

Pine Cone Tracks

Here's the answer to yesterday's mystery: a pine cone rolling across the top of the snow. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that today's photo is staged. Daisy snatched up the original pine cone and ran off with it before I could snap a picture!

Mystery Print

During our walk, we kept our eyes open for animal tracks in the snow. The little critters have been scurrying around all over the place! Right here though, it took us a minute or two to decipher the clues. On the right side of the photo, you can see boy & doggie prints. Starting in the left hand corner, you can see the prints of a Snowshoe Hare hopping across the snow, diagonally across the picture. What is that print running across the bunny tracks? Any ideas?

Crescent Moon

I don't actually participate in Skywatch Friday, but yesterday afternoon I took a picture that I think is quite appropriate. It was bitterly cold & windy, but we took a walk in the woods anyway. When we were returning home, just as we left the trees behind, I looked up and saw this beautiful crescent moon. And, since the camera was being so cooperative, I zoomed in for a close-up...

January Theme Day: Best Photo of 2008

I found it really hard to choose just one photo! I picked this one because it demonstrates why we moved to this area. We love the scenery!

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