then and now

cousin Camille visits

My cousin's daughter spent most of yesterday afternoon with us. Thanks, Camille, for gamely playing with trucks and pretend fire hoses! You were a good sport, and we had a great time! 

Camille and the boys are second cousins; Camille and I are first cousins, once removed. 

new discovery

What happens if I blow into this? 

Oh my gosh! Did you hear that??

picture of the day

help St. Philip's

I wasn't crazy about the look of the St. Philip's petition link in the earlier post, so I took that down and moved it to the side bar on the right of your screen. Or, you can simply click here to sign our petition to let the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina know that people care about St. Philip's and want to see it stay in Germanton.

woodpeckers in action

Uncle Brian and Aunt Dara sent a woodpecker walker to Jed just before he turned one. 

Today, it finally caught Macon's eye. 

eeeewwww! gross!

We have a tummy bug in our house. Sunday and Monday included some of the most disgusting hours of my life to date. I used rubber gloves to do laundry. "Toxic waste site" is an apt descriptor.  Jed is in better shape so far this morning, but Macon's state remains to be seen. How will the parents fare? Place your bets now. 

in a happy moment yesterday, enjoying a meal of white

Mid-morning Update

Jed is off to school, having not shown any symptoms for over 24 hours now. Macon awoke in a considerably more appealing situation than yesterday morning and so far, he seems pretty chipper.

sunny afternoons

betsy

One of our favorite neighbors succumbed to cancer on Friday evening. I've only known Betsy a couple of years, and she has many friends with whom she was far closer, but we shared a period of time with unlikely parallels. 

Betsy's diagnosis coincided with my pregnancy with Macon, and as I was becoming more home-bound toward the end of that pregnancy and throughout Macon's infancy, she, too, was becoming more confined.  Then, over the last month, just as my life began turning a corner toward greater flexibility, Betsy began moving more rapidly toward her own freedom. 

Betsy is the mother of two boys, too, and although her children are grown, she kept a stash of their trucks on a shelf just for Jed. She once said I was a window into her past, and I think she, as a preservation activist, was a window into my future. Betsy buoyed my spirits on captive days and I hope Macon, Jed and I returned the favor.

I've not listened to this, but this link will take you to Betsy's interview as part of our neighborhood's oral history project, and here is her obituary.

vote early, vote often!

A friend of ours is in the final three of the New Yorker's weekly cartoon caption contest. Click here and please cast your vote for Andrew Tripp!

write right

At yesterday's St. Philip's meeting, we were reminded to remember the power of community, so if you are interested in keeping St. Philip's in Germanton, please take a few minutes to write to Bishop Curry and tell him how you feel. You can visit this post on the St. P website for his contact information.

food-n-shirt

Tastes better when it matches. 

St. Philip's meeting today

Friends of St. Philip's will meet today at 2 p.m. at Germanton United Methodist Church. Come out and show your support for keeping St. Philip's in Germanton!

saturday morning

and this just in . . . 

A bald eagle visited us today! 

He was circling pretty low, but by the time I got my camera, he'd drifted higher and farther away. I know he's a glorified scavenger, but nevertheless, he made an impressive sight. 

tis better to paint

than to eat

eating and greeting

Jed has inherited a love of pistachios. 

A still shot of Macon saying "hello" on his "phone" . . .  

and a moving picture of the same.