he shoots! he scores!

Last week, Macon caught The Crud that I had and was down for the count for about three days. He ended up with a bad ear infection, but antibiotics perked him right up. Then, Jed started a downward spiral on Saturday while he, Eric, and Jed were at the Globetrotters. He enjoyed the game, but was clearly not at 100%. By this morning, he was going slow and throwing up, so we went to the doctor. I was sure he had whatever Macon and I had, but he was diagnosed with strep. One antibiotic-dose and he's looking better already, but I can't help but wonder if I didn't have strep which I passed to them. Macon and I did not have throat cultures, though we both had sore throats, but we both ended up on antibiotics anyway (for my sinuses and his ear). 

Before Jed got hit too hard, we received a wonderful gift from some of our favorite neighbors: Leigh and Jerry gave us their grown-up son's old goal, while Pat loaned us her truck to move it up the hill! Leigh, Jerry, and their son, Michael, even helped us move it, which we could not have done on our own. 

We have great neighbors and the boys are having a blast.... Don and Kay, in the purple house in the background, however, may not appreciate this gift as much as we do! 

february recap

One of North Carolina's past governors is famous for remarking that "it's been a long time between drinks." Well, it's been a long time between posts. February turned out to be busy and not entirely healthy. I visited western N.C. for work, which was snowy and beautiful, but I came down with a terrible sinus infection right after that. Eric, meanwhile, has been enduring a long, drawn-out cold. 

But we did get to see a house move across downtown Raleigh, and the boys have been having a great time on the basketball court. 

I know y'all come here for the boys, but here's my Watauga County trip summed up in list-form: 

1. If someone made a heat-map of Subaru Baja ownership, there would be a big red blob over Watauga County.

2. If you're driving in Watauga County and it's been snowing and it's 10-degrees, stick to the main roads and well-traveled secondary roads. Don't try the secondary-secondary roads.

3. If you decide to disregard #2 and drive on a third-tier road, make sure you own a Baja.

4. Nothing will make you feel farther up the creek than calling AAA for help when you ignore points 2 and 3 and having AAA call you back to say, "Our provider in that area tells us that the road you are on is impassible and he will not be able to get you."

5. Who needs AAA when you have a friendly Irishwoman who calls a local towing company for you and then Dustin the tow-truck driver (who had just fielded the AAA phone call) gives you instructions over the phone?

6. If you're stuck on a snowy incline, pointing up, you're going to have to back down. No two ways about it.

7. Here's how you do it: put your foot on the break, raise your parking break up 2 or 3 or 4 clicks (I found 3 clicks to be my comfort zone), and put your car in neutral. Not drive, not reverse: neutral. Then let up on your foot break very, very slowly, keep you foot on the break and your hand working the hand-break and back that thing on down. When you reach a driveway where you can turn around, give a big wave and a yeeeee haaaa to the Irish lady standing at the top of the hill and toss your AAA card out the window.

8. Everywhere looks better in the snow, but boy-howdy, Watauga County is some kinda pretty.

Meanwhile, back in the flatlands, Jed caught a great picture of the police being caught off guard as workers lowered stoplights during the house-move.

On the courts, Macon takes a shot (but misses) . . .

 

and drives his opponents nuts with tenacious D.

Proud kid with his first trophy: 

his coach said Macon was the team's best passer and most improved player.

Jed's no slouch either, with improving dribbling skills and fake-passing.

the end of January

During the ice storm, I made a puppet theater and the boys made puppets and a background with tombstones and a moon. They each put on short plays with ghosts and witches.

At the end of last week, our neighbor's holly tree looked like this, minus the ice . . . 

After a flock of cedar waxwings and robins descended in a remarkable feeding frenzy, only a thin ring of berries was left on the lower branches. 

And on Saturday, we had a Star Wars viewing party. Oliver was our youngest guest, but he held his own with the older kids and managed to amass a cache of weapons and masks.