Hanging Chads Not Allowed

Yes, the Mullin family voted in today's election. Clare came along as our cheerleader. Idaho, you might want to consider upgrading your election system. No voting booths, which means no fun curtains to hide and grimace behind because you don't have a TV, don't listen to the radio, and don't read the local paper and therefore have absolutely no idea what several of the ballot measures are even addressing. Just long tables with semi-adequate dividers between voting stations. Come on, Idaho. Even Nondalton had privacy, including voting booths with curtains. And, when I voted there and brought my ballot up it didn't get opened up so any interested party could see, then dropped in a box. Not that anyone even cares whom I voted for, but there is the principle of it all. And to add insult to injury, there was no candy at the end. Hmmm......

On a brighter note, our walk to the post office took just a little longer today as there were piles of leaves all over the sidewalk that LLSS couldn't resist. She was pretty cute tromping through soggy leaves, picking up handfuls and putting them back in yards.

Average, Average, Huge

Once again, Clare's head exceded normal size limitations. We went for her two-year-old well-baby check today and she seems to be normal except for that noggin. She is a healthy 25 pound, 33 1/2 inch walking bobblehead. Head circumference: 20 1/2 inches. Man, we love our little bobblehead.

Here are a few shots from the past week. Little Lovey Sweet Sweet playing in a huge pile of leaves, courtesy of our weeping birch and some hard-core raking by me.
And here she is spending some quality time under the table with her polka dot blanket courtesy of Eve. Thanks, Eve! She loves it.

And Tracy (and Julianna), close your eyes. Perhaps this will be headed your way sometime within the year. Here is my first attempt at thread basting.

It rained this morning and was foggy yesterday. It felt a bit like Sitka, without the mountains and ocean of course.

Renovation Sunday

Well, the time has come to remove all the crap from the basement that was left here for our enjoyment by the previous owners. Included in the wonderful junk collection were cabinets, both hanging and on the ground, disgusting old carpet that might pre-date the house given its condition, lovely odd pieces of wood nailed here and there and assorted other items. The bed of the truck is full, several large garbage bags went into the trash for collection tomorrow and the air cleaner is running full steam in an effort to clear the dust from the air. And it was all accomplished in about seven and a half hours.

Things of interest:
Dust can collect for seventy years in cracks and crevices without being cleaned up, especially behind large, heavy items.
Silverfish, or earwigs, live under large sheets of unidentified material when placed near basement windows and boy can they ever move quickly when someone is trying to smash them.
Rubber dish gloves really are a girl's best friend!
Mike and I make a really good team when it comes to clean up. I love that man!

Of course, in typical form, I forgot to take "before" pictures of the space, although I'm not sure the "after" pictures are too exciting. Removal of all these items really only revealed a whole new list of things that need attention (walls painted, floors painted, window sills replaced, etc...). But at least it is some sort of progress. Yeah!

A Month in the Life Of

With a turn in the weather from lovely Indian Summer to drizzly fall, November has arrived in Weiser. Last night we went trick-or-treating with Little Lovey Sweet Sweet. Although she was quiet at times, she did manage a "trick-or-treat" and a "thank-you" at every house we visited. She also mumbled, "BUMBLEBEE!" under her breath every time someone misidentified her as a butterfly or a fairy.Here we are, pre-trick-or-treating. LLSS dressed up for a trip to the post office and the store. Kind of a dress rehearsal of sorts.

Dressed up and waiting for slow Mom and Dad to get their butts in gear to take LLSS trick-or-treating already!

Post trick-or-treating, loaded up with candy and a little bit on the tired side. Naps really aren't necessary of exciting days like Halloween. At least she slept well last night!

Everyone Loves a Parade

It's the middle of October and we've experienced our first "cold" weather in the new house. I'm wondering if maybe they didn't have enough money left for insulation in the Great Depression year of 1937. It's pretty chilly in some places, particularly the shower, and if you touch the walls, they are cold. Brrr. Guess we'll all have to toughen up a bit around here. There is also some talk of moving the bedrooms downstairs (it is much quieter and darker and COLDER) since they don't need to be as warm as other rooms. We'll see if we're up to the challenge of hauling the futon, TV, etc up a flight of stairs and bringing a couple dressers down.

Here are a pictures from the past few week.

Clare hanging out on Mom and Dad's bed.

Riding her "horse" while waiting for the Homecoming Parade.
In the kitchen with Dad, likely giving him advice.
Smiley girl with a naked butt. That's why she's looking so cheeky.
Getting into the highchair for some breakfast.

Random Bits of Life

Here are a few shots from Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. This was where we spent the second half of our Uncle Noah Wedding vacation. It was very relaxing and quite beautiful. The sand was soft, and quite the hit with LLSS. Aunt Emmy and I were roped into creating many sand structures that were immediately crushed by the adventuresome wee one.

Here she is with Aunt Emmy, likely trying to get the bubbles!





Here we are enjoying the waves as the wash over our feet. We did get soaked a few times when slightly larger than expected waves kept right on coming up the beach!

Home improvements continue, as do Daddy improvements. Mike hangs a new shade. Clare creates some artwork on his leg!











An unexpected visitor, but a very welcome one...our dear friend Matt, a former Detroiter resident and expert ball thrower stopped over for the night a few weeks ago. He played hours of fetch with an eager retriever, Clare. Bouncy balls are great icebreakers. This picture is from early the next morning. Clare forgot how much she loved Matt the night before.

Little Lovey Sweet Sweet contemplating how many nectarines she can eat for free at the U-Pick orchard.




Here she is, trying to make her count....














Ah, the victory dance! Clare loves U-Pick, and so do we. Fifty combined pounds of peaches and nectarines, picked in less than an hour, all for less than $20. They were so good too. There are plenty in the freezer to enjoy in pies and smoothies.






Plugging her ears like a good girl while Daddy cuts firewood. Our first venture into the woods.

Uncle Jimmy and Auntie J-Dawg came for a visit last weekend. Clare had too much fun. Check out the top-notch service provided by her guitar-playing uncle!

And there she is with Jim and Jessica and Ernie!

It's Been A While

Our journey "South" has been quite an adventure. Little Lovey Sweet Sweet has adapted quite nicely, enjoying the clothing-free options that warm weather can provide. Mike is liking his new job as it offers more diversity of chores than his previous one. We have moved into our new house and are discovering all the joys and expenses of home ownership.

Leaving Sitka was very hard for me. It meant leaving Alaska, a place I truly feel at home. It also meant leaving some of the most wonderful people I have had the pleasure of sharing my life with. Hopefully, someday we will return to live again in such a wonderful place.

Mike and I faced a pretty challenging decision about our adopted cat, Trucker. He had that disgusting ear problem caused by uncontrolled growth of polyps in his ear canal. The local (Sitka)free vet was able to fix him up, but we feared a relapse and the overwhelming choice of draining Clare's college fund to fix him up or putting him to sleep if we took him with us. Thanks to the kindness of our friends Brad and Rebecca, we were able to leave him in a loving home. Bye Trucker. We miss you!


Check out this incredible Chinese mantis. Mike found it while removing greenery from the siding of our new house. It was tucked up under the siding. We weren't sure about its reaction to being handled, so we put it in this jar for safety. It actually was quite docile, and we later released it on the lawn, then relocated it to the back bushes so that it would be safe.


Mike and Clare on the front porch of our house.

Here is Clare at Uncle Noah and Aunt Carolina's wedding. Blue Bunny tagged along for company.