What I've been up to: Kevin's Birthday!

I can't believe my nephew is 7!

Not long after Josh and I started dating, I remember Josh had to head home for his nephew's first birthday, and I couldn't make the trip with him because I had something going on at school. Six years later, that same nephew is a first grader, reading, and being all-around a really cool kid.

The crazy Chuck E Cheese party was the day before with a bunch of school friends, so the "family party" Sunday was low key. Presents were opened and cake was shared, and we were glad to celebrate with Kevin and everyone else.







Later this week I'll post about what our present to the new 7-year-old was!

Excuses

I haven't been blogging. This has been pointed out to me, and I'm very aware of it. It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's that I just haven't sat down to write any of it. Here's a few things I've been up to:

• Planting. Planting? In the fall? I got pounds of garlic planted before it got too cold to be outside, and they are safely underground waiting to pop up in the spring. Is it bad I'm just as excited for the garlic scapes as for the garlic?
• Knitting. When the weather gets cooler, and I no longer have any reason to be out in the garden, my "winter hobby" kicks in. All this sitting still and relaxing is good for me during such a busy time of the year.
• Baking. This is the other hobby that kicks in as the days get shorter. I wrote about it over at Homemakers Who Work- I've been compelled to cook and put away in the freezer meals and meal ingredients. I even took a freezer inventory so I'd know what I have on hand! I've never been this organized before.
• Sleeping. The time change that happened earlier this fall really threw me off. It's only an hour, so perhaps it shouldn't have, but I was going to bed before 9:00 for a week after the time change. Now, it's starting to get dark around 5:00 and I want to do nothing else but hibernate. Busying myself with the above Baking and Knitting activities forces me to not to.
• Family. Between a nephew's birthday party, taking him out for his birthday present, another nephew's birthday party, and taking him out for his present (Sunday!), there have been a good number of family-related activities. I love it, and I love my nephews.
• Car trouble. We spent last week juggling our cars while one was in the shop. It's back now, but I'm really tired of car repairs. We're not to the point we need mechanical breakdown insurance, because we haven't actually had any "breakdowns"- but the repairs do add up!
• Consuming Fire Conference. Last Friday and Saturday, I went with a friend to this conference. I got to hear a couple of our favorite authors speak, and learned so much. Most of all, though, I was blown away by all the things so many people are doing to strengthen their communities and work for peace and justice. In comparison, I felt like I'm doing nothing, and I'm trying to figure out where I fit and how I can remedy that. I'm still processing all that I learned, and hope to get some thoughts down soon.
• Everything else. In the coming week & a half, I will: Host out-of-town guests, Speak at a local high school ministry meeting, Go out of town myself, and Cook a pumpkin pie, an apple pie, lots of apple butter, and lots of mashed potatoes.

Note that everything above is away from a computer screen, which explains my lack of blogging. I miss you guys, and will try to be back with exciting thoughts and adventures soon. Or my normal not-so-exciting stuff. We'll see.

Mist

Saturday morning, I was up early, and this is what I woke up to.



As much as I Do Not Love Fall, this scene took my breath away and sent me running inside for my camera. Also, earlier this week, when the sky was perfectly clear in the middle of the night, and the cool air and sliver of a moon made the stars shine brighter than a normal night and I spotted Orion, I was reminded of the constant beauty of everything, and how I, in my hurried way, miss all of it.

That is all.

Free Microchipping!

When we got Casey, the details were fuzzy on his history. We were told he had purebred papers- but the people who we were getting him from didn't have them- the previous owners did. We were told he had a microchip. We were told he was neutered. At least the last one was true!

Saturday, the Hamilton County Humane Society held a free microchipping event at a bank not far from where we live. The event started at 10am, and we got there not long after 10- the line was around the building. And it was cold. But I stood out there with Casey anyway, because I knew this was important.

The bank was great- I assumed the event would be in the parking lot, but they actually let the dogs into the bank for the microchip shots. There weren't any sales people going up and down the line harping on term life insurance policies or investment accounts- they did offer a low-pressure pitch for an direct deposit account that, when we open it, they'd donate $25 to the Humane Society- but that's all. Anyway, on to the pictures

Did I mention the line was long?



Also note that the line contains ALL SMALL DOGS. Casey so badly wanted to play with some fellow dog citizen, but all these little dogs either shied away or growled at him. Most small dogs we've met are intimidated by our big dog's size. He's never growled or done anything threatening toward another dog, small dogs just don't like him. Poor Casey. He didn't know what to do, so he did what he does best, and charmed their humans with his good looks and glowing personality.


The one small dog behind us was destined to be a big dog. I LOVE Bernese Mountain Dogs. So cuddly.


If you want your own charming pup, the Hamilton County Humane Society is at a critically-full level right now. See their featured pets here and all their adoptable pets. The shelter had a few adoptable pets at the event, and I met Nala, a sweet, sweet red Aussie (same breed as Casey, different color). She was gorgeous and calm and apparently is way lower-key than our Aussie. She's not good with other dogs, so we couldn't take her home. Not that I'm allowed to get any more dogs. I'm not. But I can dream, right?

Another plug for my pup: Saturday is the last day to vote in Pet Supplies Plus' Shiny Coat Tangle, and Casey is REALLY close to the leaders. Would you vote for him?