The Pied Piper of Poopalapampa

Gaga has been here for a visit. This is evidenced by the new words in Jonah's vocabulary, the presence of a new fire engine, Fela's increased happiness and waistline and a sense of general merriment in my house. My girlfriends asked me why my Dad was coming for a solo visit and I answered because I asked him to. Every other member of my family has flown solo and it was time he did too. The snow arrived the day before he did and melted the day he left. We were pleasantly forced to spend our days at home, making cookies, enjoying snowy walks, tending the fire, playing with fela, oohing and ahhing over the snow, cooking and eating and drinking wine. We did puzzles and relaxed. I watched Jonah and Fela follow Gaga's every move - morning, noon and night. Lots of wrestling happened between Gaga and Jonah; lots of laughter too.

Inspired by a friend, I had Jason tie a knotted rope to a hook in the downstairs ceiling. Jonah spends much of his waking hours swinging from this rope. He's dreamed up all sorts of other things to do with the rope as well. He plays piano with the end of it, he ties trucks and furniture to it but mostly he swings on it. He stands on a very low chair and positioning one hand above the other, Tarzan style, he jumps off the chair and swings, legs held high, across the room and back again. Gaga has him singing as he's swinging, a different song each time. Jonah also likes to carry things between his knees as he swings. pillows, boxes, Gina. Whatever he can catch.

We did some home improvement projects before and during Gaga's visit. I hung some pictures in Jonah's room and installed a sweet lamp that used to be mine as a child. I rearranged our clothing area, computer desk, and lounge area upstairs. We also turned the defunct downstairs coat closet into a neat little desking area with a newly painted desk, shelves and corkboard. Jason put a new roof on the workshop. The massage studio is painted with milk paint and awaits a new floor. The call of the garden is faint but audible.

Nanna Joy bought the most beautiful sheepskin boots for Jonah. he loves them and puts them on and off on his own. I can't make up my mind if they are his houseboots or his townboots so he wears them for both occasions.

Cold weather also calls for hot drinks and we've enjoyed a lot of grated ginger tea with lemon & honey lately. We also drink lots of milk mixed with Milo, an Aussie icon made with toasted barley. Jonah still loves cooking in the kitchen, both his and mine, and often serves me on a tray. He tell me often that he yoves me and has resumed calling me mommy. I yove it.

welcome winter

winter has arrived and i am glad. at least six inches of snow have fallen and its simply magical. every twig, every branch, every leaf and needle is covered with snow. the framework of every leafless tree is highlighted with white and every conifer wears a snowy shawl. fela's waterbowl is solid ice and he doesn't leave the house without wearing his superpup cape. jonah loves it. our daily walks have become snowy trudges with the sound of crunching snow filling my ears. what a special thing this wintery kiss of snow. its not like we live for 3 months under the burden of heavy snow, salted roads and cold temperatures. its only a few days or a week that we are blessed with this wondrous white. so, we've been enjoying it to the fullest because rain is forecast soon again.

Happy New Year!

We rang in New Year's day with a proper plunge at the Nordland Store's annual Polar Bear Dip into Mystery Bay on Marrowstone Island where hundreds of people stripped down (some a lot more than others) and flung themselves mercilessly into the icy water. Jason and I partook in this event six years ago but we look so much better in that photo that I'm reluctant to show it here. We started off the day with a beach walk on Indian Island, as I am determined to make good on my New Year's Resolution to give Fela more exercise.

We then began internal polar preparations by enjoying locally made ice cream. The crowd began to swell. A tuba player appeared. Some people wore costumes, some people did not, and some people wore nothing at all. No matter as we were on Marrowstone Island, "an island nation slightly off the coast of the USA".

Since Jonah wasn't plunging, we jumped in shifts. Me first. Somehow, some random person managed to catch a photo of me half a millisecond before I hit the water. The rush was palpable. Literally. Tripping over my goosebumps, I managed to clamber out of the water and back onto the dock. Jason went next and swam all the way to shore, instead of taking the shortcut dock scramble. What a guy! It was then, as we shivered our way back into clothes and shoes, that Jonah realized he wasn't jumping in the water - that he (gulp) wasn't big enough. The tears rolled all the way home. I promised him that next year, he too, could plunge into the 48 degree water and start the new year off right.