A Day Of Life At Shadow Glen Farm

2009-09-11T09:13:00.001-04:00

“I've had the BEST day EVER,” six-year old Samantha excitedly exclaimed as she bounced into the waitng car. How sad that it was about to turn into her worst day, ever.

Melanie was poised to graduate from Colby-Sawyer College and finally knew what she was going to do. Changing her major in the eleventh hour had been rough and every waking moment for the past year and a half had been dedicated to the additional coursework and practicums necessary to graduate on time with her class. Packing her last requirement, student teaching, into the final semester of her senior year was risky, especially when she realized with horror that she HATED teaching, just as her mother had predicted.

Panic ensued while she considered the alternatives, but after much consideration and consultation with her school advisors, the decision was made to alter her direction by transitioning right into grad school. Best yet, they knew a family in Boston that was looking for a nanny and from the moment Melanie, Lisa, and David exchanged greetings and Samantha and Carly bounded into the room to meet her, there was an instant bond and they all agreed it was a perfect fit. Melanie moved in with them right after graduation and started applying to schools for January admission.

Melanie learned quickly that Lisa was not the typical executive. It wouldn't be entirely unusual for her to rush though the front entrance of TJX, late for a meeting with the other Vice Presidents of this major corporation, only to discover a sticky lollypop adhered to the back of her suit hours later. She was fun and carefree, but also a dedicated employee and mother, so this type of episode was considered the norm where Lisa was concerned. The rest of the executive staff would exchange knowing smiles as Lisa went through her day with momentos of her children's presence in her car plastered somewhere to her body, just as her children would exchange excited smiles as they gleefully discovered post-it note messages from their mother stuck in inconspicuous places around the house for them to find during their day.

David was the polar opposite. The busy photography supply store that he had recently started was booming, requiring him to work long hours. He left the care of the children to Lisa and the nanny. While his love for his children ran deep and sure, he was never afforded the opportunity of enough time to understand what really made them tick.

He did understand enough though to object when Lisa awakened them in the dark before dawn for groggy goodbye kisses as she prepared to leave on her first business trip since Melanie came to live with them. He had just arrived home only hours before from his own business trip, but Lisa was able to say her goodbye's and lull them back to sleep. The sticky notes were in place for the day, including the one at the kitchen table promising gifts and kisses upon her return. She secretly slipped a poem under the locked door of David's home office and dashed off to the airport to meet the six associates accompanying her on this early morning flight.

With Samantha off to school, Melanie prepared three-year old Carly for her day. They didn't have much planned. She didn't attend pre-school on Tuesdays, so they would run some errands until Samantha came home from school in the afternoon. Sipping her first coffee of the day, she reached for the ringing phone to find Steve, her long-time friend, but newly-acquired boyfriend calling to report news in Melanie's home state. “Turn the tv on. You're not going to believe what's happening in New York,” he exclaimed. “A plane has flown into the World Trade Center.”

Melanie watched in disbelief as she witnessed the mayhem that ensued as the second plane flew into the South Tower. The Twin Towers was something she always took for granted. It was something her eyes were naturally drawn to every time she had been in New York City or in a car cruising down the New Jersey Turnpike. She had even been there on a school trip. She had stood with the rest of her eighth grade class on the top floor of the North Tower, peering out of the panes of glass at 'Windows On The World' to the vast city below. Now the building was in flames and had a gaping hole in it's side and it's twin was in the same greusome condition. She felt a personal sense of betrayal. The phone rang again and Melanie reached for it, not taking her eyes off the screen. “Where is Lisa?” Lisa's best friend asked anxiously. Melanie reassured her that Lisa wasn't in New York; she was on a plane enroute to California.

Enroute to California from Logan Airport. Enroute to California, detoured from Logan airport. Melanie's heart rose to her throat. She picked the phone back up immediately and dialed Lisa's cell phone frantically. Tones. Three tones and a message, “This number is no longer in service.” She held her breath and slowly redialed the phone to David's cell. “David, what flight was Lisa on this morning?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” he answered.

“Why?”

It took hours to receive confirmation, but they knew. Deep in their hearts, they knew. David called TJX repeatedly, and each time they told him they would call him when they had news. He decided to wait for the news at home and Melanie took Carly to a neighbors house to play, shielding her from their suspicions for as long as possible. Without any words spoken, Melanie received confirmation of Lisa's passage on American Airlines Flight 11 when she heard David's agonizing wails from three houses away. She had been on the plane piloted by Mohammad Atta at the direction of Osama Bin Laden. Her final destination had been the North Tower of the World Trade Center. She wouldn't be coming home with gifts and kisses as promised.

They decided to tell the children together after school. They both needed time to compose themselves before tackling the monumental task of informing Samantha and Carly that Mommy wouldn't be coming home. Ever again. Melanie headed to the school to gather Samantha. She didn't expect the glee she would be met with. “I've had the BEST day EVER,” six-year old Samantha excitedly exclaimed as she bounced into the waitng car. How sad that it was about to turn into her worst day, ever.

The house was flooded with visitors in the week that followed. Hundreds of business associates, family members, and friends poured into the home and Melanie found herself not only protecting the children from well intentioned but overwhelmed visitors, but coordinating a week long event of food and general madness. She was embarking on a journey that so many people, even the advisors that made this connection for her, told her to back away from. She heard repeatedly, “You didn't sign up for this. You don't have to do this. It's too big. It's too intense. You're only 21 years old.”

Melanie got her tuition back from grad school and dedicated the next fifteen months of her life to saving three devestated people. She took over the household and every aspect of the children's lives, keeping everything organized, running smoothly, and moving forward. She served as the liaison with the NY Medical Examiner's Office every time they discovered a piece of Lisa; when they sent her head home for burial.

She tried desperately to teach David how to take care of his children, but it took everything he had to get through his own day. It was too painful for him. It would be entirely up to her. Up to her to nurture them through the most difficult time they would possibly ever endure. Up to her to explain why things like this happen. Up to her to try to turn their worlds right side up again. It was up to her to maintain a strong relationship with Lisa's family. It was even up to her to get them on a flight to Florida four months later.

She filled their calendar with outings and classes to help them define a new world and she intertwined the spirit of their mother in their very existence. Even when Carly started calling her 'Mommy,' Melanie held her close and confessed, “I will always, always love you, but you already have a Mommy. You can talk to me any time and you can talk to her any time. You just have to listen with your heart to hear her answer.”

Melanie's life changed progressively throughout her stay with the family. One by one, her friends pulled away. They wanted to talk about what was going on in their lives; the parties, the events, the night life. Melanie's existence revolved around raising children and running a household. Night life? She worked fifteen hours a day. There was no time or energy for night life. She was a 21 year old living a 40 year old's life. Even Steve included the children when making plans with Melanie, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that while the children proceeded to grow stronger, Melanie continued to lose herself in the process.

After 15 months, Melanie delegated the care of the children to a new nanny, but remained present to supervise, advise, and provide support, just as Lisa would have wanted, until David remarried in January of 2004. With the marriage, the girls inherited a mother that Melanie really cared for and a live-in grandmother, which was exactly what they needed. They also inherited two brothers and since then, have become older sisters to baby Lily, named in Jewish tradition in Lisa's honor.

Eight years after that terrible day, Melanie remains in touch with the family and they are all doing as well as can be expected. Melanie went on to become a teacher and then the Director of a Child Development Center. She married Steve, the wonderful man who stood steadfastly by her side during the most challenging years of her life and is now a stay at home Mom to two-year old Celia. She carries with her an appreciation for life that most people will never grasp and a powerful ability to overcome any challenge that comes her way. She also carries with her a sadness and understanding of how a tragedy that can change your life in an instant and forever can at the same time be so easily forgetten and disregarded by many.

In retrospect, certain moments stand out in Melanie's mind that seem prophetic. Like the day only a couple of weeks before September 11th when Samantha told her grandmother, “You've had Mommy for 42 years and I've only had her for six. It's my turn now,” or one week later when Carly begged Lisa to stay home from work, only days before she lost her forever.

They wouldn't find the poem, 'Attidude' by Charles Swindoll, that Lisa slipped under the door of David's office on her way out to catch her flight until days later, and would never know what had inspired her to clip it, but David had it engraved on a stone commorating Lisa in a garden at TJX alongside six other tombstones symbolizing the lives they all lost that sunny day in September of 2001.

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

God bless all the victims, living and perished, of the terrorism inflicted on our country, September 11, 2001.

I love you, Melanie. You are my hero.

Whirlwind Summer

2009-08-10T11:31:00.068-04:00

To start...

Spring means babies...and friends of ours adopted this little one. He was two weeks old when they got him, but by the time we visited, he was five weeks old.

Rebecca has developed a rapport with the little guy that is undeniable.

Mary says it's important for him to learn right from the start to trust them completely. As Mary demonstrates, he seems to be learning!

We enjoyed our visit. Thanks, Mary and Jeff!

Prepare for a busy summer, Ken!

Towards the end of June, we visited Mom and Dad in SC, but little did they know there was a surprise party in store for them. Even Celia kept the secret.

and it was definitely a surpirse!

Family gathered from near and far...as far north as Pennsylvania and Massachusetts; as far south as Florida; as far west as California.

It was exciting to see everyone.

It had been way too long.

Of course, it hadn't been so long since Mom and Dad saw their grandchildren...

Oops...Looks like I interrupted something.

It was a wonderful day.

How about a wink?

Thank you all for coming.

Samantha, Martin, and Paige made the trip up to see us the beginning of July, and our first stop was the horse farm down the street.

After checking out a pony, Paige got suited up for a little ride.

She preferred to ride in the auction ring, so that's what we did.

...and she was off!

Fifteen minutes was enough.

She was a little happier relating to the pony on its own level.

She helped unsaddle him.

and got the gear put away in the tack stall.

No...sorry. You're not riding.

A little grooming...

and then we had a little bunny time.

Once we finished at the farm, we went home, had a little lunch, and got ready for an outing on the boat. Unsuspecting Samey posed for a light check, but I love the picture.

Then out to Duck Harbor we went.

Ken loves driving his boat!

Samey and Paige observed the beautiful views.

There is a dairy farm on the lake that we anchored by.

Samey, Martin, and Paige jumped into the lake for a little swim.

Paige wanted to drive and Kapuna explained what to do.

It took a lot of concentration...

...sometimes Paige experienced some close calls...

but she prevailed and had a great time!

Then this innocent child...

went on a noodle attack!

which was foiled by her Dad.

...and then it was time to head back to the dock.

It was a fun day.

We're so happy they came to visit.

Then guess who came to visit the beginning of August?

I'll give you a hint.

Here's her boots...

which she wore to the dairy farm...

...where we went to buy our milk and eggs.

The kitten was more to her liking.

That is, until Mama came to make sure she was treating her baby with care.

Milking was complete and it was time for the cows to go back to pasture...

Fifty head of cattle on the move can be a little intimidating.

The cows were pretty inquisitive, wanting to know who the stranger was.

Melanie tried to explain...

and was easily accepted.

Once cleared, Celia said hello, too.

It was a fun experience, but maybe not as fun as playing kitchen in the front yard.

Celia was in cleaning mode.

How about a wink?

Sometimes it doesn't work out exactly as it should!

Ahhh...there we go!

Stop interrupting a busy girl.

We all got treated to a little 'salad' and drinks.

But somehow in the middle of this she went into exercise mode.

Lunge...

Stretch...

and...I'm not sure what.

It was rather exhilarating.

She forgot to keep her distance from Sebastian, but Daddy felt it was a good test.

Celia was a real sport.

...but don't get TOO close!

Okay...back to work.

I know a couple of people that might want to give her a job.

We then headed to the Wayne County fair, where we checked out the rides, games, cows, pigs, horses, and chickens.

We got home late, ate dinner late, and went to bed late, and in the morning, we all (with the exception of Farmer Ken) got up late. When Ken finished picking, we sat down for a quiet breakfast.

But then it got a little louder.

And louder still.

So, Kapuna was inspired to get Celia outside in her pajamas to hang the swing in the apple tree.

...and despite the rain, she loved it!

Nana's (now famous) princess bath followed.

for our littlest of princesses.

It definitely had a calming effect.

for a moment.

Some hugs for her rocking horse.

Then shoes on...

...and goodbye to my angel baby.

GOOD GOLLY, MISS MOLLY...You're Just Getting To The Easter Post NOW???

2009-06-19T20:55:00.014-04:00

Well, yes...that's right. And this is how Easter morning started:

Little did Jon realize that this little tyke had been in training.

She was zeroing in on eggs like a mother hen.

They were everywhere.

And she was just getting started.

She wasn't beyond gloating either.

She was downright good at this whole concept.

Jon was not about to deprive her of her excitement.

What a good cousin.

But I think Celia just thought she was much better at it than he was.

With that done, the baskets were discovered.

Easter means candy for breakfast.

Yes, Jon...Really.

Dig in!

Silly toys can sometimes be found in Easter baskets.

Surprise books, too.

Which needed to be examined a little closer.

But it's better to have Mama do it, so as to have a free hand for PEEPS.

Of course, there is Celia's stand-by fascination with shoes.

What? Does something look different to you?

Then it was outside to work off some of our pancake and maple syrup breakfast, topped off with more candy.

I have no idea what they were doing. All I know is that they all piled onto the tractor and took off.

Oh, that's right. Look in the bucket.

They were collecting rocks for Kenny's new pond.

Celia took off in the other direction to pay a visit to Tremper.

But the dirt was much more interesting.

Ewww...yes, it's dirty!

But she got over it to share a little with Daddy.

Now, what to do with the dirty hands?

Good job, Daddy. A wood distraction.

The next morning, we were having an impromptu birthday party for Celia, who was turning TWO in ten more days.

We got her a new play table.

Which was much improved once Auntie Sam's and Martin's present was on top of it.

Are you noticing the Christmas wrapping paper?

Believe me...she didn't notice!

Or care.

She's quite the little pro at this, don't you think?

Mom...I think it's clothes.

Oh, yes. Auntie Sam knows what this little one is all about.

Clothes and shoes.

Who could she possibly take after?

Oh, good...matching pants.

Another outfit in blue?

Let's keep track of all these clothes.

Mind you, this is a regular Celia routine.

Lordy...more?

Lay it out.

Nana say's it's okay.

And now to peruse the magnificence of all these clothes.

What more could a girl want?

That's right. Someone else's shoes.

Auntie Sam is so much fun.

Fun enough to dance with.

And to do "fast foot, fast foot" with.

Fast foot, fast foot, fast foot...

Fast foot, fast foot,

Fast foot...

Will it ever end?

Yes, thank goodness.

It's time to blow into the party favor.

With a little help from Auntie Sam.

Who has no problem doing it.

Why does mine stay flat?

A jab to the belly.

That's the funniest thing, ever!

Do it some more.

Wait...let me get positioned.

Too funny!

Are you watching this, Mom?

Are you?

Pretty ribbons for the pretty birthday girl.

Enjoy it while you can.

Because this surely isn't going to last.

How about on Auntie Sam?

That's much better!

Thanks for my birthday party.

So, ten days passed.

Way too slowly for me.

And then April 21st arrived and I beelined to Worcester to celebrate the REAL birthday. Melanie had to work in the afternoon and wouldn't be home until later in the evening, so we got out the stroller and walked to the Ecotarium, where we saw animals and bought a sack of rocks. We went to the playground and almost got beaned in the head with a softball that came whipping over the fence while we were on the swings. We got home right before Steve came home from work and got dinner together. We ate and then played some more, but Celia was having so much fun that we decided to wait for birthday cake until Melanie came home.

In retrospect, she was probably a little more tired than I thought.

But once the cake was sliced on a plate and a spoon was in her hand...

and there was some ice cream on her plate, too...

She knew for sure it was definitely worth the wait.

Tired or not...

There is nothing like cake and ice cream.

Nothing!

The Miss Hannigan Post (04/2009)

2009-04-28T21:04:00.011-04:00

Pretend it's the beginning of April. That's when Nana made a quick trip to visit me...

Celia!

We have to pack a lot of activity into a short period of time, so how 'bout it?

(Please notice my 'fancy shoes.')

Let's party!

Stickers are always entertaining.

Mama depends upon my interior decorating skills,

and I find that stickers placed in strategic positions throughout the house

achieve the look I am going for.

Oh! And one for Nana, too!

Okay, enough of that.

It's time to watch a little "Annie."

Miss Hannigan is quite alarming...

Her behavior is infuriating...

Approval rating is bottoming out...

Sometimes she makes me a little tense.

I find it a bit distressing.

But it looks like Annie is going to prevail. Here comes Punjab in the helicopter...

Yes...good job, Punjab. Together at last! Together forever!

Because of you, we get to see elephants and all of a sudden, Miss Hannigan is a good guy.

Who would've guessed?

A movie and dinner. My idea of a good time.

Let's squeeze a little more playing in before bedtime.

and make one last call on my cell.

Because in the morning, we are up bright and early for swim class,

which you can clearly see, is a pretty favorite thing to do.

Okay Mama...a quick one.

I've got a lot to do.

You see what clear (or sometimes just semi-clear) shots Nana got?

Really, most of them looked like this:

Thank goodness she took about a hundred and fifty pictures

so we could get a few that weren't a complete blur,

like this one of Mama signaling the warning for...

...this:

Whoa!!! That's good!

It charges me up!

And look how much Mama enjoys it.

Here's another favorite part...the jumping:

Oh, yeah.

This is a little sedate, ring around the rosie thing which I will gladly tolerate.

However, the dunking thing is an adrenaline rush every time!

But I do it so well!

And that makes me happy...

Can't you tell?

Nana will be back with the Easter post sometime in May...

and you'll get to see my reaction to 'The Sound of Music.' (I'm all about the Captain!)

PENNSYLVANIA MAPLE SYRUP

2009-03-27T17:31:00.020-04:00

We are fortunate to live in a part of the country where maple syrup production abounds. As it is something Ken has always wanted to try (under the 'no stone goes unturned' catagory), he did lots of reading and talking to others who have undertaken (and then abandoned) the adventure of making maple syrup.

Before the temperature exceeded 40 degrees, it was necessary to go around and tap the sugar maples so they would be ready to forfeit their sap as the days grew warmer. He got 25 taps in and decided to leave it at that for this year. Within a few days, the sap began to pour. We jumped on the four tracks in the early morning's light and made our way around the farm to collect sap. Just to clarify, "we" didn't collect; "we" went. Ken collected, I took pictures.

The vegetable plot looks so desolate this time of year, but the seeds are started under lights and are sprouting as we speak! I'll be checking in on their progress within the next couple of weeks.

For each tapped tree, a hose is securely attached onto each tap, with the other end of the hose fitting tightly through the cap of a container. This way, no contaminants or debris can get into the sap.

Of course, if you forget that the snow is going to melt, your containers are then going to be dangling a foot off the ground and that could be a little problem. (Oh, yeah...that's something that's not in the books and if NO common sense is utilized, it's a whole lotta wasted hose!)

Ken empties the containers into larger water containers and let me tell you, those containers get pretty heavy as you go from tree to tree.

Sebastian enjoys the collection process and has even stopped pulling the taps out of the trees now.

He's such a joy.

You can tell this was the first day of collection. See the smile on Ken's face? Collecting sap doesn't have the same affect on him anymore.

With a fire roaring under the cooker (which has been revised, and revised again), the sap is poured into a pot to boil the water out of the sap.

In this process, you have to deal with a lot of steam from the sap and a lot of smoke from the fire...but look at his face...he really doesn't know this yet.

It starts out slowly...

...but what we have found is that there is no time to stand around looking at it, because that fire has to be fed constantly.

The woods around our house are being cleaned of all the dead timber laying around, and thank goodness, there's a lot of it. I've always wanted those limbs picked up. It's a win-win situation for me!

When the sap starts to boil, Ken adds to it quite a few times from the sap collected that morning, which is sitting in containers in the snow to keep cool. He usually cooks for 10 hours each day.

Once the sap has thickened, it is poured through a sifter with organic cotton lining it.

At the end of the day, the thickened sap is poured from this pail into a pot on the stove in the house for the final cooking stages.

For our first efforts, we ended up with a little sauce pan of thickened sap, but now we have two cookers going...

...with an experimental third one (in the foreground), so we are now filling a spaghetti pot full of the thickened sap for the final cook every day. (Look at those jeans...huh? It's a dirty job, alright. It's a strip down at the door before you step foot in this house kinda job.)

The sap cooks for almost an hour in the house and at first, we had to watch it constantly, but now, even the candy thermometer is a formality. We can tell when it's coming close to it's final stage from the smell alone. This wonderful aroma fills the house...it's woodsy, it's mapley, it's heaven!

The syrup becomes frothy and foamy, and when it reaches a certain consistency of frothy foam...it's done. It gets poured and squeezed through a double filter and then poured into sterilized bottles.

The syrup is 219 degrees and if you turn the canning jars upside down, the heat from the syrup heats up the seal so that once they are turned right-side up again, the air is forced out just as it is in a regular canning process and the jars are vacuum sealed.

The final product is the most amazing maple syrup I have ever tasted. Cooking it over wood gives it an awesome flavor. Ken's been using a lot of hickory, and the syrup is to die for...and look at this color!

Pancakes, anyone???

CHRISTMAS IN FEBRUARY

2009-02-15T16:39:00.021-05:00

Ken and I had a very quiet Christmas at home with Samey. We all decided that there would be no fanfare...no tree or wreaths, no crazy cooking or cleaning. Just a quiet, relaxing Christmas.

It was wonderful to spend alone time with Sam...but it just didn't feel like Christmas. So, not because we strive to be different, but because we strive for an easy, non-stressful, non-traffic fighting, non-family juggling Christmas...we decided to do it right...in February.

Everything was planned out to perfection. The tree was up and decorated, the wreaths were adorned and hung, the cross beams and antler chandelier were decked in snowflakes and roping. Four meals were planned and Ken and I cooked and baked all day Friday to get as much done beforehand as possible. We brought out the leaves for the table, the bed linens were all pressed and fresh, plenty of towels were on hand for showers. Everything that could be done was done ahead of time so that we could enjoy our company once they arrived.

Samey, Ken and Diana, and Deb and Ben were all coming Saturday by lunchtime, but because Celia travels much better when she's sleeping, Melanie and Steve were coming Friday night, as soon as Melanie got home from work at around 7:30, with an ETA of 11:30 to midnight. But you know what inevitably happens when everything is planned to perfection. Right?

Something is sure to go awry.

At the last minute Melanie and Steve got a call that the condo was going to be shown that weekend, which was fine, except that Melanie was leaving for work in a half hour and you know how your house isn't at the peak of perfection when you are packing for a trip...especially a trip with a toddler in tow? But true to form, there was no panic going on over there. They would get things straightened up once Melanie got home from work and would leave about an hour later, pushing their ETA back an hour to 12:30 - 1:oo am.

I talked to Melanie at about 8:30. As it turned out, she wasn't finished with work when she anticipated she would be and was just on her way home then.

So, they didn't get out of the house until 10:00 pm. They made the pre-requisite stop at Dunkin' Donuts to load up on caffiene, plugged in Celia's nighttime music, and hit the road.

So, here we are in my kitchen on Saturday. Look how sweet she is. And tired...look how tired she is.

Guess why she's tired. C'mon...give it a guess!

Could it be because she was awake for the entire 4-1/2 hour trip, except for the last 15 minutes?

Oh, yeah. It could be that.

But she eventually cheered up after a good nap. I'll tell you one thing though, while the Christmas dress was adorable, this girl had no patience for ruffles and toole.

Quick...grab the camera, Nana. Get the pictures because this dress is history.

Ahhhh....we're all for comfort here, but please tell me why it's necessary to wear the tights on her hand?

Never mind. It was good to have something familiar once Santa showed up.

Was it a conscious plan to ignore him...will him away, in a sense?

Is he not understanding that she is not interested in ringing his bell?

Well, as long as he's gone, Mama can hang on to the bell and she'll handle the tights.

No...no. Not the bell.

Whoa...just one minute. This Santa is different than what she's seen before.

He literally does come bearing gifts...and then, better yet...goes away again.

Are you kidding?

More presents!

If it's safe, this needs to be investigated!

Yes!

Whoa!

Another reprieve.

Quick...check it out!

Holy Toledo!

She thinks she's likin' this silent, red man!

Bye, bye Santa! See you next year.

Good job, Samey! You always were the best Santa.

And now, there is important business to tend to.

A bucket of play dough!

If anyone thinks that a 21-month old child is not a master at wrapping paper...

I believe you're wrong.

No hesitation, no thought process at all, for that matter.

There was a lot of paper to attack and she was just the girl for the job.

Always a favorite...clothes. (She is definitely her mother's daughter.)

But there is more work to be done.

Elmo book!

A little stuffed Elmo!

Elmo is always cause for a slow down.

But there is more unwrapping to do, yielding yet more clothes.

Love the quality.

No one has ever enjoyed her gifts more than Celia that night. She even grabbed a phone and gave Santa a call to thank him...again and again!

She made tea for everyone in the house with the new tea set that Nanny and Pop Pop sent via Santa. The play dough rolling pin served as the milk container. Once it was ready, she served it to the lucky recipients, but you needed to drink it fast because the cups were getting rounded up pretty quickly.

It was just as much fun watching her the next morning, when she got up bright and early to dive into all this glory again.

Everything got re-examined.

Snaps and zippers were re-inspected.

It's very serious business, you know.

Feel free to document the process with pictures, Nana.

I'll just sit here looking adorable until you're through.

Once she reaffirmed that all her gifts were as they should be...

...it was time for some blueberries and yogurt.

Only about three or four bowls full.

During breakfast, she was demonstrating to me the face that the little boy in one of her books makes. Melanie said that she had looked over at Celia reading her book one day and Celia was looking at her with her head cocked to one side making a funny face. She said, "What are you doing, Celia?" and Celia pointed to the boy on the page and said, "Dat, Mama!"

Good job!

We all thought it was pretty funny.

Especially Celia.

All in all, it was a magical weekend

full of surprise and wonderment.

You would never know that anyone else was there, would you!

I'm going to have to work on that.

Steve's Surprise Birthday Party, as told by Cecelia

2009-01-18T11:16:00.010-05:00

With each new day comes a new sunrise and a new surprise...

and because my daddy donned a tutu once upon a time...

...it is only fitting that I get dressed up in one as well...

and what could be a better occasion for this duplicity than Daddy's surprise birthday party!

I carefully assisted with the set-up...

...making sure all the toys were in order for the 'under five crowd.'

As this party was a surprise, Nana Terri and I practiced for the special 'surprise' moment all day...in the bathtub, while getting dressed, during set-up...throwing our hands over our head and shouting out, "Surprise!"

I had it down pat, and then the guests began to arrive.

...and the pizza arrived!

So, we ate...

...I showed off my cool boots...

while I ate...

and then the special moment arrived...

Dad (whom lately, I just refer to as 'Babe') was at the door!

At first he looked curiously at Nana Terri kneeling on the floor with a camera in front of her face, wondering...what are you even DOING here and why is my arrival home from a Bruins game photo-worthy?

and then he saw the rest of his family and friends...

Everyone shouted, "Surprise!"

It was awesome!

Daddy was completely shocked.

and very happy.

He chatted with his friends.

I chatted with mine.

I played with Uncle Phil...

...rested a little...

and played with Uncle Phil some more.

My buddy, Mekhi was at the party, too.

and we were both pretty excited to see the desserts come out.

Auntie Jamie brought a Red Sox cake

which Daddy made quite a show of cutting

We were very anxious to sink our teeth into these goodies!

Grandma Trisha hand fed me my cupcake

I don't demand such service, I just receive it.

Full belly.

My Godfather, John was at the party, too.

and Mom's friend Allison was the bartender, making specialty martini's for the 'over five crowd' that seemed to make them pretty happy.

I figured the smartest thing to do was to find a perch...

and just observe what was going on around me.

As the crowd thinned out, there was more room to get out some toys and play, like I did here with Pop Pop Buddy.

I was able to get down

and let loose...

because I truly believe that EVERY party is MY party.

Lexi and Mekhi played with my toys, but not necessarily together.

As it was getting late and was WAY past our bedtimes, we got into our jammies.

Here I am in the camo jammies Pop Pop Buddy got for me. Leave it to Pop Pop Buddy!

Lexi posed for this shot in my doll's high chair.

which was okay, because I was feeding my doll on the floor from an interesting blue bottle that I stole out of someone's purse.

Then I started putting a bottle cap (also stolen) on top of Grandpa's head

which he seemed to enjoy a lot.

I thought that I blended in pretty well with my camo jammies,

but somehow Uncle Phil was able to detect me under the table.

and the fun just went on and on...

until I collapsed...

But it definitely was a happy collapse.

Mekhi also had a happy collapse.

and when we each made it to our beds that night, we had sweet sugar-rush dreams.

THANKSGIVING...

2008-12-16T14:19:00.015-05:00

Christmas and Channukah are almost upon us and here I am, just getting to my Thanksgiving post. Hey...I do my best! The actual holiday was nice, but even better was the weekend...when Mom and Dad arrived, Melanie and Steve came with Celia, and Diana and Kenny came with Jon.

Speaking of which...

Celia is totally awestruck by Jon.

In fact, he is the funniest boy in existence.

Even when Jon went out to hit the slopes

Celia was not far behind...

...in her pig hat and Sophia Loren shades.

What does a pig say, Celia?

"Moink Moink."

A lot of time was spent outside.

The snow was perfect for sledding.

Just ask Sebastian.

If everybody is having so much fun...

...then why shouldn't I???

(He's such a pain in the ass.)

Afterwards, a little hot chocolate and warm socks for our chilly feet.

Or, how about Nanny Betty's slippers?

Probably not a good idea after all.

So, instead let's climb all over Daddy for a while...

Pose with Pop Pop...

Flip over Nana, Mama, and Nanny...

and then relax and think about what a great weekend we had.

It went by way too fast!

WAY, WAY OVERDUE LAST VISIT!

2008-11-26T21:44:00.011-05:00

You thought I forgot, didn't you???

Haven't you been waiting to see this little face?

I know many of you have been waiting very patiently

and finally, here it is...

the Halloween post!

Okay, so sometimes it takes a little time to get things off the ground,

but good things come to those who wait!

Pumpkins and gourds were a big hit here at Shadow Glen Farm and Celia got to experience many of them.

Then she discovered the old cassette tapes in the drawer by the stereo and proceeded to empty them of their contents. Quite happy about it, too.

Oh, yes!

They are on the sofa, even though you can't see them.

And it becomes a cassette tape celebration.

I bet it never occurred to you to celebrate the existence of cassette tapes, especially since they are so antiquated,

but some of us know how to celebrate

any ol' thing we want.

So, there!

CASSETTE TAPES!

Do you get it now?

Months and months ago I bought this little bench so that someday I could take pictures of Celia on it.

This turned out to be the day I had been waiting for:

The bench was definitely worth it!

Time for Halloween...

Steve's cousin went off to Villanova this year and knew Celia would make a superb cheerleader!

She was right.

Rah-rah, sis-boom-bah!

Did you ever see anything so cute?

A quick break to say hi to Sebastian and then Nana forced the solo squad outside for some pictures...

which went over like a lead balloon.

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, NANA???

Being that I now made her miserable, it was to my advantage to suggest watching an Elmo DVD.

Melanie says that Elmo is like drugs for kids...

...Ya think?

I'm pretty convinced.

Wah..wah..whoops!

A fast come back.

Where's my Barker Lounger?

It was a little bit of a struggle

but Elmo won out in the end.

Hold everything! Is there a little more?

No, it's over and it was spectacular!

A couple of weeks after Melanie and Celia visited, Ken and Diana came up with Jon and Julia...

...who decided that the topsoil pile was the best place on the farm to be.

Oh, no.

Here's trouble!

They all managed to get pretty dirty. What's more fun than that?

FALL HARVEST...PUMPKINS!

2008-10-04T09:44:00.013-04:00

THE SUMMER'S BOUNTY IS JUST ABOUT OVER. THERE ARE STILL BEETS, CARROTS, PEPPERS, AND A FEW TOMATOES HANGING AROUND WAITING PATIENTLY TO BE PROCESSED...

BUT DON'T BE SAD, BECAUSE AFTER THE SUMMER'S BOUNTY HAS PASSED...

THE FALL'S BOUNTY IS UPON US...

AND BOY, OH BOY...

WHAT A BOUNTY IT IS!

THE USUAL AND THE UNUSUAL...

THE COLORFUL...

AND NOT SO COLORFUL.

HOW ABOUT "ONE TOO MANY" FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO UNDERSTAND THIS CONCEPT?

AFTER HIDING AND GROWING ALL SUMMER LONG...

IT'S TIME TO GET IN THERE AND HARVEST THESE BABIES...

BIRDHOUSE SQUASH...

CINDERELLA PUMPKINS (THE BEST FOR PUMPKIN PIE!)

BLUE RUMBO AND BABY HUBBARDS...

YES...JACK-O-LANTERNS!

WE PACKAGED SOME MINI PUMPKINS AND SENT THEM OFF TO CELIA.

DIANA CAME UP TO SELECT WHAT WOULD ADORN HER CUSTOMER'S HOMES THIS FALL.

THERE WAS A LOT THAT SHE LIKED.

CART AFTER CART WENT INTO THE TRUCK...

HAVING NO IDEA OF WHERE THEY WERE HEADED...

OR WHAT THEIR PURPOSE IN LIFE WOULD BE.

FRESH FROM THE GARDEN...

TO KEEP US HAPPY EVERY TIME WE ENTER OUR HOMES.

ISN'T IT FUN?

MY BOY LOVES TO FETCH...

2008-09-28T10:53:00.004-04:00

ONLY PROBLEM IS, THE STICK MAY BE A LITTLE LARGE FOR HIM...

IT'S HARD FOR HIM TO CARRY...

BUT IF HE CONCENTRATES REALLY HARD...

HE'S BACK TO BEING MR. COOL AGAIN BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

BUT THE WRINKLES ON HIS FOREHEAD GIVE IT ALL AWAY.

YES, MY BOY LOVES TO FETCH...

...EVERYTHING...

EVEN LAUNDRY...

CORN STALKS...

LOVE THE CORN...

HOW 'BOUT INSULATION FROM UNDER THE CAMPER...

OH YES, MY BOY LOVES TO FETCH.

TAXI DRIVER

2008-09-11T08:49:00.013-04:00

For some unknown reason, I was figuring that the September show at Brimfield would be great...and in many ways it was, and in some ways...not so great.

We arrived and set up as usual, but this time Ken went home on Monday night to tend to the farm and stand, leaving me to fend for myself. This was not a big deal, and actually I looked forward to having plenty of time to make the trip back and forth to see the apple of my eye, or rather, apples, as the case may be.

As set up was complete and I was NOT, I repeat NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM this time around going to shop Brimfield the day before the New England Motel field opened (mostly because I broke my pinky toe while setting up, and no... I didn't take pictures of the colorful spectacle), I left early in the morning to go spend the day with Melanie and Celia, which was so much more fun!

I had decided beforehand that Celia should start to understand that there is a 'Nana' behind the 'Nikon' and they are actually separate entities. In other words, this is not what Nana really looks like...

and even THIS is not what Nana looks like...

so I left the camera in its case most of the time...

...I said, MOST of the time...

...but it did somehow sneak it out for a little train playing

mostly because of the bizarre cell phone thing going on in the background

(more bars).

And the kid is kinda cute, too!

Oh, look...she wants to share with Nikon Nana.

So I guess, the concept of Nana not having a 'Nikon Nose' got lost in the message somewhere.

But my girl doesn't care. She's going to share with me anyway!

Every evening when the show closed, I made the trip to eat a wonderful dinner prepared by Melanie (I got spoiled!) and to visit with them and catch a little time with Celia before bedtime. Twice Melanie and Celia (and on Sunday, Steve) made the trek to the show.

(This part of the post is specifically for Pop Pop Buddy, who feels that Celia needs to have more one-on-one time with dirt.)

You tawkin' to me???

Step off, tough girl! You can't pull it off for long!

Especially when you're chanting, "upeee."

(Look at the leg!)

Saturday night, the remnants of one hurricane or another came rolling through Brimfield and at 10:00 pm, I discovered the lane behind our camper (which is behind our display tent), which normally looks like this:

was a river of water 10 inches deep, and it was already flowing under the blue table where I store extra product. Panic city!

I quickly opened the back of the tent and started pulling soaking wet boxes out from under the table and getting them to safety on top of the 'floor' tarp in the tent.

Then I took a peek out of the front of the tent, which usually looks like this:

The water was a foot away from entering the front of the tent. I got my hammer and pulled all of the spikes out of the floor and grabbed extra tarps to shove underneath, creating a bowl out of my floor.

Adrenaline is an amazing thing! I transferred a ton of glassware from all over the tent to the safety of the large enclosed bookcase in the center of the tent, and then singlehandedly shoved the furniture to the middle of the floor. When I finished (2-1/2 hours later), the water was already flowing in from all sides.

By the time I took these pictures in the morning, I was too bummed to capture all angles of this mess...

but, rest assured, there's just more of the same on the other side of the bookcase.

The whole time this was going on, I kept wondering...where is everyone else??? Snug in their beds apparently, so plenty of them had devastating loses, while I sustained no damage whatsoever.

My biggest conundrum was how to get my display back to the way it should be, but thanks to kindhearted neighbors, who carried the furniture for me once I cleaned and secured my floor, I was able to get everything looking just like it did before the storm hit and open for the final day of the show...

so I could sell one lamp!

SPENDING TIME WITH CELIA...

2008-08-29T10:27:00.024-04:00

You know how you will do anything to get that 'alone time' with whomever you are hoping to have any amount, no matter how abundant or sparse, of alone time with? I am no different. I will travel three hours round trip to babysit for a couple of hours and it was no different the day before Victoria's wedding. Yes, go get that manicure...a pedicure too? Feel free to spend the whole day getting prepared for the wedding, as long as I get to be with that precious bundle of energy known as Celia...

We started out the morning by ransacking Pop Pop Buddy's cd collection, examining each one with all our senses.

We removed them from their cases

and laid them out oh so delicately

before deciding that there really was nothing that suited our mood.

So we moved on to our blocks

just temporarily, until hide and seek was apparently what we were interested in.

For a little down time, we thumbed through all of Pop Pop Buddy's periodicals

and cruised the tv channels.

After the day of the wedding, Melanie and Celia came and stayed with us for a few days, which made all of us happy, even this guy...

and this little girl...

To battle the heat, Kapuna inflated the new pool and we blew up the toys that came with it.

Lets see...

hmmm...

a job well done...

and then we played.

We slid.

We explored.

We critiqued.

Yes, it all seems to be working fine.

One more check,

Yes, it passes inspection!

I think my job here is done.

Ohhhhhhhhh!

Dry and warm and free as a bird.

Life is good!

Buttons....am I alone?

Could I possibly look any more like my mama during this sneaky button moment?

What's this? Kapuna's doo-rag...or, mine?

Or maybe George W. Bush's...

Okay. Don't scare me like that again.

Match maker, match maker, make me a match...

Find me a find, catch me a catch.

Match maker, match maker look through your book,

and make me the perfect match.

For Papa, make him a scholar.

For Mama, make him rich as a king.

For me, well, I wouldn't holler

If he were as handsome as anything!

What do ya say, Sebastian?

Me neither!

Get outta here!

Let's have a little down time with my first...what? Cannoli?

with all this good stuff inside?

I'm quite certain it doesn't get any better than this. (In the meantime, I am now bearing a slight resemblance to Zedar.)

Yes, I do believe life IS definitely good!

Is anyone familiar with getting up at the butt crack of dawn to get that 'alone time' that we discussed earlier, of course only so that the child's mom can get some well deserved extra sleep, like hopefully until about 12 noon? Yes, I will do it time and time again and it is the best time of day.

I get to be the one who prepares and delivers this little chow hound's very first meal of the day (which automatically makes me popular), followed by play time, which starts out somewhat subdued...

Am I mistaken, or is this child a chameleon? I swear, besides resembling her mom, her dad, George W. Bush, and now also Zedar, I think she sometimes looks a little like me...

and then just as fast, it's gone again.

Never mind. Back to our subdued morning. Notice how even as we move from task to task, we are calm and working with purpose.

We are angelic by nature.

We go as far as being the nurturing caretaker of the little bear with the cute hat.

...and then Mom get's up. All hell breaks loose. To hell with the little bear with the cute hat. Is that...breakfast...AGAIN???

Please. Look at the poor little bear.

Fortification for round two.

Where was I?

Had I been playing with YOU???

Sorry, but we all know what is important...

...MORE!!!

Thanks, mom.

I think I can take my milky chin and continue with life now.

As long as I can keep coming back for more.

Hey, if I'm not mistaken...

...is that my mama?

Well, then I can settle down and get back to business here.

Although, I'm thinking I may have a better idea.

Perhaps I should hide this for later...

or, wait...

Yes, this is a MUCH better idea.

If only my feet could stand the pain.

I'll have to give it some more thought after all.

07-26-2008 VICTORIA'S WEDDING

2008-08-27T18:40:00.007-04:00

What a beautiful day...

a beautiful church...

sobbing mother...

happy groom...

bridesmaids all in a row...

flower girl (to die for!)

who took her job very seriously...

a nervous father and a radiant bride!

A lovely ceremony...

and before you knew it...

my 'third' daughter was married.

Melanie was her Matron of Honor.

And the flower girl, well...

she was beginning to think that maybe a nap was in order.

Nana tried to contain her until the the newly married couple emerged from the church.

Here comes the bride!

Some small repairs...

and then it was time for some pictures

It took a some entertaining to keep one little flower girl busy until it was her turn.

Including making some important calls on Nana's shoe.

Then it was off to Pop Pop Buddy's where the nap FINALLY occurred.

Then we hit the reception. We ate...

We danced...

We celebrated...

Y...

M...

C...

Sara with her newest angel.

Hey, outta my way!

YMCA!

Olivia!!!

Get down!

I didn't mean you!

It was a joyous occasion and I was thrilled to be part of it. On the other hand, I think it is pretty clear that we will need to be watching one Party Animal pretty closely in the future!

07-21-2008: OUR DOG'S NICKNAME (IN CASE YOU'RE THINKING OF GETTING ONE TOO)

2008-08-27T18:35:00.007-04:00

Look at Sebastian, trying to appear so innocent...

He's eating every piece of mulch in our yard, not to mention the hosta...

Here he is in true form. Go for it. You could be dead tomorrow.

His nickname is 'Little Bastard,' but then he falls asleep...

and we call him Sebastian again.

BRIMFIELD IN JULY

2008-08-27T18:20:00.024-04:00

There are always little treats in this world that are available only to those who rise early enough to catch them before the magic fades away. Generally speaking, I'm one of those people that opt to miss the magic for an hour more sleep. But on this particular morning, I was happily going about my business at a time when most were still snug under their covers, and happened to cross paths with this little miracle...

The female deer dropped their babies late this year, so here I was just feet away from a fawn not even a whole day old, whose mother had dropped him in the camouflage of the mulch surrounding the farm garden. As I approached him, he made funny little whining sounds, but never attempted to get up.

Luckily, he was still there after retrieving my camera from the house, and after clicking a few shots, I ran in one more time to unload and check my pictures. When I went back out, his mama had come and scoffed him away to safety, so that was the end of that and it was back to business as usual!

Which in this case, meant traveling to Brimfield to peddle my wares and get myself just that much closer to the light of my life! After getting set up and settled in, we made the rest of the trip to visit with Melanie, Steve, and Celia...

Oh, yeah...and Teddy.

and as usual, it was nonstop action, now that someone has legs long enough for climbing!

She went this way and that way...

It took a little bit of jockeying around...

...a little bit of balancing...

but eventually,

she was right where she intended to be.

Pride is a wonderful thing.

Especially on the face of a one year old!

Look, Ma! No hands!

No...I said MA...

...who I just flip over!

Right, Dad?

Right, Kapuna?

Right, Nana?

All I need is my bunny hat...

...and a hug from Mom...

...who is happy to oblige.

What's this here...

Aha, paper...

Are you noticing that I am totally oblivious to wearing this ridiculous hat?

I'm just enjoying life as it comes at me.

Back at Brimfield, opening day at New England Motel was on July 10th, and we were ready to roll.

Unfortunately, there were not the usual crowds at the gate, and it was just an all around slow show.

I guess people are more concerned with how they're going to heat their homes this winter than with decorating them.

But for this very reason,

I got to spend more time with Celia.

We did lunch...

and then prepared to go shopping.

Do you have everything?

Goggies....check. Hat....check.

Oh, darn! My purse!

Let's go!

What's keeping you, Nana?

I'm ready to get out there...

and do some serious shopping damage.

At the end of a delightful day, it was goodbye's for Kapuna...

...a couple of giggles with Kapuna...

...and a big, smoochy kiss!

Adios!

07-17-2008: MY BOY...

2008-08-27T18:20:00.019-04:00

Uh-oh...

Because this is all that's left of Tremper...

We got him a new friend...

His name is Sebastian...

but we might have to start calling him Digger...

Okay...so we had a little discipline lesson here

but he got over it fast enough...

Look how tiny cute he is!

My boy can't leave my side!

Sorry Celia, he's going to need the bunny costume this Halloween!

07-20-2008: A GLIMPSE INTO OUR DAY...

2008-08-27T18:20:00.016-04:00

We had company yesterday and I had gotten an antipasto platter at the Italian Deli, which of course I transferred to my own platter (thanks to Diana) so it would look like I created the masterpiece myself. If you think that is cheating, I also ordered half a tray of Penne Vodka and said that I made it too! How much fun is that?

(Shamefully) I didn't finish cleaning up until this morning because it was so oppressively hot, so we decided to bring Sebastian around the block to Duck Harbor to see if he would swim. He actually did, but I was too consumed with him drowning and dropping my camera in the lake during life saving maneuvers that I didn't get the actual swim shot, but it was so cute...that tiny little head being the only part of him above water with an expression of complete panic as he frantically paddled to the shoreline...

Then on the way home, we stopped at Ken's honor system vegetable stand to pick up whatever was left and as he was grabbing the beets, he noticed a bear about 10 feet away from him coming out of the woods straight down from our house. Like a fire was lit under his ass, Ken was already back around to his side of the truck, where he watched from behind (the safety?) of the open door while I was hanging out the passenger side window to get a shot...

We figured he weighed about 300 pounds. He crossed between us and our driveway and went into our neighbor's yard. When he got directly behind their house, he stopped for a 'Winnie the Pooh' moment...

Isn't that funny? He's actually sitting...look at the bottom of his feet! Then he continued around their house, across the street, and into the woods on the other side.

All in all, it was a pretty busy day. Our boy agrees...

CELIA'S ON THE RUN!

2008-08-27T17:49:00.019-04:00

It wouldn't be very accurate to say that Celia is walking, because she is up on her feet and running full speed ahead! So much so, that I didn't get to take pictures until they were packing to leave. So, here's a small glimpse into the end of our visit.

As all the activity was focused on packing, the speed demon was occupied with overseeing the packing process, and therefore still enough to capture.

There were just some items that she felt should not be packed just yet...

...like the silly bunny hat, for instance.

Ahhh...a recliner!

Avalanche...

Upeee...

Being that her welcome was worn out in the bedroom, it was on to the bathroom to see if there was any item worth slipping into that bag...

I heard this was a good product...

You think it's easy?