Lil' Snippers

After a first haircut fiasco here at home a few weeks back, we stopped at the kiddie salon for a quick trim. There was so much going on and so many things to look at that Ole was stunned into silent compliance. His stylist worked quickly and had him ship-shape in no time.

The Cars movie played on his personal screen while she worked.

And this photo I took only to capture the kid in the next car over *freaking* out. Mom does not look happy. He cheered up as soon as his hair was spiky.

So our first trip to the salon was a success. Ole no longer has a lop-sided Mom cut and is back to looking sharp.

Timber!

The strong east winds were a-blowing up here a few weeks back and we realized the spruce tree had to come out. It grew too close to an outbuilding and leaned precariously toward the house. When the wind blew, it swayed and shook and keep me up at night worrying. Crushed by tree trunk is fairly high on my don't-want-to-die-this-way list.
Columbia Climbers took it down in just an hour or so. He cut off a few branches at a time, then climbed higher with his chainsaw hanging from a rope behind him.

Can you see the tiny man near the top of the tree? Probably not, my photos are not so great.

Here he's climbing down after lopping off the bushy top.

They left the tall trunk for last, chipping up all the stray branches first. They left it so long, I started to wonder if they'd cut it down at all. Probably satisfying to hear that 'thud' at the end of a job.
I was concerned the gymnasium would look too exposed without the shade of the spruce, but it doesn't. It looks great. Now to tackle this giant pile of wood chips they left behind:

Coyote ugly

A visitor trotted through the yard one morning last week, just outside the boy's playroom. We looked up in surprise at the coyote pup moving quickly and cautiously toward the chicken coop. Having lost several chickens in recent months, I opened the door and scared her off with a shout.

An hour later, though, she was back. Ole and I were upstairs getting cleaned up, and he stood with his nose to the window watching her. She stood on the edge of the blackberry brambles for half an hour listening and looking left and right. From this viewpoint I could see that she was mangy. Despite the patches of missing fur and a nearly hairless tail, she was graceful in her movements and quite young looking. I stood on the deck wrapped in a bath towel and snapped a few photos, but as she relaxed and moved toward the coop again, I hollered and off she ran.

Alex offered to get out the pellet gun and scare her off for good, but I demurred. Instead I spent the afternoon googling mange treatments. Not much good news on that front, as it usually leads to an unpleasant death. The website offered warnings, though, and I'll keep saying it over and over until I believe it:

Treatment of wild animals is difficult and not advised. 

I'll end with this hen wandering the yard, completely oblivious to the excitement of the day.

Keep it secret, keep it safe little leghorn.

Budding photographer

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon. We sat at the dining table drinking tea and reading the newspaper. Ole milled around, climbing on and off the bench and chairs and fireplace hearth, stretching his little hands toward this or that. I moved things here or there, trying to anticipate his next move. Apple yes, candle no, pepper shaker no, newspaper fine, pen no, camera um. It faced him and he pushed the buttons with a surprising calm. Click click click, adjusting it so, click click. I let him play a while.

Ethereal and captivating, no?

Clearly, self-portraiture is his specialty.
Earlier I'd taken a whole series of photos while he looked away refusing to smile. Just smile for one and I'll quit, I promised...

Love this kid.

Sprezzatura

After a relaxing winter break, I am back to the blog...back to plotting picturesque moments and striving to make life seem effortlessly graceful. Here goes:

This winter the snow only seems to fall in dribs and drabs at home. So armed with a sled and every hat and pair of mittens we could find, we set out Saturday morning for a sledding hill called Old Man Pass. It's north of Carson, so pretty close to home, and a place we had yet to explore.

A nice slow glide

Lots of giggles

Alex took a daring face-first ride down the hill

A parking lot snack break

A perfect sunny winter day!

As if Mother Nature heard me griping, snow has been slowly and steadily falling here at home this morning. Here's hoping for a January blizzard!

A changing landscape

The road construction continues around here, and as my shock over the destruction fades, I'm taking notice of the new view from our upper floor. What was once just trees and a sliver of river is now a mound of dirt, traffic, and lots of river. I do like seeing the water more often. I note the level of the river every day now and watch the waves on windy days. The other afternoon kiteboarders zipped back and forth across the river as I enjoyed a bubble bath.

Whoa, I can spy on beach-goers from afar--can't wait until the nude beach opens next summer!

Our family landscape is changing, too. Family from both sides have moved nearby in the last year and joined us for Thanksgiving. Our table is a little more crowded now and we are so glad.

Puppy love

Ole and Pepper have developed a nice relationship over the last year. While I'd call Ole more of a cat person, I think he appreciates Pepper's goofy side and endless patience. They lovingly overlook each other's faults (Ole's tail-pulling and Pepper's dagger claws) in the name of friendship.