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    Yesterday morning on the C train, just after leaving 42nd Street, I looked above the window and noticed a nice addition to Poetry in Motion–Robert Frost’s A Dust of Snow. 

The way a crow

Shook down on me

the dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

A nice way to start my day at the natural history museum, reading a poem about the healing power of nature.  The photo of is the Flume, in New Hampshire, a favored spot of Frost.  It was taken in 2000.

 Gavin checks out the bowling alley.

   Nick, Tiffany-Ann and Gavin with bony friend.

 Beautiful Claire.  Hey, where’s the look?

    Noah. 

  Gavin and his dad.

  I know this is about a month too late for Christmas light photos, but I promised a friend who lives in the city that I’d post these.  To get the biggest bang, click on the one on the right and enlarge it.  There’s a house near us that gets decorated for every darn holiday there is–you name it, not just Christmas and Halloween, but Easter, July 4, Flag Day, etc.  My one regret in this photo is that the gazebo in the backyard is not visible.  We took Gavin to see the house, and when Randy started to drive away, Gavin let us know he was sad about leaving the gaudy display. 

  Tiffany-Ann and Gavin were team bowling.  Gavin was on my team, too.  He got a spare.  I bowled a 40, a new all-time low high.  Yeah, me.  TA has a hat on because it was about 60 degrees in the bowling alley.  The last time I went bowling, they still allowed smoking in the alleys. 

  Nicholas, Tiffany-Ann and Gavin enjoyed a little snow action on December 30.  Though he looks like he can’t move, Gavin had a good time in the snow.  I think his mama did, too.  I’ll post many more photos of the holiday with Beisels and LA Raicharts soon.  We miss you guys! 

   Happy Birthday, Joanne!

You were a fox then and you are beautiful now…

Have a very happy 49th.

  Gavin, Nicholas and Tiffany-Ann went sledding before they flew home to LA.  I don’t know if this photo was taken before or after the sledding, but obviously he had a good time with Tiffany-Ann’s hat.  What a great time we had with the visiting Beisels and LA Raicharts.  With their permission I’ll post more photos in the coming days. 

                     There’s nothing better than sharing a drumstick with the little ones.  We dined in Maine on Thanksgiving Day.  But first, it was Over the River and Through the Woods for this grandma.  We love the drive.  Claire sang both verses of Over the River and Through the Woods while I played the piano, and then she graced us with other ditties, like I’m a Nut.  She is hilarious.  That’s her centerpiece on the table, quite the handsome turkey.  Noah was sick, and this is the only photo I could sneak before his temperature shot up to 103.  Because it rained 2 inches on Friday, we did indoor things.  Claire and Noah helped me make a couple of octopi.  Thanks to Ginny and Craig for a lovely holiday. 

  I’ve made friends with my dulcimer.  It sat idle too long, and now we are best friends.  Yes, I’ve even played it in public, though I banned Randy from coming to hear me.  (For his sake I banned him–I am not very good at it, but I love it.) 

Duck Creek Boneyard in Wellfleet, MA. 

These are four siblings, all babies of the Reverend Levi and Sarah Whitman.  Ruth died in 1793 at age 16 weeks.  Then came Ichabod Thomas, who died in 1798 at age 2 years.  They tried again with another Ichabod Thomas, who lived and died in 1800.  He unfortunately blessed their home for only 11 days.  Catherine’s grave is the newest–she died in 1803 at age 4 months. 

What a sad time it must have been for Levi and Sarah.