March 5 2012: Let me just say this has been a long winter! I don't think the snow started falling until late December, but when its come, its been with a vengeance. But first, we start with a "happy" box. On Valentines day (yes a month ago) there was road construction, which led to children having to be dropped off at an alternate sight. It just happened to be in front of the Cake House. The name describes it perfectly! Cakes and confections of all types. I was only too happy to go in and purchase a box of exquisite chocolates to make up for loitering in front of their business waiting for the bus. Of course getting a box of chocolates is truly a "Forest Gump Experience"....you never know "what you're going to get". They were delicious. I say that as I didn't get the one with the Cherry or the coconut! And yes, that is what the box says: "Hare a break time in Shiroi-mori. You'll feel happy, and take a easy mind". (And to further clutter your day with trivia "Shiroi-mori" means white tree, or white pine tree (SHE-ROY-MORE-EE)
Moving on.....did I mention it's been snowing with a vengeance? This time it was Shane's turn to shovel the driveway. I gawked and took pictures. Wasn't as deep as the last one, but still pretty wet. The front loader did come through later in the day and cleared the roads and driveway. I'm still not sure why we persist in shoveling our driveway when the loader will do it. I think we just like to feel productive. Anyway, the operator took great delight in creating some large piles for Andi. Well, not really sure it was just for Andi, or the fact that he is running out of room for piles and our yard is the dumping ground. I'd like to think it's because we're special.
Andi atop one of her piles. They make great sled runs. As a child though, I can remember the older kids spending a great deal of time to make the runs just so. Smoothing them out...pouring water on them at sundown so it would freeze into a slick track. I tried to get Andi to do that with at least one pile. But she's young...."noooooo I like the bumps!" I did go down one time. My kidneys aren't to fond of the bumps!Below: A view from the top of the tallest snow pile.
As our time here grows short.....and no we still don't have orders.....just lots of anticipation and sleepless nights, we had promised Andi a last slumber party. She invited 7 of her girlfriends to come and join the festivities.....all 7 came. A giggling gaggle of 8 girls descended on my living room. Wait....Is that a young man on the left corner? How did a boy get in here??? No worries, the young lad is the neighbor boy. We had him for a couple of hours as well. He had a delightful time being well cared for by the girls. I did take him into the the computer room a few times to sit with Shane, so they could momentarily decompress from the bedlam.
Dinner was casual....fruits and veggie snacks and raviolis. With a ice cream sunday bar for desert.
The girls. Andi is in the center standing with the purple coat/pink hat.
As mentioned before, I have been feeding the birds this winter. Along with the many tree sparrows, I now have 2 doves, the occasional hawk (probably hunting the doves) and a murder of crows. There is one crow in particular who calls out at about the same time every morning. For about a week I've noticed that he perches in the same spot every day....seeming to try to blend in with the sparrows!
When I go out to do the little birds feeding, he sits on the pole. After feeding the little ones, I go in and scrounge around for snacks for the crows....frost bitten bacon, yucky chicken tenders, stale bread....I stand on the porch and throw that out into the snow. He'll fly down now to the snow pile and wait for me to go back in. He's become such a feature with the morning ritual that I named him.....meet "Micro". Get it??? My Crow.....micro....hahahahaha
The feedings have also attracted a loner. He's been a bit skittish. After about two weeks of getting him used to movement in the house, I was finally able to get his picture taken. Then Andi poured through her big book of birds of the world, and Shane did some googling. This is a "Hiyodori" (HE-YO-DOOR-EE) or if you want to go with the American name...
As our time here grows short.....and no we still don't have orders.....just lots of anticipation and sleepless nights, we had promised Andi a last slumber party. She invited 7 of her girlfriends to come and join the festivities.....all 7 came. A giggling gaggle of 8 girls descended on my living room. Wait....Is that a young man on the left corner? How did a boy get in here??? No worries, the young lad is the neighbor boy. We had him for a couple of hours as well. He had a delightful time being well cared for by the girls. I did take him into the the computer room a few times to sit with Shane, so they could momentarily decompress from the bedlam.
Dinner was casual....fruits and veggie snacks and raviolis. With a ice cream sunday bar for desert.
The girls. Andi is in the center standing with the purple coat/pink hat.
As mentioned before, I have been feeding the birds this winter. Along with the many tree sparrows, I now have 2 doves, the occasional hawk (probably hunting the doves) and a murder of crows. There is one crow in particular who calls out at about the same time every morning. For about a week I've noticed that he perches in the same spot every day....seeming to try to blend in with the sparrows! 
When I go out to do the little birds feeding, he sits on the pole. After feeding the little ones, I go in and scrounge around for snacks for the crows....frost bitten bacon, yucky chicken tenders, stale bread....I stand on the porch and throw that out into the snow. He'll fly down now to the snow pile and wait for me to go back in. He's become such a feature with the morning ritual that I named him.....meet "Micro". Get it??? My Crow.....micro....hahahahaha
The feedings have also attracted a loner. He's been a bit skittish. After about two weeks of getting him used to movement in the house, I was finally able to get his picture taken. Then Andi poured through her big book of birds of the world, and Shane did some googling. This is a "Hiyodori" (HE-YO-DOOR-EE) or if you want to go with the American name...
And once again, we wait.....wait for the mysterious paper that will send us on a new adventure.
