Hooray! for my trusty steed Subaru. I drove right through the heavy snowfall to Aidan's Honors Orchestra concert at Keoni's High School on Saturday. Wendy and I went together while John went to pick up Keoni in New Jersey from his couple of days rehearsing and playing in his District orchestra. Both these are school related. Keoni's school actually paid for him to go. No one in the family is used to this level of fiscal education support.

Editorial Aside: It is interesting that there is both here and in Arizona (nationally, as well, it seems) an overall hue and cry about a perceived failure of Education accompanied by all sorts of arguments about money and how to educate our youth. We are fortunate now to be in a PA district that seems to have a bit more wealth bestowed upon its schools--it shows. Yet, I am aware of hearing the same hue and cry for decades--my entire adult life. All those years, more than a half century of my life, we've done everything but make what we have on hand better; criticizing and comparing rather than just buckling down for our kids to better grow the public education system we have and pay teachers their professional due.

I'll quit my rant now.

Aidan's school orchestra Honors Concert--120 youngsters.

Aidan in first cello chair.

Aidan's concert took place in Keoni's high school's auditorium. Aidan's music achievement is a happy part of life here. Listening to his ability and refinement grow is a daily enjoyment.

Afterward, out in the school hallway we came across a display of Outstanding Student Achievement photos. There was Keoni's picture and a brief notation about his achievements for a warm surprise for Wendy and I.

I couldn't capture a very good picture of it because of the glass front to the case and reflections. My apologies to Keoni. We are all very, very happy he does this fine work and keeps growing ever more proficient with his violin and music.

My trusty Subaru took Aidan and I to another birthday party held at Jumpin' Jacks. It is a warehouse filled with inflated jumping castles; known here as bouncy houses. We walked in the door, Aidan spotted the birthday boy, and vanished with him into a world of plastic gigantism. A sort of extreme pre-adolescent energy explosion. Thirty minutes of the two hours was devoted to pizza and cake consumption in a side room with the celebrant's name on the door.

Pizza time at Joey's birthday party.

I really did start this quite a few days ago. Events kept interrupting including efforts to manage things during some more snow and plunging temps. Toby was brought into the upstairs bathroom to survive the single digits. His porch arrangement just isn't up to the extremes of our cold.

The interruption yesterday afternoon happened when Keoni came home from school, and after exiting the upstairs bathroom the door didn't quite close. Not long after Toby discovered it, and got out. Keoni found Toby descending the stairs and Karma ascending--growls beginning. Quickly, Keoni grabbed Toby to prevent them fighting, and Toby bit his arm severely resulting in an Emergency room visit for Keoni. The result is all good and he is on antibiotics.

The PA Health Department was on the phone this morning; first with Wendy, and then with me. Toby is quarantined in the bathroom for 10 more days and has to go to the vet the 11th day for observation for rabies. His immunizations are all in order, but this is the rule on bites here.

Keoni is required to go to the doctor again in another 24-48 hours, but the doctor on their health plan won't even make an appointment without his AZ records. Wendy says she'll have to find an Urgent Care place to take him.

This would be a good spot for a rant about our crazy health care system, but I don't want to think about it anymore. I hope Keoni and Aidan's generation will fix stuff like that.

So, I am considering parting with my cat. There really didn't turn out to be a good spot for him here. When the quarantine ends I will see if I can get a nice picture of him to seek a good home where he is the only cat and maybe there is a nice dog for a companion.

The dust fuzzies call me. I need their consolations.

Weather Report:

No newspaper or mail today. Kids were home and so was John. Wendy hauled hot faucet water from the laundry room to the goats, chickens and Austin. The snow stopped last night sometime and a fierce wind prevailed. It is still blowing. The snow is deep, powder, alive. No complaints from Aidan this time when I "ruined" the snow by sweeping it from the steps, etc. The one degree temp and wind was a challenge, but I am grateful I purchased that warm stuff early last fall.

Before the storm hit Aidan and I had some dart games in the barn.

The painter's date in the barn seems to be close to the same age as the house according to the public records on the house. I won't be climbing the to go up in the lofts, but Aidan is barely challenged as he sprints up the old ladders.

My new bike is waiting out the winter in the barn…

I spotted an old sled hanging high up out of the way. Seems just like ones I once had.

Aidan an I had some dart-throwing practice in the barn with our new dart board.

Outside, the barn shows its handsome red siding; inside, it has another story…

I haven't found John A. Dietz in my search as yet.

House Painter

More recent addition of electricity in the barn partially hides "painter".

Another sign is not so old. Swartley Oil Company according to the web is in business in Quakertown.

Aidan demonstrates use of one of the barn's "ladders".

Aidan is transferring his music and cello knowledge to the piano in fun moments, just as Keoni has done with his music and violin knowledge. The other night they were "jamming" a duet.

A quiet Monday here. I am thinking of Dr. King right now.

Thursday mornings Aidan takes his cello to school for first period orchestra practice. He says there are three cellos that go on his bus. I think his is the only one in a white case. His new case will arrive one day soon to replace the borrowed white one.

Waiting for Thursday's school bus. Caitlin in pink, Aidan, Wendy and Neighbor Joe. Caitlin is Joe's great granddaughter.

Caitlin's father is Joe's son, Jeffrey. Jeffrey was so kind to get the big tractor (not Joe's Gator) out and pull John out of the mud. Every unpaved step you take outdoors is an ooze of water-soaked earth. The creeks are full. Even some of the graveled roadway/driveway is sopping.

Chickens are happy to be out of the barn.

Frezz surveys his domain.

Weather Report: Slop

Just when hibernating became so very attractive; clang! I thought of other stuff to do. Aidan and I got a dart board we put up inside the barn. We have played a couple of afternoons, though his homework interrupted tonight.

Just as well, however. to be interrupted. This was my first practice with the choir I've joined at the church that I feel is the right one now. Very welcoming, friendly, lots of commitment and activity. It felt so good sitting in that church a couple of weeks ago that I was almost afraid to trust the feeling because I've been going to quite a few different ones as you've probably noticed if you read earlier posts. Now, this just gets better and better; in August 2015 the choir (plus two other ones) is going to Winchester Cathedral in England. The 98 slots are filled and I am on the wait list to go, too, with pretty good prospects of a slot for me. Who knew!

A sad note to interject here: Wendy's old Bonnie kitty was very kindly put to sleep since she no longer could eat. Indications were that she had cancer. She was 17 years old. The family and Karma are missing her. She was a sweet cat.

Aidan and I checked out one of the areas along the Perkiomen Trail Sunday afternoon. It looks great for biking and certainly was for our little walk. Cold wind set in and we didn't go too far. Saw a whole field riddled with mole diggings on our way back to the car. We finished up with ice cream cones at the Energy Station. Now that didn't warm us up, but, hey! it's ice cream.

Clang! I've been watching a bike shop next door to the Harleysville Hotel--that of the great chicken wings--and recently I went in the shop to scope out a bike. Went back and tried out a hybrid Trek. It was a tad heavy to put in and out of the car, so they built a lighter weight one that I went to try today. It is just great. I got it!!!

In case you are wondering, Toby is back outside. Before long he didn't come to the porch for food. Yep! There he was back up in the tree. Jasper the barn cat was in the first crook of the tree branches snarling up at Toby high in the tree. Guess that is how Toby wound up in the tree the first time, too. I was too embarrassed to call the same kind man to rescue him again. As it turned out another tree service company, local, family-owned, came and this wonderful man rappelled up the tree and scooped Toby up and rappelled down with him under his arm. Best of all he had an idea of how to gird the tree with some wire fencing so that Toby can't climb it again. I'll explain…wrap around tree, bend outward at 90 degrees and voila! cat-proof. Wendy helped me. It isn't pretty and I hated to add it to the tree since it sits so beautifully next to the barn.

Keoni has been pouring on the practice sessions and recording them for auditions that are due in a couple more days. He really puts time, work and his whole being into it.

Keoni in his bedroom checking his recordings on the computer.

Wendy was giving Harvey the turtle a warm water cleanup in the kitchen while Keoni cleaned the big turtle tank. To imagine this guy was a little bitty 1 inch in diameter reptile 12 years ago; now he is about 4-5 inches in diameter…

Yes, I still love Toby.

Weather Report: None

Hibernating.

Well, here it is; full-blown, deep winter. Yet, other areas of the country have experienced way more of it and colder, at that. Still, it was cold enough that Toby Tiger Tom is living in the upstairs bathroom. His back porch hidey-hole in the wire crate covered in several blankets with a warmer underneath couldn't overcome the minus temps and wind. He was in there shivering so Keoni helped me cart the cat and paraphernalia upstairs. He was purring so loudly you could hear him through the door. Toby's enemy Karma Kittie sits outside the bathroom glaring steadily at the crack under the door. So much for socialization.

My car is back! Happy dancing. It seems just like new again. I'm still spooked driving along Ridge Road and any other wooded or brushy sections of roadway. Still, I wonder if vigilance does any good since the deer seem to materialize right in front of you though I did see another panicked one just in time and could stop; at that moment it disappeared through a roadside hedge. Someone told me today that there are more deer here now than when the continent belonged to the Indians. Small wonder when you think that there are probably 2000% fewer predators to dine on them; except, of course, the two-legged varieties. Deer hunting has been extended here from about two weeks in the fall to a September into December season.

The snow of last week was powder. Aidan strove to make snowballs and they all granulated in the wind. He finally figured out how to get the stuff together enough to make a snowman; something about lying on your belly and scooping it together with your arms. Here is the result…

Alas, he is now snow melt.

I got some walks in, though passed it up yesterday since it was single digits with heavy winds. Lots of the snow melt is frozen everywhere making walking treacherous.

Still, there is something wonderful finding how the landscape is altered with the changes that each day brings. Our living Earth.

Pasture grasses after the snow melted.

Along the fence row.

Weather Report: It's all white outside.

Toby has stayed out of the tree so far. I wonder if he knows how lucky he was. These short winter days he eats hugely and has a nice layer of fat to help keep him toasty when he leaves his porch hidey-hole to accompany the dogs during Wendy's morning outdoor barn and goat pasture chores. Nothing like a layer of fat to keep you warm in the winter and help you float in the pool in the summer.

2013 is history now, but I have pictures that show we had a Christmas here.

Aidan and I made a batch of cookies.

The tree we decorated twice.

Cousin Eliana came for Christmas week and practiced with the boys.

Just jamming...

Christmas morning and Aidan passed out the packages.

Back to music…working out some fingering.

Some minor adjustments needed.

Back to jammin'.

We had many concerts.

Sunset Christmas night.

Christmas night I learned that my sister Jeanenne was going to come see us for a short visit, too. She drove to our place from about 30 miles West of St. Louis and arrived at mid-day on Friday. It really brought home the reality that she and sister Susie are only about a day and a half away instead of the two and a half days of travel that it took those five decades I lived in Tucson. That is making me smile.  We weren't too well prepared, but it didn't matter a bit. We got to the ballet in Philly, French Creek State Park, and Skippack. My, it was great to have a visit with Jeanenne! I think the kids really liked the card games with her.

Jeanenne and Wendy at French Creek State Park.

French Creek: Wendy, Aidan, JM, Keoni, Eliana and Jeanenne.

At French Creek we had lunch in a great bakery where Wendy and Aidan had come many times during the summer month they lived in a Motel 6 waiting on completion of the house deal so they could move in. Yes, the three dogs, three cats and Harvey the turtle were all in that Pottstown motel room which is in sight of the nuclear reactors generating electricity. The boys refer to Pottstown as Mordor. Aidan wished he'd brought along rocks to throw at the Motel 6 when we went by it.

Next was Sklppack a little town not too far from us. It has lots of arts and crafts and interesting shops and eateries. It was fun to wander around with no particular agenda. Some days that's the best thing to do.

My Subaru is still in the garage. A slight chance it will be ready tomorrow, and a slight chance the roads will be cleared to go get it. The Jeep doesn't compare though I'm grateful to have a rental. I am now a little spooked about driving along our road. I learned from some locals that our road is notorious for deer accidents.

Time to exchange Toby's frozen water dish for another one that isn't.

Frozen water from the snow melt.

On yesterday's walk.