First tomatoes of 2018

Thanks to the sun room and a space heater, we picked our first tomatoes on January 27th this year.

Dad's turning 90 on January 30!

Happy 90, Dad!  You're always the first one to pitch in when help is needed.  Here, you helped Amon, Micah, and Tom push the Supra down the driveway to a waiting tow truck.  Ryder was pushing on the side.

There's Ryder, over Micah's right shoulder.  So long ago!  Maybe 2000? This was before 2003, when Micah moved to Phoenix. The House of Light and Joy was blue and we still had a dirt driveway.

Einar and friend

Penelope Possum was checking out Einar's leftover cat food until we opened the door.  Einar was his usual laid back self.

Einar in the sun

Einar enjoys the winter sunshine outside the kitchen window

DNA results are in for Shanana/Mia

Central American?  Would love to know who is back there and what the story is. Irish monks or Spaniards taking a Mayan back to Europe?  My "2 more ethnicities" are 1.6% Nigerian and 1.0% North African.  

Not listed here, but in a more detailed page I didn't post shows 0% French.  But what about Jean Luc Brevard for whom Brevard County, North Carolina, is named?  He's in the family tree for both Ryder and Brandy, about 13 generations back, and from my mother's line.  

No Native American or Inca heritage

My ancestors stuck to the Western hemisphere.

DNA test results are in for Papa Tom

No surprise that Papa Tom is mostly Scandinavian.  Or that his ancestors apparently mingled with my Irish ancestors during one of the routine Viking raids of the Emerald Isle.  His "2 more ethnicities" match mine:  1.6% Nigerian and 1.0% North African (Egypt/Libya/Morocco).  The big surprise is that Papa Tom has zero German DNA, given our last name.  

Congratulations, Destry!

So proud of you, Destry!

Sunny but still below freezing (January 17, 2018)

Autumn leaves, winter snow

Sunny sill

Einar was stretched out, sunning, until I opened the door to take his photo.  Believe me, this photo is zoomed in. We've almost never been able to sneak up on him.

De-icing outside and Violet watching inside (January 16, 2018)

Fox helped Papa Tom scrape ice off the Zoomer's windshield

Fox and Papa Tom stuck a carrot in the bars of Violet's cage then stood back to watch the shy hamster nibble on it.

Snow day! (Tuesday, January 16, 2018)

No school! Amon and Fox made their way up the icy sidewalk and porch steps for a visit.

Texas-sized snowball

Uh-oh!

Safe behind the door!

California trip cancelled due to icy weather (January 15, 2018)

On the afternoon of Monday, January 15, I was about to start packing for our January 16-20 trip to California when the following email arrived from Southwest:

Hello from Southwest Airlines:

This is a flight status change regarding your trip.

Southwest Airlines Flight 265 on January 16 from AUS has been cancelled. . . .

We'd wondered if the flight would be delayed or cancelled, given the "wintry mix" weather prediction for Tuesday.  Kind of nice to find out before heading to the airport.  

As it turns out, the weather at the elephant seal beach was forecast to be rainy with a high surf alert on our scheduled walk time and date (Californa parks system requires you to reserve time for a guided walk rather than wander among the seals on your own).  The walk might have been cancelled due to weather even if we'd gotten to the beach.  Ja vel.

Fox's new look (Friday, January 12, 2017)

Fox fell in love with Emma Watson's pixie cut and asked the barber for a cut just like it. We were going to take her on Friday but--surprise!  Lala took her on Thursday.  She used her vanilla yogurt and spoon to make a face.

Happy 31, Amon! (January 5, 2018)

Amon, Fox, Tom, and I celebrated Amon's birthday at the house with our standard favorites, per Amon's request:  Tom's black beans, guacamole, and chips.

Electric car parking (January 3, 2018)

First time to see an electric vehicle charging station at Wal-Mart.  If only the Zoomer was electric I could have parked two spaces closer to the front door.

So cold! (January 3, 2018)

2018 started out with snowflakes on New Year's Eve followed by temperatures in the 20s.  Brrr!  Had to defrost the windshield before heading to Planet Fitness on January 2.

On the road to Austin (January 1, 2018)

Left NOLA under a winter sky.  Hard to tell, but there's a mini-rainbow that appears to be shining from the street lamp.  New Year's Day must be one of the lightest traffic days of the year.  Easy trip home.

Beignets (December 31, 2017)

Thank goodness Craig and Martha gave us a heads up about getting beignets at Morning Call in City Park.  No block long Cafe du Monde line!

Papa Tom took the lid off the powdered sugar shaker to more quickly cover the beignets.

The Quarter on New Year's Eve day (December 31, 2017)

Holiday spirit at misty, cold Jackson Square

Sugar Bowl crowds in the Pat O'Brien's courtyard

Santa took a detour on his way back to the North Pole.  He lost a boot somewhere along the way!

Thinking of the St. Bernard's in the Alps, I have to wonder what recuperative liquid might be in that EMS water bottle.

Sugar Bowl Parade (December 31, 2017)

Papa Tom and I accidentally came upon the Sugar Bowl Parade on our way to Cafe du Monde.

Clemson's trombonists.  The Clemson Tiger band marched ahead of the Alabama Red Tide band, obviously not in alphabetical order.  Was there a coin toss?

Alabama's drumline.  I still want to see Drumline, the movie.

Clemson fans up high for a better view

We left the parade to walk around the Quarter.  Uh-oh.  The parade was still on when we were ready to leave.  Our car was parked in the parking lot behind the float.  Took more than 30 minutes just to get out of the lot.

New Year's Eve lunch (December 31, 2017)

Papa Tom and I were happy to be part of a tradition that sisters Martha and Donna and families observe every New Year's Eve day:  brunch/lunch at Martin Wine Cellar, a wine store and deli known for its great burgers.

Part of the tradition is the outdoor photo after lunch.  

Road trip to NOLA (Saturday, December 30, 2017)

After dropping suitcases off at Donna's (thanks, Donna!), we headed straight for Katie's for Atchafalaya pizza (shrimp, crawfish, oysters, crabcake, Tobasco marinara sauce, and Provel cheese).  

Couldn't resist the chocolate blackberry dauberge.

Caught some local music at Chickie Wah Wah at 2828 Canal Street after deciding Frenchman Street at the edge of the Quarter would be too crowded due to Clemson and Alabama fans being in town for the Sugar Bowl to be played on New Year's Day.

Merry Christmas!

Fox and Papa, decorating the Norfolk pine.  We've had it since it was about a foot high.  It lives outside most of the year, in its pot.

Amon made banana-blueberry pancakes, bacon pancakes, and one other kind for our brunch.

We played the Clue Jr. game.  The winner figures out who ate the cake, when, and where.