Winter Times

Hi! All, Here we are on one winter day when we were iced in putting a Big Ben puzzle together. It is the only day that Ken has ever spent totally in his PJs.
This is near the end of our icy day. Just a lot of slush and some ice on the roof still.
Last Monday evening Ken decided his little pinkie would catch the brunt of his new utility knife that slice the old water hose as well as his leather work glove and some skin. Dr. Key (no relation) sewed him up. It looks like he will recover.
Today we had 60 mph winds from the west that brought some cotton soil dust from Lubbock with it. We had a small dust storm with yellow-red dust from the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles for several hours before it went to the east.

Kristen said they got moved in, after depositing 125 pounds of rock salt on the driveway and sidewalks for the movers to do their job in Fort Dodge. The movers did not make it to Fort Dodge as planned, but had to stop in Cedar Rapids, IA the night before due to bad roads. They made it to Fort Dodge this morning after a normal 2 1/2 hour drive turned into a 6 hour drive. I-35 in Iowa is closed. Kristen said that up to a foot of snow was expected by in the morning, after 5 inches today. What a moving day!

Take care! Love, linsue

Angel Fire

Hello! Here are some photos from our trip last week to Angel Fire, NM. Brandi's brother and his family decided not to go this year after all and James and Brandi invited us to use the extra room. Lewis, Colton and I (John had to work) jumped at the opportunity and we had a wonderful time. We had two rooms and two full baths, fireplaces and a full kitchen. Brandi even made cupcakes for Valentine's Day. Anyone else have any last minute cancellations? I wonder where we'll get to go next? :-) It was incredibly beautiful up there. I loved riding the ski lift, but discovered that I am not a natural skier. This probably comes as no surprise to my family! Lewis and Colton took to the slopes and James was a patient and excellent teacher for them. By Saturday, they had gone down almost every run on the mountain. Our mornings began with James hustling Lewis and Colton out of bed and onto to the ski lift when they began running at 9am. After the ski lifts closed at 4pm, James and Brandi would take Anna out to sled on the slope near the resort. We usually ended the day by swimming in the pool. What an unexpected and wonderful vacation! The boys are hooked. Thanks to James, Brandi, and Anna for inviting us to tag along!

Love, Elizabeth

Spring is Coming in Bellingham - Llew

Dear all, I think that spring is coming because when I went out to take care of Wanda's (duck's) pools a few days ago, all the crocus were up (croci?), in a multitude of colors. So I pushed aside the leaf fall in the gardens, and everything else is coming up also. As a result, today I gardened with the cats and Wanda, planting a few new dahlias and some lilies, and thinking again that I wished that I had paid better attention to mother and to Granny Gray as they gardened. My efforts are fairly hit and miss, just hoping that I put it at the right depth and with the right stuff to grow well. Vonnie and I are going to see "The Marriage of Figaro" with a couple of friends in Mount Vernon in early March. We have discovered a new theater (new to us) that has classical music and dance presentations that are quite good; it's where we saw "Amahl and the Night Visitors" right before Christmas. Imagine, culture and the classics, right in Skagit County at McIntyre Hall. Then, we are going down to Seattle to visit friends. As we have grown older, driving down to Seattle has seemed like a longer, harder trip, so it's not often that we do it now. Riding the Amtrac down for fun is still good, because someone else does all the work and we just get all the ease. I know, I know, - Amtrac! - but the short ride along the Sound to Seattle is good. Well, I just wanted to add a note, because I saw how long it had been since I had. And, hearing from the rest of you would also be nice. Have a good early spring, and I hope your snow and ice is melting away for those of you who have had lots. I've thought of Maxine and Bill in New York as I watched the weather. Their end of the lake doesn't get the hundreds of inches, but I imagine that it gets enough. Love, Llew