Happy New Year

Spring Fresh

It snowed and stuck around for the first time a few weeks ago.



Douglas David Supreme Estabon blending in.


The Parking Lot/ Pseudo Forest that is our backyard.


This is my lady friend who keeps me company at the laundromat.

I recently updated this blog's template, but it lost a bunch of the personalizations I made to it. I'll fix it when I get the time. Someday.

Becca is Pretty

And she gave me a hair-cut.

Living Things

Recently I fell in love with a Chihuahua. I know what you are all thinking. I used to hate little dogs too. They are yappy and irritating and Chihuahuas are ugly. At least, that's what I thought until I met London. Our friends JP and Jacey have a Chihuahua named London. I've only heard her bark about three times. She is sweet and snuggly and she takes naps on my lap when we go over there. She also is hilarious and has cool fight moves. My personal favorite is when she runs up and attacks and then swings around and hits her opponent with her butt. Oh, and she's friggen adorable too.

Obviously I was smitten. I was also very excited because I've wanted a pet for a while but since Joseph is allergic to cats and I had previously hated small dogs, I didn't think a pet was an option. Again, London changed that. Suddenly small dogs were back in the picture. I also knew that the lady who lives upstairs has a Chihuahua (though it is ugly and yappy) so I thought we could talk our landlord into it.

So I went on a little crusade to get a pet. To make a very long story short, I found one I wanted at a nearby shelter and then it didn't work out for several reasons.

1. Joseph wasn't totally sold on the idea of a third living thing in our tiny apartment.

2. After three days of discussing it with his wife and going back and forth, our landlord decided not to let us have a pet because that has been his policy for about a year now after several bad experiences with pet-owning renters. He said he felt bad and would be willing to reconsider at some point.

3. The adoption fee was a good bit higher than I was originally told.

4. Finally, someone else adopted the dog.


So, since a cuddly furry dog isn't in my near future I've been trying to make do with what I've got around.

Here is a picture of my one and only plant. It almost died when I first got it but it likes the window and looks much happier now.



It's basil by the way, and I haven't eaten any of it yet.



While we were helping one of Joseph's profs move, I noticed the biggest earthworm ever squirming it's way through the grass.




We thought about taking it home but it was pretty wiggly and kinda gross so we decided not to.



Oh well. I'll just stick with basil for now I guess.

Becca's optimistic about our heads becoming attached, I'm unnerved.

FUTONishing!

Here we have Becca following the step by step instructions with great craft and care.





Here's the futon after we slept in it.

Here are some unrelated Photos

This is from my walk to class:


This is our friend Gabby cracking up while playing Ping Pong (the official sport of CCS).

Here is our car Douglas in our lovely backyard.

When our downstairs neighbor had to move out he decided to put all of his crap on the front yard with a sign:

He was a tasteful man with class and style. We're sad to see him gone.

And in case you were wondering what our door looked like:

Becca and I had ice cream cones the other night. And if you dare not believe us here be proof!



Fall is all up ons here.





We think that is a prison there in the distance. Becca thinks she can see the razor wire from here.

Recently, Joseph accidently dropped and broke a mug. I thought the largest piece looked like a throne so I made a king to sit in it. This is Good King Fredricks.

Hot Spot

White River Junction - South Main St

Obviously this was taken as a series of photos and then pieced together. I was waiting on a train and thought it would be fun to get a shot of the busiest place in town.

Feeling Regal Every Time I Get Dressed

These are the lion heads that serve as the door handles to our clothes cabinet.

Today Amanda Ann and I went back to the farm where Joseph and I got blueberries a few weeks ago.


This is our friend Carlos DeSario the Garden Knome under a blueberry bush.

We picked not only blueberries but apples and raspberries as well. We weren't familiar with any of the apple varieties that grow here so we tasted fallen apples of all kinds until we settled on the best. It was Macoun by a mile.

These are our pickings and Carlos on David Douglas Supreme Esteban, our car.


Amanda Ann wouldn't let me take her picture but this is Bryan and Amanda Ann when they were driving us to get our flat fixed the other day. We'll get a better picture soon.


This is the view from the road leaving Riverview Farms, it was taken with our phone's camera.


This is the same veiw taken with our awesome new camera. Yeah for good cameras.

I was very very happy that the weather was gorgeous today. It's been cold lately and it was supposed to rain all day. Halfway through our harvesting though, the sun came out.

Camera Phone Pickin's

As Bec mentioned earlier we will have a better camera soon enough. In the meantime we've been using my phone's camera, and I just recently cleared all of the pictures from it. These are some of those:

Wolverine Hair Attempted

Adam and I trying to look berserker and failing hard.

Wood Floors in our Vine St. Home

Most of this floor looked great, but the part over there where I was sitting with my wheely chair had tons of dents from the non-round wheels.
Parts of a Whole

Becca playing with the camera.

Caped

This is at the park by Lake Michigan (I think) where we stopped on our way to Vermont. I was a little chilli and draped myself in Bec's sarong. I used my powers for good.

That's all.

I really am only writing to tell you that I'm sorry I'm not posting more. I keep thinking that I will but I put it off until I have a picture to put up with it. Soon we will be getting a camera with which we can post much better pictures, more regularly.

In the meantime, things are going well. At work they are training me to help out with some of the bread work so that I can help wherever they need me and I'll be spending most, if not all of Thursday on that end of the bakery.

Joseph is currently at his first day of classes but I'll let him tell you all about that later.

Our car had another flat in one of the same tires that went flat shortly before our move out here. Stupid tire. Lucky for us, we have some great friends here who let us borrow their car for the morning so I wouldn't have to drive on the spare all the way to work and back. Thanks Bryan and Amanda Ann.

Picking

Friday Bec and I went picking blueberries and raspberries. I'll let her tell you about that.

Just off highway 12, River View Farms

Again, this is from our phone's camera, so it's of the worst quality.

This is Becca. This was the best place we have gone to yet! Blueberries for 1.75 per pound! The weather was a perfect 75 and sunny. The blueberry bushes were overflowing with fat juicy berries. I made my first blueberry pie ever that evening. We took it over to Bryan and Amanda Ann's apartment. They are two of our new friends here and they are pretty awesome. We ended up staying until 3 AM. It made for a great weekend.

Beenis

This is the bee I killed in my comic. Behold him in all his majesty.

His name is Alejandro Chernov. He wasn't even squished. That's the best part.

Brown boogers, Blisters and Blueberries

Yesterday I made pastry cream at work. This involves stirring large quantities of a pudding consistency concoction over high heat for a long long time. This gave me five mini blisters bringing my work related blister count up to eight. Hopefully soon I will have built up strength and calluses to prevent further blistering.

Today, I made brownies which involves sifting over 27 pounds of brownie mix. I blew my nose when I got home. It was gross.

Many of my co-workers, well aware that I am new to the area, have taken it upon themseleves to overwhelm me with ideas of great things to do around here. The most recent thing that has gotten me very excited is that there is a very cheap pick-your-own blueberries/raspberries/apple farm about 10 or 15 minutes from here. Also, just down the road is a farm where you can buy fresh milk that is actually cheaper than the grocery store. I really want to go get some right this second. But Joseph is gone. Oh well.

White River

James told us about this little picnic place on the edge of White River that always seemed to be empty. We packed up our camping chairs (thanks Ken&Amy), and some chips and headed that way. I had every intention of swimming until I felt how cold the water was, so I drew while she read to me from Dress Your Family in Courdoroy and Denim by David Sedaris (an old favorite). Becca thinks she may have seen a bald eagle, and I think I may have killed a bug with my eyelashes.

Smashing Becca's glasses with my head on a Saturday.

This picture was taken with my phone's camera. I'm satisfied with the quality, but am unsure if it costs me to email it to myself.

Our last days in Kansas

My brother graduated from high school. He is now going to K State. Adam is in high school. He is a Junior (that's 'grade eleven' for the Canadians in the house).

Lil' Brudders

This is in my grandparents back yard at Josh's graduation party. Adam is preparing his pants for the intense volleyball action that is sure to ensue.

Douglas David Supreme Esteban

Our car Douglas David Supreme Esteban. Except no substitutions. Here he is parked in one of Chuck's fields. Having already endured a round-trip to Canada, with a new engine to show for it, and about to take on a 1500+ mile drive to Vermont, our friend basks in the sunset, awaiting to take us faithfully to our next destination.

I can't for the life of me remember why I'm not wearing pants...


This message has been brought to you by your local Ford dealership. Stop in today.

Then along came Summer. 2006 style.

There is no reason not to be doing this!

When preschool ended for the summer I started working at Prairie Harvest half time, and Child-sat for the other half. The above photo is two of the five kids I watched.

As most of you know Becca worked at Prairie Harvest from March 05 to August 06 as the one and only baker of fine products such as bread, muffins, cakes, and all kinds of crazy crap. She was an invaluble asset to the store, they could not have run without her.

So in May of 06 we took a little drive to Winnipeg (that's in Canada folks (that's a whole other country)) for Ben&Andrea's wedding.

To Canada

I'm not entirely sure where we are in this photo, but I remember it was very very foggy. But the extra driving challenge was good because it helped me stay awake after Chuck and I had drove through the night.

Behold the glory of Tain Castle!

We stayed with Ben in his great (and regal) new place. The wedding was lovely, and there are many many photos to prove it:

Techmology

However, we have none on this site. Maybe soon.

Andrea-at-light-speed

Here we have Ben&Andrea opening their wedding gifts. Andrea, having fully realized the commitment she has made quickly attempts a super human escape.

Bec and I marvel at the spectacle

Apparently I marveled, but Bec seemed to have expected this.

I don't actually remember much about the drive back to Kansas, other than me going the wrong way around Kansas City the one time Chuck took a nap.

But we made it home after another eventful yet relaxing 'holiday' to Canada. Some may remember Becca and I making a similar vacation the summer before; on our honeymoon. Both trips were marked with similar events: Weddings, Slurpees, nice weather, quality time with Good'ol Benson (that's what I call Ben. Recently. Just now.), samosas, and car trouble.

Post Canadian Car Trouble 2005

After driving the 1000 miles to Winnipeg, and then back, our engine gave out somewhere in Iowa. We took the bus home, leaving the car in Iowa to have the engine replaced and returned to collect it a few days later.

One year later:

Post Canadian Car Trouble 2006

After driving most of the day, we arrived in Kansas to take our car and selves home (we had rented a van to take to Canada). But I couldn't shift out of park. After an hour or two of testing wires and cords we found the problem. We fixed it. I drove home and took a nap.