Dr. Seuss wishes you all a BIG GREEN HOLIDAY!


Tall Man has his long legged jeans on and his exclusive bah humbug shirt, that only cast get to wear. He had to go back to houston early this morning for his theatre production of " A Christmas Carol." He recited his lines for us at breakfast on Xmas day. He is great and having so much fun, which is all that really matters. Of course he said he wants to go to Dartmouth so that made my morning. ( And if you really think i care, i dont, it is just fun for me to pretend that i am having some sort of positive influence...or that they just like the clothes... on them before they even know what college is!)
The future generation of Big Green had a great Christmas at Granny and D'daddy's house.
Aunt Julia has started early in her brainwashing to subliminally plant the big green seeds. did you know that we ate Green Eggs and Ham on our freshman trips and that Theodore ("TED") Geisel is an ALUM? No, no green eggs for us on Christmas day. Just the yummy rolls i made and yellow eggs.

Donut Swim
Hard to do a donut ride at 11 degrees and with 5 in of new powder. It could be done but not by me. So instead the donut swim took place. For those of you that swim, at least with your head in the water and with a tiny bit of exertion, isnt it interesting how you get SO HUNGRY when you swim? Maybe bc your insides arent jostled around and you dont usually have the same type of exertion you do on a bike or on a run or on a tennis court.
The pool i swim at is really kept too hot, though, so sometimes i feel like i am going to vomit (sorry Strats) even if i am not swimming too hard.
MY favorite is the sugar raised. The maple is for my sister Elizabeth and the sprinkles are for chippy who is coming in from Houston today between his performances for the Houston Children's theatre's production of "The Christmas Carol." If his agent (my sister!) allows i will post some pics of him.

Super Sone, i thought of you and DC when i posted this:)

Holiday Baking at Ma and Dad's.. aka Iona's adobe.
"Hey Baby, what are you doing, wanna help Juju do some baking? You look wide awake and ready to be festive in your new holiday coifed fur coat and jingle bell bandana..."

"Sure, lets go to it."

BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEST OF SHOW:

The Master Judge fell asleep during the competition:

Chicago continued....

this is Lulu. She is adoreable and even has a pink string to play with. My sister's cats have Pink String as well. The universal cat toy. Lulu's mom is Honey's daughter, so technically i guess Lulu is Honey's first grand child.
Honey continues to show us how to take self portraits that dont show your nasal/sinus passages since usually everyone holds the camera too low. Granted we had just walked miles in a blizzard to forage for food, with Honey singing holiday tunes the entire time, then walked home with my Iron Girl knapsack stuffed with food and bottles, so if we look a bit "wind blown," that is why.
But someone had to teach Emily how to make a cosmo and i wasnt going to leave her place till i was CONFIDENT she could do it on her own ....

Daughter-Father pic...nice smiles, arent they.
Hmm, lots of honky honky in the city. Although nothing like in NYC. Chicago is tame compared to the mess in the big apple.
I had to run fast to click this pic. I didnt want him to turn around and grab my camera like i was some crazed paparazzi, but it was a cool jacket. Not like i was in another country but i did tell Honey before we got on the plane that i was certain we would see the FED (no go, bummer) see someone from MN (this is close isnt it?) and we would see somebody from Dartmouth.

So, as we sat on the plane at Midway (delayed due to the weather in detroit) a nice older couple boarded and we exchanged seats so they could sit together. " Thanks so much" he said, "you dont know the day we have had, it has been a long long day. We were stranded out east. " I am thinking ("that is too bad, glad i am not out east.") He then calls to his friend up a few rows..."Jim we were in Manchester and the only carrier that would fly us out was Southwest, how about that!!" Now i am starting to get excited...knowing that Manchester is in New Hampshire and the only reason anyone goes to NH is to go to Dartmouth...Rich is starting to pretend to not be there. "So you were in NH ???" i say. "Yes we were at Dartmouth.." And there you have it..the rest of the story is as you would think. Their daughter was a class below me at Dartmouth, she was in my sorority (ok a story for another post, really, nice girls and we had a pong table and beer on tap)...enough said. The trip was complete.

Well not really, I still need some FED pics.

Thanks for reading.

Ok one more for now, this is really cool. It is called the puppetbike. If i ever figure out how to use my video i could give you the show. It is connected to a bike and i never saw who rode the bike and who owned the bike but this could give a whole new meaning to TT if this piece of art showed up at the DOG!

Look who i found in Chicago?

Went looking for the FED but 2nd place was Lance. Not what i had hoped for but it will have to do. Interestingly enough they had a full wall of Alan Culpepper, and nothing with the FED. I know who Alan Culpepper is but i would guess most people walking around NikeTown dont.
Do you?

Julia

Holiday Party. Skinsuit optional.
Fantastic party with a FANTASTIC GUY.

Not gonna see my hair looking anywhere near this come bike season. Even looks as if i have remnants of helmet head. And Charlie looking on in the background.
I can see the remnants of the "shark bite" on my left triceps as well. For all you folks that dont wear sunscreen read that shark bite as "melanoma." Doesnt seem like something to worry about today, at 8degrees does it?

THE IONA SUMMIT


Since lately the most exciting thing i have done (other than steal ideas from other people's blogs) is to housesit iona. So here is a photo montage of our weekend together:

"hmm. Kinda boring out here, no tennis balls and nobody at the grill meaning no scraps."
"why are the tennis balls in the can and not in the yard?"
"Get off the couch and play with me in the yard."
"Ok then have it your way, but at least you could sit someplace other than the kitchen where the floor is mighty hard and cold."

"Ready when you are!"

Meet Iona...
otherwise known as "HI-HO IONA!"

These first 2 pics really could be misunderstood. If you havent had the chance to meet her, she may appear to be rabid and crazy. I have to admit though that if you ever need love and attention and want someone to cry and howl at your feet, let me know.

This summer she had a few days where she wasnt herself. She didnt get off her bed and she didnt hop on the couch to see you walking up the stairs (about 5 minutes before you even got in the door) I thought she was heading to the happy hunting ground where all good golden's go. And all that have gone before her ...Penny, Mocha, Candy...They would be free to catch squirrels, have endless supplies of "second scoops," tennis balls everywhere (wait she already has that?!), and never have thunderstorms or any noise that may have ruined their hopes of being hunting dog of the year.

Luckily she just had a bit of overtraining syndrome. At the age of 11 she had been walking too many steep ascents and descents at the cabin, and the squirrels in the yard had kept her running on days she should have been resting. A little visit to the MD and some Celebrex ( i am not kidding) and she was back to her old tricks.

FEED ME...best trick is when dad feeds me and mom doesnt know and i get double rations for the night. Sweet. The grandkids (nephews to me) also do a nice job of overflowing the scoops.

"Hopefully I will get a new bed from Orvis for the holidays. I had at least better get my hair washed and groomed and one of those holiday bandanas for the Christmas pictures."

Ok she was done with the photo shoot and i made her do one more. You can only ask royalty to pose so many times you know.