Halloween. The mere mention of the holiday conjures up images of ghosts, ghouls, goblins and scary creatures wandering the night looking for sugary goodies. But what's really scary is how inefficient I am in posting these things in a timely manner!

I mean seriously. Here it is, almost five days from Thanksgiving, and I am just getting around to posting Halloween pictures!

Boo!

Scary, isn't it?

After picking out the perfect pumpkin (see the pumpkin patch entry far, far below this post) Megan carved our gourds for placement on our front porch...

Jonah posed with them outside our house...

Here Jonah and Joshua prepare for All Hallows Eve by dressing at Grayma's and Graypa's house...

Okay, so Josh didn't get dressed as much as he screamed, but we are bigger than he is, and we helped him to get dressed...

Here's the Monkey trying his best not to be a bee, along with his Pirate big brother. Yarrr!

Graypa and Grayma got into the act by decorating their house...Oooh...Scary....

And being pulled in a wagon while your big brother collects candy that you can't eat can wear a body out...

Jonah went "tickle treating" (that's how he says trick or treat) last year, but this year, being older, I hope it meant more for him. It certainly did for us. Not only because of the super cuteness of our two boys, but because we got to enjoy some candy as well!

It was a win-win for everyone!

Posted by Jon at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2007

The Price Is Wrong...

I do not like Drew Carey. Not as the host of the "Price Is Right", anyway. I do not like his lack of energy, the way he plods through shows, his seemingly uncaring atitude towards the Greatest Television Show - Ever.

I miss Bob Barker.

My predictions have come true, or they are starting to, anyway. CBS decided to make small changes to the show (besides changing hosts, which the network had no control over anyway) like tweaking the music a bit, and changing the set. Sometimes, a regime change is good. You need to shake things up. But not to T.P.I.R. No way. Leave it as it is.

Ick.

Please, CBS, you've made one mistake. Correct it by finding a new, energetic, caring host.

Thanks.

Posted by Jon at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2007

It All Comes Back To You...

Well, most of it does, anyway. Friends, today, Thursday November 15th, 2007, is America Recycles Day! Whoo-Hoo! Is it party time? Where do we hang our recycled streamers from? Who is bringing beverages in recycled cans? Anyone? Anyone?

Probably that silence you hear is the sound of apathy. Indifference, perhaps, even, dare I say it, ignorance. Let me begin by saying that I am no tree hugger. I waste gas and electricity with the best of 'em. I run my air conditioner waaaay too long in the summer. I stand for moments at a time with the 'fridge door open, wondering where the food is. (Or where it has gone.) I let the water run in an endless stream as I wait for it to warm up. No, wait. I'm not going to feel guilty for that one. I need hot water. But I do my part. I try to turn off lights when they aren't in use. Beside the hot water thing, I try to save water when I can. I certainly don't wash my car in this exceptional drought we are in. (Of course, I wouldn't wash it even if we weren't. Not that big a deal to me. Ask my step-mom in law!) I even encourage the use of aluminum foil during cooking, so we save room in the dishwasher, and save water in the long run! (Megan disagrees with me on that one, but since she is the one doing the cooking, I guess I'll just have to deal.)

But I do more. Much more. I have made it my personal crusade to recycle more. I recycle cans, bottles, cardboard, old jokes, and yes, sometimes water. (Indirectly, though. At our fire training center, the water we use in our burn buildings during live fire exercises, is recycled back to a pond, in sort of a never ending cycle.) At work, I have started a recycling program at our three stations. When someone throws a bottle or a can in the garbage, I simply say, "Hey! That doesn't go in there!" To which some roll their eyes, pick it up, and place it the green, yellow or black bins we have for recyclables. (Guilt is great when applied properly! Thanks Family!) Others leave it where it is, causing me to go "dumpster diving" into places I really shouldn't, but I can't help it. I feel like I am just doing my part. At home, we recycle all of the above. We recycle the never ending supply of junk mail. We feed our recycle bin healthy amounts of political advertising. (Phone books we take to the big dumpster, 'cause I feel bad that some city worker might hurt his back lifting my bin while weighted down with useless phone books.) And I can't wait for December 26th. Why? Two reasons. One: no more Christmas music. (Sorry. Don't like it. Well, I take that back. It's not that I don't like the music, just in very short bursts. I don't like it beginning on Novemeber 1st, or hearing it every time I go into a store. Overkill.) The other: each and every one of those self serving, not-asked-for, tree killing catalogues is going right into my recycle bin! (Which means I may have to purchase an extra one from the city, since we would overfill the bin two and maybe three times over!!!)

To me, there is a certain joy in tossing that which serves no purpose other than to elevate your blood pressure and make you mad. For me, my day gets just a bit brighter when I can toss out phone books, ads from pizzerias (I am not sure I spelled that right, but I am positive I didn't want to write 'pizza parlor'. Damn.) Of course, my days would be that much better were I not to receive these things in the first place, but that is a situation that is way, way, way out of my control. I tried. They won the battle, but I will win the war.

But there is something that nags at me. Something, that while it doesn't keep me up at night, is still irritating. I can't help but wonder if the recyclables I work so hard to recycle are ending up in the same place my trash goes. Sure, they are two different trucks that pick my throw-a-ways up, but I can't escape the feeling that something hinky is going on.

I guess what I am saying is that I want to protect what we have for my Boys. I can't change the world, but I can change my world, and that is precisely what I am going to do. I am going to increase my efforts (and my guilt peddling) to try to show others the benefits of recycling. I am going to do my part to try and leave this place a little better than the way I found it. That's a daunting task, but I am up for it.

Will you join me?

Posted by Jon at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

November 14, 2007

Helicopter Training!

If I may, I would like to introduce our county's newest piece of lifesaving equipment, Air Bubble, ahem, excuse me, I mean Air Mobile One! (It sounded like the pilot was saying "Air Bubble" upon approach to our landing zone...

Along with their Mobile Critical Care ambulance...

...staff from our Level One Trauma hospital can administer life saving drugs, practice advanced airway management, and get you to a hospital with a quickness!

Okay, I'm no shill for this hospital, and there are two other air ambulance services in our area, LifeFlight and AirCare. We have trained with the other two, I just don't have pictures.

Thursday, November 15th, 2007 is the date Air Mobile One goes live. They will do inter-facility transfers, get dispatched to bad car accidents, acute heart attacks, or other life endangering events. But no helicopter service is an island. They need the help of Firefighters and EMS personnel to make it all work. That is why we train with them.

Here is the sequence of events. Let's use a car accident as an example. Two cars hit head on on a major interstate. Firefighters are called in to use the Jaws Of Life to extricate patients. Since extrication time will be longer than 20 minutes, the hospital is quite a distance away, and due to the mechanism of the patient's injuries (the head on car accident) the use of a helicopter is needed. One group of Firefighters are extricating. Another group is setting up a Landing Zone, and EMS people are tending to patients. The Landing Zone is typically 100 feet by 100 feet. For training, we used a soccer field...

You can't see them, but there are four traffic cones out there, designating a Landing Zone. At night, we would have two or four vehicles, with their headlights pointed at each other, lighting up the area for the helicopter.

Here, we are waiting for Air Mobile One to land...

On approach...

Almost here...

Touchdown!

After landing, we went over operations of the helicopter, how the flight crew perform their jobs, and what they expect of us...

Let's get back to the accident. By now, the patient has been removed from the vehicle, and taken to a ground ambulance where Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians will work to stabilize the patients condition, and get them ready for transport. Dale is our patient today. Sidebar: Dale doesn't like heights. At all. But Dale, partly because of peer pressure, and partly because he wants to conquer his fears, volunteered to be our first patient. You go Dale! He is strapped down to a backboard and stretcher, to simulate a suspected spinal/neck injury. Here, he is being stabilized in the ambulance...

Once removed from the ambulance, we are now under the orders of the flight crew. We follow them to the back of the helicopter, and load the patient in.

We follow the strict orders of the flight crew, to keep us, and them safe. We watch for hand signals, lights, or other warning devices, so we know where to go, and where not to go. (Rotors can ruin your whole day.)

This is where we load the patient...

This view is from inside the helicopter looking towards the rear.

And here goes Dale...

Once inside the helicopter, the flight crew, including Nurses, Paramedics, and sometimes Firefighters work to secure the patient, administer drugs, help the patient breathe, or perform other vital functions. After making sure all safety checks have been done, the helicopter prepares for takeoff...

On the scene, of course, all of us would be wearing full protective personal equipment, such as turnout pants/coats, gloves, helmets and maybe goggles. For the "cold" loads, as you can see in the pictures, we were not required to wear our PPE, but during the "hot" loads, we had on our helmets. What do I mean by "cold" and "hot" loads? Cold loads are when the crew shuts off the engine, making is safer to approach, and easier to communicate with each other. The rotors remain engaged for a hot load, adding another level of danger to an already dangerous profession, but we and the flight crew wouldn't have it any other way! We enjoyed the training we received, and I personally learned a lot. We hope never to have to call on Air Mobile One, but in case we do, we will be ready!

Posted by Jon at 04:53 PM | Comments (1)

November 13, 2007

Stop!

I guess not stopping is a problem in the Village of Oak Lawn, Illinois. So, town leaders came up with a funny way to get across a serious message.

I found this while surfing some time back, and thought it was funny. All credits to cbs2chicago.com

They're getting clever with the stop signs in southwest suburban Oak Lawn to motivate more drivers to stop. (All photos courtesy: Village of Oak Lawn)

For more info, and to see more actual stop signs, or to suggest your own, surf on over to the Village of Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Posted by Jon at 10:07 PM | Comments (2)

November 12, 2007

Joshua Is One!!!

365 days ago, Joshua joined our family. Join us on a trip down memory lane, from day one, to today...

Enjoy him as much as we do!

From day one, November 12th, 2006...

To today, November 12th, 2007!

Happy Birthday Monkey! We love you!

Posted by Jon at 08:47 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2007

Where Were Jon, Megan, And Jonah On September 15th, Through The 18th 2006?

More importantly, the question should be, "Why the heck didn't you post this last September? Good question!

Seven states, 12 hours, two hotels, mounds of road food, and Interstate 95. Mix well with heavy traffic, and you get the classic ingredients for a road trip! You also get three very tired people; two adults and one cranky boy, who, actually did very well for being trapped in a car seat for 14 hours. This past weekend we drove to New York to celebrate a surprise birthday party for my Dad and several of his friends, who all turned (or are about to) turn 70 years old!

Here's how it went down...

My Dad and his friends, Allen, Allan, Howard, Nelly, and Howard all grew up together in the Bronx. Four of the men went to one high school, two of them attended another. They have managed to stay in touch, and remain good friends after all these years. My sisters my brother and I have also gotten to know them and their families, so it was nice to get together, especially if we could pull off the surprise! So, nearly a year ago, I got a call from my sister Gabrielle, who told me that some of my Dad's friend’s wives and family were beginning to plan a surprise party for this group of men. The party took different forms over the year, but finally we settled on a brunch where we would all be gathered, and then the guys would walk in, and be surprised. Did it work? Were they surprised? You'll have to read on for the answer!

There was no hesitation on the part of Megan, Jonah and myself. We had to be there. How could we not go? So we made plans to drive to New York (being that Megan is due in only eight weeks, yay!) to join the party. Usually, we stay at my Dad's apartment in the City, but since he could not know we were "in town" and the party wasn't until Sunday, we had to stay somewhere else. Somewhere else turned out to be Danbury, Connecticut. We decided to stay there for a few reasons. Chief among them was how inexpensive it was. We also wanted to see Megan's cousin Jodi, her daughter Aarika, and Jodi's brand new fiancé, Kevin. Also, my sisters live about ten minutes or so from Danbury, so it would make getting together with them a lot easier! (It also added a lot more miles to the trip, but that is for another blog entry...) So after leaving the Old North State Friday afternoon, we drove to Baltimore, where we stayed the night. We got up the next morning, and completed the journey to Danbury, but only after getting trapped in traffic for what seemed like an eternity. Two hours. Ick. When we finally arrived at our hotel, there were at least four fire trucks in the parking lot, and many people who were once inside the hotel, were now standing outside it for some reason. So, what do a Firefighter and his son do? Gawk at fire trucks, of course! Just a fire alarm, nothing serious, thankfully. But ironically, when we got together with Jodi, Aarika and Kevin for dinner at a nearby mall, we had to wait to be seated thanks to a fire alarm in the mall! (Maybe it's me...)

So before we sat down to eat, Jonah and Arrika played in the mall.

Then, we had to exit the mall. It just meant more time to catch up. (By the way, Josh was with us too, just not with us, if you know what I mean...)

What a ladies man...

What a ladies man...

Now we're (and you) are at the party, at a hotel/golf resort in Connecticut? Or was it New York? No matter. This fine looking young man is my Nephew Ethan. He lives in Los Angeles with his mom, and my brother Ben.

And this is Ben. (The tall one on the right.) After a long journey, Jonah (as you can probably tell by the picture) was not very happy. But who made him happy? Who kept him from melting down? Was it me or Megan? No. It was Ben. Jonah sat with Ben for a really long time, and was the perfect little gentleman. Thanks Ben! You're a lifesaver!

And this is my Dad, Fred. And yes, he was surprised.

And emotional. He always was, and is.

The whole group got together outside the banquet hall to take a group picture. Since I was in the picture, I could not take a picture of the picture taking, so I offer you the following...Here's Jonah waiting for the picture taking to get over with. (We all were, really. It took a super long time to get this picture taken, supposedly by professionals. It was hot, Megan was pregnant, we were on concrete stairs, Jonah was getting testy; it was a bad scene.)

Here's proud Grandpa Fred with his grandson Ethan...

Back inside, Dad gets his turn to make a speech.

Ethan again. What a handsome guy!

I wish I had more pictures like this one, but sadly, time, finances and geography do not allow. Sigh...

Mmmmmmm....Cake...

I miss my brother Ben.

I miss Ethan, too.

Ethan and Jonah play at my Dad's apartment in New York City.

Jonah is waiting for something. What? A hug? A ball? Some food? I can't remember since I am slack and it took me more than a year to post this. I think he was playing with a car that zooms across the floor when you pull it back. Not sure.

Who knows?

Well, we travelled far, saw some family, saw some old friends, so despite the minor hassles and glitches, it was well worth it. And recently, we just learned that Ben will be coming to New York in January, so hopefully I'll get to see him, and he can finally meet Joshua!

(I make no promises, but if that happens, I will put the pictures up right away!)

Posted by Jon at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2007

Josh's First Snow! (Jonah's Third Or Fourth!)

Ahhh...The season's first snowfall. (Okay, it was last snow season. Sorry.) Pretty. Idyllic. Winter Wonderland. COLD!

I hate the cold weather. I hate having to break a sweat in an effort to warm up. I love Megan dearly, desperately, but she and I are in two different galaxies when it comes to ambient temperature. I love it hot. The hotter the better. The more humid it is, the happier I am. Seriously. She, on the other hand, likes the cooler weather. Okay, honestly, I do like to ski. But she doesn't. It's a wonder how we manage.

Here's how. With cuteness.

To tell the truth, the winters here aren't too bad. But, for me, after living in Buffalo for nearly 10 years, any winter is bad for me. But when it snows or gets icy here, the city comes to a complete halt. In fact, two years ago, an inch and a half of slush shut the city down by bringing traffic to a halt, schools and offices let kids and workers out early, and of course, no one here can drive in that stuff. Anyway, it snowed here on Thursday, February 1st, 2007. Jonah had seen snow before, but not Joshua, who was born just two months before.

This picture reminds of the poor boy in "A Christmas Story". Not that Jonah is that boy; just that he looks like him...

What a face!

So now, we are praying for rain, and snow!

Posted by Jon at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2007

A Cute Story...OR "How Your Child Can Break Your Heart"

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, dear faithful readers of my blog, I now turn my keyboard over to my sweetie Megan, who has a story she would like to share...

Take it away, baby!

Jonah is an amazing sleeper. He emerged into the world on January 5, 2005 at 1:24 am, gurgled and cooed for a couple of hours, then he fell asleep....and I didn't see his eyes again until he was over three months old. To this day, he sleeps every night from around 7pm until 7am the next morning, unless I awaken him. It is extremely unusual for us to hear a peep from him once he has gone to bed for the night.

So, when he began to cry the other night 15 minutes or so after I kissed him goodnight and left his room, I definitely took notice. I was sitting at the computer just outside his room doing some work when a sad wail came from his room. I waited, unsure if I should respond or if he was just calling out in his sleep. But, no, the sobbing became more and more forlorn and insistent.

I went into Jonah's room and knelt down by his bed. "What's wrong, honey?" I asked. And the sad reply came with a sob, "I broke it! It's broken." Now, it was dark in there and so I couldn't immediately see what he thought was broken and so I said, "What is broken, sweetheart?" "It's broken!" he said again and held up a hand with something curled inside. I took the item from him, but I wasn't sure what it was at first. That's when he held up the stuffed dog. The stuffed dog that Aunt Abby had given him when he stayed with her a month ago...the one that he insisted had to stand in the grass to pee...the one that he had named Zoe until Jon read the tag to him containing the name Poofy. And it was this very heart-shaped, cardboard tag that Jonah was telling me was broken...as much a part of the stuffed dog as his ears or his tail. At least to Jonah.

Suddenly it all became clear. The heart-shaped tag had ripped in half. It was broken. My first awkward attempt to assure him that half the tag (made up of one full heart) was still intact, yielded only more sobbing and insisting that he had broken the dog. I paused for a moment and then, aha! It occurred to me that I have the tools to fix this problem. I explained to Jonah that I was going to fix it and I would be right back. A shaky "okay" came to me in the dark as I ran out of the room. I returned moments later with a piece of scotch tape and quickly repaired the cardboard tag.

"Okay" I told Jonah "I fixed it, see?" And I showed him that the tag was again two hearts that open and close together. Jonah hugged the dog close and breathed, "Thank you Mommy" as he settled in for the night.

Phew! One more crisis solved by Super Mommy! I only hope that I will always be this adept at fixing his broken heart.

Posted by Jon at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)

Tiger Who?

David Beckham? Blah, blah, blah. Reynaldo? Really? Pele? Please.

All of them excellent soccer (or football) players to be sure.

But witness, for the very first time, the World's next soccer (or football) superstar, our Boy Jonah!

Here, Jonah attempts a pass to no one in particular. At this age, and at this point of the day, he just wants to throw things...

Josh tries to get in on the action...

We build tall towers...

So Jonah can knock them down!

Balancing skills at their finest...

And Jonah's favorite activity of them all, the parachute! At first, the kids all sit in the middle, and parents (or legal guardians) spin them around, changing directions causing peals of laughter and causing joy and merriment in the hearts of the children, but making the parents (or legal guardians) very, very dizzy.

Hands on head if you want a stamp!

Soccer (or football) takes a lot out of a body. It was time to eat! We were joined by Grayma (pictured.) And Graypa (not pictured.)

Then we saw a fountain (pictured.)

Got wet.

Went home.

Not too shabby for the World's next greatest soccer (or football) star, eh?

Posted by Jon at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)

November 08, 2007

What A Way To Start Out!

So here's something that's never made the 'blog...

Several months before we got married, Megan and I visited a travel "show", where cruise lines, travel planners, travel agents and the like try to book you on one of their great vacations. After not much discussion, we decided to go on a cruise for our Honeymoon. I had never cruised before, but Megan had, and she thought it would be a great way to start our new life together. Featuring good prices, a later departure date and some decent ports of call, we decided to go with Royal Carribean.

So as we are setting up our itineraries, and planning our honeymoon, I had an epiphany! We could get a balcony!

One that overlooks the ocean, of course. A balcony where by day, we could sit and enjoy drinks, while experiencing warm ocean breezes, as the clouds float by effortlessly. By night, we could step out onto the balcony, call room service at 3:00 in the morning, and have someone bring us drinks. At 3:00 in the morning! But there was my soon to be wife (now my current wife), knocking me down a few pegs, and helping me to learn how to lose arguments. (I love you sweetie!)

She explained that we would be spending money on something we wouldn't use. But, I countered, "Some dude would bring us drinks, to our balcony, at 3:00 in the morning!" To which she calmly replied, that we would not be spending much time in the room anyway, with all a ship that size has to offer; and thus, (she never uses the word 'thus", by the way...) we would not be spending much time on the balcony. Feeling the argument (okay, it was a discussion, not really an argument) slipping away from me, I relented. But we did compromise, and we got a cabin with window. This is a picture from the Royal Caribbean website...

And this is a picture of the room we stayed in...The neat decorations celebrating our marriage were placed there by Royal Caribbean staff in advance of our arrival, under the direction of my wife, who called ahead. Isn't she sweet?

So, off we were on our new lives together, and a five day run of the Western Caribbean. We stopped in Key West, Cancun, and Belize. In Belize, we decided to take an excursion, and go snorkeling. As this activity was new to us, we thought it would be fun. Before they give you your mask, you wipe some sort of sanitizing/anti-bacterial goo inside, to kill off anything that might have been left there from the vacationer before you. Then, we went snorkeling. (No pics here, just use your imagination.) That night, I was seasick, so much so that Megan went to dinner without me. The next day, which was our last full day at sea, something awful happened to my left eye. It was puffy, swollen, and just downright ugly looking. (No pics here, just use your imagination.) I could hardly open my eye, as any kind of light, bright or otherwise, was out of the question. So, I planned to pretty much stay in the cabin. Which I did. I attributed this eye nastiness to the sanitizing/anti-bacterial goo we put on the inside of our snorkeling masks. (Either that, or I didn't clean my mask very well.) So, sadly, my new wife was bored. Achingly so. With no one to explore the ship with, no one to drink with, she decided to take 20 dollars out of the money we brought with us, and go to the casino on board. I kissed her goodbye, and wished her good luck. No sooner had she left, than she returned. I said, "Lost it all, huh?" And she said, "Nope. Won 100 dollars!" "Get out, I said!" To which she said, she played one game of chance, it paid off for her, and she quit while she was ahead.

Now, neither of us are gamblers, in that we don't often get the chance to do it. So, since the ship had a week long bingo game going, with an ever increasing jackpot, I told her she should give it a shot, go buy a couple of cards, and see what happens. I again kissed her goodbye and wished her luck.

A few hours later, and after I had viewed Bruce Almighty about 42 dozen times, (that's the only movie playing on the in-ship TV system...) Megan returned. Because we're not gamblers, I thought she'd just plop down on the bed, and tell me she'd lost, and life was going to go on. Well, she plopped, and life was going to go on, but at least for us, with a little bit more money!

Megan won about 6700 dollars, playing bingo! The jackpot was at its highest level, since no one won during the week! There's no way. I was seasick, my eye hurt like heck, but all I could think of was the poor old woman Megan slugged, robbed, and left for dead in some lonely part of this massive sea going vessel. We aren't gamblers. We don't play bingo. There's just no way. But the cash was the proof. (That's how they give it to you. They don't cut you a check.) And just a note, ne'er do wells looking in, don't get any ideas. The money was spent about four seconds after she told me she won.

Of course, I missed all the fun because I was laid up with some infection and seasickness. (I believe that if I had gone, however, we would have lost, so I am sort of glad I missed it!) Megan was one of the last people standing, when they called N 37! It was the last number, on the last card, on the last day of our cruise! I did not realize that the bingo game was held in a theatre, that can seat a whole lot of folks, and that most of the seats in the theatre were taken. By this time, I was feeling a bit better, so we decided to go to the ships doctor, to have him look at my nasty eye. Walking down the corridor to the elevators, I remarked that no one knows who she is, and who we are, save for a few official types, who could know we just won a ton of money. But no sooner did we get to a common area, that a fellow cruise ship passenger said, "There goes the big winner!"

So, we went on a shopping spree. The money went to pay for a big chunk of our wedding, that we just spent a big chunk of money on. We invested in some nice watches, and a digital camera, that has exclusively taken all of the pictures you see here on OutOfHans.com.

Our first date was on July 13th, 2001. The Enchantment of The Seas had her maiden voyage on July 13, 1997. Fate? Chance? Destiny? Luck?

It's hard to tell who is the lucky one in this family...Megan for her big win on our Honeymoon, Jonah and Joshua for having such a wonderful mother, or me, for having such a fantastic wife and mother to our boys!!!

Posted by Jon at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2007

It's A Dog's Life...

Someone much wiser than I once said something like this: "It's your world, I'm (or we're) just living in it". That is probably the best way to sum up our dog Zoe. We're here working, raising our family, laughing, crying, working, sleeping, working, eating, working, working, working...Okay, you get the point. (WARNING: EXCESSIVE ALLITERATION ABOUT TO BEGIN) But our dog, oblivious to the dog eat dog daily drudgery we dive into day after dull, dreary day, doesn't care. She is the Queen, and we, her humble servants, work not for our family, or ourselves but for her. And though we may whine, we wouldn't have it any other way. Why? Because she is sooooo cute!

Zoe, as you might have guessed, is not a pure breed. No, she is part Daschund, part Chihuahua, and part pain in the aot. (<--That is not a spelling error. Ask me sometime, and I will tell you a very funny story about AOT.) I have known the dog for as long as I have known Megan. Megan found Zoe as a stray. She is seven years old, (Zoe, not Megan) we think, but acts like a puppy. Which is why we usually refer to her as our puppy. In reality, she is a bitter old lady, but she's OUR bitter old lady, and we love her despite the barking and the licking and the licking and the barking and the licking.

So last night, (in June of 2006!) Megan took a few pictures of our puppy, and suggested that I put some of the pics on the 'blog. Smashing idea, says I, and so, here are a few!

It looks bad, but she's not hurting me. Okay, see the only reason I am allowed in the house at all, is so that Zoe can use me as a chew toy.

Here's the Queen, relaxing after a long day of...relaxing...

Vicious looking, don't you think?

Dog attacks boy (with tounge), Boy attacks dog...(And he does. I just don't have pictures of it. Yet.)

Zoe sees something...Probably a leaf falling off a tree three towns over...

And this picture isn't puppy related, but it's just cute as hell!

Posted by Jon at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)

November 06, 2007

It's The Great Pumpkin Patch, Jonah And Joshua!

So Halloween is past, and the time for pumpkins has given way to thoughts of Thanksgiving. What I am saying is that I am late in posting these pumpkin patch pictures, but as far as I am concerned, there is no statute of limitations on cuteness.

So here goes...

We spent a day a few weekends ago at our favorite nearly local pumpkin patch. One of the first things we did was go through a kiddie maze. (There was a maize maze for us older types, but we didn't have the time...)

We told G'ma to get lost...And she did! (Not for long though...)

We came all the way to our favorite nearly local pumpkin patch, and all the Boy wanted to do was play in the sand!

At the patch, they have lots of things for families to do. One of them was to catch a train! And here it comes! Jonah was sooooooo excited about the train ride!

Cheese!

Before you start wondering where Josh is, he's right here with us! (He has to come with us. There are laws, you know...)

I caught a train! I caught a train!

Cute!

Awwww.....

In addition to mazes (maizes) goats, horses, a really big slide and other attractions (which you can read about on their website), they also have a Fort. Here's a view from the fort...

Jonah on watch. Are we under attack?

My Boy...

Sara, Jason and Sam met us at the patch, and Sam saddled up and got a pony ride. Giddy up! (Jonah didn't want to. He started to, but balked at the last moment. We got our money back.)

Lunch time for Josh! Being carried around is tough work! Makes a body hungry!

Proof for all you doubters that we were here. (Or there.) Trust me. We were somewhere.

So darned cute!

My Boys...

And now on to the main attraction of the pumpkin patch, the hayride to the pumpkin patch!

Sara, Jason and Sam on their way to pick up pumpkins!

G'ma and G'pa on their first hayride in North Carolina!

Hay!

I got mine!

Words fail me here, but cuteness abounds!

Sam found her gourd! (I said 'gourd'!)

Which one should we take, Josh?

Looking for something...

Would today be the day when Josh walks for the first time? Not today...but he does keep on trying! We'll keep you updated!

G'pa and Jonah still looking for that perfect orange-y winner!

Is this it?

Sam and Jonah share a moment...

Ummm, Josh? Perhaps this isn't the best way to learn how to walk...

...but you sit quite well!

Jonah is practicing his balancing skills, which he learned at soccer. (Upcoming posting on that...Watch for it!)

Don't worry guys...You'll find it...your perfect pumpkin has to be in here somewhere...

What an awseome couple of pictures...What an awesome family...

Can't decipher the message? Drop me a comment and I'll let you know...But here's a hint...It's what I feel for my wonderful wife and my two fantastic boys!

If you would like to see how far we've come in a year, check out the October 8th, 2005 posting, about the last time we went to our nearly local pumpkin patch!

Posted by Jon at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)

November 05, 2007

How Bad Is It Going To Get?

Well, gas prices are on the rise. Again. It seems that unrest in parts of the world, unstable governments, the mess we've gotten ourselves into (and can't seem to get out of) in Iraq, and winter, have all conspired to raise the price of gasoline.

To be fair, it the speculators who freak out at a winter storm, or a cloud that passes over an oil drilling rig in the Gulf Of Mexico. But I think it goes deeper than that. I think the media has a big part to play in how the speculators decide that gas prices are going to rise. Follow me on this one...

Each year, just before the mythical "busy driving season", somewhere around Memorial Day, and lasting through Labor Day, the media announces that some talking head at some think tank has fears that there will be less supply, and more demand. Is that really true? With airline traffic at record levels, are more people driving as well? The same holds true for wintertime. Just before Fall scoots out, some media genius somewhere talks to the same talking heads at the same think tanks, who say that forecasters have predicted a colder than normal winter. What happens then? Yup. Natural gas and crude go up. But in this case, it isn't because of supply and demand, it's because some fool couldn't keep their mouths shut about a cold winter. My point is this: If these people simply said it's going to be a warm winter, or not as cold, the prices would stay flat.

My other point is, in the time you've reading this, we've used up this much gas.