Happy Birthday Idlebrook Bjorn Erik Evensen!

 Good morning,

Our Erik is officially a teenager today!  For thirteen he has very little gray and is still a very handsome, active guy!

 Here he is as an agility star just a few years ago.  

He has also enjoyed dock diving, gun dog sports, and a variety of other adventures.

A few years ago he pulled a muscle and needed surgery so his agility career ended.  He then became Chief of Security here at our home.

Erik is a wonderful guy, a loving soul, and we're so very glad he is ours.

Happy Birthday, dear Erik!

Love you,

Mom, Dad, Catherine, Wendy, and Elsa

In Bloom Again

 Good morning,

Our little indoor garden on the table in front of the french doors in the dining room continues to provide such beauty.  It seems there is always something blooming.  Today it's the white and purple african violets once again.

So pretty!

What is blooming at your home?

Lois

Little Angels

 Good morning,

They look like little angels when they are asleep, don't they.  Oh, but the fun and games they have when they romp and play.  I'll never forget Wendy (upper left) racing through the house and putting her back leg through the glass on the bottom of that entertainment center.  That made for a long day at MedVet and lots of stitches.

The third bed is for Erik, but today he preferred to take his nap on the floor beside my recliner.

Erik will be a teenager in a few days!  Wow, time flies.

:),

Lois

A Very Risky Tasty Treat

 Good morning,

If you look carefully, you'll see a squirrel hanging upside down in the upper left quadrant of the image above.  There is another squirrel further down the branch to the right.

Those crazy characters are risking a huge fall so they can nibble on the fresh, tender leaves emerging from that tree.

 To get a better perspective of just how high they are in that tree, here's a wide shot.  That's them in the upper left part of the image.  

I'm glad we didn't see them fall!  That would have been horrible.

Happy Spring!

Lois

Frozen Cod

 Good morning,

I finally found Cod at my grocery this week.  The frozen cod is pretty good.

 It was a joint effort with My Honey preparing the cod to be baked. It is drenched in butter with various spices, lemon juice, and cheese.

The result was fabulous.  The two of us managed to finish off the entire pound of fish.

      

    

 

  The best cod we ever had, though, was when we fished it ourselves in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Honningsvag, Norway.    This was a little private side trip we took while we were there aboard Splendour of the Seas.

 

After hauling in about 30 gallons of fish in that gray container, we had cod for dinner and lunch the next day in the officers' mess.  We did this more than once while on this itinerary;  I believe the pictures above were taken in 1999.

Ah, yes, those were the days....

:),

Lois

Work in Process - This Week's Waiting Room Crochet

 Good morning,

I've been spending more time in waiting rooms than I really would like to spend, but at least I'm keeping myself busy.  

I'm working on another large afghan blanket of 80 "flowers" so it's a good take-along project at this stage.  When those 80 flowers are finished, I'll put them together to look very much like this:  Burgundy Flowers On Pink and White Afghan Blanket.  That one is sold and since I have more of this beautiful yarn, I'm making yet another.  This time, though, I think I'll make the border in green instead of white.

There are many similar afghan blankets available to ship now in the shop here.

 What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Bird Supervisor

 Good morning,

When Elsa was a puppy she chased the birds in the back yard.  Of course, that was the puppy thing to do.  But now, she calmly sits on her deck chair and watches them.

 We have so many beautiful birds that entertain all of us.  Cardinals, Robins, and more sing to us and nest in our trees and bushes.  

We don't use any chemicals on our lawn so it appears very patchy at this time of the year.  The green will fill in and when the lawn is mowed, it will be a smooth green in just a couple more weeks.  Right now the buttercups, crocus, and daffodils are still blooming all around the yard, too. 

 And so sits Elsa on her deck chair, as if supervising the birds, their songs, and their courtship flights.  

It is good to be retired.

Lois