When we got our new little cat, Gwen, late last summer, we were determined to keep her indoors. Of the four cats we’ve lost since moving into this house, three of them were hit by cars, and those are nervous-making odds to say the least. We’ve had one indoor cat for ten years, and it’s… Read More Cat post

I hardly ever get sick (thanks, over-active immune system!), and even when I do, it’s generally mild. The whole family will be laid up with a cold, and I might have just a slight tickle in my throat for an afternoon or so. Usually. Not so, this time. Olof has had a killer cold for… Read More Struck down

Oh, my poor, neglected blog. I’ve had slumps before, but nothing quite as drastic as this, I admit. It’s all down to my thesis, of course, but the good news is there is finally an end in sight. I’m writing on page 71 now, and I have only a maximum of 77 pages to get… Read More Tiny update

Kids up here get to start playing a musical instrument through their school in third grade, and as she’s finishing up second grade now, it’s time for Petra to choose an instrument. Last week I took her to an open house at the music school, where she got to try out a good twenty or… Read More Rhythm is gonna get you

You guys, I am all typed out. Seriously, I think I’ve used up every word in my brain working on my thesis over the past week. The good news is, I’ve got 47 pages now, and 16 more will get me into the acceptable range. I’m sure I’ve got enough material to get me there… Read More Friday

Or, rather, I already did. Two, in fact. I was going to get just the spider, but while we were in England one of my classmates suggested I should get an army ant as well. Though he was just joking, the idea took hold in my head. I’m not sure that the ant on my… Read More Might go and get me a new tattoo

I promised pictures a while ago, and now I’m finally getting around to posting some. I didn’t take all that many, so I didn’t have many to choose from. These were all taken at Canons Ashby, a place to which pictures simply can’t do justice.

It’s been a long time coming, I know … I’m having a hard time getting my words to come out right for my thesis, so I figured I might as well try my hand here. At least the critics are nicer! (Actually, the critics of my thesis are pretty nice as well, except for me,… Read More England!

I have to drag myself out of bed at six o’clock tomorrow morning. That is the one thing I haven’t been looking forward to about my trip to England. The rest of it will be a lot of fun, I’m sure, not least because the people I’m traveling with are a lot of fun. Also,… Read More Eve

The kids are on “sport break” this week, a break that is traditionally dedicated to outdoor winder activities, but the dearth of snow has more or less put the kibosh on that. We’re not really much of an outdoor-winter-activities kind of family, though, so none of us is very disappointed. We don’t really have much… Read More Tuesday