Happy 2008!

Small snow storm arriving, 20cm expected, blowing snow, mild, -2

Happy New Year! 2008 - can you believe it? Part of me is still waiting for the millennium. I remember as a child being doubtful I'd live to see it - since by my reckoning I'd be pretty decrepit.

Since the storm was coming - and the 3 kids were creating their own emotional micro-climate - Doug and Mary decided to leave yesterday afternoon. They called last night - safe and sound in Toronto. Always a relief to get the call. I was in bed watching the fireplace log.

Sorry I haven't posted since before they arrived, but it's been a 'sauve qui peut' situation. Three kids and Buttercup (the Hound from Hell). Actually the kids were fantastic until the last few hours when they began poking and bullying each other. It ended in tears, of course. Horrible to see Michael cry like that. (kidding - it was the two boys crying, little Roslyn was composure itself)

It was quite difficult to get to the computer since the kids were busy downloading various viruses, biological war blueprints and bomb plans. And worst of all, music videos. We're on dial-up, which I'm not sure the kids have ever heard of. It was as though we were speaking a different language.

'Dial-up,' Michael would say.
'But why's it soooo sloooow, Uncle Michael?'
'Because we're on dial-up', he's say, slower, as though he himself was suddenly on dial-up.
'But can't you make it go faaaasterrrr?'

Whatever shred of cool we'd earned by having a flatscreen in the bedroom was squandered on the dial-up. We slid back into the idiot Aunt and Uncle category.

Buttercup (the Hound from Hell) was doing her part for the family holiday. Three hours in to the visit and she'd eaten a baguette, a loaf of pumpernickel and a very dense loaf of organic multi-grain bread. Normally Buttercup (the Hound from Hell) also eats the packaging, so it's difficult until a few hours later, to know exactly what's happened - but this time she left most of the plastic.

For the rest of the visit she also left 'you-know-what' all over the house. Though, to be fair, she did fine-tune it, until finally her 'packages' we restricted to the dining room and my study. I was relieved to realize the thing stinking up my study wasn't my fourth book at all, just Buttercup (the Hound from Hell). But what a stink! You remember Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound? Well Buttercup Penny has achieve her Wall of Smell. It was almost visible.

Enough.

The apples next door are gone - eaten by either BC (Buttercup or Brain Cell as she's also known in the family for the one she seems to fire up every now and then) or the deer. Haven't seen the little deer lately, so she's either found a 'family' to join, or Buttercup has eaten her. Happily for the deer BC is afraid of everything except carbohydrates.

So now we're back to peace and quiet and the home smells of wet dogs, coffee and woodsmoke.

We miss the family. Even BC.

Have a wonderful New Year. I'm off now to sit in front of the fireplace and start on the editors notes on Book 4. Always a bit stressful until I get underway. I must say, I'm enjoying this book. Should have the final edit done by the end of January, then will start on Book 5. Might even come up with better titles.

Speak soon - be well.