I have a fun time planning parties – little girl parties. It scratches my graphic designer itch to make fun invitations. I might enjoy the planning more than the actual party. I know I won’t get to do this sort of thing forever. But for now I’ll keep doing it – selfishly amusing myself and…

For Claire’s 5th birthday we surprised her with a trip to the city to Dylan’s Candy Bar and to the big Maggie Daley playground. On the way we watched one of the bridges go up to let some sailboats through. Dylan’s Candy Bar is a wonderland of every kind of candy you can think of.…

Some mushrooms sprouted up in our yard. Well – really we made them out of concrete when Mom visited. She’s good about doing crafts with the girls. It was a cold rainy day when we made them. Yes, Mom, they did turn out and they look right at home in our yard.

This is Charred Man. He was a fixture in my mom’s living room when I grew up. Mom says he was a gift from her brother Tad – a friend of Tad’s made him. Now he lives with us and gives us a healthy appreciation for modern art. He is very evocative of the sculptures…

It’s taken me a while, but I have fallen in love with our long chime doorbell. Yes, this is what I think about.   I happened upon an article tonight that explained the history and the charm of long chime doorbells. Here are a couple snippets from the article: The premise that a doorbell made…