Spent at least three hours total driving time today. Buffy to the vet and back. Tom to work, then kids and self to Centralia. Back home, out past Shelton, back to Olympia, home one last time. The extreme cold weather that preceded the foot-and-a-half snow last week has nipped back several shrubs, hoping it didn't get too many of the bulbs, tubers and rhizomes that were just starting to wake up. Have to wait until May or June to be sure...
A dear friend who is "on the road" at the moment, Christopher S. is much in our thoughts and prayers these days. A medic in the armed services, he was part of the "stop-loss" invoked recently and now finds himself in a much more arid region than home, as he expected to be looking for work as a civilian by now! We anxiously await news from him and hope he will be safe in his work and travels.
Kids are growing like weeds, the older one got three new pairs of pants last weekend. The younger one looks like he is about to start racing for fastest growth again... Several inches to catch up, but poised and ready!
Speaking of kids and getting older, the elder child won the school-level geography bee this past Monday. Now a written test, to see if he will advance to the state level. He is rather proud of the medal and certificates he received. The green-eyed monster is alive in the younger, and he is making plans to enter the tournament the year after next. We suspect he'll do just fine when he gets there.
Dog is giving us some worry. It has now been several months of near-constant itching. It seemed to be triggered by food this summer, and has waxed and waned since then with no discernible reason. Another 100+ to do some bloodwork and thyroid testing, hoping for answers so we at least can tell how much more it will cost.