illinois folk

just a couple photos of some residents across the border...

from last weekend's trip to the land which shares its lincoln claim-to-fame with two other states, though it is loathe to admit it. and that is the only grief i will give it in this post... onward and upward!

that little brown dog is only a visitor.

a michigan transplant...

wait a second... this is not an illinois resident... was, but is not...

a friend from high school opening gifts for her son-to-be. illinois residents by about 7 miles...

and that's it for now. tomorrow: the year's annual apple picking, applesauce making, apple pie baking day.

12 week update

okay, so what do you think?

from my perspective, i feel a little pudgy. and, in recent days, a lot less nauseous! now that is a nice concept!

so, those pictures were taken while on a walk in our old neighborhood. we packed up ollie and drove over there because it is such a happy neighborhood in the fall... mums in every yard, pumpkins on every porch. not quite that way yesterday... just a cool and crisp evening which made us nostalgic for that area of town, and fall.
after the walk we drove back home with ollie's leash still on him and him sitting in the back seat. when i got him out, i realized his leash was no longer attached... because he'd spent the 7 minute drive home chewing through it...

ah well. it is only the second such leash to meet this fate way before its time.

an update of pictures

here are some of the photos i have neglected to put up, but have been meaning to. life (i.e. work) has me running around right now, and when i'm not doing that, i'm catching my breath, but one day i will get into the routine, and veralouie will not feel so skinny!

a few photos of a recent(ish) housewarming party. that little masternard puppy, whose brother we chose not to adopt, is now a 90 lb. 6 month old... here, with Ollie, that little brown puppy who remains a little brown puppy... (above: Oliver adjusting to the fall-like temperatures)

by the middle of the day, there were 5, mostly under one year old puppies...

Oliver, after a time, finding refuge...

and later, back at home, worn out...

not that he was the only one...

being smalliver has its advantages...

next up: kentucky for labor day weekend...

our first opportunity to visit since our wedding.

southern spider...

swimming...

baseball...

and that's all for now.
tomorrow is 12 weeks along (approximately), so i will try to get a photo update... but it will probably look just like the first!

this counts

i will update the blog. i will update the blog.
especially because i'm almost another month in and so you'll want to see how not pregnant i still look.
but i feel it-- tired and pukey--without actually following through on those (sleep and etc.)... although that's not true, i am trying to sleep. in fact, that is why i am not really updating right now with pictures and such, because i am trying to take advantage of a potential 9:30 head-to-pillow rest time with a 6 a.m. head-from-pillow wake time, for 8.5 hours of sleep. woot! wish me luck!

this and that (aka weddings and friendships)

wedding season...

at a wisconsin wedding on a rainy (but when is it not) saturday...

alicia and nate

both bride and groom play ultimate (frisbee)... the groom with greg, both in illinois and wisconsin... so they handed out discs (frisbees) as party favors...

and greg juggled them.

friends...

friends...

back home on monday we accepted responsibility for the temporary care, custody, and general well-being of rocky (aka rockford, rock 'n roll, rockie talkie, rocks and socks, rocks in his pockets... greg... all greg)

rocky is oliver's new best friend. every time oliver is reunited with rocky (that is, when they leave their adjacent cages), he could not be more excited. if they were people, rocky would feel suffocated by this friendship...

during a calmer moment... but do you get the idea?

post #200

my 200th post... i should make it somewhat worthy of existence. or, as i accidentally typed while distracted, 'reasonable.' i should make this post reasonable. reasonable is in the top 10 of most frequently used words by those who have been to law school.

so okay, this is dracula, memorably lazing in the canning jar box and reasonably requesting attention...

canned pickles by greg... canning pickles is a reasonable option for all of those extra cucumbers in the garden, and much more memorable than eating those purchased at the store...

turning ollie into a pit bull... looking at his face with shorter ears, it's reasonable to think he might have some pit bull in him. what a truly worthy picture for post number 200...

finally and perhaps most memorable (and hence worthy) of all of these pictures, though the reasonableness at this point in life (new puppy, new job, etc. etc.) is questionable, this is me... 8 weeks pregnant.

harry snotter

it's not that i thought the first book was so good that i can't wait to read the second one (i don't think that impatience comes until book 3 or 4 or so i've heard)... but it was a distraction from real life... although a bit stressful to know that wizards have to suffer through finals like law students... not that i worry about finals anymore, but there are those residual effects. anyhow, this is all to say that i need to get my hands on book 2 soon, if only so that i don't forget who hagrid and hedwig and snape are.

foodstuff and jaunts

sunflower on a cloudy day...

taking oliver for a walk through the prairie...

he always checks back to make sure i am still with him. he is a good dog like that...

passing the farm i notice some orange poking out from all the green...

next... after picking up our weekly vegetables from said farm, we see if oliver takes after his cousin, dakota, as a carrot eater...

this face could go either way i suppose, but it's one of 'ohhh, this is a good snack!'

from our own garden, and maybe a bit from the farm... more tomatoes... time to can...

finally, a meal completely from troy gardens (less the butter and pepper)...

early fall

a cold and drizzly day... reminiscent of fall. it puts us in a good mood....

a good time to work on food preservation...

putting garlic out to dry...

building shelving in the basement for canned goods and potatoes and onions....

or, a good day to sit down and read... harry potter... i have given in (i suppose... for now) in that i am halfway through book 1. book 2 is checked out of the library now though and a long wait could be just enough to end the new habit... we'll see...

finally

the datura is blooming. i will take a picture of it when the sun is out. until then, goodnight!