Yikes

Suki is molting. For some crazy reason, she chooses to lose all of her feathers and regrow them from scratch every fall. Here she is missing about 80% of her feathers. She will look like a real chicken in a month or so.


Maggie and Lucy have tried molting in years past, but are much to the wiser now.

Fall is here

53 on 19

Yesterday was my birthday. Claire baked this delicious, four layer, German chocolate and coffee mouse cake. My advice to parents everywhere: foster fine baking skills when your child is young. You will gladly make extra trips to the gym.

Pat baked this fabulous Swedish limpa bread for my birthday. My advice to spouses everywhere: foster fine baking skills early in your marriage. You will gladly make extra trips to the gym.

18 on 18

Mizuho is a Japanese Rotary Youth Exchange student who is spending this school year in Columbia, attending Claire's alma mater Hickman High School. Mizuho will be living in our house from about March 1st until the end of June. Already, Claire has become Mizuho's de facto big sister. Sunday, October 18, we celebrated Mizuho's 18th birthday with her current host family, other exchange students, Rotary counselors and friends. Unfortunately, Mizuho was in absentia because she was sick. Fortunately, she is feeling much better now. Pictured below are her birthday cakes.

STOM Honoree

In this focus-challenged picture, Pat is receiving the Science Teachers of Missouri Distinguished Service Award. Congratulations, Pat!

Bigger bowls

My turned wood bowls are gonna get bigger! I just bought a Powermatic 3520B lathe. Oh, life has taken a turn for the better. Now I will be able to turn bowls up to 20 inches in diameter. I bought the lathe second-hand, new and still boxed and on the shipping pallet from a guy named Brian who won it in a contest sponsored by American Woodworker magazine. He makes Shaker-style furniture, and has no use for a great lathe. It weights 630 pounds, and I have no idea how I am going to get it off my trailer and into the garage.

090909

We celebrated 09.09.09 by having dinner with Mizuho. She is a Japanese exchange student who will be staying with us next spring. I probably should have taken a picture, but I figured I'd remember her bright smile.

By 9:09 PM we were listening to Tab Benoit rip up the night at the Blue Note. Tab is the best durn guitarist in the history of music. Period!