Josh & Angele Nickerson

Most of this week was spent having multiple strange men tramp through my home.  Sounds more exciting than it really was since they were all here to look at my wet and moldy basement.  Then with sad looks in their eyes (and lots of dollar signs) they would tell me that the real problem was the location of my home.  Behind the house is a hill and over that hill spills all the water that falls from the sky, which forms a little bog around the corner of the basement and then leaks through the cinder block foundation.  As Julie would say, "It's REAL bad."  We still have no firm plans but we will get some firm prices this week and that should determine our next move.  However, the house might have called a 'checkmate' on us.  We'll see.

 

Koski was in town for two nights last week.  He and Josh were able to renew their vows over liquor and MarioKart.  They spent a lot of time talking about the upcoming trip to Chicago to watch the football game. 

 

Gabriel got his hair cut yesterday.  The guy took off a bit more than I had planned so G has no curls left.  He no longer looks like a baby but a two year old. 

 

At least I can say this week ended on a good note for me.  Danielle and I just returned from watching Twilight: New Moon.  Yummy.

Yet again, we have water in the basement of our horrible, horrible little house.  Anyone know how to burn a house down and not get caught?

Josh worked nights the past two weeks so Gabriel and I did another trip to Oregon.  Josh did some things while I was away.  First was to call and leave me a message on my cell phone (and he knows I never have it turned on) that he was off to purchase a Wii and this was my last chance to stop him.  I received the message too late.  The second odd thing; Josh joined Facebook.  I feel as if I hardly know this man.  He owns a cell phone, has short hair and now, Facebook. 

So when Josh is not busy writing random notes online we play on the Wii.  I like the pinball game, hate the MarioKart wheel and Josh purchased the dance game for me (somehow making the Wii a gift for both of us argument in the phone message) which Josh played last night because, "it's a video game." 

Nothing quite like the Shelburne Museum.  The woman who started the place liked to collect buildings.  She would tear them down and then rebuild them on this large piece of land she owned.  Kind of makes other hobbies seem dull in comparison.

Vermont has reached peak season around here, meaning the trees are full of beautiful color as they get ready to die and fall off, leaving things bare for the next six months.  While fall has always been my favorite time of year I have a hard time not thinking about the long, dark winter to come.  However, before that we've been trying to be outside a lot even in the colder weather.  Gabriel does not care what the temp is outside and Josh just wants him to destroy things out of doors instead of messing up the house. 

Josh has taken a few days off work while his grandfather is in town.  We've had dinner together a couple of nights and Josh went with his grandfather, his mom and step-father to Shelburne Museum today.  On Friday during Gabriel's nap Josh & I made salsa with all the hot peppers grown over the summer.  Since we used most of the peppers it is too hot for me to eat but Josh assures me it's great.  He just finished up submitting a large research paper for a meeting next May in Sweden.  Going to be a few months before he finds out if it gets accepted and he can go but his new passport is all ready. 

One way to tell that fall has arrived is all the kiddy activities start up again.  Gabriel started up tumbling again last week as well as the library story hour and a very large playgroup.  He is still pretty shy around other kids but I don't think it will last.  However he has a jealous streak a mile wide.  Last week I was holding someone's five-month old for them and Gabriel looked at me and started to cry.  No sound, no screaming just a crushed look with tears running down his cheeks. 

I have received a lot of flak from the few people I know about not being a member of Facebook.  I have a long list of reasons for this, but to make up for it I joined LibraryThing which is more up my alley.  Though Koski informed me it was a place for people with no social skills.  (my friends make me feel good about myself) Anyway, I am very pleased.  I have managed to list all of my books online and start organizing them.  Yes, only a book nerd would find this interesting but I love it.  So if anyone cares.. http://www.librarything.com/home/AngeleDawn

Best of all there is no 'friends' count;  I can assume everyone loves me.

It was my mother's birthday this weekend, and Angele had been planning to make some special cupcakes for several months.  Mom is a big gardener, and so you see why she had these in mind for a while.  They turned out pretty well I must say.  People keep saying that Angele should open a cupcake boutique.  While I have no doubt that would be successful, since we were up until 11PM finishing these they would have be be sold for astronomical rates to make it worthwhile.  I even helped with these a little- I piped the signs.  Dig it.