-Korrie (& endorsed by Marielle )

-Korrie

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We did have a wonderful Christmas at the Nottrott mansion.  Thanks Brian and Nate and Janet.   One of the highlights this year were the various small groups off in nooks and crannies talking about Judy’s friend, David.  But that’s a subject for another blog and we may wait until it comes out on the big screen in Hazard before we comment.  We have learned to respect the opinion of Goat Man’s since his last movie review ended with these words, “Gotta love the Muppets.” 

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But first a few shots of Christmas at BATM’s house.  The Elf on The Shelf must have had only good reports to Santa on Libby, Maya, and Tyler.  Even in this “scaled down” year they were absolutely agog with the wrappings and trappings and things and blings.  And I believe the keyboard and sing along microphone did win the “loudest” present prize. 

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     But the favorite presents were Maya’s and Libby’s matching bathrobes and slippers. They are just too cute.  They also got “head” lamps which they wore backwards as hippie headbands when they were at the keyboards.  Too cute for words. 

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And Tyler got his new hip and the rush that comes from a general anesthesia.  If you did not know, he had arthroscopic surgery on his hip to repair a torn labrum (cartilage in the hip joint).  He’s looking at a lengthy recovery period and is now gets around with his crutches or his walker.  He gets fitted this week for a hip-to-ankle brace that he will wear to school and basketball practice.  You may find it odd that basketball practice is in his list of activities, but he has given up his position on the court for a seat on the bench as a student coach. 

Even as the last vestiges of the effects of anaesthesia were wearing off he is certainly aware of the oddity of getting reuseable sno-cone cups from Uncle Chris.  They don’t have a sno-cone machine.

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But a big hug from his cousin might help —

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But Reid was the star of the evening.  Never mind the little help from Mom, he was still awesome:: 

,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJgqha9mk8E

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Can you believe I didn’t get a picture of Mark all evening?  So this will have to do: 

We were so proud of him for eschewing a traditional Christmas dinner of ham, potatoes, and green beans.  Instead his meal came from the Breakfast All Day menu -  Pocahontas Proud - Chicken fried steak, scrambled eggs, biscuit and gravy, fried potatoes, and steamed apples in sugar and cinnamon sauce.  (Do please note the extra bowl of dipping gravy.) 

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

Just wanted to let you all know that Veva and I have found a location for our wedding and — after a month of failed attempts — reserved a date for the ceremony. We will be getting wed on Saturday, September 22nd at Silver Falls State Park in Oregon. So, if any of you are willing/able to travel out here (and we apologize for being unable to book a more convenient Summer date), you’re all invited, of course. We’ll send out formal invites soon(ish), and Veva is currently setting up a website that will detail the wedding venue and near-by accommodations. I think it will be fun. We rented out a huge “old ranch” that shares a hilltop clearing with gamboling deer and the occasional bear and cougar (so we hear).

Hope all is well,
Oliver

I leave work a little early to pick up Libby, we rush out to the car and while driving to Fugate’s Cinema I really play up the movie, getting Libby all excited about seeing the Muppers. We walk into the cinema at 4:55 and the guy selling tickets says “The first show is at 6:45 p.m.”, I say “Your website says there is a 5 o’clock show” and he replies “Yeah, some guy out of Alabama does our website and those times are never right”. Somehow that’s acceptable?, but that’s not the point of this tale. I convince Libby this is fine, we’ll go home, eat supper, and come back. (This initial visit is a critical part to how ridiculous the rest of the story is).

We go home, eat supper, and get back to the theater at 6:40 p.m. I go up to the ticket booth (it is a different guy this time) and I say “Two tickets to The Muppets, please” and he replies “Yeah, the heat in that theater is not working properly right now”. I say, “So is it hot or cold in the theater?” and he replies “It’s not warm [pause] but I’ll let you guys in for free and if you can’t sit through it you can go next door to see the new Adam Sandler movie.”

Two things – First, there is no way I am taking Libby to an Adam Sandler movie. Second, they couldn’t tell me about the heat problem when we showed up at 5?

We’ll give it a shot. Libby and I buy our Sprite, popcorn, and Twizzlers and head into the theater at exactly 6:45 and encounter two people in there. And what are they watching? – the last 15 minutes of the movie. Apparently, there was an earlier showing that the first ticket person either did not know about or did not want Libby and I to attend.

We settle in, watch the last fifteen minutes of the movie and that is when I notice there is someone else in the theater – Goat Man is hanging out.

Goat Man is a homeless guy that lives in his own little cave/encampment out in the county. He walks everywhere, has long hair and a beard. He wears a top hat most of the time and his clothing is decorated with the teeth and bones of various animals.

Oh and the heat – it was not on at all. There was a little heat leaking through from the adjacent theater, but Libby and I kept on our hats and coats and finished the movie with her snuggled on my lap while I rubbed her legs to keep them warm. After the movie ended and we walked out, Goat Man was outside smoking and I said to him “Great movie” and he replied “Gotta love the muppets”. You said it Goat Man. It was a good evening.

What a fun time we have had over the past week.  Thanksgiving at the “Big House” in Pocahontas was just like Thanksgivings there for the past 40 years.  Sure going to miss that.  Maybe we can all meet at Powhatan next year. (I think Donna already has one reserved.)

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.  (Out numbered and out matched, Alyssa looses ”WAR.” Actually I have no idea what card game they were playing but it does appear that the two kindergarteners have all the cards.)

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On Friday it was off to Kentucky with an early lunch stop at Dairy King in Lebanon on the way.  Buckeye day at Barbara’s for Tyler was preempted by basketball practice and PT for his hip.  Maybe next year.  We got there in time for Thanksgiving leftovers at the Roll’s in the form of turkey pot pie and pumpkin tort, mini-pecan pies, pumpkin pie, cookies and gingerbread cake.  So unless Kathy and I get serious about shedding a few pounds in the next 6 weeks, the expression “the whales have returned to Hawaii” could very well be directed towards us.

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The weather on the mountain was great on Saturday.  Chris and I got some house work done – putting up trim boards around the front porch and quarter-round up on the back porch ceiling.  And then we got to play with Libby, work on the pork roast for supper and go for a long walk in their mountains.  During the house building activities during the past 18 months, the mountain trail has gotten a little overgrown.  Chris took his machete along to clear away some of the low limbs and brambles.  At one spot he found a large grape-vine that had grown high into poplar tree.  He cut it off near the ground and asked Libby if she wanted to swing on it like a little monkey.  Well, she was rightly apprehensive, not so her father as seen here –  

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And then came “Black Monday.”  Most of you on Facebook know that the neighbor’s two Jack Russel terriers killed one of Libby’s chickens.  When we asked her if she was sad that one of the chickens died, she said, “I’m a little sad, but mostly I’m very, very angry at the dogs.”   And then we were doing art projects and taking naps and life goes on.  And while we were there Jennifer made 4 different kinds of cookies and we made sugar cookies with Libby on Wednesday.  T  here was plenty of sugar and empty calories for all – see whale comment above.  A lot of fun.  Can hardly wait for another holiday.

On a warm Saturday afternoon in November a little girl in a red shirt went for walk in the woods.  The trees on her mountain have shed their leaves and they rustle under her feet as she treks along.