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A public congratulations is definately in order. Jenn finally got her man to pop the question!

For those of you not in the “know”. Jenn and I work together at CVS. I think it’s been at least 4 years now. In the beginning, she was fresh out of HighSchool and just starting College. After a while, it became clear to me that she was very serious about this fella and they even got a place together. I recall teasing her incessantly about how he was never going to “Make an honest Woman” of her. She was determined though, I shall give her that. She would come to work and recount her plots to us, all the coy and not so coy hint dropping she was doing behind the scenes in their relationship.

Even though it took her 4+ years reel him in, yesterday, she came to work sporting a 0.7 carrot princess cut diamond with an 18 carrot jewel encrusted gold engagement ring. All the while, she is grinning like the cat that got the canary.

Well Jenn, you proved me wrong! I shall never doubt your “Spidering” abilities again! Now, let’s see what you can do about that last name?? (Chuckle)

This is our dog. He is mostly Chihuahua, thus his nickname “CheeWee”. Actually, when we first got him, Wendy named him Brandon but that really never stuck. Everyone calls him “CheeWee” or “Cheezer” or “Cheez-Wiz”.

We got him from the dog pound when we lived in Lancaster, California about eleven years ago. The story they told us was that they just found him walking down the road one day. Nobody ever came to claim him and I’m sure they would have “put him down” had he been there too much longer. They guessed his age to be around two years old at the time.

I remember when I first saw him, he was simply skin and bones sitting in a large cage with a concrete floor and several other dogs about 10 times his size. He was shaking like a leaf! After adopting him, he took to me immediatlely & has been the most loyal and intelligent pet we’ve ever had the good fortune to keep. He has been through 3 toddlers and was patient with them and never bites. He barks by the door when he needs to go outside. He barks by his bowl when it’s dinnertime. He barks beside his waterdish if it becomes empty. In short, he’ll tell you exactly what he needs.

“CheeWee” does have his quirks though. For example, he attacks Wendy whenever she is headed out the door to go somewhere. Most dogs attack unfamiliar people trying to come into your house, this dog attacks the familiar Wendy trying to leave the house. I’ve never figured out why he does this, but he certainly goes into a tizzy when she grabs her purse and car keys!

Now my poor “CheezWiz” is getting old. I figure maybe he’s about thirteen now. His eyes are getting a haze to them, his skin is getting those dark blotches that old folks get, he’s having trouble on the stairs. I can’t help but wonder how long he has left in this world. I’m gonna be devastated when my poor dog passes on. It’s depressing to think about.

Five years ago, when Wendy and I were searching for the property in which we would build our house, the criteria we had in mind was wooded, private, several acres, & a stream. We managed all but the stream. There is something about running water that just soothes and calms. Besides, we thought it would be a wonderful experience for the boys. Out there with their pants rolled up… hunting crayfish and tadpoles.

When we went to that fancy bed and breakfast in Gettysburg, I snapped a photo of a pond they had out front. I’ve made up my mind that since I can’t have the stream, one day I will have a pond exactly like this out back by the patio. Pretty, isn’t it?

Last Christmas, Wendy’s Aunt and Uncle in Ohio sent me a very unique present. A pair of binoculars with a digital camera. The idea being, you can look through the binoculars and press a button that takes a pix of what your seeing. The binoculars hold about 30 images, and once full, you can connect to your computer via a USB port and transfer the photos!

So today, after five months, I finally got it into my mind that I’m gonna test these things out. Just before sunset, I jumped on my A.T.V. and proceeded up the winding mountain paths to the highest point known to me. I then took about 25 pix. Here is a sample of one of them. Not too bad huh? I think I’m going to enjoy my new toy!

I must say that I’ve adopted to my new role as “Man Bitch” very nicely. I’m doing dishes, dusting, cleaning windows, bathrooms, vacuuming, you name it! To be a proper “House-Ho”, one must invest in his equipment. As the saying goes… “A carpenter is only as good as his tools”. I present to you, my latest aquisition. A Dyson Low Reach DC14 Upright Vacuum Cleaner.

This baby is the Ferrari of vacuum cleaners! With its patented “Cyclonic Technology”, it maintains 270 watts of continuous suction power, and has more attachments than “Inspector Gadget”. This thing can suck the skin off an onion! I’m amazed at how good a job this this cleaner does. My carpets have never been happier!

A few weeks ago, we went out to a fancy dinner with my parents, my Sister’s family, and my Cousin and her husband (From Boston) who were visiting. This place in which we dined was like a 5 star bed and breakfast located in Gettysburg, PA. Very exclusive and very expensive resort. The whole affair took like four hours. Wendy and I were amazed at how well behaved the children were during this period. I snapped this photo of Erick’s “invention” using his silverware and napkin rings. He’s always doing stuff like this around the house too. Inventing contraptions with Tinker-Toys, legos, Lincoln Logs, the cardboard tubes from a roll of paper towels. You name it, he can think of something to do with it. I wonder if he’ll turn out to be an Engineer or something?

I’ve made a vow this year to put enough wood away to last the entire winter. I want to use our woodburning stove as our sole source of heat. To this end, when the weather is ideal, usually we will spend a portion of the day doing wood. Mark has gotten very adept at operating the equipment. Check out the look of concentration on his face. I also put together a couple minute video of this particular event. He is soooo cute. I’m such a proud father!

click here for the video