Heading Home from The Holidays

Granny and Marisa Make a Purse out of Duct Tape

Tyler

Evie and Beth Making Lemon Chicken

A Mantel of Santas

Up early, 5:20, as we want to  get off for the lake before the traffic on Rt. 7 to Danbury gets crowded.  We may hit some snow on the way but I don't think it will be a storm, just some light snow.  At least, that's what I am hoping.  It's just about as cold here as in Chautauqua, 21º, will light snow predicted in Chautauqua, clear here for most of the day.

Yesterday, for us, was different from most households on New Year's Day in the USA as we didn't watch any football (actually I watched some for about ten minutes).  None of the boys are interested in football and all Rami follows is the Steelers and they are out of it.  So it was a day of reading, sitting around and watching movies, The Little Princess for Marisa, playing video games for the boys and Rami.  Mid afternoon, Rami went out and picked up a new guitar for Tyler, a Christmas present, another electric this time, so he spent a good part of the afternoon wailing out on it. He's a happy boy with his guitar in his hands, as he improvises and plays remembered melodies.  His next purchase, he tells me, is a 12 string guitar, one of the reasons he's been saving up all his birthday and Christmas money

I took Cody for a long walk, up Fox Hill, where Mitchell and four of his buddies always long board.  It's a fairly steep hill, so they take their boards to the top and race down, turning hard rights and lefts, hoping to stay on their board.  One, in fact, received a bungee cord for Christmas.  He ties it to a telephone pole at the top of the hill,  grabs it, pulls it back till it's tight, then uses it to shoot him down the hill as fast as he can go.  They really love their boards, the way I used to love playing basketball.  They always end up over here, go straight up to Mitch's room, and hang out till their Mom' pick them up. It looks like fun.

Just before dinner, I sat down in the living room with Tyler, and he played his guitar for me for about an hour. He played  three different guitars, showing me how they differed, why one sound was better than the other, why one guitar was easier to play but less versatile.  I would mention an artist like Neil Young or Eric Clapton and and he would play me a couple of their songs that he had memorized.  He seems to most enjoy riffing.  I also asked if he could play a Jimmy Reed tune like 'Take Out Some Insurance on Me, Baby,' and he got the beat perfectly, though he really needed a base in the background. He also has written some songs of his own, played one for me that I liked enough to get Evie to come in an listen.  A boy who seems to have found his bliss.

For dinner we had Greek/lemon chicken, with rice and garlic spinach, a satisfying meal after orgy of heavy foods over the last ten days.  It's hard to believe but we get tired of 'eating so well' that a simpler dinner really hits the spot.

I told Marisa a last 'bad boy story before bed.  Then, the rest of us watched some TV before going to bed early for us, around 10:30, as all the kids have school tomorrow.